From CNN:

America is a less Christian nation than it was 20 years ago, and Christianity is not losing out to other religions, but primarily to a rejection of religion altogether, a survey published Monday found.

Seventy-five percent of Americans call themselves Christian, according to the American Religious Identification Survey from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1990, the figure was 86 percent.

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League said he thinks a radical shift towards individualism over the last quarter-century has a lot to do it.

“The three most dreaded words are thou shalt not,” he told Lou Dobbs. “Notice they are not atheists — they are saying I don’t want to be told what to do with my life.”

My father has been diagnosed with a disease that will rob him of his memory. By the time he passes into the next life there is a likelihood that he might not even know who I am when I make that last visit. THAT upcoming moment - above all else - has left me wondering questioning the existence of God and why certain painful events are thrust upon us. Before my children were born - and during the time when my wife and had a miscarriage and several failed IVF’s - I found myself cursing God, wondering why he felt the need to have us suffer when all we really wanted was raise a child and do so in a Christian manner.

Nonetheless, no matter the challenge I’ve faced, no matter the pain I’ve felt, I’ve always believed that there is something out greater than us out there. Whether that person/presence/spirit even knows who I am is of no consequence. That he/she would have a place for me in the afterlife is certainly a hope. That there IS an afterlife is a hope.

But none of this is a given.

Pure religion leaving our society in such a massive way is disappointing. We need to know there’s something greater than us out there even if, in the end, it’s not the case. If for no other reason, it’s a valid excuse to treat everyone better than we normally would.

14 or so years ago I had a conversation with a co-worker of mine who has since gone on to write/produce and direct quite a few comedies you’re probably familiar with. He told me of a scenario that actually happened to him and a friend (that later would show up as dialogue in a movie) where his friend stopped his car next to a homeless man, pulled a hundred dollar bill out and asked him if he believed in God. Looking at the bill, the man said, “Yes I do.” My friend’s friend pulled the bill away and said, “Wrong answer” and burned rubber. My friend’s question to me was, ‘Does this mean anything and will his friend be punished for what he had done?’

His theory (this being a theory and not how he lived his life. He was a very generous, good guy - he just enjoyed these kind of debates) was that it all didn’t matter. In a world absent of a true God, these moments mean nothing. No one goes to hell. Nobody goes to heaven. Being decent to another human being will not get your anything in this life.

I disagreed. To me, you really have two choices in this life whether God exists or not; you can either be a the kind of person you’d hope others would be to you - compassionate, sympathetic, understanding - or you can simply be nothing better than a piece of meat. If nothing else, religion in it’s purest sense enforces the feeling that we are all connected, all part of this life together, and all our joys and tragedies are not felt alone.

It’s that thought that gives me hope that more people will find religion, in whatever form, and therefore discover a world where there is something greater than themselves.

Lifestyle Christian, Christianity, religion

My grandmother was a very religious person and possibly the most decent person I’ve ever met. She believed the bible word for word. Gave money to Oral Roberts and Pat Robertson. Went to church regularly. Never swore or lied that I could tell and treated everyone equally her entire life, no matter race, creed, color. She believed that you’re put here to not simply help yourself, but others. Show compassion for everybody, not just those you wanted to, and that while money was vital, it was not worth living or dying for. She was also a lifelong democrat.

I think about that when I try to resolve how the ultra-religious, ultra-conservative dead-enders justify many of their beliefs. It seems to me that the conservative platform of the last 8 to 10 years conflicts greatly with the reality of being a good Christian. While I’ve had ridiculous arguments to the contrary, Christianity in essence is more than just a belief in Christ. It is a belief in his basic tenant:

Matthew 7: ¹²Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about.

And, if that doesn’t confirm it for you, we have this quote:

James 2:² My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others…. ⁹But if you treat some people better than others, you have done wrong, and the Scriptures teach that you have sinned.

Most of my conservative friends follow a belief that rounds out to this:

Those who are invalid and mentally ill deserve our help, but everyone else is on their own.

Tax systems should never be designed to appropriate one’s private property (income) for the purpose of distributing that property to another person who has done nothing to earn it.( i.e. My wealth is not meant to suppliment anyone else’s bad judgements, bad luck or circumstances beyond their control. Social programs such as Welfare, head start and others are government’s foray into that area and not welcome in my book).

Public services the government should provide for its citizens include a standing army, law enforcement and other such protections, roadways, and schools. The government should never raise more money than is required to find direct, basic services (i.e. If you can’t afford healthcare, that’s not my problem).

This is a Judaeo-Christian country (i.e. If you are muslim, hindu, atheist or any other form of religion that does not act or sound very American, you should be happy being a second class citizen here).

Now, as you can see, there are basic tenants of the conservative movement and what they mean to conservatives in every day society. The new Christian conservatives like to say they believe government can’t be trusted, but that’s really just a nice face put on the statement “I don’t want to be taxed anymore” or “The welfare of others is not my problem.”

I think that, even if we put aside everything else mentioned here, the idea that we live in a society where healthcare is a business for profit is grotesque. The fact that many Christian conservatives would consider a discussion about covering everyone a conversation-ender is pathetic. And for those who feel that human beings have no real responsibility for other human beings beyond our own personal bubbles is truly sad. Many other countries do not function this way. Their systems aren’t perfect - nothing is - but they have the welfare of everyone in mind - and on our shores we are able to make Medicare work pretty well. What is wrong with a system where those who choose to pay more can get some extra attention and those who choose not to (or can’t) get equally good attention?

I think if you’re going to call yourself Christian, you gotta walk the walk. Just like you question the validity of anyone who doesn’t believe the bible word for word, I question the validity of someone who doesn’t follow the teachings of that same bible word for word. In fact, the latter is more important than the former.

Verbal Paintball christian conservatives, healthcare, Politics, religion