Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't know what churches you have been involved in, if any, but the churches we have attended do not fit your profile of Christians. Some drive SUVs, just like some atheists, agnostics or people of other religions. Others drive small cars. Many go to church each week or more than once a week, but more than that, do you have any idea how many hours some people give to helping the poor? Our church alone (it would be considered midsized) runs a weekly food pantry, helps support the local elementary school programs for kids in he lower income levels, we have a mission group that does nothing but sit and listen to those who need someone to talk to. We support senior resident homes, volunteer for meals on wheels, have fund raisers for mission programs throughout the world. Do we support youth programs? Of course we do and you think that isn't giving. often to the needy? We have a group that knits hats for newborns and baby quilts. All these go to the hospitals where the majority of children born are needy. I could go and on. Our small church (less than 100 members) in NM had fund raisers to help the needy in the area pay their utility bills or buy gas to get them to their doctors appointments. We had several who worked with Meals on Wheels. our church here does the same. I could list what many churches do for the community from now til dooms day, but there will always be those who prefer not to hear or believe how churches help.
My maternal grandmother brainwashed me with the Christian religion before I started school. The teachers in third and fourth grades assigned each of us a bible verse on Monday's to memorize and recite to the class on Thursdays and Fridays. A child can be taught anything....even a 2000 year old fairy tale.
I was baptized when I was 22 years old before a congregation of close to 1000 on a Sunday morning in the spring of 1957. I am a type A who is either in or out of something. I was in the church building at least three times a week and visited the sick on Tuesdays. We tithed our gross and at that time both of us were working. I was in the brotherhood, worked with RA boys coaching or refereeing, taught the young adults Sunday school class, worked with the building committee and worked on budgets any time we were in for something extra. I was a substitute usher. I gave testimony in small towns close to us and was offered the opportunity to become an ordained Baptist minister while I was still in my twenties. I read the bible from cover to cover, the new testament no less than ten times. I had nearly all the new testament memorized chapter and verse at that time.
Anyone who can overlook the fact that 90% of church organizations are self serving just ain't looking. I used to look around the sanctuary and wonder if others doubted the primitive god worship the way I did. Just after my 60th b'day I came out and told my family that I had never believed it....not the first day. I didn't want to die without telling those I loved that I had been living a lie for nearly forty years.
“For me [Francis of Assisi] is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation; these days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do we?” - Pope Francis I
“It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God's creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. … In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God's gifts!” - Pope Francis I
"Oh, how I would like a poor Church, and for the poor." - Pope Francis I
“Our social security pays up until a certain amount of treatment and then says ‘may God help you.’ The elderly are not taken care of as they should be, but rather they are treated as discarded material.” - Pope Francis I
I'm not a Catholic, but it was nice to find a liberal at the head of the Catholic church. It seems that the only issues for which the Pope is not a liberal is abortion and homosexuality. (But that's a natural diversion for a religion that values celibacy, and places the celibate in a superior position of advising couples having troubles in their marriage.)
This is probably why I've often had more respect for serious Catholics than I do for American evangelicals. Even though I go to an evangelical church, I know that when it comes to social justice, the environment etc. I learned long ago not to pay attention to them, because those parts of the bible that talk about those things are swept under the rug and make everyone uncomfortable.
The Catholics, on the other hand are pro-life, and not just anti-abortion. They loathe warfare, the putting others to death, and advocate for the poor--very much in line with Jesus' teaching. You certainly don't hear that from other Christians who harp about "Those that won't work shall not eat" (while ignoring all the other verses about the poor) and who twist scripture to justify unjust wars.
So your pastor does not have a right to be liberal? He only has the right to deny global warming? I don't know exactly what the truth is on GW both sides are guilty of spinning it so much that its difficult to know exactly. But I know many scientists seem to side with the idea its real and man made.
Even the science group hired by the Koch brothers found it was real and man made. Its hard to believe that 7 billion people thats 7,000,000,000 people all driving and burning gas, oil and other fuels will have no effect on the environment. I think that that is arrogant to try to say.
there is also a soup of plastic in the Pacific Ocean. Its not even cleanable and will be there for several hundred years or more.
My question to people like the OP, is there any environmental problems caused by man? Are there any threats or things that have to be stopped? How come you never hear a conservative say this is a problem that man is creating and we have to stop it?
Its always the opposite according to Conservatives, we need to deregulate, let oil speculators drill with less regulation, frack with less or no or exempted regulation. Never do I hear any Conservative say we have to stop this environmental threat.
So your pastor does not have a right to be liberal? He only has the right to deny global warming? I don't know exactly what the truth is on GW both sides are guilty of spinning it so much that its difficult to know exactly. But I know many scientists seem to side with the idea its real and man made.
Even the science group hired by the Koch brothers found it was real and man made. Its hard to believe that 7 billion people thats 7,000,000,000 people all driving and burning gas, oil and other fuels will have no effect on the environment. I think that that is arrogant to try to say.
there is also a soup of plastic in the Pacific Ocean. Its not even cleanable and will be there for several hundred years or more.
My question to people like the OP, are there any environmental problems caused by man? Are there any threats or things that have to be stopped? How come you never hear a conservative say this is a problem that man is creating and we have to stop it?
Its always the opposite according to Conservatives, we need to deregulate, let oil speculators drill with less regulation, frack with less or no or exempted regulation. Never do I hear any Conservative say we have to stop this environmental threat.
Genesis 1:26
"Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Anything a Christian does to the earth or the animals in it is perfectly acceptable to the old man in the sky. Have you ever noticed that men wrote all that **** and women are told to be submissive? Have you ever noticed that slavery was not only thoroughly accepted but expected? That goddamned primitive book has been responsible for 1000 times the harm to all of us than it ever has done good.
Most Wars. The Crusades. Slavery. The Inquisitions, Witch hunts, torture and burning at the stake. Pillarying in the public square. Stonings. Threats and Intimidation. How many homosexuals do you think have been beaten or killed? It really does seem like folks would take a close look and put that **** away.
"Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Anything a Christian does to the earth or the animals in it is perfectly acceptable to the old man in the sky. Have you ever noticed that men wrote all that **** and women are told to be submissive? Have you ever noticed that slavery was not only perfectly accepted but expected? That goddamned primitive book has been responsible for 1000 times the harm to all of us than it ever has good.
Oh, give it a rest! You quote the Old Testament, and then claim this is Christianity?
You know, when I make organic beans, I go through the beans and pick only those that look great, that are the perfect shape, and I throw out the rest, any rocks, etc. You do the same with Jesus' words. You pick and choose those you want and throw out the rest. What? The rest aren't Jesus' words? Hmmm? Well???????
Read the whole word of God.. Jesus did say that with man it is impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom.. but with God nothing is impossible.. many rich men will enter into the kingdom of God.
Where have you tried? I go to a Lutheran church. The sermon is usually, but not always, based on the Gospel lesson for the day. Yesterday we had a guest pastor from Lutheran campus ministry who gave one of his "canned" sermons, so it wouldn't be a very good example, though it was funny.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
