Belief Systems and discussions thereof

[Jack@European_Parts]

Interesting....

 

[Jack@European_Parts]

The new Christianity or status of it's interpretation?

Opinion: Capitol rioters made a mockery of Christian values

What the world witnessed at the Capitol attack, with rioters carrying crosses and signs invoking Jesus, was a warped and dishonest portrayal of Christianity -- and of American identity itself, writes Yale Divinity School Dean Gregory E. Sterling.

www.google.com

 

[Bruce]

It is time for us to be Americans, whatever our party affiliation or views on specific issues. It is also time for those of us who are Christians to speak out against the misuse of Christianity as a legitimating force for evil. Democracy is a treasured value and quite fragile. We need to protect it, and given last week's events, we need to pray for it. --Dean Gregory E. Sterling

I concur with the Dean's final view.

Using Christianity as part of an attack on our democracy does make a mockery of Christian values. As has happened far too often in history, people take some portion of a religion and pervert it to their own understanding supporting their own agenda. There are countless such tragedies in our human history where those claiming to be Christians did harm.

No, Jack, this is not new. Its an old, old story.

 

[DV52]

@Jack@European_Parts: While I agree with both Dean and @Bruce summation, the (mis)use of Christianity at the Capitol Hill insurrection is a reminder that all Religion is multifaceted and it means different things to different folk (and therefore it has different uses). For some its an agent of control, for others it's a banner to rally support for action, for yet others it's a device to preach damnation and of course for some it's a doctrine for higher ideals. I guess that we all would prefer the latter, but alas the world (meaning mankind) is not like that!!

I certainly don't condone the violence that has been committed under the flag of any religion (crusades, 30 year war, the "troubles", twin towers -and countless more examples) - but I agree with @Bruce that it would be wrong to blame religion (itself) for the resulting carnage; in truth it's the act of men (invariably males) who understand how to harness the power of Religion for their own ends.

The interesting aspect of religion for me is that regardless of how it's used (i.e. to inflict death, or to evangelize peace), the faith of those who believe that they are doing their deity's wishes is always absolute and entirely without contradiction! I have never understood how a doctrine of peace can be viewed in a war as justification for killing!! But then, I guess that's the power of religion (and it's exactly the reason why religion has been used in various ways)?

Don

 

[Jack@European_Parts]

Don

I find no matter the Denomination of any Religion, they all have one very strong ethic commonality, indeed they accept Denominations of ones, fives, tens, twenties, fifties and so on.......

Since money is the root of all Evil, why do Religious organizations trade in it like a tax shelter Racket?

Pray a wish in one hand and shit in the other and guess which one fills up first?

 

[Bruce]

History books are full of the stories of how man has used faith systems to bond others together as they move forward to carry out a mission. With belief that they are doing the "right" or "Holy" thing, armies and mobs are motivated to go beyond their normal power. We could cite many many examples beyond those to which Don and I have alluded.

In my study, religion is not the cause. It is man who interprets and acts on his interpretation. Most religions seek peace and the idea of living one with the other in harmony. Few, i any, advocate violence against others as their main narrative.

@Don, the power of doing things in the name of the God or One in whom a group believe is a real power. Governments, rulers, and leaders have invoked religion to inspire their members to fight even unto death for the greater good. (The greater good being defined by the religion that is inspiring them.)

Today is a day when Americans honor Martin Luther King's memory with a day of service - a day to do for others. King believed in non-violent protest - in great marches to get his point across. Not riots.. not bloodshed - just standing together in attempt to right wrongs. I respect that means of confronting wrongs.

King gave his life for what he believed. He was planning a peaceful occupation of Washington to further his cause when his life was snuffed out by James Earl Ray. To this day, no saisfactory reason has been given for Ray's act. James Earl Ray was convicted and he told stories that led to conspiracy theories. Those conspiracy theories still abound...

In honor of his remembrance, here is one of his quotes:

" Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. - Martin Luther King, Jr

My hope is that man can one day do as most of the world's religions suggest: live peacefully together building one another up rather than tearing each other down. I hope we can find the light that King spoke of and that hate abates.

 

[DV52]

Don

I find no matter the Denomination of any Religion, they all have one very strong ethic commonality, indeed they accept Denominations of ones, fives, tens, twenties, fifties and so on.......

Since money is the root of all Evil, why do Religious organizations trade in it like a tax shelter Racket?

Pray a wish in one hand and shit in the other and guess which one fills up first?

Arrrhhh........... Jack: You certainly are a man of style (I like it-a lot)!!!!

Don

PS: because we are of a kindred belief, I invite that you listen to the song below . As background, you probably haven't heard of Deborah Conway and her hubby Willy Zygier. They are Aussie song-writers who are not typical pop industry folk. Both are of Jewish heritage but they are not religious and certainly not orthodox!! Anyhow, they wrote an album called "Stories of Ghosts" that is ostensibly about the Old Testament - from a non-believer's perspective. The song below is called "G-D" - but you can guess the missing letter!

If you have an interest and if you can spare the time to actually listen to the words - enjoy!!

 

[Jack@European_Parts]

Meh, if we only had FRF and SGO files for the Bible, they seem to fix everything else, no?



I know God hears me!


Are these the new Gold standard of morals contained or talked about in the Bible?

Police say Oregon man who stole a car with a child in the back seat came back and 'lectured' the mom about parenting

The thief "lectured" the mother for leaving her 4-year-old in a car that was unlocked, and threatened to call the police on her, authorities say.

www.insider.com

Very Christian!

 

[DV52]

@Don, the power of doing things in the name of the God or One in whom a group believe is a real power. Governments, rulers, and leaders have invoked religion to inspire their members to fight even unto death for the greater good. (The greater good being defined by the religion that is inspiring them.)

@Bruce: "greater good being defined by the religion that is inspiring them" - I Agree- that's exactly my point. The Christian bible is replete with stories about how the deity has intervened on the side of believers to determine the outcome of numerous wars and battles. I'm not well versed on the Quran, or the Torah, but I suspect that their stories contain similar messages about their believers being the "chosen ones". It can't all be true - someone is mistaken!! Who?

Don

PS: MLK - respect!!

 

[Jack@European_Parts]

It's MATH?