The Antichristian Phenomenon
Christianity, not Islam, threatens American freedom
Posted by: BlueLinchpin in Culture, Religion, SocioPoliticalAs a bit of a closet atheist when it comes to one segment of my family, religious discussions between my father and I can be…awkward, at best. After all, he’s a Catholic, raised me to be Catholic, and assumes that despite our differing political beliefs that I still am. Usually this isn’t a problem, but alas, the recent controversy around the National Day of Prayer, every May in America, inevitably brought it up. You’ve all heard the arguments, I needn’t re-hash them for you. What was disconcerting to me was to hear the statement that non-Christians, specifically atheists, should leave the country. I’ve heard the sentiment many a time online, on television, on the radio, etc…hearing it from a parent is another experience. As most atheists are aware, that sort of experience is quite unpleasant, and a little terrifying.
Because of it, I wanted to talk about the sort of mentality that lead to the statement and why it, and Christianity as a whole, should concern Americans more than Islam. While this website isn’t specific to America at all, the world is nevertheless affected by America’s policies—for better or for (in my opinion) much, much worse. Compared to other developed Christian countries, the United States is obsessed with it’s religion. We’re a diverse country, but the majority group—that is, those who practice Christianity—feel that the country “belongs to them”. And they are willing to enforce that belief. That, ladies and gentlemen, makes Christianity a greater threat to “our freedom” than Islam ever was.
Now, I won’t pretend America is the beautiful shining “land of the free” it’s made out to be. We all know better.
The mindset, it’s a rather common one in America and, I’m sure, in much of the Christian world. I imagine it’s a fascinating thing to feel that an entire country and it’s history, laws, and resources belong to you. While as a white, able-bodied person I am privileged, it is one thing to be in a privileged group and another to feel that said group is entitled to something as, for example, white supremacist groups feel. And Christian nationalism is the religious and cultural equivalent of white supremacy, and the two are intimately entwined.
Now: a quick bit of sidetracking. If you don’t care about semantics, just skip this paragraph. To build on ACP’s previous post—What is religion?—I will give my own definition of religion. A definition is possible, as most can agree on which things are religions and which are not, except for when an ulterior motive is involved. One of the problems with definition is that while a religion often acts as a social group, it is possible to adopt the rules and even partially the culture of a religion yet be disconnected from the group. Adding to the problem is that religions rarely follow their own rules, are too organic to be considered organizations (rather, organizations exist within a religion, and religions exist outside of organization). The cultural and often racial aspects of religion are too strong to deny—race and culture go hand in hand, and religions change entirely when adopted by new cultural groups. A religion is looser than an organization and tighter than simply being “like-minded”—it is a loose group of people who share specific beliefs concerning the supernatural, from which extends a shared culture and morality as well as different interpretations of the beliefs, which may be enforced by organizations representing the religion. Anyway, that’s the definition I’ll be using—mostly I just discussed it because I’d like to encourage the definition to be talked about.
Onwards:
The danger of Christianity in America is twofold. First, it is a negative influence on decisions which affect the entire country and, two, Christian nationalism threatens to turn the country into more of a theocracy than it already is, at the cost of non-Christians in America and around the world. Islam only poses a true threat to freedom in the countries where it has legal clout—for the same reasons Christianity is dangerous in Christian countries. Outside of Islamic governments, Islam poses little threat to the rights of Americans and others. That sounds rather insane to say, but consider that Islam’s only threat to America lies in its few radical extremists’ ability to cause fear by taking lives. Yet the actual number of lives they take is small compared to even the seasonal flu.
To the average American, even the Christian ones who are only moderate or Christian in name, Christianity poses a greater threat. The reason is that as a Christian-controlled government with significant support from certain politically inclined sects, America’s policies are not being decided on facts and reason but on faith, which can fit any preconceived viewpoint. It’s not just an accident of human nature—it’s what Christian nationalists want.
Like extremist Muslims, the Christian establishment (as well as the other Judeo-Christian religions) uses terrorism to enforce it’s morality. Where radical Islamists use direct violence and threats of direct violence, Christian organizations use other methods to induce fear (the threat of Hell, for example). Not a big deal, right, after all, so does every political group. There are a few problems, however. Unlike white supremacy groups and specific political parties, Christianity is not a fringe political group, nor is it’s pull kept to one side of the political spectrum. Christianity exerts a pull over anyone who proclaims themselves to be a Christian, even if they disagree with the specific message. The fear of Hell can influence any Christian.
And Christians have long since declared war on secular America. As Atheist Revolution recently mentioned, America’s top Republican presidential candidates for 2012 have made it clear there is room only for the Christian god in the nation they plan to run. In the documentary Jesus Camp, Christian fanatics train children to be “soldiers of God” in order to “fix this country”. We’ve all heard the rhetoric—“take this nation back for Christ”. Christians have for years been attempting to force religion back into the classroom, and continue to expect shows of faith from citizens. The sense of Christian entitlement in this country is so strong that non-Christians are often told to simply leave the country if they don’t like it—the presumption being that Christians own the nation. All of this leaves an increasingly small amount of space for an increasingly larger group—that is, those in America who desire secular government. History has shown that formerly powerful groups who have lost their power and feel (justified or not) oppressed lash out legally and violently.
Radical Islamists can frighten Americans who fail to put death tolls into perspective. Their real power lies in their ability to frighten critics of Islam—and that is truly terrible—but the overall effect of censoring criticism of Islam does little to really harm this country and much of the world. If Islamists really wanted to destroy America and Western culture—as we are constantly told—they need only give Christian nationalists more power.
“The thing about religion is that it provides a powerful language through which you can justify any ideology.” —Reeza Aslan, author of God Or No God.
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:51 am - Edit
Very interesting perspective! I am kind of tired so I won't write that much, but you are absolutely right in that religion is a part of culture and culture is usually understood as certain nationalist ideas. I would also like to bring up neo-pagan religions as means to reinvent nationalism. There is a huge lack of academic interest here, so this is really an interesting topic.
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:11 am - Edit
[...] post at ACP: Christianity vs. Islam: which threatens America more? I’ve made a post over at Anti-Christian Phenomenon—a multi-author blog which I’ve been rather lazy about contributing to, I’m afraid—arguing [...]
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:43 am - Edit
Fundamentalism is disturbing in all its forms. The organizers of Jesus Camp said in the film that the cult-like indoctrination of muslim children in the middle east was why they were retaliating with similar methods which is disgusting.
But if you think that's scary? Do some more research on Islam. Iran used to be a westernized nation just like the US. Never say "it can't happen here." Maybe not today, but maybe tomorrow. Didn't the British just raise the topic of incorporating Sharia law in some ways into their actual legal system? The end of that road looks like this: [youtube o_KO_mZZiK8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_KO_mZZiK8 youtube]
And just in case you don't have time to look any deeper into Islam, just look at this video and judge for yourself:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-41853-Homeland…
Besides, Islam has already started encroaching on freedom of speech in the US. That's why South Park has been censored multiple times, even retroactively. It was okay to show an image of Muhammad in an episode in July of 2001. New episodes that have done the same have been censored, and when it was pointed out that they had done it before, the earlier episode was pulled from their website. The UN has also been pushing for defamation of religion to become criminal. It began as an initiative to stop defamation of Islam alone.
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:45 am - Edit
Curious about the neo-pagan religions as a way to reinvent nationalism–what do you mean by that?
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:05 am - Edit
Islam is certainly terrible for those countries it controls and has serious influence in. I recall someone referring to Iran and remarking that it is rare a country's elderly look back on more progressive and liberal days with fond memories. And Islam certainly does exert an influence in censoring anti-Islam criticism. But does Islam exert control over the entirety of the American political system? Only when it's used by Christians for fearmongering.
America is perfectly capable of looking like that if it were ruled entirely by Biblical law. Unlikely, but horrible religious laws are not unique to Islam.
June 3rd, 2010 at 5:00 am - Edit
I don't understand what you mean by "used by Christians for fear-mongering."
Also, what biblical laws do you mean? I know Christianity tells people what they should and shouldn't do. Things like 'don't commit adultery.' But it also has that thing about never casting the first stone because nobody has the right to pass judgment on anybody else's personal moral choices. That's why all the real jerks in Christianity, usually the worst they do is go "Ooh! You are so gonna go to hell." But that's because we have freedom of speech and they can say whatever the hell they want and so can everyone else.
Sharia law was actually written by Muhammad to be treated as law. It doesn't say 'don't commit adultery.' It says 'give adulterers fifty lashes.' It says if anyone does x, y, or z, this is what god wants done to them and you should go do it or else you won't be right with god either. It says that if a woman accuses a man of rape, she needs to provide four male witnesses who saw it occur. Otherwise the rapist cannot be convicted, and the woman has admitted to sex outside of marriage, so by law, stone her to death.
The difference is the religious doctrine's fundamental treatment of where justice comes from: god or people with weapons. Christianity's idea of hell doesn't scare me, because it's just an idea. People with weapons scare me.
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:26 am - Edit
I don't understand what you mean by "used by Christians for fear-mongering."
> Our Christian government has used Islamist terrorist attacks as a method of gaining support for themselves and for a war, when in reality the seasonal flu causes more deaths. Christians in general also turn it into a holy war–just look at the recent controversy over plans to build a mosque /near/ Ground Zero.
Also, what biblical laws do you mean?
> Ones like "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live", which have resulted in the deaths of countless innocent women. But yes, Sharia law is worse.
Christianity's idea of hell doesn't scare me, because it's just an idea. People with weapons scare me.
> You are more likely to be killed by a Christian with a weapon in America than a Muslim. That aside, again, the actual number of deaths caused by Islam in America is very low. And while the Christian hell doesn't influence you, it influences the vast majority of the country and the government as well. THAT should scare you.
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:29 am - Edit
If you say that about Islam, I don’t think you understand how the system of radical Islam works. They don’t believe they own countries, they believe they own the world. And they don’t believe you should leave the world, they believe you should be erased from existence.
Accept the dominance of Islam or be killed. Those are your choices.
June 3rd, 2010 at 10:26 am - Edit
I agree with you that Islamist terrorism should be ignored and treated as randomly happening natural disasters. Otherwise, we are allowing terrorism to work.
How is the issue of the mosque in nyc a holy war? It's deeply insensitive to the families of the people who died, yes, but there's nothing about Christianity about the entire thing. In reality, the guy building it is deeply twisted. He's a vocal advocate of instituting sharia courts in the UK.
And you're right, I forgot about the old testament and all the creepy therein. Guys died too, btw–Giles Corey was crushed to death.
How many murders by Christians in the US have been religiously motivated in the last, say, year? Or ten years? I could be wrong, it's just that I never hear about anything like that.
What policies are you afraid are being pushed by Christianity? What organizations exist to promote them and lobby for them in the government?
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:39 pm - Edit
Wow….talk about a lack of objectivity. First, you say the number of lives taken by Islamic extremists is small, "Compared to even the seasonal flu". According to statistics from the CDC, approximately 36,000 people die from the flu each year (in the U.S.A). So yes, I'd say youre right. You are in fact more likely to die from the flu. So by your logic, if 35,000 people died each year at the hands of Islamic terrorists, it wouldnt be that big of a deal because youre still more likely to die from the flu.
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:00 pm - Edit
Second…You say…"America’s policies are not being decided on facts and reason but on faith". Really? I'm not sure if you've noticed or not but over the last fifty years or so, this country has been becoming more and more secular with each year that passes. What was once common practice and belief in America is no more. Prayer was once a common practice and policy in public schools. Religious displays such as nativity scenes were once common on government property during Christmas. The 10 commandments were once common displays in court houses. Was it faith that decided these things were unconstitutional? Today I can provide you with numerous examples where kids have been punished, and, in some cases even expelled, for praying in school…as well as examples of lawsuits filed against local governments for religious displays on government property. How do you explain these things If Christianity is such a powerful threat to America?
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:00 pm - Edit
The point of the comparison was to point out that the people dying from Islam are very few, compared to even natural causes. It's not that it's not a big deal, it's that there's bigger deals that you seem to ignore because Islam is a convenient boogeyman.
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:03 pm - Edit
The fact that Christianity is losing power in America as secularism is on the rise, does not mean that it still does not have a lot of power. Given how few Non-Christians even manage to get into your executive branch, not to mention the harassment that non-christians suffer in places such as the army, it's seems weird to say that Christianity does not have a lot of power still.
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:07 pm - Edit
I don't see how that differs significantly from when Christianity was in power. They have quite a colourful history of eradicating those not accepting the dominance of Christianity.
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:09 pm - Edit
You mean, until the US covertly undermined their democracy and their secular nation and put the Shah in power, who's brutal rule then created an Islamic reaction in order to be toppled? Yes, you're right. The USA IS dangerous.
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:37 pm - Edit
I understand the point made by the author…My point was that using the flu is a poor comparison; especially if she wanted to use it to show how few deaths are caused by Islam. Its as if she was trying to say something along the lines of "Youre more likely to get struck by lightning". And I agree…there are bigger deals that MANY seem to ignore. Not just those associated with religion.
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:41 pm - Edit
First off…its weak to use the "non-christians in the executive branch" argument. The vast majority of Americans identify with Christianity. So a politician saying he does too shouldnt come as a surprise, nor should it be taken at face value. You know as well as I do that politicians say whatever they think people want to hear in order to get into office. If the majority of Americans identified with needle point stitching then a presidential candidate will say he or she is as well.
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:48 pm - Edit
So you claim the Christianity has no power, even though it forces people to lie about their religion if they want to get voted into power?
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:06 pm - Edit
I didnt say it has NO power but it certainly doesnt have the sway that it once held…and no, it doesnt force people to lie about religion in order to get voted into power. At least not any more than anything else. If a candidate says hes pro-choice, even though he may not be, does that mean the pro-choicers forced him to lie in order to get elected? No. Lying is an act of free will, which is a major tenat of Christianity. Personally I'd rather have an honest atheist in office as opposed to a person who lies and says hes a Christian, and vice versa. None the less, expecting a politician to tell the truth is like asking water to not be wet.
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:17 pm - Edit
So you agree that Christianity has still power to affect politics to a large extent. Sure it's not as big as it once was but if people have to act like Christians to get elected, or more likely, openly non-christians are simply not elected, it's a small step to say that "America’s policies are not being decided on facts and reason but on faith" as all those policies based on faith are what those people who voted for the Christians in power expect.
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:21 pm - Edit
Ones like "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live", which have resulted in the deaths of countless innocent women. But yes, Sharia law is worse.
Just a quick FYI…The original Hebrew term used in Exodus 22 was 'Chasaph", which is Hebrew for "Poisoner". The passage was in relation to a growing trend of poisoning in the Jewish community during that time. Granted the translated term is "Witch", and was in fact used to justify the killing of women. Albeit that was 600 yrs ago. Im pretty sure we dont do that any more.
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:30 pm - Edit
I would'nt say to a large extent, but yes, Christianity has power to influence politics, but no more than any other identifiable group in America. As it stands with the current administration, Christianity probably has the least amount of power. The most influencial group in America today (so far as the government goes) is the unions. Who are then followed by numerous special interest groups, most of which lean away from Christian conservatism.
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:34 pm - Edit
That sounds very far from true. Unions have practically no power to affect politics, if the neoliberal policies of the last 40 years are any indication. On the other hand, it sounds very unrealistic that the group that everyone must belong to if they want to get elected doesn't have significant power to influence politics. Christianity isn't the most powerful of course since it's such a loose kind of group, it's definitelly not as strong as the influence of the plutocracy but it is by far one of the thing that influences a lot of the decision making in the USA.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:52 pm - Edit
It's a pretty huge and complex topic. But basically, neo-paganism deals with the belief to return to place in time before the consumerist culture, very similar to Satanism in black metal. Because the consumerist culture make some social groups vulnerable (read white, working class men) and how it encourages globalization, there is a belief that it was better before because then they were no immigrants. The whole social structure is felt as imposing equality between ethnical groups etc, mostly related to consumerism but also capitalism and gobalization at large. I hope I answered it adequately enough without having to write a mini-essay about it.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:54 pm - Edit
No, but I am also pretty sure that Blue didn't mean the original meaning either, but how it was interpreted, just like how Sharia laws are interpreted today.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:58 pm - Edit
Just a quick example to point out: Barrack Obama and how he had to prove his Christian faith to gain votes from the more Christian states. These people didn't care about what he said or what he wanted to do, as long as he was Christian. Do you think that sounds like deciding political decisions on facts, to you? To me it certainly doesn't. And yes, I consider it a very much a political decision made by the people when people vote.
June 6th, 2010 at 3:44 am - Edit
I've specifically said that the danger of Christianity in the US doesn't lie in the lives it takes but in the fact that it influences public policy so strongly.
June 6th, 2010 at 3:45 am - Edit
db0 is correct – nevermind that Islam, regardless of what it thinks, nevertheless has a very small effect. Christianity does not.
June 6th, 2010 at 3:47 am - Edit
The power of Christianity in America lies less in specific groups–although there is this, as well as groups outside of the US affecting voters–and more in the overall effect Christian thinking has on voters. Nevermind the powerful language and influence used by religious leaders.
June 6th, 2010 at 12:38 pm - Edit
Read, Dinesh D’Souza's, The Enemy at Home, for a scarier portrayal of a modern (and popular) Christian apologist that seeks to take lessons from Islamic fundamentalism for Christians in, United States, to use.
June 8th, 2010 at 2:55 pm - Edit
I'm back again to dumb shit down for you guys
I have been subjected to Christian fear mongering and their attempts at brainwashing, pretty much two to three times a week… and to think that people like this have control over our very lives through government. And I know that there may be Christians out there that think this is not the case. You think that you are a minority group; this is what your church wants you to believe. However I find it appalling to find that so many people, and their families have decided to throw away logic and reason (life)… in return for what? Beating down on people that you don't think fit into your "Cool Book"?… You are just another bully, even if you try to be nice about it.
I mean, religion has killed more people in history than the bubonic plague. I mean, this does not make me love Jesus very much.
I honestly think that you guys should rethink your life and your goals, and stop trying to fuck with normal people, that just want to live a normal life.
June 9th, 2010 at 3:36 am - Edit
I argue that no religion, no political view, noway of life is really the problem. We , humans, are the problem. People look for excuses to do things that they will do regardless. Its the norm to act then rationalize. Those you fear in control of our government would be no less corrupt if they were Buddhist. I disagree that most policies of late are based on faith however but you are entitled to your opinion. I see it as most decisions are more money based then anything, those in power are more likely to think of themselves first and others second. However to keep power they act as the majority. What I am saying is do not lump us all together please, I am Christian (might earn me some hate on here I suppose)I however don't feel this need for control or anything. I am more then content to live my life as I want and let you live yours as you want. Also it might shock you but here where I live most all of us "crazy Christians" even push for less religion in government. USA is about freedom as is God, people have a right to choice and no one should be trying to take that away, be it by force or coercion.
(Happened on this site while looking up info for a research paper, thought I would add in my thoughts from the christian side of things)
June 12th, 2010 at 12:37 am - Edit
The power with religion is twofold:
1. It creates opinions based free of evidence.
2. I repeat the quote at the end of my post:
“The thing about religion is that it provides a powerful language through which you can justify any ideology.” —Reeza Aslan, author of God Or No God.
June 26th, 2010 at 7:44 am - Edit
Can you guys tell me what religion has to offer apart from fear and slavery? Is there anything good you can tell me about it?
Love jesus otherwise we will kill you. jesus is a fucking abomination to humanity. jesus is just a fucking whore for for the modern day church.
If jesus was resurrected today… and seen what he has done. Then he should kill himself again. Because he is truly a false prophet.
June 26th, 2010 at 1:13 pm - Edit
Oh sorry I forgot; religion also offers the threat of burning in the eternal fires of hell, for all that do not believe in it
But what else does it offer?
June 26th, 2010 at 4:40 pm - Edit
It offers a lot of positive things to the people who do believe, which is why they are believing in the first place; such as being a tool for self-empowerment, making life feel meaningful, making one feel like a true an authentic individual et cetera.
July 4th, 2010 at 9:55 am - Edit
What the Abrahamic religions have to offer is the seductive proposition that, if you obey their orders, you won't really _die._ Of course, they offer no evidence. They also pander to the childish belief that "Wishing can make it so!" Never mind that the statistics of prayer show it to be exactly as efficacious as dumb luck. In fact there are a few studies that indicate that sick people who know that they are being prayed over tend to get worse.
It now appears that the human brain has a "superstition center", a facility for drawing conclusions from very sparse data. It is very sensitive. A proto-human who saw a particular configuration of shadows in the grass and yelled "Lion!", even if it was a false alarm, was more likely to stay in the gene pool. Sometime it really is a lion, and mistaking one for a random shadow is likely to take you out of the gene pool.
July 11th, 2010 at 11:29 pm - Edit
VfV – people with viewpoints like you are going to turn this country into a Theocracy. You don't see all the xians trying to force xian-based laws down our throats? You don't know about the Texas school board that is trying to change the history of our country to be more in line with the xians want people to think, instead of being the actual truth? Wake up and smell the science books burning, dude! Xians are trying to legislate us right back into the dark ages.
July 30th, 2010 at 11:57 pm - Edit
I am saddened by the hatred displayed here. I am Christian and have no desire to disrespect Hindus, Parsis, Atheists, Muslims or any of the other hundreds upon hundreds of religions or lack thereof. If you are trying to ruin God or Jesus or any other crucial figure in any religion by proving that we humans have misconstrued, misinterpreted, misbehaved & misused religion for our own personal gain, greed, and overall agenda, well then YOU WIN. I hate to break it to you, but using human imperfection as our justification for thinking GOD is flawed or must be non-existent is an irrational thought process. We don't effect GOD. HE effects us. Our hideous behavior does not eradicate HIS existence or reduce his value.
July 31st, 2010 at 12:02 am - Edit
Yes you can remain separated from the Higher Power based on human's deplorable behavior & trust me its ALMOST the greatest excuse in the world & it just about works. I use to do the same thing. I use to say why would I show up at church with all those hypocrItes? Why would I "buy" into any religion given our history of murder, rape, enslavement & torture all in the name of religion? I wouldn’t & I didn’t, though I always knew there was a GOD. I don't know when it dawned on me but it was as clear as day when it did. I finally took responsibility. I understood none of this was God's fault or Jesus' fault. I suddenly understood that GOD didn’t sanction concubines, slavery, 2nd class citizenship or anything horrible in the bible without us first messing things up. HE delivered HIS PERFECT WORD to an imperfect world and people. He was working with what we gave HIM to work with.
July 31st, 2010 at 12:05 am - Edit
HE knew we were idiots and HE knew we'd continue to behave like idiots all of our existence. We forced our own pigeon holing of God & religions. That was us not HIM. You are trying to escape human imperfection by assuming the title of atheist and all that goes with it. There’s no escape because you are still imperfect just like Christians, Hindus, Muslims, etc. It could have been so easy but generation after generation after generation just kept sinning to the maximum levels. Every generation that goes by more splits occur in religion with more ideologies. We confuse oursleves not HIM. More Gods, more prophets, more icons errupted. So then God comes up with this solution to be able to have us near HIM. Being that HE is perfect & a GOD of HIS WORD, HE couldn't just wave a magic wand to make us perfect, because that would remove free will. HE loved us but HE had to keep HIS WORD about not intervening in our decision making. Mind you the solution is born from our screw ups NOT HIS.
July 31st, 2010 at 12:09 am - Edit
God said I can either shut down the whole company & no body has a job ever or we can implement this solution that will save at least 10% of the work force and we can eventually grow & bring everybody back to work over a period of time.
July 31st, 2010 at 12:09 am - Edit
Not everyone will return to work because they aren't going to appreciate the new management but its better than closing the doors. So recap: employees screw up – management comes up with a solution to save the employees-employees spit in the face of management & claim the solution isn't good enough because it excludes some of their dearest friends & family who are decent people. Even with this, everyone is welcome to come back to work, but there was no ignoring the screw ups we all made. He gave us the ultimate cleansing process knowing that we would continue to mess up all through out life-even the best of us. He hands Jesus to us & we refuse to step into the shower (Jesus) & clean up so GOD can stand to be in our presence. HE does all this not even because HE needs us to exist, because HE doesn't but because HE loves us. Don't blame Jesus for our issues. God, Jesus-the Trinity are just working with what we gave them to work with. We didn't leave them a whole lot to work with so I don't think we have a whole lot of room to complain about their Action Plan,
July 31st, 2010 at 12:26 am - Edit
I won't be returning to await a response if there is one. I just care enough about you and yes the "boogie man style eternity". satan loves nothing more than when we don't believe there is a Hell. That is a sure win for him. I care so I wrote & wrote & wrote some more. I pray that the Holy Spirit will move in you & replace your intelligence with HIS wisdom & knowledge. He wants everyone – no exceptions based on social status, economic status, education, race, color, creed, culture, physical condition, etc. Don't listen to mankind, but I do ask that you give GOD the chance to speak to your soul & move you as HE moved me. In your quiet moments – just ask HIM what if & ask HIM to show you…Not all of us will have the luxury of a death bed which offers time for us to know what it is to have a doctor tell you you have 2 months to live. Some of us will be taken instantly & there will be no time to "get it right". Its meant to be scary because who wants to see their brother or sister in an unimaginable place? Our version of scary doesn't come close to the reality of hell.
August 3rd, 2010 at 1:34 pm - Edit
If god knew we are imperfect, then it is actually god's fault for letting us become and do what we have done, not the other way around. We cannot help our imperfection, god can as a perfect being. If god is also omniscient, then god also knows this, yet god has shown no intention to do anything about it. That is not taking responsibility.
If you know someone is going to do something wrong because that's just the way they are, do you still let that person do it because you don't think it's in your responsbility to take action against it? Then you are just as much as fault as the person who did that wrong action. Same logic applies to bullies and the silent watchers. If you are a silent watcher, then you are no better than the bully.
Furthermore, why do you assume that atheists automatically do not take responsbility? Au contraire, I would say that many atheists see that since there is no god, the one at cause for us, so we must fix it, instead of waiting for a divine intervention.
August 3rd, 2010 at 1:40 pm - Edit
It's scary because we can't fathom something as random as death. And no, you better spend time not praying for people who do not wished to be prayed for to do something more constructive with your time. That's the major difference between you as a believer and me as an unbeliever: I do not hope for divine interventions, I believe in actions. Your example of that company is simplified. You have to understand basic market economy and politics to realize that it's not just as simple to "re-employ 10% out of goodwill so that the company will grow large again". That's so typical of you. You take a scenario and simplify it without understanding the true consequences of what is going on. Most people who get fired and then get re-employed at their old company usually take it, because they need money and that's more important than whether their family and friends happened to work there. Money in this world means survival, and we do everything to survive.
August 8th, 2010 at 8:46 pm - Edit
Jesus is Lord!!! The kingdoms, and governments of this world will one day become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ through love, supernatural power, signs, wonders, healings, miracles, preaching and teaching the word, and making disciples of all nations as Jesus said, and many of will die gladly for it, not as Muslim suicide bombers, but as martyrs of our faith as a result of persecution from the government using the guillotines they already have in store for use under the New World Order. So be it. Regardless, the end result is, we win through Christ. Just read the last chapter of the book of Revelation. God bless you all. For those of you who will make it to heaven, we'll meet there if i never meet you in the flesh. But the rest of you antichrist fools will burn in the lake of fire with the fallen angel Lucifer and all his fallen angels (demons). The choice is yours. Turn to Christ before it's too late. He died on the cross and shed His blood for you. You need forgiveness of your sins and you need to make peace with God before you die. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!!!!!!
August 9th, 2010 at 9:21 am - Edit
Preaching. Yeah, that will help.
August 15th, 2010 at 2:07 am - Edit
The following link contains the comparative religion points from Christianity and Hinduism with respect to Islam:
http://comparative-religion-points.blogspot.com
…
(1) Prohibition of Alcohol:- Manu Smriti: 9:235, 11:55; Rig Veda: 8:2:12, 8:21:14; //BIBLE: Proverbs: 20:1, 23:31; Ephesians: 5:18.
(2) Prohibition of Pork:- //BIBLE: Leviticus 11:7-8; Deuteronomy 14:8.
(3) Prohibition of Usury (Interest on Money/Loan/Credit):- Manu Smriti: 11:62, 8:152; //BIBLE: Leviticus 25:36-37; Ezekiel 18:13, 22:12; Psalms 15:5.
(4) Permission for Non-Vegetarian Food:- Ramayana: 2:20:29; Manu Smriti: 5:30, 39; Mahabharata: 13:88.
(5) Veil/Head Scarf:- Rig Veda: 8:33:19; //BIBLE: 1st Corinthians 11:5.
(6) Oneness of God & Prohibition of Idol Worship:- VEDA: Yajur Veda 32:3, 40:8-9; Rig Veda 1:164:46, 6:45:16; UPANISHAD: Khandogya: 6:2:1, Shwetashvatara 6:9, 4:20; GEETA: 7:20, 10:3; BRAHMA SUTRA; //BIBLE: Leviticus 26:1; Exodus 20:4.
(7) Prophet Muhammad’s Description:- Bhavishya Purana: Prati Sarag: Parv III: Khand 3: Aday 3: Shloka 5-8, 10-27; Samveda: Book II: Hymn 6: Verse 8; //BIBLE: Deuteronomy 18:18; John 14:16.
August 21st, 2010 at 4:31 pm - Edit
cool story bro
August 21st, 2010 at 4:33 pm - Edit
Heaven is for the boring people.
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:10 pm - Edit
"I am saddened by the hatred displayed here. I am Christian and have no desire to disrespect Hindus, Parsis, Atheists, Muslims or any of the other hundreds upon hundreds of religions or lack thereof"
You personally may respect peoples of other faiths, but most probably your church does not. Most christian churches of America are in expansion mode and converting the tribal societies of Asia and Africa creating strife in these regions. Christianity was an aggressive political movement since its beginning, and most churches now seek converts out of the most vulnerable people of this world – tribal societies.
"If you are trying to ruin God or Jesus or any other crucial figure in any religion by proving that we humans have misconstrued, misinterpreted, misbehaved & misused religion for our own personal gain, greed, and overall agenda, well then YOU WIN. I hate to break it to you, but using human imperfection as our justification for thinking GOD is flawed or must be non-existent is an irrational thought process. We don't effect GOD. HE effects us. Our hideous behavior does not eradicate HIS existence or reduce his value. "
It seems to me that the cult of christianity has made a whole lot of humans behave like sub-animals across continents, starting from Europe itself. Just for that, one does have to stand in awe of the christian god. No other cult or religion has committed or is committing more atrocities upon mankind as christianity. Islam is a distant second.
September 9th, 2010 at 1:09 pm - Edit
It does not matter whether you believe or not for others but for you! But still Christians are important for you and your country in the way you may not understand,as they are not as cruel as you hear for it is in the name of God of your fathers. Therefore they are still your relatives,fathers,mothers,sisters and brothers and so are for ever!………….SINTAYEHU from Ethiopia.
September 26th, 2010 at 1:47 pm - Edit
science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.. (Einstein)
you are LAME indeed..
a little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in God (Francis Bacon)
September 26th, 2010 at 1:55 pm - Edit
Alright. Do you want me to quote some other random people back at you?
October 12th, 2010 at 6:22 pm - Edit
I'm confused… specifically which terrible policies are being inflicted by Christians on the U.S. population at large?
October 19th, 2010 at 7:48 pm - Edit
one other thing, you need to get facts, not just make up what ever you want, your article has no substance, a passed and is full of holes, speak with someone who has been captive in a muslim country, read what sharia law is, and how come more laws are passed against christians over the past decade than for(which is Biblical prophecy)
THOSE WHO STAND FOR NOTHING, WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING (Aristotle)
we Christians are praying for you, we are not against, we love you, we are againt your actions and the lies you are spewing, whether you realize it or not you are being controlled, you took time to build a website against something you have no beleif in, would you have done this in regards to santa claus, or the easter bunny, question where your motives come from, the father of lies. Christ can set you free
October 19th, 2010 at 8:26 pm - Edit
cont– you making an equal case for the nonexistence of satan, yea you said once you don't believe God, maybe you don't realize your even doing the work of satan, and if I didn't care I wouldn't even bother. God and the Bible has been survived thru odds that are not possible, and despite your feeble attempts the U.S. has 93% of its population beleiving in the God of the Bible. anyways do you have a sister webpage against antione leveys church of satan, find it odd that you dont. I checked. you are very selective in your disbeleif. I will let you in on something CHRISTIANS WIN
December 3rd, 2010 at 2:24 am - Edit
it offers eternal life in Heaven! the streets are gold people live in palaces! and they dont burn or rot in hell they live in paridise!
I M PROUD TO BE A CHRISTIAN !
i hope u except Christianity and i will pray for you ,is that allright for me to do that for you i will pray that you will not think being a Christian is just about rules to follow
i know you will be like wtf why is this person preaching to me i dont wanna hear this persons message but i feel in my heart that God brought me to this website to share the gospel with you and to tell you about Heaven so maybe just maybe you will become a Christian but in your own timeing
December 3rd, 2010 at 2:28 am - Edit
I LOVE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING HEAR becasue i m a Christain and i feel the same way you do
January 17th, 2011 at 9:04 am - Edit
blah blah blah DOGMA
February 16th, 2011 at 1:24 am - Edit
"Jehovah is the jewish people collectivley", jesus is his (Jehovah's) symbolic penis. Christians are effeminized gentile men, they say themselves that they have womanly obedience to the Lord. They, (christians) worship jewish "cock", and thats why the jews invented christianity for the goyim peoples. Christianity is like a porno video that a horny guy (i.e.the jew) got for his frigid girlfriend (i.e. the Christian) to watch, so that she would know what is expected out of her, (i.e. absolute submission) Satan is to them (the jews), anything or one who resists Jehovah, i.e. the will of the jewish people collectivley. They are the SHEM-MEN i.e. the SE-MEN. Praise Thor, he really gave his life for us, as we should in turn for him. . .sacripant
March 1st, 2011 at 11:58 pm - Edit
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March 11th, 2011 at 9:50 pm - Edit
[...] Christianity, not Islam, threatens American freedom ?? The Antichristian Phenomenon [...]
March 14th, 2011 at 11:08 pm - Edit
You are right it is Christians who want to kill and destroy everything not christian. Just look at their history and what they are doing today in America and the world. They think they can hide their insane network to destroy gays and anybody who is not "one of them". They keep wanting to die becasue they keep saying the world is coming to and end, maybe they should so us all a favor and drink the Kool aid. The world will be a much better place after they are gone.
March 21st, 2011 at 5:08 pm - Edit
It's funny to me that people like to try ti pit one religion against another(Christianity vs Islam for example). But the real problem is anytime you form a group based on particular beliefs, that group will eventually not be satisfied with its own numbers-and consequently it will grow outside of its parameters to annex more people(in this case)to devote to it's "cause" generally led by those who prophet most from the increased numbers(through goods, service's, or monetary value). Now those in charge will not usually do the dirty work themselves but will delegate the tasks to those who serve under them(starting to sound familiar). The main way this has been done at least as far back as recorded history goes, is through various forms of brainwashing. I don't care if you want to relate that to politics, religion, clubs-whatever it is, if you want great numbers of people to follow you-you must be able to control them(the more ignorant the people you try to control the more success you will have). Now on that note once you get your "group" you will need to control the group. This is done through penalties(i.e. if you don't do this our way you will suffer our way) Now all that being said, I do agree that a society needs rules to function, and laws to protect it's people(though I can't think of a single government in the world that truly does the right thing they're all about control too). However on this note religion many eons ago started to be used a a tool for primitive governments to use to control there societies. Now many religions have been brought about over the years, many have failed or been disproved(i.e. we now know there are no gods on the top of Mount Olympus). Of all the world religions that have ever come to be, there is one that stands out more than any other for the cruel, harsh, violent, arrogant, ignorant, war-waging, intolerant, behaviors they have displayed since founded. Christianity is the worst flood of evil this world has ever seen in all of its "forms". There is not a country, religion, or group nor have there ever been that have the amount of blood on they're hands as the christian religion. From the Crusades to the Salem witch trials to the Catholic inquisitions just to name a few. They are also responsible mainly in part for the dark ages, and by this I mean the burning of libraries and educational institutions(and they wonder why we won't let them back into our schools). They charged those who brought new ideas or invention as heretics, a levy that cost most there lives. In fact if you even got sick then, the horrors you would have endured to rid society of your "demon" were far worse than anything else I've seen and once again usually resulted in death. Not to mention the horrid sexually motivated punishments for blasphemy, especially if you were a female. The tales of death, rape, and horror are literally countless. However moving beyond that(if you can)their modern day practices may not be to that extreme, however they still want to tell everyone what they can or can't do. For me abortion is a great example of this. I feel it's a couples or woman's choice to terminate pregnancy, not that I'll go to much into that issue, but I have a hard time watching these people show up at these clinics, and just brutalize the woman for being there. They say the child should be had under any circumstance then if you don't want it give it up for adoption. Well how many of these "Christians" have an adopted child?
On the same note our world has a population problem so what does a "Christian" do to help? Well they try to make sure not one of "gods" babies are ever killed(even though in the bible god made a man kill his child), don't believe in birth-control methods of any kind, and continue to procreate at obscene levels all this in what I view as the fastest way to destroy our planet. They try to make impossible to do business on a Sunday(blue laws) so that even as a non-christian trying to buy a car from a non-christian, I can't not on Sunday because Christians don't like that. Christians are also in general very weak minded people who will 9 times out of 10 stick there head in a fire if you tell them they can see hell, very gullible, very ignorant. Not to mention they're answer for everything they can't understand-and it's always the same"well that's gods will" . No it's not god's will your just to uneducated to have any other preseption. A test of what I'm saying (and just for a little fun) go find a Christian and ask if he/she knows what it is to be agnostic, you'll love they're answer and look on their face. Well I could rant all day about to stupidity they bring to our world but thats all for now, have fun think for yourself and if you get the chance have a good laugh at a Christian idiot.
November 24th, 2011 at 8:48 am - Edit
It is a human problem. I do think however that our government would be less corrupt if they adhered to a philosophical system that didn't deem their followers to be forgiven for being fallible. "True" Christians can still be Dominionist. "True" Taoists would see G.W.B's statement that "God told me to" invade Iraq as complete self-delusion. I think its the whole "God told me to" and "its prophecy" thing that makes Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions so dangerous in the hands of self-forgiven "faith-warriors."
November 24th, 2011 at 8:50 am - Edit
I do "except" Christians from all rational discussion.
November 27th, 2011 at 8:28 pm - Edit
Cast not your pearls before swine.
November 28th, 2011 at 12:45 am - Edit
The Lord Jesus is my King and Savior. You sound more like a muslim then anything. You don't understand. Jesus has given you the oppurtunity to choose him or reject him. In America you have that right. You have the right to reject the Lord even in Christianity. But like all decisions, you will have to deal with the repercussions of your decisions. Christianity is not a religion. Islam is a religion as well as hinduism, paganism, even evolutionism is a religion. Christianity is nothing more then following after the Son of God. How can you go wrong with one of Jesus greatest quotes. " Love thy neighbor" and even "Love your enemy" now imagine a world where every did that. If so called christians kill or hurt other such as catholic priest then they are not christians. You can tell a real Christian he is full of love and concern for others.
November 28th, 2011 at 12:53 am - Edit
That's what happens when you reject the savior. If your atop a skyscraper why doesn't a person step of the side. Because they know if they do then the LAW of gravity will kill them so most people choose to stay away from the edge. Sadly, when it comes to the Lord people prefer to do there own will and reject the savior then accept the free gift of salvation. So yes your are correct to be upset about going to hell. I would be upset if I were going to hell to. Fortunatly my pride doesn't get in the way of my decision making process. The facts remain the same. I've sinned. (broke the commandments) God must punish sin. just like a judge must punish a criminal when they break the law. The criminal should expect punishment. I would expect punishment for my sin and would have but somebody else already took my punishment for me. Thank God for that. That's what my Jesus did for me. He wants to take your punishment as well. Just ask him to save you. I did. Now I'm saved forever.
November 28th, 2011 at 11:57 am - Edit
This is..well, I can't even make fun of it.
Start by reading a definition of "religion". Proceed with telling us how (whoever) sounds more like a muslim than anything. Then please tell yourself apart from others by self-identifying as a real christian because you're full of love and concern for others