Obviously you don't understand the fundamental theological doctrine of freedom found in the Christian New Testament.
Actually, it's you that doesn't understand what those words command. You made that claim before, I refuted it by providing you with the scriptures that command obedience to a king, you ignored that, and merely repeated your narrative about Christian freedom. Here's a little more of it if you like
- "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ." - Ephesians 6:5
There are always negative narratives when one concentrates on the actions of people, rather than the teachings.
I don't care about the teachings. I left Christianity, remember? It's the rendering of the religion in daily life that matters, not some words on a page that are routinely ignored.
ALWAYS, guilt by association is the harbor of the lazy and hateful..
Who are you talking about? Who's guilty by association? Are you referring to my list of atrocities and scandals by Christians and the church in the news that has made Christianity less popular in the public domain? Were you feeling guilty, or did you think I was blaming you for that? I blame the religion.
Sorry, but that's what people see in the news, and it goes a long way in determining the public perception of the religion, however much you try to dismiss it away (and the rest of my argument) with the wave of a hand.
The Founders knew where liberty came from, and made it clear that the rights they bestowed on the Republic came from God.
That's obviously wrong. This alleged god had nothing to do with those rights, which were a product of human Enlightenment thinking. This alleged god sat around indolently for centuries as kings ruled over subjects throughout the dreary Middle Ages. These rights, which appear nowhere in the Bible - just commands to submit and obey - were enumerated by men, fought for by men, defended by men, enforced by men, interpreted by men, and amended by men. No god was involved, and many people still do not have these rights, and never will if they're waiting for a god to help them get them. Rights come from people.
It's pretty obvious why the Founders gave lip service to rights coming from a god. Their message was one of rebellion against a king, which directly contradicts scripture, like this one you ignored last time (it's still there,in your Bible). Imagine trying to manufacture the support for a revolution from Bible believing people whose Bibles contain this passage:
- "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."- Romans 13:1-2
my assignment for you is to take some time and read the New Testament.
No thanks. As you can see, I'm already more familiar with its contents than you are. Furthermore, it has nothing to say to me any more and hasn't for about four decades now.
Your bias is so virulent, I suspect that at some time someone declaring themselves a Christian seared you pretty well,
My bias is rational and justified. I have been a witness of what Christianity is and does for quite a long time, and yes, I have a bias against Christianity (and religion in general), just as I do against drunk driving and pedophiles. They're all harmful.
And it appears that you can't accept any responsibility for the failures of your religion. Somebody so emphatically rejecting it can't be justified, so he must have been hurt by the religion. No, I was bored by it and walked away without any ill will for it. That came later, beginning with the marriage of Christianity to politics in the Clinton nineties, with Moral Majority, family values, war on Christmas, Falwell, Gingrich, etc., which led to a lot of pandering, demagoguery, and eventually, presidents George Bush and Donald Trump. This sick alliance was damaging a nation.
It was on these message boards beginning about fifteen years ago that I began seeing the damage being done to individual believers. I became convinced that faith based thought and Christian doctrine in particular were each destructive at the level of the individual. It's destructive to the intellect, personal values, and spirituality for starters, and the bigger the bite one takes of it, the more the damage, the fundamentalists and creationists being the extreme there.
This is what Christianity does. This is what it taught an American president to think about American atheists who he swore to defend:
- "I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." - President George H. W. Bush
Look at how the evangelicals voted in 2016. What does that tell you about the critical thinking skills and moral fiber of those willing to submit to such teaching? Like I said, the bigger the bite they take, the worse people they become.
How about what your Bible teaches about atheists? We are all lying, corrupt, vile, wicked, abominable, decadent, debauched, godless vessels of darkness in the service of evil, not one of whom does any good, fit to be shunned and to be burned alive forever as enemies of a good god, and the moral equivalent of murderers and whoremongers. Don't believe me? Here's where:
[1] "The fool says in his heart,'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good" - Psalm 14:1
[2] "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, and all and the enemy of a good god." - Revelation 21:8
[3]"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?"- 2 Corinthians 6:14
[4] Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ." - 1 John 2:22
[5] "Whoever is not with me is against me" - Luke 11:23
[6] “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” - 1 Timothy 5:8
[7] "They are puzzled that you do not continue running with them in the same decadent course of debauchery, so they speak abusively of you" – 1 Peter 4:4
What should I think about a religion that teaches this kind of bigotry to as many people as will accept that judgment? Fortunately, many Christians are decent enough people to ignore the hate in their Bible and refuse to think of atheists in that manner. Substitute Jew, black, or gay for unbeliever in those scriptures and there would be a massive outcry. But apparently, to much of the world, it's still OK to describe unbelievers that way, thanks to the teaching of your religion. It explains the Bush quote above. He spent just a little too much time in church and with a Bible, and you say the effect.
Sorry, but it wasn't a bad experience in church that soured me to Christianity. It's Christianity itself and the face it shows the world. You probably consider yourself patriotic, but how patriotic is it to support a church that incessantly disrespects the founding American principle of church-state separation and not only attempts to pierce that wall and inject its teaching into government and law, but teaches that there is no such wall
Obviously you are another who hasn't a clue as to what the New Testament says. That ignorance does not deter you from pontificating as an authority regarding what it teaches.
Nobody seems to feel any obligation to defer to your distorted understanding of what scripture says. You have no authority nor any special knowledge in these discussions. In fact you don't seem to know as much about your Bible as some atheists. You were apparently unaware of the scriptures commanding submission and thought they were a doctrine of freedom. You also conveniently forgot all of that bigotry and hate speech in scripture, and thought that I might disesteem your religion because of a bad experience in church.
This time, see if you can address any of the points made with more than just dismissal and an air of superiority. Try evidenced arguments instead.