Christian DUers: Has Jimmy Swaggart Hijacked your Religion?

[gottaB]

Poll question: Christian DUers: Has Jimmy Swaggart Hijacked your Religion?

[LiberalVoice]

1. lol...

this is a funny poll.

Now i'm no christian but I would have to say that Swaggart hijacked and already hijacked religion. Does that make any sense?

[gottaB]

2. I know what you're saying, I don't exactly agree

I think people come to religion by many different paths, and each one is valid in its own right.

Imagine you bought an airplane that "fell off a truck." You fly it around for a years, come to depend on it. It's an integral part of your life. Then imagine Jimmy Swaggart comes along and, wielding an axe, hijacks your plane and takes you to, oh, the Travel Inn in Lake Charles, Lousiana. Are you going to say that you're plane hasn't been hijacked? Easy come, easy go?

:shrug:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. He's hijacked the Pentecostal version, but not the Episcopal Church

:shrug:

[gottaB]

6. yes, but

a. Are non-Christians by and large aware of such sectarian distinctions?

b. Are Episcopalian clerics who dissent from Church doctrine over the issue of homosexuality reflecting a general ingrained homophobia among their parishioners, or are they reflecting the influence of hijackers like Swaggart? Dare I say Stockholm syndrome?

[kirkm76]

9. Now hold on a second there hot rod!

I am an Assemblies of God type, so you may call us Pentacostal and let me assure you that Jimmy Swaggart is not in control of my religion.

In fact, I am a bit perplexed that we get so often lunked in with the "Religious Right".

I don't believe that our Pastor has mentioned politics short of saying we ought to all be registered to vote. Truthfully, he hasn't swayed us one way or another.

It must be our speaking in toungues that makes other religions shy away :)

[Lars39]

10. Ashcroft might have something to do with that.

Lucky your preacher isn't trying to influence your vote.

[Dob Bole]

4. No.

The Christianity that's on TV isn't my religion.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. He isn't the only

hijacker I can think of. I'd love to tell he and his ilk to hi-jack off, but that wouldn't be very Christian of me. *lol*

---------------------------------------------------------------
"Critically examine everything. Hold on to the Good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21

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[snoogins]

7. No

i thought it was the moonies?

[UpsideDownFlag]

8. other: no....he speaks for a small minority.

that's like saying islam has been 'hijacked' by al-qaeda. they don't control islam, or speak for the majority of muslims.

[TahitiNut]

11. Other: No. Merely the label.

There is absolutely no material resemblance between the secular theosophy espoused by Swaggart/Falwell/et. al. and the principles reportedly espoused by Jesus of Nazareth. None.

[CitySky]

16. Agreed!

[kirkm76]

12. Christian DUers???? WTF

And another thing,
I see us "Christian DUers" singled out frequently for whatever reason.

What's up with that, it's like we are some sort of fringe element here.

What if I started up threads with like "Hey Black DUers" or something...

There are many christians who are democrats, even some of us in the more "fundamental" denominations.

I happen to believe that Christ sort of transcended politics and still does.

[gottaB]

13. Didn't mean to suggest Christians were a fringe element on DU

It's reasonable to argue that some religious leaders, Swaggart for instance, have politicized their faith. I'm interested in the political response from people who share the same faith. Is Swaggart misrepresenting Christianity? (Yes.) How do you feel about that? I can sort of anticipate the response of non-Christians, and in the interest of forestalling a flamewar about the good vs. evil of Christianity, I wanted to hear exclusively from Christians. I'm sorry that you took offense, but I do find your reply interesting. Thank you.

[camero]

14. Both n/t

[gottaB]

17. lol n/t

[Renew Deal]

15. Here comes the pile on.

[Red State Rebel]

18. About the same way Zell Miller has hijacked the Democratic Party

Get my drift? One loon howling in the wilderness doesn't speak for everyone.

[gottaB]

20. are these televangalists really howling in the wilderness?

I get the feeling they're coming into an awful lot of living rooms.

If we were talking about the Christian Identity movement, then, yeah, lunatics howling in the wilderness.

Naturally, fundamentalist hatemongers don't speak for all Christians. But they do claim to. Perhaps they fill a void. Calls for Brother Swaggart to repent or stfu can be heard within his Christian community, but those Christian voices aren't widely heard in the popular media. I don't see evidence of prominent evangelicals preaching against Swaggart's message to their mass audiences, although I admit to being ignorant on the subject, and I welcome any information that would correct my views.

[Red State Rebel]

21. What you are asking to see goes against true Christianity

It is soooooo hard for some people to understand the concept of Judge Not Lest You Be Judged.

It is not up to me to judge anyone that I think is doing wrong, it is to be left to Gods judgement. I may not agree with him or some of the others, but I also have to be aware that I myself am not without sin so unless I want to be judged harshly, then it's my job to keep my mouth shut. I'm not always able to do that, but I try.

Each of us will stand before God, including Jerry Fallwell and only then will his true judgement come.

BTW, I feel the same way about a lot of things that some Christians tend to judge harshly, i.e. homosexuality. It's not my job to judge or condemn anyone for their behaviour whether I think it's right or wrong. I try to love people for who they are, not what they are.

[Cheswick2.0]

22. so what you would like to see is a "BATTLE OF THE CHRISTIANS"?

That's not going to happen. Everyone has a rigt to their own beliefs, even "fundies".

Object to the politics, not the religious beliefs.

[w4rma]

23. I disagree with your point, Cheswick. Noone is advocating government

control of a religion. Repeat: Noone on DU is advocating government control of a religion.

And, if I think that some TV evangalists like Swaggart have hijacked my religion, and I do, you aren't going to shut me up about it. I'll talk about it all I want, thank you very much. And I won't be supporting any government interference of that denomination of my religion.

[gratuitous]

19. Naw

But he's welcome to drop by Peace Church any Sunday that pleases him. We have a small but committed and active congregation that can use every pair of hands that walks through the door. He won't have time to hijack anything, he'll be so busy feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, visiting the sick and imprisoned, clothing the naked, and caring for others.