History and "Christian" Political Agendas

[Coyote_Bandit]

I'm curious and am trying to assemble a list a various political and social agendas and issues that have been pursued and justified (whether correctly or not) in the name of the Christian God.

The ones that immediately come to mind are:
(1) the current fundamentalist anti-abortion, anti-gay agenda;
(2) the current progressive anti-poverty, pro-peace, pro-inclusion agenda;
(3) the fight for civil rights;
(4) the fight against slavery;
(5) opposition to the teaching of evolution;
(6) prohibition; and
(7) the crusades of the middle ages.

I'm sure my list is remarkably incomplete. What other "Christian" political or social agendas or issues would you identify throughout history (they need not be uniquely American or contemporary)?

Edit to add:
What historical "Christian" agendas would you identify?
What non-American "Christian" agendas would you identify?
What non-fundamentalist "Christian" agendas would you identify?

I suspect there is quite a list that will show the pursuit of many, many conflicting agendas around the world and throughout history.

[liberal N proud]

1. Gambling

I saw a documentary on the History Channel yesterday about Gambling in the US.
There have been several attempts to stop gambling over the history of the US.

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. Silly me. How could I forget?

JOklahoma just began its participation in the Powerball lottery the first of the year - a fact that is still being opposed from the pulpits here - to say nothing of the Native American casinos.

[trotsky]

2. Colonization and conversion/massacre of indigenous peoples.

Some of the earliest socialist/communist ideas. (See Acts)

[Coyote_Bandit]

6. Certainly

Acts does provde documentation that the early Christians participated in implementing some socialist/communist ideas. Are you aware of particular subsequent socialist/communist agendas which has since been pursued as "Christian"? I'm guessing that surely there must be some specific instances that escape my memory.

And, yes, the work of missions has been little more than a tool to colonize and convert indigenous people groups resulting in cultural devastation and loss of identity.

[trotsky]

9. The UK's Christian Socialists

I'm not from the UK so I don't know this group at all, but their website is interesting. http://www.thecsm.org.uk/

[Coyote_Bandit]

10. Thanks! n/t

[BillZBubb]

4. Prayer in schools, religious items in public places.

School vouchers. The conversion of "infidels" in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and of course South and Central America. Oh, and who could forget the Inquisition????

[Coyote_Bandit]

8. I fear

that all to soon we will face our own inquisition. How, indeed, could I forget?

And, of course, there is the ever present attempt to use public institutions to advance private agendas (i.e. through the use of school prayer and vouchers).

[Goblinmonger]

20. ...

[MindPilot]

5. Drug prohibition

has it roots in the Christian belief that anything which feels good is a sin.

And not just opposition to teaching of evolution, but opposition to stem cell research, and scientific advancement in general. I recall when the first heart transplant was done, there was a huge outcry from the Christians that doctors shouldn't be "playing god". Yet they seem to have no problem using medical science to keep someone alive as long as possible provided it prolongs their suffering. :shrug:

[Jawja]

7. I believe the Christian Church

in America pushed the Temperance movement that led to Prohibition.

[Coyote_Bandit]

12. Yes, Indeed

I find it quite interesting that many of the fundies I have known have been adamant about the use of various vitamins and nutritional supplements. Nothing wrong with that per se. Though sometimes it seems they are treated more like magic potions than the chemical and nutritional supplements that they are. Science often seems to be welcomed only to the extent that it validates pre-existing prejudices.

And certainly there is an apparent contradiction between the desire to artificially prolong life (e.g. Terri Schiavo) and the concurrent desire to take retribution and artificially terminate life (e.g. imposition of the death penalty) even when the vast majority of our peers worldwide choose not to do so (i.e. execution of teen offenders and thoe with mental illnesses or retardation).

[Coyote_Bandit]

13. Delete (Duplicate)

[Midnight Rambler]

21. Not just drugs, Prohibition in general

Christian groups were a major force behind the Temperance movement in the 19th and early 20th century

[BOSSHOG]

11. The bombing of abortion clinics

Hate crimes against gays. The attempts to limit the constitutional rights of citizens via amendments. The support of lies to protect the current administration. The support of the slaughter of innocent Iraqis. The undoing of social programs to assist the poor and needy. All done in the name of Jesus Christ.


What will Jesus do? He's gonna whip their asses when they come knocking on the pearly gates and send to hell to burn for eternity.

[Coyote_Bandit]

17. Scripture says

Christians would be known by their love. Lies, deceit, hate and injustice are truly a sad commentary. Think they will be surprised to be warmed by the fires of hell? Are they sincerely deceived or sincerely manipulating the sheple?

[trotsky]

22. "known by their love"

Well you see, the abortion clinic bombers think that they are saving HUNDREDS of lives that otherwise would have been aborted. They "love" all those fetuses and believe that it justifies their actions.

And since God doesn't bother to come down and set everyone straight, who is to say their interpretation of scripture is wrong, and yours is right?

[Coyote_Bandit]

24. A Roman Catholic appologist

would answer you by providing a critique of the protestant reformation doctrine of sola scriptura. And he would be quite correct in pointing out that for about 75% of Christian church history believers (and many clergy) did not have access to printed Scripture. Unity of belief was maintained through a combination of oral and other traditions - combined with admittedly fallible and sometimes corrupt church authority. It was not until the concept of sola scriptura was accepted that we suddenly had 22,000 or so protestant denominations divided over various theological issues. That, in and of itself, is an indication that individually we are incapable of accurately understanding all of Scripture. Why? Because everyone becames a law unto themselves in offering their own interpretation of Scripture - such individual interpretation generally lacks both context and accountability. I would suggest that Scripture simply cannot be accurately interpreted and applied without considering (1) internal consistency with other passages of Scripture; (2) external consistency with fact and human experience; and (3) consideration of the historical and traditional understanding of the passage. But, hey, what do I know? It would appear that definition or limitation of the concept of sola scriptura is repugnant to the vast majority of protestant Christians.

[trotsky]

25. It's just too bad...

that a good and holy and perfect being, who created all of us and loves us and wants us to know him, chose to have his thoughts and desires communicated to us via this book of collected, translated, edited, re-translated, and re-edited oral stories that is so very easily interpreted to support just about any horrible atrocity man visits on man.

[Coyote_Bandit]

27. Pentecostals

believe that God's revelation is both ongoing and personal. Because of that I am of the opinion that they should be held to a stricter standard if consistency. Yet their faith is far more experiential and less grounded in Scripture than most other protestant denominations.

No doubt there are problems with the book due simply to the manner in which it has been handed down. It really is remarkable that the main themes of Scripture have remained somewhat consistent in their presentation. That said, I am of the opinion that the greater error in interpretation lies with the reader. Unfortunately, the deceived are usually sincere - if only because they are ignorant of the falsehood perpetuated. I would guess this is because (1) reason is all too often excluded from faith and critical thinking skills are not employed; (2) there is little if any consideration of context - including the broader consistency of Scripture that goes beyond a single passage and looks also to the context of church history, tradition and interpretation by others; and (3) lack of church authority and discipline to impose consequences on those who tout deceptive or erroneous theologies. Any number of nutcases have demonstrated just how easy it is to go off somewhere and develop your own little cult following.

[stillcool]

14. here's something you might find....

interesting...
http://watch.pair.com/cnp.html#rrt

[Coyote_Bandit]

16. Thanks! n/t

[enigma000]

15. Faith and Reason

Far from being incompatible, faith and reason has existed together in the Christian religion. Christian intellectuals from Thomas Aquinas to St. Augustine have advanced reason and the scientific method.

A book I've been meaning to read on the subject:
The Victory of Reason : How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success (Hardcover)
by Rodney Stark

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400062284/002-1858716-4662422?v=glance&n=283155

[Coyote_Bandit]

18. Faith and reason should not be incompatible

Any belief system should be internally consistent and non-contradictory. It should also be externally consistent with scientific evidence and human experience.

Thanks for the book recommendation I'll have to check it out.

[enigma000]

19. Your welcome

I read an article on the book and it made me think. I think we, as a society, forget that Christianity wasn't an adversary of education and reason, but an advocate. Much of the events we know - Galileo's
run in with the Church, disputes over Evolution - is not typically how religion has treated science. I mean, if it was, we would still be living in the Bronze Age.

[InaneAnanity]

26. Really???

Heretics should be examined "not by stretching them on the rack, not by scorching them with flames or furrowing their flesh with iron claws, but by beating them with rods."

--St. Augustine

Augustine was of the opinion that the suffering and servitude of Jewish people was proof that a christian god existed.

[enigma000]

23. kick

[Coyote_Bandit]

28. Kick

Still curious to see if anyone else here in this well read group of DU'ers has any other "Christian" political agendas to add to the list.

[Redbear]

29. Christians have and are now pursuing a Green agenda.

There is also the land reform sought by Liberation theology.