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Originally Posted by alansmithee
I guess I didn't make my point as clear as I should have. People claim Christianity as a default when asked about religion. They don't go to church, read the Bible, or even think about religion or acting in a religious manner. They are essentially non-religious, but answer as being Christian as reflex. I am not saying that one branch is better than another. And I personally think that televangelists who live like kings should be struck dead (and I would put Robertson in that group). I've seen churches where the pastor and wife both drove Lexuses to service. Behavior like this is despicable, especially since these are usually protestant leaders, who supposedly left Catholicism for it's material excesses.
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My point was that if someone self identifies as christian, than they are, in fact, a christian. Whether that passes muster with you in terms of accurately defining their faith is irrelevant. I can be christian and not read the bible. I can be christian and not go to church. I can have a close personal relationship with jesus christ and still think that most of the people who represent his teachings are self righteous and insecure. I can believe in the existence and teachings of jesus christ and beyond that do no more in the name of christ and still be a christian. Depending on your perspective, having a close personal relationship with jesus christ would automatically exclude you from any kind of faith practiced in a church. Even if someone is a christian only because they self identify as a christian, who do you think they pray to when they're in a jam?
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I would dispute this. the only type of Christianity that is "doing fine" is those who don't practice.
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You mean those who don't practice the same way as you. You do know that you are currently attacking their particular brand of christianity by saying that they aren't really christians.
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If anyone in the public eye makes a negative comment about any group outside of Christians, they are maligned. But you can call Christians whatever negative names you feel and nobody blinks. And it isn't other Christians doing the majority of the mocking.
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Nobody blinks, or nobody feels like it's something they need to get all up in arms about? When someone makes light of something you self-identify with you can choose either to get offended or you can choose to take it in stride, or you can recognize the value in being able to laugh at yourself and chuckle. Choosing not to get offended does not make you a bad christian. It doesn't mean that your faith is under attack. It means you are relatively well adjusted when it comes to ball busting. Maybe the reason nobody raises an eyebrow is that they too, despite being christian, also have certian beefs with christianity as it is practiced by certain people. Certainly you can relate to that. You didn't get offended when i criticized the brand of christianity practiced by pat robertson. You agreed with me. There are valid criticisms of christianity. They aren't always expressed in a very productive form, but they do exist.
Christians are the majority. If christian ridicule is as widespread as you claim, it could only be so with the blessing of millions of christians. Furthermore, it is quite possible that christianity is being mocked by christians. Kevin Smith is a practicing catholic, despite the fact that "dogma" was a satire of the catholic dogma. I know quite a few christians who feel that mel gibson's brand of christianity is a complete joke. You yourself criticize other christians who you feel aren't pious enough. Does that make you a good christian for looking after your dogma, or does that make you one of the many americans attacking christianity?
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Why do gays think that because there are forces that discourage homosexuality that this is somehow evidence that gays are under grievous attack?
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If we're talking about the entertainment industry, i don't think there are that many forces who discourage homosexuality. In fact, it seems pretty obvious that an attractive female artist(britney spears) wishing for a boost of publicity need only make out with another attractive female artist(madonna). Queer eye is a hit. Gay people are very marketable.
If we're talking about american culture in general, homosexuals are under attack. The forces that "discourage" homosexuality do so with violence, discrimination(more malignant than not being allowed to lead a public prayer or put up christmas decorations in the town square), and attempted constitutional amendments. When was the last time you heard of a christian getting the shit kicked out of him for his faith? When was the last time you heard of someone getting fired from their job just for being a christian? When do you think the antagonists in the christian right's persecution fantasy are finally going to make their move and pass a constitutional amendment outlawing the practice of christianity?
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The Passion and Jesus Walks did well IN SPITE of media pressure against them. Many movie execs didn't want The Passion to do well, and many passed on funding it for ideological reasons. And in Jesus Walks Kanye talks about how he felt that the song would get less attention because of the subject matter.
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In spite? Where i lived the "passion of the christ" got as much attention as the choosing of the new pope. That shit was every where. All that despite the fact that it was a historically inaccurate unnecessarily gory snuff film based on a version of catholic dogma too conservative for even the catholic church. In jesus walks kanye successfully stuck his foot in his mouth. He wrote a song about how nobody in the music industry respects christianity and it becomes a hit single. "You can rap about anybody, except for jesus" my ass.
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And I'm not advocating Christianity taking a larger roll in pop culture, I am pointing out that much of pop culture has an anti-Christian adgenda.
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Pop culture exists to make money. Content is secondary to the bottom line. The fact is that pop culture avoids the issue of religion whenever possible, because that is one thing that people are liable to flip the fuck out over.