Obama concerned by ‘less-than-loving’ Christians

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill

President Obama appeared set to go after his political opponents on Tuesday during an Easter Prayer Breakfast, but he stopped himself before veering further off script.

“On Easter, I do reflect on the fact that, as a Christian, I am supposed to love,” the president said during the breakfast at the White House. “And I have to say that, sometimes when I listen to other less-than-loving expressions by Christians, I get concerned. Obama paused, then remarked “that’s a topic for another day,” sparking laughter from the audience gathered in the East Room.

“I was about to veer off; I am pulling it back,” the president said, chuckling as he gathered himself. The president then continued with his speech.

“Where there is injustice, we defend the oppressed,” he said. “Where there is disagreement, we treat each other with compassion and respect.”

###


Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/238064-obama-concerned-by-less-than-loving-christians

[daleanime]

1. ......

[iandhr]

2. "I like your Christ.

I don't like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."

_Gandhi.

[kairos12]

6. He has never said more accurate words.

[Fred Sanders]

5. At some point I think even the sheeple are going to get the wool out of their eyes.

[Fred Sanders]

4. "Less than loving" Christians is only a mild rebuke regarding the batshit crazy evangelical extremists.

The true outrage is there not being outrage against the folks being outraged over this: "Where there is injustice, we defend the oppressed,” he said. “Where there is disagreement, we treat each other with compassion and respect.”

[bvf]

10. I love it when

he wields understatement like a baseball bat.

[Chakaconcarne]

7. I was in the GYM yesterday...

and of course Fox has to be up on atleast one screen and sure as shit, there's O'Reilly with "War on Christians" blaring out to his viewers... What do you want to bet, this statement alone from President Obama constitutes a "war" in the eyes of these dumb fucks?

[Cosmocat]

8. I hate that

Fox on at the gym ... if it was msnbc, they would be all up in arms over it.

[Fritz Walter]

13. A suggestion:

Tell the gym management that you find that channel's programming offensive and if they continue with it, you'll have to find another facility.

And then back your words up with action. That's what I did at my local YMCA, pointing out the wholly un-Christian messages that channel spews forth. When they ignored my request, I terminated my membership there. Never looked back!

[Duppers]

16. +10

I've done that.

[Skittles]

35. FRITZ WALTER NAILS IT

yes INDEED

[Politicalboi]

15. You should tell the gym

That Faux is disruptive to some and shouldn't be shown there. Like that crazy woman who complained about the transgendered woman. They kicked out the complainer for being disruptive. Make them kick out Faux Noise. Just a suggestion.

[angrychair]

9. no such thing

As a 'loving' Christian. At the end of the day, a Christian says, "follow my god or burn and suffer for all eternity". No expert but not sure that is 'love'.

[FrodosPet]

17. So Dr Martin Luther King Jr was a hater?

Elizabeth Warren is a Christian who has stated her religion is important to her. So by your view, she should not only refrain from running for president and withdraw from public life?

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with your broad brush slam.

[angrychair]

19. First, not what I said

Second, its not my brush.

To answer your question, I happen to think Dr. King was great man who did amazing things in his life. Warren is a great lady and I would love to see her run for President. My issue is with Christian 'love' as that 'love', like most bait, has a hook in it.
I have nothing against any Christian but I also understand where I stand with a Christian as an atheist. In a Christian's view, since I will never accept Jesus as my savior, I will go straight to Hell, where I am to suffer unending pain suffering for eternity. So much for happy endings and all that.
that isn't my opinion, I didn't make that rule, the Christian god did.
So, tell me you love me all my life but then punch me in my balls for all eternity. Sounds wonderful.

[geek tragedy]

20. not all Christians believe in hell for non-believers. nt

[angrychair]

21. not to be rude

Or pick a fight but that isn't really Christianity than is it? While there are some differences in approach between the old and new testament, the whole "follow me or burn" is the same. Jesus actually talks about that very thing Matthew 9 but there are many references to Hell for sinners and not following or believing in god is a sin (2nd Peter 2, Matthew 9 and 13, Luke16, Jude 12, Revelation 14).
Even allowing that I don't, as a non -believer, have to go to Hell, the concept of a Hell is ridiculous (Heaven for that matter). With Hell you are forced to decide: "What action is so bad that a person must suffer unending (eternal) pain and/or separation?" Eternity is a billion, billion, billion years and on. A concept our minds can't begin to understand, yet we would happily sanction a person to such a fate with no hope of freedom.
The fact that my eternal fate is tied to my actions, in what amounts to less than a blink of an eye for my eternal soul, for the good or the bad, is insanely simplistic and no representation of that concept exist in the natural world.

[geek tragedy]

23. not all Christians are fundamentalists who believe every Bibilical word is literally true. nt

[Arugula Latte]

31. It's funny, though.

A lot of them get offended that one would assume that they believed in a week-long creation, a talking snake, a worldwide flood and a boat with two of every animal. "Obviously that's not meant to be taken literally!" Yet, a magical carpenter guy who was the product of a sky god knocking up a young girl in the Judea of 2,000 years ago and who died and turned and came back to life and turned into god and will return to Earth soon to suck the believers into the sky? Yeah, that TOTALLY happened and will happen.

I don't get how many realize the Bible is largely a collection of fictional myths and stories but yet accept the basic premise of the resurrection, which is obviously a tall tale.

Yet I digress ...

[geek tragedy]

32. or, people seek meaning while interpreting those accounts as well nt

[hrmjustin]

27. I don't think you are going to hell and I am a Christian.

We are not all fire and brimstone.

[840high]

26. I'm a Christian and I don't

believe you will go to hell.

[angrychair]

29. nice of you to say

But the point was a little bigger than me. First, to be clear, while the sentiment is nice, the concept of salvation is meaningless to me.
The point is that DU Christians, that are likely Universalist or Unitarian or a combination thereof, are not your run your run-of-the-mill Christians, therefore are not an accurate representation of mainstream Christian dogma. While I give you, its a more worldly view and no trinity, it is not the prevailing view in mainstream Christian ethos. the prevailing view is the one in which Christ commanded, in many places in the bible, that Christians should not think of this world but the next.
Any belief in a hell or heaven for that matter, as a place that we go to after death, destroys any concept of love in a Christian context i.e. agape love. No one would wish, want, desire or conceive of such places and then say they love me.
(Sorry would have replied last night but it got late for me and I fell asleep )

[geek tragedy]

18. this is a pretty rancid post, peddling bigotry and ignorance instead

of any real insight into how actual Christians (which include President Obama) think and speak

[angrychair]

24. not about them as

People, I gain opinions on people by their actions. The story was about love from a Christian perspective. while you may be a member of an sect that views heaven and hell differently, I would venture to guess you still ascribe to there existence. Mainstream Christianity, especially here in the United States or if you are a Catholic anywhere, has a more definitive view of hell and how you get there. If you do not follow jesus aka believe in god aka you are not 'saved', go straight to hell. So, at the end of the day, a Christian will tell me they love me all day long but unless I submit to their Christian god I get to suffer pain without end, misery and burning for eternity. I didn't make the rules. Red pill or blue pill. Carrot or stick. Just don't call it love.

[geek tragedy]

25. all I can say is that you've not likely been to many church services

in New England.

Believe it or not, Christians have brains and many of them can understand that books written 3000 years ago and edited and compiled 1700 years ago should be interpreted in that context, not treated as literal truths.

Just like Jews and Muslims can understand that the prohibition on pork is due to the prevalence of trichinosis back in the day.

[stone space]

28. Of course there are loving Christians.

no such thing As a 'loving' Christian

[angrychair]

30. while I dont doubt you

I was speaking in the context of agape love and the afterlife. See my post 29 in this thread for a longer explanation.

[abakan]

11. It's ok Mr. President...

There is a special place reserved for all those "less than loving christians" I hope they like it when they get there.

[Madmiddle]

12. My Jesus would beat the living shit out of any republican Jesus.

[abakan]

14. Now Now... You know some Jesus' are pacifist.

[blkmusclmachine]

22. Did Obama invite the Christian reconstructionists/Christian dominionists to the White House again?!!

[Larry Engels]

33. Christian foreign policy?

“Where there is injustice, we defend the oppressed,” he said. “Where there is disagreement, we treat each other with compassion and respect.”

And when that fails, we bomb them.

[One_Life_To_Give]

34. Does that include this guy?

[Zorra]

36. Rec. nt

[Gloria]

37. Nice start at calling out the CRAP CHRISTIANS

I believe it is time to start calling these idiots out....The terms like Jesus Freak should be brought back and worked into the mainstream again! Dana Carvey, the Church Lady, and Flip Wilson reruns should be shown more AND emulated.
It's time to start going after these destructive crazies....Jesus would puke on them....I'm waiting for that, too!