Originally Posted by irateplatypus

This is written with the dual purpose of adding a word of caution to the mix as well as to start a discussion.

Many of the more prominent threads in Tilted Philosophy and Politics (especially recently) touch on the nature of Christians and Christianity in the world. As a devout Christian who comes from fundamentalist roots (my family might say I've transplanted myself a bit), I've been very frustrated with the tone of discussion. Which brings me to my intended point...

Christianity is everywhere. You can't walk in a single direction for long in our country without bumping into a church of some sort. You can't flip through TV channels or turn your radio dial without hearing a sermon. Everyone seems to have some notion of a Christian heritage by virtue of being a part of the American culture. The natural tendency when surrounded by the trappings of something as monolithic as Christianity in America is to assume a certain level of knowledge and authority about it. It's clear from many posts I've read and many conversations I've taken part in that such assumptions are often misplaced.

Some views expressed are, for lack of a more diplomatic adjective, based in ignorance. It's a dangerous brand of ignorance because it's based on a superficial assumption of authority. People who have never read the Bible or, for some reason or another, dislike their first perception of Christians take part in discussions with the false assumption that they are properly equipped to debate

I realize that there are some who have given Christianity their objective attention and came to the conclusion that it holds little value (or even that it may be offensive). I've met many who have intimate knowledge of scripture but consider it ludicrous. That's perfectly fine with me. Sadly, these people are in the tiny minority. Most condemnation of Christianity that I've experienced is rooted in the very same kind of sheep mentality that the the fundamentalist is often accused of.

So, let's continue the debates... but I encourage all those who are not Christians to re-assess how much they really know about the people they sometimes insult so sharply.