Posted on 06/28/2005 9:19:57 AM PDT by voletti
To compare traditional Catholics with Evangelical Protestants is somewhat asinine.
Many practices that traditional Catholics believe are O.K are regarded my the majority of Evangelicals as "Evil, Sinful, etc"
Evangelical Protestants have a much larger breadth of specific "faith-based" issue than do Catholics, traditional or otherwise
Now... if we could only do away with all those church 'legalisms'.
OK, here is your chance to show your knowledge of Catholicism.
Be specific. What practices?
OK, here is your chance to show your knowledge of Catholicism.
Be specific. What practices?
Just as a matter of historical interest, "evangelical" was the 19th century term for what we now call Christian "fundamentalist." Today's Bible fundamentalists view today's "evangelicals" as being the thoeoligical liberals, whimps, worldly and carnal set of religionists. President Bush is actually far too liberal for most Bible-believing independent Baptist churches and peoples. (But we wouldn't fellowship with the likes of Fred Phelps, either)
So noted.
Alcohol, Tobacco Use, Gambling, among other things. For example, how do you think the SBC would react if an Archbishop decided he wanted public school students to pray "Hail Mary" each day.
And I know this because I am a Catholic, and I live in a city where we do have an Evangelical community, and one religion in general, the name prude, and the name for the denomination are synonymous
The religious right also represents more than just evangelicals. At the last election Mr Bush won the Catholic vote by snaring 72% of self-styled traditionalist Catholics. Private polls also suggest that he won significant numbers of Orthodox Jews. Rather than being split between the parties, religious people of all faiths are now pretty anchored in the Republican Party. A Zogby poll last November put the national figure for religious traditionalists at 29%, but they accounted for 58% of Republicans.
During the height of the Terri Schivo controversy this spring, secular conservatives were telling me, and other religious conservatives here on FR, that we were ruining the Republican Party, and that we should "take a hike." If we take a hike, the Republican Party is dead, or will be as dead as it was circa 1940. Republicans of religious convictions have had to bend quite a bit to accomodate the objectives of secular conservatives; they're going to need to learn to peacefully coexist with us, or there will be no conservative movement.
Which version of the Bible is the correct version?
Don't smoke, don't chew or go with girls that do.
Sure, there are still many differences between Evangelicals and Catholics, and no doubt many suspicions and lingering bad feelings. But the working relationship between these two groups has grown closer and closer.
Catholics used to think of Episcopalians as the nearest thing to Catholics, and Evangelicals used to think of Catholics primarily as idolators. No more. No doubt some of this still lingers, but that kind of kneejerk reaction no longer predominates. We have too many basic beliefs in common, including the inalienable because God-given right to life, the importance of stable families, and the importance of traditional Christian morality in public life. Plus, in our different ways, a firm commitment to Jesus Christ which underlies all these other agreements.
Alcohol, tobacco use, gambling, among other things, may still be issues in Backwater, USA, but one point of the article is that evangelicals, in general, are more sophisticated, educated, inclusive, and less legalistic that the fundies of 80 years ago. I've circulated in evangelical circles for 30 years, and I've never seen alcohol or tobacco use, or even gambling, to be much of an issue, because salvation does not turn on whether one does or doesn't engage in these things. Whether the diminishment of these issues is a good thing is up for debate.
Very many SBC church members and churches with we are familiar would not offend their congregations by hard preaching on ANY subject. Give me the name of just one SBC pastor who would preach an entire message against tobacco use. I'm not sure you could find one. Maybe not even anymore against alcohol use...I mean, an entire 30 to 40 minute sermon. Most of them would get run out by the deacon boards.
But I am interested to see a few Baptists coming to the surface on Free Republic upon the Fred Phelps thing, and the President speaking to the SBC.
"Why is the religious right as powerful as it is? The question puzzles even Americans. Their country, as a whole, is not getting more religious."
And you answered your own question. The left wants someone to demonize with a label. And since they currently don't have Dan Quayle, or Newt Gingrich, or Trent Lott to use as a lightning rod for their hatred they coined the term religious right.
The Greek one.
What do you mean by "born again?"
I partialy agree.
But in Europe you might distinguish France from others countries.The french government demanded to cancel the mention of the christian roots of our culture,civilization and society(Poland,UK,Italy,Austria...and former comunists countries are not on the same side!)
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