The Religous Right
- Thread starter madame_zora
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It can be argued just as strongly, and has been, that the God of Abraham and the Christian God are not the same God because of His/Their different portrayals in the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament God was a God of wrath and law, a God of prejudices and destruction. Swift justice was His way. He was very different from the loving Father proclaimed by Jesus. The hallmarks of the New Testament God are mercy and compassion, not retribution. In fact, the Gnostics, an early Christian sect, thought that there were two Gods: the evil, material God of the Old Testament, and the benevolent, spiritual God of the New Testament. Of course, we were talking about fundamentalists, and fundamentalists spout out Old Testament quotes left and right while paying short shrift to the New. Now about Islam: many Christians don't realise it, but Jesus and John the Baptist are highly praised in the Quran. Many Christians also don't realise that the Virgin Mary is mentioned by name more times in the Quran than in the New Testament. And I'll be willing to bet that the so-called Christian prison guards who desecrated the Quran in Cuba never realised what was on those pages that they defiled. I have met many Muslims for whom I have great respect, but those are Muslims who understand their religion and don't pervert it to promote jihad.
However, most of the so-called Christians who engage in such pasttimes tend to be fundamentalists. Ever hear of Westboro Baptist Church? This is not a bash against the Baptists; even the Baptists don't accept the Westboro congregation as one of their own. Mainstream Christians, for the most part, denounce such activities.
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[/b][/quote]I completely agree with this post.
You need to read more. In many areas of the US, gay "hate crimes" are up as much as 27%...since 2004. And the prosecution figures for these crimes have dropped dramatically. So?
[post=332740]Quoted post[/post]
[/b][/quote]I don't see how that means the majority of fundies advocate that shit. Please stop assuming that I am defending this administration or our current leadership on every post I write. Yeah, the fundies and their representatives are no friends of homosexuals or of abortion doctors, that does not mean they advocate murder.
I don't see how that means the majority of fundies advocate that shit. Please stop assuming that I am defending this administration or our current leadership on every post I write. Yeah, the fundies and their representatives are no friends of homosexuals or of abortion doctors, that does not mean they advocate murder.
[post=332790]Quoted post[/post]
[/b][/quote]they don't need to advocate it if they're giving the impression that they don't condemn it - which they quite clearly are.
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You need to read more. In many areas of the US, gay "hate crimes" are up as much as 27%...since 2004. And the prosecution figures for these crimes have dropped dramatically. So?
[post=332740]Quoted post[/post]
[/b][/quote]What makes you think that fundamentalists are behind the hate crimes? All the fundamentlaists I know would rather bombard you with tracts and pray over you. They'll love you to death, if anything. Well meaning, but misguided. "Hate the sin, love the sinner..."
I think more hate crimes are perpetrated by ignorant people of all faiths. I know a lot of redneck people who are homophobes in mainline churches that denominationally preach tolerance and being open to differences. Those are the people you've got to watch out for.
What makes you think that fundamentalists are behind the hate crimes? All the fundamentlaists I know would rather bombard you with tracts and pray over you. They'll love you to death, if anything. Well meaning, but misguided. "Hate the sin, love the sinner..."
I think more hate crimes are perpetrated by ignorant people of all faiths. I know a lot of redneck people who are homophobes in mainline churches that denominationally preach tolerance and being open to differences. Those are the people you've got to watch out for.
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[/b][/quote]You know, I have to agree with this to a point. I think the new term "fundies" isn't really an accurate view of the majority of Christian Fundamentalists. Like prep said, most of them will try to pray all over you and offer you dinner.
Sadly, many of the hate crimes HAVE in fact been perpetrated by persons identifying themselves with that sector of Christianity, so there has been a natural tendancy to apply insanity and violence as traits of the religion as a whole. We've done the same thing to the Muslims- because the terrorists WERE Muslim, we mistakenly believe all Muslims are terrorists. All fundies aren't bombers, even though many of them aren't very tolerant of "others". I haven't seen a lot of mixed race congregations nor any talk of acceptance of gays as human beings. My own church refered to them as "sick people in need of God's healing", which I found repulsive. Our black membership was about 2%.
If the religions themselves don't do a very good job of getting their members to practise what they preach, it is of little curiosity why others misidentify them.
Very well may be; HOWEVER who is it that is "preaching" the loudest? Certainly doesn't seem to be the "fundies" you refer to. And I agree with MZ on the terminology, "fundie" has just become a convenient, sweeping term we use to try and define the bigoted, hateful, repressive anti-everything zealots.
I have absolutely NO DOUBT there are religious fundamentalists who do disagree with much, if not most of what is occurring. We just don't hear from them.
they don't need to advocate it if they're giving the impression that they don't condemn it - which they quite clearly are.
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[/b][/quote]you still haven't proven this to me. only the most extreme of churches/pastors proclaim that murder is justifiable.
That's the entire basis for Christianity. I think only the Jews (ethnic) are more vocal about prosecution, and they actually have something to be angry about.
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[/b][/quote]I think you mean 'persecution'. Actually, fundamentalist Christian sects, e.g. the Puritans, were persecuted for a time in history. If it weren't for such persecution, the Puritans never would've landed in Plymouth: they had been expelled from every decent country in Europe due to their religious beliefs.
And those are the extremists that seem to have the power, the voice and the "ear" of the "correct" people.
Anything you don't take a stance against, and keep silent while the atrocities are occurring, IS an approval.
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[/b][/quote]so everytime someone commits a crime in the name of my religion I must take time out of my day to say that I condemn it. Shouldn't the condemnation be assumed? Im not in their wacko church, if I agreed with them I would be. Look dude, if those extremest have so much power, than why is abortion still legal? Why did their gay marriage amendment fail? why aren't abortions capital offenses? the answer: religion is seen as truth by the stupid, false by the wise, and useful by the leaders. you can't tell me that most people in this administration (with the exception of W.) actually believe that shit.
read what I wrote again. this time take a few seconds to comprehend it BEFORE hitting "reply."[post=333179]Quoted post[/post]
[/b][/quote]i did comprehend it, you didn't comprehend my reply. if they condemn murder (as I wrote), how are they giving the impression that it is all right (as you wrote)?
For the moment they are legal. Subject to change. Damn the Constitution and those pesky laws.
"W" really isn't the guy running the show. It's a machine. An effective machine which has very brilliantly manipulated and used religion for their own purposes. Politics, control,money and domination. They really don't give a flying fuck about God, religion OR the religious. You are just part of the neo-con plan.
