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The true threat to Christianity

Amadeus said:
As I recall, the perception of Satan as a hoofed/horned demon was shaped by Christian fear of Wiccan practices. That's not the fault of Wiccans, of course.
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No..Wiccans believe in mother nature...Satan was of course Lucifer..a fallen angel..cast out of heaven
 
Goshin said:
Pat Robertson is one man and does not speak for Christianity as a whole. He is one who seeks the limelight and pushes himself into it; the media accomodates him because he says extreme things, and extremism makes titilating news and sells ad time.

Thousands upon thousands of ministers labor in obscurity, preaching the gospel in some small church, ministering to their congregation, visiting the sick and comforting the bereaved, never seeking fame or fortune but only to glorify God and help their fellows in quiet service. This vast majority is ignored by the media in favor of the louder, high-profile extremists who make more dramatic news.

It is that quiet and hardworking majority who are the future of Christianity, not Pat Robertson.
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I understand. It is unfortunate that Robertson (and Graham; and previously Falwell) is not successfully drowned out by the silent majority.
 
The only threat to Christianity is the one that has always existed...the tendency of man to ignore God and follow his own will. People use lots of excuses to do this, including dismissing Christianity because of the sinful actions of Christians. This is nothing new.
 
Amadeus said:
I understand. It is unfortunate that Robertson (and Graham; and previously Falwell) is not successfully drowned out by the silent majority.
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Actually Billy Graham, while imperfect as any human being is, was (and is) a very good "emissary to the world" for (protestant) Christianity. This does not mean I agree with every word that comes out of his mouth, but that on the whole he was a positive.
 
Amadeus said:
As I recall, the perception of Satan as a hoofed/horned demon was shaped by Christian fear of Wiccan practices. That's not the fault of Wiccans, of course.
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Which was always a misperception.


Lucifer (the devil) is a creature of great beauty, "appearing as an angel of light". Hard to be a great deciever if one LOOKS like a devil, no? :)
 
Amadeus said:
I submit that the true threat to Christianity is Pat Robertson. Or, in a broader sense, people who use scripture in the ugliest, most demagogy of ways. From stating that 9/11 was the fault of liberals and homosexuals, and that Haitians made a pact with Satan, to suggesting that husbands should move to Saudi Arabia so that they can abuse their wives -- the guy is a goblin. He alone is far more harmful to Christianity than a million atheists/secularists. And due to his immense following, people like myself have a hard time separating the good Christians from the toads. It can be done, but it takes effort that not everyone is willing to give.
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I think when young people here what people like pat and Bryan Fisher say about gays, they don't question gay marriage, they question christianity.
 
Goshin said:
Which was always a misperception.


Lucifer (the devil) is a creature of great beauty, "appearing as an angel of light". Hard to be a great deciever if one LOOKS like a devil, no? :)
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What is a "devil" supposed to look like?
 
Goshin said:
Actually Billy Graham, while imperfect as any human being is, was (and is) a very good "emissary to the world" for (protestant) Christianity. This does not mean I agree with every word that comes out of his mouth, but that on the whole he was a positive.
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I don't know why anti-Semites get a pass because they supposedly men of God. :(
 
Amadeus said:
I heard a statistic that over 60% of college students associate Christianity with bigotry. My point is that people like Robertson are bringing the religion down from the inside, and will succeed until they are relegated to the fringes by the faithful.
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Let me repeat my question:

ThePlayDrive said:
Why do you think that Robertson blaming the Haitian earthquake on a "pact with the devil" is perceived as absurd currently when comments like that were perceived as accurate in the past?
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Amadeus said:
I don't know why anti-Semites get a pass because they supposedly men of God. :(
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Hmm. Admittedly I am not a scholar of all things B Graham has ever said, but if he is an anti-semite that is news to me.
 
There are charlatans and the Bible directly warns Christians to watch out for them. Honestly though I think people will take anything they can from any charlatan that they can because they want to hate Christianity. Truthfully the biggest threat to Christianity is the evil nature of man that wants to resist and reject God's Word.
 
cpwill said:
Actually, he spoke directly to that:
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Pretty sure he's talking about everlasting life here. I very much doubt he's pinning every death by "act of God" on, well, God.

It would paint him as a liar if he were talking literally. Not everyone who doesn't repent dies violently afterall.
 
Ben K. said:
Pretty sure he's talking about everlasting life here. I very much doubt he's pinning every death by "act of God" on, well, God.

It would paint him as a liar if he were talking literally. Not everyone who doesn't repent dies violently afterall.
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Then I would have to say that either you lack reading comprehension, or are deliberately trying to paint a twisted picture. Nowhere does Jesus claim that those who do not repent all die violently, merely that they die.
 
Goshin said:
Hmm. Admittedly I am not a scholar of all things B Graham has ever said, but if he is an anti-semite that is news to me.
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It depends on whether or not you believe Graham's apology, characterization of his remarks, and hazy recollection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_graham#Discussion_of_Jews_with_Nixon

During the Watergate affair, there were suggestions that Graham had agreed with many of Nixon's anti-Semitic opinions, but he denied them and stressed his efforts to build bridges to the Jewish community. In 2002, the controversy was renewed when declassified "Richard Nixon tapes" confirmed remarks made by Graham to President Nixon three decades earlier.[60] Captured on the tapes, Graham agreed with Nixon that Jews control the American media, calling it a "stranglehold" during a 1972 conversation with Nixon.[61] He went considerably beyond that in offensive remarks characterized as anti-Semitic by Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League[60] and evangelical author Richard Land.[62]

When the tapes were made public, Graham apologized [63][64] and said, "Although I have no memory of the occasion, I deeply regret comments I apparently made in an Oval Office conversation with President Nixon ... some 30 years ago (...). They do not reflect my views and I sincerely apologize for any offense caused by the remarks."[65] According to Newsweek magazine, "[T]he shock of the revelation was magnified because of Graham's longtime support of Israel and his refusal to join in calls for conversion of the Jews."[64]

In 2009, more Nixon tapes were released, in which Graham is heard in conversation with Nixon referring to Jews and "the synagogue of Satan." A spokesman for Graham said that Graham has never been an anti-Semite and that the comparison (in accord with the context of the quotation in the Book of Revelation) was directed specifically at those claiming to be Jews, but not holding to traditional Jewish values.[66]
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Amadeus said:
I get that science mitigates the supernatural aspect of religion. You'll get no argument from me.
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Science does not deal with the supernatural/metaphysical...
 
It often appears that the anti-Christianity threads are so strewn with repressed or disguised hatred and rage over all things Christian that the moment the original, and often ostensible, point is addressed, the thread leaps to another anti-Christian talking point and then dissolves into endless anti-Christian bigotry.
 
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Ray410 said:
It often appears that the anti-Christianity threads are so strewn with repressed hatred and rage over all things Christian that the moment the original, and often ostensible, point is addressed, the thread leaps to another anti-Christian talking point.

From a Christian viewpoint, some of these anti-Christian threads would more appropriately be in the "Conspiracy Section."
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Which post(s) in particular are you talking about? Certainly none of mine, I hope.
 
Amadeus said:
I submit that the true threat to Christianity is Pat Robertson. Or, in a broader sense, people who use scripture in the ugliest, most demagogy of ways. From stating that 9/11 was the fault of liberals and homosexuals, and that Haitians made a pact with Satan, to suggesting that husbands should move to Saudi Arabia so that they can abuse their wives -- the guy is a goblin. He alone is far more harmful to Christianity than a million atheists/secularists. And due to his immense following, people like myself have a hard time separating the good Christians from the toads. It can be done, but it takes effort that not everyone is willing to give.
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He's an evangelist.
 
Amadeus said:
Which post(s) in particular are you talking about? Certainly none of mine, I hope.
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"The Wicked Flee When None Pursueth..............."

Proverbs 28.1
 
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The largest threat to Christianity or just about any religion is the number of people and how they practice it.
Since this thread is about Christianity Ill stick with it.


You practice your religion for YOU and for good, done.

once you start using your religion for a tool to judge, punish, scorn, exclude and force thats where the problems come in, its really that simply.

Thats why here in america where Christianity is the majority it gets focused on. You have those that feel its under attack, its not, and those that feel like they are being attacked with it, they are not. They are being attacked by the loony tunes that dont understand their own religion or how this country works. BUT that casts a bad stereotypical light on people. (in both directions)

Same with anything really, but since Christianity is the majority here thats what most stories revolve around.

self peace and morality = no problem
judgement,force, morality tool = problem

as far as pat Robertson goes nobody intelligent, honest and objective takes him seriously like most windbag media leaders of groups. Not fair to associate him with all Christians and honest people simply no this. Just like every other stereotype.
 
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