tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post4473833074542860910..comments2023-11-03T01:24:37.142-07:00Comments on Militant Ginger: Why would a non-believer go to Church?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-49816161673128016662009-11-01T03:32:48.290-08:002009-11-01T03:32:48.290-08:00Like you, Ive been brought up in the Anglican fait...Like you, Ive been brought up in the Anglican faith. And what I like about it is that it is so open. They do not try to foist their views upon you. Sure, you get to listen to their sermons but these merely make you think and see various viewpoints.<br /><br />I dont go to Church every Sunday... or even any Sunday these days unless it's for a wedding but the values that I learned through attending Church Parade with the Brownies, through listening to the visiting preachers from various denominations and singing some fabulous hymns at school assembly and through learning about the tales and values within the Bible during my religious education lessons. This all stays with me, with the most important being: <br /><br />Peace on earth and good will to all men.<br /><br />My children have also been exposed to all those same religious influences and I hope it has allowed them to remain open to everyone's viewpoint and not become too entrenched in right and wrong. There's got to be a few grey areas.Joanna Cakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15944673677004607976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-13742608280415517722009-10-30T09:13:27.551-07:002009-10-30T09:13:27.551-07:00Fletch--what Roland said is correct. At some poin...Fletch--what Roland said is correct. At some point, yes, everyone has to be confronted with their sin. But the problem with most of Christianity today is they either completely ignore it (every one is happy, blah, blah, blah) or they beat their congregants down with it. Laws against sin (such as the ten commandments) ought be used as a mirror (to reflect our sin), a rule (a guide to live by) and a curb (to make us think twice before doing something "wrong"). But rather than presenting it in that way, most of Christendom gets it so wrong.Sarah M. Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15574704491382351713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-7023469420315858642009-10-30T07:05:21.300-07:002009-10-30T07:05:21.300-07:00Fletch - I think Sarah's pointing out that an ...Fletch - I think Sarah's pointing out that an awful lot of Christians really aren't anywhere close to actually preaching what God wants - and their claims to be doing so mark them as creating their own 'God' and 'Church' in their own image, not the Lords.Roland Hulmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08979437320446956987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-91297328205077478182009-10-30T06:59:53.733-07:002009-10-30T06:59:53.733-07:00Sarah-
"Calling people sinners (even if it&#...Sarah-<br /><br />"Calling people sinners (even if it's true) and telling them that God thinks of them as an abomination (which, frankly, all sinners are in His sight) doesn't bring anyone in. In fact, it only turns them away."<br /><br />Isn't this just dressing the pig up in a suit? It is still a pig. Of course calling people sinners is a bad PR. The problem is that there is no way to substantiate any of the claims regarding what God thinks. Religion typically tries to make certain, things we don't know with certainty. It is all just BS with some dressing the pig up in a suit and some dressing it in shorts and a t-shirt.Fletchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-10049268742792324402009-10-29T21:31:55.011-07:002009-10-29T21:31:55.011-07:00Hey Roland, great post as always! I think the lar...Hey Roland, great post as always! I think the largest problem with Christianity (and this is coming from a Christian) today, but most especially in America, is a forcing of beliefs on others. Christianity is about sharing our faith, yes, but not in a way that turns other away. Calling people sinners (even if it's true) and telling them that God thinks of them as an abomination (which, frankly, all sinners are in His sight) doesn't bring anyone in. In fact, it only turns them away.<br /><br />I'm an extremely conservative Lutheran (my pastor claims I'm a closet Catholic, which is almost true, I suppose). I was baptized at 14 days old and can't remember a time where I didn't believe (the whole choice theology CRAP of today just pisses me off, but that's a rant for another day...). My parents did me a great service by allowing me to research and read pretty much whatever I wanted to regarding religion and other teachings--which only strengthened my resolve as a Lutheran (and turned me into a mythology aficionado--Greek mythology is about the best thing in the world!). I know Lutheranism is not for everyone (I've often been told that Lutheranism is the most intellectual of all the Christian denominations--guess that excludes the dolts that claim to be Christians at mega-churches--not that everyone who attends those are idiots, obviously, but many are in my opinion, at least when it comes to their faith).<br /><br />I have HUGE, HUGE issues with protestants. They give Christianity a bad name. They make me absolutely furious because rather than being Christians, they turn themselves into "gods" by telling others what is wrong about them and preaching about their sainthood. While, yes, a huge part of Christianity is recognizing all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, using that as your beginning point just turns people away.<br /><br />Case in point: one of my best, best friends is a Buddhist. His family is from Thailand. His girlfriend is a Christian, and is trying to convert him, taking him to church and telling him she won't do x, y or z with him until he's baptized (I'm not exactly sure what she's holding over his head, but I have guesses), but rather than talking to her about it, he always comes to me. He says he can see my faith not so much by what I say and do, but what I don't say and don't do. He says I make him far more comfortable in talking about Christianity than anyone else because I emphasize the good first and foremost. The most heart-wrenching moment of my life was when he asked me if I really believed he was going to hell because he wasn't a Christian and I had to say yes. After that, we've had many long, good, thorough and productive discussions regarding my faith. For me, I'm not an evangelist. It's not one of my (many?) gifts. But if people come to me with questions, as fellow Christians or not, I am more than happy to answer. I do love to study, discuss and debate theology.<br /><br />I could rant for DAYS about protestants and how much they annoy me (ugh, most especially Calvinists...). So I'll leave it at this. Roland--I'm glad you're exposing your son this way to Christianity (although I have my own qualms with the Anglican church, they are far fewer than with most Christian denominations). I'd love to talk to him someday when he's older about Lutheranism. If nothing else, it's a brilliant intellectual exercise. And I can assure you I won't force my faith in any way on him, just like I wouldn't with anyone else.<br /><br />-- the Colorado gingerSarah M. Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15574704491382351713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-68934181693069304092009-10-29T14:51:02.397-07:002009-10-29T14:51:02.397-07:00Roland, can you direct me to your Anglican church&...Roland, can you direct me to your Anglican church's website so I can study up on what they believe?Fletchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-86535453019514700782009-10-29T14:27:56.055-07:002009-10-29T14:27:56.055-07:00Does your son know you're an atheist?
Wouldn&...Does your son know you're an atheist?<br /><br />Wouldn't it be better for your son to see you act according to your own beliefs?Neil Cameron (One Salient Oversight)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03143948543305522865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-14909132053002508572009-10-29T12:26:31.848-07:002009-10-29T12:26:31.848-07:00Hi anonymous!
Couple of points:
1: I'm not a...Hi anonymous!<br /><br />Couple of points:<br /><br />1: I'm not a Christian, I'm an Atheist. Kind of the whole point of this post.<br />2: Old Testament CLEARLY states that homosexuality is a sin - the New Testament less clearly so. <br />3: I think you can take something positive from Christ's teachings and ignore what isn't positive. Why? Because at the end of the day, the Bible's just a book.Roland Hulmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08979437320446956987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-52068389785113064722009-10-29T12:17:19.707-07:002009-10-29T12:17:19.707-07:00I like the exchange between Fletch and Roland beca...I like the exchange between Fletch and Roland because it exposes the great myth of most 'believers' today.<br /><br />They claim to believe in the bible, but reject it's teachings.<br /><br />They claim to follow Christ, but reject his message.<br /><br />The Anglicans have rejected the moral teachings and commandments of the Old and New Testaments and have embraced the Gay lifestyle when both Old and New Testaments defined sexual immorality as a sin.<br /><br />A sin, as defined in the Bible, is a willing rebellion against God's will and teachings. <br /><br />Living the gay lifestyle is a sin as defined in the bible. Let's be intellectually honest enough to admit that. <br /><br />If you want to be Anglican, by all means do so, but PLEASE stop calling yourself Christians and playing scriptural smorgasbord with Christ's words.<br /><br />It's insulting, dishonest, and hypocritical.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-58574573852979542862009-10-29T11:47:44.307-07:002009-10-29T11:47:44.307-07:00The Old Testament is a collection of popular myths...The Old Testament is a collection of popular myths, legends and fairtales cobbled together - they contradict each other wildly, are completely outdated and offer a totally skewed and morally reprehensible system of rules to live one's life by.<br /><br />But great for pressing flowers.Roland Hulmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08979437320446956987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-19020378440032534962009-10-29T11:41:51.152-07:002009-10-29T11:41:51.152-07:00How do you reconcile God's cruel actions in th...How do you reconcile God's cruel actions in the Old Testament with your current beliefs?Fletchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-36999890874707904672009-10-29T10:54:56.348-07:002009-10-29T10:54:56.348-07:00Very interesting!Very interesting!Susannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03115294023069458287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-14776453352605695652009-10-29T10:46:45.484-07:002009-10-29T10:46:45.484-07:00Nope, Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Although rea...Nope, Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Although readings are from the Bible, I guess.Roland Hulmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08979437320446956987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-37118968833893851332009-10-29T10:41:53.651-07:002009-10-29T10:41:53.651-07:00I didn't mention the Church, I mentioned the B...I didn't mention the Church, I mentioned the Bible. Your church uses the Bible, right?Fletchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-80043910774309517402009-10-29T09:35:35.794-07:002009-10-29T09:35:35.794-07:00Hey Fletch - the answer is because the church we g...Hey Fletch - the answer is because the church we go to - an Anglican church - doesn't believe in those things. It's pro-gay, we have a couple of gay couples who attend - and very progressive.Roland Hulmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08979437320446956987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313594.post-82833979256063664672009-10-29T09:32:10.248-07:002009-10-29T09:32:10.248-07:00The Bible supports bigotry, homophobia and hypocri...The Bible supports bigotry, homophobia and hypocrisy. Why do you want your son associated with that? Isn't this a bit like saying you joined the KKK for the great picnics?Fletchnoreply@blogger.com