Anyone not afraid of the Christian right, oughta be.

[i have issues]

Just perusing the May edition of Harpers Mag and came across the main story:Soldiers of Christ;Inside America's most powerful Megachurch.An article focusing on the 'New Life' church and thier pastor Ted. As Harpers is very stingy about publishing articles on thier website, I thought I'd give a snippet...

"Colorado Springs,"Jayson told me"this particular city,This one city is a battleground'---he paused---"between good and evil.This is spiritual Gettysburg". Why here? I asked. He thought about it and rephrased his answer. "This place is just a watering hole for Christians. For God's people. Someting extra powerful's about to pour out of this city. I hope not to stay in Colorado Springs,because I want to spread what's going on here.I'm a warrior, dude. I'm a warrior for God. Colorado Springs is my training ground'.

A bit Talibanesque,no? These people terrify me. Pick up the May issue and prepare to be gobsmacked.

[7th_Sephiroth]

1. i'm waiting on confirmation of

florida's "open season" law being passed, and me and about 40 of my buddies all over are gonna blow the heads off of some street preachers and see how well the law works

[coloradodem2005]

2. I don't know if I am afraid of them.

I do hate them. I certainly don't hate all who identify as Christians or even Evangelical Christians. But, these brainwashed and grandstanding types piss me off to no end and I want them to go down in flames.

Where is this article from? Online.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

6. If you are not afraid of them now

Watch this video and you will be.

Confronting the Judicial War on Faith

[alittlelark]

3. I've been afraid of Fundie-Mom since I was 7

She told me I was possessed by demons, and I did not believe her. I tried to talk to tye demons and got no response. I was carted to different churches... it was altogether SICK.

Fast Forward 30 years...Mom - 3 divorces, ... I - 1 marriage (ATHEISTS HAVE THE LOWEST RATE OF DIVORCE), 2 great kids and successes out the ying yang. Caps lock was a mistake, but a GOOD one for the point I made.

These people - my family members - are beyond the pale.

There is no reasoning with them... no logical conversations to be had.....

They are lost in a sea of illogical thought..... But, they are happy to be there.

:cry:

[Az]

5. Just to toss another figure in there

No implications from this other than to counter the notion that atheists are immoral.

We also have a very low percapita ratio of atheists in prison. While we make up between 10%-18% of the population we only make up about 2% of the prison population. All sorts of anamolies can account for this but its just interesting.

[merh]

9. Sorry, that is not really a true test of anything.

Having worked in corrections and studied corrections, I can tell you that the majority of folks that are incarcerated for extended periods of time "find God". They get more activities out of cells and it looks better on their behavior records if they worship.

If you are locked up and the administration gives you a survey asking your religion, you normally chose one, it just looks better on your record.

:shrug:

[Az]

11. As I said

There are a number of anamolies that can account for this. Easily including the notion that they are amoral enough to proclaim a particular belief if they think it can get them something.

[Az]

4. The religious right has torn up their copy of the Social Contract

If there is no desire to build society in consensus with the other members of society one has discarded the social contract. They quite simply no longer consider themself part of the same society as us. And they are taking measures to try to essentially take this nation for their own.

We meanwhile wishing to defend the social contract still operate within its implied boundaries. That is we wish for them to be part of the process. But this is something they have no desire to be part of. Thus they can use our invitations and hopes to beat us down with all the while furthering their own cause at our expense.

Its a bit like trying to build something with the aid of someone that wants to tear it down. They have the easy job. Because we wish to build rather than battle with them our efforts are on building and rebuilding what they know down. Destruction is easy. And while we are busy rebuilding they can continue to increase their hold on the system till they can fully overturn the basis of our society and make it their own.

[FreedomAngel82]

7. Basically with them

they have this "with us or against us" attitude. They'll either try to convert you or destroy you.

[Az]

8. More specifically

They believe they are right. They believe that they are on the side of God. They believe God is good and anyone that is not on their side must be against God. Anyone that is against God is obviously evil.

[FreedomAngel82]

10. True

And it's scary. Who cares about freewill. The Bush camp and republicans are going along with it. God I hate these people.

[coloradodem2005]

12. Are you saying that they don't care about freewill?

I certainly think so.

[Az]

13. I think the implication is

They want to legislate belief. That is they want to force everyone to believe the same thing as them.

[coloradodem2005]

14. Someone on one of those Christian stations...

... actually talked about a book called "Legislating Morality".

[Az]

16. Wouldn't be the first time that happened

History tells us what happens when such forms of government take hold. It certainly isn't freedom. Why do they hate us for our freedoms?

[orleans]

15. isn't colorado springs

a big mormon stomping ground--like second largest to salt lake city? it's on the boarder or something?

[coloradodem2005]

17. Not mormon.

It is Christian conservative, but it is the Focus on the Family, James Dobson land.

[Az]

19. There is a Morman city out in that territory somewhere

And the name Colorado Springs rings a bell. I will have to dig up the book I read and see if thats it.

[Az]

18. Eek... Worse than that IIRC

I seem to recall reading that CS is actually the stomping grounds of an offshoot of Mormon society. It is dominated by the advocates of plural marriages. They are quite set on resisting and abusing the government when and where they can.

Please correct me if I am remembering this incorrectly.

[orleans]

20. i guess i'm thinking of colorado city

which is on the border of utah and arizona--i've been reading (slowly) a book called "under the banner of heaven" which states on the back cover: "...brothers ron and dan lafferty, who insist they received a commandment from god to kill a blameless woman and her baby girl. beginning with a meticulously researched account of this appalling double murder, krakauer constructs a multiayered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. along the way he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of america's fastest growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious beliefs."

[Az]

21. Thats the book

Needless to say the Mormons don't like it.

[LdyGuique]

22. Afraid, yes! Hate? Not Yet

I AM afraid -- I am afraid that this will go all the way to a shooting civil war -- a street by street civil war, similar to gang territory wars.

As the emotions keep ratcheting up another notch, week by week, I'm becoming VERY concerned that a tipping point will come and few of the most riled up and passionate will not know how to back off.

I've noticed how much my own perspective is changing. For years, I pretty well ignored the Christian community and didn't bother to differentiate between the various sects. While I recognized that there were more moderate forms, I didn't see a whole lot of difference between the prostelyzing sects and lumped them into a basic category of "bible thumpers." At this point, I'm using the term "Fundies" and it's far more perjorative, because it's underlain with fear.

The fact that they want to suspend the Constitution and install a theocracy really bothers me. It bothers me more than the fact that some nutjobs might want that -- many of these people were not this extreme just 4 years ago. I've read the militia rhetoric for years, but it was always on the periphery -- now, it's gone mainstream, as in ordinary people in ordinary neighborhoods across many states.

It bothers me deeply that pulpits have become politicized and so few seem to feel that it's wrong.

It bothers me deeply that creationism is still being accepted as a valid science by so many. The fact that evolution still has some holes along the 4 billion year pathway doesn't bother me. Science is constantly testing, researching, proving and disproving. That's the way of empirical reasoning.

Hate? Not yet. But, if things continue along the path that they are going, I will get there. Right now, it's not personal. I fear that it will become so.