Random Saturday Stuffage

[anahata56]

First and most important, good thoughts and hugs and soup and potable water and electricity to all those in Texas who are in need of it. It's one of those situations where I find myself sitting and wringing my hands and wishing that I could just bring everyone here for the duration

Comments

[freyas_fire]

"From excommunication to shunning, Christians have a variety of ways of demonstrating someone is no longer a member of their community. It is past time they did so with these people."

And if Palin gets into office with McCain, this is exactly what she and her extremist religion plan to do to everyone, including other Christians that don't fit in with their "ideals." I wonder how many "good Christian" people would still vote Republican if they truly realized their own religion may be on the line. I may not be Christian, but they still deserve the right to worship God in whatever way calls to their heart. Same as anyone else, Christian or not.

I haven't clicked on the link yet, but I will oce I can sit here more than five minutes without being in horrendous pain.....

[anahata56]

Yeah, but the point is this...

There are far more moderate Christians in America than there are extremists. It doesn't always seem that way, because the extremists are louder and more visible. But the moderate Christians are definitely more common

[madfedor]

As you know, my personal spirituality is founded on balance. It is a cause of personal angst, but even more so a source of constant grief for those who know me. Wanting to acknowledge the other side, let alone understand it, is a task too many find well nigh impossible behind the barrier of emotional reaction

[anahata56]

I not only believe that the moderate Christian community exists, I also believe that they have far more power than they are prepared to take on. This is tragic, to my way of thinking, not just because of what extremists could do to the likes of us, but also what they are capable of doing to other Christians. One would think that self-preservation would take over at some point (before the crazy uncle in the attic actually gets a hold of a pack of matches and burns the house down--to belabor the metaphor), but it doesn't appear to.

This boggles my mind.

In any case, another point made in the article rings true as well, and that is that the onus is on Christianity if reconciliation is to be achieved. And this isn't because they are at fault for the conflict so much as it is that, for many of us, there is no conflict. Personally, I don't care what they do, and it certainly won't be me attending town hall meetings trying to get the Christians oustered from my community. In fact, I don't know of any pagan who would--and not just because

[wolfette]

If the moderates took it upon themselves to "admonish" their more vocal and loonytunes brethren, or to shun them outright,

then they'd no longer be "the silent majority".

The very act of "speaking out" against the extremists is something most moderates (of any religion) would find difficult.

[anahata56]

That's what I've seen, too. That is, in fact, one of the things that got me tossed from that community.

Christians, away from the extremists, are good at condemning the extremists. But confrontation is a different issue than gossip, and for a moderate Christian to engage in confrontation with another "Christian", no matter how strongly they disapprove of their behavior, is difficult.

What was most frustrating for me on that forum was that the Christians resented any "prejudice" against Christians. But neither would they accept the responsibility to boot the individuals who gave their religion such a bad name out. Instead, they couldn't get past their own resentment with being "lumped in" with the loonies long enough to realize that it was not the fault of those outside Christianity criticizing those behaviors. "No Christian Bashing" stymied conversation regarding the more negative aspects of those Christian sects whose main objective was proselytizing and political domination.

Any criticism gave someone offense, or someone would