Today (Dec. 1) is "Not Ashamed" Day for UK Christians.

[trotsky]

http://www.notashamed.org.uk/launch.php

Let us all pause and reflect on the difficulties Christians have in the majority Christian western world.

[Cassandra]

1. Do actual Christians feel oppressed...

or is it just the whiny authoritarians pretending to be Christian?

[laconicsax]

8. How do you determine which is which?

[Cassandra]

10. There are a few who actually do help the poor.

Altemeyer has suggested that those who seek out restrictive religions (fundies) are in it for the strict rules and the actual religious ideology is often secondary (or ignored).

[laconicsax]

11. So is helping the poor a required criteria?

The New Testament isn't clear on whether salvation comes through works or by faith.

[Cassandra]

12. Jesus seemed kind of hung up on helping the poor.

Perhaps they should call themselves something else.

[laconicsax]

13. He also seemed kind of hung up on end-of-the-world prophecies.

Christianity isn't based exclusively on what Jesus allegedly said or did. In fact, it's arguably more based on what Paul said, and what subsequent committees did.

If someone wants to call themselves a Christian, they have every right to do so regardless of whether or not you think they fit your personal definition of the label. Religious adherence is made by self-identification.

[Cassandra]

15. Hit a nerve, did I?

It's hardly my "personal definition" but something that's been pushed in my face most of my life. I'm well aware that people can identify themselves as whatever they like. Those of us on the outside of their decision can have an opinion on how their professed beliefs compare with their actions. If one is going to spit on poor people and treat them like dirt while lining one's own pockets and cheating those around one(I'm not suggesting you, in particular, are doing that), why identify as religious at all? It's easy enough to be a shit without wasting time in church.
If you want to have the belief that you'll be saved by belief while those who are actually working at helping the poor are going to hell, don't expect me to take that kind of religious self-identification too seriously. It seems too convenient to me (say the magic words and you get the "get out of hell free" card).

[laconicsax]

16. Not at all.

I have no horse in this race--I'm an atheist. I'm just pointing out that the kind of borderline "no true Scotsman" tribalism you're engaging in is no different that that of fundamentalist nutjobs.

Religion is about superstition and tribalism. Sometimes there's an importance places on charity, but that doesn't alter the basic premise of superstition and in-group/out-group behavior upon which the religion is based. If the only point of religion were helping the poor, religious adherents wouldn't get so caught up in dogma and beliefs, would they?

[Cassandra]

17. I'm a rather lax Jew, actually.

I just tore up a religious tract (Christian, natch) that appears to have arrived in a package of something ordered through Amazon and fulfilled by an outside company. What I ordered has nothing to do with religion, but a some "Christians" decided I needed to be told I'm a sinner. :puke:
If the concept of Christianity as Jesus would presumably understand it has no meaning except to crap on other people, I wish they wouldn't bother calling themselves Christian when Calvinists or Paulists (or authoritarian assholes) would be more descriptive.

[laconicsax]

18. It would be interesting if all 28,000 sects didn't call themselves "Christian."

[LeftishBrit]

2. This is being run by Christian Concern, formerly Christian Concern for Our Nation

They are a sort of British version of the American Christian Right (and do obviously have links with American groups). They are run by Andrea Minichiello Williams, a nutty lawyer who thinks that the world is 4000 years old and that Christians in England are persecuted. Christian Concern is utterly obsessed with abortion, homosexuality and other 'pro-family' and 'pro-life' issues, and with increasing 'Christian' influence on politics.

They and their campaign are criticized by both humanists and many Christians:

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/13681

[rurallib]

3. is this just a holdover from the first century?

[trotsky]

4. There are some Christians who think that if they aren't oppressed...

they must be doing something wrong. So they imagine oppression, and make themselves believe that an atheist writing a book and being allowed to publish it is exactly the same as them being thrown to the lions.

[LeftishBrit]

6. People like 'Christian Concern'...

think that they are persecuted if they can't change the law of the land to ban abortion and homosexuality.

[charlie]

5. They have a song

It's by a fellow named Otto Tune.... excuse me, I mean Josh Anderson.

http://www.notashamed.org.uk/song.php

[RainDog]

7. LOL!

yes, that poor, oppressed minority.

[dimbear]

9. This is especially sad for the Christians, when one recalls

England's long peaceful history of religious toleration. Pacifists like Mary, Queen of Scots, and all the rest.

It was all a picnic on the grass up until now.

[laconicsax]

14. Christians in the UK have it especially hard.

The Church of England is only allowed 26 seats in the House of Lords.



BTW: No animation?