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When Obama was elected in 2008, membership in hate groups and militias - most of them Christian - increased by 700%.
And that was just because a black man became president.
If the right kind of Christian apologist, someone charismatic enough, were to ever whip up Christians into a frenzy, I have no doubt - no doubt at all - that there would be those committed to terrorism and murder. I'm not saying all Christians would do that. In fact, I would envision a lot of sectarian violence between Christian factions in the same way Shi'as and Sunnis hate each other.
Will it happen today? No, probably not. Tomorrow? Doubtful. But 50 years from now? How about 100?
What happens when the economic situation in America becomes desperate - and it will - and people begin turning to fundamentalist religion to assuage their fears? I'm not at all convinced that we won't have some serious trouble.
Understood and good comment, my responce would be what evidence is there to substantiate a concern for this particular belief system.
The Christians have an important slogan, turn the other cheek , consider it a directive subject to full review in order to remain in good standing. ( not that its followed perfectly and it can't be but it's real and fully recognized.
There would need to be some evidence the slogan has not been very responsible through the centuries for averting war and chaotic conditions. Iow where would this world be without the directive turn the other cheek and others concerning the value of going the extra mile and sacrifice. Things to do with peace.
Remove all and what is being implied is the world would by and large be a better place. That would be a tough sell.
Last edited by Sophronius; 09-02-2014 at 02:10 PM..
Shirina gives another excellent response and your only reply is to say you don't think modern day Christians would become terrorists? How about addressing the very real point that morality applies to god?
Elaborating on my point 3:
The common argument against the justness of eternal damnation is that god is applying an infinite, horrible punishment for finite crimes.
One christian response is to argue that got is infinite and perfect. Any sin (aka crime against god) has to be weighed against god's infinite perfection. Thus, a finite crime against an infinite perfect being can only be judged infinitely. Therefore hell.
I am not going yo defend the apologetic. I think it is weak and warped. But I have had Christians use it.
Shirina gives another excellent response and your only reply is to say you don't think modern day Christians would become terrorists? How about addressing the very real point that morality applies to god?
Elaborating on my point 3:
The common argument against the justness of eternal damnation is that god is applying an infinite, horrible punishment for finite crimes.
One christian response is to argue that got is infinite and perfect. Any sin (aka crime against god) has to be weighed against god's infinite perfection. Thus, a finite crime against an infinite perfect being can only be judged infinitely. Therefore hell.
I am not going yo defend the apologetic. I think it is weak and warped. But I have had Christians use it.
So with regards to the concept,
a) an offence against an infinite god requires infinite punishment ( hell.
b) how if true could this outcome be understood as moral .
c) in the scheme of it all the creators greatness, becomes an excuse for the creator
If this is the question it seems a misguided suggestion as its put regardless from what I understand in Christianity. Its not guidance .
Last edited by Sophronius; 09-02-2014 at 04:06 PM..
Understood and good comment, my responce would be what evidence is there to substantiate a concern for this particular belief system.
The Christians have an important slogan, turn the other cheek , consider it a directive subject to full review in order to remain in good standing. ( not that its followed perfectly and it can't be but it's real and fully recognized.
There would need to be some evidence the slogan has not been very responsible through the centuries for averting war and chaotic conditions. Iow where would this world be without the directive turn the other cheek and others concerning the value of going the extra mile and sacrifice. Things to do with peace.
Remove all and what is being implied is the world would by and large be a better place. That would be a tough sell.
The problem I think is that people such as yourself, who have a more pacifistic view of Christianity, project that view onto the entirety of Christendom.
Not all Christians are the "turn the other cheek" sort. Some are the "eye for an eye" sort and others are simply convinced that America's only chance of success is to spread Christianity and its values - through laws and force if needs be.
One thing that I'm not sure if many people know, but the Founding Fathers of the USA were heavily influenced by Oliver Cromwell ... and he was just the kind of Christian charismatic I'm referring to. He believed in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - but only for those who were Protestant Christians. Thus he went rampaging across Catholic Ireland killing and executing as he went.
Charlamagne is another one, and while granted he is a figure from antiquity, he forced everyone he conquered to convert to Christianity ... or die right there on the spot. In fact, several other Christian sects were wiped out due to the violence and intolerance of current Christian dogma. What Christians believe today has less to do with any kind of inherent Truth and far more to do with 'might makes right' - since other choices, other options for belief were eliminated with cold, hard steel.
I've no doubt that a goodly number of Christians would want no part of the kind of terrible scenario I've described, but it only takes a fairly small number of people to change the attitudes and outlooks of an entire nation. It's happened before. We just need to be vigilant that it does not happen again - for either my side or yours. Freedom for us both is of the utmost importance.
The problem I think is that people such as yourself, who have a more pacifistic view of Christianity, project that view onto the entirety of Christendom.
Not all Christians are the "turn the other cheek" sort. Some are the "eye for an eye" sort and others are simply convinced that America's only chance of success is to spread Christianity and its values - through laws and force if needs be.
One thing that I'm not sure if many people know, but the Founding Fathers of the USA were heavily influenced by Oliver Cromwell ... and he was just the kind of Christian charismatic I'm referring to. He believed in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - but only for those who were Protestant Christians. Thus he went rampaging across Catholic Ireland killing and executing as he went.
Charlamagne is another one, and while granted he is a figure from antiquity, he forced everyone he conquered to convert to Christianity ... or die right there on the spot. In fact, several other Christian sects were wiped out due to the violence and intolerance of current Christian dogma. What Christians believe today has less to do with any kind of inherent Truth and far more to do with 'might makes right' - since other choices, other options for belief were eliminated with cold, hard steel.
I've no doubt that a goodly number of Christians would want no part of the kind of terrible scenario I've described, but it only takes a fairly small number of people to change the attitudes and outlooks of an entire nation. It's happened before. We just need to be vigilant that it does not happen again - for either my side or yours. Freedom for us both is of the utmost importance.
Christendom ( body or society of Christians ) is the how man has become and developed at such rates . [url=http://Renaissance en.wikipedia.org/wiki/]government, law, the arts, science. In the early 1900's Russia was enjoying the arts and science as well something to include.
culture
the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education
a : enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training
b : acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from vocational and technical skills
the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations.
Last edited by Sophronius; 09-02-2014 at 10:21 PM..
Asking a constant stream of questions is a classic, well-known technique to distract the audience. Magicians do it all the time.
I'm just asking the same question over and over and over again because the respondents don't seem to be capable of understanding that they are not answering it.
1 Corinthians 7:3-5 New International Version (NIV)
3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
That verse says nothing about sex on demand being a requirement.
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