This is clearly lunacy, seething hatred, and flagrant irrationality. It's time for the far Right Cranks to stop!
These men worship so vile a deity and are so disgusting, inhumane, and contemptible ... I'll stop there, the following video speaks for itself.
VILLIANS!!!
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But Matt, this is consistent with Christianity. Granted that this priest cannot know the reasons for this tragedy, but in the Christian mythology God eradicates people constantly with natural disaster for acting in a way that is not God approved. For instance, Noah's Ark and Sodom and Gomorrah, for instance. With the sort of God that most Christians worship, it seems perfectly acceptable to at least entertain the idea that natural disasters are sent by God to punish evil. The Christian God has done it before and since that God is unchanging, why would It change tactics? I do not see any reason for a Christian, in the traditional sense, take offense with natural disasters as punishment. Such punishment is part of the basis of Christianity. Unless one wishes to take issue with Christianity, then one should not take issue with Christians using Scripture to understand the horrible things in the world.
ReplyDeleteMr. C
"this is consistent with Christianity." Within some types perhaps, but not with Christianity as it was intended; certainly not the Christianity of its earlest few centuries.
ReplyDelete"the sort of God that most Christians worship," I am highly sceptical of this claim. "MOST" is probably false and certainly not established. I've know, read, and heard speak, AT LEAST as many Christians that do not believe in or worship such a God as those who do.
The examples you use from the bible are really not relevant. Not every Christian believes those stories really happened and that God is really like that. A great many do not believe this at all.
"Such punishment is part of the basis of Christianity." Not really. Unless it is also part of Judaism and Islaam. For they have many of the same tales.
Again a Christian, Jew, or Muslim who is a scriptural literalist and believes all these things really happened may believe that God punishes people with natural disasters. Most theologians and clergy I have known, read and worked with, do not believe this and find it disgusting. In fact, many Christians I know don't believe God ever punishes, not here or in the afterlife; they don't believe in hell. Not every christian has the same belief system.
Christianity is not necessarily committed to a literal reading of scripture. No religion MUST read their scripture that way.
But that is only half the problem with what Robertson said. The story about the "pact with the devil" was completely fictitious! This never happened, so what hav they do be punished for?? E
"This is consistent with Christianity." Within some types perhaps, but not with Christianity as it was intended; certainly not the Christianity of its earliest few centuries.
ReplyDeleteYou may be correct, that the Christianity of its earliest few centuries disbelieved major parts of the Bible. I do not know about that. I’m talking about the other 20 or so centuries of Christianity that took the Bible as the absolute truth. As for it not being consistent “with Christianity as it was intended”, it has not come to my attention that the ‘true’ Christianity has been revealed. I do not know how one could ever verify how Christianity was intended, or who was doing the intending. My suspicion is what you mean is what you want Christianity to be intended as or believe it to be. But, I am certainty open to proof of this ‘true’ Christianity. Regardless, I was referring to the text that is definitive and central to all major forms of Christianity: The Bible.
“The examples you use from the bible are really not relevant.”
Actually, they are. That God punishes with natural disasters is established by these examples. Now, what every liberal, trendy new age Christian believes does not change that. No matter what anyone believes, these two examples are in the Bible and show how God in Christian Scripture deals with what he denotes as evil.
“Not every Christian believes those stories really happened and that God is really like that. A great many do not believe this at all.”
How many is a ‘great many’? Millions? How have you established this? Ah, Christianity is such a wonderful religions. You can pick and choose what you believe in or ditch the central Holy Text completely and still be considered Christian. Don’t like a part of the Bible? Part of the Bible not to your liking? A Biblical Law is against your desires? Well, ditch that text.
"Such punishment is part of the basis of Christianity." Not really.” Well, what about judgment day? Hell? Where do the bad people go? What does God do to bad people? Punishment is all through the Bible, beginning with Genesis with Adam and Eve. The whole beginning of the Bible is punishment and goes through the whole Bible, even after the forgiveness of Jesus. Sinners still are punished according to Jesus, for if I remember right it is only believers that go to heaven. The non-believes go somewhere else, kind of nasty place called Hell. And, of course this includes Judaism and Islam. I hold that completely and will state it to everyone. I stated Christianity because that is what Roberston said he was.
“Most theologians and clergy I have known, read and worked with, do not believe this and find it disgusting.” I’m sure that you know many theologians and clergy, read many of their works that do not believe this. But, unless this number approaches the majority of Christendom, this is not relevant.
“In fact, many Christians I know don't believe God ever punishes, not here or in the afterlife; they don't believe in hell. Not every Christian has the same belief system.” This doesn’t matter at all. I was talking about Traditional Christianity. Sure, liberal trendy Christians have made God and Jesus like a Care Bear, but that is not Traditional Christianity.
”Christianity is not necessarily committed to a literal reading of scripture.” Don’t care. Not my point at all.
:No religion MUST read their scripture that way.” interesting point. But they had better have a really good argument so that they don’t fall into arbitrariness or subjectivism. Most people who ditch parts of the Bible or reject this or that part of Christianity do it because of their own desires and their own agenda. But you are right, no religion must read their Scripture a certain way, but none can delete large tracks because it does not meet their approval. This fellow Robertson is keeping with Traditional Christianity. That was my point.
Mr. C