The Politics of the Evangelical Right, and Their Very Public Sin[W258]

nota bene said:

No, I am not. But yes, your exacting demands--your rules, which are very exclusionary and harsh, in my opinion.

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Nice strawman. Have you given him/her a name?

Schism said:

Acts 7 includes the account of Stephen being killed by a mob while preaching the gospel. Instead of fleeing or acting out violently to defend his life, Stephen prayed for his killers.

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Thank you for explaining. So is this widely understood in Christian circles to be an endorsement of pacifism? Or is it a representation of Martyrdom? Or is it both? Second, does the text make clear of Stephen had the ability to defend himself or flee?

Sherman123 said:

Thank you for explaining. So is this widely understood in Christian circles to be an endorsement of pacifism? Or is it a representation of Martyrdom? Or is it both? Second, does the text make clear of Stephen had the ability to defend himself or flee?

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No...

Sherman123 said:

So is this widely understood in Christian circles to be an endorsement of pacifism? Or is it a representation of Martyrdom? Or is it both?

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No. What appears to be widely understood and favored in western Christian circles is patriotic flag-waving, drone bombing, and using the CIA to create chaos in the world.

Ammo Jesus loves you; as long as you cooperate with the USA.

nota bene said:

I reject your either/or.

This word "catholic" is an ordinary word, at least for me, and good to know. I say this because I know somebody who wouldn’t say the word “catholic” in whatever his Protestant church was during the recitation of the Creed because he didn’t pay attention to the lowercase “c” and this tapped into his own ignorance and prejudice. Learning the meaning of this word could be the inspiration for many a “teachable moment.”

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I have seen the word "catholic" used in non-religious contexts -- including science -- many times.

Its lowercase meaning has been familiar to me for as long as I can remember, so it's surprising to me that others are unfamiliar with it.

Not so long ago, lots of people used the term "prophylactic" as opposed to the more vulgar "rubber." Just because they didn't know that "prophylactic" has a larger meaning doesn't mean that it's not good to know that meaning.

Also "phylactery."

nota bene said:

Its lowercase meaning has been familiar to me for as long as I can remember, so it's surprising to me that others are unfamiliar with it.

Not so long ago, lots of people used the term "prophylactic" as opposed to the more vulgar "rubber." Just because they didn't know that "prophylactic" has a larger meaning doesn't mean that it's not good to know that meaning.

Also "phylactery."

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The word "catholic" carries deep theological significance in Catholic and Catholic-lite high churches. The claim that it is being used as a synonym for "universal" is intellectually dishonest. Similarly, Mormons use biblical words and theological terminology in their teaching to the point that in a normal conversation you might have a difficult time determining if they believe the same doctrines as mainstream Christianity.

The problem becomes apparent when one begins defining words and terms, their deeper meanings, and their usage within the context of scriptural and non-scriptural events. For example, the LDS church uses the words atonement, baptism, Godhead, and eternal life and yet the meanings of these words support an entirely different set of theology and doctrinal definitions.

Yes, 'catholic' can mean 'universal; however there is far more to it than that in their religious circle; Note Bene is just being coy and dishonest about it.

Schism said:

The word "catholic" carries deep theological significance in Catholic and Catholic-lite high churches. The claim that it is being used as a synonym for "universal" is intellectually dishonest. Similarly, Mormons use biblical words and theological terminology in their teaching to the point that in a normal conversation you might have a difficult time determining if they believe the same doctrines as mainstream Christianity.

The problem becomes apparent when one begins defining words and terms, their deeper meanings, and their usage within the context of scriptural and non-scriptural events. For example, the LDS church uses the words atonement, baptism, Godhead, and eternal life and yet the meanings of these words support an entirely different set of theology and doctrinal definitions.

Yes, 'catholic' can mean 'universal; however there is far more to it than that in their religious circle; Note Bene is just being coy and dishonest about it.

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This is nonsense. Long before there was such a thing as a "Catholic" denomination the word "catholic" meant the whole Christian church, it's only become a dirty word because of the divisive politics of various protestant believers and other Catholic haters.

it's just me said:

This is nonsense. Long before there was such a thing as a "Catholic" denomination the word "catholic" meant the whole Christian church, it's only become a dirty word because of the divisive politics of various protestant believers and other Catholic haters.

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Off topic bit of humor: I didn't realize there was anything other than the Catholic Church till I was embarrassingly old, lol. Like I thought the 'boss' of all Christians was the Pope. But I didn't grow up around many Christians, so that probably isn't that surprising.

Sherman123 said:

Off topic bit of humor: I didn't realize there was anything other than the Catholic Church till I was embarrassingly old, lol. Like I thought the 'boss' of all Christians was the Pope. But I didn't grow up around many Christians, so that probably isn't that surprising.

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Yeah, we'll let you slide on that one. I don't know where the Catholic hate comes from unless it had something to do with Irish and Italian immigrants coming into the country. When I was a kid nobody thought Jack Kennedy would be elected president because he was Catholic.

Schism said:

The Politics of the Evangelical Right, and Their Very Public Sin



I used this article as a backdrop for the topic of this thread:
Born Again Christians have No Business Being Involved in Law, Politics, or War

Believers were called to spread the good news of eternal life in Christ, not impose God's Law upon a lost world, entangle themselves in the politick and cares of this world, or kill others in conquest of treasures and trade routes for the rich. Do you really believe that Jesus would pick up a machine gun to fight for the stupid **** we're fighting for? Or lead a (R) party committee to draft legislation to make it unlawful to sin? WTF is wrong with you?

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A free society is what Christian desire in order to proselytize. People like yourself want to close doors, shut windows of opportunity and basically shove the Bible in the closet while allowing lewd behavior to run wild!

LittleNipper said:

A free society is what Christian desire in order to proselytize. People like yourself want to close doors, shut windows of opportunity and basically shove the Bible in the closet while allowing lewd behavior to run wild!

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A free society is great, and Evangelicals espousing their political opinions is fine. However this should not be done from the pulpit, because that makes them a political party, and as such, they should not have a tax-exempt status.