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Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
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And again we have the inevitable, "I knew him as a man of strong faith" statements from letters of support and character witnesses to the Judge in the Dennis Hastert trial.
Hastert was a serial abuser of boys, yet why once again do we get these phony and sanctimonious christians who talk about how the man is of faith, of god, what a wonderful human being he is etc. etc.
We don't ever see empathy for the victims from these christians, do we? Tom Delay's was one of the worst letters. We get this bovine scat word salad from him:
"...he started a biblestudy every Wednesday at lunch. It was just me and him and Charlie Wright (a pastor). It was a verypersonal time for the three of us. We held each other accountable and we studied God's word and
applied it to where we were at that moment. Nothing could have been more Intimate between us. So I
know his heart and have seen it up close and personal. We all have our flaws, but Dennis Hastert has
very few. He is a good man that loves the lord. He gets his integrity and values from Him. He doesn't
deserve what he is going through. I ask that you consider the man that is before you and give him
leniency where you can. Thank you."
He's a good man that loves the lord. Stuff it, you lying, convicted felon. How flippin' christian of you. But again, there will be those who think Delay is right.
I think it's old too, and while cupper's battles aren't particularly the ones I pick, the moral authority of evangelicals went out the window for me under the sheer weight of this kind of thing long ago, almost before I left the faith. I think it started with Jim & Tammy Faye, Jimmy Swaggert, Oral "god is going to kill me if I don't get money" Roberts and other highly visible types, but in today's world of the Internet, it's clearly never been limited to televangelists either. It is pervasive in all kinds of church and para-church organizations and it's not improving.
If Christian organizations had not gotten into politics in the 1970s at least you could have been spared the unholy marriage of Christianity and right wing politics and we would not have to have this PARTICULAR conversation.
I think a good point is being made here that really needs to be thought about: in each of these cases it's the perpetrator who is supported and empathized with...not the victims whose lives have basically been ruined.
You may think that's "old" but it's not "old" to the victims, who have years and years of therapy ahead of them at the very least...I can tell you, it never goes away.
YES, these things are important to bring to light rather than sweeping them under the rug. If you feel it's "getting old" then don't read the thread. I'm sure you're not being forced. Do not read what is totally going to turn you off and feels, basically, boring, I guess is what you're saying? There are many other threads to read.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
10,202 posts, read 7,928,903 times
Reputation: 4561
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffbase40
This is getting old.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vizio
It's obvious he has no real point other than to try to sling mud.
I wish it as getting old, and not another one each day. I truly do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mordant
I think it's old too, and while cupper's battles aren't particularly the ones I pick, the moral authority of evangelicals went out the window for me under the sheer weight of this kind of thing long ago, almost before I left the faith. I think it started with Jim & Tammy Faye, Jimmy Swaggert, Oral "god is going to kill me if I don't get money" Roberts and other highly visible types, but in today's world of the Internet, it's clearly never been limited to televangelists either. It is pervasive in all kinds of church and para-church organizations and it's not improving.
If Christian organizations had not gotten into politics in the 1970s at least you could have been spared the unholy marriage of Christianity and right wing politics and we would not have to have this PARTICULAR conversation.
I have a particular disgust for those in not only authority, but in trusted authority, who prey on young children. My remedies for them unfortunately are not legal, but I can't understand that there is a significant cohort of Christians who excuse, forgive and attempt to explain away those that do the preying.
My greatest wish is that 6 months go by, and we will not see another one of these. It won't happen, and we all know it.
It's obvious he has no real point other than to try to sling mud.
Maybe he's not doing a great job at making his point, but if you go beyond the surface, there is an underlying theme here. It's actually been the same underlying theme that he's had in many of his posts, yet it's never been addressed properly from my persecution. It's an issue that many Christians have a hard to reconciling with their faith.
The theme is that Christianity does not actually do anything to promote good or moral behavior.
Let me be very clear about what I'm saying. I am NOT saying you cannot be a good person and be a Christian. Do not twist what I'm saying in to that and don't take anyone seriously (obviously hyperbole, always take them seriously but if they aren't making a valid point, dismiss it as nonsense) who tries to say otherwise. I'm also not saying that acting in a Jesus like way isn't moral. That's not the issue.
The issue is that, outside the abstract threat of Hell, what reason does anyone have to be good? Especially when simply believing in something is usually all that one has to do. Everyone sins, which is a fair view that many religions hold, but Christianity is weird in that nothing actually needs to change except to believe in Jesus. This is very unique, and a smart marketing campaign actually.
And it's not that people are taught that sin doesn't matter because of Jesus. But what they are ultimately taught is that Jesus is the solution to sin, and if you do sin, you just need to believe harder. Contrast that to Eastern philosophy and religion where proper introspection and change are not just valued, but prescribed as the cure for bad behavior. Jesus, as portrayed in scripture, is a fantastic role model. He has his views but ultimately will treat anyone with respect and dignity. No one can argue that this is not good. But why is seeing him as the son of god often all that is required in the eyes of so many?
And no, of course not every Christian who falls victim to this problem is going to become a child molester. But let's just contrast this to Eastern philosophy again. If Hastert were not in a religion that simply valued faith, would he have done this. If instead of believing a lot in something, he took time to look introspectively at his pedophilia, since he obviously has that as a sexual orientation or attraction or whatever and there is nothing that will make that just go away, but could a different philosophy that mandated introspective thought and self improvement have taken him to a place where he valued the conditions of others enough to not act on his desires in this way? Had he been in a religion that didn't simply just value faith and forgiveness and redemption through faith alone, but rather one that demanded he be critical of himself in a constructive way, would the outcome have been different?
The underlying issue is that it seems the concept of faith in Jesus or God is not in anyway enough to prevent people from behaving badly.
I think it's old too, and while cupper's battles aren't particularly the ones I pick, the moral authority of evangelicals went out the window for me under the sheer weight of this kind of thing long ago, almost before I left the faith. I think it started with Jim & Tammy Faye, Jimmy Swaggert, Oral "god is going to kill me if I don't get money" Roberts and other highly visible types, but in today's world of the Internet, it's clearly never been limited to televangelists either. It is pervasive in all kinds of church and para-church organizations and it's not improving.
If Christian organizations had not gotten into politics in the 1970s at least you could have been spared the unholy marriage of Christianity and right wing politics and we would not have to have this PARTICULAR conversation.
it sure would be nice to see a new conservatism that actually embodies the term.
Maybe that's something Trump will help (inadvertently) usher in.
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Do not read what is totally going to turn you off and feels, basically, boring, I guess is what you're saying? There are many other threads to read. 
