The war over religion »
Posted By Progressive 2 months, 2 weeks ago in Religion
According to the World Christian Encyclopaedia, if atheism and secularism were categorized as a religion, they would be the third largest in the world (1.1 billion), behind Islam (1.5 billion) and Christianity (2.2 billion) but surpassing the Hindus.
And even more disturbing to Christians is the fact that the atheists and secularists category is among the most rapidly growing ideological group. Noteworthy, too, is that a lot of people are de-converting and making a lot of noise about it.
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Progressive
There are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating: people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing. -- Oscar Wilde
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smithichie2 months, 2 weeks ago
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Main Entry: re·li·gion
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Pronunciation: ri-'li-j&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English religioun, from Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back —more at RELY
Date: 13th century
1 a : the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion> b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 : archaic : scrupulous conformity : CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
Atheism is not a system of beliefs, it is the absence of beliefs, specifically, religious beliefs. -
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hyperbola2 months, 2 weeks ago
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Actually "christians" who want to support their religion would do better not to attack agnostics/atheists, but to clean up the far more subversive and dangerous power fanatics that are subverting their religion from within for the power and profit of the power fanatics.
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The Unacceptable Cost of Judeo-Christianity; Its Legacy of Pain
http://www.propeller.com/story/2009/10/08/the-unac...
No religious persuasion has ever been more clearly responsible for so much bloodshed and destruction as has “Christian Zionism.” This 100-year old offshoot of fundamental Christianity has almost single-handedly legitimized wars in Arab states since January 1991. Its destructive power is only now being understood. ... We note again that the grassroots individuals within this movement are almost always motivated by altruistic religious belief (this author was once one of these), while the driving force behind their leaders is almost always tainted by money and the power of fame.
...First: It must be understood what Judeo-Christianity (also called “evangelicalism,” dispensationalism, or Christians Zionism) is: by any name, a 20th Century phenomena, an apostate-cult, meaning it practices, in part, a deviant path of following Christ, and it relies upon many varied human sources other than the traditional bible(s) for its theology.4 & 5
Second: Judeo-Christianity ascribes holiness to a foreign political state, Israel, as though it was itself a god. It placed political Israel on the throne along side of Jesus Christ, and, in so doing, its teachers ignore, if not annul, much of Jesus’ teachings. 1 & 2 & 3
Third: Rank and file churchgoers and many lesser known Judeo-Christian pastors think of themselves as moral, even when they are actively contributing to immoral acts, such as supporting mass military assassinations in Gaza and the West Bank. ...
...Judeo-Christianity can easily be used by its leader, and by the leaders of Israel, to carry out a political agenda that favors that foreign political state over and ahead of the interests of America, and ahead of the interest of any humans in the USA or any other country except Israel. For the most part followers of the cult do not know they are being used. Without this understanding many are confused between Judeo-Christian religion and its political agenda. Pro-Israel activists, including John Hagee, should rightly be registered as agents for a foreign government, so open are their objectives.,Some of our allies against serial wars attribute them to Israel, working through its agents and lobbies for the purpose of gaining US dollar support and creating chaos in the Middle East for its own benefit. -
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hyperbola2 months, 2 weeks ago
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Much is finally being exposed about the powerful Israeli lobby led by The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). AIPAC's agenda that calls for the USA to finance and bless its occupation of its neighbors, and eventually control the oil of the Middle East, tactics that are contrary to American interests. ...
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...Every politician in Congress and those competing for the presidency know George W. Bush became president because he and Carl Rove found a way to identify Bush with the Christian Right, but to get this blessing one must also be Israel blessed. Even today 70% of Republicans support Bush and his war in Iraq because what is left of the Republican Party is predominantly Judeo-Christian.
The relationship between the Christian-Zionists leaders and AIPAC is simple and straightforward. AIPAC pressures Congressmen in Washington to give Israel what it wants; the Christian-Zionist celebrities brainwash the laymen in hometowns to pressure the Congressmen at the polls, and the Congressman takes a junket to Israel and complies. Congress is in the vice between the strongest lobby in Washington and the biggest lobbying voting block in the country. Why would they listen to you or me?...
... Church-going Americans are not only going in debt for war, they supply their sons and daughters to be killed and maimed in the contest. Celebrity Zionists beat the drums for war that Israel wants, but I have not heard of Hagee’s or Farwell’s son enlisting, or any of the congressmen’s children. The scorched foot soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan include a disproportionately large number of Judeo-Christians, who we believe, often enlist because mom and dad raised him in the Judeo-Christian church where volunteering is considered noble, even today after Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Their youths are taught that if we honor Israel we earn blessings for America from God. It is these young men who pay with shattered bodies and broken minds for the free junkets to Israel taken by a reported 80 Congressmen in August 2007. ....
We need to appeal to the sense of morality of Judeo-Christians. Its members are directly responsible for the three current crises in American culture, these being the War, inflation and the break down of morality that always accompanies war. They do it for only one reason; they are led into following an apostate Christianity that started only about 100 years ago, first legitimized by Cyrus I Scofield.1 & 5
We concluder there could have been no Shock and Awe or war of occupation in Iraq were it not for the Christian Zionists’ zealous campaign to destroy Muslim nations. The now publicly acknowledged War on Islam is in fact already 17 years old....
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Locky12Comment removed: Spammer, Abusive14 Replies
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cowboygrandpa2 months, 2 weeks ago
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I will just say that the Bible says there will be a falling away from the Church during the last days.
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I see this happening along with many who mock God. It is of no surprise that this is happening.
For as in the days of Noah, many fail to believe.
With most right wingers claiming a Christianity based on greed, deceit, hatred, and political nonsense.
I can see many falling away.
We who are Christians do not want the same things as those in the world.
The world meaning the political shenanigans, the riches worshipped here on earth, the hatred of men and women because they are not saved. The need to destroy others to prove Jesus Christ is God, the denouncing of one type of sexual immorality while embracing the ones ya enjoy, the hypocrisy of wanting to appear holy, while destroying your brothers faith through your wanton acts of greed, killing,denying the whole truth of God in order to maintain your self serving positions.
These are not the acts prescribed by Christ and His Apostles.
These are the very acts He came to change.
I have been trying to understand God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit since I was a young child. The more I see of people who claim to be "Christians" yet act as demons. The more I understand the passage that says-paraphrased- Depart from Me for I know you not. And the people will say they did all these works for Christ, when they did them to seem holy to man.
For in their hearts they did not know Christ !!!
It is sad. -
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Mystic_Moldovan2 months, 2 weeks ago
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The King James Bible says that God created man in God's own image. Actually, the reverse is true. Man creates God in man's own image. Then, man goes to church to worship himself. Hence, Blacks go to Black churches to worship fellow Blacks. Wealthy, upscale citizens go to wealthy, upscale churches to worship themselves, and ditto for all the rest. That's why you don't see wealthy White people going to poor Black churches. That's not the group of humans whom the Whites worship. Conservative preachers, who also need to worship their own kind, wander around the White House rubbing noses with Richard Nixon, or, they might even run for President on the Republican ticket, as did Pat Robertson. Or, ordained Nazarene preachers might use a "focus on the family" to worship and financially support their own like-minded humans. I would wager that most god-fearing church people are mostly atheists, in reality, they just don't know it. There are a few exceptions, of course, but not many.
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memestryker2 months, 2 weeks ago
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I would add that religions do include practices that have nothing to do with religion, per se, but that are of benefit to anyone. Prayer, meditation, practicing forgiveness and tolerance, teaching ethics to children, sharing ritual, joining in fellowship, helping the needy, etc. all benefit people, even if they don't believe in a supernatural sentient being outside themselves. That's why Unitarians, who agree to disagree and be tolerant of each other's belief or unbelief, can form strong "churches" and form strong communities.
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I think it's healthy and a sign of growth that increasingly people are finding they don't need belief in folklore and the supernatural to find comfort or be indoctrinated. Our culture is our tradition, and we can cherish it, study it, learn from it, and not take it literally. In fact, we all can study the wisdom and cultural teachings of others' cultures, too, and derive great benefit.
But when we substitute tradition and indoctrination for reason and science, we undermine and limit ourselves. Even if there are supernatural anthropomorphic beings such as gods, goddesses, great spirits, animal totems, or whatever people might choose to believe, we still have the gifts of science and discovery, and also the gift of culture. -
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Daylight2 months, 2 weeks ago
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Atheism and Secularism are not the same because Atheism is different from Secularism. Atheists do not believe in God and Secularists do believe in God but they want to pick and choose what they want to believe. So It is wrong to say that they both are the same and they are a third force. In fact their beliefs are religions themselves because what they believe is their religion. Even every religion has different sect that's because they have some sort of sickness in their hearts. There is always something that every believer wants to accept and reject because he or she wants to enjoy something God forbade. As I said unless they are true believers and pious, the chances are they will always reject and accept what is good for them and reject what what they don't like. I believe therefore every believer has his own religion in mind, when this kind of concept is widespread among the believers, then it becomes a sect. So Athiesm and Secularism also religions without church or God. For example Buddhism is a religion without God but they do believe in gods and pray to them but they don't believe in a creator God. Any belief whether it is Atheism or Secularism itself is a religion.
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Progressive2 months, 2 weeks ago
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"There is always something that every believer wants to accept and reject because he or she wants to enjoy something God forbade."
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My problem with statements like this is that some human being always seems to set himself up as the arbiter of "God's will" to determine what is good or bad for the rest of humanity.
Secularists are worldly rather than "spiritual", so they could also be considered "non-believers"--which means there is little difference between atheism and secularism, neither of which is a religion in and of itself because there is no common belief among them other than that they do not believe in god--that is what makes them "non-believers".
Certainly some atheists and secularists are provocateurs in that they argue against "believers", but the vast majority of us are quite tolerant of theists as long as they do not attempt to force their assorted beliefs upon us. -
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skyking2p2 months, 2 weeks ago
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I believe John Lennon had it right "Whatever gets you through the night is alright" I think that there are no two humans on earth that have the very same believes. We are born agnostic and form our on religion based on our interactions as we age. We accept what we want and reject what we don't want. No one, no mater what kind of funny hat or long robe they have, knows more than I do about what happens when you die.
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