Yes, indeed.
As the chestnut goes.. some of my best friends.. :-)
It is as stupid to imagine that "All Christians Suck" as it would be to imagine that "All non-Christians are Saints - except they don't like that descriptive word". Obviously.
I'm sure you are correct re the modified (and mollifed) teaching of late in many denominations, the earnest revulsion of much that has been done "in His Name" in more ignorant eras.. and the general folly of that hubris which presumes that Righteousness comes via professing me-too to a certain Credo one has memorized. Much would *have* to have been toned down, for modern ears (?) But it remains in 'Scripture'.. and for (too) many: that is deemed a license to play a really sick OT-God, homo-sap version.
Fundamentalists of any stripe are a quite Other matter. I'm not at all comfortable with the fact that: rarely do I ever see a Christian actively disavowing the horrendous rantings of (here: it is often "late-night" on Tee Vee or radio) those who Will "tell you what the Bible Really Means". I see that you may Not have a C-Gestapo which 'corrects' the infirm and deranged via their own methods (fun as that sounds).
But as with errant MDs - another "service provider" - there are at least provisions for defrocking those who kill too many too quickly, via methods seen to have been deranged. No, these don't work very well (here) either - but they are at least "on the books". <<
In brief, where has been the funding for Counter- air time, from honest Christians: explaining that it is NOT nice to post hit-lists and to incite mouth-breathers to ~'Kill a Queer for Christ' ??
Silence is ever taken to be tacit acquiescence. It's a lot of trouble, some expen$e to mount a 'counter' to the veritably offensive - but such opposition could be only much more effective, were some actual Christians to stand up and say [cleaned up, natch].
"This jackal is a POS, has entirely mangled the meaning of our tenets and is spewing hatred from his own personal Hell right here in River City. You may NOT go out and kill people 'for God': Got It? Good. ..And it will take more than some Hail Marys for you to atone for your acts of shame, Oh gullible jerks!" (first draft) Seems to me this Would be "the Christian thing to do" [??]
{sigh} (Anyway, I'm sure that, had you met one Father Miller MB Sale - in another Time - we both would have concurred about a Christian speaking no less than wisdom, while also daring to debunk pure sh*t.)
Lastly, my philosophical objections to the main model doesn't cut any ice vs anyone else's. Homo saps are entitled to any bizarre drum beat they like to march to: until they cross the line into political actions, vicious actions and exhorting to same - which Are in my province to oppose - especially when they append, "God Told Me to Do It"
Y'know?
Ashton
PS - re the list of things on your 'disapproval list'
I Know whatcha mean..
Personally, I disapprove of the heard-of-hearing folks' lame 'excuse'. Obviously God wants Everyone to hear == The Same Exact Way. (Those with too little Faith just won't exercise the proper Willpower in order to behave as God intended they behave.) We must Help them to Change.
Same deal with those clods who can't carry a tune but like to paint n'stuff... Yeah they *say* they just Can't Do It, but it's just an excuse to evade listening to the hymns properly. If they really loved God: They Could Change Themselves, but - maybe with the help of some Righteous trainers: it can be just as-if they were never born (the way in fact They Were Born).
Now as to the celebrity National Figures of Greed
Who !? is *Helping* *Them* to see their Sins? No funding for this project???
...But plenty for remanufacturing queers.. better than New? Who Decides this stuff ?? Are you On that Committee? Why no action? Are Some Sins more Popular than Others -- so they get the funding for correctional efforts?
Then there's wife-beating - when She won't stay in her Place. Funding for that one? As large as the queer correction project?
Y'know?
(Any more on your short list?)
