I won't be silent – This is not CHRISTIAN!

[Joanne98]

I’ll begin by saying this. I’m angry. Righteously Angry!!

Just a little background on me. I’ve been a dedicated Charismatic, Evangelical Christian for almost 20 years. I was raised in a Christian home. I’ve studied the bible – which I believe is the inspired Word of God. I’ve meditated on the teachings of Jesus Christ. I’ve ministered and represented His teachings publicly.

I take a fair amount of heat, especially in Democratic circles for my Christian beliefs. It’s frustrating sometimes to be sure, but you know, with idiots representing my faith saying things like this:

http://www.cnn.com/...

I completely get it. More below...

angeleyes's diary :: :: Part of the reason I believe Christianity today is so misunderstood is because those of us who are passionate about our faith, and happen to be sane, rational creatures are overshadowed by maniacal kooks who "wear" the Christian label, but are far from followers of the faith.

I woke up this morning and was checking the morning news headlines on CNN. There was the story of this Pastor (if I have to call him that) Steven Anderson of the Faithful Word (although I’m not sure what "word" that would be) Baptist church in Arizona who really has opened his mouth, as a supposed Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and actually said that he hates President Obama and wants God to "break his teeth" (a veiled reference to Psalms 58:6 where David was asking God to go after the truly evil folks who were after him and were trying to slander him and take his life). HE SAID WHAT?!!

So I immediately started scouring the internet to see what the TRUE Christian response has been – crickets. No one from the faith has denounced him publicly yet? How is this even possible!

Well, I won’t be silent! This man does not represent the Jesus I know, love, and serve. I won’t sit quietly by while this man grabs the spotlight and purports to speak for those of my faith.

Continued>>>
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/7/777452/-I-wont-be-silentThis-is-not-CHRISTIAN!-Updated-w-Thanks!

They're heretics. They're fakes. They don't even believe in God. Their real job is to keep the rich rich and to keep the poor poor. End of story.

[DavidDvorkin]

1. He's not really from Scotland, either.

[Tsar_Bomba]

2. Joanne,

I realize what you are trying to do, but I feel it won’t work. The right wing does hijack symbols and religion is no different. When I look at the leadership of organized religion and I don’t see a force for good, instead I see another tool the ruling class uses to keep themselves in power. Perhaps the left should give up trying to use religion as a way to legitimize its message. In the long run I feel it would be beneficial to our cause of class neutrality and fairness. Make no mistake we are at war and the right wing is playing for keeps.

[verges]

3. kr

[jeremyfive]

4. Why are political organizations like this "church" tax advantaged?

We need to confine tax advantaged status only to those churches that restrict themselves to spiritual faith and prayer.

Why in this case the nutty "pastor" is even using this church building for personal business activities and storage!

Recently in Washington, we found out that many of our national representatives (including those caught cheating on their wives) are living in a "church" where the are being counseled by peers.

This has gotten insane! As taxpayers, we have political causes of our own. We don't need to be supporting the political agendas of radical political groups calling themselves "churches", or murderous thugs calling themselves "pastors".

If America's true Christians don't step up to protest this disturbing trend, America's "Christless Christians" are going to drag down all people of faith into the mud.

Political organizations are not churches and should not be tax-advantaged as such.

[Igel]

5. I don't think lots of pastors/ministers/etc. are Xian.

I find my opinion doesn't particularly matter.

I didn't like it when Wright asked God to damn American, and I don't like it when this dork asks God to punish Obama, even if Wright spoke about 300 million people and Anderson about 1.

Still, there are such people. They'd rather see their political enemies destroyed and laid low rather than just quietly ask for their repentance. (On the other hand, often praying that God leads somebody to repent is little different from what Anderson said, minus the hate.)

[Betty Karlson]

6. I'm right there with you, Joanne.

But I wonder if this guy, and his church, are so big they should deserve our attention. Unless of course, you mean the media are giving him more attention than he deserves.

[formercia]

7. Religion has been used as a tool of control for eons

Our Country has been manipulated by right-wing reactionaries for a long time. They use religion as a tool because they know it works.

Taking it back won't be easy. If you look at History and the people who tried to 'reform' the 'Church', it becomes obvious that the struggle is one of great magnitude and much suffering.

People came to this country to escape the very thing we are experiencing today.

It's time for the people to take it back.

[Tsar_Bomba]

8. What would be the benefit of taking it back?

[formercia]

9. It would only be of benefit to those who are being manipulated.

Perhaps 'taking it back' was not a good term. It signifies ownership and religion shouldn't be controlled by anyone.

[Jester Messiah]

10. Sorry, but it looks completely Christian to me. [nt]

[BillDU]

11. Jesus came down...

I just laugh
If Jesus came back today
The evangelical short haired business tie suits
that want to use Jesus to clobber everybody else would have before them
a
long haired hippy like character that is supporting leftist, socialist, communist ideals.
they would probably kill him again.

[BillDU]

12. ?

They already knew I was there.

[Festivito]

13. The Bible says its teaching itself will be abused.

Such is the way of our world.

[Toasterlad]

14. He's Just As Much a Christian As You Are.

How do you feel about gay people getting married?

[southernyankeebelle]

15. My husband retired from the military and was a chaplains assistant

where he worked with different dominations. I hate to tell you friend but the evangelical Christan's especially Assembly of God are really out there. I find that when we moved to this small southern town in TN allot of these so called ministers like your preacher Anderson actually do not have any theological training at all. They are what they call "I got the calling" kind of preachers. Many of them do not even have a college degree of any kind. These kind of ministers would never be excepted in the chaplains corps on active duty in the military. These idiots interpret the bible the way they see it. You know you can read anything you want in the bible. Am catholic but I never was one to read heavily the bible. Heck I don't remember delving that much in our sunday school classes. This is why there is so much confusing out there. I am a believer in god. But I am a believer in separation of church and state. There are way to many religions in this country and I sure don't want that teaching imposed on my family and am sure you wouldn't want my religion imposed on your family. The problem is some of those evangelical religions do want to impose their religion on everyone else.

[Prophet 451]

16. Well said and good for you

While I don't share your faith, I have read the Bible several times and it always intrigues me to see how many right-wing Christians habitually ignore Jesus's plentiful teachings about, for example, caring for the poor. I have thought for some time that they are actually following a new religion (in the same way as Mormonism grew out of but is distinct from Christianity) which mixes elements of Christianity, mainly Old Testament, with lashings of folk religion, nationalism and sometimes fascist tendancies. I dubbed it the Cultus Americanus (as it seems to venerate nation above all else).

Many of us, even those who do not share your faith, will support your attempts to reclaim Christianity from the nutters (in the public perception at least).

[nealmhughes]

17. Its "chapel" is in a strip mall by the University in Tempe.

It has no training of any sort other than high school. It actually has sermons on line against seminary! It cannot read Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew and yet claims to preach the Bible and that it knows HIM personally and that its interpretation of what HE said is what HE meant. In short, a buffoon, a rabble rouser and a heretic of the Nth degree.
This person of alleged religious bent is so far out there that it has a sermon on why Our Lord could not and did not wear a robe, rather long trousers! It uses language in sermons that would not be allowed on the radio or the TV except on a cable channel, and more aptly, a pay per view one at that. In short, it only lacks a wig, heavy makeup,a Waters' script, a dog turd and Mink Stole to make a pretty good cult camp classic.

I have been following it on the intergoogles for a while now and it is scary. It makes all Baptists look ever dafter than they already are normally alleged!