Is there a double standard between criticizing Evangelicals and other religions? (user search)
       |           

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 28, 2024, 02:27:31 PM
News: Election Simulator 2.0 Released. Senate/Gubernatorial maps, proportional electoral votes, and more - Read more

  Talk Elections
  Forum Community
  Forum Community (Moderators: The Dowager Mod, YE, KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸)
  Is there a double standard between criticizing Evangelicals and other religions? (search mode)
Pages: [1]
Poll
Question: Does the forum accept anti-evangelical sentiments more than the same sentiments about other religions?
#1
Yes, and this is acceptabe
 
#2
Yes, and this is unacceptable
 
#3
No
 
Show Pie Chart
Partisan results

Total Voters: 98

Author Topic: Is there a double standard between criticizing Evangelicals and other religions?  (Read 8618 times)
The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 45,174
Norway


Political Matrix
E: -6.32, S: -7.48

P P P

« on: April 03, 2018, 10:46:31 AM »

I think that, sadly, the Albert Mohlers and Franklin Grahams of the world are far more accurate representatives of American Evangelical Christianity, at this time, than people like BRTD or Jimmy Carter.

But that probably will change when the former group starts dying off.

And, obviously, it's not just Evangelicalism that's dominated by lunatics.  Islam has plenty of toxic elements, but that's why we should be paying attention to the reformers within that faith and dismiss the Wahhabi/authoritarian/regressive sects.
Logged
The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 45,174
Norway


Political Matrix
E: -6.32, S: -7.48

P P P

« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2018, 02:21:15 PM »

The Christians are the second most disrespected group in America today after our brave police people.
Can anyone name a group that is more disrespected than atheists?

Smilo's being Smilo, but you... are you f#cking serious?
Logged
The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 45,174
Norway


Political Matrix
E: -6.32, S: -7.48

P P P

« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2018, 08:46:21 PM »
« Edited: April 06, 2018, 10:00:40 PM by Scott🦋 »


Okay.

First of all, I am a Christian.  I was raised in the faith and I'm glad to say I've been an unwavering follower of Christ even on my darkest days.  At one point I had even planned on joining the ministry, and attended a church-affiliated college as a theology student (incidentally, it was during my time at that college that I began my spiritual conversion to Anglicanism and drifted from the more Reformed-oriented traditions of the UCC - the church that I was baptized in - and also realized that ministry was not my calling).  My own theology, my own understanding of Scripture and my personal relationship with God, has evolved and continues to evolve, but the foundation of that relationship (Christ) never changes.  I had read each page of the Bible, cover to cover, by the time I was a junior in high school.

Here's what I discovered: the Bible is not an infallible fourth member of the Trinity and it need not - it cannot - take precedence over observation and reason.  We cannot discern intuitive and rational truth by relying solely on texts that were, for all intents and purposes, written by fallible humans.  Scripture must be perceived and interpreted in light of reason and context.  Otherwise, it is meaningless.

Obviously, my own God-inspired approach to scripture does not fully align with yours.

Like Christianity, Islam is divided on interpretation of holy scripture as well as scripture's specific role within the faith.  A minority of Muslims believe that Quran alone applies and ignore the Hadiths.  Most Muslims believe that the Hadiths are authoritative secondary to the Quran, and some Sunnis believe that they are equal.  Does that difference in opinion make any of these groups comparatively "less Muslim" than the others?  Of course not.

You cannot attempt to reconcile the underlying assumptions of one religion with another.  You proclaim Islam to be a false religion.  Would you consider it "less false" if believers took your understanding of scriptural authority - toward your own religious text - and applied it to their own?  No.  As such it is irrelevant whom you or Andrew McCarthy believe to be 'out of compliance' with Islam.
Logged
The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 45,174
Norway


Political Matrix
E: -6.32, S: -7.48

P P P

« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2018, 05:30:44 PM »
« Edited: April 07, 2018, 09:34:12 PM by Scott🦋 »

I think the problem also lies in HOW Scripture is interpreted.  Many mouth-breathing Evangelicals seem to think that the Bible should be interpreted the way Brother Billy Bob preaches it.

My tradition is Lutheranism.  We tend to interpret the Bible in a two-fold manner: 1) The Bible contains Law, which exposes our sinful nature and our need for a Savior, and 2) it also contains Gospel, which is the hope that we have to be saved from our sins.

We also believe the Bible is meant to be interpreted in a Gospel-centric lens.  So, the story of Moses delivering the Jews out of Egypt, King David's fall from grace, the Passover, etc., despite being in the Old Testament, contain truths that can be interpreted as the Gospel.

Yeah.

Some of that has to do with the fact that an alarming number of preachers have zero religious education under their belts.  They either fall entirely on their own literalistic interpretation of scripture, or worse, they don't read scripture at all and instead simply regurgitate their favorite televangelists.
Logged
The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 45,174
Norway


Political Matrix
E: -6.32, S: -7.48

P P P

« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2019, 11:43:31 PM »

It's pretty amazing that 37% of folks here think such a double standard is acceptable.

Is this OK?


If it is OK, would it be OK if I looked up Quranic Scripture and made similar parodies?  I don't intend to, but would it be OK?

Yes, because those memes are hilarious and it would be equally hilarious if Quran verses were used instead.

...But since when are Evangelicals the only ones who believe the Bible?
Logged
The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 45,174
Norway


Political Matrix
E: -6.32, S: -7.48

P P P

« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2019, 01:49:47 PM »

Attacking religious groups is perfectly fine, not bigoted and not comparable to bashing based on race, gender or sexual orientation. That's because religion is a chosen trait that one decides for themselves, unlike the other traits. Its more comparable to bashing and attacking members of a political party.

Um, no?

Um, yes? One can not change their race or sexual orientation. One can change their religion and political party.

So unless someone makes that conscious effort to change their religion to one you don't disapprove of, it's okay to disparage their faith. Got it.

By that standard, since some peoples' sexual orientation change, just like some peoples' religious convictions change, gay bashing is completely okay, too.

I'm not on the religion-bashing train here, but sexual orientation is a lot more complicated than religious convictions.  They're not comparable.
Logged
The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 45,174
Norway


Political Matrix
E: -6.32, S: -7.48

P P P

« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2019, 01:52:13 PM »

Also I will note that there is a difference, I think, between bashing religions and bashing religious beliefs.  I don't mock Evangelicals because they are a large and diverse group of people, but I do mock people who believe that the world is 6000 years old.
Logged
The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 45,174
Norway


Political Matrix
E: -6.32, S: -7.48

P P P

« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2019, 05:17:41 PM »

Attacking religious groups is perfectly fine, not bigoted and not comparable to bashing based on race, gender or sexual orientation. That's because religion is a chosen trait that one decides for themselves, unlike the other traits. Its more comparable to bashing and attacking members of a political party.

Um, no?

Um, yes? One can not change their race or sexual orientation. One can change their religion and political party.

So unless someone makes that conscious effort to change their religion to one you don't disapprove of, it's okay to disparage their faith. Got it.

By that standard, since some peoples' sexual orientation change, just like some peoples' religious convictions change, gay bashing is completely okay, too.

I'm not on the religion-bashing train here, but sexual orientation is a lot more complicated than religious convictions.  They're not comparable.

Both involve performative roles based on the cultures we're brought up in.

Yes, but only one has biological factors involved (though it is still not well understood).
Logged
Pages: [1]  
Jump to:  


Login with username, password and session length

Terms of Service - DMCA Agent and Policy - Privacy Policy and Cookies

Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines

Page created in 0.04 seconds with 14 queries.