I'm aware it was added way later on and I'm not agreeing nor disagreeing with your point. I'm saying it's difficult to keep religion out of schools when the gov't make students recite those words everyday at school.
your post didn't contribute to furthering a productive discussion you tried to introduce the topic of the death penalty to play "gotcha" and call the religious "hypocrites". sorry I called you out for it...
Sweet. Now we've rolled several D&D themes into one and we're trying to solve them in this thread still. Why? Who knows! Irrelevant is a pretty standard word. Is there an alternate meaning?
Well, she was responding to my topic, because I also threw in how certain Christian or religious people can be hypocritical, not only about prejudices towards LGBT people (pointing out that there are about 60 abominations listed in the Bible, most of which Christians do not pay attention to or challenge in the aspect of the law, examples being moneylenders in the church, adultery, and etc) - I briefly explained why Christians should not necessarily carry around the pro-life moniker (since, it's based on the concept of anti-abortion, yet some of the same Christians may support the death penalty-wholeheartedly, certain military conflicts (even when it's not warranted), and some of their silence on the shooting and killing of unarmed citizens/innocent citizens by law-enforcement officers. My biggest point in all of this, I simply state that some Christians are picking and choosing particular things from the Bible to satisfy their own personal taste. Explicated a few reasons, why they aren't
They aren't forced to recite the words. It's only a matter of time until someone sues about it too, I'm sure.
Or do you wish people cared about their teeth as much as Osteen cares about his pearly (gates) whites? <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bQKn4CbA8xw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I have to agree wholeheartedly. I have tried to stay away from this thread, but a couple of things have really disturbed me. Some of these Western Christian denominations have become very disconcerting to me. That isn't to say that they are inherently evil by any means, as I believe those who try to better themselves spiritually have good intentions at their core no matter how skewed their viewpoints can be. In the grand scheme of things, sexual orientation is trivial. It saddens me when gays are venomously prosecuted by those who claim to be Christians. Remember, Jesus loved everyone. He defended whores and criminals alike. This gay thing, as well as abortion, have become such a big issues in some Christian denominations. Keep in mind, these things are government issues yet they are tightly linked to followers of many denominations. I am of the opinion that government policies should not be motivated by religious beliefs. Many "Christians" are mixing the two, supporting candidates for their religious beliefs. The idea that politicians would use God as a way to gain power is beyond sickening to me. However, it has proven to be an effective method for gaining the support of many Americans. It enables Americans of the poorest families to passionately support not taxing the rich, or to turn down bills that would immediately benefit them. It enables people to support Mit Romney after the terrible things he has done to people for his pursuit of wealth. How else would any of this be possible? Anyone who is spiritual will come to an understanding of our connection to the earth on a fundamental level. What maddens me is that many claiming to love God are fine with destroying the earth. How does this make sense? Anything from claiming global warming is a myth, allowing oil rigs to destroy natural habitats, or allowing factories to pollute the environment with little restriction. Essentially, these things all benefit only corporations. These corporations in essence use God as a way to profit and destroy the earth. Why is it that certain Christians will allow for this? Is the issue of gay marriage really that important? More important than the earth? Again, it is mind boggling that anyone could love God, but not the earth. Finally, I want to say that some of these Christian denominations are giving Christianity a very bad name. Christianity is not a bad thing. I completely understand the backlash against religion in this country. People simply have had enough and I can't blame them for that. When Christianity is used for power, this is simply inevitable. I have stayed at numerous monasteries in my life and have learned many things from the monks there. These people are excepting of everyone, living in complete devotion. They worry deeply about the environment. These people don't belong to denominations in America. They are primarily of either Catholic or Orthodox faith. Orthodoxy, the original unaltered Christian religion which spans through all of Eastern Europe, and through Africa. Even many Catholics in Western Europe, namely the Polish are very in line with this approach. These people never forced anyone into their faith. When you consider how little money has to do with this, it gives a new light to the motives behind millionaires like Olsteen. Having studied Orthodoxy, it amazes me just how much the religion has changed here in the US. As many denominations in the west put focus on the death of christ, many times they put the teachings of Christ secondary. Jesus was a philosopher in many of the same ways as the Buddha. In fact, the original Christian religion is very similar to Buddhism in many, many ways. The idea of sin has become so convoluted. It is now associated with guilt or a higher power judging you, which in return causes people to judge others. God doesn't judge anyone, so why should we judge ourselves? I truly believe we should be free to enjoy the pleasures of life while we are on earth. To restrain from indulging is a very personal choice that has its own benefits. However, it should never be in an attempt to appease God or Jesus, only to better yourself as a person. I wish those who follow some of these denominations would at least come to an understanding of the original Christian faith. It doesn't make sense to claim that "everyone outside of my small denominational circle will go to hell." I honestly don't believe hell would be a literal place to go, just as considering heaven a palace or kingdom with gold is a little naive, and quite frankly, very self indulgent. Love one another for the sake of humanity, not so that one day you will have a pass to "heaven" or so that you are rewarded by a higher power. I also don't believe that someone like Gandhi, would be punished by a higher power for not excepting Christ or that a good hearted gay person should suffer for their ways. This has become quite a long post, but it just bothers me that religion has become almost a taboo in this country. Religion is a very personal thing and should be a tool to better one's self, I sincerely hope one day we can cut through all the bull**** and understand this. The message of the Bible is one of unconditional love, not hatred toward those who are different. I deeply worry about the state of things here in the states, as the religious factions in our country have not only ruined politics and the country, but have turned something beautiful into something purely self motivated and very ugly.
Funny how the best musicians and artists in our society are anything but wealthy. It is the way it has always been. Remember, Beethoven's symphonies at one point were described as noise. Today there are undoubtedly living geniuses on par with Beethoven's artistry. These people will get their recognition in the future. It is a shame that so many gems in life are hidden.
He's always defensive about his fortune. If you listen to him everyday, it always boils down to "Children of God is supposed to be wealthy and that's why I am very successful with money."
I wouldn't now put myself in those positions. Today I am very happily married with 4 beautiful children, and no longer put myself in situations like that. And I only find women to be attractive in a sexual or romantic way.
The biggest problem is the lack of separation between church and state. No one should be able to take away another persons rights. Also, no one should have to compromise their beliefs. That's the beautiful thing about the way our country is supposed to work. We do not, and should not, legislate sins. Have you ever been reported for lying? gluttony? We make laws to prevent you from encroaching on the freedoms of others.
