America's Moral Decline and the Rise of False Christianity (link)

[teriyaki jones]

Here's one you all may want to read:

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0216-20.htm

[xchrom]

1. kick

[ThoughtCriminal]

2. Accept salvation while rejecting Jesus

It seems to be extremly rare for fundamentalist evangelical Christians to acyually quote Jesus. When they do, these "Literalists" engage in very fanciful interpretation and parsing to explain things like "Blessed are the Peacemakers" was meant to justify war.

Satan has created the perfect anti-Christian church.

[terminal_concept]

9. thank the televangelists

And they cause some people to get the wrong idea about what the Bible actually says.There's the story of the rich man and Lazarus,the story of the rich young man who Jesus told to sell everything ,the beatitudes .I could go on and on .There is also similar scripture in the old testament.If only we didn't get so busy we didn't pick up our bibles.

[cliss]

3. Great article.

Thanks, T. I've also heard it called "Christian Capitalism".

Now the thing is, this is not new. This type of racketeering has been around for a while. It existed in Jesus own time (the money changers). These folks have always been with us.

It's just that it's gotten so pervasive nowadays.

While the rest of the world looks at the US, aghast......

[Goldensilence]

6. i like that....

"Christian Capitalism".

A marriage made in hell.

[CatholicEdHead]

4. Looking at religion over history this is nothing new

The Vatican has made a killing (pun not intended) with this since the beginning. Christians are not alone with this as every major religion has those who "play the system" to dupe gullible people for selfish reasons.

[NMMNG]

5. Just more evidence that these people need to be stopped

Not just for the US, but for the world.

[bumblebee1]

7. Somehow,

they forgot the parable where Jesus says that a camel will have an easier time going through the eye of a needle than a rich man getting into heaven.

[NMMNG]

8. They forget all of the parables and verses

that would make them suffer in the least.

[cosmik debris]

10. By contrast

I believe Islam requires alms to the poor and prohibits money lending.(correct me if that is wrong)

It is funny how they sound more like Jesus followers than the Evangelicals do.

[trotsky]

11. Christianity is what it is.

I don't think it does anyone, or history itself, any favors to try and label different forms of it "false."

[Evoman]

12. Christianity hasn't been corrupted

Its been like it is since almost the beginning. Its never really been good, nor peaceful, despite the claims of its adherents. In fact, I would argue its better now than its ever been anytime in the past. Liberal christians are an anomoly in the grand scheme of things, not the other way around.

[cosmik debris]

13. Pope Urban II compared to Osama Bin Laden

I ran across this article on the history of Biblical pacifism the other day. It applies to your post if you are interested.


Biblical Pacifism to the Crusades
By Nat Parry

http://consortiumnews.com/2006/072906a.html

One need only place the call to arms issued by Pope Urban II in 1095 alongside the fatwa issued by Osama bin Laden in 1998 to appreciate the unmistakable parallels between the religious motivations of the Crusaders and the motivations of modern-day Islamic militants. Calling upon Christians to liberate their oppressed brethren of Jerusalem, Urban said:

"We have heard … how, with great hurt and dire sufferings our Christian brothers, members in Christ, are scourged, oppressed, and injured in Jerusalem, in Antioch, and the other cities of the East. Your own blood brothers, your companions, your associates (for you are sons of the same Christ and the same Church) are either subjected in their inherited homes to other masters, or are driven from them, or they come as beggars among us; or, which is far worse, they are flogged and exiled as slaves for sale in their own land. … Gird yourselves, everyone of you, I say, and be valiant sons; for it is better for you to die in battle than to behold, the sorrows of your race and of your holy places."<1>

Nine hundred years later, Osama bin Laden issued his fatwa for killing Americans and their allies:

[SPKrazy]

14. Certainly America Has Developed Bad Morals As A Nation

but then, was America ever that moral to begin with?

I mean, Americans committed genocide towards the native inhabitants.

Americans held slaves.

You get the picture.

As for the article, there have been people making money off of Christianity, and probably every other religion since the beginning.

The Evangelical movement has it's charlatans for sure.

It is a sad thing indeed. Even the more liberal mainline protestant churches (of which I proclaim membership in one) are far from squeaky clean.

I have to remember not to miss the forest for a few of its trees. (Even though sometimes it seems as if there's an awful lot of bad trees in the damned forest!)

Interesting article.

I often hear people say that God has blessed America and think about her history and what has been done by Americans to people of this world, and wonder how anyone comes to that conclusion?

I guess if they read the stories of retribution in the OT, they might conclude that America is "righteous".

However, I don't believe that God has blessed America more than God has blessed any nation.

I believe that God is, and is in everything and everyone. I believe that God gave us free will, and we as a whole (society) have for the most part chosen not to help all the people's of the world that need our help.

(edited to correct charlatans)