Posted on 09/22/2006 7:55:15 AM PDT by ZGuy
It's because we haven't given them anything for almost 2000 years. Of course, once you have the complete Revelation of God's Word and Wisdom, what else can you add?
Interesting, though, scare tactics are the coin of the left. For example, they have no trouble trying to make everyone feel guilty and frightened about the environment.
"Name notwithstanding, I do believe Mr. Harris is Jewish, or rather a JINO.
"
OK. I just don't see how anyone could surmise that from the name "Sam Harris." It's irrelevant, in any case, but I found that puzzling.
Only 92 pages? The author knows how much his audience can handle.
These books are written by, and appeal, to two audiences:
- believers in the religion of secularism
- Angry, disappointed ex-members of the Christian Right
I'd like to comment on the other group.
Evangelicals/Fundamentalists/Orthodox preach absolutes of good and evil. Young people, accept this belief system, they accept Christ as their savior, they respond to the altar call at a Billy Graham crusade, etc.
But in the Christian life in the real world, something unChristian happens that totally swings them from the high expectations of a Godly life to total rejection of that life as a fraud.
- A promiscuous young woman accepts Christ. Then allegedly born-again Chrisian young men who know her past hit on her for easy sex.
- A young person attends a Bible College and plans to be a foreign missionary. But one professors of a missions class is racist. Dating between Americans and foreign students of the same race is allowed. But dating between Americans and foreign students of different races is not allowed. (I'm not talking about Bob Jones. I'm talking about the left coast.)
-A young woman is raped by a fellow Bible College student.
These types of incidents totally dis-illusion the person who had dedicated a life to serving God. These types of incidents make the person extremely angry.
A rational person is able to see that "not all Chrisitans are like the one bad apple in the barrel". But when this happens to a person who is emotionally committed to the faith, the reaction is emotional.
This is not unique to the USA. In the 50s and early 60s the South Vietnamese were extremely pro-American and anti-Communist.
The only Americans they knew were foreign missionaries. (Missionaries from ThreeHills, Alberta, Canada were considered American.) These Christian missionaries read the Bible, prayed, taught school, worked in a hospital, read the Bible, prayed... That was their total life. They never spoke an angry word. No sex, no alcohol, no unChristian behavior.
The Vietnamese expected this type of behavior of Americans. John Kennedy sent 50,000 "special forces" to Vietnam. These 50,000 were the cream of the military.
Then LBJ sent 550,000 of us to Vietnam. (66-67 for me). A small percentage of these 550,000 did not act like Christians.
- Guys drove along the highways that had narrow shoulders before the drop off to the rice paddy. They'd call out points for aiming the vehicle at Vietnamese walking on the narrow shoulder. Points for an old woman. Points for a good looking young woman. Points for a guy on a bike. More points for a guy on a bike with an attitude. More points for two guys holding hands. A few civilians were killed. Many civilians had to bale into the rice paddy below to avoid being killed.
- Guys propositioned a good looking woman for sex. She would hold up her Bible in front of her chest and say "I Chrisitan. I married". (Her husband was away in the ARVN.) She would be raped. Her entire extended family, her entire village would get extremely angry and turn anti-American. Her husband would leave the ARVN for the Cong.
The reaction was so dramatic precisely because their expectations of Americans were so high, based on their first positive contact with American missionaries.
Good point, but the truth is, they killed Jesus. Can we expect them to hate us less?
When I became Christian, one of the things I knew was sure to happen was that I would probably experience some negative things in my life because as the Bible tells us we are the fragrance of death to those who are dying (in sin). People hate stinky things and to non-believers, we stink.
"Good point, but the truth is, they killed Jesus. Can we expect them to hate us less?"
Last time I checked, Jesus died for our sins.
---- at the order of, and under the sole legal authorit of, Potius Pilate, the Roman governor.
imho. the biggest reason for their enmity toward christianity is that christianity believes that rights are derived from the supreme being, and not from men. that is a direct threat to their ambitions....that is, to be the sole arbiters of the rights of humans, through a bureacratic maze that includes arrogance, intimidation, punishment and coercion. the end game is total, secular, unabashed control of human behavior. (imho)
I have to agree, Min. I mean, after all, "Purpose Driven Life" is the biggest seller in history next to the Bible, and "Left Behind" has pulled in gazillions.
Maybe because we don't go around chopping off their heads?
Because many people in the publishing industry are addicted to deviant sex practices--and they hate the idea that Christians don't cotton to that sort of thing...
Yes, Jesus died for our sins, but "they" hated him and wanted him killed. It is interesting to note that the scholars of that day, the educated, the highly placed (Sadducees, Pharisees), were the ones who really hated Jesus and it is no different today. Most of those in lofty positions in academia, etc. hate the believers of Christ.
I stand firm in my belief that if they hated Him, they will hate me. God used their hate to allow His perfect plan to unfold, but that doesn't change anything. Pilate was just an intermediary.
Every bookstore I go into (I read a good bit, so it is pretty often) has just about as much space allocated for religious materials as any other topic.
My experience does not square with your comments.
I've always thought that 80% of the liberal critique of Christianity comes down to sexual morality. Liberals want to have sex whenever and with whomever they want, and traditional Christianity prohibits this. The Eastern gurus and Buddhist monks who come to the West realize this, and they know who butters their bread - liberals - so they soft-peddle their own traditions of austere sexual morality in order to preserve their own following. That's one reason why I've always thought of the Dalai Lama and his ilk as rather sly, clever fellows - worldly-wise - rather than as particularly holy. They are very practical men.
"Good point, but the truth is, they killed Jesus."
The book industry is run by Romans?
"Because many people in the publishing industry are addicted to deviant sex practices"
Name 10 of them. Just 10 out of the thousands of people in the publishing industry. That's just silly.
"Yes, Jesus died for our sins, but "they" hated him and wanted him killed. "
They? Who are they? This is going in an ugly direction. So, you tell us who "they" are, please.
Mineral Man - I know you are an atheist I have no idea why you would bother to ask this question. I will only say this. While I fully realize that Jesus willingly went to the cross as part of God's wonderful and perfect plan of salvation, the people who participated (the "they" if you will) involved many. The Romans only did what the Jews requested. The specific individuals involved were only the instruments or human tools of God's divine plan. God works through people, Mineral Man, but if you don't believe in God, how will you ever understand how He works. As the Scripture says, you are blind.
Jesus was a Jew. His followers were Jews.
You wrote this:
"I stand firm in my belief that if they hated Him, they will hate me"
You think Jews hate you? How strange.
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