The religious right, sometimes referred to as the ‘Christian Right’ has lead an unprecedented effort to convince Americans we have become a corrupt country, we are headed for ‘Armageddon’ and liberals, Democrats, President Obama, the ACLU, and gays are destroying the ‘white’ fabric of America.

What was once a faith-based religion, founded on Christ’s teaching of helping the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing and aiding the sick and loving one another as Christ loves; has been abandoned and thrown out at the shores from the east coast to the west.

Unfortunately many churches, Mormons, Baptists and Evangelicals and others have openly embraced the rhetoric of the religious right while abandoning what initially brought them to a place of faith as many Americans abandon their own faith in support of non-Biblical teachings buying in to every nuance presented to them.The ultimate goal of the religious right is to impose religious ideology directly into government. Rather than honoring the separation of church and state, this cult wants to inject bigotry and prejudice and to marginalize people who are not ‘white’ or who are ‘different’. Their one agenda, to scare ‘Christians’ into following their conservative views or face an eternity in hell; as they attempt to overthrow the U.S. Democratic Government and make it into their own ‘image’. They attempt to hide behind the protections of the Constitution even while they actively work to subvert it.

I blame the lack of reading the Bible by most Christians. We've come a long way from the days of the Bible being one of the few sources of entertainment in the home. Just like the news its become more about entertainment and money than substance, and most Churches are vying for your dollar.

Ever notice the similarity between the right wing christian ideology and islamic extremist ideology?

The only difference is the head scarf. And looking at some of these "christian" women, a head scarf would be a good thing.

as with anything, there's a spectrum. I'd just like to point out http://themormonworker.org/. while I don't agree with everything they publish, it is a nice reminder that everything is made up of individual pieces.

din wrote:as with anything, there's a spectrum. I'd just like to point out http://themormonworker.org/. while I don't agree with everything they publish, it is a nice reminder that everything is made up of individual pieces.

Wow! Thanks for that link.

I had no idea any kind of progressive Mormonism existed. This website says it is modeled after the excellent Catholic Worker, and it looks like the real deal.

On the "About" page, they say, "The opinions expressed in The Mormon Worker are not the official views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Boy howdy!

Real Christians, as opposed to the pseudo Christians? Give me a break!

dougreardon wrote:Real Christians, as opposed to the pseudo Christians? Give me a break!

You give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!

The Christian Right worships the Free Market. The moneychangers preach the gospel of greed and deregulation while corporations rule by divine right.

[quote="vvrider"]The Christian Right worships the Free Market. The moneychangers preach the gospel of greed and deregulation while corporations rule by divine right.[/quote

This is not really new, it's just time for the pendulum to swing again. Doesn't anyone remember the "Moral Majority" in the 80s? Same shit, different year.

My favorite bumper stickers from that time around were "The Moral Majority is neither" and "Doing my best to piss off the religious right".

I feel for you Irishman, I know where you are coming from, I remember a time when religion was just a part of life it gave people an outlet to do what are considered good things, they could donate to church missions and feel that their money was being used properly. But there are some in the different churches that realized with the tax exemption that there was a lot of money to be made and with money comes power.

All I am doing is trying to do is express that good people with some religious structure are not necessarily Right wing nut jobs. I was taught that I am no better than anyone else no matter their color our religious beliefs.

irishman wrote:All I am doing is trying to do is express that good people with some religious structure are not necessarily Right wing nut jobs. I was taught that I am no better than anyone else no matter their color our religious beliefs.

You're just an ordinary nut job. Lol

Didn't Ghandi say " I like your Christ but I don't like your Christians"

Whatever helps you get through the day.

ABNinfantryman wrote:I blame the lack of reading the Bible by most Christians.

Man you said it there. America has become a country where we look for someone else to do all the thinking for us; that's pretty dangerous where religion is concerned. Of the things you hear people complaining about that "Christians" do, the vast majority ISN'T Biblical; but some idiot has convinced other idiots it is.

FrontSight wrote: Man you said it there. America has become a country where we look for someone else to do all the thinking for us; that's pretty dangerous where religion is concerned. Of the things you hear people complaining about that "Christians" do, the vast majority ISN'T Biblical; but some idiot has convinced other idiots it is.

I wouldn't characterize America in such broad terms. Letting other people do the thinking for you is usually not a good idea; but then allowing 3500 year old religious writings - products of ancient cultures, customs, and world views - act as a guide to living in the 21st cen. is not a very good idea either. You're right about Christians doing things that aren't in the Bible - even though they might believe that they are - but that is only half of the problem. The other half is when Christians do and believe thing that "are" in the Bible.

You know what comforts me? Religious beliefs have come and gone. Most of them must have had serious adherents who were convinced that they knew how the Universe ran because of their beliefs. Add to this the idea that the Neanderthal, a subspecies a lot like us who are now extinct, must have had their own beliefs that died with them. Let that soak in for a moment....creatures a lot like us who had their own belief system who are now extinct. Hah hah hah! Extinction turns me on, but then I'm really into dinosaurs.

It's comforting to me because most or all of them are wrong. What are the odds that any one of them is right, even if there's a god or gods running the show/pushing the buttons once in a while? We won't know until we're dead. And even then, the sum total of spiritual knowledge might not have anything to do with death and what awaits on the other side.

And yet, we all need some way of making sense of the universe. I can get behind positive spirituality.

Did I mention that I've been drinking?

FrontSight wrote:ABNinfantryman wrote:
I blame the lack of reading the Bible by most Christians.

Man you said it there. America has become a country where we look for someone else to do all the thinking for us; that's pretty dangerous where religion is concerned. Of the things you hear people complaining about that "Christians" do, the vast majority ISN'T Biblical; but some idiot has convinced other idiots it is.
Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 12:37 pm

Paladin
  Post subject: 

There are a lot of people that read the Bible looking for loop holes to justify their hate, greed, and general un-Christian behavior. To them, the Bible is nothing more than a legal document to be bent and twisted to their needs.

vvrider wrote:There are a lot of people that read the Bible looking for loop holes to justify their hate, greed, and general un-Christian behavior. To them, the Bible is nothing more than a legal document to be bent and twisted to their needs.

Very true, and they do so by playing off the general ignorance of the flock, just like Republicans play off the ignorance of their flock and misquote Adam Smith to justify their bullshit economics. How many Bubbas do you think have actually sat down and read the Wealth of Nations? If the average Christian could stand up and call bullshit on a preacher, you'd see less of these Christian Right types.

It's all about social control - don't get uppity; stay in your place and it will be like the good old days when everything was perfect and everyone knew their place in society. For those on the top it may have been good, but not for those on the bottom.

I separate religious people from institutional religion. I have a problem with religious institutions funded by the wealthy to help keep people in their place, vote the right way ... I'm not big of proselytizing to get more adherents and more money and all that non-church related income generated by religious entities.