Who can help me understand the War on Christianity?

[Ladewig]

After some posters convinced me that I would never get answers to my questions in the "The War on Christianity" thread, I decided the best approach would be to start a new thread with no previous baggage.

I understand that many of the Christians and Theists on this board do not believe that there is a War on Christianity. While their opinions are welcome, what I really want is to know what the true believers consider the War on Christianity. I personally believe that the U.S. is big enough to allow Christians and non-Christians to live peaceably together.

So, let me begin by asking if any of the following are part the WoC.

1) Homosexuals asking for equal or special rights
2) Scientists trying to prevent Intelligent Design from entering high school biology classes
3) The U.S. Supreme Court's 1962 ruling about school prayers
4) The ACLU
5) Hollywood and their agenda
6) Democrats and their agenda
7) The Jews and their agenda
8) The War on Christmas
9) Satanic cults kidnapping children and infants

If I am completely off base with these topics, please let me know and tell me the exact areas in which the WoC is being fought. Also, I am interested in who is winning this war.

 

[Nogbad]

After some posters convinced me that I would never get answers to my questions in the "The War on Christianity" thread, I decided the best approach would be to start a new thread with no previous baggage.

I understand that many of the Christians and Theists on this board do not believe that there is a War on Christianity. While their opinions are welcome, what I really want is to know what the true believers consider the War on Christianity. I personally believe that the U.S. is big enough to allow Christians and non-Christians to live peaceably together.

So, let me begin by asking if any of the following are part the WoC.

1) Homosexuals asking for equal or special rights
2) Scientists trying to prevent Intelligent Design from entering high school biology classes
3) The U.S. Supreme Court's 1962 ruling about school prayers
4) The ACLU
5) Hollywood and their agenda
6) Democrats and their agenda
7) The Jews and their agenda
8) The War on Christmas
9) Satanic cults kidnapping children and infants

If I am completely off base with these topics, please let me know and tell me the exact areas in which the WoC is being fought. Also, I am interested in who is winning this war.

Does 9 happen much in the US?

 

[-Fran-]

Does 9 happen much in the US?

No, but it seems the belief that it does have been widespread in periods, in modern time.

 

[TX50]

Doesn't Dr. Sagan blow that myth out of the water in "Candle in the Dark"?

ETA: Replying to "Fran" about the satanic kidnappings thing.

 

[-Fran-]

Doesn't Dr. Sagan blow that myth out of the water in "Candle in the Dark"?

ETA: Replying to "Fran" about the satanic kidnappings thing.

I don't know, but that does sound awfully familiar...

I think this belief was at its height in the 1980s, but it wouldn't surprise me if there are many individuals, and maybe groups, that still believe that this happens frequently.

 

[Ladewig]

I don't know, but that does sound awfully familiar...

I think this belief was at its height in the 1980s, but it wouldn't surprise me if there are many individuals, and maybe groups, that still believe that this happens frequently.

I'm pretty certain that there has been no police investigation that produced evidence of any organized Satanic kidnapping cult. My criterion for putting things on the list was that I have heard Christian fundamentalists complain about each item. I was just using those items as a starting point.

 

[fuelair]

Does 9 happen much in the US?

Back in the late 80's/90's when there were idiots who believed the thoroughly discredited recovered memory thing and . due to it, it was assumed stuff like that was going on
at that time also a lot of people were accused of that - just like the Salem witch trials. Fortunately, the impossibility of many of the specifics won through on many things that should never have resulted in charges much less trials. Basically psychiatrist/psychologists gone insane at the thought of another new thing to get hired for. (They seem to never tire of inventing new diseases/problems). (Look up McMartin Day School for an example at it's worst).

 

[fuelair]

The problem with considering any of those things a war against xtianity essentially says they call anything done by others - even though they are not required to participate in it in any functional way - that goes against their delusions a war against them. None of those things is against xtianity - they are free to gather in their homes and churches and pray for deliverance - they are not required to marry homosexuals, have abortions, watch (or participate in ) pornography, etc. The law is for all people in the society, not just the xtians. No law should exist simply because it matches an xtian principle and no one should be required by laws to act like an xtian in his/her daily life (especially given the way many who claim to be xtians actually live).

 

[Ladewig]

The problem with considering any of those things a war against xtianity essentially says they call anything done by others - even though they are not required to participate in it in any functional way - that goes against their delusions a war against them.

To be fair, I want to point out that it is possible that none of those things is part of the WoC. I may have mistakenly constructed an nine-headed strawman which you simply knocked down.

There is one item I forgot to include, I suspect removing the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Courthouse is part of the WoC.

 

[fromdownunder]

There is one item I forgot to include, I suspect removing the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Courthouse is part of the WoC.

This one can be quite an interesting topic. Since some/many Christians do not follow the Penteteuch laws, because they claim Jesus fulfilled the law (and confirmed this by reading Paul's retrofitted "new Covenant", they also believe they are no longer bound by the litereral Ten Commandments (whichever of the three versions are used).

So, if some/many Chrsitians do not accept the Ten Commandments as part of the Law (except in a perhaps a "moral" sense) any more, how can it be against (presumably) Christianity to remove these obsolete laws from a Courtroom?

After all, not one of the ten is unambiguous law anywhere, and at least one of them is completely ignored by virtually every Christian group.

Norm

 

[Frozenwolf150]

The so-called "War on Christianity" is nothing more than an argument from persecution that some Christians use in order to avoid criticism of their beliefs (and what they want to do with said beliefs). Yeah, so the majority religion that has historically used brute force in order to promote its agenda is somehow suddenly being oppressed. It goes a little something like this:

 

[PAC]

The so-called "War on Christianity" is nothing more than an argument from persecution that some Christians use in order to avoid criticism of their beliefs (and what they want to do with said beliefs). Yeah, so the majority religion that has historically used brute force in order to promote its agenda is somehow suddenly being oppressed. QUOTE]

 

[PAC]

The so-called "War on Christianity" is nothing more than an argument from persecution that some Christians use in order to avoid criticism of their beliefs (and what they want to do with said beliefs). Yeah, so the majority religion that has historically used brute force in order to promote its agenda is somehow suddenly being oppressed.

I agree. However, what bothers me is that the fundamentalist Christians I know actually believe it. That is cause for great concern!

 

[QBinBee]

After some posters convinced me that I would never get answers to my questions in the "The War on Christianity" thread, I decided the best approach would be to start a new thread with no previous baggage.

I understand that many of the Christians and Theists on this board do not believe that there is a War on Christianity. While their opinions are welcome, what I really want is to know what the true believers consider the War on Christianity. I personally believe that the U.S. is big enough to allow Christians and non-Christians to live peaceably together.

So, let me begin by asking if any of the following are part the WoC.

1) Homosexuals asking for equal or special rights
2) Scientists trying to prevent Intelligent Design from entering high school biology classes
3) The U.S. Supreme Court's 1962 ruling about school prayers
4) The ACLU
5) Hollywood and their agenda
6) Democrats and their agenda
7) The Jews and their agenda
8) The War on Christmas
9) Satanic cults kidnapping children and infants

If I am completely off base with these topics, please let me know and tell me the exact areas in which the WoC is being fought. Also, I am interested in who is winning this war.

So homosexuals, scientists, supreme court judges, the ACLU, screen writers, Democrats, Jews, and Satanists are ALL raging a war against Christians at the same time...

Usually when one perceives persecution from multiple sources at the same time we say that person suffers from Paranoid Schizophrenia.

 

[gtc]

So homosexuals, scientists, supreme court judges, the ACLU, screen writers, Democrats, Jews, and Satanists are ALL raging a war against Christians at the same time...

Usually when one perceives persecution from multiple sources at the same time we say that person suffers from Paranoid Schizophrenia.

He is asking IF people actually believe that they are suffering from persuction from the multiple sources listed.

He is not suggesting that people actually DO believe that they are suffering from such persecution.

 

[QBinBee]

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[CapelDodger]

I think this belief was at its height in the 1980s, but it wouldn't surprise me if there are many individuals, and maybe groups, that still believe that this happens frequently.

There's an interesting parallel with the Blood Libel against the Jews (still firmly believed in by some), which involved the kidnapping of Christian children for ritual sacrifice and to provide blood for Purim bread.

Cultural memory? Human psychology? Coincidence? Hard to say ...

 

[MG1962]

Is perhaps the perception of a WOC is more a protective cloak than reality. Example say we have a town or city where a group of Christians convince the administration of the town to draw up an enact ever more repressive laws regarding gay people. At some point, simply to save themselves, gays will begin to push back through demonstrations, attempt to repeal the various laws etc.

Now rather than admit, perhaps their actions went to far, or where blantantly unfair to gays, for no other reasons than they where gay - This Chrisitan group declare this is evidence of the war against Christianity, rather than take responsibilty for their choices.

 

[-Fran-]

There's an interesting parallel with the Blood Libel against the Jews (still firmly believed in by some), which involved the kidnapping of Christian children for ritual sacrifice and to provide blood for Purim bread.

Cultural memory? Human psychology? Coincidence? Hard to say ...

Yes, and if I am not totally mistaken, early Christians were accused of the very same thing by the Romans who were suspicious about the new strange sect (am I right in this, anyone knows?) I guess sacrificing babies have always been a horrid enough thing to be readily used to accuse "the others" of.

 

[kmortis]

Yes, and if I am not totally mistaken, early Christians were accused of the very same thing by the Romans who were suspicious about the new strange sect (am I right in this, anyone knows?) I guess sacrificing babies have always been a horrid enough thing to be readily used to accuse "the others" of.

Kinda sorta. The Early Christians were accused of cannibalism, due to the Communion sacrament. They were secretive, made up from the lower classes and not well understood. Those things summed up into much misunderstanding.