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

[RAT Patrol]

I fight the control freak, big government loving leftist as much as I do those of the 'religious right' who are as wrong as those on the left. Ahh...Now that tells me a lot. Religion is a right whether the intolerant Christian bashers want to admit it or not. On the issue of gays....if they would stop forcing Christians to say it isn't sinful then they might improve their image. That means: Leave the Boy Scouts alone, and the Salvation Army, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, school children, foster kids, etc... This isn't about their RIGHTS most of the time, it is about them IMPOSING THEIR BELIEFS on everyone else.

To me, telling kids homosexuality is okay is child abuse. Why not tell them prostitution is okay, or heroine, or whatever.

[maeng]

Thanks Glory, appreciate the background. Could not figure out why he was posting this here....Seems to me he is one of the far lefties trying to make Christians out to be Taliban!!!!

[Jael]

The fundies have a bad habit of confusing sin with crime,imo. I don't remember Christ running to the Pharisee's demanding everything/everybody who didn't agree with him be declared a criminal. Actually, Christ stopped the stoning of a woman for adultery. You know, "He who is without sin cast the first stone.."

But Christ has the unmitigating gall to order the woman to sin no more. Imagine that.

John 8:11  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

[maeng]

You want to know about intolerence and hate, try the Dems website and their ultra liberal views......anything goes, EXCEPT moral Christian beliefs!

[Phantom Lord]

I have brought the thoughts and ideas of people like FF578 to this thread because it is people like him that get the media attention and are the face of conservative christians in the eyes of many. It is the extremists who get portrayed as the mainstream and guidance of the movement. And they are not. That is one of the reasons that conservative christians are view so negatively. Because the extremists are those that get the attention and they are the ones that the casual observer of politics remembers.

[RAT Patrol]

Your post #71 was great. LOL. It can be difficult to get a big picture view of someone from just one post--especially if you haven't read what they are responding to.

[AndrewC]

but I do not believe death is an appropriate punishment for sodomy.

I do not believe that man should use that punishment for sodomy, but please refresh me on why exactly God destroyed Sodom?

[general_re]

I read your link, general_re, and while the FReeper in question offers an opinion concerning the death penalty, it is clearly an opinion concerning what was at one time codified law.

Well, wait a minute. Discussing what was law is one thing - advocating a return to that law is quite another. And that's what I think that post pretty clearly indicates is the point there.

What we have here is an attack on someone who has not even appeared on this thread. That's childish, may even be stupid, and is certainly against the rules of this forum.

Perhaps. I like and generally respect PL and his posts, although I myself might have chosen to be a bit more circumspect in how I worded that post. But it is exactly on point, albeit a bit aggressive in singling someone out for culpability. The numbers are right here in front of us - among the general population, evangelicals are slightly more well-regarded than prostitutes. That is, needless to say, not good. And what we need to ask is why people feel that way - PL's general thrust here, which I happen to agree with, is that the public face of evangelicals is often a rather ugly one, personified by Fred Phelps and the Landover Baptist crew.

That image can't be allowed to persist if any headway in changing the culture is going to be made by evangelicals. It's just that simple. People don't even give you a fair hearing when they think of you like that - they just walk away. Allowing yourself to be represented by Phelps and his merry band of thugs, even by your silence, is shooting yourself in the foot.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have not cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23)

[glory]

Phantom, the burden is on YOU! YOU brought that debate to this thread so you POST THE PROOF and the link to the thread. Don't throw assinine comments out there that make no sense to someone who did not read that other thread and then tell them to figure it out for themselves. And don't dare assume something said in the heat of debate by ONE person justifies this view of evangelicals. It does not, yet you are using as such by posting it here. If this is your proof of this view of evangelicals, than your case is weak indeed and reveals you as the average run of the mill Christianphobe. Would you at least have the courtesy to post the link to that thread so others know what the hell you are talking about. Thanks.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

I disagree, logos. What PL has done is very instructional to the current thread and current discussion.

Is there a reason why Fundamentalists score so low? Yes. It is because of a vocal few who spout things like what is on the other thread. That is very relevant to what this thread is about.

The thread in reference isn't from a long time ago, it's from yesterday, and it isn't just a single person, it's about 5 or 6 who agree with the advocacy that blasphemy should have jail time associated with it and sodomy should be a capital offense. Don't you find that these types of statements might have something to do with how Fundamentalists are viewed on this site and in society at large?

[Phantom Lord]

I agree 100% with your post.

[RAT Patrol]

Oh, absolutely, Jael. Good point.

[RAT Patrol]

LOL. Yeah. But God can do that. Technically, the wages of all sin is death.

[xzins]

Excellent input, Rn. (But, I knew it would be. LOL!)

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

The thread is linked in post 54.

Here are a few quotes to read as you bring yourself to click on that link.

"Jesus Christ was a bastard, and his mother must be a whore"

Are you actually advocating that people should go to jail for three months for publicly stating those words?

65 posted on 12/10/2002 12:16 PM PST by BikerNYC

To: BikerNYC

Yes.

66 posted on 12/10/2002 12:18 PM PST by FF578

And

To: Karsus

I already said that I believe the Death Penalty should apply to sodomy.

212 posted on 12/10/2002 2:27 PM PST by FF578

[glory]

The two are intertwined friend unless you think the basis for what we deem as criminal comes from anywhere else other than the 10 commandments? They were at the very least for society's protection and stability and I can see in today's climate of rampant promiscuity, sexual violence, and deviancy exactly why people a couple hundred years ago thought it appropriate to protect people in a civilized society from such debauchery. We've lost site though of why such deviancy is poison to a civilized stable society to begin with. In no way am I saying folks of 200 years ago were perfect, far from it, but they weren't too far off when they realized that sexual deviancy is a good indication of overall character. They may have not known all the technical terms, but they just knew it wasn't right and what it indicated.

[glory]

The two are intertwined friend unless you think the basis for what we deem as criminal comes from anywhere else other than the 10 commandments? They were at the very least for society's protection and stability and I can see in today's climate of rampant promiscuity, sexual violence, and deviancy exactly why people a couple hundred years ago thought it appropriate to protect people in a civilized society from such debauchery. We've lost site though of why such deviancy is poison to a civilized stable society to begin with. In no way am I saying folks of 200 years ago were perfect, far from it, but they weren't too far off when they realized that sexual deviancy is a good indication of overall character. They may have not known all the technical terms, but they just knew it wasn't right and what it indicated.

[Jael]

Why do you consider him your enemy?

[glory]

good point--often lost

[Jael]

But what is damning about his opinion? He can't change anything by that opinion. Right?