Fundamentalists Losing Favor with Public <barf alert>

The Data Lounge ^ | Friday, 6 December 2002 | -- C. Barillas, Editor

[doc30]

Fundamentalists Losing Favor with Public
Friday, 6 December 2002

WASHINGTON -- The American Family Association, a far right lobbying group in Washington, released results from a recent survey that shows mainstream Americans see evangelical Christians as one of the least likeable groups in the country.

Small wonder

Researchers from the Barna survey asked respondents how they felt about evangelicals, born-again Christians, ministers, and other groups of people in society. According to the survey, evangelicals came in tenth out of eleven, narrowly beating out prostitutes.

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Below lawyers and just above prostitutes.

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Fellow evangelical George Barna, president of the Barna Research Group, said religious conservatives "have a lot of work to do" in combating the general public's negative views.

Speaking to distressed members of the AFA, he said, "We may not be 'evil' people, we may not be 'bad' people -- we may be completely loving and wonderful. But somehow we are being perceived by non-Christians in America as a group of people who are not particularly loving [and] not particularly generous, kind, or understanding."

Particularly galling to the AFA constituency was the country's more open embrace of gay men and lesbians. Gay people, a group conservatives frequently slander and oppose politically, ranked significantly higher in the survey than evangelicals.

"Whether that's because the media portray evangelicals in a negative light or because [religious conservatives have] earned that 'badge of dishonor,' if you will, we've got to figure that out," said Barna, "we have to address that."

Affirming results from other studies, the Barna survey also found the more highly educated non-evangelicals are, the less likely they are to have a positive view of fundamentalist Christians.

-- C. Barillas, Editor

[Jael]

But that is just his opinion. When we think we need to silence people for their opinion, we become what we hate.

[ksen]

You make a good point, thanks.

[timm22]

Course it's rare that our resident variety of athiests and libertarians have such scathing reviews of their cousin leftists when it comes to their hateful views of religious folks.

As an agnostic libertarian, I will try to keep an eye out for this problem and correct it when I can.

[F16Fighter]

"I have entered the world of the insane asylum and its thinking for disagreeing with the beliefs of the poster i spoke of? It is he who needs to be in a padded room, not only for his protection but for ours."

"Disagreeing"??

The "poster" in question suggested nothing of the sort that called for "death" for "oral sex" or "speaking ill of Jesus," OR your inane analogy that he'd "entered the world of the Taliban."

LOL -- Either you a paranoid delusional OR you have unauthorized access to the asylum's computer room.

Say "hi" to Sybil for us...

[Jael]

Doesn't God say that anyone who is unsaved is going to Hell? Wouldn't your friend be lax if he didn't warn you?

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Who is trying to silence him? Are we not allowed to have our own opinions that are unfavorable towards his opinions?

[Constantine XIII]

That all depends on what you mean by "born-again." What do you mean, exactly? ;o)

[Jael]

Until the mainstream evangelical and christian communites refute and disassociate themselves from these extremists, they will continue to be viewed negatively.

Sorry, you are wrong. The world is never going to view Christians as anything different. God says this is how it will be, and so it will.

1 John 3:13  Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

John 15:18-22  ¶If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:
but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Remember the word that I said unto you,
The servant is not greater than his lord.
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you;
if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin:
but now they have no cloke for their sin.

[E Rocc]

And he does have a point. Just a few morons like that can provide fodder for those who wish to disparage all born again Christians.

This is true. While their actions are not comparable (yet) the Phelpses and Wildmons do for Christianity what the terrorists do for Islam. Disgrace it and play directly into the hands of those who hate it.

-Eric

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Yes he did. He stated that he would put to death those who engaged in sodomy and would imprison those who blasphemed. The quotes are there.

[Phantom Lord]

I, as a Roman Catholic am not going to hell for marrying a Jew. And my wife will not burn in hell for being a Jew. Though...

[Jael]

and that I, as a consequence of marrying her am going to hell.

I have heard a lot of born again Christians speak. Many, many, many. And I have never heard anyone say that you go to Hell for who you marry. You go to Hell for not believing in Jesus Christ. (No works.)

[E Rocc]

The fundies have a bad habit of confusing sin with crime,imo.

One of the fundamental cornerstones of our freedom is the difference between the two. Just because some, even a majority, consider something wrong doesn't neccesarily mean its illegal. Indeed, some of those "wrong" things are protected by the Constitution.

-Eric

[Phantom Lord]

The "poster" in question suggested nothing of the sort that called for "death" for "oral sex"

Ahh, the poster regularly declares that he wants the government empowered to put people to death for engaging in oral sex, along with a whole host of other sexual activities.

[Jael]

Would you consider me your enemy if I wanted to empower the state to jail and kill you for the simple reason that you are a christian?

I don't know. It might depend on how much power you had to do such a thing.

I do know this, it will happen that Christians are treated like that. It is foretold in Scripture.

Revelation 6:9  ¶And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them,
that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren,
that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

[JoshGray]

The DataLounge "version" comes from the AFA itself. Any spin-doctoring was done there: Survey: Few Outside Christianity Have Positive View of Evangelicals

[Stefan Stackhouse]

I wonder if the average non-religious or marginally-religious person understands the difference between evangelical and evangelist? Evangelists -- especially of the TV huckster variety -- have a very bad public image. If the respondents to this poll question were thinking that they were being asked about evangelists, then these results would be understandable.

[Jael]

Yes, of course. And you make an excellent point. But the point is that he does not have the power to do such things. And he can't be blamed for what people think about Christianity. The world is going to hate Christians. If they start liking them, then it's a problem.

But I don't think this person needs to be maligned just for his opinion. Do you?

[Jael]

Listen, you are obviously taking this personally, and perhaps you should to some degree.

You must realize the validity of God's word in regard to salvation. It isn't playing around. Being Catholic or Jew does not send you to Heavn. Neither does being Baptist or any other denomination.

John 5:39  Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Acts 4:10  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

11  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.


Acts 16:30  And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

32  And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.