TylerMC/religion

More on Islam, Christianity and Jesus for the doubting Thomas group out there.
The driving of the wedge between Christianity and Islam is a ploy, as are the attempts to create suspicion between the two largest religions in the world. The reasons are political and monetary. They have nothing to do with religion. Yes, the political state of Israel benefits from this. As long as Christians and Muslims are sold to the West as eternal enemies, (which is not true but was added to the footnotes of the study bibles the Evangelical Christians use partially in 1946 and the rest in 1968) Israel can continue its land grab, persecution and oppression unhindered and with the full monetary, political and military support of the duped Christians thinking they're doing 'God's work'.

Just in case you now want to scream, 'anti-Semitic! She's blaming the Jews.' Let me clarify something. Nowhere in the Torah, the first 5-books of the Bible, does God permit or promote what the political state of Israel is doing. There is nothing Jewish about this either. Judaism is being used as a cover for Israeli political, financial and military interests. The founders of Israel weren't about creating a safe haven to practice a faith. Most were secular and Jewish in name only. Zionism is more about creating a race and using that race to acquire whatever it can at whatever cost. That's not faith, but like most great battles and excuses throughout history to slaughter pillage and plunder, religion makes a nice mythology and motivates people to do exactly what their faith if followed would prohibit. We see this today in Judaism. We see this today in Christianity. And we see this today in Islam...not to mention many of the Eastern faiths as well. Faith when practiced doesn't kill, steal, covet, deceive or destroy. Faith used does.

Major thumbs up on this very comprehensive demographic poll on religion and affiliations in the United States.

This is brilliant. If you're curious about what Mormonism is and why Christians do not consider it a Christian faith, this will answer your questions. South Park is an American adult cartoon and they're known for taking on all the 'taboo' subjects. IE...they're equal opportunity insulters.
One of the issues that always bothered me about the Joseph Smith tale is that he uses the standard white supremacist historical view. This view states that all the great accomplishments of the world were created by white people who migrated to other lands and showed the Inca's, Africans, Egyptians...you name the non-white group, how to do what they did. These people were then killed off by the 'other'. Mormonism is based upon this same idea but in this case Native Americans were made 'red' by God because they killed the White people from Israel. There is no historical basis for this. Like I said, it's standard white supremacist doctrine but they've built an entire religion around it.

I'm pressing 'I like it' so it shows up. This is the commentary I found very offensive that played yesterday on NPR. There are a lot of great things about Hanukkah and this speaks to some of them, (although strangely God is not mentioned or even eluded to once. Its as if she sees being Jewish as cultural/race/ethnic rather than a faith with traditions and a central calling to God--btw, that removing God from the faith and making it about race/culture/lifestyle is the influence of Zionism, not Judaism. Based upon her commentary, this woman is not Jewish. She is a hardcore Zionist. Faith isn't part of her experience except when it furthers her socially or professionally. That's probably why God isn't part of her story either. Yes, I know, the same can be said about most Christians too. It's called a civic religion rather than faith).
What stands out in the assault on Christians/Christianity/Christmas is she's more concerned with accosting Christmas, Christianity and the season because it offends her. Well, some people might be offended by a religion that dresses up in costumes and celebrates the slaughter of 75,000 people too (Purim). Ironically Hanukkah also celebrates a slaughter which is why Christians do not celebrate it...but it also celebrates a miracle and that is something worth acknowledging.

What the commentator forgets is that since religion is a right in this country, those of us that live in heavily Jewish areas practice tolerance for their festivities, even if we personally find holidays like Purim fascinating that it is celebrated, and also disgusting and immoral for the same reason. Its part of our culture and who we are as Angelinos. Its one of the things that makes Southern California very unique and vibrant. Every faith has its customs and with each of these customs we can all find something to complain about. But then you're missing the point. Religion is part of a culture and its influence is partly what makes each culture unique. We can look for what we don't like about it and choose to exclude ourselves, or we can choose to learn about the people and customs and look at it as experience and education. She chose the path of condemnation laced with acidic anger and hatred spiced with self-justified liberal doses of self-victimization.

If the commentator were a novice, that might be forgivable. But this is a professional journalist for one of the Jewish papers in Los Angeles. Not only does she know better, but her attitude seriously compromises her integrity. It shows that she is unable to see past the difference of people toward the beauty of those differences and how it makes society unique. She craves homogeneous and believes this is superior to anything else. There is no curiosity from her or willingness to engage others. She sees Christmas as a threat, a killjoy to her fun rather than something that adds to the festiveness of the season.

You need to listen to the podcast version to hear the animosity and disdain in her voice. It's not so much the words she says but how she says them. Her voice betrays her contempt and complete revilement of things not Jewish in America.

I'm just polishing up a story on Gaza's Christian Community with Mohammed for a paper in Norway, a newsservice and January's Washington Report and ran into this story from the Catholic News Service about Msgr. Manuel Musallam, whom Mohammed interviewed last week.
What was interesting is seeing how the Dispensationalist (Christian Zionists) twisted the story about the attack on Msgr. School to fit their agenda, (when you Google Catholic School Gaza the first two pages of results are almost exclusively Christian Zionist stories. Thank heaven for Ha'aretz which gave a accurate accounting without the rhetoric) and then you visit the Catholic News Service and how refreshing, you actually find Christian thought and philosophy instead of the blame game, hate mongering and a complete absence of reality. Really good story here that needs to be circulated and read. Pay special attention to the fact that Muslims and Christians in Palestine see themselves as one, (you can add the Samaritans of the West Bank to this too). Only where Zionism controls the message do people believe Christians, Muslims and Jews hate each other and cannot live together. That thought is taught and it is essential to the maintenance of Zionism's racial/religious supremacy. Pass this story on. It needs to be read!

This movement by Hagee is very dangerous and defies everything that Christ represents. Interestingly thou, the impact of groups including We Hold These Truths, Jews Against Zionism and others that prove beyond a doubt that Hagee's brand of Rapture based Christianity has nothing to do with Christianity and everything to do with political agendas seems to be at a crossroads, (notice there is not a single Christian symbol anywhere at this convention). In an interview on national television he stated that his love and support of Israel is not escatology based, (which is true) and that Christians don't need to love and support Israel to be Christians.

Well, that too is true. In fact given Israel's actions, no servent of The Kingdom (I use this rather than Christian now primarily because of the black mark and hypocrisy Hagee and other Dispensationalist/Rapturists and Zionists have achieved in using Christ to further their own agendas) No servent of The Kingdom, follower of Christ can support the Nation State of Israel as it currently exists. To do so is anti-Christian, (though supporting the nation of Israel, which is simply a people defined by culture--this Christians are required to love and support and that goes for all nations whether we're talking about faith based, race, origin or other characteristic).
The Hagees, Robertsons, Bauers and others of this world who've replaced following and serving Christ, which is essentially the act of self-sacrafice, humility, and a bottom up approach to supporting even your enemies rather than their top down approach of destruction, death and murder) These high profile pundits who pander their patriotic idolitry, dispensationalism, hypocrisy, hate, elitism, self-righteousness, greed, agendas and power in an effort to force God's hand, need to be exposed for what they are. They've done more harm to Christianity and Christ's work than a legion of demons coupled with nuclear bombs ever could. They've made a mandate of love a mandate of entitled hate. Fortunately, this video exposes how hypocritical and zealous they really are.

I finally saw this for the first time and now I know why I fought against being labeled Christian for so long. The evil shown, the indoctrination of children into a death and war culture, this is the Christianity I've always fled from for it has no basis in the bible and no basis in good. But it is the predominant faith in the US. I'm not the average American Christian, (I'm the average global Christian but this stuff in the US, this Churchianity of conquest--this is not Christianity).

I've been in and shared worship in Buddhist, Hindu and Jewish Temples. I've gone to worship in Muslim, Protestant and Catholic mosques and churches. The only time in my life my blood turned cold and the hair stood up on the back neck...the only time in my life I knew I was in the middle of evil was at the Tigard Four Square Church in Oregon during the spring of 1985. I didn't know what it was; a girlfriend invited me to worship with her. Once there, I just knew it was very bad news and I left that place in the middle of the service and sat shaking in my car with my friend calling after me, "What is wrong Laurie?"
"Debbie...I have to get out of here...this is not right, not right. I've got to get out of here. I'll see you on Monday."
With that I RAN out of that place.
What I saw there, the evil, the insanity, the complete apostasy from Christ's teachings toward the occult and anti-Christ system, this film also shows. I did not know what this was then. I only knew it was bad, very bad. It would be another fifteen years before I understood why, what scared me and why my instincts were dead on. At the time, I just knew this was bad.
These children shown in the film, brainwashed, hateful racist, self-righteous, militant...all with their parents clapping and cheering on. Now I know how my Muslim friends feel watching the fanatics of their faith held up as representatives. American children are being indoctrinated into pessimisms, hate, war, racism and total apostate theology. They're told this is Christianity and their parents stand in approval. I'm aghast. All of this so anti-Christ no real Christ follower can watch this without wondering when we too shall be portrayed as the terrorists this insanity builds upon and that the entertainment vehicles of the lost souls like the Left Behind Series promote so vividly. What these people are doing, the hatred, the worship of real estate, the militantism, the racism, the anti-Christ doctrine of chiliasm dressed up in the resurrection, this is not Christianity. This is to Christianity what a suicide bomber is to Islam or a settler to Judaism. All are evil, and none represent God.
This is not Christianity. Christianity is love, it is perseverance. It is patience, it is peace, it is understanding, it is truth. This is not Christianity what these people purport to follow. It is the antithesis that is why it is referred to as the anti-Christ system. The minute a Christian starts talking about us and them, that person left Christ for in Christ there is no us and them, only we.

Yes I appear to be on a religious bent today...just happened to be the way the cards fell. I'll get back to the political tomorrow:)

By the way, nothing the people in this movie promote is righteous, holy or of God. Saying you're a Christian and regurgitating scripture doesn't make you a Christian. Adhering to the Beatitudes and keeping Christ without hate for any other person does. Please don't let this minority in Christianity become your only idea of what a Christian is. We're 2 Billion strong and less than 300 million of us worship like this film shows...Thank God!

The Most Evil People in the World
By Doug Soderstrom, Ph.D.
What this author is talking about when he refers to Fundamentalist Christians is Dispensationalism, not Christianity. This cult movement within Christianity now claims over 40 million people in the US. It has done more to destroy Christ's work than the Devil could if he put his mind to it! Let's take a look at how Dr. Soderstrom qualifies Christians.

"First, in order to be a Christian, a person must believe that the Bible (the Holy Scriptures) is the one and only infallible, truly inerrant, source of truth, and that the holy books of all other religions are of demonic origin;"

True and not true. This statement is by someone not familiar with the tenets of the Christian faith, but pop prophecy alone. All Christians believe Christ was born of a virgin, he was killed and arose from the dead three days later. Muslims believe this too, except for the resurrection.

For Christians, the faith is expressed through the trilogy: God omnipresent, God in Human form (Christ) and God working through others (Holy Spirit).

When the bible is taken literally, (as dispensationalism does) all kinds of crazy things happen. Many of the stories and lessons are parables designed to teach people how to live in another time when biology, physics and algebra didn't exist. The lesson taught, not the circumstances are the message and that message is truth to all Christians. Christianity (Though Falwell and other Dispensationalists do) does not consider the holy books of other faiths demonic; we don't consider them inspired, (God's direct words), which for most faiths doesn't matter. However both the Torah and the Koran include portions of the Bible and those sections from the Bible are considered holy.
"Secondly, one must believe in an afterlife, that every human being will end up in either Heaven or Hell."

That's true but heaven and hell are not fully defined; the fire version comes from Revelations and is based on a dream...not meant to be literal. Heaven to a Christian is to spend eternity with God and Christ. Most non-Christian people wouldn't consider that heaven, at least the Christ part so what is hell to a Christian, eternity outside of God's grace, may be heaven to others.

The meaning of life for a Christian is to prove he or she is worthy of this by demonstrating Christ's teachings and following them. This shows respect for God. Killing, promoting apartheid, sanctioning war, supporting the theft of land from others, lying...these are not actions of Christians, even when performed by proxy via a foreign nation or our own military. In fact the Old Testament is very clear on what the Devil's domain is on earth: Murder, Theft and Destruction. You want to know who's pulling the strings, ask yourself if the actions promote murder, theft or/and destruction. Revelations also warns that the majority of Christians will fall away from the faith by following false prophets and becoming an integral part of the anti-Christ system. This `falling away' is referred to as an apostasy.

"And finally, it is essential that one understand that in order to go to Heaven he must accept Jesus Christ (the one and only Son of God) as his own personal savior, otherwise, and without exception"

That is true. John 3:16 states that the only way to salvation is through Christ. However the concept of a 'personal savior' is a dispensationalist and/or evangelical idea. Christ is the savior of all who seek him, nothing personal about it. He's open to all. All one has to do is seek Him and you have until your last breath to do so.

"Regardless of how good a life he may have lived, he will be sent to the agonizing fires of an eternally burning Hell."

Now he's mixing in a little Catholicism, 8th Century BC Chiliasm and Dispensationalism's literal translation of Revelations. In Christianity there is only one sure way to hell and eternal damnation and that is to know Christ and reject Him. Obviously millions of people have never come to know Christ so they cannot reject Him meaning their souls are not sent to hell but they don't spend eternity with God, which as I previously explained, may well be their idea of heaven.

There is a HUGE difference between those who follow Christ's example and word both here AND abroad and those who use His image, words and teachings as a cover for activities and beliefs not of Christ. Dispensationalism and the "Christian Right" its current manifestation are killing Christianity in the Western world by their promotion, acceptance and funding of Murder (in Iraq and Palestine), the destruction of culture and country (in Iraq and Palestine) & through support of the Theft of other nation's and peoples' resources, dignity, security and ability to live life in peace (in Iraq and Palestine).

This article deals the hypocrasy of dispensationalism presented as Christianity but against Christ's teachings.