Knowing church history

[Thats my opinion]

I've a pretty good grasp of the myriad ways Christians have been--and still are--among the worst enemies of the Jesus they claim to follow. In r/t the accusation has often been made that I only describe the good things people of faith have done The following two paragraphs are taken from a previous thread, and are only an example of what I have said in a variety of ways over these months.


"The worst enemies of Christian faith are Christians who are narrow, exclusivist, bigoted, war mongering, on and on and on. And there are plenty of them. Christian history if replete with prejudices, pogroms and support of tyranny. Somehow, however, there are a growing number of Christians who follow the one who was the Prince of Peace, defended all the left out, was ethically centuries ahead of his tradition and lured his followers beyond the commonalities of a cultures mired in bigotry.

As a pope in the middle-ages remarked, when asked how he could stay in the church with all its evil, 'It's like Noah's ark. The only way to tolerate the stink inside is to know about the storm outside.'”

[cleanhippie]

1. Doesn't this just boil down to the argument of who is a true christian and who is not?

Those that you claim are

"The worst enemies of Christian faith are Christians who are narrow, exclusivist, bigoted, war mongering, on and on and on."

can make the same argument that it is YOU who is not following the "Prince of Peace".


And they have the same book of writings to draw from to support their claims that you do.


:shrug:

[Angry Dragon]

2. Then we need a new book if it is so easily twisted

[cleanhippie]

5. "We" need no such thing. Perhaps a book that can be so easily twisted should just be ignored?

[Angry Dragon]

7. That too

but there are some good things in it

[cleanhippie]

9. If you say so.

I mean, sure, there are some good moral lessons (albeit not original ones), but they are, if not out-weighed, nullified by the terrible things in it.

[dtexdem]

14. Basic clashes of world views, moral compasses, and concern for fellow humans.

So what's new?

[RevStPatrick]

3. They are not Christians...

They are Leviticans.
Or Old Testamentites.

[trotsky]

4. Do YOU follow *every* teaching of Jesus?

Are you absolutely sure that you have interpreted the bible correctly?

[Angry Dragon]

6. Jesus was a liberal

that is why a lot of christians only take the parts they like
the fundy right only take the mean stuff and stuff their minds with it

[The Magistrate]

8. As A Matter Of Curiousity, Sir...Which Pope Was That?

[trotsky]

10. I believe it was Pope HelpMeScoreARhetoricalPoint XXVI. n/t

[cleanhippie]

11. !

:rofl:

[skepticscott]

18. +100

[TexasProgresive]

12. THe quote gets a lot of hits when searched but

attribution is sketchy. Two citations that can't be proved are Reinhold Niebuhr and St. Augustine. It has been used a lot by preachers and others. Many of them just say, "Someone once said,"

A quip like that I would think came from someone like G.K. Chesterton or Oscar Wilde and not a pope.

[The Magistrate]

15. Thank You for The Leg-Work, Sir: Citation Of An Actual Pope Was Not, Repeat Not, Expected In Reply

The falsity of the thing is so obvious that its sole point of interest is wondering how someone could expect people to credit it as the statement of a medieval Pope, let alone himself believe it to be the statement of a medieval Pope --- particularly a man who actually is a professional clergyman.

[Thats my opinion]

16. Tradition has it was Pope Gregory the Great (540--604)

It has floated down through history and has been quoted all over. Did old Greg really he say it? If he didn't he should have.

[The Magistrate]

17. With All Due Respect, Sir, No Way In Hell Did the Man Ever Say That

Though, speaking of Hell, here is a genuine quote from the gentleman in question:

"The bliss of the elect in heaven would not be perfect unless they were able to look across the abyss and enjoy the agonies of their brethren in eternal fire."

[rrneck]

13. The ark stinks

because the occupants keep shitting in the stalls.