To be honest, the reason why I usually called myself a Christian when I was young was because I thought if I said that some of the things we have to believe (Noah's Ark and how he got two of ever species to get on a boat and reproduce, God making the world in seven days, etc.) sounded silly, I thought was a big no-no. Then came fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson who preached the Word of God one minute, then preached that Jesus hates gays and liberals and that Jesus wants us to give money to said preachers the next, and by that time, I didn't care what the reaction was, I was completely disillusioned from the frauds who stood in my TV, claiming to messengers from God. Now as I read Leo Pusateri's and Congressman Randy Forbes' rant on how we are a Christian nation - add to it, the mindless chatter from BFV bloggers like Mark, the Reverend Jeremiah and his alter boys frm marine and js02 - i'm glad I left a religion that I really didn't feel as if I have any connection with anyway.
Leo, a few points points:
1. We are not -- I REPEAT, NOT -- a Judeo-Christian nation. If we were, the Founding Fathers would have written in the Constitution that Christianity be a state religion. We are however, a nation that beleives that we have the freedom to practice whatever religion we choose, and not to practice at all. We accept all faiths, but don't endorse any.
2 (and this is very important). - Just because the vast majority of Americans consider themselves Christian, it doesn't mean we are, in fact, a Judeo-Christian nation! It just means many Americans align themselves with Christianity. That's it.
For the record: i'm agnostic who believes in God and the teachings of Christ, but believes that organized religion is just another way to control the masses.
Anyway, Leo is free to come onto this site and disagree with me if he so wishes to.
5 comments:
I saw your post over on "Objective Scrutator's" blog's latest, Jonathan. They're all well and truly around the bend.
At the end of the day it is all about the fundamentalist right wanting absolute control - of what other people think, and do. Belief doesn't enter into it, in practice. It's all about establishing a structure that enforces certain behaviors upon everybody.
Read "The Handmaid's Tale," if you haven't yet. Sharon would encourage it. It's an instructive read...and I think coming up for ET Daughter later in her High School curriculum, thankfully.
If this gang spent a fraction as much time trying to make their own lives something worthy of emulation, versus trying to push their vision on everyone else, the world would be a better place.
Here's to sanity, in which you well and truly participate, my friend.
Is not Christianity named for Jesus Christ?
Personally, I believe that ALL you have to believe to be a true Christian are the teachings of Jesus Christ, which most evangelical fundamentalists tend to ignore for the idea that one must instead focus and believe the Old Testament literally. This is NOT what Christ taught. In fact, it's kinda funny to hear fundies say the bible is to be believed "literally" when Jesus himself taught using parables. LOL
Judge NOT! Forgive to be forgiven. Pray in private. Give help to the poor, old, helpless, the young. In fact, the groups Jesus preached against in particular, were the Pharisees (those pretending to be holier than others and teaching the tenets of men-sound familiar? and anyone hurting children)
I prefer a red letter edition of the King James Version of the New Testament. If "Christians" would focus on the actual teachings of Jesus, all this hate and judgement would not exist in the so called 'Christians' we see so blatantly spewing hate and FEAR on TV, imho.
Unfortunately, many people judge Christianity by what these fundies and others like them have done thru history, instead of what Jesus actually taught.
I have no problem "believing" in thos things and suggest that people read those instead of listening to "preachers" tell them what to think/believe.
I also agree with ET that it's what you DO rather than what you say you believe...lip service. The word religion in Hebrew is translated to mean, "way of life".
Michael knocked it out of the park.
Well said, Michael.
I should clarify that my commentary was aimed solely at the fundamentalist wing whose ideology unfairly tars much of the rest of Christianity with its excesses and phobias and its drive to control, control, control. I hope that was clear, and apologize for anyplace where it was not.
Yes et,
It was clear as a bell to me and I was piggybacking on your post. The right wing fundamentalist evangelicals have done more to destroy Christianity than those who outrightly oppose it, imho.
I was raised Methodist and proud to point out that they stood up and voiced their OPPOSITION to the Iraqnam debacle, despite that fact that lilaWol was one of their members at one time, before he "got saved". They were part of a coalition of over 100 churches opposing the occupation but it wasn't seen much on corporate media in the usa.
Though I don't strictly belong to any one church now, I believe Christians are those who follow the tenets of Christ, rather than just stand up in church and profess those beliefs.
BTW, I'm enjoying your blog Count and this is one of the positives of my brouhaha with the "powers that be".......
Hope you bothy enjoy the weekend
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