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Religion

In reply to the discussion: Where are the good Christians? [View all]

dmallind

(10,437 posts)
11. Unlikely to be at an Arab-American festival sadly
Fri Jun 29, 2012, 05:04 PM
Jun 2012

Yes I know there are Christian Arabs.

Yes I know there are Christians who associate happily with Arabs of all faiths.

But only a fool would expect the percentage of Christians at an Arab festival to be anything less than far below the norm for other gatherings in the US, so the microcosmic answer is "not there to interfere or remonstrate with the loony Christians".

The more germane macrocosmic answer unfortunately is not that different. There are plenty of Christian groups doing very good things of course - lots of soup kitchens with saints names for a reason. There are even some Xian groups trying to present at least a somewhat gentler and more inclusive sociopolitical view of and from Christianity. But they do so in far fewer numbers, far less aggressively and far less consistently than the loony kind.

Why? Partly it's pure numbers. Apologists talk about Mainline Protestantism a lot, but despite the name that's a theological distinction not a statement of majority support. They are far outnumbered by more reactionary denominations. And even Mainline churches run the gamut that ends well into loony territory.

Partly it's enthusiasm for this kind of activity. Bishop Robinson says some nice things. He has far more supporters than Pat Robertson had when he started buying media stations that built him a massive megaphone and explosive growth in that support and quickly made him a leading face of US Christianity. Bishop Robinson is not buying media stations. No kinder gentler loving tolerant type of Xian seems to be. They are not giving more to charity or volunteering more than conservative believers as is often suggested, but they certainly are giving less to fund modern outreach and media access. Who then speaks for the faith by dint of megawatts and audience reach?

Partly it's because hate sells. It's simpler. It's an easier pitch to tell an uninvolved blank slate audience that gays are filthy sinners and Muslims are heathen terrorists and atheists will fry in hell than to explain the sparse biblical injunctions against homosexuality do not come from Jesus, or that Islam is just an alternate revelation of the same god, or that hell is a metaphor stolen from Zoroastrianism. "Hate the other!" penetrates the mind of the mouthbreathing masses far more deeply than "the other is far more like you than he first appears, and is merely the result of slightly different biological and/or social factors".

Recommendations

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Where are the good Christians? [View all] SecularMotion Jun 2012 OP
Fundies not Christians ,same people that crucified Jesus orpupilofnature57 Jun 2012 #1
fundies call themselves Christians Angry Dragon Jun 2012 #2
tea baggers call themselves patriots... jorno67 Jun 2012 #5
Ah, no no TRUE Christian...eh? mr blur Jun 2012 #6
If you say you are ,you aren't orpupilofnature57 Jun 2012 #13
Problem solved! Goblinmonger Jun 2012 #8
No! orpupilofnature57 Jun 2012 #16
Good question. Shadowflash Jun 2012 #3
"Hate the gays, Mormons and Muslims." .. AND WOMEN, ffs. nt left coaster Jun 2012 #4
I found a great group on Facebook called "The Christian Left". canoeist52 Jun 2012 #7
Thank you ,I'm a leftist Christian. orpupilofnature57 Jun 2012 #17
Me, too Lydia Leftcoast Jun 2012 #21
Better than a Fascist Republican. orpupilofnature57 Jul 2012 #22
Good article. I agree that mainstream religious leaders need to cbayer Jun 2012 #9
Consider the panorama of Christian history. What comes to mind? Is it seriously something like dimbear Jun 2012 #10
So true just like the sack of Baghdad, tens of thousands slaughtered, city a wasteland for years, Leontius Jun 2012 #15
One could consider the "panorama" of Atheist history, too. humblebum Jun 2012 #18
Finally some agreement between the camps. Two wrongs do make a right. dimbear Jun 2012 #19
In fact, there are no separate "camps" when it comes humblebum Jul 2012 #23
Unlikely to be at an Arab-American festival sadly dmallind Jun 2012 #11
That's anecdotal and those "Christians" only represent themselves and their supporters cpwm17 Jun 2012 #12
Meanwhile tens of millions of Christians in the US went about Leontius Jun 2012 #14
Where? Standing next to the good atheists, jews, muslims, hindus and other people of tolerance. Starboard Tack Jun 2012 #20
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