FARK.com: (7111030) The president says he is a "practicing Christian." It is difficult to be one while simultaneously holding a low view of the Bible, which his position on several social issues might suggest

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		The president says he is a "practicing Christian." It is difficult to be one while simultaneously holding a low view of the Bible, which his position on several social issues might suggest (townhall.com)		250
		More: Obvious, Bibles, gospels

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Salt Lick Steady		2012-05-17 01:35:29 PM

Baz744: Salt Lick Steady: Baz744: he hated the military.

He despised the military in the same way Eisenhower did.

No, not according to the quote I posted above. He actually hates members of the military for being the type of people who join the military. Eisenhower, by contrast, just thought the military was gaining too much political influence. He was wrong. It was really the federal government gaining too much political influence. But his heart was in the right place.

I will cut the snark and simply say that you are ignorant of history and facts.

gimmegimme		2012-05-17 01:36:21 PM

Lunaville: gimmegimme: Lunaville: The Lone Gunman: TsarTom: [www.adoremusbooks.com image 249x320]

When I was a kid, I used to have almost the entire collection of these.

Anyway, Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh both go on and on about how Christian they are, but they've also said that they NEVER go to church.

The loudest "Christians" don't, but they don't need to and they don't need to read scripture because they are so righteous and knowledgeable, if G-d gets out of line, they can set him straight.

I don't know what is worse:

1) a person believing themselves to be more righteous than their deity or

2) a person worshiping and loving a deity that is so intent on subjugating humanity that it won't even let believers speak its name.

G-d isn't subjugating me. I chose to start writing the word G-d in that manner as a teenager having been influenced by e.e. cummings. I feel comfortable with it. I am comfortable with others including the vowel.

I am entirely too comfortable saying the word. If saying the word G-d, is taking the Lords' name in vain, I do it unthinkingly about 27 times a day. I also slip up and let out a G-d damn it more often than I'd like.

So, I think you need not worry about my welfare.

I'm 100% sure you're a splendid, caring person. And you are certainly welcome to use (or not use) whatever words you like. I'm just pointing out that the hyphen thing and not taking the name in vain are indicative of the strange dichotomy represented by the god of the Judeo-Christian Bible.

Jehovah/Yahweh/God/Jesus (take your pick) loves you soooooo much. He wants to help you learn how to be the best you can be. He wants to guide you on the path of loving others and treating them with respect.

But he'll subject you to eternal torment if you say his name or use a naughty word in its place.

Salt Lick Steady		2012-05-17 01:36:55 PM

Baz744: I don't think most people know Plato was a pedo.

When did I say this? There's no evidence he was... oh nevermind, you.

sendtodave		2012-05-17 01:38:07 PM

Lenny_da_Hog: As were the lyrics to the Commodores' "Brick House."

In the Lord's----house
She's holy holy, just praying for the devout
In the Lord's----house
The Lady's intact, and that's a fact,
it says so in the Acts

upload.wikimedia.org

busy chillin'		2012-05-17 01:41:21 PM

Fluorescent Testicle

busy chillin': that is one of the dumbest posts I have ever read. And I have been Farking for almost 8 years.

Modern Christians worship Paul, not Jesus. If you disagree, that says more about you than about me.

I lost my religion years ago, so I don't know what you mean about Paul. Maybe this homophobia stuff was Paul's verses?

But Christ is the central figure in Christianity.

meat0918		2012-05-17 01:44:30 PM

busy chillin': Fluorescent Testicle

busy chillin': that is one of the dumbest posts I have ever read. And I have been Farking for almost 8 years.

Modern Christians worship Paul, not Jesus. If you disagree, that says more about you than about me.

I lost my religion years ago, so I don't know what you mean about Paul. Maybe this homophobia stuff was Paul's verses?

But Christ is the central figure in Christianity.

It is in Paul's stuff and the OT.

Blame the ecumenical nonsense of the early Catholic Church.

liam76		2012-05-17 01:44:56 PM

Aarontology: Because everyone knows that the core of Jesus' message was about homosexuals and abortion and women and not helping the poor, the sick, the needy, and being good to one another.

Why did the thread go on after this?

chuggernaught		2012-05-17 01:47:47 PM

Caring for the poor and ill with Federal Health Care.

Using Federal assistance to aid the hurricane victims.

Not judging others by supporting gay marriage.

Compassion, healing, tolerance. Pretty farking Christian if you ask me.

sendtodave		2012-05-17 01:51:17 PM

busy chillin': I lost my religion years ago, so I don't know what you mean about Paul. Maybe this homophobia stuff was Paul's verses?

But Christ is the central figure in Christianity.

Jesuism is distinct from and sometimes opposed to mainstream Christianity.[2] In particular, the term is often contrasted with the theology attributed to Paul of Tarsus and modern Church doctrine.

In 1909, the Seventh-Day Adventist newspaper Signs of the Times, in an issue titled "Modern Christianity Not Jesusism", the question is posed: "Christianity of today is not the old original Christianity. It is not Jesusism, for it is not the religion which Jesus preached. Is it not time to make Christianity the religion which He personally preached and which He personally practiced?"

Dr Dreidel		2012-05-17 01:51:38 PM

Baz744: qorkfiend: Baz744: Hobodeluxe: Baz744: Einstein was nothing more than a military hating hippy. Why this man is admired for anything is beyond me:

says a lot about you doesn't it?

Sure. The guy was really smart. But he was a moral degenerate. There are lots of smart moral degenerates in prison. We don't admire them. We ostracize them.

What are you basing this conclusion upon?

Someone already posted a bunch of his quotes talking about how he favors forced charity. Also, per the quote I posted, he hated the military.

You know who else favored forced charity?

The Old Testament author.

Read Numbers. You know why it's called "The Book of Numbers"? Because the first farking thing in the book is Moses taking a census of his people. This census was taken by FORCIBLY STEALING AT SPEAR-POINT WITH FASCIST TYRANNY AND GODLESS COMMUNIST HEATHEN OPPRESSION a half-shekel coin from every man between 20 and 40 years old. The coins were counted, then used in construction of the Tabernacle.

// in Hebrew, the book is called "Bamidbar"
// "in the desert"

whidbey		2012-05-17 01:54:33 PM

Wow another TownDerp blog post that garnered 160 comments. Amazing. I'm doing it wrong.

busy chillin'		2012-05-17 01:56:47 PM

sendtodave

In 1909, the Seventh-Day Adventist newspaper Signs of the Times, in an issue titled "Modern Christianity Not Jesusism", the question is posed: "Christianity of today is not the old original Christianity. It is not Jesusism, for it is not the religion which Jesus preached. Is it not time to make Christianity the religion which He personally preached and which He personally practiced?"

Ah...I see what that farker was getting at earlier. Yes, this Christ guy is definitely bad for business when you preach hate and greed.

DeaH		2012-05-17 01:57:06 PM

Yep. 'Cause Jesus talked a lot about the way we need to punish whores and why gays should never get married. Luckily, he had only nice things to say about the market, rich people, and the establishment. Oh, and he also said we should never do anything to help the poor, the hungry, the aged, the sick, and those meddling kids.

Chameleon		2012-05-17 02:00:14 PM

sendtodave: Lenny_da_Hog: As were the lyrics to the Commodores' "Brick House."

In the Lord's----house
She's holy holy, just praying for the devout
In the Lord's----house
The Lady's intact, and that's a fact,
it says so in the Acts

[upload.wikimedia.org image 220x278]

A winnar is you.

PsiChick		2012-05-17 02:02:50 PM

monoski: Unless somehow that same president understands the idea of separation of church and state and feels that Christianity (nor any other religion) should play a role in the laws of this country. Rather religion can be a set of guiding principles that he and others can choose to live their own lives by...

/Also: My model for Christian behavior comes from a) my highly liberal and activist mother, and b) Christian social activists. Obama's a Christian.
//It's called 'compassion', 'empathy', and 'not showing signs of a diagnosable mental illness'.

sendtodave		2012-05-17 02:03:10 PM

busy chillin': Ah...I see what that farker was getting at earlier. Yes, this Christ guy is definitely bad for business when you preach hate and greed.

Well, there's that. But, really, Pauline Christianity was what turned Christianity into the mega-religion that everyone knows today (starting with Catholicism).

It turned a Hebrew cult into a Roman religion.

Fluorescent Testicle		2012-05-17 02:08:13 PM

busy chillin': Ah...I see what that farker was getting at earlier. Yes, this Christ guy is definitely bad for business when you preach hate and greed.

Yes, that's more or less what I meant. Apparently, I'm too snarky for Fark. :)

busy chillin'		2012-05-17 02:08:59 PM

sendtodave

busy chillin': Ah...I see what that farker was getting at earlier. Yes, this Christ guy is definitely bad for business when you preach hate and greed.

Well, there's that. But, really, Pauline Christianity was what turned Christianity into the mega-religion that everyone knows today (starting with Catholicism).

It turned a Hebrew cult into a Roman religion.

Funny the stuff they don't teach you in Sunday school.

rpm		2012-05-17 02:09:47 PM

Serious Black: d love your neighbor with your entire bei

No, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I think the GOP is likely following this to the letter.

busy chillin'		2012-05-17 02:11:53 PM

Fluorescent Testicle

busy chillin': Ah...I see what that farker was getting at earlier. Yes, this Christ guy is definitely bad for business when you preach hate and greed.

Yes, that's more or less what I meant. Apparently, I'm too snarky for Fark. :)

Never too snarky.

And I usually don't insult farkers too harshly for this exact reason. haha. But your comment just didn't make sense. But I see now.

Jackson Herring		2012-05-17 02:13:03 PM

liam76: Aarontology: Because everyone knows that the core of Jesus' message was about homosexuals and abortion and women and not helping the poor, the sick, the needy, and being good to one another.

Why did the thread go on after this?

I learned in another thread that it's hypocritical for liberals to point this out because it means we are complaining that conservatives aren't shoving their religion down our throats enough

Felgraf		2012-05-17 02:13:51 PM

Didn't/Doesn't Obama belong to a UCC church?

If so, Obama's pro-gay marriage stance is actually *in-line* with the UCC.

Because the UCC came to the conclusion that being gay wasn't a sin. In *1969*, hardly a popular sentiment at the time. (They were also on the 'correct' side of the Civil Rights struggle.)

Hell, the UCC ordained their first openly gay minister in 1972.

cenobyte40k		2012-05-17 02:14:08 PM

Which cherry picked part of the bible are they complaining about someone ignoring now? Why is it bad if Obama ignores part of the bible, but they can ignore a whole host of others? Which parts of the bible are ok to ignore and which are not? And where in the bible does it tell you which ones to ignore?

Musikslayer		2012-05-17 02:16:25 PM

Xythero: Why can't you be a Christian without the Bible? It wasn't officially complied until the Council of Trent, which means generations of Christians lived and died without ever seeing one. And for that matter, for most of Christian history the majority of people were illiterate, and couldn't read a Bible if they wanted to.

I don't do the Bible. I prefer the teachings of Goofus and Gallant. I usually side with Goofus.

Dr Dreidel		2012-05-17 02:16:46 PM

bugontherug: There's a reason Jehovah Elohim forbade Adam and Eve to learn the difference between good and evil...

Because having the moral debate externalized (in the form of a snake) makes it easier to draw battle lines between the opposing opinions/positions, and an internal moral debate is fraught with hazard and logical fallacy, subject in a much more obvious way to the biases and motivations (because those biases are not externalized/shared with the world) of the moral hazard-er in question?

whidbey		2012-05-17 02:18:49 PM

Felgraf: Hell, the UCC ordained their first openly gay minister in 1972.

Nice to know the rest of the civilized world hasn't caught up to 1972 yet.

Corvus		2012-05-17 02:19:03 PM

I notice usually when I argue with a right wing Christian I am the only one using quotes actually from Christ.

LincolnLogolas		2012-05-17 02:19:12 PM

ManateeGag: Aar1012: Lst time I checked, most Christians in the GOP don't follow the bible either.

yeah, that whole "adultery" thing really throws them for a loop.

Hey hey, as long as they marry their mistress, it's cool.

AngryPanda		2012-05-17 02:27:18 PM

In before Ghandi quote on Christians not being Christian.

Also, let's clear a few things up - E.E. Cummings didn't want his name styled that way, his publisher did. You insult your own intelligence by perpetuating the myth. Also, for every time you DON'T say "God", I say it three or four more times, to prove to you that nothing comes of respect for nonexistent beings.

You don't say "S-nta", or "E-ster Bunny", despite the truth that all the Easter Bunny wants is to eat the humans who invoke his name in any way.

/I'm immune from E-ster Bunny because I ate my insanity wafer today.

Chummer45		2012-05-17 02:27:22 PM

So, when he says "the bible," I'm assuming the writer of this crap actually means "the GOP social wedge issue platform"

More_Like_A_Stain		2012-05-17 02:28:59 PM

rpm: Serious Black: d love your neighbor with your entire bei

No, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I think the GOP is likely following this to the letter.

I tried this once. It didn't work out too well. I'm not sure if it was the chicken or the power drill that put her off.

Goodfella		2012-05-17 02:31:44 PM

Nope. The only thing you need to believe to be a Christian is that a zombie named Jesus Christ is the son of your god.

MayoSlather		2012-05-17 02:34:21 PM

John Stuart Mill did a fine job of pointing out the cognitive dissonance that exists in most Christians over 100 years ago...kind of ridiculous the right has such a hard time consolidating their religion with their own beliefs in our current time. Their clinging to religion couldn't possibly be a matter of conveinience could it? Nah.

The bible really isn't so bad...acceptance, love, giving to he poor...all things Jesus supposedly believed in. Rarely practiced.

/atheist

whidbey		2012-05-17 02:38:11 PM

AngryPanda: You don't say "S-nta", or "E-ster Bunny",

I do. I don't want to get turned in.

Salt Lick Steady		2012-05-17 02:40:17 PM

More_Like_A_Stain: rpm: Serious Black: d love your neighbor with your entire bei

No, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I think the GOP is likely following this to the letter.

I tried this once. It didn't work out too well. I'm not sure if it was the chicken or the power drill that put her off.

I imagine it was the cumin.

navig		2012-05-17 02:43:54 PM

DjangoStonereaver: HURRDUUURRRRRRSEKRETMOOOSLEMHURRDERPDERPDERP.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

wingnut396		2012-05-17 02:46:28 PM

Forced charity is not charity...

Taxes are forced charity because if you don't give, the government will take you stuff to pay what you owe and a processing fee. if you are really bad, you can go to jail for a few years.

Tithes and such are not forced charity because if you don't give God will only cast you into a lake of fire to burn FOREVER.

If you give because you are afraid of what God will do to you, I can't see how it is not forced. If you give because it is simply the compassionate thing to do, I don't understand the problem with taxes.

Kome		2012-05-17 02:52:26 PM

MayoSlather: The bible really isn't so bad...acceptance, love, giving to he poor...all things Jesus supposedly believed in. Rarely practiced.

Yes, but you could just as easily cherry pick the parts of the Bible that really are so bad: abandoning family, unwavering submission, condoned and encouraged slavery, domination of women. Many of those were equally believed by Jesus and his disciples.

The underlying point is trying to establish a moral code from a source as diverse, contradictory, confusing, and old as a holy text that was written for a particular cultural and educational context that has not existed for centuries is going to led to a lot of different moral codes. Some are awesome, and some just suck nuts.

Altair		2012-05-17 02:52:38 PM

GOP: Romans 13

Now shut the fark up.

FreakyBunny		2012-05-17 02:56:02 PM

turbidum: FreakyBunny: Such a backward headline, and unfortunate, Subby. Hard to tell? How do you know if he has a low view of the Bible? Just because he isn't some kind of fundy literal view of scripture, does that make his view of the Bible low? Do you know him personally? Have you spoken to him about it?

Well, considering you RTFA, I would have thought you'd have noticed that subby was quoting the third paragraph of TFA.

I must have figured it was his favourite part, and that's why it was his/her headline. My fault if they were trolling, and my fault again if subby thought it was such an obviously dumb statement that folks smarter than I would pick it up.

MagnesDrachen		2012-05-17 02:59:47 PM

In related news: Joe Biden says he read all the Harry Potter books, but he doesn't ACT like he believes in Dumbledore. Hey, its just as valid a book to rule your life by as the bible.

Salt Lick Steady		2012-05-17 03:10:03 PM

FreakyBunny: turbidum: FreakyBunny: Such a backward headline, and unfortunate, Subby. Hard to tell? How do you know if he has a low view of the Bible? Just because he isn't some kind of fundy literal view of scripture, does that make his view of the Bible low? Do you know him personally? Have you spoken to him about it?

Well, considering you RTFA, I would have thought you'd have noticed that subby was quoting the third paragraph of TFA.

I must have figured it was his favourite part, and that's why it was his/her headline. My fault if they were trolling, and my fault again if subby thought it was such an obviously dumb statement that folks smarter than I would pick it up.

You sound... Canadian.

The Numbers		2012-05-17 03:12:01 PM

Always fun to watch Obama fans contort their way through the tricky proposition of their man being just another deluded believer in the invisible sky wizard

kingoomieiii: Our entire GOVERNMENT has a low opinion of the Bible. The good book endorses slavery again and again, and discusses how responsible slave owners should conduct themselves.

Odd sort of argument to make, given what the Constitution says.

RyogaM		2012-05-17 03:18:17 PM

wingnut396: Forced charity is not charity...

Taxes are forced charity because if you don't give, the government will take you stuff to pay what you owe and a processing fee. if you are really bad, you can go to jail for a few years.

Tithes and such are not forced charity because if you don't give God will only cast you into a lake of fire to burn FOREVER.

If you give because you are afraid of what God will do to you, I can't see how it is not forced. If you give because it is simply the compassionate thing to do, I don't understand the problem with taxes.

Pavia_Resistance		2012-05-17 03:18:22 PM

ManateeGag: Aar1012: Lst time I checked, most Christians in the GOP don't follow the bible either.

yeah, that whole "adultery" thing really throws them for a loop.

Not to mention lying and bearing false witness.

Urine The Money		2012-05-17 03:21:32 PM

Lets see, the Earth is ~4000 years old...
Moses lived to age 900
So, Sarah Palin is automatically President!

/right
//amIdoinit?

HeartBurnKid		2012-05-17 03:23:21 PM

The Numbers: Always fun to watch Obama fans contort their way through the tricky proposition of their man being just another deluded believer in the invisible sky wizard

Unlike the author of TFA, who contorts his way through the tricky proposition of his mortal enemy sharing his belief system to some degree.

/no contortion here; Obama is most definitely a Christian
//and a conservative
///but definitely not a "Conservative Christian"

Baz744		2012-05-17 03:25:33 PM

Dr Dreidel: Baz744: qorkfiend: Baz744: Hobodeluxe: Baz744: Einstein was nothing more than a military hating hippy. Why this man is admired for anything is beyond me:

says a lot about you doesn't it?

Sure. The guy was really smart. But he was a moral degenerate. There are lots of smart moral degenerates in prison. We don't admire them. We ostracize them.

What are you basing this conclusion upon?

Someone already posted a bunch of his quotes talking about how he favors forced charity. Also, per the quote I posted, he hated the military.

You know who else favored forced charity?

The Old Testament author.

Read Numbers. You know why it's called "The Book of Numbers"? Because the first farking thing in the book is Moses taking a census of his people. This census was taken by FORCIBLY STEALING AT SPEAR-POINT WITH FASCIST TYRANNY AND GODLESS COMMUNIST HEATHEN OPPRESSION a half-shekel coin from every man between 20 and 40 years old. The coins were counted, then used in construction of the Tabernacle.

// in Hebrew, the book is called "Bamidbar"
// "in the desert"

A census is a legitimate function of government. Pointing a gun at someone's head, cocking the hammer, and saying "give your money to this worthless layabout over here or I'll blow you away" is not. It is simply a mugging.

Dr Dreidel		2012-05-17 03:26:21 PM

Pavia_Resistance: ManateeGag: Aar1012: Lst time I checked, most Christians in the GOP don't follow the bible either.

yeah, that whole "adultery" thing really throws them for a loop.

Not to mention lying and bearing false witness.

If we're going Levitical, there are also prohibitions against sex while a woman is menstruating, sitting on anything she's sat on, and touching jars she has touched. We should also make sure she washes herself before being allowed back into the camp.

Animal sacrifice, not persecuting "the strangers" (immigrants) in our midst, not torturing animals, keep and observe the Sabbath, the rules on servitude ("slavery" isn't the right word for what the Bible describes. The way Americans handled slavery wouldn't fly, Biblically), leaving a corner of your fields unharvested, land ownership rights reverting to their "natural" owners every 50 years, "The Lord is One" (explain that, Trinity-heads...), observing the new moon, seeing the Temple 3 times per year...and nothing about which plants or chemicals you're allowed to ingest.

Let's not pretend modern America (or modern American law) bears any resemblance to what the Bible would have us do.

Mikey1969		2012-05-17 03:27:50 PM

Subby, you know what happens when you ASSume, right?

Just because he doesn't conform to YOUR view of a Christian, it doesn't mean that he isn't. There's a reason that they call it a "faith", it's what HE believes, not what you think he should believe. Jesus, this is why I don't like religions, too many assholes who sit around telling you that you're doing it wrong.

Besides, religion has NO place in government anyway, including the religious practices of the candidate. I thought you cock-knocker anti0Obama types were all about the Constitution and shiat?

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