Full Version: Religious Semantics
Couldn't stay away forever.
We hear and talk a lot about fanatics hijacking the religion of Islam. We know that not all Muslims are terrorists, but a few bad apples are giving the religion a bad name. I came across this the other day in my local rag:
Is Christianity being hijacked similar to the way Islam is? If not, what is the difference?
If so, what could be done to save the sanctity of the word "Christian"?
We hear and talk a lot about fanatics hijacking the religion of Islam. We know that not all Muslims are terrorists, but a few bad apples are giving the religion a bad name. I came across this the other day in my local rag:
QUOTE
Religious Semantics
This is from Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary: "ChristianÉone who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ."
The way I read that, all a person has to do to be a Christian is to declare or openly avow believing in the teachings of Jesus. That definition doesn't say the only Christians are ones who believe in the literal words of a certain really old and obscure translation of the entire Bible. But the term is being kidnapped by people claiming the Bible is absolutely true--all of it.
Dozens of churches and creeds don't do this. They neither use nor demand a specific translation of the Bible. They don't insist on the absolute literal truth of everything in there. These churches/faiths are Christian as much as the ones swearing up and down the world is only four thousand years old, that evolution is a false theory, believe only they know God's Truth, and that God loves Americans better than anybody else.
What's really dangerous is this minority sect claims "Christian" for its own exclusive and partisan use. It has the ear of the administration in Washington. Once a group does that, then they and they alone can decide what's right and what's wrong for everybody else. That's exactly what they're trying to do--and seem to be accomplishing it.
This is from Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary: "ChristianÉone who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ."
The way I read that, all a person has to do to be a Christian is to declare or openly avow believing in the teachings of Jesus. That definition doesn't say the only Christians are ones who believe in the literal words of a certain really old and obscure translation of the entire Bible. But the term is being kidnapped by people claiming the Bible is absolutely true--all of it.
Dozens of churches and creeds don't do this. They neither use nor demand a specific translation of the Bible. They don't insist on the absolute literal truth of everything in there. These churches/faiths are Christian as much as the ones swearing up and down the world is only four thousand years old, that evolution is a false theory, believe only they know God's Truth, and that God loves Americans better than anybody else.
What's really dangerous is this minority sect claims "Christian" for its own exclusive and partisan use. It has the ear of the administration in Washington. Once a group does that, then they and they alone can decide what's right and what's wrong for everybody else. That's exactly what they're trying to do--and seem to be accomplishing it.
Is Christianity being hijacked similar to the way Islam is? If not, what is the difference?
If so, what could be done to save the sanctity of the word "Christian"?
QUOTE(Government Mule @ Dec 10 2004, 02:25 PM)
Couldn't stay away forever.
We hear and talk a lot about fanatics hijacking the religion of Islam. We know that not all Muslims are terrorists, but a few bad apples are giving the religion a bad name. I came across this the other day in my local rag:
Is Christianity being hijacked similar to the way Islam is? If not, what is the difference?
If so, what could be done to save the sanctity of the word "Christian"?
We hear and talk a lot about fanatics hijacking the religion of Islam. We know that not all Muslims are terrorists, but a few bad apples are giving the religion a bad name. I came across this the other day in my local rag:
QUOTE
Religious Semantics
This is from Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary: "ChristianÉone who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ."
The way I read that, all a person has to do to be a Christian is to declare or openly avow believing in the teachings of Jesus. That definition doesn't say the only Christians are ones who believe in the literal words of a certain really old and obscure translation of the entire Bible. But the term is being kidnapped by people claiming the Bible is absolutely true--all of it.
Dozens of churches and creeds don't do this. They neither use nor demand a specific translation of the Bible. They don't insist on the absolute literal truth of everything in there. These churches/faiths are Christian as much as the ones swearing up and down the world is only four thousand years old, that evolution is a false theory, believe only they know God's Truth, and that God loves Americans better than anybody else.
What's really dangerous is this minority sect claims "Christian" for its own exclusive and partisan use. It has the ear of the administration in Washington. Once a group does that, then they and they alone can decide what's right and what's wrong for everybody else. That's exactly what they're trying to do--and seem to be accomplishing it.
This is from Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary: "ChristianÉone who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ."
The way I read that, all a person has to do to be a Christian is to declare or openly avow believing in the teachings of Jesus. That definition doesn't say the only Christians are ones who believe in the literal words of a certain really old and obscure translation of the entire Bible. But the term is being kidnapped by people claiming the Bible is absolutely true--all of it.
Dozens of churches and creeds don't do this. They neither use nor demand a specific translation of the Bible. They don't insist on the absolute literal truth of everything in there. These churches/faiths are Christian as much as the ones swearing up and down the world is only four thousand years old, that evolution is a false theory, believe only they know God's Truth, and that God loves Americans better than anybody else.
What's really dangerous is this minority sect claims "Christian" for its own exclusive and partisan use. It has the ear of the administration in Washington. Once a group does that, then they and they alone can decide what's right and what's wrong for everybody else. That's exactly what they're trying to do--and seem to be accomplishing it.
Is Christianity being hijacked similar to the way Islam is? If not, what is the difference?
If so, what could be done to save the sanctity of the word "Christian"?
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