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I do not have the power to condemn in the sense that I've made excruciatingly clear I meant when I said no human being can condemn another. It is not a synonym for disapproval.
But Trout is correct in that I was trying to be funny. I realize fundamentalists find humor sinful. I think that's No 6 in nateswift's series.
On other things the Bible is oddly indifferent. It refuses to condemn slavery and even accepts it as a given. To the point where anti-slavery contingents in the 18th and 19th century church were hard pressed to find scripture to justify their abolitionist sentiments and had to result to indirect arguments and appeals to human decency, since none could be found in the Good Book. Meanwhile other Christians quotemined the Bible to justify slavery. I am sure that the Christian slavers, under pressure from the abolitionists, went back and "found new meaning based on their circumstances"!
That's the major difference between the Bible and the Quran. The Quran and Sunna are complete to the finest detail while the Bible is not political for the most part. It is extremely vague on how to handle governmental affairs and politics. Abolition of slavery in the British Empire was spearheaded by Christians who did interpret the Bible to mean that all men are created equal, yadda yadda. Others I'm sure can interpret it to mean the opposite. I personally do not think the Bible advocates for slavery, but if I thought it did, I sure wouldn't be advertising it because the next thing we'd know, the Religious right would be passing laws to bring it back. Not that they'd listen to me. ha ha.
I personally do not think the Bible advocates for slavery ...
No, it doesn't actually advocate it. In a way, it's worse; it acts like it's the most normal thing in the world, and gives advice on how to go about it. On how to be a good, ethical, kindly slave owner.
No, it doesn't actually advocate it. In a way, it's worse; it acts like it's the most normal thing in the world, and gives advice on how to go about it. On how to be a good, ethical, kindly slave owner.
Which would give most right-thinking folks the creeps.
There have been at least a dozen times I brought up the rantings of some Christian nutjob - and I honestly believed, stupidly of course, that no Christian on this board would defend that putz.
And much to my disappointment and sadness (yeah, genuine sadness) almost all of the loquacious Christians on this board either defended the nutjob or didn't bother to post (silence implies consent).
One example that comes to mind is when I posted a story about how an Alabama supreme court judge said that atheists should not have any Constitutional rights - and this judge later affirmed this statement rather than apologizing for it.
And instead of Christians renouncing this judge, several backhandedly agreed with him. Even though it was nigh impossible to directly agree and defend this man, some Christians instead tried to make it a free speech issue (even though his right to express himself was never the issue).
I see this kind of thing all the time, and not just here. I've seen it all over the place. Even that idiotic preacher who said gays should be locked up behind barbed wire (i.e. a concentration camp) was never renounced by the resident Christians on the forum I belonged to before coming here.
Seriously, what does it take?
How heinous does a Christian have to be before he is renounced?
The only time I've seen moderate Christians condemn someone en masse was when fundamentalists were blaming the Sandy Hook shootings on atheists for taking prayer out of public schools.
That's it. That's the only time.
Shrina, it's worse than atheists not having any Constitutional rights. Look at this article in the Arizona Central:
Quote:
Arizona senator Sylvia Allen has a fix for the moral ills of society: Mandatory church attendance. Allen, a newly appointed member of the Arizona Senate and an activist for the Snowflake Republican Party, is championing a call for all Americans to put on their Sunday best and sit (or kneel) front and center in the pews of Christendom’s churches.
Wikipedia Writes the Arizona Central on March 26: “Our Father who art in heaven... could you take a moment out of your busy schedule and come down here, please? We need you to explain a few things to Arizona State Sen. Sylvia Allen.”
Allen’s obtuse comments came last week Tuesday during a hearing on whether to allow individuals who have a licensed, concealed carry weapon permit to be allowed entry into public buildings. Somehow, her thoughts on this matter morphed into an appeal for state lawmakers to make weekly church attendance mandatory in order to fight moral breakdown.
According to Allen, the real problem behind the increase in our nation’s gun violence begins with something internal – the soul. And what better way to combat a corroded heart condition? Sunday morning worship.
“It is the soul that is corrupt and how we get back to a moral rebirth in this country, I don’t know,” Allen commented to the state’s appropriations committee. But Allen had a plan – and no matter how much her scheme tramples on the Constitution’s separation of church and state – Allen wants butts in the pews.
“We are slowly eroding religion at every opportunity that we have. We should probably be debating a bill requiring every American to attend a church of their choice on Sunday to see if we can get back to having a moral rebirth,” Allen said.
So would you prefer seating in Pat Robertson's studio OR at Phil's next revival?
And as a Christian with a little different step, this irritates and worries me every bit as much as it does you. The mixture of religious extremism with political extremism creates the Taliban of America.
So would you prefer seating in Pat Robertson's studio OR at Phil's next revival?
And as a Christian with a little different step, this irritates and worries me every bit as much as it does you. The mixture of religious extremism with political extremism creates the Taliban of America.
There is a backlash from Christian extremists because they see that the realm they have felt was their own, is dissipating, and dissipating quickly in many areas. Some people don't deal well with change.
So would you prefer seating in Pat Robertson's studio OR at Phil's next revival?
And as a Christian with a little different step, this irritates and worries me every bit as much as it does you. The mixture of religious extremism with political extremism creates the Taliban of America.
So you think it's a bad thing for people to go to church? And your post is a bit misleading. She just made a comment and admitted that it was never meant to be serious. Anyone with a bit of sense knows that such a law would be a complete waste of time and money. It would never fly in this day and age.
Quote:
On Wednesday, in a follow-up interview with Arizona Capitol Times, Allen refused to apologize for the suggestion calling it a "flippant comment."
She lamented however how America has strayed from the Christian culture she was raised in in the 1950s.
"People prayed, people went to church," she said. "I remember on Sundays the stores were closed …The biggest thing is religion was kicked out of our public places, out of our schools."
There is a backlash from Christian extremists because they see that the realm they have felt was their own, is dissipating, and dissipating quickly in many areas. Some people don't deal well with change.
Not when it is change for the worse.
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