[quote name='Strell']2) Kennedy was a Catholic. An Irish Catholic. This is paramount to heresy in the eyes of many Christians. He was open about it and yet still got elected, which is considered a big deal. Learn your history.[/QUOTE]
Politically this much is true. I don't know if people recall it, but John Kerry's Catholicism was a minor (minor minor minor) contentious political issue when he ran in 2004. Yes, there's no need to point out that this was the least of his political concerns, he lost for a litany of other reasons. But the only Catholic President thus far was JFK. Moreover, Obama's Christian faith is a funny thing, since there's plenty of political dialogue amongst internet right-wing blogger rabble as to whether he's truly a Christian or a...what was it again?
.
At any rate, Christianity ≠ Christianity. I grew up Catholic (Irish Catholic,
yeh) - I know full well how tiny differences can be blown out of proportion. We Catholics are drunks and idolaters to many "Christians" due to our veneration of the Pope and the Virgin Mary (not to mention the Saints). And, to us Catholics (okay, just to me, really), Protestants are largely theological-history-deficient buffoons who cling to their faith as coming from God, and not acknowledging the major catalyst of King Henry VIII's formation of the Anglican church as a consequence of his wanting to dip his royal (fill in with clever metaphor for cock here) into a woman that was not his wife, and the Pope refusing to annul his standing marriage. The King, in as much arrogance as one can contain, rebuked the Pope and started his own church. Essentially, he did the religious equivalent of that one Futurama episode where Bender ran away from a theme park on the moon, shouting "I'M GOING TO START MY OWN THEME PARK - WITH BEER AND HOOKERS!" And that's the foundation of your belief system - a powerful monarchal figure got horny for someone other than his wife.
A charming story. Do you tell your children that version, or do you lie to them and act like Protestant sects were nobly formed because of "indulgences" (twenty minutes after you paypal $20 to pastor Rick Warren)?
Max Weber's classic study of the influence of religion on society as well as structural patterned change, "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" can elucidate further differences among Christians.
Moreover, jputa brings up "Wright" and I think he's mentioning the villainous evil scary black man Reverend Jeremiah Wright. How rich of you to hide behind that man and say we must attack him as well. The man's public image has been shredded to death by the likes of you and people who don't understand (and refuse to understand) Black Liberation Theology. You and yours have ruined him, and now you're using him as a human shield. You have no shame.
[quote name='jputahraptor']Correct me if I'm wrong, but almost every US president has been religious i.e. not atheist, and I believe almost all were Chrisitian, maybe a few Quakers or something, it's not even just Christians electing Christians, that's pretty much what all these candidates are.[/quote]
Your knowledge of history is positively stunning.
And Obama, Biden, Wright, Pelosi and dEaD Kennedy are Christians, so make sure and hate them to. Hating Christians should be a full time job, you can not pick and choose only to hate certain Christians, 9 of out 10 Christians agree that you should hate all Christians or not bothering to hate at all.
Buh? Huh? What? Wat. I have no idea if you're being sarcastic here or not - but I know you tend to be serious as a heart attack when discussing politics.
Let's distill this down to one basic thing you say:
[quote name='jputahraptor']you can not pick and choose only to hate certain Christians[/QUOTE]
Um, what? I most certainly can. I don't even need to take the easy route and point out how many "christians" despise Black Liberation Theology (and Catholicism) - let alone the other major Abrahamic faiths, Judaism and Islam.
Of course Christians despise and hate each other. That's why the sects exist in the first
in' place - not just to give Christians "some choice" in their faith (though the more modern religious marketplace theory would say that's precisely the point, that's a talk for another day).
But lets go back to the basics. I can't pick and choose certain Christians? Of
ing course I can. That's the point of this thread - these Christian assholes preach of hatred, preach of lies about the destruction of the family, preach of fabrications like the "gay agenda." I hate Christians whose incendiary belief systems cause harm, injustice, hatred, and inequality in the world, because it's antithetical to the teachings of Christ. You're essentially telling me I can't think that the Inquisition was a horrible thing to have occurred historically without hating Sister Teresa's life and works, or Padre Pio's life and works - as well as the entirety of Christians and Christianity? Think again, dude.
CS Lewis' book "Mere Christianity" was written as a means of wading through all the muckity muck and filtering out the very rudiments of the Christian faith - what is it that any person who believes in Christ thinks and can agree on. It was in direct response to his feeling that too many people disputed and emphasized the differences, using those to create social enclaves, preventing friendships and relationships and exacerbating disputes because of these divisions. He wrote a book about the other side of the coin - what do they all agree on? And it was a great book. Given your posting quality, jputa, you don't strike me someone who reads, but perhaps you should pick that book up.
