Why is this a political question? When our "President" proudly proclaims that God told him to invade Iraq, when a growing number in the House, Senate and Supreme Court are openly Fundamentalist or less openly Dominionist I think it's safe to say that the separation between church and state has been breached if not obliterated. Many on the far right are saying there never was such a separation, or never should have been. What, then is the character of this new Jesus who guides our country? Has "Love thy neighbor as thyself." become "Love thy neighbor as thyself, as long as he attends the same church"? Has "Turn the other cheek." become "Turn the other cheek. Then deck the one who slapped you."? Dominionist preacher Rod Parsley has exuberently called his "Christian" followers to war against homosexuls, liberals, or any others who refuse to follow the black and white Dominionist dogma. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." or "Find the sin in others and bury them."?
2007-08-27 05:42:09 · 23 answers · asked by socrates 6 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
Throughout the Old Testament, "God" (Yahweh) was all about violence. He ordered the slaughter of innocent people for no reason other than He wanted the Jews to have the land. I'd say that since the "Trinity" are all supposed to be one God, He was a God of war.
Jesus, however, taught more about peace and love and what not. And that's where I think alot of fundamentalists lose it. I listened to one rail about homosexuality for 15 minutes, and only mentioned once about loving the person but hating the sin. If I wasn't paying so close attention, I would've figured he wanted us to murder them. But I digress.
Jesus also said "I come not to bring peace, but a sword." So he knew there'd be fighting because of Him. He never said "But don't fight about it."
So, in essence, yes, He is and always was a God of war.
2007-08-27 05:55:56 · answer #1 · answered by Smitty 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Answers: 1. God does exist. 2.Only Christ leads to God. 3.God allows suffering to chastise those whom he wills. 4.Jesus is God the Son. The second person of the blessed trinity. 5.Obviously they will not be judged, but the Word of God states that all will hear of the gospel...many will reject it.(ie.Islam,Mormonism, JW, Unitarianism, Liberalism) 6.You know within yourself when you do something wrong, so yes, there is right and wrong. 7.What about all the wars that have been caused in the name of Politics, Oil, Land, every other religion in the world. Hope that helped.
2016-04-02 01:47:43 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The claim by the Palestinians that he said that God told him to invade Iraq has not been substantiated. Nor is that necessarily what he told them - translations and perceptions inhibit accurate relaying of words.
As for your contention that the Republic is in trouble because you perceive an increase in the numbers of fundamentalists, that's more a bogeyman than a legitimate worry.
How, pray tell, is the 1st Amendment violated? Was a Church of America somehow established by Congress without anybody knowing, with the President being declared "Defender of the Faith"? Or were the rights of people to religious freedom eliminated somehow, again, without anybody knowing?
As for the "separation between church and state", which is NOT in the Constitution, how is this non-existant phrase thus breached?
As for your ridiculous examples, how about citing something factual (i.e. that actually happened), rather than something that seems to only exist in your imagination?
2007-08-27 06:06:40 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Fact of the matter is: Most Christians don’t know that much about Christianity.
The basis of most religions is a sort of blind faith in something that seems to have answers. Religions are too easily hijacked by politicians and people of power. After all everything these people believe is written down in plain text. They’re easy to manipulate by the fear that they’re not being faithful.
Unfortunately this is a very common theme throughout history, and nothing ever good comes from union of state and religion.
2007-08-27 06:45:57 · answer #4 · answered by Incognito 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Religion can be used to bring out the best or the worst in people.
From the earliest times, religion was used to reinforce the power of political leaders. Kings and warlords had priests to appear with them and tell the people that their king had been chosen for them by God. In fact the 'divine right' of kings was one idea that our country was founded to do away with. But apparently it's just human nature. I've had people tell me that God got involved in Florida in 2000 to put Bush in the White House.
It's always easy to conflate religion with nationalism. Part of the American Myth is that our nation is favored by God. This has always been a very popular idea among a certain stripe of fundamentalist Christian. Religion can be used to justify such beliefs simply because people -want- to believe them.
I agree with you, sometimes it seems that some American Christians have completely lost sight of Jesus' teachings. Jesus taught the brotherhood of man, love thy neighbor, even love thy enemies. Corrupt Christian leaders reinterpret him as favoring greed and selfishnessness, imperialism and hegemony, the few getting rich at the expense of the many and using whatever force necessary to do it.
2007-08-27 05:58:17 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
the Christian right is becoming more and more feral for a good reason. as they become ever more marginalized and redundant they will continue to increasingly behave like a cornered rabid dog, lashing out as their sanity and control slip away...
they are becoming so defensive and reactionary because society is becoming inevitably more free for more people, more tolerant, and America is no longer their little 1950's playground of "Judeo-Christian values".
We should all cheer as they become a more polarizing and fundamentalistic force. The more furious and sectarian they become will only serve to accelerate the rate at which society as a whole rejects their bigoted hatred and fictitious "values"
the religious fundamentalist right will destroy their own religion, just as they have already destroyed whatever credibility they once had.
2007-08-27 06:05:08 · answer #6 · answered by Free Radical 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Nothing wrong with having a pretend friend - but why do the Christians, Muslims and Jews pretend friends endorse killing, torture and rape?
Not a very nice pretend friends I'd say!
Ever hear of a Buhdist terrorist?
How about a Hindu bus bomber?
Nope - just those 3-religions that came out of that forsaken desert seem to have cornered the market on violence and intolerance - thaey all should be banned from the face of the earth. Maybe then peace could be realized!
2007-08-27 06:01:04 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
Glory Hallelujah, Praise the lord.
2007-08-27 05:55:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
(10-07) 04:00 PDT Jerusalem -- President Bush told two high-ranking Palestinian officials that he had been told by God to invade Afghanistan and Iraq and then create a Palestinian state to bring peace to the Middle East, they recall during a documentary on Middle East peace that airs next week in Britain.
"President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God,' " said Nabil Shaath, who was the Palestinian foreign minister at the time of a top-level meeting with Bush in June 2003. Mahmoud Abbas, then Palestinian prime minister and now the Palestinian Authority president, was also present for the conversation with Bush.
"God would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.' And I did, and then God would tell me, 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq ...' And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, 'Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East.' And by God I'm gonna do it," Shaath quotes the president as saying in the three-part series.
--------------------------------------------
The separation of church and state is a legal and political principle derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase separation of church and state is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists, where Jefferson spoke of the combined effect of the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The phrase itself does not appear in the Constitution, but it has been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court.[1]
-Sorry, separation of church and state is in the constitution. But Republicans want to ban Gay Marriage, where is that in the constitution?
2007-08-27 05:52:27 · answer #9 · answered by Ellinorianne 3 · 3⤊ 4⤋
Well said. Its long overdue that decent Americans--of all faiths or none--realized that the far right have substituted a political ideology of hat for the love andmercy of Christ. They are not Christians, except in name.
2007-08-27 05:55:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋