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Re: Our friends at Westboro Church have decided...
Now, now, let's not get into an argument about religion, that's even uglier than politics. Religion has done some stupid shit (Crusades, 9/11, etc.); irreligion has done some stupid shit (Stalinism, Wiccans).
You have to understand though, that Christianity's core tenets are just that Jesus is son of God, that he died on the cross for humanity's sins and was reborn and ascended three days later, and that belief in him is required for salvation.
After that is interpretation. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that the US is the most Christian nation in modern times, except maybe the Vatican. We're also one of only two first world countries that still has the death penalty; the other being Japan.
Clearly, the death penalty is not a matter of love. It's pros and cons can be argued, and there's a very popular interpretation that "Thou shalt not kill" is supposed to be "Murder", as in not self-defense or war. But the death penalty goes beyond what you need to keep a criminal from society in almost all cases short of civil war and the declaration of martial law. It very much does not adhere to "Turning the other cheek".
And most christians in the US don't have a major issue with this. Not to mention the very obvious other examples of hatred on the part of mainstream Christians; race, sex, sexual orientation, other religions. There was a story on the news recently about an effort to have someone removed from office because they aren't Christian, as their State's Constitution requires, despite the fact that the Supreme Court long ago ruled such clauses unconstitutional.
In the US at least, it's very hard to find a "turn the other cheek and love the sinners" Christian. It's easy to find people who are lapse in their religion to the point where they don't really care, but not people that take their religion seriously and disapprove of violence. There have been some people encouraging domestic terrorism against doctors and clinics who provide abortions, with the idea of driving them away from areas where they're performing legal operations; and at least one shooting in recent memory, on top of bombings not too long ago.
I'm not saying Christians are bad; there's a ton of awesome charity work being done out there in Jesus' name; but WBC is unfortunately a part of the group, hatred and all. They're a small portion, they're a portion that the mainstream loathes probably just as much as Atheists do, they're an out-there group with strange practices--- but they are fundamentally Christian.
Originally posted by Balfree
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You have to understand though, that Christianity's core tenets are just that Jesus is son of God, that he died on the cross for humanity's sins and was reborn and ascended three days later, and that belief in him is required for salvation.
After that is interpretation. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that the US is the most Christian nation in modern times, except maybe the Vatican. We're also one of only two first world countries that still has the death penalty; the other being Japan.
Clearly, the death penalty is not a matter of love. It's pros and cons can be argued, and there's a very popular interpretation that "Thou shalt not kill" is supposed to be "Murder", as in not self-defense or war. But the death penalty goes beyond what you need to keep a criminal from society in almost all cases short of civil war and the declaration of martial law. It very much does not adhere to "Turning the other cheek".
And most christians in the US don't have a major issue with this. Not to mention the very obvious other examples of hatred on the part of mainstream Christians; race, sex, sexual orientation, other religions. There was a story on the news recently about an effort to have someone removed from office because they aren't Christian, as their State's Constitution requires, despite the fact that the Supreme Court long ago ruled such clauses unconstitutional.
In the US at least, it's very hard to find a "turn the other cheek and love the sinners" Christian. It's easy to find people who are lapse in their religion to the point where they don't really care, but not people that take their religion seriously and disapprove of violence. There have been some people encouraging domestic terrorism against doctors and clinics who provide abortions, with the idea of driving them away from areas where they're performing legal operations; and at least one shooting in recent memory, on top of bombings not too long ago.
I'm not saying Christians are bad; there's a ton of awesome charity work being done out there in Jesus' name; but WBC is unfortunately a part of the group, hatred and all. They're a small portion, they're a portion that the mainstream loathes probably just as much as Atheists do, they're an out-there group with strange practices--- but they are fundamentally Christian.
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