If everybody was a real Christian, would the world be more peaceful?

[riceowl]

Give any reason otherwise.

[MissCatholic]

Catholics and Protestants disagree with each other.

In Glasgow, Celtic (catholic soccer team) and Rangers (protestant soccer team) make Yankess-Red Sox look like mickey mouse.

I was reading a report about the game. They played last january at 12.00 so no one can drink alchohol. but the hospitals in glasgow reported over 330,000 (combined of deaths,severe injuries, accidents of to do with the game)

Rangers sing songs about how Pat Robertsons going to get yer. Catholics in scotland and ireland see him as the antichrist. This is also a problem in Liverpool with the two soccer teams. Glasgow police say that 330,000 cases of violence is average for the game on the day. Churches have tried to get involved but that has provoked violence,

If only the Vatican had allowed Anne Boleyn to marry Henry VIII, we never would have had that. still today england suffers from 500 year old

[A18]

Duh. The same would be true if everyone was a real Muslim, or real Jew.

[riceowl]

Exactly.

BUT isn't it amazing how many red flags would go up if I said something like that in public?

[dazzleman]

If they were real Christians, yes.  But it would also be the case with real Muslims or real Jews, as well as Buddhists, etc.

Religions don't advocate violence, generally, but some people use religion to justify violence for real reasons other than religion, usually greed or lust for power.

[A18]

Religions don't advocate violence, generally, but some people use religion to justify violence for real reasons other than religion, usually greed or lust for power.

No, actually many do. But the point is, they only advocate it towards other religions, not their own. If there's no other religion, there's no problem.

[dazzleman]

Religions don't advocate violence, generally, but some people use religion to justify violence for real reasons other than religion, usually greed or lust for power.

No, actually many do. But the point is, they only advocate it towards other religions, not their own. If there's no other religion, there's no problem.

That's an interpretation.  I don't believe the bible should be taken literally, as an example.  I think that the larger spirit of it needs to be implemented, not the parts that call for violence.

[A18]

I said a lot do, such as Islam. I didn't say Christianity did.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

yes, but this would also mean no warmongerers like Bush.

[A18]

By real Christian, we mean following the Bible. Obviously no one is interested in what you call real Christianity, since you just make it up anyway.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

My church was against the Iraq war. So was Bush's, that even put out an ad in the Washington Post against it. So was basically every Christian church except the Southern Baptists.

[A18]

Most "Christian" churches are jokes.

[David S]

Some people commit atrocities in the name of Christianity, but those people are not following Christian beliefs. Lets look at some basic Christian philosophy;
Dont Lie
Don't commit murder
Dont steal
Don't commit adultery
Respect your parents

If  everyone followed those few rules wouldn't the world be better?

[phk]

If  everybody followed rationalism and reason and gave up blind faith. We'd be better off.

All of us have seen in movies or news or books what religious fanaticism entails. When a normal person is given this unusual situation of holding up a big sign and shouting messages like some doomsday prophet, they enter into the perceived role of religious fanatics and take on their attributes and behaviors.

Combine this with mass (mob) psychology and I can easily see how the early Christians perpetrated the witchhunts, Inquisitions. Although they have made significant strides with the rise of Martin Luther and the subsequent Enlightenment era where intellecual giants stood up to the church.

What is interesting to note is that the students holding these signs are (or were) normal people like the rest of us, however, as I listened to them argue with Christians who don't do these types of things, I could hear the tinge of fanaticism in their voices, making me wonder why - but for only a second.

I soon recalled the famous Stanford prison experiment. In this experiment, average and normal people were randomly selected to be guards or prisoners. Within just a day, the guards took on typical attributes of guards: authority, viciousness, ruthlessness, while the prisoners took on the typical attributes of prisoners.

[A18]

If  everybody followed rationalism and reason and gave up communism. We'd be better off.

[TheresNoMoney]

The so-called "Religious Right" doesn't even follow true Christian teachings.

[A18]

Such as?

[David S]

If  everybody followed rationalism and reason and gave up blind faith. We'd be better off.

I would agree that you can arrive at the rules I mentioned above through reason, but in a more short sighted view of reason you could arrive at the conclusion that's its OK to break any of those rules as long as you don't get caught. I also agree with A18. We'd be better off if everyone gave up communism.

[David S]

You need to separate Christian teaching from the things that lunatics do in the name of Christianity. They are not the same.

The unibomber was supposedly a Democrat, but that doesn't mean all Democrats are insane killers.

[phk]

But the unibomber wasn't a bomber because because of his Party ID- Democrat.

I have never said that all non-religous are good people nor that all religous people are bad people.

What I have said, though, is the structure of the belief system and the institution itself allows and sometimes promotes such radical behaviors.

[TheresNoMoney]

Such as?

Taking care of the less fortunate
Love thy neighbor
Do unto others as you'd have done to you
All killing is wrong (death penalty included)

Maybe it's just because the extremists get so much attention, but they seem to represent very few true Christian traits. Lots of hate, but very few true Christian values.

[KEmperor]

So how exactly are you defining a "real" Christian?

[A18]

Taking care of the less fortunate
Love thy neighbor
Do unto others as you'd have done to you
All killing is wrong (death penalty included)

Like the Salvation Army?

Nothing in the Bible says all killing is wrong.

[opebo]

No.  The religious are the problem.

[David S]

But the unibomber wasn't a bomber because because of his Party ID- Democrat.

I have never said that all non-religous are good people nor that all religous people are bad people.

What I have said, though, is the structure of the belief system and the institution itself allows and sometimes promotes such radical behaviors.

Where does it say in Cristian teachings that people should do evil things?