Everyone is guaranteed a right to worship as they feel.
I stepped away from religion because a basic review of history will show that adhering to one denomination among the thousands of different permutations of religious belief that have existed seemed like a shot in the dark.
To me, becoming more rational and humanistic affords a more objective viewpoint from where to approach life’s issues.
I also came to the realization that people cloak themselves in religious fervor to justify how they feel about something. It is disheartening to see how much vitriolic discord can occur within a supposed like-minded community and how that discord exposes racism, sexism and overall hate
Good morning. I walked away from the church for over a decade, and became atheistic, for similar reasons, but if we're being the most rational we can be then abusus non tollit usum (abuse does not cancel use). Every large institution has malignant actors, and the church is no exception. I have to accept that as part of God's plan, because how I feel about people abusing His name to such a degree ultimately has no bearing on whether or not He exists, or whether He sent His Son to die for my sins. If that's true, then He tells us to gather, and the real secret is that you and I are also horrible people that others have to put up with for the sake of the faith. I hope you give that logic stream consideration.
Mass murders are usually caused by extremism. Currently, I see extreme Christian nationalism finding a comfortable niche in the current administration.
Political extremism can be tied to atheism as well, but currently I do not see an extreme atheist agenda in the USA.
People should be able to worship whatever they want. There should not be an imposition of religious belief upon others. Also, when imposition of Christian norms is resisted it should not be taken to be religious persecution of Christian’s.
Man’s sins originate from trying to further our existence whether individually or collectively. This furtherance many times uses religion as a vehicle to do so.
Please take the time to privately accept my factual correction to your assertion that "non-believers [have not] joined in an organized and persistent movement that has wreaked as much havoc as organized religion has," and to think about the ethical question I gave you. God bless you.
Thank you. Maybe I am one of no faith but I just do not believe in any god, whether or not they sent their son to forgive us for the sins we committed, commit, or will commit. I do not believe in any god’s plan.
With the risk of sounding corny, I wonder what things would be like if John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ would ever manifest itself.
Seems like periodically religion will intensify its influence on politics resulting in horrible things like the Dark Ages, the Spanish Inquisition, Translantic slave trade, Genocide of Native Americans, the Holocaust, etc etc. These times seem like we’re headed that way.
I do not believe non-believers have joined in an organized and persistent movement that has wreaked as much havoc as organized religion has.
Man, by himself, is lost to sin, with or without religion. More people were murdered in the 20th century under the state-enforced atheism of communism than any other institution. It was so atheistic that the Soviets mass murdered Orthodox priests, just for being priests.
I know that there's a tug in your heart that lets you know that's objectively evil. If that's the case, then there must be absolute good and evil, which can't spring from nowhere. Think about that, like I had to wrestle with it, having seen objectively evil things in war.
This is a sermon I preached to 100+ commissioners to the Blackhawk (PC-USA) Presbytery Assembly meeting in November 2024. I want to be part of the fight against Christian Nationalism but find myself spending all my time reading and not doing. What would be a couple of recommendations?
Forgive me ahead of time, because I'm not trying to be dismissive, only honest. The resolution must come from within conservative denominations themselves. These people won't listen to a thing a PC-USA pastor has to say, and will only double down. You'd spend more time being attacked as a theological liberal and defending yourself--even from conservative Christians who hate Christian Nationalism--than you ever will countering their positions. I'm very nearly in that position myself, because I've been speaking out about it for so long, though there are thankfully people on the inside who pay attention to the details I lay out of how these personalities are connected to each other and what horrid things they advocate for.
I would not recommend equating Christian Nationalism with voting for Trump (or really anyone). Don't syncretize politics into the faith and start pointing fingers at people who didn't vote like you. That's actually what the Christian Nationalists do in the other direction. Don't be their antithesis.
It depends on what your goals are. If you're trying to inform people in your theological circles of these actors, then speaking up about it, even the "Reformed" CNs, does good. But, again, nobody who is "sowing their seed" with an "apostle" is going to listen to either of us, unfortunately.
You're going to have to get copacetic with being in the remnant.
Good morning,
Everyone is guaranteed a right to worship as they feel.
I stepped away from religion because a basic review of history will show that adhering to one denomination among the thousands of different permutations of religious belief that have existed seemed like a shot in the dark.
To me, becoming more rational and humanistic affords a more objective viewpoint from where to approach life’s issues.
I also came to the realization that people cloak themselves in religious fervor to justify how they feel about something. It is disheartening to see how much vitriolic discord can occur within a supposed like-minded community and how that discord exposes racism, sexism and overall hate
Good morning. I walked away from the church for over a decade, and became atheistic, for similar reasons, but if we're being the most rational we can be then abusus non tollit usum (abuse does not cancel use). Every large institution has malignant actors, and the church is no exception. I have to accept that as part of God's plan, because how I feel about people abusing His name to such a degree ultimately has no bearing on whether or not He exists, or whether He sent His Son to die for my sins. If that's true, then He tells us to gather, and the real secret is that you and I are also horrible people that others have to put up with for the sake of the faith. I hope you give that logic stream consideration.
Mass murders are usually caused by extremism. Currently, I see extreme Christian nationalism finding a comfortable niche in the current administration.
Political extremism can be tied to atheism as well, but currently I do not see an extreme atheist agenda in the USA.
People should be able to worship whatever they want. There should not be an imposition of religious belief upon others. Also, when imposition of Christian norms is resisted it should not be taken to be religious persecution of Christian’s.
Man’s sins originate from trying to further our existence whether individually or collectively. This furtherance many times uses religion as a vehicle to do so.
Please take the time to privately accept my factual correction to your assertion that "non-believers [have not] joined in an organized and persistent movement that has wreaked as much havoc as organized religion has," and to think about the ethical question I gave you. God bless you.
Thank you. Maybe I am one of no faith but I just do not believe in any god, whether or not they sent their son to forgive us for the sins we committed, commit, or will commit. I do not believe in any god’s plan.
With the risk of sounding corny, I wonder what things would be like if John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ would ever manifest itself.
Seems like periodically religion will intensify its influence on politics resulting in horrible things like the Dark Ages, the Spanish Inquisition, Translantic slave trade, Genocide of Native Americans, the Holocaust, etc etc. These times seem like we’re headed that way.
I do not believe non-believers have joined in an organized and persistent movement that has wreaked as much havoc as organized religion has.
Man, by himself, is lost to sin, with or without religion. More people were murdered in the 20th century under the state-enforced atheism of communism than any other institution. It was so atheistic that the Soviets mass murdered Orthodox priests, just for being priests.
I know that there's a tug in your heart that lets you know that's objectively evil. If that's the case, then there must be absolute good and evil, which can't spring from nowhere. Think about that, like I had to wrestle with it, having seen objectively evil things in war.
This is a sermon I preached to 100+ commissioners to the Blackhawk (PC-USA) Presbytery Assembly meeting in November 2024. I want to be part of the fight against Christian Nationalism but find myself spending all my time reading and not doing. What would be a couple of recommendations?
https://youtu.be/pLWmXZK2DXI?si=JTg7_m4niZm6ErsE
That’s why am reaching out to people trying to find some direction.
Forgive me ahead of time, because I'm not trying to be dismissive, only honest. The resolution must come from within conservative denominations themselves. These people won't listen to a thing a PC-USA pastor has to say, and will only double down. You'd spend more time being attacked as a theological liberal and defending yourself--even from conservative Christians who hate Christian Nationalism--than you ever will countering their positions. I'm very nearly in that position myself, because I've been speaking out about it for so long, though there are thankfully people on the inside who pay attention to the details I lay out of how these personalities are connected to each other and what horrid things they advocate for.
Unfortunately, speaking to an uninformed choir seems to be my best option.
I had a conservative PC(USA) pastor (which now basically means anti-LGBQT+) ask me if I believed
that there were any Christian Nationalist hidden away somewhere in the denomination.
I replied that a denomination isn’t’ just the pastors and elders. Some of the people (probably a larger percentage
than most would be comfortable contemplating) who sit in the pews voted with the majority in November.
Maybe my task will be bringing that message to the pastors who continually are surprised to learn
that their congregations are not as purple as their pastors.
I would not recommend equating Christian Nationalism with voting for Trump (or really anyone). Don't syncretize politics into the faith and start pointing fingers at people who didn't vote like you. That's actually what the Christian Nationalists do in the other direction. Don't be their antithesis.
Would I run into the same roadblocks if I concentrate on the NAR side of Christian Nationalism?
It depends on what your goals are. If you're trying to inform people in your theological circles of these actors, then speaking up about it, even the "Reformed" CNs, does good. But, again, nobody who is "sowing their seed" with an "apostle" is going to listen to either of us, unfortunately.