As a person of faith, I have been horrified to watch Christianity’s fall from grace in mainstream America. The former president’s legacy stands out as an embodiment of what is missing today from our leaders in Congress, and in church.
But it won’t. The word “Christian” doesn’t mean “a person who follows the teachings of christ”, it just means you’re a member of a hyper-authoritarian political club.
I try to live the way Jesus demanded people live. It’s very humanist, almost buddhist, even. But I would never, ever call myself “Christian” because it stands for the opposite of everything Jesus stood for. It’s very decidedly anti-christ.
Yup. I’m of the opinion that that Jesus fellow (at least to the extent we can see in the Bible) was a pretty cool dude. But Christianity seems to reject pretty much all his teachings.
These statistics are difficult to measure accurately but we believe there are about 770,000 homeless Americans and as far as the oracle can tell me there are 350-400k churches. If Christians did Christianity right churches would provide shelter and community integration/engagement for the homeless. Each church only needs to help two people and most congregations have 30+ people.
Christianity could trivially solve homelessness, they just chose not to.
hey now let’s not go too far… they should be taxed at the level any other business is taxed at, and their philianthropic endeavours should receive the same tax breaks as any other business too… if they’re entirely charitable (their existence is not by and of itself charitable) then they’re entirely charitable
I can count on one hand, maybe two, the number of true Christians I’ve met. And I don’t count myself among them when I was “Christian”.
Many Christians use their bigotry and hatred and hide it behind the Bible as an excuse and an appeal to authority. “BeCaUsE tHe BiBlE sAyS sO!” Is not a fucking reason to want to force women to have babies, Karen.
The label on the back of cookies says to only have two per serving. I don’t see you following that rule.
In my experience, every time someone claims “the Bible says so” to justify their own evil, it doesn’t actually say that. And when it seems ambiguous, a little bit of basic academic research clears it right up. And guess what? Still doesn’t say what they say it does. But no amount of evidence or explanation or research will change their minds because it was never important to them in the first place, but a convenient justification for being monstrous. Like you said, “appeal to authority”.
There is not much written about jesus in his teenage years (the years that in our day and age typically correspond to university). It’s speculated he travelled widely and might have reached India, where he learned about Buddhism and Hinduism. There were contacts between the Mediterranean and India as far back as ancient Egyptian times, so it’s not impossible
The fact Trump’s their man really shows how low they’ve gotten. My sister is extremely religious and her house was decorated with Trump Xmas decorations. She knows I hate him and asked me what I thought. I told her I thought the Bible forbid idolatry. When she protested I told her to look up the word and commented how it’s also weird to put the face of an unrepentant rapist around her home with a teen daughter there. But xtians are well trained to ignore their hypocrisy. Wish they were as well trained to do good.
Christ isn’t a part of the Christian church to be an example for people to follow. Humans are not nearly as smart as we believe (it’s hard to tell when you’re dumb) and when we belong to a group with members that enjoy moral respect, we transfer that quality to ourselves whether we deserve it or not in a phenomenon called moral licensing. Christians don’t have to act Christ-like to FEEL Christ-like. All these stories are told about Christ’s moral superiority not to teach us now to be moral, but to make Christians FEEL moral without even having to do anything. It is the sugary way that Christianity deals with one of people’s fundamental needs of religion: knowing that they are good people.
We’re approaching the same phenomenon from two different angles: the core issue is that there is a major problem with people who are not able to discern objective truth from subjective interpretations.
But it won’t. The word “Christian” doesn’t mean “a person who follows the teachings of christ”, it just means you’re a member of a hyper-authoritarian political club.
I try to live the way Jesus demanded people live. It’s very humanist, almost buddhist, even. But I would never, ever call myself “Christian” because it stands for the opposite of everything Jesus stood for. It’s very decidedly anti-christ.
I was behind a truck yesterday with two bumper stickers. “Jesus Saves” and “Fuck Biden.”
I think that sums up the American Christian.
“Mentally ill narcissist” sums up the average American Christian.
God, we need a new word for narcissism…
I agree with the sentiment, but totally makes those with clinical NPD seem tame when they are most certainly not.
You mean it needlessly demonizes people with NPD who have done nothing to harm the speaker.
Yup. I’m of the opinion that that Jesus fellow (at least to the extent we can see in the Bible) was a pretty cool dude. But Christianity seems to reject pretty much all his teachings.
These statistics are difficult to measure accurately but we believe there are about 770,000 homeless Americans and as far as the oracle can tell me there are 350-400k churches. If Christians did Christianity right churches would provide shelter and community integration/engagement for the homeless. Each church only needs to help two people and most congregations have 30+ people.
Christianity could trivially solve homelessness, they just chose not to.
At the minimum they should be taxed at the highest bracket. They’re just cult tax shelters for white conservatives.
hey now let’s not go too far… they should be taxed at the level any other business is taxed at, and their philianthropic endeavours should receive the same tax breaks as any other business too… if they’re entirely charitable (their existence is not by and of itself charitable) then they’re entirely charitable
Raise the taxes on the other businesses to match the 1950s marginal rates
also yes
Homeless people aren’t nearly as evenly distributed as churches are.
Hrm, that’s true. Maybe we could just auction off all the churches to raise funds to house all the homeless people.
I can count on one hand, maybe two, the number of true Christians I’ve met. And I don’t count myself among them when I was “Christian”.
Many Christians use their bigotry and hatred and hide it behind the Bible as an excuse and an appeal to authority. “BeCaUsE tHe BiBlE sAyS sO!” Is not a fucking reason to want to force women to have babies, Karen.
The label on the back of cookies says to only have two per serving. I don’t see you following that rule.
Would it then be acceptable to pick up a rock and practice a lil biblical stoning? “Bible says so!”
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In my experience, every time someone claims “the Bible says so” to justify their own evil, it doesn’t actually say that. And when it seems ambiguous, a little bit of basic academic research clears it right up. And guess what? Still doesn’t say what they say it does. But no amount of evidence or explanation or research will change their minds because it was never important to them in the first place, but a convenient justification for being monstrous. Like you said, “appeal to authority”.
There is not much written about jesus in his teenage years (the years that in our day and age typically correspond to university). It’s speculated he travelled widely and might have reached India, where he learned about Buddhism and Hinduism. There were contacts between the Mediterranean and India as far back as ancient Egyptian times, so it’s not impossible
Ever read Lamb: the gospel according to Jesus’s childhood friend, Biff? First place I’d heard of this idea.
I was hoping to see this comment. That book is great, as are most of Christopher Moore’s books.
The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply. Your question was: > Oh great oracle, > > what do you do with a supplicant who leaves his .sig at > the end of his questions? > -- > -- And in response, thus spake the Oracle: } WHAT R U TALK1N' ABOUT MAN? SIGZ ROOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! } } LATER MAN. } } BIFF. } } -- } BBBBBBBBBBBBB IIIIIIIII FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF } BBBBBBBBBBBBBB IIIIIIIII FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBBBBBBBBBBBB III FFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFF } BBBBBBBBBBBBBB III FFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBBBBBBBBBBBB IIIIIIIII FFF FFF } [email protected] BBBBBBBBBBBB IIIIIIIII FFF FFF [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] B1FF@COMU$ERVE.COM } [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] } } MY SIG /^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\ WAITING } CAN BEAT !@@@@@@NUKULAR@@@@@@@@! 4 } UP YOUR ------------------------- ARMAGEDIN } SIG !@@@@@@@@BIFF@@@@@@@@@! IT"LL B } !!! \--------! !--------/ AWESOME!!!! } ! ! } --------- THIS SPACE 4 RENT CALL BIFF } /\\\ ! ! HA HA FOOLED YOU!!! } ||| / \ } /-\ } /----/-\------------------------------------------------------------\ } | BIFF|@|AOL.DELPHI.PRODIGY.COMPU$ERVE.NETCOM.WORLD.MSN.B1FF.EDU DUDE!> } \----\-/------------------------------------------------------------/ } \-/ } |-| BANG THE FALSE METAL HEAD THAT DUZZN"T DRINK BEER!!! } \/// HOT METAL TUBS RULE IN A MAJOR WAY DUDEZ!!! } } __________ __________ ___________ ___________ __ } / /\ / /| / /| / /| / / } / / \ / // / // / // / /| } ********** / **********/ ***********/ ***********/ ** | } ** |____** / ** ** |______ ** |______ ** | } ** / ** ** ** / /| ** / /| ** | } **/ **/ \ ** ** / // ** / // ** | } **********/ / ** *********/ *********/ ** / } ** |____** // __**______ ** | ** | **/ } ** / **/ / ** /| ** | ** | / /| } **/ **/ / ** // ** / ** / ** / } **********/ **********/ **/ **/ **/ } } [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] B1FF@COMU$ERVE.COM } [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] } } K0M1NG S00N T0 THEATREZ NEER U!!!!!! } _______ _______*_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ __ __ } +. /____ //______//______//______/ /______/ /____ / /______//_/ /_/ } ` _____/ / __ _____ . _____ , __ _____/ / ______ ____ } , / ___ _/. / / . / ___/ '/ ___/ +. / / / _ __/ / ___/ / / } / /__/ | __/ /__ / / . , / / , . / / / / \ \ / /___ / /\ \ } /______/ /______//_/ * + /_/ *, ` ,/_/ /_/ \_\ /______//_/ \_\ } } FEETUR1NG THE GRATE B1FF1NSK1 AS C4PTA1N B1FF!!!!!! } } B1FF 4RUOND TH4 W3RLD!!!!! } . } _--_|\ } P3RTH--> / \<--SIND3Y } \_.--._/ } v<---B1FFSM4NIA!!!!!!! } } ___ (_) } _/XXX\ } /XXXXXX\_ <-- MT. B1FF1NGT0N __ } __ __ /X XXXX XX\ MT. K1BO (SHORT3R _ /XX\__ ___ } \__/ \_/__ \ \ TH4N B1FF'Z) ----> _/X\__ /XX XXX\____/XXX\ } \ ___ \/ \_ \ \ __ _/ \_/ _/ - __ - } __/ \__/ \ \__ \\__ / \_// _ _ \ \ __ / \____ } __ \ / \ \_ _//_\___ _/ // \___/ \/ __/ } /_______\________\__\_/________\_ _/_____/_____________/_______\____/___ } /|\ } / | \ _____ _____ } / | \ \ V / } THE RO4D T0 B1FFN3SS!!!! / | \ | R00T | } / | \ | 666 | +---------+ } ALL MUST TR4V3L 1T / | \ \___ ___/ | B1FF | } / | \ V | R00LZ!! | } SUMD4Y!!!!!!!! / | \ | o +---------+ } / | \ | o } / | \ | |\__/| .~ ~. } / | \ | /o=o'`./ .' } / | | {o__, \ { } / | / . . ) \ } / | `-` '-' \ } } | .( _( )_.' } | '---.~_ _ _|The fact Trump’s their man really shows how low they’ve gotten. My sister is extremely religious and her house was decorated with Trump Xmas decorations. She knows I hate him and asked me what I thought. I told her I thought the Bible forbid idolatry. When she protested I told her to look up the word and commented how it’s also weird to put the face of an unrepentant rapist around her home with a teen daughter there. But xtians are well trained to ignore their hypocrisy. Wish they were as well trained to do good.
Christ isn’t a part of the Christian church to be an example for people to follow. Humans are not nearly as smart as we believe (it’s hard to tell when you’re dumb) and when we belong to a group with members that enjoy moral respect, we transfer that quality to ourselves whether we deserve it or not in a phenomenon called moral licensing. Christians don’t have to act Christ-like to FEEL Christ-like. All these stories are told about Christ’s moral superiority not to teach us now to be moral, but to make Christians FEEL moral without even having to do anything. It is the sugary way that Christianity deals with one of people’s fundamental needs of religion: knowing that they are good people.
I believe therefore I am.
It’s based on the same false assumption that feelings are the same as facts.
People who say “facts, not feelings!” are usually living in denial about their own feelings and how they influence their own behaviour.
We’re approaching the same phenomenon from two different angles: the core issue is that there is a major problem with people who are not able to discern objective truth from subjective interpretations.
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