Lol. Now being a Christian is now synonymous with being nuts? While I do think some of the views you listed are a little wacky, I'd also point out that many of them are commonly held Christian beliefs and not just Assemby of God stuff. Now, I don't want someone to interpret this defense of Ashcroft as an endorsement of him because in actual truth he's my #1 enemy in government today. I think he's actually a danger to the country while in office. But, I think these criticisms of his religious beliefs and his moral code are not fair and a logical fallacy. Not everyone you disagree with is nuts.
Actually JV, I disagree with you after looking at these again: Not a christian belief. (Not by a long shot) Kinda a christian belief, but this description of judgement day is a little overboard. Not a christian belief. (At least the part about Israel. The Bible does foretell of a "1000 years") Not a christian belief. Christian but not the kind I associate myself with. This is Jerry Falwell-esque. Not a christian belief. Uh, I guess so. I admit I'm a very liberal (i.e., free-thinking) christian. I really don't believe any of this is what I would consider christian, but I guess some would. And yes -- I think they're nuts.
As a liberal (i.e., free-thinking) christian, do you require others to adhere rigorously to your own understanding of the religion to be considered christian? Do you feel that religious beliefs that are not similar to yours are not worthy of your respect? Besides that, can you say with a degree of certainty to what extent Ashcroft himself adheres to each of the beliefs described? Do you know what Ashcroft's understanding is of the relationship between his religion and his role in the government? I condemn the man for things he does in government, much of which no doubt stems from his religious beliefs. But, I won't criticize him for believing the things he does.
Wait, does ashcroft know about this? "Frequent sexual activity may reduce a man's risk of prostate cancer, according to a study in the April 7 Journal of the American Medical Association." He's actually putting the health of american men at risk!!!
"For all American men, I recommend my own prostate health plan. My doctor comes up behind me, like so, and massages my prostate regularly. This is clean, and lubricated, as god intended. It is not sinful and dirty, like sex would be."
I think this all started when the Bushies decided to ban Playboy from military installations and just keeps on escalating.
if people are going to assume that terrorists and suicide bombers represent the muslim religion, i see nothing wrong with seeing ashcroft's kooky beliefs to be representative of the christian religion.
These are all excellent questions. They are not simple to answer -- in fact I don't think they have a right answer. But I will try to answer them in the way that I understand them. I do not require other people to adhere to my religious views to be considered christian. My mother, for instance, is very secular while I am not. Yet, I think her a very strong christian, more than me for sure. This is loaded to make me seem hypocritical in my judegment of Ashcroft, and it is true -- I do judge him harshly on his interpretation. However, it is not because of his beliefs, rather because of his desire to force them upon others. I don't think that is truly christian, this forced morality. I do not agree with people like Ashcroft or Falwell who think themsleves so good as to judge others. No one is that righteous. Certainly not Ashcroft, who doesn't reach out to people in his faith, but wields it like a chain to hold everyone down under his "version" of faith. No, I cannot. But I can say that his desire for everyone to believe as he does is a far more disconcerting concern. I condemn him for his forced morality as well (I assume that is what you reference). However, I will criticize him for his beliefs. His zealotry, which no doubt is enflamed by his religious dogma, is an affront to things I hold very dear: Freedom of Religion, Free Thinking, Privacy, and the impression he conveys to the world regarding our nation -- a crusading, puritanical hotbed of closed minds.
I missed this one. I agree totally and recently started a thread about this very issue. I would love to have your comments. http://bbs2.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74318
