I found this link via Opus. Take some time to read the comments, they are fascinating and challenging.
2 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Of course Christianity is a religion. The Oxford American Dictionary's description says that religion is, "The Belief in, and worship of, a superhuman, esp. a personal god or gods". I think there's nary a Christian who would deny such a statement as being applicable to their own faith.
On the other hand, we are not all of us "religionists", which is defined by the same dictionary as: "One marked by excessive religious zeal". No doubt there are many "religionists" out there, usurping Christianity's good name for the rest of us, but the majority of us Christians are religious by definition.
Of course, we are the only religion that holds "belief and worship" to be a part of a relationship with said personal God. Consequently, we are both.
I read the post in question, and my impression of it was that it was simply another atheist offering up a generalizing, vague attack against Christians, because of the marketing tactics of some of Christianity's constituency, and subsequently applying the rule across the board to all Christians.
The problem with such a perspective is that it fails to take into account the fact that there are hundreds of denominations, thousands of churches in the United States alone, and millions of self-ascribed Christians in this country. Consequently, there are vastly differing perspectives on theology, and probably as much (if not more) heated debate within Christianity between differing viewpoints, as there is between Christians and non-Christians. So to use one constituency's poorly thought-out proselytizing tactic as the ultimatum for all members of a vastly large religion seems rather ill-considered to me.
But it ain't all buttons and charts, little albatross. You know what the first rule of flyin' is? Well I suppose you do, since you already know what I'm about to say.It's Love. You can know all the math in the 'Verse, but take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her home.
2 comments:
Of course Christianity is a religion. The Oxford American Dictionary's description says that religion is, "The Belief in, and worship of, a superhuman, esp. a personal god or gods". I think there's nary a Christian who would deny such a statement as being applicable to their own faith.
On the other hand, we are not all of us "religionists", which is defined by the same dictionary as: "One marked by excessive religious zeal". No doubt there are many "religionists" out there, usurping Christianity's good name for the rest of us, but the majority of us Christians are religious by definition.
Of course, we are the only religion that holds "belief and worship" to be a part of a relationship with said personal God. Consequently, we are both.
I read the post in question, and my impression of it was that it was simply another atheist offering up a generalizing, vague attack against Christians, because of the marketing tactics of some of Christianity's constituency, and subsequently applying the rule across the board to all Christians.
The problem with such a perspective is that it fails to take into account the fact that there are hundreds of denominations, thousands of churches in the United States alone, and millions of self-ascribed Christians in this country. Consequently, there are vastly differing perspectives on theology, and probably as much (if not more) heated debate within Christianity between differing viewpoints, as there is between Christians and non-Christians. So to use one constituency's poorly thought-out proselytizing tactic as the ultimatum for all members of a vastly large religion seems rather ill-considered to me.
Happy graduation, buddy!
I really wanted to be there...
How was it?
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