Stone them…
Jan 24th, 2008 by Amanda
Musicguy brought my attention to this video:
Then he asked specifically for Christian responses.
Quite honestly, I don’t know where to start. I’m definitely no fan of Bill Maher. He definitely has an anti-Christian (anti-religion?) agenda.
“It’s strictly said in the Bible ‘thou shalt have no homosexuality’ and the Bible is inerrant according to me…”
And homosexuality is “worse” than polygamy?
Those are my people. And it breaks my heart to see them be like that. I wish I could say that the video was an exaggeration of what life is like in the South, but in all honesty, it isn’t. That’s honestly how people are raised and how they think. It’s a completely different culture there than it is anywhere else in the US.
And it’s wrong.
But everyone was very nice about the fact that I’m going to roast on a spit in hell for all eternity.
Again, sad but true.
I love that Bill Maher used the phrase “cognitive dissonance” to describe what goes on down there. This is exactly what I was talking about here when describing my Papa.
The imagery of Bush being a wiccan priestess is just priceless.
I know he was just being funny, but Mormon’s do not believe that “Jesus and Satan are brothers who do it.”
Re: the Huckabee quote. He got one thing right. It is easier to change the constitution than to change the word of God. Duh. But I don’t like Maher’s point that Christians are full of “arrogance masquerading as humility.” Can we know the word of God? Absolutely. Do we have the word of God? You betcha. Do we have access to God? Of course we do. You don’t have to believe that if you don’t want to, but don’t tell me I’m arrogant because I have a close relationship with my Savior.
“There is no definitive proof.”
For you, maybe. But there are millions of people out there who have seen “proof” enough to put their faith in God. And His word. Just because it doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work for others.
D.L. Hughley. I like this guy, based on this clip.
You would almost believe that we believe that Jesus was born in Kansas. He wasn’t.
That’s a perfect quote and a perfect representation of how Christianity has evolved in this country. And I love that he had the guts to say it.
We talk about Christianity and do the opposite.
See my previous post.
It’s hard for me to believe that people who talk about the Bible like they do have ever read it.
Again, see my previous post. But Bill’s point here is different than that. I have to ask if he’s ever read the New Testament. He’s so fixated on the laws of the Old Testament that he’s completely missed the Covenant of Grace.
But I do think Dan Savage makes a good point at the end. “Christianity” has turned into this buffet style religion where you pick what you want and leaving the rest behind. And the ones who do it the most vocally (see my previous post) are the ones who are screwing it up for the rest of us. It’s not supposed to be cafeteria style. Honestly, it’s not. And there really are a fair amount of us who see the whole picture and try to live looking at the whole thing.
But it is hard. None of us are perfect.
And as far as using the Bible as the basis for morality? The entire Bible can be summed up in four words: Love God, Love People. It may not seem like it, but it’s true. You just have to see it for what it is, not for what you think it is.
I don’t agree with your statement about Maher having an anti-religious agenda. I think his agenda is more along the lines of “Leave me the hell alone, I don’t believe a word you say, so stop forcing it down my throat because I couldn’t care less about your ancient desert text religion” agenda. More succinctly put, “Leave me be.” Trust me, I understand that sentiment!
I also enjoyed the comment that one man with 31 wives would be better than two married men. Scary people.
For you, maybe. But there are millions of people out there who have seen “proof” enough to put their faith in God. And His word. Just because it doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work for others.
Gah, my eyes… If there was definitive proof of God then by definition that proof would hold for everyone. A “proof” that only works for some people is a contradiction in terms and/or a horrible abuse of language.
Over the years I’ve come across many reasons why people put their faith in God. Almost none of these have any connection with the concept of “proof”. Very few have any connection with the concept of “empirical evidence”. As far as I can tell, these concepts are at best orthogonal to religious belief.
For example, you yourself commented that you believe in God because He just seems completely real to you. Your belief has nothing to do with proof.
Please don’t tease the maths geek like this :-S
“Can we know the word of God? Absolutely. Do we have the word of God? You betcha. Do we have access to God? Of course we do.”
How on earth did we get so screwed up?
The state of the Church (big “C”) in America is disturbing, to say the least. There is a lot of arrogance that seems to be tied to nationalism and western culture. Some one I went to Bible College with posted his life’s motto: “God, guns and guts made America free.” And I think he believes that that is what being a Christian is.
Seriously, most so-called Christians aren’t, are they? When they are nothing like Jesus Christ, when their motivation is as far from His as possible - are they?
I’d totally throw in the towel on the Church, aka “the Bride” (what a Bridezilla she has become) if it weren’t for the fact that I am a friend of the Bridegroom, but omygosh- may I be delivered from arrogance in that in any way.
Geez, being a Christian can be embarrassing!!
But I don’t like Maher’s point that Christians are full of “arrogance masquerading as humility.” Can we know the word of God? Absolutely. Do we have the word of God? You betcha. Do we have access to God? Of course we do. You don’t have to believe that if you don’t want to, but don’t tell me I’m arrogant because I have a close relationship with my Savior.
You may not be arrogant, but Christianity in general definitely comes off that way. Why? Because it claims to know the definitive answer as to what is right. It comes off as, “We love you, and we’re humble, but we know we’ve got it right here, and we know what’s best for you, so really you should join our group.”
Cuz see, that’s the thing, true humility is being able to be completely insecure and uncertain, but to feel confident in it. But most Christians can’t stand the thought of insecurity. It’s like they think if they admit to just one tiny whole in the boat, the whole thing is going to sink.
But wouldn’t real trust and humility just let it sink if it’s going to? Wouldn’t real faith just trust that God will be there to keep us all afloat if the boat should sink? It might even be preferable. If Christianity should sink…it might land us in the hands of God Himself. Who knows. But we can’t trust Him enough to let things happen, instead we have to stay strong, stay certain, and fortify our castles with whatever we can find.