Question for Christians re: the news

[daddog]

I am a Christian.

While Great Falls chews on its defeat, the plaintiff Wynne seeks surcease. Her home has been vandalized nine times. Hoodlums have killed her cat and hanged its gutted body. Someone put sand in the gas tank of her truck. Townspeople have ostracized her. Even so, she comes across over the telephone as the most cheerful Witch I ever met. My acquaintance is limited, to be sure, but in this one I stand on the lady’s side.

and I do not condon this kind of action. And I don't know of any "reasonable" person who would. Christian or not.

Gunslinger, good story. Sorry to hear that happened to you. It does not take many to give Christians a bad name. Your right on, good intention, but they were WAY OFF on how to go about it.

As for Chairboy trolling....I don't know him.  The answer should have been obvious, IMHO. Maybe he is just taking a poke and wanted to see what he could stir up. Yet, I sure have missed some pretty obvious answers in my life.

[daddog]

Christian 82%

?
LOL Wish that was true. I think what you would consider a Christian and what I would,  are on very different levels.

[capt. apathy]

those %'s must include a lot of people that are just called Christian because their parents are, or it's just assumed because they don't openly say they believe anything else.

I'd say less than 20% of people I meet are Christians(including those who don't seem to let it effect their lifestyle), maybe 10% Buddhists, Mormon, Muslim, or other.  the other 70% worship cash, power, their own whims and desires, or nothing at all.

[Charon]

LOL Wish that was true.  I think what you would consider a Christian and what I would, are on very different levels.

I agree. I have nothing but respect for honorable, respectful true people of faith, regardless of faith. However, I have spent enough time in the bible belt and elsewhere to feel that the "christians" in that town or at Gunslinger's halloween or that recently tried to "save" my Jewish mother-in-law in an ambush camoflaged as a social gathering can be more common than not (in certain regions). Then there was the family that took the son's Jewish friend out and had him baptized on the way to the mall a couple of years back.

Charon

[Charon]

duplicate

[capt. apathy]

Originally posted by Charon
I can agree. I have nothing but respect for true people of faith, regardless of faith. However, I have spent enough time in the bible belt and elsewhere to feel that the "Christians" in that town or at Gunslinger's halloween or that recently tride to save my Jewish mother-in-law in an ambush camoflaged as a social gathering can be (in certain regions) more common than not. Or there was the family that took the son's Jewish frined out and had him baptized on the way to the mall a couple of years back.

Charon

unfortunately what you describe is very common.  I avoided organized religion for most of my life for that very reason.  I couldn't tolerate being surrounded by hypocrites at a time while I was supposed to be connecting to God.

  I found it very prevalent when I lived in the mid-west.  people are expected to attend church (at least in the small towns I lived in) and you faced a lot of suspicion and assumptions about your lifestyle and character if you didn't attend.  when you actually met someone who actually let their faith guide their life it was very refreshing, but unfortunately not something that happened regularly.  I saw men who where (at least from my dealings with them) morally bankrupt who attended church regularly, mostly for the business contacts,  and women who were more interested in the fashion-show aspect of Sunday morning than the actual message.

  I think this is the end result of trying to force religion on people, or legislate morality.  in the end when you force people to attend church or even present the appearance of being Christian (whether through law or social pressure) you end up with people seeing apparent Christan's acting just like the faithless.  it makes as all appear to be a big fraud.

[Arlo]

Originally posted by Chairboy
http://www.thestate.com/mld/state/news/opinion/9378079.htm

After Wiccan woman wins case to not be discriminated against in town meetings, her cat is gutted and killed, her house vandalized, and snubbed her from the community... all in the name of Jesus.

Do the religious types here find this acceptable?  Or do you condemn this?

Are you on a crusade to convert the Christians, or what, here? I swear, man, you do this so often.

Someone does something unChristianlike in the name of Christ - it makes the news - you have a cow.

Someone does something unChristianlike in the name of pokemon - IF it makes the news - you still don't know about it.

BTW .... the answer to your question is the term "unChristianlike" (as well as a hint, in general).

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by Charon
Some people take their spirituality seriously. I'm agnostic. It's something I have put a lot of though and meditation into. It’s something I take very seriously. I think it's disrespectful to force my beliefs on others, but at the same time I feel it is disrespectful to my beliefs and to another's religion to "go along with it" without having those personal beliefs.

She was not in a private setting. When I go to NASCAR there is an invocation where Jesus is named. My wife (who is Jewish) and I go along with it silently because we have a right not to be there (not really true since she's there for work...but anyway). In a church or temple I go along with it silently and respectfully because I have a right not to attend and chose otherwise. But, at public meeting, where I have the same rights as any 200 other citizens it is different. I'll be dammed If I'll let any mob force me to give up those rights anymore than you would say a prayer to the moon goddess before you could participate in a public meeting.

It sounds like she tried to be accomodating:



But, even when she took the entire effort on herself to accommodate the majority that wasn't good enough:



You guys with the Christian persecution complex should run the numbers.  

2002
Christian 82%
Jewish 1%
Muslim 1%
Other non-Christian 1%
Atheist 1%
Agnostic 2%
Something else (SPECIFY) 2%
No preference 10%
Don't know/Refused 1%

Most of those radical atheists, etc. are just trying to retain the right to not be a Christian if they so choose. Or to raise their children in an atmosphere free of prostelyzing, whether it overt or covert in nature.

Charon

Hey I agree with you the town could have done more to accomidate here and they failed in that aspect.

But since when does anyone have the right not to be "offended" by religion or anything else.  I dont remember reading that in the constitution or otherwise.  

There's alot of things in this world that offends me and I just look away or ignore it.  I dont have the right to have that person silenced because I dont like what thay are saying.  

Even in a public or official environment.  Yes you have the right to be their but if they wish to say a prayer who is anyone to tell them they cant.

Again the citiy should have done more to accomidate her but this is the will of the few opressing thier views on the ideals of the many and that is not right.

Christian persacution complex?????  Try the secularist taking away all that is good from public eye.

Places no longer have easter egg hunts they have oval egg hunts.  We cant take christmas/holiday break its now winter break.   Even christmas trees in public places are being taken down in public places because they might "offend" a few people.

Even crosses on PRIVATE land but in public view have come under attack.  A town or city that has a cross in its seal because historicaly the town was founded by a ministry are being sued by the ACLU because they might "offend" somone.

give me a break.  People associate christians with the right and now they are instantly evil people.  You can't tell me that there is not an ongoing persacution of christianity in America today.

As far as religion goes I do not have one.  I do not beleive in organized religion because alot of it detracts from the true purpose in wich they gathered (to praise christ)

It all boils down to this:

"religion is an idea created by man in order to be closer to God,
Christ is man created by God in order to be closer to man."

[storch]

Originally posted by Chairboy
http://www.thestate.com/mld/state/news/opinion/9378079.htm

After Wiccan woman wins case to not be discriminated against in town meetings, her cat is gutted and killed, her house vandalized, and snubbed her from the community... all in the name of Jesus.

Do the religious types here find this acceptable?  Or do you condemn this?

No Christian would commit that type of act.  There are people who are "Christian" because it is a tradition.  If you were to ask them questions and knew what to ask you would find that they were not Christian at all.
 
If a Black person commits a crime are all Black people  criminals then?  By your reasoning it must be so!!!

Irrespective of all that, why are you so concerned with any of this for?  You've already expressed in other posts that You are an athiest and that we are weak and need a crutch!

Did you purchase your asbestos panties yet just in case I'm correct in placing my faith in the inerrant word of God and you find yourself on the other side of death without an advocate to speak on your behalf?  Now is the time to choose.

Pathetic troll BTW.

[Chairboy]

Originally posted by storch
If a Black person commits a crime are all Black people  criminals then?  By your reasoning it must be so!!!

Actually, I'm asking a question, not making a conclusion.

Originally posted by storch
Irrespective of all that, why are you so concerned with any of this for?  You've already expressed in other posts that You are an athiest and that we are weak and need a crutch!

I'm concerned about this because as a non-Christian, I'm afraid that I'll be a future victim of this type of retribution.

Originally posted by storch
Did you purchase your asbestos panties yet just in case I'm correct in placing my faith in the inerrant word of God and you find yourself on the other side of death without an advocate to speak on your behalf?  Now is the time to choose.

I respect your right to live as a Christian, and I don't try to convert you.  Your faith brings you comfort, just as mine brings it to me.  Can you consider a world where you don't have to actively try and convert others?  I can, and it's nice.

Originally posted by storch
Pathetic troll BTW.

Please learn to distinguish between someone who is trolling versus someone like me who, if I take this news at face value, is surrounded by people that so hate me, the thin facade of civility is inches away from physical attacks, torture, and mob violence.

I asked if the Christians felt that action was appropriate, and a few people here came out and expressed their opinion that it was not.  I'm reassured that the people in the article are not representative of Christians, and I thanked others for replying.  I can tell you didn't take a moment to review the post before posting, it's unfortunate.

[demaw1]

This is something....  


   Gees Ive seen alot in this thread. Those that may or may not be atheist talk about un christian like, and they have no idea what they are talking about.  What is un christian like?

Ive seen those that may or may not be christians, say  oh I agree with you ,real christians dont act that way, trying to be all inclusive, ah really  how do real christians act.?


 There are those that have written about spending time in the bible belt, and therefore have all knowledge of all things christian.
  Crying when he thinks his Jewish mother in law was ambushed ,yet gave no details so we can make up our own mind.But of course,  forgets just who are the largest supporters of Isreal today. Btw when was the last time your wife, was invited by the prime minister and other elected officals of Isreal to Isreal. A great many christian preachers I know you dont like, and whole towns like that town have, and have gone. Ya your right Isreal is stupid and no longer looks at christians as you do.

 There are those that have said they couldnt connect to God, because of all the hipocrites around them. Whoa what an ego... Reminds me of a man that intered a temple to worship in Jesus day. In his heart he looked around and said ,thank God I am not like these,  I fast and pray every day, I give to the poor and needy,and I follow all the commandments, while these come only on the sabbath and do nothing I do. Jesus knowing what was in his heart said to him , you hipocrite this day your soul will be required of you.

Believe it or not there is still room in heaven for some more hipocrites, even a hipocrite as bad as me.

[AWMac]

anonymous  It all comes down to who knows?  No one does. We all try to find that inner peace that will carry us along in life.

Hope you didn't think I was knocking on you.

[storch]

Originally posted by Chairboy
Actually, I'm asking a question, not making a conclusion.
I'm concerned about this because as a non-Christian, I'm afraid that I'll be a future victim of this type of retribution.

Well then how many times do you need to be reassured?  Weekly?  Alzheimer's?

[Chairboy]

Originally posted by storch
Well then how many times do you need to be reassured?  Weekly?  Alzheimer's?

There's really no need to be uncivil.

[capt. apathy]

Originally posted by demaw1
Ive seen those that may or may not be christians, say  oh I agree with you ,real christians dont act that way, trying to be all inclusive, ah really  how do real christians act.?

WWJD