One standard question was brought up on another thread that has gone on far too long asking a very old, very valid question about why God allows innocents, especially children, to suffer (this was not the exact context of the question, but it does hit on the high points). I have wrestled with this question for years, until I realized that, in my personal opinion, it has to do a lot with what God is teaching us. Our capacity to kill is matched only by our capacity to heal; in the same years...
For those who know me well, I am a dedicated Christian and I make no apology for my beliefs. Nor will I engage them in debate. But I've never hesitated to "call out" members of my own faith when they fail to ACT like members of my own faith. Dharma launched a thread today citing a case of abuse that centered around a "devout" Southern Baptist family (an insightful piece...I recommend it). This, coupled with the other stories that have come out, and most importantly, my own firsthand experi...
As most of you who read my blogs regularly know, I am a fairly conservative Christian. As many of you also know, I am very staunchly against the federal marriage amendment. The latter position has brought me a whole lot of flames from my one other blogsite by many of my contemporaries. So, when I received a reply in my email to my article on that site today for my piece (which I reprinted here, entitled "Why we should NOT Support the Federal Marriage Amendment: a Conservative View), I h...
OK, I'm a little miffed right now. I am really getting hacked at the proliferation of blogs denouncing Christianity and Christians. The reason they upset me is because of the blatant hypocrisy that is evidenced on them. If I were to write a lengthy article listing the bloody and violent history of Islam, I would be flamed, hard and heavy, even if everyone of my facts was thoroughly researched and referenced on the thread, and even if in the context of the post, I mentioned that this was...
As much as I hate diatribes against Christianity, I understand where they're coming from. Really. For too long, the most visible and vocal among Christians have preached a gospel of intolerance, bigotry and hatred, to the point where even many CHRISTIANS perceive them as a majority. And many Christians have resigned themselves to a life of complacency, figuring that showing up before their "bro" Jesus is more than enough to absolve them of their sins. In short, Christianity is at war wi...
DISCLAIMER: I present the following as questions, not conclusions. I have known a good number of Muslims in America and have found them, with few exceptions to be warm, friendly, peaceful individuals. The only exceptions I have found to this has been the racist Nation of Islam, which has historically espoused racial and violent teachings. Another thread rose on the issue of the teachings of Islam. I found a differing view and wish to present it before you. I did not do so in response on th...
(Note: Before you get TOO upset, read the subtitle). This is not addressed to anyone in particular. This is addressed to a trend that I find very disturbing. The trend is to "custom fit" one's religion into a box of one's choosing. The theory seems to revolve around the idea that, by cutting and pasting ideas one likes and removing ideas one dislikes, one can come up with a religion that's a custom "fit"...without having to worry about concrete beliefs or anything stupid like that. Not ...
A recent blog that someone wrote about their current faith journey got me to pondering. When I was younger and someone would tell me about the doubts they were having about their faith, I would feel that person was "losing" their faith. As I've grown older, I've come to realize that many times they are "finding", rather than losing their faith. Having several children, I've come to realize that up to a certain stage in their life, children will believe anything you tell them. When it comes...
Let me go off on a preachy tangent. I DID put it under the "religion" category, at least. The parable of the good Samaritan is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It is also one of the most misquoted. The Samaritan, in a historical context, belonged to a group of people hated and despised by the Jews (and who equally hated and despised the Jews as well). This would make most contemporary analogies comparing the Samaritan to fellow Christians inappropriate and missing the point. It's ...
Michael Newdow is causing me to appreciate the relative saneness of the Madeline Murray O'Hare era. Terpfan has kindly listed a couple of Newdow's latest suits, which include placing a ban on the hand on the Bible at the presidential inauguration. He has, in short, made a VERY bad name for atheists. I have known many atheists in my day, and I have had a good deal of respect for them. Though we disagree on a fundamental level, they have reached their conclusions through their own intellectu...
I always chuckle when I get the same stupid spam emails repeated with the same pretense; that there are folks out there with millions of dollars waiting to just hand it over to any one of the 200 they put on the mass email list for that particular email. It adds an extra degree of hilarity for me, though, when they appeal to me as a Christian. Following is the text of my latest "offer". I thought I'd put it out there for your collective amusement. Dear Beloved in Christ, Compl...
Ok...this is to the point where it needs comment. For the second time in as many weeks, I have seen someone basically state that the idea of fatwa is morally justifiable. The latest claim along those lines is that when someone is killed for being a Christian in a Muslim country, they are at least partly responsible, because they knew the country was Muslim to begin with. My response is that this is the equivalent of blaming a rape victim for wearing clothes that are too suggestive, it d...
OK....for some reason I'm in a "deep" mood today, so you'll have to bear with me. One of the most frequent errors many Christians make between themselves is in dismissing a very real and a very pressing prayer request with a promise to pray for the supplicant. This is a clear misunderstanding of the commandments and commissions left for us as Christians by Jesus Christ. When Christ ascended, following His meeting with the disciples, He laid upon them the charge to care for His Children....
I am a misfit. More to the point, I'm a misfit Christian. I often feel like Diogenes, only instead of seeking an honest man, I am seeking a vibrant, living faith. While I am prone to judge, time has taught me that we are all imperfect in our beliefs and theologies, and I am loathe to cast undue judgement on someone else's beliefs without extensive Biblical support. I am adamantly prolife. To me, that means, anti-war, anti-death penalty, anti-abortion, anti-poverty. That being said, ...
One of the common mistakes that evangelists make is in using the bible as proof of its own authority. While this is acceptable when the common ground of faith has been established, it is not acceptable in outreach. When you are debating a person, the first thing you should do is ascertain which sources are considered credible by the person you are debating. Much of the Old Testament would be acceptable in discussion with a Jew or Muslim, but the New Testament is not common ground (it would he...