Agreed (sort of). I think the following quote from a buddy of mine in an email is poignant and worth posting here: I certain part of me thinks it would be good thing if American children, particularly those who group up fundamentalist christian, were exposed to other cultures/religions. I might make them think a bit more before judging other people and/or mentalities.
You're overgeneralizing. People use religion as an excuse to kill. Evil is what causes people to believe that killing and hate is the answer. Religion is not. The only ones who ever killed were religious?
i don't kinow how to get around this. i think there's value in other faiths. but i can't proclaim that they are all true. because that's nonsensical...there are contradictions. the koran and the bible can't, at once, be squared by saying they're both true. i believe Christ walked the earth...was crucified...died...and rose again. i believe God did all that to provide a new covenant by which to know Him. by which to spend eternity with Him. that Christ paid the price for ALL mankind. that we're transformed through him and because of him in a very real but mystical way through the Holy Spirit. that's what i believe. i won't apologize for believing that. because of it, i have intense respect for everyone...because He loves everyone. so i can't say we're all nothing and it's all an illusion. i don't believe that god is unknowable. i don't believe that Joseph Smith was revealed a newer testament which supersedes the Gospels. i can't say Allah is God and Mohammed is his one true prophet. i can't say Christ was not the Messiah. because i don't believe those things. that doesn't mean i'll treat those who believe those things to be any less...because those people are cherished by God. I just don't believe they're right. We don't all have to agree with one another to love one another.
No but his religious ancestors did, and there is a connection. They were "converted" and destroyed due to the idea that their religion and culture was worthless, if not evil. That idea still persists.
i think you'd be hard-pressed to find that concept truly stemming from Jesus Christ, as I know him from the Bible. but it's certainly true that the name of Christianity has been hijacked to perpetrate awful violence against others. any idealogy that insists others are worthless is truly not of Christ, though. i can assure you of that.
Yes some did-not everyone was forced into it or killed. That doesn't my faith is evil. Your ancestors may have killed others-that doesn't mean you're evil. Yes it's tragedy that all this killing happened. They will have to answer to that. Not everyone is like what you're talking about.
The reason there is so much Debate is because it all depends upon your personal experiences, what side of the fence you are on and many other complex factors. Let's quit grouping Christians as evil seducers and antiquated fear mongers- During a hypothetical situation a group of secular/evolutionist students from around the country were enrolled in a special program at a Christian college that taught religious Creationism as a science. Most of the students had never been exposed to this before. The results where.. shocking. About 80% of the incoming freshman in the class had only studied evolution and secularism. They were exposed to bassic Bible doctrine and teaching for the first time. (more often 'fundamentalist' in nature). The first week there we tore into the evolution debate. I had spent the first 18 years of my life assuming that everyone had simply moved past creationism, and to my shock a large group of scientists where arguing for the 'science' of creationism. I came to realize just how blind I had been to their work. Over the next two years the students went in one of two directions. Some simply refused to accept what they heard, and went into a sort of isolationist denial. For the most part these kids didn't finish the program. For the rest (most?) the classes challenged their belief system. They began to realize that the reality of the world they live in was far different from the one their public school teachers had laid out for them. While very few turned on to religion completely, they did begin to abandon their literal ideas concerning evolution. Most became some sort of open minded to religion. The most interesting part was the backlash from the parents of these newly enlightened students. As the change really took effect the parents literally paraded in and yelled and screamed at the programs director. The ACLU was called in and lawsuits were filed. For these people, simply exposing new ideas to their kids (and thus challenging their belief systems) was more or less the same as turning their kids into priests or preachers. I finally came to realize that these parents FEARED knowledge. Public schools, to them, is a form of religion. Having a convienent belief system that takes faith and God out of the world is so comforting and so comfortable that operating outside of that scares the living hell out of them. When you have something like that, you become almost irrational in defending it. That means that religious ideas must be avoided at all costs.. because it is those IDEAS that threaten their comfort zones. That's why there are so many lawsuits against schools, public institutions and everything else. These people NEED to be immersed in a mono-culture because without it they may find out that life isn't as convienently explained as they NEED to beleive it is.
I'm sure Jesus would not fear other religions and other positive spiritual practices. If he denounced the truth found in other religions he would have to denouce his own. And I'm not just talking about Christians, but I'm am seeing it right here. We can clearly see that other religions are guilty of this as well. The Christian faith is not evil. The idea that it is the only religion that contains truth is.
Jesus did denounce others-that doesn't make his beliefs invalid because He is God and man. Why is it evil to say there is only one truth? There are only truthes to lots of things.
Madmax was talking about violence against other religions being promoted by Jesus Christ, that is not true, he promoted love and peace. But He denounced the 'truth' found in other religions, especially the Jews of His day. He also condemned many religious practices with his own words in Revelations chapter 2 and 3.
And I would like to meet you if possible, you can more easily expose my errors face to face, (truth is I like people, and I am sure I will like you)
Why? The reality is that there IS one truth - whether it be atheism, Christianity, or even something undiscovered and unknown. The idea that multiple religions are true may be comforting, but that's the one thing that is definitely false.
What is that supposed to mean? Some time true, some time not? Let me rephrase my original question, if a guy says something is circular, does it mean he tries to describe that 'something' is spherical?
I'm not saying that all religions are completely true, but truth is found in all religions. He did not completely denouce Judaism for example. If so he would have no respect for the Temple etc. What I am saying is that there are elements of truth in all religions. To deny those shared truths in one religion is to deny it in your own.
