Three Myths of Christianity:
Morality vs. Ethics
by Earl Lee
In debating various self-proclaimed "Christian" spokespersons over the years, I have discovered that they present many vague and erroneous ideas as established truths. These are three of the myths used by Christians quite often in defending their dubious ideas:
Myth 1: Christianity is important to our society because it serves as a moral rudder. Morality is necessary for a society to exist. Some standards must exist for people to follow or society will decay and eventually collapse, as did the Roman Empire.
Answer: The ancient Greeks proved that it is possible to have an ethical culture without having a religiously "moral" culture. The focus of ethics is on behavior; for example, the ethical standard "If you can do no good, at least do no harm" focuses on making choices in behavior. The focus of morality, on the other hand, is to avoid behavior proscribed by political and religious authorities. Many of Christ's teachings have a strong ethical content, above and beyond the Judaic law and its moral commands of "Thou shalt not . . . ." For example, the teaching of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is an ethical teaching that is often perverted by Christian moralists who interpret this to mean: "Do unto others as God (the Bible, the Pope, etc.) would have you do unto them." The ethical teaching is lost in the effort to enforce a religious code or standard.
Generally, from the standpoint of ethics, Christianity has been a dismal failure. Centuries of religious intolerance, warfare, and persecution have proven this beyond any reasonable doubt. Even without the perspective of history it is clear that many religious people are not very ethical. This is true not only of ministers and television evangelists but of religious communities in general, as evidenced by numerous recent sexual abuse scandals. People who complain about sexual abuses are often themselves ostracized by their church. The book "Doc": the Rape of the Town of Lovell shows in glaring detail how a Mormon church in Wyoming rallied around a rapist who was an elder in the church in order to defend him from his accusers.
In terms of property crimes and violent crimes, American prisons are filled with religious people, especially Christians and Moslems. On the other hand, atheists very rarely end up in prison and statistically, for as long as data have been collected, atheists have been proportionally under-represented in prison populations.
The argument that Christians are more ethical seems to be based on the fact that a non-believer who has grown up in a predominately Christian environment obviously tends to "convert" to Christianity in times of trouble as a solution to drinking problems, marital problems, legal problems, etc. A non-believer who has gotten into trouble (Charles Colson, Johnny Cash, Eldridge Cleaver, and others) and "finds Christ" often does display better behavior as a "born again" Christian, but this is also true for people who convert to other religions or philosophies. Furthermore, the people who continue in their new belief are far outnumbered by those who fall into their old habits. Charles Bufe's book Alcoholics Anonymous: Cult or Cure? cites studies that show that alcoholics who are religiously indoctrinated in AA meetings do not recover from alcoholism at higher percentages than alcoholics who do not attend AA.
But even in comparing the ethics of Christians with non-believers their argument falters. Recent studies comparing believers with nonbelievers show that there is really very little difference between these groups in terms of ethical behavior. In fact, in the few studies that have been done, non-believers often come out better -- less rigid, less likely to commit violence against their neighbors -- than Christians. Even these non-religious people, people brought up with no ethical training beyond what they receive in our schools and through television and our consumer- oriented culture, are more ethical than the Christians. The parable of the good Samaritan is still true today.
In a recent book by Bruce Lincoln, Death, War, and Sacrifice: Studies in Ideology and Practice (1991) this idea is further supported. In a recent review, Prof. M. Kohl, of SUNY college of Fredonia, summarizes Lincoln's belief that "... warriors must dehumanize not only their enemy but themselves before they can become instruments of slaughter. In fact, it is precisely when people are supported by a powerful ideological system that they are most disposed to perpetrate atrocities: and one of the chief functions of religion, as of other ideological systems, is to lend legitimacy to those purportedly necessary but unpleasant actions that might otherwise go undone" (Choice Jan '92). The current slaughter in Bosnia, between Christians and Moslems, should be ample evidence for the dehumanizing quality of religious belief.
The practice of confession and repentance, as practiced by Christians, seems to reinforce the delusion that Christians are more happy and well-adjusted than non-Christians. Christians believe strongly in the power of faith to "heal" personal problems and they find it difficult to believe that non-believers could be happy without faith. Yet Thomas H. Davenport's study Virtuous Pagans: Unreligious People in America shows that the non-religious live full and meaningful lives, in spite of the opinions of the religious.
The idea that Christianity is necessary to prevent the collapse of civilization is also false. The Roman Empire collapsed despite having Christianity. The historian Gibbon believed that Rome collapsed in large part because of the spread of Christianity and the way it undermined much of traditional Roman society. Nor did Christianity prevent the fall of Constantinople to the Turks. In fact, on one occasion the Christian crusaders who were sent to protect Constantinople from the Turks instead sacked the city themselves. In terms of ethical behavior, several historians have commented on the fact that the Turks often proved to be superior to the Christians in their concept of personal honor, loyalty, devotion to duty, and other ethical ideals. Now so many fundamentalist and evangelical Christians are obsessed with the End of the World that they ignore trying to preserve the world from destruction: economic, ecological, or atomic. It is true too that an upsurge in "religious" behavior and especially the proliferation of new religions has been recognized by historians as symptomatic of the decline of civilization. Indeed, it may be, as Gibbon believed, that religious "thinking" and behavior is one of the causes of social collapse, rather than a by-product.
Myth 2: Christianity is important as a patron of the arts and sciences, and of learning in general. Much of Western art is inspired by religious themes. The preservation of Greek civilization was led by monastic orders and helped bring about the Renaissance.
Answer: Much of Western art is devoted to religious themes and it is true that the clergy and churches were once important sources of income for artists, at least in the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Today, however, most religions are not particularly interested in art, except architecture. One can easily argue that limiting the great artists of the past to religious themes may have done more to hinder the development of artistic ideas than help it.
This can be proven by simply listening for a few minutes to a radio station that plays "Christian" rock music. The lack of originality is appalling. Most Christian rock musicians shamelessly rip off the style and music of mainstream rock musicians. The lyrics of these religious tunes are vapid and often downright silly as they struggle to create "love" songs that supposedly describe their religious love of God. Today, the best religious music is written by performers who are artists in a real sense and for whom religion is a side issue, an aspect of their art, rather than the sole purpose for their art. In another context they might just as easily sing about Vishnu as Christ.
Christian aesthetics are equally blighted. Read, for example, Francis Schaeffer's How Should We Then Live? or go to see it in the film version. Schaeffer mauls the history of Western art and philosophy, often betraying his own ignorance of the subject about which he claims expertise. Like most ideologues, including the Nazis, Schaeffer is happy only with realism and naturalism in art. He even goes so far as to claim that Michelangelo's statue of David is not "Christian" art, because the historical David was circumcised. Because Michelangelo's "David" is not circumcised and is not therefore a historically accurate representation, he claims that the statue is, in reality, secular humanist art, not Christian.
Since Schaeffer's argument for Christian truth and "realism" can be applied to most of Western art since the Medieval era -- realism was not an important artistic movement until the 19th century -- we can safely claim that none of the great art of the past is Christian -- almost all of Western art is Humanist and therefore an argument for more Humanism.
Myth 3: Christianity is necessary as a bulwark of democracy around the world. Christianity is the religion of the Founding Fathers and an integral and necessary part of our government. Without Christianity, our government would descend into chaos.
Answer: The claim that the United States is a "Christian" nation is poorly defended. Most ministers like to point to the Pledge of Allegiance as "proof" that America is Christian. The line "one nation, under God, indivisible" is frequently cited as evidence. Unfortunately, most people do not realize that the phrase "under God" was inserted into the Pledge in 1954! Furthermore, the original Pledge of Allegiance dates from the Civil War, where the emphasis was on the "one nation, indivisible" part; it is not a holdover from the time of the Revolutionary War.
There is plenty of evidence, on the other hand, that the Founding Fathers, the movers and shakers of the Revolutionary war were Deists and/or members of liberal Protestant religions. Most were aware of the problems of religious persecution in Europe and fought for the separation of church and state in this country. They were not favorably disposed toward the Catholic church or evangelical Christianity and would no doubt find the political claims of the American bishops and Pat Robertson offensive, or downright bizarre. Christianity does not and should not now enjoy a privileged position in American government.
There is plenty of evidence, furthermore, that Christianity has done actual harm to the political process. The sort of warped political thinking currently put forth by Pat Robertson on the 700 Club, his subtle manipulation of public opinion, does a great deal of damage to our idea of what government is for. Most recently, Robertson has quietly promoted the political aspirations of David Duke, whose ultra-right-wing credentials are impeccable. Many evangelical churches support ultra-right-wing repression within their denominations, through their financial and political support of authoritarian regimes, both here and overseas.
Similarly, in Central and South America, many churches are being drawn into the "Liberation Theology" movement. If mixing Communism and Catholicism produces anything liberating, I would be willing to believe that mixing gasoline and kerosene would create a good flame retardant. "Liberation theology" is a contradiction of terms, like "creative science."
Looking back at the history of the church in Latin America, we ought to remember that Mikail Bakunin, in one of his political polemics, described the Indians who lived under Jesuit control in Paraguay as the most wretched people on the face of the earth. The Jesuits easily maintained their control over the Indians, because an even worse fate, slavery or death, awaited those Indians who fell into the hands of the Spanish.
Similarly, in 20th-century Poland, the Church has been active in supporting Lech Walesa against the communist establishment, but I don't think anyone believes that the clergy is doing this out of the goodness of their hearts! The Church wants to replace the Communists as the rulers of Poland -- liberation is the furthest thing from its mind. In the wake of the collapse of Communism throughout Eastern Europe the Church is moving into the void and pushing for -- guess what! -- government funding for churches and church schools and more anti-abortion legislation.
In fact, even before the collapse of communism, the Church was able to negotiate effectively with the communist oligarchy. After all, both institutions are authoritarian, both understand power politics, and both are based on bureaucratic structures that continue to exist by looking out for their own self-interest while mercilessly crushing any potential opposition.
In this country, the churches are somewhat restrained in their behavior, although I have seen churches hand out lists of "approved" candidates on the Sunday before an election. The idea of "democracy" is really foreign to most churches, which are based on authoritarian top-down structures -- especially organizations run by television evangelists, the Mormon church, the Assemblies of God, etc.
Until churches develop more democratic internal structures, it is ridiculous to expect them to support "democracy" in secular government. Even those churches that have relatively democratic organizations often preach for more church control over the lives of the non-religious. Since they have found "The Answer," they are only too willing to force their "Answer" down the throats of their fellow citizens through more government intervention in our daily lives.
ON COPING WITH CHRISTIANS
cope: deal effectively or contend with - The New Little Oxford Dictionary
There are Christians who will kill you if you don't agree with their understanding of the will of god. There is nothing new about this. Other Christians think these Christians are nuts who do not understand the Christian religion. The kill your neighbor Christians are more dangerous than the love your neighbor Christians. There are hundreds of groups, with wildly different beliefs and ends, all calling themselves Christians. The disagreements among these heterogeneous believers over correct interpretations of the supernatural makes coping with them confusing.
In general, Christians share a superstition, believed on faith not evidence (if it could be proved, there would be no need for faith), that human life will continue after death, with rewards from the deity for believers who believe that some twenty centuries ago the son of god (the Christ) came back to life after dying for their sins. The Christ went to heaven to be with god. People who die accepting this get to join him. The bible is the sacred text, the word of god.
A growing number of Christians treasonably want to establish their version of Christianity as the law of the United States, replacing the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that guarantee Americans freedom from having to follow somebody else's religion. These fanatics think the bible infallibly prohibits abortion, disproves evolution, regulates sexuality, and gives them the authority from god to tell everyone else what they can do, see, read or think. Government by bible is a scary idea. A literal belief in the bible mandates that people be stoned to death if they don't follow the religious rules, including rules prohibiting criticizing anything about the religion. The bible also approves of slavery, and encourages the beating of children and the subjugating of women. It presents a violent, vain, bloodthirsty god who continually changes the rules, punishes people for the sins of their ancestors, and has never heard of computers or democracy. Christians who believe the bible teaches a god of love, mercy and tolerance and who understand that religion can only flourish when there is no official religion are baffled by the fanatics. They had better be afraid--very afraid--they might be stoned for blasphemy along with those secular humanists. The coming civil war over religious freedom will make strange bedfellows indeed. The fundangelicals are at one with that Pope, Islamic fanatics, and the teachings of Hitler on prohibiting reproductive freedom. More reasonable Christians may join nonbelievers in defending the wall of separation between church and state that gives democracy its vitality.
Christians whose religious addiction has not become terminal can be shown that democracy and fundamentalist Christianity are incompatible. They must choose, in the coming civil war, if they are going to be patriotic Americans and support the cause of constitutional democracy that gives religious freedom to all, or if they will permit themselves to be controlled by a world view that rejects evolution and progress for the beliefs of prescientific Bronze Age nomadic tribes.
Neurotics build castles in the air--psychotics move in. Even paranoids can have real enemies, and it is not unreasonable to observe that Christians who take the bible as an absolute guide to faith and practice and believe it is god's will that America be made into their idea of a Christian nation are capable of starting a civil war to further these ends. They are already organizing a "militia" to defend their beliefs against godless humanism in schools, hospitals, libraries, and government. Believers are taught what firearms and ammunition are best suited for winning America for Christ. These people are serious and will not stop. Proof of their intent is readily available in their literature and in their rantings on your local fundamentalist radio talk show. Further proof is seen on the national news as religious crazies commit acts of terrorism--bombing clinics, killing doctors, burning books and generally threatening and intimidating anyone who doesn't consent to being governed by their superstitions. And their leaders urge them on, preaching encouragement to those who know god wants them to kill those who dare follow a different drummer.
Coping with Christians demands different techniques depending on the degree of progression of the individual believer's addiction. Coping with the lunatics may be a matter of pure survival and armed resistance if the rule of law fails to contain them. This would be pure civil war, a repeat of the dark histories of religious wars that the United States was established to avoid. Coping with more rational Christians involves understanding that while they do not want to hurt you, they do believe that they are going to heaven and that you are going to hell. This may limit dialogue.
The majority of Christians (you'd better hope) are decent caring folk of the live let live variety. They want what nonbelievers want: peace, happiness, meaningful relationships, expansion of knowledge, freedom from fear and hunger and the right to do their thing while permitting their neighbors to do theirs. These Christians generally have only a limited knowledge of the bible (the feel good parts) and would be horrified at some of the brutalities it advocates and the absurd contradictions they would have to accept if they were to become true bible believing Christians. These cafeteria Christians take what they like and ignore the rest. Nor do they fully understand what is at stake when fanatics want our country to have an official religion. These folks have accepted the faith of their fathers without critical inquiry; they see it as the basis of morality, community, and social order. <span style='color:blue'>Some spend their lives in a childlike faith (recommended by the Christ) and mythical fantasy world that prevents them from becoming self actualizing adults. This is why some Christians grow old without growing up.</span>
So coping with Christians requires strategies ranging from tolerant acceptance and cooperation to self defense. The human race is constantly evolving and may eventually learn we can get along without a need for belief in the supernatural. But for many people that time is not now and should never come.
Religion is not the answer--it is the problem. Everything considered, we would be better off without it.
Are the Gospels True?
a look at the nativity/infancy teachings
article authored and submitted by Bruce White
Bruce's article is also available HERE
This short article will focus upon the nativity and infancy stories of Jesus, using exclusively, the Bible. All quotes are taken from the New International Version for clarity of modern readers. The problem with the Bible is that it claims to be internally validated and modern inerrantists insist that it the absolute, error-free, inspired words of the living God. Even non literalist Christians must presuppose that certain aspects in the Bible are factual, or the basis of Christianity has no basis.
The following are what are considered fundamental events that this applies to:
* The physical birth of Jesus
* The physical existence of Jesus as a teacher/prophet
* The physical death of Jesus upon the cross
* The physical resurrection of Jesus
As this article is short, I am only addressing the nativity/infancy narratives. The only evidence attesting to the actual life and work of Jesus is contained entirely in the Gospels of the New Testament. No information that was contemporary of Jesus exists in any form, biblical or secular. What we do have are the four gospels, which were written years afterwards. The issue then is can a reasonable person accept with reasonable certainty of the historical existence of Jesus, based upon the accounts of the gospel?
My conclusion is that we cannot accept the gospel narratives as a reasonable basis for believing in the historical Jesus. To digress a bit, if Jesus actually lived and had the impact that Christianity claims he had on the secular and religious life of Judea there would have been contemporary records. Several contemporary authors in Judea wrote extensive works concerning the movements in Judea, geography, politics and other items. In none of these is the existence of Jesus even mentioned once, and he was supposed to had such an impact that the Jewish leaders and Romans jointly conspired to crucify him.
Now to get to the information attesting to his birth and the events following; If Jesus actually was born, the narratives surrounding him in the different gospel accounts should be substantially the same. I say substantially the same, because I am giving the human authors the benefit of the doubt on minor details. For instance, I could describe a trip that my family took to another city and talk about a stop at a gas station. My wife could also describe the trip and not mention the gas station. Both stories are true, one has minor differences that neither take away or add anything substantial to the story of the trip. Is this what we find in the nativity/infancy narratives in the gospels? No, it is not. what we do find are two mutually exclusive accounts. This leaves us with a few choices.
1. One of the stories is fictional and the other is substantially accurate
2. Both of the stories are incorrect about an actual event
3. Both stories are fictional and were manufactured about a non-existent event
What is this event/ It is simply the alleged birth narratives about non other than Jesus Christ, the embodiment of God on Earth. Since the Bible claims that it is the actual words of an omniscient (all knowing) God, then this should be impossible. However, if the existence of Jesus and hence his birth are fictional accounts, written to justify a pre-held belief system by different people, then mutually exclusive accounts are explainable. but again, as this is the inerrant words of the living God, they must both be correct or none of it has any credibility.
of the four gospels, only Matthew and Luke deal at all with the nativity and infancy events. Mark and John are silent on the subject.
It should also be noted that the town of Nazareth DID NOT even exist until the 2nd century A.D. Before that, the site where Nazareth has been since the 2nd century was a Jewish graveyard. It is a violation of Jewish law to have a graveyard inside a city. As an aside, modern archeology demonstrates the 2nd century foundation of Nazareth and the tourist places, supposedly Joseph and Son's Carpentry Shop and the house of Jesus are in caves, which were Jewish burial chambers. Jewish people have never lived in caves, in a town or a grave yard.
Conclusion:
1. The word of God is not inerrant, which is obvious from this one example.
2. Jesus and family could not be in Egypt and Jerusalem/Nazareth at the same time.
3. The Herodian Murder of the Innocents is likewise a fictional flourish, especially if Jesus didn't have to go to Egypt. But also because no contemporary Jewish or Roman historian even noted it.
4. The prophecy fulfillment claimed by the Nazareth home is false, because no prophecy of that sort exists of the messiah or anyone being called a Nazarene.
5. Since Nazareth did not exist until the 2nd century, when the gospels were being written, this also demonstrates conclusively that the Jesus myth is exactly that, a myth and not based upon reality.
<img src='http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41GYRWA9DAL._SS500_.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
From Minister to Honest Doubter: Why I Changed My Mind
Recently former Christian minister and author John W. Loftus contacted me and sent me a copy of his new book, âFrom Minister to Honest Doubter: Why I Changed My Mind.â
Let me start off by stating categorically that this book is an absolute âmust haveâ for anyone who has left the Christian faith or is having serious intellectual doubts about the Christian religion.
While the book starts out explaining some of his experiential reasons for leaving Christianity, the 216-page volume goes far beyond a mere personal testimony and dives deeply into the elemental contradictions and concerns that weaken the underpinning of âthe faith which was once delivered unto the saints.â (Jude 1:3)
Most readers will not find Loftusâ book one that can be adequately absorbed in an evening. Written in the style of a collegiate thesis, the plethora of scholarly works referenced in this publication places it amongst the better resources for the honest student. To do the volume justice one must be willing to follow the research that has been carefully documented by Loftus. For those without the time or interest to explore the mountain of references, this book will, none-the-less, provide a significant store for future study when time or necessity dictates.
Loftus does not come away from Christianity with the deep bitterness that affects many in de-conversion, but rather retains admiration for the good influence Christianity had on his own youth. Loftus deals evenly with the issues, carefully explaining the strengths and weaknesses of each argument.
Loftusâ coverage of the problems inherent in the claims of Christianity is comprehensive. It is obvious he did not quickly abandon traditional Christianity as the result of personal trials but spent long months questioning each of his own thoughts. Much of what he wrote sounds like an echo of many of my own introspections except expressed through the well oiled mind of an academia.
Hundreds of topics are broadly explored, any one of which could realistically occupy months of study, but two in particular struck chords in my own psyche.
On page 72 he discusses the problem of unanswered prayer. One Christian answer to this nagging concern is that we humans often have wrong motives in prayer. Loftus writes the following:
<i>
âGod is under no obligation to answer selfish prayers. (James 4:3) Conversely, our prayers must seek to glorify God not us. God is under no obligation to answer prayers that fail to give glory to God. (John 14:13; II Corinthians 12:9-10). We may not even know what would bring God the most glory. (John 9:3)
But there are some very strong arguments that indicate there is nothing a human can do or say that are completely free of selfish motives. Psychological Egoism, for instance, is the theory that everything we do, even if in some small degree, benefits us the most. Even if we donât take the extreme stance, most all of what we do is done from motives that benefit ourselves first. Most all of our prayers contain some selfish motives..â
</i>
It has been my own opinion for several years now that even the simple sinnerâs prayer for salvation is ultimately a selfish act to avoid hell and gain heaven. While Christians maintain they believe because they love the Lord, without the promise of a happy eternal life in heaven I seriously doubt there would be many Christians in the world. Even Paul admitted in I Corinthians 15:19: âIf only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.â But I digress.
Another section that gave me marked pause for reflection is discussed on page 49, âFaith and Reason.â Quoting the English Mathematician W.K Clifford who lived from 1845-1879, Loftus says this:
<i>
âIn order for a religious belief-system to be properly and rationally accepted, it must be possible to prove that the belief-system is true.â âIt is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.â
</i>
From there Loftus recounts a tragic story of a ship captain who stifled doubts about the sea-worthiness of his ship choosing to rely completely on the providence of God. The ship sank killing all aboard.
âAccording to him (Clifford) it is wrong to believe on insufficient grounds, to suppress doubts, or to avoid investigation. It is always right to question all that we believe.â
How often are Christians encouraged to question what they believe?
Loftus admits there are some questions in life that no one can adequately answer. He does take a stance or two with which some ex-Christian readers, including myself, will disagree. Loftus, aware of this, adds this quote at the end of his book: âA conclusion is the place where you got tired thinking.â â Martin Fischer.
Whether or not any of Loftusâ conclusions are the result of mental exhaustion is moot. The point where he stops thinking in his book is significantly further down the road than many would even attempt.
If you are an honest seeker, or an honest doubter; if you truly believe, or truly doubt; I highly recommend you add this book to your collection. Regardless of your agreement or disagreement with the content, you will certainly be given some meaty food for thought.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1kqqMXWEFs
A comedy 3,000 years in the making...
Featured in Rolling Stone, CNN...
Look for Smacky's newest at:
http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/laguna_be...
/series.jhtml
"Summer of Stupid" (more) (less)
<b>Anti-conversion Act: NCM seeks data from states on convictions</b>
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070510/48/6fmg2.html
05-12-2007, 10:13 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-12-2007, 11:11 AM by Husky.)
Pope declares it's time Latin America was reconverted to the other Only True Faith.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/070512/19/13fpr.html
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Saturday May 12, 01:12 PM
<b>Pope gives Brazil its first saint, speaks out against hedonism</b>
Photo : AFPÂ
SAO PAULO (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI on Friday created Brazil's first native-born saint and spoke out against hedonism at a million-strong open-air mass in Sao Paulo as the <b>Catholic Church seeks to extend its missionary reach in the Latin American region.</b>
The mass at Sao Paulo's Campo de Marte elevated Franciscan monk Antonio de Sant'Ana Galvao to sainthood while providing a platform for the pope to condemn "an age so full of hedonism."
The friar, he said, showed that "the world needs transparent lives, clear souls, pure minds." The 80-year-old pontiff blasted "those elements of the media that ridicule the sanctity of marriage and virginity before marriage."
<b>Later Friday, the spiritual leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics met with Brazil's 430 bishops to lay out a blueprint for rebuilding the Church in its stronghold, home to some 155 million faithful.
The Church hopes to reverse the major inroads evangelical faiths have made not only in Brazil, but also across Latin America, a region that represents nearly half of the world's Catholics.
In the speech, the German pontiff urged: "No effort should be spared in seeking out those Catholics who have fallen away."</b>
Acknowledging that "the present is a difficult time for the Church," the pope spoke of the "worrying disorientation" of society, with marriage and the family under attack and "crimes against life (that) are justified in the name of individual freedom and rights."
<b>Within the Church, the pope also lamented the growing questioning of the requirement of priestly celibacy, which he reiterated "is a gift which the Church has received and desires to retain."</b>
Benedict said desertions from the Catholic fold were due primarily to the "the lack of an evangelization completely centered on Christ and his Church."
<b>He said people who are "insufficiently evangelized (are) most vulnerable to the aggressive proselytizing of (evangelical) sects" adding that such people "are easily influenced because their faith is weak, confused, easily shaken and naive, despite their innate religiosity."</b>
(I hope non-catholic Indian christians in India see fit to raise protests against the Pope for his lightly-veiled insults. Keep it non-violent for a change, please.)
Friday's canonization mass was the biggest event in Benedict's five-day trip to Brazil, which is to end Sunday in the nearby sanctuary town of Aparecida, where he is to open a Latin American bishops' conference.
That meeting will also be aimed at giving impetus to the church's missionary reach in the region.
In recent years in Latin America, the Church has lost ground to rival evangelical faiths, as well as to <b>a growing number of people who have abandoned religion altogether.</b>
In Brazil, 64 percent of the population is Catholic, but the figure has fallen from 74 percent a decade ago, according to a recent study. At the same time, the number of evangelical followers has risen to 17 percent from 11 percent, the Datafolha institute said.
<b>Benedict proposed "on every level, a methodical evangelization aimed at personal and communal fidelity to Christ."
He added: "What is required, in a word, is a mission of evangelization capable of engaging all the vital energies present in this immense flock."
Benedict urged that missionaries be sent "to homes on the outskirts of the cities and in the interior," the two areas where Brazil's poor are concentrated.
"The poor ... need to feel that the Church is close to them, providing for their most urgent needs, defending their rights and working together with them to build a society founded on justice and peace," he said.</b>
Benedict also addressed the severe lack of priests in Brazil, where in some places the ratio can be one to 15,000 faithful. While Catholic priests must complete an elaborate seminary education, evangelical pastors need little training.
(Earlier, I had thought it a good idea for Indian catholic christos to play priests and nuns in S and C America. But it's bad enough they terrorise Indians, it would be irresponsible to have them unleashed in Latin America. As it is, the S and C Americans will be exposed to more than enough, what with having to deal with the terrorist evangelicals <i>and</i> catholic missionaries who will be heating up their full-out 'battle over Latin American souls'.)
One response to the problem is to train lay ministers to perform certain priestly functions.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->From stuff above:
(1) <b>"the world needs transparent lives, clear souls, pure minds."</b>
Then don't join christoislam. Be free, be non-religious. Anything, except cults of terror.
(2) <b>Within the Church, the pope also lamented the growing questioning of the requirement of priestly celibacy, which he reiterated "is a gift which the Church has received and desires to retain."</b>
'The Catholic church receives the gift of priestly celibacy':
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>GREGORY VII 1073-1085</b> Pope who made it compulsory for priests to be celibate. In 1074, Gregory with his mistress Countess Matilda by his side, issued an edict ordering his priests to abandon their wives. The alternative, Gregory said, was to be cursed forever. "The whole body of the married clergy offered the most resolute resistance," according to the <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. In his <i>Sex Lives of the Popes</i> Nigel Cawthorne said the effect of Gregory's legislation was to make "virtual prostitutes of the thousands of innocent wives of bewildered and angry little clergymen" and that "Husbands and wives were separated in large numbers ... (and) many abandoned women committed suicide".<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->And let's not forget the wonderful papal invention of the sex tax - taxing priests for having sex:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>URBAN II 1088-1099</b> Introduced sex taxes and the Crusades. At the Council of Piacenza in 1095, some 400 clerics and 30,000 laymen passed a resolution finally outlawing the marriage of priests. The result was that many wives were sold into slavery. Seeing an opportunity, Urban II (1088-99) introduced the infamous <b>cullagium</b> - or sex tax - which allowed a priest to keep a mistress so long as he paid an annual fee.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> ( http://freetruth.50webs.org/C2b.htm )
The church realised it could make a lot of money by taxing clergymen. After all, most people don't find celibacy comes natural. What better way to make money then tax them for one of the seven signs of life. It's a miracle they weren't taxed for the other six.
(3) "The poor ... need to feel that the Church is close to them, providing for their most urgent needs, defending their rights and <b>working together with them to build a society founded on justice and peace</b>"
What? Like how Pinochet and the Church worked together?
Or the justice and peace that catholicism gave to Latin America in the last 5+ centuries?
Catholicism in the Americas was never even <i>founded</i> on justice and peace, unless these two words mean genocide of native Americans.
Must say, I am afraid for the unfortunate Latin Americans. They don't deserve this. They were just starting to loosen up or break free even. Now the Pope is approaching with the chains of the catholic church in his hands again, and it might become a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea for S and C Americans, considering the unappetising alternative to the Roman church being offered. (Personally, I find jumping off a cliff to be a better option than evangelical christianity. In fact, even the fictional christoislamic hell sounds like a wonderful place when one considers that there will no christianity or islam there....)
05-13-2007, 09:44 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-13-2007, 09:56 AM by Husky.)
And the response.
Moderate fortunately, because it's the Latin American Pentacostals taking exception to the pope's comments who are being interviewed here. They don't respond anywhere near as scarily as their N American pentecostal terrorist counterparts (who tend to scream and hiss at the catholic church whenever possible - see bottom of post).
http://au.news.yahoo.com/070513/19/13fza.html
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Sunday May 13, 12:10 PM
<b>Pentecostals stung by pope's charge of 'aggressive' tactics</b>
Photo : AFPÂ
BRASILIA (AFP) - Representatives of pentecostal churches say they are stung by Pope Benedict XVI's charge that they are building membership through "aggressive" attempts to recruit people to their faith.
In Sao Paulo on Friday during his first-ever trip to Brazil, Benedict said people who are "insufficiently evangelized (are) most vulnerable to the aggressive proselytizing of (evangelical) sects -- a just cause for concern."
The pope said such people "are easily influenced because their faith is weak, confused, easily shaken and naive, despite their innate religiosity."
<b>Afonso Soares, a professor of theology at the Catholic Pontifical University of Sao Paulo, said the pope was sending mixed messages.
The confusing signals are apparent with "ecumenical gestures on the one hand, such as when he meets with representatives of other religions, and on the other hand this faux pas when he talks about sects," Soares told AFP by telephone.</b>
"This shows a certain misunderstanding of the ecclesiastical realities of Brazil, where theoretical sticking points are resolved in practice, in joint eucharistic celebrations or in the common struggle against injustice and poverty."
Robson Rodovalho, a deputy of the right-wing opposition Democratic Party, said the pope's characterization made common ground tougher to find.
"This opinion makes dialogue difficult, especially when we must make a big effort to build a Christian faith in order to fight together for values and the defense of the family."
But Rodovalho, who is a bishop in the neo-pentecostal church Sara Notre Terre, which claims a million members across Brazil with 650 houses of worship, added: "We're already used to this Vatican monolith."
"We are not sects," he told AFP. "The basis of our faith is Christian, even if we have different liturgical practices, just as in the Catholic Church where charismatics have a different liturgy without being labeled sects."
The Catholic bishop of Engativa, Colombia, the spokesman of a Latin American bishops conference that the pope is to open on Sunday, however denied that the pope's remarks were offensive.
"The term 'sect' cannot be considered offensive," Bishop Hector Gutierrez told AFP. "It's a word that has designated a wide variety of religious choices.
(Yes, just like catholicism is a sect too.)
"The doors of the Catholic Church are always open to dialogue and conversation with them (the pentecostals), <b>keeping in mind that like with everything there are things that are non-negotiable</b>," he added.
(Translation: Of course we can dialogue, keeping in mind that we are right and you are wrong. In other words: you're going to hell!)
Brazil, with a population of nearly 190 million, has the world's largest concentration of Catholics, but their numbers have fallen in the past decade, from 74 to 64 percent of the population, while the ranks of the evangelists have swelled from 11 to 17 percent, according to a recent survey.
The Catholic Church has especially lost ground in Brazil's megacities where an influx of people from the countryside to low-income suburbs and slums have been drawn to the alternative offered by sects that are highly active there.
A Lutheran who is a social democratic deputy, Julio Rodecker, said he understood that the Catholic Church wanted to recover lost ground, but was concerned over the pope's intransigeance on issues such as abortion and premarital sex.
"Today religion should help improve human life, and for that you need responsible fatherhood and motherhood. You can't have children that you are incapable of raising afterward," Rodecker said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Somewhere at IF it said the communists in India were offended by President Kalam's (or someone else's) reference to christianity as sects. Well, the catholic church - including their pope - has admitted that christianity is a bunch of sects, so there.
<b>ADDED:</b>
And this is how the transaction between the two generally tends to take place (note also the equally-'benign' reaction of N American pentecostals/evangelicals):
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Catholic Crossroads: Latin America - Fight of its life - Philadelphia Inquirer, June 06, 2006
<!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Pentecostalism did not exactly sneak up on Catholicism. In 1989, the Rev. Andrew Greeley described its growth among Latins as "an ecclesiastic failure of unprecedented proportions" for the Vatican. <b>During the 1990s, John Paul II warned of the spreading "oil stain" of competitors that "threaten the structure of faith," and referred to Pentecostal churches as "rapacious wolves" devouring Latin American Catholics.</b>
<b>Pentecostals gave as good as they got, calling the pope "the antichrist" and the Catholic Church "the whore of Babylon."</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->[...]
<i>The Christian Expositor</i>, an evangelical site, in their article Rome - the 'Whore of Babylon?':<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Pope calls evangelicals 'sheep-stealing rapacious wolves' and 'dangerous sects'
...
<b>We are called to 'offend' Catholics with the truth that they are lost and on their way to Hell</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->( http://freetruth.50webs.org/C6.htm )
975 deaths at Catholic healing centre
Thiruvanthapuram (Kerala): The Divine Retreat Centre in Kerala's Muringoor's claim to fame is that it is the largest Catholic healing centre in the world. It's catch line: come away by yourself to a lonely place and rest a while.
However, there is a catch. More than 975 mysterious deaths have happened in the centre - that Kerala Police is now investigating - and there have been allegations of rape and murder.
Says Superintendent of Koratty Police, K J Martin, "Based on the investigations, we have registered a case against the main people from the Divine Retreat Centre. The case has been haded over to a special investigation team now."
<b>Police say that the 975 mysterious deaths took place between 1996 and 2006 - that makes it as many as eight deaths every month for the last 10 years.
Officials say several bodies were disposed of, without informing the police and documents forged to make them look like natural deaths. However, predictably, the centre says all such allegations are baseless.
The centre's director and eight others in the organisation have been booked under various charges including forceful confinement and sexual exploitation.</b>
Says Director of the Divine Retreat Centre, Father George Panackal, "There is no such activity going on inside the centre as has been alleged by the police or by the people who want to malign us. We are here only to serve the poor."
It took an anonymous letter to the Kerala High Court alleging criminal activities to start the police probe at the centre, with the court itself forming the investigating team.
With lakhs of Christian devotees visiting the centre every year, clearly there's more at stake here than just reputations.
05-14-2007, 04:50 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-14-2007, 04:52 AM by Husky.)
http://www.christianaggression.org/item_di...S&id=1178938640
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Southern Baptists face sexual abuse crisis</b>
Posted May 11, 2007
May 15, 2007
Christian Century
Source Link
Five years after the clergy sexual abuse scandal erupted within the Catholic Church, Southern Baptists are confronting their own allegations of abuse and calls for greater steps to protect minors from predatory pastors.
Although the issue seems to be on a smaller scale for the Baptists, a series of media reports, activists' pleas and recent actions in the nation's largest Protestant denomination indicate what Catholic officials have long insisted: that sexual abuse is not a problem confined to their church.
[...]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Baptist. As in Congressman Trent Franks.
It's horrid enough this sect is abusing their own country's children and women. How dare they try and export it elsewhere under cover of some lame resolution. Oftentimes the people who go to missionize elsewhere tend to be abusers or other kinds of genociders:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Akha Tribe, Burma: Sterilization and Blood Theft By Missionaries:
<!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->witnesses have now stepped forward who claim that the <b>American Baptist Missionary Paul Lewis sterilized more than 20,000 Akha Hill Tribe women</b> in Burmaâs Eastern Shan State alone.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Abuse:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->increased evidence that <b>US missions in Thailand are involved in sex abuse and human trafficking.</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> Link
(Trafficking. Again.)
AusAid to fund Missionary Project which removes Akha children: Found a link that works
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Asa and her friends from Emmanuel Gospel Fellowship in Huai Krai of Chiangrai Province are also involved in splitting many villages and paying for conversions of vulnerable villages in order to create community tension and break up.
...
The goal of this organization is to remove as many children as possible, build up a large mission compound to generate more and more backers and more and more wealth. Oversite of the children to prevent sexual abuse is non existent. <b>Sexual abuse of Akha children in these compounds is rife.</b> There is no tracking of where these children go afterwards or what happens to them. The current location of the compound, in a sandy spot in a low area, is also a complete forced change for these children used to mountain views and time with their families.
...
Her husband being a westerner makes the exploitation and fundraising management all that much easier to feed on this whole <b>child removal thing that western missions have been doing for the last four hundred years!</b> Please protest this situation. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is also sexually abusing Akha women: Found a link that works
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->We reiterate, in our interview with NCA staff in Vientiane, they told us that "sex is free with the Akha". We find NCA posturing at this time offensive and offensive to the women in Muang Long and the Akha villages in Muang Long who suffered under the brutal hand of NCA during opium eradication procedures and the <b>rapes and the pregnancies forced on Akha women by NCA staff.</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->( http://freetruth.50webs.org/D4c.htm#Akha )
All of us unconverted people don't need Baptist 'compassion' thanks. (Neither do American Baptist children.)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Â <b>Illegal medical evangelism: Testimony of a foreign missionary who just returned from India </b>
PDFÂ | Print |Â E-mail
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
source:Â Shine with Joy Blog on Xanga.com , May 5, 2007
Dear Family & Friends,
Stephanie and I are back from our trip to India! What an awesome God we serve! Our team of 15 people had safe flights there and back (16 hours!), and had an incredibly easy time in customs in India, which was amazing. You see, each person brought 1 bag for personal luggage, and also a 50lb bag filled with medications (we were a portable pharmacy!). The Hindu government officials could have stopped us and sent us home if they found we were going to do medical evangelism-but God had it all under control, and we did not get stopped even once! Jamoseke! (Praise the Lord!) Thank you for your prayers for our safety!
Also wonderful news, our team was able to see and treat over 1500 people in our medical camps. This included people from rural villages in central India and we also held a camp for Burmese refugees in northern Delhi. The people, mostly women and children, would patiently wait in line for hours just to be seen. There were a lot of people suffering from anemia, malnutrition, worms, tuberculosis, and malaria-problems we donât see much in the USA. Of course, there were problems that are common everywhere- upper respiratory infections, arthritis, ear infections, etc. Every patient received a monthâs supply of multivitamins and a worming pill, as well as anything else they needed. I was amazed at the number of people who were anemic, but the people do not eat meat and do not have many sources of iron. I felt like a giant during our camps, as most of the people were tiny from the lack of good nutrition. Things that are considered simple in the USA are deadly in India; for example we saw a baby whose mother died 2 days prior due to diarrhea.Â
On our trip I brought an evangecube which presents the gospel in picture form ( www.evangecube.org). With the help of a translator, I was able to present it to multiple groups of people waiting for treatment. The man in charge of Evangelism at the Bible academy had never seen an evangecube before, and asked if I could send some more over. So sending enough over for Bible students will now be a goal of mine for the next year! It was awesome to see people crowd around to hear the story of Christ; each time I wondered if they would ever have another chance to hear. Three teenage boys wanted to become Christians, so the native pastors will be doing follow up with them.
     Central India Christian mission was really a spot of hope in the midst of despair. They have a childrenâs home with 50 orphans, a nursing school, a Bible academy, and distribute bags of rice to local children. The mission also is the base for 600 native evangelists who go to unreached villages. The goal is for each evangelist to make contact with 3,000 people one-on-one to present the gospel. We got to attend Sunday service at a local church- 150 people who met, sitting on the floor of their<b> little building that had no air conditioning and only one little light from a generator.</b> I wish you could have seen the joy on the faces of those Christians though-I will never forget how eagerly they sung out praises to God in their native language.
This is dangerous work;<b> we met a young evangelist whose wife had been murdered by Hindu radicals just before Easter</b>. He had also been beaten, his arm still in a cast when we met him. He told us with tears in his eyes that his wifeâs Sunday school class had grown to 180 kids in the 3 years of their work, and that he still planned on returning to the area to preach about Jesus.
I wanted to share some insights I came away with on our trip:
1. The boldness and sacrifice Indian Christians have for Jesus. It put me to shame to see people who gave their all for Christ; they lost jobs, families, homes, money, reputations: all for the sole reason for choosing to follow Christ, rather than Hinduism. And being bold to speak up about their Lord!
2. How easy our lives are in the USA- I never realized the simple things I take for granted, like turning on a water faucet and getting a drink! Owning a car and a house are a luxury! It will be hard to complain here in America when I remember how thankful people are to get a bag of rice!
3. The number of lost people who have yet to hear the Gospel of Jesus. There are so many precious people who have never even heard the name of Jesus! <b>We saw Hindu temples and shrines all over! There are town with millions of people where there is only 1 evangelist workingâ¦Yet it was encouraging to see the work the native missionaries can do at 1/10th the cost of an American missionary. It takes only $75-100 a month to support a native missionary, so even if I canât physically be there, I can help support the work! </b>
     Again, thank you for your prayers and support! I was so humbled by the support I received and encouraged to know that you were all behind me! It was only with your help that I was able to go on this life-changing trip in the first place! I know God has His hand of protection on us due to your prayers! And thank you for praying for the Indian people-keep praying that God will raise up more workers to go! Pray for the evangelists as they reach people for our Lord!
I love you all! Oleg also sends his love! He was so supportive during the trip-he had sent me a letter to read each day that had verses and encouragement! J
May the Lord bless you and keep you!
Much Love,
Sylvia Joy Zakusilov
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
05-16-2007, 08:31 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-16-2007, 08:42 PM by Husky.)
Everyone knows how the vulnerable Palestinian kids get indoctrinated by the jihadis. Now the other side of the christoislamic religion: christo evangelicals in US brainwashing the next generation. <!--emo&:furious--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/furious.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='furious.gif' /><!--endemo--> Their purposes in doing this is way obvious, but it's also stated very clearly in the documentary: to get christoterrorists into power in the US.
<b>Acclaimed documentary film 'Jesus Camp':</b>
http://www.jesuscampthemovie.com/
<b>Trailer for it - chilling stuff:</b>
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=16...332081185&hl=en
Christoislamics are sick sick sick. Only they could do this to children: brainwashing kids and then making them grow up to become terrorists ('missionaries').
The first link above gives a brief summary on the main page. Pasted here for those without Flash:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->A growing number of Evangelical Christians believe there is a revival underway in America that requires Christian Youth to assume leadership roles in advocating the causes of their religious movement.
JESUS CAMP follows a group of young children to Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids on Fire Summer Camp", where <b>kids are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in God's army and are schooled in how to take back America for Christ. The film is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future.</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They should make this documentary compulsory viewing in India.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Brazil's Indians offended by Pope comments By Raymond Colitt
Mon May 14, 3:15 PM ET
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Outraged Indian leaders in Brazil said on Monday they were offended by    Pope Benedict's "arrogant and disrespectful" comments that the Roman Catholic Church had purified them and a revival of their religions would be a backward step.
In a speech to Latin American and Caribbean bishops at the end of a visit to Brazil, the Pope said the Church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
They had welcomed the arrival of European priests at the time of the conquest as they were "silently longing" for Christianity, he said.
Millions of tribal Indians are believed to have died as a result of European colonization backed by the Church since Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492, through slaughter, disease or enslavement.
Many Indians today struggle for survival, stripped of their traditional ways of life and excluded from society.
"It's arrogant and disrespectful to consider our cultural heritage secondary to theirs," said Jecinaldo Satere Mawe, chief coordinator of the Amazon Indian group Coiab.
Several Indian groups sent a letter to the Pope last week asking for his support in defending their ancestral lands and culture. They said the Indians had suffered a "process of genocide" since the first European colonizers had arrived.
Priests blessed conquistadors as they waged war on the indigenous peoples, although some later defended them and many today are the most vociferous allies of Indians.
"The state used the Church to do the dirty work in colonizing the Indians but they already asked forgiveness for that ... so is the Pope taking back the Church's word?" said Dionito Jose de Souza a leader of the Makuxi tribe in northern Roraima state.
Pope John Paul spoke in 1992 of mistakes in the evangelization of native peoples of the Americas.
Pope Benedict not only upset many Indians but also Catholic priests who have joined their struggle, said Sandro Tuxa, who heads the movement of northeastern tribes.
"We repudiate the Pope's comments," Tuxa said. "To say the cultural decimation of our people represents a purification is offensive, and frankly, frightening.
"I think (the Pope) has been poorly advised."
Even the Catholic Church's own Indian advocacy group in Brazil, known as Cimi, distanced itself from the Pope.
"The Pope doesn't understand the reality of the Indians here, his statement was wrong and indefensible," Cimi advisor Father Paulo Suess told Reuters. "I too was upset."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070514/wl_nm/...azil_indians_dc<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
came via email -
Check links how evangelical's are using/absuing and spreading misinformation in US angainst India.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->From: Beth aaaaa <bethaaaaaa@sbcglobal.net>
Date: May 15, 2007 10:17 PM
Subject: [USATextbooks] FYI - You may want to send a similar email to the school administrator.
To: bbbbbb@googlegroups.com
NOTE: I am sending the following email. If you agree with me, please consider also sending a similar email to the school's administrator.
-------------------------------------------
Dear Ms. Carole Jennings, Administrator
ThunderRidge High School
carole.jennings@dcsdk12.orgÂ
<b>The recent "Dalit Awareness Day" at ThunderRidge High School has provided your students and teachers with incorrect information.</b>
Please see the following websites
news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion05890.shtml
www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07040159.htm
<b>Both Buddhists and evangelical Christians are publicizing the "Dalit Awareness Day" held at ThunderRidge High School and using it for their own benefit. </b>
Information about Dalits in India has been taken out of context and presented in a misleading way. Every Hindu that I have ever spoken to (and that numbers in the hundreds or thousands) believes in the divinity in all humans. <b>Most Hindus do not believe that any person should be mistreated due to their birth circumstances. In India, as you must know, there are reservations for education and government jobs and many other advantages for those of traditionally economically disadvantaged groups</b>.
<b>In the US there are many instances of discrimination based on race, wealth, gender, and more. To live in America and to misinterpret what appears to be discrimination in India and not take action against at least one form of discrimination in the USA is absolutely inappropriate. Furthermore, to allow the dissemination of incorrect information as was done during the "Dalit Awareness Day" in your school is unjustifiable.</b>
Dalit groups and others are using and publicizing Ms. Elle Sweeny's actions even though her intentions and yours were most likely not intended to spread incorrect information.
I request a response from you on the actions which will be taken by the school and the school district in response to this program and its unanticipated consequences.
Beth aaaaaaaaa
bethbbbbbbbbb@sbcglobal.net
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Pope Thinks Indians Were Waiting for Christianity to Arrive</b>
May 17, 2007
The Pope made the comments at a meeting of Latin American bishops Brazil : One Amazon Indian leader, Jecinaldo Satere Mawe, said the Pope's remarks had been arrogant and disrespectful.
Pope Benedict XVI told Latin American bishops in Brazil that American Indians had been "silently longing" to become Christians 500 years ago.
The Pope has now returned home after his five-day trip to Brazil. The Vatican has made no further comment.
<b>'Wrong and indefensible'</b>
The BBC's Emilio San Pedro said the Pope had said the Christianisation of the region had not involved an alienation of the pre-Colombian cultures.
<b>Our correspondent said Pope Benedict also made no mention of the violent history that followed or the documented decimation of native cultures in favour of the Christian model Conquistadores and other Europeans colonisers.</b>
He said the comments had even been criticised by the Catholic Church's Indian advocacy group in Brazil, which described the Pope's statement as wrong and indefensible.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6656081.stm
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
He is going to loose them to the EJs. His main purpose has been not achieved.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->HK media gets complaint against Bible
16 May, 2007
HONG KONG: More than 200 complaints about the Bible have been received by Hong Kong's anti-porn watchdog after a Chinese website said the holy book was full of stories of rape, incest and violence, a media report said on Wednesday.
The complaints were sparked after the Chinese language website, www.truthbible.net, attempted to put pressure on the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority to classify the Bible as indecent, the South China Morning Post said.
The agency confirmed it had received about 210 complaints about the Bible, compared with about 80 against a university students' newspaper, which ran a series of sex columns the authority decided earlier this week were indecent.
On the website is a form letter which people can send to the authority to complain about the Bible.
The licensing authority would not say if the complaints about the Bible would be investigated. A publication is exempt from anti-porn laws if it is deemed to be in the interest of science, literature, art or academic study.
But if the complaints against the Bible were upheld, the holy book would have to be sold in sealed packaging with a warning that it could only be bought by those over 18 years, like sex magazines.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
05-20-2007, 08:04 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-20-2007, 08:14 AM by Husky.)
<!--QuoteBegin-dhu+May 20 2007, 04:02 AM-->QUOTE(dhu @ May 20 2007, 04:02 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->HK media gets complaint against Bible
16 May, 2007<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->[right][snapback]69050[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->Ah Dhu, it was promising while it lasted:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1811
By the way, this one says the number of complaints were 2,041.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Bible spared 'indecent' classification in Hong Kong</b>
Last updated at 08:47am on 18th May 2007
Hong Kong's media regulator has rejected calls to reclassify the Bible as an indecent publication following <b>more than 2,000</b> complaints about its sexual and violent content, including rape and incest.
"The Bible is a religious text which is part of civilisation. It has been passed from generation to generation," Hong Kong's Television and Licensing Authority (TELA) said in a statement issued late yesterday.
It said it would not submit the Bible to the Obscene Articles Tribunal for classification.
The regulator received <b>2,041 complaints</b> against the Bible this week, following an uproar over a sex column in a student magazine that was classified as "indecent" by authorities for asking if readers had ever fantasised about incest or bestiality.
A Web site launched soon afterwards campaigned to have the Bible similarly classified, citing passages with sexual and violent content it claimed went beyond that of the sex column.
But TELA said in its statement the Bible "had not violated standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable members of the community".
Publications classified as indecent in Hong Kong can only be bought by people aged over 18 and must be sealed in a wrapper with a statutory warning notice. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->The book preaches death for unbelievers, people of a different sexual orientation (and crossdressers too, if I were to believe the televangelists), inculcates fear and hatred of Ethiopians, Canaanites and others, belief in divinely ordained slavery and inequality between sexes, abuse of children and much much more.
You thought I was speaking of Hitler's Mein Kampf? No, it was the babble. But whereas one is correctly recognised as the ravings of a lunatic, the other is exempt from every criticism. I guess if you have a large enough world following, even institutionalised hatred and intolerance is okay and any associated hate literature is described as 'part of civilisation' (as in news piece above).
One good thing about the link above: there's at least a picture of a beautiful (HK?) woman.
Unfortunately she has to pretend she is Eva for the pic, which no E Asian could ever have been even if Eva <i>had</i> existed. But then, it's part of the modern-day PR to <i>present</i> christianity as having a global face.
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