How American Christianity has failed

[Helden]

Make Jennifer Aniston's tits bigger and maybe I'll follow your God complex.

Until then, plastic surgeons have a better chance of making me believe they're God.

Seriously though, you do seem to think you know more than everyone. And it's based on stories you read online.

If I made Jennifer's boobs bigger, I would already give more evidence for my god-status than any other god in history

 

[mrbaapt]

Bullshit. If you had absence of belief you wouldn't claim there is no God. To claim it you have to believe it, as you obviously do.

Absence of belief goes both ways. It leads to agnosticism, not atheism.

Agnosticism is the perspective that there is no way to test/validate claims of deities. Essentially that man lacks the necessary knowledge to make an informed decision on the matter. Analogous to asking a dog if they prefer Python of C++.

Atheism rejects the claims for deities presented, that's disbelief NOT belief. The same manner in which Christians reject claims of Wotan, Thor, Zeus, Marduk, JuJu etc... Atheists go one god further and add Yahweh to the list.

There is always room for new claims and they occur all the time. None are original or credible however so they do not unearth.

 

[Deleted member 196663]

https://sojo.net/articles/american-christianity-has-failed

For the last few years Christians have been singing worship songs that include lyrics like “ keep my eyes above the waves, when oceans rise …” and yet have rejected refugees who’ve seen loved ones die beneath waves, who themselves have literally struggled to keep from drowning in oceans. Those American Christians — particularly white evangelicals — continue to sing the words: “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders …” but fail to realize the shameful irony that they’re largely responsible for refusing shelter and opportunity to some of the world’s most helpless and oppressed people.

This represents a predominant theme of Westernized Christendom: proclaiming Christian rhetoric while actively — or passively — practicing the opposite in reality.

Because while the gospels instruct followers of Christ to help the poor, oppressed, maligned, mistreated, sick, and those most in need of help, Christians in America have largely supported measures that have rejected refugees, refused aid to immigrants, cut social services to the poor, diminished help for the sick, fueled xenophobia, reinforced misogyny, ignored racism, stoked hatred, reinforced corruption, and largely increased inequality, prejudice, and fear.

If Christians refuse to help and actually use their political advocacy and opinions to further hurt refugees, immigrants, women, foreigners, minorities, the poor, the oppressed, the persecuted, the sick, the LGBTQ community — and aren’t abiding by the golden rule of loving their neighbors as themselves, then who exactly are Christians supposedly loving?

What benefit are Christians providing their communities, and what good are they contributing to the world around them? Because in America, it appears that the sole purpose of Christianity is to selfishly protect people’s own self-interests instead of sacrificially serving others.

The election of President Donald Trump has proven that numerous Christians are more worried about power, influence, and control than the gospel messages of humility, generosity, ministering to others, and love.

Of course there are exceptions, but it should be sobering for Christians to realize that that many who claim to follow the Prince of Peace, the Healer, the Light of the World, supported policies that are bringing darkness and pain to so many people.

These presidential orders, which will refuse help to many of the world’s most vulnerable individuals, are what many Christians voted for. This is the fruit of their political labor, but it’s not the Fruit of the Spirit. In fact, love, joy, peace, happiness, and self-control are notably absent from the current administration.


The gospel of Jesus has been traded in for a narrative of fear. But the Bible keeps reminding us to right the course:

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. (Isaiah 1:17)

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt. 25:35)

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Lev. 19: 33-34)

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. (Prov. 14:31)
...

By these standards — and by the ultimate example that Jesus himself set for us by example — mainstream Christianity in America has failed. It looks nothing like Jesus.


But the reality is that following Jesus is extremely hard. It demands giving away your most prized possessions and abandoning your biggest fears. So while there might be political, economic, financial, and safety reasons for implementing policies that harm people and refuse them help, there are certainly no gospel reasons.

Nobody understood this better than the early church. Those first Christ followers who refused to bow to the emperor and go along with the policies of the Roman government. For them, they gave everything — to the point of being persecuted, arrested, tortured, and eventually martyred — for the purpose of serving Christ and serving others, the result of choosing to dedicate their lives to the truths of Jesus rather than the ideals of the ruling empire.

The question is, will American Christians ever learn to do the same?

---------------------------


Couldn't agree more with this article.

It's unfortunate that you can be convinced so easily by an article that does little to prove its claims. It begins with the presumption that Christians don't help people. Only later do you find out what the entire piece is built on....

The election of President Donald Trump has proven that numerous Christians are more worried about power, influence, and control than the gospel messages of humility, generosity, ministering to others, and love.

"Proven". The entire article is built around the writer not understanding the meaning of a single word. Without that word, the entire piece collapses. This is an article built on nothing but a rant.

 

[spamking]

I'm beginning to think that a lot of y'all wouldn't know a Christian if he walked up to you and beat you over the head with his bible . . .

 

[Thurisaz]

Agnosticism is the perspective that there is no way to test/validate claims of deities.

Agnosticism is the position of not claiming whether they exist.

Atheism rejects the claims for deities presented, that's disbelief NOT belief.

"Belief in there are no gods" is identical in substance to "disbelief in gods". You're making a distinction where there is none.

The basics of logic are quite useful, I recommend them for everyone. Applying them can also cure leftism, which is a lot better than, for example, curing cancer.

 

[ripskater]

Haha do we really need to quote every time you've referred to Muslims as evil or how Islam is an evil religion? Sounds like disdain to me. If you don't consider your words hate I'd hate to see what you actually consider hate.

And wlu.29 is on point. You have Christians talk about how much charity they give only to turn around and call poor people worthless leeches who are destroying this country. It's like doing just enough to be self righteous but in the end completely villifying those they claim to be helping and causing hate towards them and giving reasons not to help them.

In the end everything is a spectrum with Christians going from evangelical to liberal to apolitical. If imagine more of the resources of the latter two go towards helping others while the resources of the more evangelical churches go to stuff like you're going to hell if you don't follow Jesus billboards.

I haven't said that all Muslims are evil. Muslim jihadists are evil, I say that a lot. And I have said that Islam is a Satanic religion. You have heard me say that there are lots of good people who are Muslims.

 

[Thurisaz]

I haven't said that all Muslims are evil. Muslim jihadists are evil, I say that a lot. And I have said that Islam is a Satanic religion. You have heard me say that there are lots of good people who are Muslims.

Yep, though by Islamic standards those people are pretty bad Muslims. When people talk of "good Muslims" it's always important to ask "by whose standards?"

I know one such Muslim. One of the easiest going people you'll ever meet and assuredly incapable of hurting even a fly.

 

[Satsui Ryu]

Yep, though by Islamic standards those people are pretty bad Muslims. When people talk of "good Muslims" it's always important to ask "by whose standards?"

I know one such Muslim. One of the easiest going people you'll ever meet and assuredly incapable of hurting even a fly.

Yeah it don't really work that way. You can't go, this entire group of people are horrible people which you say by saying their entire culture is horrible, then say this guy I occasionally talk to is aight as if it negates calling everyone else "satanic."

Think about this sentence. "I don't hate muslims, but everything about their being is evil."

 

[Fawlty]

In my opinion, the existence of God isn't even a matter of faith. God is objectively real - it's a belief. Faith is about trusting God's instruction and guidance for your life.

That's subjective by definition, and by definition not objective. Those words do actually mean things, dude.

 

[Jim Bob]

I am friends with a guy that claims to be a moderate Muslim. He and his wife can't find a mosque that will accept them within 200 miles of our area.

 

[Thurisaz]

Yeah it don't really work that way. You can't go, this entire group of people are horrible people which you say by saying their entire culture is horrible, then say this guy I occasionally talk to is aight as if it negates calling everyone else "satanic."

Learning to read would perhaps help you with that particular ailment where you see what is not there in my posts.

Think about this sentence. "I don't hate muslims, but everything about their being is evil."

You just made it up yourself?

 

[m52nickerson]

"Belief in there are no gods" is identical in substance to "disbelief in gods". You're making a distinction where there is none.

No there is a difference and it has to do with logic and evidence.

 

[m52nickerson]

I'm beginning to think that a lot of y'all wouldn't know a Christian if he walked up to you and beat you over the head with his bible . . .

Well I would know that if someone walked up to me a beat me over the head with anything they would not be a Christian.

 

[Thurisaz]

No there is a difference and it has to do with logic and evidence.

If so, you will probably explain how.

Not holding my breath here.

 

[Satsui Ryu]

Learning to read would perhaps help you with that particular ailment where you see what is not there in my posts.


You just made it up yourself?

Rip literally says "I don't hate Muslims, but their culture is Satanic." Be honest, if you replaced Muslim/Islam with white people/white culture in Rip's quote you wouldn't find it in the least bit hateful?

 

[m52nickerson]

If so, you will probably explain how.

Not holding my breath here.

We had a debate on it. Part of that debate centered on the burden of proof.

 

[Thurisaz]

We had a debate on it. Part of that debate centered on the burden of proof.

I see you stay firmly on the path of never delivering.

Ok, back to ignore, then.

 

[m52nickerson]

I see you stay firmly on the path of never delivering.

Ok, back to ignore, then.

...and you continue to run away.

 

[Thurisaz]

Rip literally says "I don't hate Muslims, but their culture is Satanic." Be honest, if you replaced Muslim/Islam with white people/white culture in Rip's quote you wouldn't find it in the least bit hateful?

Islam is, by Christian standards, obviously and utterly satanic. That is not a judgment on people, but a belief system. Obviously adopting that belief system as a guide to one's behavior tends to produce what we call monsters, and the probability nears asymptotically one the closer one adheres to it.

Hate, also, is a human right. I believe it is entirely healthy and good to hate evil.

 

[ripskater]

Rip literally says "I don't hate Muslims, but their culture is Satanic." Be honest, if you replaced Muslim/Islam with white people/white culture in Rip's quote you wouldn't find it in the least bit hateful?

Don't change my words. I did not say "culture." You just made that up.

I said Islam is a Satanic religion.