Darya: DDN I don't know your hidden motives, but you are degrading a religion. As a Christian I believe it is WRONG to demean ANY religion, no matter what it is. DDN: "As a CHRISTIAN"?? As a Christian you should know that Jehova, the God of the Holy Bible, was vehemently opposed to the existence of religions that worshiped someone other than himself or do so in a manner not in accord with His instructions in the Old Testemant. He hated such religions and their followers passionately, sometimes having them wiped out with great prejudice. "Demean" them? Jehova slaughtered them?
The new testament isn't any less at odds with other religions. According to it (or at least most of its respected interpretters) everyone that isn't accessing god through Jesus Christ deserves to burn in hell forever? As a christian you are obliged to inform your hindu, muslim, jewish, buhdist, and taoist friends that they all deserve to burn in hellfire eternal for belonging to these religions. How demeaning is THAT?!
Its particularly offensive when a simple inquiry into WHY this is the horrible fate of every non-christian (no matter how holy or devoted to god they might be) yields only the vaguest, most incoherent responses that ultimately culminate in snobbish, petty little cop-outs like "Well, God works in mysterious ways." (See previous post by McChick. This was her final sorry-ass position once it was revealed that she was completely incapable of backing up the eternal damnation claim.) How pathetic.
In short, if you believe it is wrong to demean other religions, then it is impossible for you to be a christian. This belief puts you in direct conflict with the god of the old AND new testaments.
I've asked this question before, but I think its time to ask it again: Are there any christians on this forum that have actually opened up a copy of the holy bible and read some of it? And, again, how is it that so many people can be so adament about the value of a book they've never even bothered to read, even to the extent of betting their eternal souls on it?
Darya: ....Live and let live, take my advice and life will be alot easier.
DDN: Live and let live? According to who? Jehova? Jesus? I don't think so, Darya. Jesus said he came here to set people AGAINST one another. His was an abrasive, confrontational message. "Live and let live" is nothing but a warmed over commercial fabricated by and for Vietnam generation hippies. You are not a christian dear. You are a worshipper of some greasy hippy's commercial.
Darya: ....take my advice and life will be alot easier.
DDN: Eh? Since when is having an easy life a concern of christianity? Christianity is about turning your life into a series of sacrifices in return for rewards in heaven. Its about being flat broke and spreading the "Good News" about God and heaven whilest enduring the inevitable torment and toture from a heathen, satan-ruled world. Christianity is the ultimate path of postponed gratification as demonstrated by the horrible suffering of a crucified Jesus.
You are not a christian, Darya. Your "religion" is your own invention founded primarily on your own personal code of ethics. You've simply tarped it and stuck "Christianity" sign on it to avoid being alone and isolated in an insane world - and who could blame you. But, like many well intended people, you haven't bothered to look under the hood in so long that you've come to mistake this protective cloak for your own true identity. Sorry for the psychoanalysis, but this is what I see happening all over the white christian world and I think its dangerous. This "hiding" behind a christian label excuses people from developing and evolving there own code of ethics, breeds prejudice, racism, and natioanlism, and cuts them off from the benefits of other great spiritual teachings.
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: McSpotlight: Since when has any major world religion tolerated differences of opinion?
DDN: Exactly.
