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TechnoratiLions Devour Christians in Weekend Rout
Last weekend was a tough one for the Christians who continued the struggle to maintain their spiritual legacy at the hands of the Lions who packed their defensive line with both the obfuscation of the Gospels and the utter disregard for the principles and responsibilities of a free and diverse democratic society. Look at these news items:
A 15-year old girl was punitively dragged on her stomach from a rope tied to a van at Love Demonstrated Ministries' boot camp near Corpus Christi because she failed to keep up with a running exercise. A retired U.S. Air Force instructor is the "commandant" of the camp that was created to "re-instill the values that have been lost in our society for a couple of generations, values such as discipline, morality, unity and integrity," according to the camp's Web site. The ministry is supported by both private and government funds amounting to $314,673 to operate the camp season of only 32 days with $278,549 going for salaries. Licensed camps in Texas are supposed to be at least 11 weeks long.
At the last minute, the High Point Church, a nondenominational megachurch in Arlington, Texas, reneged on its offer to provide a memorial service for its deceased janitor, a Navy veteran of the first Gulf war, when staff members discovered he was gay. Because the church's principles deem homosexuality a sin, the pastor feared that the membership would regard the memorial service an endorsement of the gay lifestyle.
U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo in his quest for support from Religious Right Republicans at Iowa's Straw Poll spewed out hate speech against minorities, immigrants, believers in evolution and even a foot washing sink installed in public bathrooms at the University of Michigan in Dearborn, which attracts significant numbers of Muslim students.
These stories illustrate the blatant hypocrisy and gall the Lions assume because they believe they have God on their side. They then denounce other people who have religious beliefs different from their own. These incredibly moralistic people believe that Americans have too much freedom (a làthe 1960s) and not enough Jesus so they have advanced an agenda that is anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-women, anti-science and anti-Constitution.
They also claim to be very patriotic so that's why they call peace activists and anyone who disagrees with the president a traitor. During the research for my book I interviewed one Bush supporter who said that the war in Iraq was a good idea. "The world is coming to an end anyway," she said, "we might as well get started." For a long time I couldn't understand her motivation but have since discovered that she is a Dominionist, one who is focused on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, Armageddon, the end of the world-and salvation for believers like her. Dominionists see September 11, then, as an opportunity for a revitalized crusade against the infidel in the Middle East. There are 38 million Dominionists in our country or 12.5 percent of our population and they have gained a significant foothold in our government, our military and our courts.
Of course, the Dominionists are not the complete picture of religion's influence on America. According to a worldwide study of 80 countries by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, the United States is one of the most religious countries in the world with about 46 percent of American adults attending church at least once a week, not counting weddings, funerals and christenings, compared with 14 percent of adults in Great Britain, 8 percent in France, 7 percent in Sweden and 4 percent in Japan. Yesterday Catholics celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (when the Blessed Mother is resurrected) and the Cathedral in my town was packed-for the noon Mass, the third Mass of the day!
Such a devotion to religion among Americans should have something to show for it but I'm afraid the Christian message has been lost in our quest to be rich, powerful and secure. For Christians the criteria for goodness are found in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5), where Jesus says: take care of the poor and suffering and those who can't defend themselves as in "Blessed are the poor in spirit...those who mourn...the meek." To do this, he says, we must seek justice and be merciful, truthful and peaceful. Another key text that is found not only in Christian texts but in Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and all the other major religions is the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and "Love your neighbor as yourself."
These rules of seem pretty straightforward, however, religious people oftentimes believe that once they are on board with the Lord, they are clean, clear, and comfortable from any danger of wrong-doing. Such arrogance will not save them from sin but such a focus on the hereafter will divert attention away from the people and the problems down here on earth. Actually, sin comes in two packages: sins against God and sins against the community. Ironically, the sins against God (idolatry, worship of other gods, keeping the Sabbath) seem a lot less harmless than the sins against the community (adultery, lying, stealing, killing, coveting). As for those people who hold positions of power, these sins against community have a great impact on large numbers of people so we need to be careful about who we elect as our leaders.
Upon being interviewed for his first book, former President Bill Clinton admitted that the great mistake of his presidency was his relationship with Monica Lewinsky "because I could." The effect of his indiscretion took two years away from more important issues like the environment, health care, unemployment, education-and, in retrospect, handling terrorism in the world. Likewise, President George W. Bush has used September 11 and created the War on Terror with all its spin-offs because he could. His actions have resulted in the killing of hundreds of thousands of people, the displacement of a million Iraqis with unrest throughout the Middle East, the sell-off of our military to private companies, the downsizing of government services for Americans, especially the poor, the loss of a major American city, the continued deterioration of our infrastructure, a ruined national reputation, a Constitutional crisis, mistrust in government-and all this at in incredible waste of taxpayer dollars. Both of these men claim Christianity as their religion yet they committed these egregious offenses against the community, the nation.
How can we hold all these professed Christians accountable for their actions? Unfortunately, Jesus also warns us that those who follow his path will be criticized, laughed at, shunned and even persecuted by those who hold the power. We have seen that play out especially viciously with this administration. So the question for the Christian-or any religious person-who confronts an injustice in society is: am I going to speak truth to power or will I co-opt myself to the powerful. If we don't act on the former option, I'm afraid we all will continue to be devoured by the Lions.
Olga Bonfiglio is a professor at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and author of Heroes of a Different Stripe: How One Town Responded to the War in Iraq. She has written for several national magazines on the subjects of social justice and religion. Her website is www.OlgaBonfiglio.com. Contact her at olgabonfiglio@yahoo.com.
54 Comments so far
Show AllAll I know is that if they were holding the games in the Coliseum today, the score would be "Christians" one, lions nothing. They wouldn't stand a chance.
"hallman August 16th, 2007 2:42 pm
35% of white americans say they are "born again christians" but 66% of black americans identify themselves the same way. Does that make black americans more intolerent and stupid? Careful how you label people."
Who is labeling all christians as "intolerent and stupid"? The author is herself obviously a Christian.
"lets hope the muslims destroy the christians"
Why? They'd likely kill you too.
I wouldn't mind seeing the fanatical Muslims and Christians battle it out on some wasteland somewhere, away from the rest of humanity. The world would be better without them, and then when they all die, they can all be disappointed when they meet Lucifer instead of Allah or God.
Thanks, Ms. Bonfiglio, for acknowledging there ARE Christians like me who watch in abject horror at what is being done under the guise of a faith we hold dear. Unfortunately, we get little media attention because we're not sensational, preferring to live as our Lord directed, in quiet faithfulness and without expecting or even wanting public acclaim for our devotion, our faith and our actions.
I would like to make one point: your column states "Both [Bill Clinton and George W. Bush] claim Christianity as their religion yet they committed these egregious offenses against the community, the nation." The difference between the two, however, is that former President Clinton admits his error publicly and may even be genuinely remorseful; while current President Bush defies common sense by proclaiming his actions in Iraq were/are logical and justified, and certainly not mistaken.
First of all, I need to state for the record that I am not an atheist. I'm not Xtian, either (what I am is beside the point).
That said, hallman wrote, "I must be [brain dead, responding to an earlier post], expecting so called "progressives" to show a little respect for the 80% of humanity that believes in a Supreme Being."
Belief in a supreme being doesn't guarantee its existence, any more than an 80% belief in Santa Claus makes him real, either. Even you, hallman, would have to doubt the sanity of any adult who professed a sincere and firm belief in the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny or gremlins. As Dichterfreund deftly pointed out, even that 80% (which you cite no source for - it's just a percentage you pulled out of some orifice somewhere) doesn't agree on the nature of that being.
However, the posts I've mentioned and many of those here are missing the point of the original article - acts of cruelty and hate prepetrated in the name of religion. The Xtians don't have a monopoly on those, though not for lack of trying.
By the way, has anybody ever noticed that a majority of wars waged for religious reasons are instigated by monotheists?
And here it is, I'm the proof that the whole 'believers are stupid' argument is false. Think you can prove me wrong? It'll be tough on you, but go ahead and try.
I don't think believers are stupid. Deluded, yes, in the sense that they accept as true something without a shred of evidence. But definitely not stupid.
You can be deluded and still be intelligent and caring.
"The Catholic church just proclaimed itself to be the only direct line to God, for goodness sake"
The current statement is just a re-statement of the Vatican II decree, in which the traditional doctrine couched in less confrontational, more ecumenical sounding terms. But the doctrine was what it was four hundred years ago. Rome has learned to play nice, but that doesn't change the substance nor the intentions of the clerical governance.
"The denominations in Christianity that are the most popular, or have the most members I should say, tend to not follow the Gospels that much."
The headline-grabbing denominations tend to obscure the movement away from orthodoxy towards eclectic practices & teachings. Like all real stories, that one is harder to cover.
"The last Christian was murdered on a cross by the same people who now require a 10% fee so that you can be considered forgiven by "their" God".
I know of no major denomination that requires a 10% tithe. Mormons do I know, but despite a PR campaign to identify them as a Christian group, they're one of those 19th century embryonic New Age groups.
"I must be, expecting so called "progressives" to show a little respect for the 80% of humanity that believes in a Supreme Being."
80% of human beigns aren't monotheists; they may believe in divine beings, but hardly ina "a Supreme" Being. Traditioanl Protestants, Muslims & Jews are classify Catholics as polytheistic, and Muslims & Jews have historically classified traditional Protestants as polytheists as well.
There is no ultimate truth. Respect those searching for truth, but doubt those who have found it.
lets hope the muslims destroy the christians
Jesus would tell you all that today's churches are the false idols. If killing and suppressing whole classes or races of people in Christ's name isn't using it in vain what the hell is? The last Christian was murdered on a cross by the same people who now require a 10% fee so that you can be considered forgiven by "their" God. You can call yourself a Christain all you want, but until you begin living by Jesus' principles of loving your neighbor, supporting the weak and poor, bringing peace and equality, you're still a lying assed hypocrite.
God save us, from your followers.
The denominations in Christianity that are the most popular, or have the most members I should say, tend to not follow the Gospels that much. At the minimum most disregard Jesus's Teachings. I will say that Christianity as done more harm in the world than most religious systems before it or since. Christians are more violent than Muslims in many cases. "Radical Muslim extremeists" are doing today what the Christians have done during The Crusades and the slaughter of The Pagans and the witch burnings. So...Christians have very liltle room to talk in regards to positive morality.
Every couple hundred years, the dominant Christian sect must decide what demographic will be its antithesis. In turn, the Christian does all that is necessary to give the antithetical demographic a headache. It used to be witches, than people living in Africa, and in modern times, the homosexual. Throughout the shameful History of Christianity, the Christian has maintained vanity, waged wars, and shunned reason like the plague.
The shame of all shame is when members of a persecuted demographic decides to affiliate with the group that treats them as sub-human. Aren't THEY ashamed of themselves! For example, why do some gay people decide to be Christians? It is not like a gay person would be accepted in a "real" church because Christians hate gay people because the Bible supposedly tells them so. Why do people of other faiths, whom Christians have killed and are continuing to kill today, demonstrating tolerance of this Global social ill that is Christianity? Hell, some Christians do not even tolerate or love other Christians. In fact, Christians kill other Christians in some countries if they are not in the "right" denomination such as in Ireland. In the good old USA, some Christians believe that a Mormon should not be President simply on that fact of Christian affiliation - independent of his opinions on domestic and foreign policy.
from my POV, it appears to me christians really arent followers of christ. they follow a mixture of old and new testament which covers the writings of many individuals. christians dig the violent aspects of the bible and use jesus to sugarcoat their beliefs. muslims too. hindus, and so on...
vonnegut makes an interesting statement when he points out that chrisitans love to harp on and on about the ten commandements but never the beatitudes.
but anyway, all religion is dumb because belief systems that cannot be validated by reality are useless, retard progress, and resist intellectual growth.
but religion is very useful to politicians for it helps to control ppl.
and, yeah, many smart ppl are religious. which says more about the mistakes of those ppl than about their beliefs. dumb ppl tend to be religious/intolerant/conservative.
these are just conclusions ive drawn from my own experiences. overall, though, i think secularists and humanists are more interesting ppl with better philosophies. nicer ppl to be around, think about, and emulate.
Let's get real with all of the 'Christian' labeling. Let's become 'human beings' and stop talking like it is 2,000 years ago.
The Catholic church just proclaimed itself to be the only direct line to God, for goodness sake! Talk about your CULTS! I personally am tired of this whole nonsense. Stop playing into the game of 'who is the real Christian'. It is so darn provincially american...Let's grow up and start thinking as educated individuals, and stop living in the past.
The time is now to stop being such sheep. If i never entered a church or synagogue, etc. I would still not murder or steal, etc. I think the point has been made and everyone knows it. And i don't think that Jesus of Nazareth really wanted human beings to worship him as a king, and build temples or churches for him.
Let's face reality...This is the 21st century. And by the way, I don't think Jesus was against a women's right to choose. When I read that even Daniel Berrigan stands against Amnesty International because they care about the rape of women, it makes me sick! The mysgyny goes so deep in these patriarchal 'religions' that even people I have personally respected cannot think compassionately or rationally!
Hallman wrote: "As an aside, roundabout, my upbringing precludes me from telling you to "go F—k yourself"."
Wow. Thanks for the great example of passive-aggression, the classical violent weapon of choice for so-called "Christians."
Hallman's upbringing sure taught him how to assure salvation by being un-Christ-like only by putting nasty things in quotes and claiming you can't say them. Sorta like ignoring "Thou shalt not kill" (and "turn the other cheek") by claiming "They did it first!"
Hypocrite. But thank you for being agent provocateur, and proving the point of the article!
Roundabout "hallman,are you brain dead?"
I must be, expecting so called "progressives" to show a little respect for the 80% of humanity that believes in a Supreme Being.
As an aside, roundabout, my upbringing precludes me from telling you to "go F---k yourself". Have a nice day.
Christians aren't stupid...
They simply want the rest of us to be.
I always love having resolute Sabbath-breakers attributing their Sunday afternoon victories to Jesus. Keeping the Sabbath day holy doesn't extend to sports bars & liquor stores.
TBone --
"Are you familiar with Carlin's take on religion?"
The only thing is the quote misses out on the alternate intonation, where Carlin says saccharinely, "He LOVES you . . ." then he switches to a rising gutteral shout, "and He NEEDS MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Michael Eric Dyson got into a great deal of trouble for (a) taking away the White Martin Luther King of "judge a man on the content of his character" and reminding everyone that MLK was largely hated by the middle class [black & white] for pointing out their complete acquiescence in genocide against the Vietnamese and (b) for mentioning that MLK himself carried the legacy of preacherly sexual exploitation, which is a constant in all churches.
The attack on gay rights from black pulpits is part of the strategy which produced the current Secretary of State & animates the evangelical-Likud alliance, and keeps the Vatican casting votes along with the fundamentalist Muslim governments, "Let's find a group we can both keep our boot on -- in the name of the Lord, amen!"
-- I do think we should sotp calling progressive Christians "true Christians," because Christ's peaceable words about neighbor-love, forgivness & non-violence, and his words warning against public displays of piety are couched in an extremist view of human souls & human destiny, in which the vast majority ("Narrow is the gate that leads to life, and few are those who find it") will be lost, and the entire world itself spared only "for the sake of the elect". Jesus was an apocalyptic moral rigorist who believed in the stories Noah & the Ark and of Lot, Lot's wife & the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Dear Lord, save us from your followers.
Hey good people...
Are you familiar with Carlin's take on religion?
"Religion easily—has the best bullshit story of all time. Think about it.
Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man...living in the sky.
Who watches everything you do every minute of every day.
And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn't want you to do.
And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place…
of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever,
and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time.
But he loves you. He loves you.
He loves you and he needs money."
~ George Carlin
Shalom
hallman August 16th, 2007 4:40 pm
assimilation?
hallman, are you brain-dead?
Jesus has been perverted by the evangelicals
Phew....it took awhile to read to the end of this one. Personally, I feel about religion about the same I feel about masturbation, I really don't care what you do but I would appreciate not hearing about it. Hearing about religion in public is just like....well, you get the picture
Veteran, '66-68
Even mentioning lions in the same context as christians is an insult to lions. Lions do not preach intolerance for other lions. I'd feel safer around lions than some of the bllody-minded zealots who call themselves christians.
You mentioned an argument and the only argumenet seemed to be between myself and hallman. That's why I asked and why I was confused because I mentioned in several of my posts that I don't have a problem with true Christians or true anything for that matter so long as they don't try to force feed their beliefs to others. Anyhow, I think we agree on that but I've got to leave for work. Good night
Kristina40:
"ASSuming I'm an atheist."
Cute, whatwith the capitalization and whatnot.
You list some pretty convincing points in specifying why you wouldn't think I was talking to you. Perhaps you shouldn't ASSume (boy, that WAS fun!) that I am.
In fact, why DO you assume I am talking to you? (I wasn't, in fact, that post was spurred by someone else's comment) Why the vitriol? Did something I say offend you? If so, what?
I completely agree with what you've said about Christianity being hijacked by people for their own gains. I've said so in other threads here, pretty aggressively actually.
And the bit about "it's only a problem when the shoe is on the other foot…" seems to imply (I may be mistaken here) that you think I'm Christian. Though you are superficially right (I believe in the message of historical Jeshua, the carpenter and teacher, and used his teachings to build the beginnings of my monotheistic belief-system, I gave up the dogma a LONG time ago) what, exactly, in my post gives any evidence to that effect?
Re-read my post WITHOUT thinking that it was pointed at you, and seriously, tell me how what I said was at all at odds with your comments.
Not sure who you are addressing but if it's me you would be ASSuming I'm an atheist. I'm not, nor did I claim to be, nor did I see where anyone called you stupid for being a believer. What IS stupid is using religion as an excuse to further idealogical hate agendas, which is exactly what is going on in this country right now and has been going on for centuries. I was raised Catholic but left the Church because of it's sexist views. I don't claim any particular religion but I do believe in a higher power, just not the angry, vengeful God that so many in this country seem to love. The "I'm better than you" act has been being used by many Christians but I guess it's only a problem when the shoe is on the other foot...
Bill Clinton always bragged that his administration was creating a bridge to the 21st century.
Bushco never claimed to be creating a bridge to anywhere. It is however, quite evident to anybody who isn't a moron or a liar that Bushco has created a bridge to the 11th century.
*shrugs*
I'm tired of this argument, so I'll lay it out like this.
I believe in a God. I'm a monotheist, but I can see as valid the polytheistic view as well.
If you think I'm stupid, you haven't been paying attention to this website. Yep, I said it. Sounds cocky, right? I never said I wasn't cocky, I am saying that I'm not stupid.
And here it is, I'm the proof that the whole 'believers are stupid' argument is false. Think you can prove me wrong? It'll be tough on you, but go ahead and try.
Oh, there are far better examples than me to prove the whole little superiority complex some of you atheists have wrong (Einstein, Newton, almost everybody EVER having anything to do with the foundations of mathematics), but I'm sufficient, and I'm right here right now, and if you think you're so superior, so much more enlightened, then come make me look foolish.
Until you manage to do that (good luck, you'll need it) please keep your snide little superiority-complexes to yourselves please, I've had enough of that from the Republicans, the Aryons and the foolish 'Minutemen' out there running around today.
'I'm better than you.' has never looked good when flaunted like some of you are now, especially among so-called progressives.
hallman, you are more than free to believe whatever you want. Sorry to point out the history that these beliefs created and ruin your rosy outlook. Believe it or not I don't have a problem with true Christians that follow the word of Jesus, problem being with that is they are just about extinct. Most Christians I meet are bigots, sexists, or war mongering fools that use the Bible to justify their hatred and bigotry. As a matter of fact one of these nice Christian people felt compelled to tell me I was sinning against the "Good Book" by marrying a Black man HMMMMMMMM
Thanks, I will. It will be the same way that Christian palestinians became Moslem, by assimilation. Of course, being "believers" themselves must make them stupid as well.
tlc, I know what you are trying to say but this isn't a recent development. So called Christians have been committing heinous crimes against humanity for thousands of years, after awhile it becomes a pattern...
Why don't you ask them how their ancestors came to be Christians? Or is it more convenient for you to forget that particular part of "Christian' history?
I'd like to bring the focus back to the article and its environs instead of "ridicule those with religious faith"...
Everyone has faith, by the way. We may not have religious faith, but we have faith that today will be much like yesterday. We place faith in our fellows to follow the agreed upon rules of life - for example in America to drive according to some semblance of law on the right hand of the road. That the plane we're in will lift off without crashing - that reality is what it seems to be....so don't laugh at faith - maybe check out what yours is, too. It might be rather silly to someone else.
The article is uncovering a problem with the Christian faith in America - that it has been hijacked by a group of people who seem actually anti-Christian to the overall message of the Gospels. When you really read them - you will find that Jesus tells his followers over and over to serve others, to love each other and forgive and not judge because each of us is a sinner somehow and so are imperfect. That mercy is from God and we are to be merciful if we want to be forgiven. That gaining everything is not important, but that the state of our souls is. That life is a great gift to all, and our actions are important, but so are our thoughts.
Jesus stood against the system that looked down upon Others and made the letter of the law more important than the spirit of the law. He said more is required of us than merely following the Rules.
Yeah faith is personal - up to each - but I really hate it when one group uses the names of another to supplant it with its opposite. Kinda like patriotic Americans who will break the Constitution to save us.
Kristina40 The next time I attend the church I will be sure to alert them to their ignorance. Thanks for clearing that up.
Unrestrained corporate greed-based capitalism has also entered religion. The "faith statement": "IN GOD WE TRUST" on the "Mighty" Dollar, and the prayer: "Bow your heads and drop to your knees, brothers and sisters! Feel the power of the Holy Dollar coursing through your being as you humbly offer your prayers, exaltations and gratitude to Mighty Mammon!" , though ironic, reflect the reality, that is, the mammonisation of God and religion. The American TV evagelists and the mega churches show how "corporate Christian gospel business" is thriving in the US. The "gospel entrepreneurs" with their claims of unhindered direct access to God craftily unite God and Mammon with their make-rich-quick "good news". Thus, this greed-based "Christian gospel" furthers the worship of the "holy triune god," that is, mammon, acquisition, and wealth.
Yeah I'm a bigot towards the Black Community for pointing out what White Christians forced upon them and the resulting ignorance it's created. Call the NAACP immediately and report me by all means. My Black husband will really get a kick out of it...I know I could never compete with you considering you've actually *GASP* gone to a Black Church LMFAO...
Kristina40
I get it enough to know that you don't know what you are talking about. But please don't let me get in the way of your bigotry towards the black community.
Impotent or important, this GOD thing was always confusing and a little hard to buy.
Praying to god before football games has always seemed to me to be.... really...uh....what's the word?....oh, yeah, STUPID! God cares about football? In all seriousness, so much damage to so many people because of religion.
they've stolen jesus. who would jesus bomb???? i think not. these people, correctly identified as dominionists, are very, very dangerous. they need to be stopped.
Oh yeah, and while we're talking about it, why does God need money, anyway? Why does every church have to beg to stay in "business"? Doesn't God provide? Can't he even do a small miracle to help his flock, such as a bar that turns it's tap water to wine at 4 bucks a pop? Seems to me that the Omnipotent God isn't very potent!
The interesting story to me is that the corporate masters are convincing their useful idiots to vote for Giuliani even though he is liberal on the social issues. If they succeed, that will be some trick. The religious righties only joined the Republicans because the Republicans claimed to support their core issues, and how the corporate masters can keep the righties voting for the Republican fascists even when such fascists disagree with them on such issues is beyond me.
canuckchuck, you left out God wanting them to win the SuperBowl, World Series etc. God sure is needy...
The Axtecs were convinced God wanted them to perform human sacrifices.
The South Pacific cannibals were convinced that God wanted them to eat each other, and that cargo planes were messengers from God
the Jews are convinced God wants them to cut off their forskins
the Africans were convinced that God wanted them to circumsize and sew up their womens vaginas
The Spanish were convinced that God wanted them to convert and/or kill the Aztec, Jews, Pacific Indians and Africans
George Bush is convinced that God wants him to own all the Middle East Oil.
People can convince themselves that "God" wants them to do anything they can convince themselves Gos wants them to do..funny though, God usually wants them to do something that helps themselves economically.
I think God is for people who cant come to grips with the thought that they are all on their own, and will die and turn to worm food. Period.
Their great grandparents were. Do you think they arrived from Africa as Christians? Most were Muslim or some variation before being captured and sold to those nice Christian people...They were not allowed to practice their religion or even speak in their own tongue upon arrival so they were basically robbed of their spirituality and force fed Christianity, get it?
Wow. I have attended a black church on occasion and the people seem pretty nice to me. I don't remember a single one telling me that they were converted at the end of a bullwhip or dangling from a noose....
In some respects hallman, yes. Homophobia runs rampant in the Black community for just that reason. Which is fairly bizarre when you consider they were force fed Christianity and "converted" the old fashioned way, at the end of a bullwhip or dangling from a noose. Those nice Christian people...
In his last book, "Man Without a Country," Kurt Vonnegut makes the observation that you never hear of a Christian zealot wanting to post the beatitudes in public buildings. It's always the 10 commandments, and that's Moses, not Jesus. Just imagine "blessed are the peacemakers" in the Pentagon.
What's even more astonishing to me is that the same Christians who thump on the Bible to prove that homosexuals are an abomination react with an indignant "But that's the OLD TESTAMENT!!!" if you ask them if they believe in multiple wives for men or stoning children for disrespect, since that's in the Bible too. And that's just an example. It's easy to go on ad nauseum concerning the cherry picking and obfuscation when it comes to their beliefs.
My liberal Christian friends tell me it's a matter of faith and it's about the "essence" of the biblical message, but I just find inconsistent blind faith to be, well, gee, inconsistent, irrational, illogical, and contradictory.
35% of white americans say they are "born again christians" but 66% of black americans identify themselves the same way. Does that make black americans more intolerent and stupid? Careful how you label people.
Thanks Brian22!
Can you help publicize the following petition ?
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/protest-treatement-of-zed-and-ellison
thanks so much for considering this.
Text below:
Dear Representatives:
I would like to call your attention to the recent statement by Representative William Sali of Idaho regarding the Founding Fathers views on freedom of religion:
"We have not only a Hindu prayer being offered in the Senate, we have a Muslim member of the House of Representatives now, Keith Ellison from Minnesota. Those are changes -- and they are not what was envisioned by the Founding Fathers".
I beseech you, our three local N.C. Congressional representatives to unite and inform Representative Salli in writing, that the views of the Founding Fathers can be found in the U.S. Constitution, and that his statement is in direct contradiction to the U.S. Constitution he has sworn to uphold, which reads:
Bill of Rights - Amendment I, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,"
Additionally Article VI, paragraph 3, clearly states: "...no religious Test shall be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."
The last thing we need in America is to split along religious lines. The idea that membership in a certain religion should be a requirement of eligibility to hold governmental office is completely contrary to the fundamental core American values on which our Nation was established. Please take a stand against this gross rewriting of history, don't let us forget that America was founded on the idea of freedom of religion.
Sincerely
Has anybody noticed how words don't matter anymore? It's quite odd really. I remember when Christianity meant to love your neighbor. Now it means that you should hate your neighbor and put a bullet in his head if he looks at you funny. I guess we should never have allowed a homicidal maniac to be our spiritual leader as well as our political one. These poor Christians. They're so blind.
I was raised in the 1970s when Christians felt a need to go out and save souls. My mother became a born again Christian in 1973. That year we housed one hundred or so members of an evangelical group called "Christ is the Answer" at our quarter acre house in Las Vegas. I don't remember this group as being anything like these right wing Christians of today. There was no hardened, unforgiving "morality" like there is today. There was no blind loyalty to secular pundits like Rush (the shmuck) Limbaugh or mini-Hitlers in sheep clothing like Dobson or Robertson. Christians didn't need to join politics. Once it did we soon had these liars appearing out of the woodwork liike Bush and Dick (im so impeachable) Cheney. Hucksters, snake oil salesman. Anybody can call himself a Christian and that's what they did. They lined up: Republican Christian. What a deadly combination that's turned out to be.
It is true that today's American Christian church has denied Christ by backing Bush's murder incorporated. I remember that winning a soul to Jesus was the greatest thing that you could do. You were called to "witness" to people as a Christian back then. That means that you were supposed to tell people how Jesus changed your life and could change theirs. Christians have lost all credibility. If a Christian ever tried to witness to me now all I would have to do is ask them their political affiliation and I would know what their religion is about. I would send them packing. They would be shamed by me so they could not show their head. Christians, you blew it. By backing evil you destroyed your witness. America is not a Christian nation because you are not real Christians. I would suggest that these "Christians" read the Bible and try to realize how difficult it really is to be a Christian. After you have done what Jesus commands you to do then you can come talk to me. Not any sooner. God will spit you out of his mouth and I will walk around you to avoid the poison that you have become. As they used to say to sinners I will say to our modern American Christian: Repent!
Stop calling each other "doo-doo heads" and learn this:
When you hear the words, "God says,....." you are being hooked into a 'third party hustle'.