With the shorthand "OMG" (oh, my God) becoming a huge cliche, it might be worth taking a look at how Americans are seeing the Almighty these days -- that is if they are looking at all. Posted on 03/09/2013 12:57:21 AM PST by Kaslin
With the shorthand "OMG" (oh, my God) becoming a huge cliche, it might be worth taking a look at how Americans are seeing the Almighty these days -- that is if they are looking at all.
A recent Gallup poll indicates that just 31 percent of Americans worship publicly on a weekly basis, while 43 percent rarely go to a church, synagogue or mosque.
Growing up under the heavy hand of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, it was drummed into me that attending weekly Mass was not an option. It was a must to avoid eternal damnation, which was not a prospect filled with many positives. Hellfire was perpetual, and no parole would be offered.
And so I went to Mass and was even an altar boy, memorizing a variety of Latin prayers that basically said Jesus was a good guy and everybody should avoid offending him. Not a bad message, so I really had no beef -- unless I was assigned to the 6:30 a.m. service. Was Jesus even up at that hour?
Today, only 24 percent of American Catholics attend weekly Mass, and so Lucifer must be very busy expanding accommodations. There are many reasons for this, but two stand out.
First, Mass is often deadly dull. Sometimes the priest is from Botswana, and you can't understand him. Other times, you can understand the padre, but 20 minutes on the Corinthians can be challenging, if you know what I mean. It would be great if priests, ministers, rabbis and imams would spice it up a little.
The second reason that churchgoing is in decline is that we are living in a narcissistic time when self-gratification has largely replaced the golden rule of treating others as you want to be treated.
Far be it for the public schools to teach this, but the USA was founded on basic Judeo-Christian principles. Don't take my word for it. Take a trip to Washington, D.C., and tour the Supreme Court building. There you will see a sculpted copy of the Ten Commandments on the wall.
But why? Moses wasn't an American. He didn't cross the Red Sea into Delaware. The reason the commandments are on display is that the Founding Fathers based the American legal system on honesty and on the avoidance of doing harm to others -- the basic tenets of the commandments.
But many secular Americans, including the ACLU, would dismantle the Supreme Court display if they could. We are now in the age of anti-religion, where pious folks are looked upon as odd. Religion is a bad thing to the secular-progressive. It's too judgmental and stands in the way of unfettered abortion, gay marriage and other sacred causes of the S-P movement.
Faith-based organizations such as the Catholic Church should be fighting against secularism, but they rarely do. Instead, they are on the defensive, as scandals and apathy have devastated organized religion. The Gallup poll reflects that.
But for me, a sinner, it is worth an hour a week to think about things of a spiritual nature in order to try to improve my life. I even turn off my cellphone. In pursuit of a higher calling, it is just not needed.
Translation: What’s all this God stuff? Why can’t we talk about me for a while? All that Mass stuff is OK but I had a bad week too. I’d also like 3 days with nothing to do.So true... -lol- Reminds me of the line from Bette Midler in "Beaches."
"But enough about me, let's talk about you...what do you think about me?"
O’Reilly is demonstrating his flippancy and what a shallowly religious man he truly is.
That’s called a “sinner.” There’s only one worse place to sit next to a sinner: outside of church.
Whether you’re next to a sinner or alone, the only sinner you really have to worry about is the one in your own pew. You takes your choice, you spends your eternity.
2 Thessalonians 3:6
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
Don’t worry; you can explain it as a vote for the lesser evil.
2 Thessalonians 3:6
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
Technology has changed worship. Mass is on TV. Preachers are on TV. Hymn singers are on TV. Shut-ins worship at home. Are these worshippers counted?
Also, the question arises: “Who is being worshipped?” In light of that question, why are those going to mosques being counted as God worshippers?
Huh? Bill O’Reilly is infallible, just ask Alan Colmes
It’s horrifying that there was no Christian candidate in the last election. We’ve NEVER had a non-Christian run for President on a major party ticket. Last election, we had two.
I do not blame you at all for not voting for some one you do not like, i voted for Romney because i see it a little different although not by much.
What sickens me is seeing an "F" inserted between the M and the G. It's increasingly common, and I don't exaggerate when I say I can't look at it head-on. I've even seen it used here on FR once or twice. People really, really need to think about what they're typing.
Isn't that racist?
Bill O'Reilly writing about religion is like Honey Boo Boo writing about Mozart.
“I didn’t vote....”
It’s because of people like you that we’re in such a bad mess.
does Bill even attend himself?
That is precisely the problem. Modern Christianity has reduced the concept of the holy sabbath of the Lord to one hour to "think about things".
I teach 7th/8th grade in a Catholic school, and whenever a student uses “OMG” I stop and make them say out loud the Fatima Prayer (O my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell...) I have just about broken the habit and I now have students let me know when it happens.
You must have been the only one, besides myself, who actually read the article.
I love that.
I believe that would be "pithy" enough for his email.
what did Jesus Christ say about Jonah?
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
In what state was Jesus Christ in, in the heart of the earth? He was dead. So was Jonah, whoever is teaching that Jonah was alive after being eaten by a great fish and the fish dove down to the "mountains of the sea" how on earth could anyone think that Jonah was alive?
Jonah was resurrected after three days of death after being eaten by a giant fish (whale). Jesus Christ was resurrected after three days in the heart of the earth.
True exegesis of the Bible has greatly diminished.
There are various reasons for this...but if church leaders begin to rightly divide the word of truth...bingo...revival happens.
I’ll holler fer a doller!
Some religions use all kinds of visual lies to ingrain their message:
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