Religion – I joined a megachurch in Texas Hill Country to get a look inside the evangelical mindset that gave the country eight years of George W. Bush. We don't get to see the batty world they live in, when the cameras are turned off and their pastors are not afraid of saying the really dumb stuff, for fear of it showing up on TV. I feared for my normal.
I have been through similar experiences when I began "searching" for a church and am very uncomfortable about what is loosely termed the "Christian Right."
I attend seminars occasionally thinking to pray and study the Bible. Recently, one I attended you could feel the joke.Pancake makeup, pleas for money.And when it came time to "step" forth for miracle prayers, the first five fell, knees buckling in the same manner and all five lying in a perfect row in EXACTLY the same manner. Now that's a miracle.:)
I guess my Christianity is a different "brand."
I was going to give it a go until I realized it was Matt Taiibi. Sorry, call me what you will, I won't read anything by that guy. I should have known by the title that it was one of his pieces.
I thought that 2 Son and just got back to say I do believe the article showed total bias and the conclusions were predetermined but I felt I wanted to make a reasonable response.
And just for the record, All Christians are not like that.
I think it is commendable that Matt Taiibi is shedding light on fundamentalists such as these, whether they are Christian or not.
In my opinion, it is unwise and unsafe to let dogma run rampant.
For example, the Texas polygamy sect which was recently raided on accusations of child abuse, it is owned and operated by religious fundamentalists.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/art...
It would have been preferable to expose something like that before any children (and adults) were harmed by the fundamentalists.
Yeah Ricky.it's a dern shame that "dogma" takes precedance over what the True spirit of the principle of Jesus is.I know this sounds fence sitting but radicalism of any kind does not bare good fruit.
I'm sorry that it has come to this also.
The Christian right as described here to me puts a tarnish on Christianity to me because even if I didn't believe Jesus was the Son of God he sure lays out a wonderful philosophical way to a peaceful,loving life IMO.
But I guess there will always be people who abuse the "system." Jesus should not be political or used that way.As a matter of fact he challenged the politicos and look where it got him.
But what's really sad is that many,many people truly believe the hippocrits and think there doing the right thing.
I certainly like the idea of a "peaceful loving life".
Jesus may or may not have been a great person, this is currently under scrutiny.
Many historic books tell of great people and wonderful feats of nature. But these books have not been sold into society as well as the Christian Bible.
My concern is that there is no accurate record of what happened in the era of christ. We don't know if christ would have been pro-life. We don't know if christ would want us to have assault weapons under our pillows. We don't know whether He would condemn modern birth-control methods. We don't know if he would stifle stem-cell research. And we don't know if christ would condone murder in Iraq.
What one person believes to be His word, based upon they have been force-fed in a SINGLE ANCIENT BOOK, may contradict modern morality.
I think that religion is to blame here, because it does not allow for improvement or even questioning, without struggle, and often leads to bloodshed.
also,
We don't know whether Jesus would shun women.
We don't know whether Jesus would shun gays.
We don't know whether Jesus would take from the poor or starving.
We don't know whether Jesus would scoff at modern science.
We don't know whether Jesus would do anything at all.
"We don't know whether Jesus would shun women.
We don't know whether Jesus would shun gays.
We don't know whether Jesus would take from the poor or starving.
We don't know whether Jesus would scoff at modern science.
We don't know whether Jesus would do anything at all."
These things might be true if you didn't read the Bible, in particular the Gospels. It's pretty apparent that Jesus went out of his way to engage and talk to women who were shunned by the society at large in that period. As for homosexuality, Jesus never said anything. Regarding the poor and starving, Jesus was always adamant that those who had should share and assist those who had not. The earliest Christian communities were a very good example of true socialism. Catholicism embraces modern science, so you could argue that Christ might.
Well Ricky I can't answer all your question but Jesus fact or fiction condemned no one and preached to everyone and died for ALL mens sins. To me that is pretty all inclusive and guess that's what makes me a heretical christian to some.
Plus I have to be careful about what some fall in to the trap of what "Christian" is. He made quite clear that it is the "spirit of the law not the letter."Makes "dogma" look bad to me.
So I guess I'm saying Jesus was all inclusive.That's what makes me wary of Pauls writings.He basically was the first of the beginning of the "dogmatic" church and did some condemnation.But Jesus summed his meaning up in the second greatest commandment "Love Thy neighbor as Thyself" and for the life of me can't think of any wrongdoing that doesn't fit under that umbrella.
Maybe this will peak some interest about what the writer is trying to convey. Here it is from the horses mouth, so to speak. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auf-Su-xZVU
Certainly not all Christians are like this; however, of the one's who are, which political party do they vote for, and which party vigorously solicits their vote? Do they expect something in return? Have they gotten something in return?
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It's all a con that is done with the consent of the conned. Which is what gives it strength. If everybody agrees to believe, it is real.
The hooting and howling went on seemingly forever. It was nearly an hour and a half before Fortenberry was done. He had cast out the demons of every ailment, crime, domestic problem and intellectual discipline on the face of the Earth. He cast out horoscopes, false gods, witches, intellectual pride, nearsightedness, everything, it seemed to me, except maybe E. coli and John Updike novels. At least four of the men and about six of the women writhed and screamed and fussed themselves into sheer physical exhaustion, collapsing in chairs by the time it was over.
By then most of us were just sitting there mute, looking around absent-mindedly, waiting for it to end. I was sitting there, clutching my demon vomit bag perhaps the single greatest souvenir of my journalistic career...
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/2027...
I have a hard tiem with this story Ricky.
See, the problem is, the auther never intended on recievin grace. So, he never was liekly to get a true insight into the whole experience.
Only if you enter with the INTENT to release all resistence will you accept that Neo-Conservatism is your lord and savior.
Then, you TOO will vote straight ticket Republican.
Who said anything about Conservatism or being a republican. I thought this was an article on Christianity? Or all Christians neo-nazi conservative republicans?
Believe it or not a majority of Democrats are Christian. Oh well, everbody gets there "pulpit.":)
Danggit rdy! I know that!
Im just commentin, number 1, on how you have to open yourself up to truly experience the shift in the doors of perception. See?
And number 2, regardin the vast majority of Democrats bein Christian ... I KNOW that!
But dont tell that to my Christian Conservative Compatriots ... you know the ones ... theyre the ones who turned Ann Coulters book "Godless: The Church of Liburalism" into a runaway best seller!!
See, its our Christian Conservative Contention that only REPUBLICANS are Christ-liek. And Liburals ... well, as Annie says ... they are the party of death!
See how we DEMONIZE them libbies?
Course, we GOT to do that because if we dont cast aspersion on them LIBBIES spirituality ... poeple will notice that we are quite lackin in spirituality.
After all, how ken one claim to love Jesus when one supports endless war, lyin bout war, keepin kids from gettin health care, supportin polluters, welfare for the wealthy, etc.
Ok Goppy. Settle down. I wasn't meaning to be rude. I just don't know how to take you at times.Sorry.
Im settled. Im settled.
But I hear ya.
I dont know how to take myself sometimes eider.
LOL.
LOL Goopy, we do have something in common...
Pinch of salt helps with Goppy. Take a few grains in each hand and cast simultaneously over opposite shoulders, breathing out vigorously and with stentorian gasps.
Suddenly the real Goppy will appear to you in some-form-or-another depending on a variety of unpredictable factors.
Saved you will be though and no longer suffer the torments of miscomprehension or mis-anything-else.
I have no idea what goopy said. I blocked him a long time ago.
"I have no idea what goopy said. I blocked him a long time ago."
This should be the highest voted comment in the history of libscape!
From what I've seen, yes they are.
Absolutely NOTHING to do with Christianity!
"Who said anything about Conservatism or being a republican. I thought this was an article on Christianity? Or all Christians neo-nazi conservative republicans? "
It's not really an article on Christianity. It's an article on the US form of 'evangelical' Christianity which one could easily argue isn't Christianity according to orthopraxy.
Rickey does not know anything but religious bigotry, R2R. He just vomits the far left extremist propaganda. I expect nothing less from him.....and his pal the largest bigot on Libscape Poopy (aka, Goppy).
And once again dave chimes in with his ignorant juvenile bash at the left. Do you ever have anything intelligent to add to the story, or do you just troll for every opportunity to bash someone that doesn't agree with your positions?
Yikes, more economic misery, more decline in the infrastructure, more deficit spending, more of the dollar tanking, more of the oil companies gross profits, schools getting worse and so forth. Yeah, America. Vote republican for 4 more years of nothing but war, contractor and oil company profits with crumbling bridges and broken levies
> Vote republican for 4 more years of nothing but war...
It's funny how eight years ago all "pro-Palestinians", anti-Israelis and Jew-haters argued that only a Republican in the White House would end the "Clinton era" of alliance with the Jews...
Ricky,
Just starting reading this story, very interesting.
Then I noticed.
It was posted May 1, 2008. That's right - a week from now. This glimpse into the future is just a little divinely freaky. How do they do that? How do they know what will be published a week from now? And who are they? And did they prepay their subscription to Rolling Stone?
I allways suspected that time travel was possible trough the internet!
Time travel, yes indeed.
It's the best way to beat Neo to a good story...
:P
disraeli, I have been trying all my life to find out who "they" are, and no one will tell me. If you find out, will you tell me?
lol...even if it's pure fiction...it's exactly correct...lol. I grew up out in far West Texas...a Catholic boy bein' told he was goin' ta haelll and always being drug off to evangelical revivals by is buddies... What a hoot. Later we'd go drink beer and for graduation it was prostitutes across the border in Mexico...or the traveling strip shows in tents in the country. But for the "chosen" such things are irrelevant...another revival and you're good for another year...lol.
The women folk know about the church events...they didn't know so much about what went on during the 'hunting' trips. Of course, you always had to come back with a few quail one way or the other...lol. West Texas was a fun time of life, rifles in the back of the pickup to stop and shoot at things when you wanted, what went on in Mexico stayed in Mexico, very pretty, very hot girls in high school who became good mothers and kept the Mexican housekeeper doing good work. Football, sports, clean fights for the most part...lol.
Fundamentalism is alive and well in all religions. There will always be religiious leaders that are frankly mentally deranged but unfortunately - clever.
There are too many weak and hurt people that look to someone powerful to save them. Anything can be "interpreted" to rationalize any set of viewpoionts.
There is no critical thinking in fundamentalism and never has been.
"There is no critical thinking in fundamentalism and never has been."
Of course not, it got cast out with the demons of critical thinking.
Good one,Ricky!!!
Ricky;
I guess the acid test between the charlatans and actual Christians is this: Is Christianity your life, or your career???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJxobgkPEAo
Hello, Mr. Dawkins. I'm kinda new here, but, the video above captures the workings of cell. Does this look like it could happen by accident?