When Christians and Pagans clash

[Mari333]

Sylvan Hearth Pagan Temple High Priestess Lianna Costantino-Cardon, left, extended her hand to Dean Moore Sunday in Poteet Park. Moore, a member of the Street Preachers Fellowship and a leader of the N.C. Bible Believers, refused her offer to shake, keeping his hand inside the sign he wore. For an hour, during which time Costantino-Cardon had planned a meeting of her group, Moore paced the park and shouted passages from the Bible. -


http://www.thesylvaherald.com/A-pagans_091103.htm

[Terwilliger]

1. That figures

god-pods showing yet again how tolerant they can be!

[Mari333]

3. Ironic how the pagan is behaving more like Jesus

then the street preacher.

[Julien Sorel]

2. Is this anything like 'When Animals Attack'?

[opihimoimoi]

8. Its simply amazes me of the sheer audacity these MFKRs

have,

Pagans were and still is some of the best people Humanity produced. Read the Bible. The Pagans never attacked the Jews. It was always the Jews attacking them. and for greed and selfish reasons too. LIke conquest and genocide. They took and shared the spoils of WAR, a war they initiated.

These god freaks are killing Mankinds chances for Peace, a Peace Jesus mandated.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

28. LOL... When Christians Attack.

On 2nd thought, thatat's not too funny... They could show footage of our bombing Baghdad, Dresden, Nagasaki....

I keep hearing that we're a Christian nation, right?

Shit.


Feel safe.
Ashcroft watches over us all.

[blondeatlast]

4. I would have gladly shaken her hand.

That guy represents this Christian about as well as Rummy represents my views on war; that is--zilch.

Edit: Get the man a hobby, for God's (literally) sake!

[Terwilliger]

5. yet there he is representing yall

that's ok...I'm sure he helped these pagans with publicity, so it's all good.

[blondeatlast]

29. Good point!

[Blue_Chill]

6. What a damn fool

But then again he doesn't represent this christian so fuck him.

[Mari333]

7. agreed.

=)

[drb]

18. Make that "Damned Fool"...

...and you've got my vote!

[PassingFair]

9. Funny,

Had a Jehovah's Witless show up at my door this evening. I didn't slam the door shut on him because he started the "session" by admiring my "No War" sign. Anyway, he asked me if I thought that all religious people around the world were worshipping the one true god, of if most were worshipping in error.

I said that the only thing that I knew for sure was that the men who rammed airplanes into the trade center towers believed in god. He said "Well, that's what they said". I said "No that's what they really believed and THAT is very scary. He didn't stick around long...

[MrPrax]

10. The Christian folks do this to get exposure

These folks are no interested in fellowship or ecumenicalism...
The 'broadcasting' churches have, by hook and crook, agressively pushed out local religious programming for the the centralized network format.

They want to control the idea of Christianity and turn it into an adjunct of US foreign and domestic policy. Their missions in Latin America for instance are little more than disseminators of American ideology; 'peace' corp out, missionairies in.

If I am anti-christian, it is because more 'christians' allow these people to speak for them...
I guess it is a free-rider problem...they promote the overall goals of religion which satisfies most 'spiritual' types, so they don't bother quibbling over their agendas

[quaker bill]

12. I am not anti-christian

But I am anti these "Christians". If they actually read the book they hold to be God inspired, they would be first in line to run Bush out of office.

[drb]

17. Amen, Brother!

"Don't the Bible say we must love everybody?"

"Oh the Bible! To be sure, it says a great many such things, but then nobody ever thinks of doing them. You know, Eva, nobody does."

- Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin

[MrPrax]

23. I agree...

Some of the best people I have met have been inspired by 'dissentent' Christian thought...too bad they don't sign up

[blondeatlast]

30. Well, I'm about 46th in the line.

Will that do?

:hi:

[Fenris]

11. Perhaps the gentleman should spend less time protesting

other religions and more time actually reading the New Testament. I do not believe it is a very Christian act to refuse another's act of tolerance and acceptance.

And further: has anyone noticed that many "Christian" fundamentalists tend to quote liberally from the Old Testament and less frequently from the New Testament? Is it an attraction to a vengeful deity that propels them to the old books? A need for a sterner master?

Personally, I could never quite see the reason for keeping the Old Testament. I rarely read anything that I found uplifting and/or philosophically interesting. I do, however, find many good points in the New Testament, specifically the older books. Very good messages about nonviolence, generosity, and equality.

[OldCurmudgeon]

21. Spot on!

whenever you talk to one, ask them if they're following the dietary laws, and whether they've been properly circumcised. God made a really BIG deal about that, it wouldn't do to piss God off, now would it?

Another term for these "pick'n'choose old-testament christians" is: HYPOCRITES, but it's more satisfying to call them Pharisees.

[leesa]

35. I like to call them Phaisees as well.

They have some sort of vague recollection from their childhood that Jesus had a problem with the Pharisees.

[Arianrhod]

13. "People get murdered, people lose their jobs over things like this," said

one group member who chose to remain unidentified. < end citation >

This is the real problem, IMO. An unschooled "preacher" making bleating noises in the background may be annoying, but as long as he stands outside the perimeter and takes no other actions, there's not much anyone can do about it. (Although I'd bet that if a Pagan group stood chanting outside a Christian church, they'd be arrested.) We Pagans believe strongly in freedom of thought, speech and belief, so interrupting his little masturbatory experience in the park would not be our inclination. We've learned how to focus.

We also have no problem with genuine and sincere Christians. Anyone who has read the Bible (and I've studied the book for over 25 years) knows that this man does not qualify. The Apostle Paul would've told him to get bent--in no uncertain terms. :)

But the situation is rooted deeper than this. The concern of the Pagan members for their jobs and lives is a real one. This is particularly true under the current occupier of the WH--who as governor of Texas tried to rescind Wiccans' right to practice, claiming that the Craft is "not a legitimate religion" and therefore not entitled to constitutional protection. And his AG, who claims that "Jesus is the King of America". And his father, who said that atheists do not qualify as citizens. There is little hope that such an administration would ever defend this Temple's rights.

Some of us fear that freedom of religion in our country will soon be buried, and those of us who don't adhere to the Fundamentalists' concept of Christianity will have to go underground. It certainly would not be the first time.

[blondeatlast]

31. Indeed, you do know the Bible!

"The Apostle Paul would've told him to get bent--in no uncertain terms."

Bravo for having a truly open mind!

:toast:

[Arianrhod]

37. Well, thanks.

Paul had his faults, but when he was on, he was right on. :)

[TahitiNut]

14. "clash"?

They look color-coordinated to me. :silly:

[TreasonousBastard]

15. The "North Carolina Bible Believers",,,,

the mind boggles.

Anyway, is that a bullhorn I see on his hip?

Ain't my kinda Christian if he uses a bullhorn.

[drb]

16. There's a problem with the basic assumption here...

...in that you have identified some jerk who shouts at people and carries a big sign as a "Christian."

What kind of sign did Jesus carry? Well, if you count the cross, it was a sign of his own sacrifice for others.

Who did He shout at? Only people who thought they were way holier than everybody else.

Correct your assumptions and it will all become clear. ;-)

[madrchsod]

19. dumb ass

doesn`t even know that christianity uses alot of pagan rituals in christian services...the passages he was shouting prob. contained pagan beliefs

[blondeatlast]

32. So true--Christmas and Easter celebrations are based on

Pagan traditions.

Edit: damn HTML doesn't work in subject line?!

[ryharrin]

20. I just had a dream last night that I had a run-in with some christian

fundies. They were at an anti-abortion protest, and they were yelling about how god hates people who have abortions and crap like that. So I walked over and asked "Aren't you guys supposed to be compassionate? Isn't that what the new testament is all about?" At this point the dream got really weird. The guy says to me "Why in the hell should I be compassionate when this happened to me?" and at that point I noticed he had an arm growing out of the middle of his forehead. I'm not sure what it meant, but it sure was freaky.

[soulsangha]

22. That's nothing!!!

I was looking for a copy of the Dalai Lama's speech from the National Cathedral on Google and I came across this 'news' website!

http://www.ccnews.org

NEWSFLASH: Buddhists are responsible for the 9/11 disaster!

"...Tibetan lamas will accompany him from New York, which he will lead in chanting Buddhist prayers in a "house of God" the National Cathedral! This is even more tragic in light of the fact that a religious sand painting (Kalachakra Mandala) for "peace" was built in Tower One in 1994 by the same order of Buddhists before the destruction of the World Trade Center (Mat. 21:13;John 10:1-10)."

By looking at the quote below, I guess Buddhists and Christians have very different meanings of the phrase 'spiritual well-being'.

"While respecting the freedom of religion that we as Christians have defended for many centuries, we are also called as gatekeepers in the spirit of Ezekiel 33:4 to warn the Church of the incursion of Buddhism and specific activities which may threaten the spiritual well-being of our nation, families, and neighbors."

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

27. Welcome to DU, soulsangha!

Well, we all know what warmongers Buddhists are. (not)







Evil sig lines to frighten the foolish here: http://www.danasoft.com

Feel safe.
Ashcroft watches over us all.

[blondeatlast]

34. Yeah, you bloodthirsty Buddhists just cause all kinds of fresh hell!

(deep, deep, sarcasm in subject line)

Welcome to DU!

:toast:

[The Backlash Cometh]

24. "Pagan Special Forces"

Great bumper sticker I saw on the road the other day. There's some brave souls in this country.

[opihimoimoi]

25. Pagan 101 tells us its fun, wholesome, and rewarding to be a Pagan.

[baldguy]

26. Take a good look at that picture.

Which one do you think has a real job?

[supernova]

33. This guy enjoys playing the martyr

more than he enjoys the rewards of the spiritual life.

He'd rather hang out in front of the temple, scream, and stamp his feet than bother to go inside and learn something. :eyes: More's the pity for him.

[Az]

36. Silence allows those that are vocal to dominate

The nature of what people believe is dominated by what they are exposed to. In our modern society we have made discussing religion and belief a taboo. Thus we no longer progress and worse only the more obstinate and authoratative belief systems are willing to shout out their teachings. Silence = Death in the world of ideas. If you believe the fundies are wrong get out there and shout them down or their ideas will propogate while yours fail.

[Terwilliger]

38. your admonition is good advice for Democrats

If you believe the fundies are wrong get out there and shout them down or their ideas will propogate while yours fail.

:bounce: