thanks brother pat, for bringing up the religion issue on DU again

[mopaul]

[MindPilot]

1. If Pat isn't the poster child for why religion is the problem

I don't know what is.

[bryant69]

2. Yeah Thank God

Certainly there's nothing better than a regular Screw Christians round of posts. It's enjoyable and it accomplishes a lot.

[mopaul]

3. sorry to offend. did i say screw christians?

no i didn't, i said fuck pat robertson. god you're touchy

[bryant69]

6. Poor Mo Paul

I do see you changed you "Shoudl the Bible be considered dangerous" to soften it.

[mopaul]

11. bless you my child

[msongs]

8. can the "majority" be persecuted? since when is assassination xtian? nt

[bryant69]

9. Yes. And It's Not.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Please Elaborate

And, could you provide an example, other than apartheid? I don't understand how it's possible unless there is strong history of colonialism and already extant subjugation.
The Professor

[bryant69]

15. Ah but you didn't put those in your original post did you?

I was going to say South Carolina before the civil war (after too, actually), but Apartheid works too.

It also depends on the size and make up of the community - while in the United States as a whole it is the Christians (mostly Christians so called in my opinion) who have the upper hand, there are almost certainly areas where the opposite might be true.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. I Hit The Enter Key Too Quickly

Yeah, but you said "Yes", not "Probably Yes". Absent any recent history of colonial subjugation, where a technologically inferior indigenous population was oppressed by a more powerful "invader" (or colonizer, depending upon one's perspective, i suppose), which isn't extant in the american christian situation, i don't see how it's possible.
The Professor

[bryant69]

19. Your question was

Can the "majority" be persecuted? The answer is yes they can.

I think your real question is "shouldn't whiny christians shut up about being persecuted?" In which case the answer is yes, as well, for the most part.

But that doesn't mean that they should just roll over when their beliefs are made light of either. I'm not saying you have done this, by the way.

[ProfessorGAC]

21. OK

I still don't see how the persecution can be anything more than a self-induced illusion, but in think we're pretty much on the same side of this, so there's no need to belabor this.
The Professor

[Modem Butterfly]

10. Of course not

And since yesterday afternoon on the 700 Club.

:evilgrin:

[terrya]

5. Pat Robertson certainly is an unusual type of "Christian"

Advocating assassinations (thus defying...which commandment is it, "Thou shalt not kill"?). Blaming one of the most horrible events in this country...09/11...on people he doesn't like.

Kind of a different definition of "Christian", it seems to me.

[bryant69]

7. Well it's hte old question

Is Pat Robertson Typical of Christianity or is he an aberattion. There are plenty of people around here who think Robertson typifies Christianity - I would argue that he doesn't. But everybody is entitled to their opinion.

[MindPilot]

14. He's not "typical of Christianity" but no-one can say he "not Christian"

In fact Robertson is highly placed in the Christan leadership. He is an ordained minister, he preaches from the Christian bible, he has ready access to heads of state and the media along with tens of thousands of followers who hand him millions of dollars.

If you're on the outside looking in, i.e. not Christian, you are left to assume he does represent at the very least a significant segment of Christians.

If he doesn't, then the so-called "REAL Christians" need to get him out of that position.

[bryant69]

16. Exactly.

And the "peaceful followers of Islam" need to put a stop to all terrorism by capturing Osama bin Ladin and others.

[Midlodemocrat]

18. I disagree with that.

The Christ that I follow as a Christian would not advocate harm to someone. And, Robertson's comments after 9/11 were and still are, unforgiveable.

The whole Christian anti-homosexual thing still baffles me, because I have yet to find a reference in the New Testament, except by St. Paul, of aberrance to homosexuality. It is in the Old Testament, and got news for you, you right wing zealots, Christ wasn't around then.

How about calling yourselves Mosesians, rather than Christians?

[Hamlette]

12. 9/11 being such a vivid reminder of what happens when religion is NOT

challenged, we should be discussing it more, not less. If you don't want to join us, we don't mind if you bow out of the conversation.

[etherealtruth]

4. I think he calls attention to the INSANITY that runs rampant ...

... in RW Christian fundamentalists (emphasis on RW)

[Hubert Flottz]

20. We should all eat about 49 bowls of baked beans each and go

to Pat's Club 700 church and let about 6789809897654 SBDs at the same time!

[magellan]

22. Pat Robertson practices Christianity

...the way Osama bin Laden practices Islam.

[catmandu57]

23. Exactly

If bro pat were in the ME we wouyld be targeting him for exterimimation.

[msmcghee]

24. Xtianity is like any other movement.

Cultural worldviews (and the memes that comprise them) are similar to living species. If it stays around it will evolve into an ever more aggressive and jealous body of memes - that will try to attack and destroy competing philosophies.

Either that, or it will be displaced by another movement that has those characteristics - and it will disappear.

While some of the early Xtian memes are still given lip service (by some Xtian sects) - what people call Christianity today has almost nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Those sects that still hold onto the early charitable memes of Xtianity such as the Beatitudes certainly have little influence on the politics of this nation - while the aggressive, controlling, violent and warmaking memes (like those of Pat Robertson) are the ones currently in power and on the rise culturally as they lock themselves into our government through stealth vehicles like Roberts.

Xtianity is a very successful political/spiritual marketing concept that has evolved continuously - kind of like Amway but more contagious because of the spirituality factor - which is like a drug that generates its own chemicals (rather than needing ingestion).

The drug like effect of an aggressive political/spiritual movement can assure its survival for centuries - along with the death and suffering of millions who will necessarily need to die in its holy name.

Rigidly secular government that completely excludes all religious memes from its context is the only preventative. Once it gets into a governmental structure there will be no way to get rid of it. In that sense - we're now very screwed - as well as our children and theirs for many generations to come.

Lots of fire and brimstone coming down the road, folks.