Christian right's compassion deficit

EvilPoet · **Joined:** Fri Dec 10, 2004 12:44 am **Posts:** 113

Christian Compassion seems to be MIA these days...

Bill Berkowitz wrote:

WorkingForChange
12.30.04

More than 100,000 dead in south Asia, but it's business as usual at the web sites of America's Christian right organizations

It took President Bush three days to ready himself to go before the television cameras and make a public statement about Sunday's devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck southern Asia. Even though he was late, and much more money will be needed, the president pledged at least $35 million in aid to the victims of the disaster. But, as of December 30, some of the president's major family-values constituents have yet to be heard from: It's business as usual at the web sites of the American Family Association, the Family Research Council, the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, and the Coral Ridge Ministries. These powerful and well-funded political Christian fundamentalist organizations appear to be suffering from a compassion deficit. Organizations which are amazingly quick to organize to fight against same-sex marriage, a woman's right to choose, and embryonic stem cell research are missing in action when it comes to responding to the disaster in southern Asia. None of their web sites are actively soliciting aid for the victims of the earthquake/tsunami.

In fact, there is no mention of the giant earthquake and tsunami that devastated southern Asia. There are no headlines about the dead, injured or the tremendous damage; there are no urgent appeals for donations; there are no phone numbers to call; there are no links to organizations collecting money and providing aid for the victims.

Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and Thailand were among the countries hardest hit by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which sent huge waves that smashed boats, uprooted trees and destroyed structures from Malaysia to Africa, the Associated Press (AP) reported. As of Thursday, the death toll had soared to more than 114,000, millions were homeless from the disaster, and many more were still unaccounted for.

The web sites of the same organizations that organized a campaign to block Arlen Specter from ascending to the chairmanship of Senate Judiciary Committee within hours of his post-election night warning to President Bush about radically conservative judicial nominees are now silent. [Continued here...]

The Christian fundamentalist organizations that are mentioned in the above article might be silent, but Rev. Fred Phelps hasn't been...

Westboro Baptist Church wrote:

What do you think about the Tsunami that hit Asia on December 26, 2004? Was it God's wrath?

The tsunami was an adumbration of the wrath of God, a harbinger of things to come: that Great Day of Judgment. Amos 3:6 "Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?" That word translated "evil" there is means distress, misery, injury, calamity. The answer, of course, to the rhetorical question posed in this verse is a resounding "NO!" See also Romans 1:18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;" And you wonder if this is the wrath of God? The lands affected by this judgment from God aren’t just full of idolatry; we’re talking about places (think Thailand) that are hot spots where American businessmen travel for the express purpose of fornicating with young Asian children. It is a thriving industry over there; many of these girls are taken into that business when they are seven years old or younger. "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:" Col 3:5-6. And you wonder if this is the wrath of God? Not to mention the fact that those Asian countries weren’t the only ones affected by the tsunami. Do you realize that among the dead and missing are 3,500 Swedes and over 3,000 Americans? Sweden, who recently jailed a Gospel preacher for a month because he preached Bible verses and sentiments about the abomination that is the homosexual lifestyle from his own pulpit to his own congregation. America, who is awash in diseased fag feces & semen, and is an apostate land of the sodomite damned. And you wonder if this is the wrath of God?

Source: http://www.godhatesfags.com/main/faq.html#Tsunami

Jesse · **Posted:** Sun Jan 02, 2005 11:42 pm

It is amazing how everyone seems to know what God is and what God wants. What is the point? Just be a good person. What does it matter what some God that may or may not exist, wants?

Use common sense. It is really rather simple. IMHO

:angel9:

EvilPoet · **Joined:** Fri Dec 10, 2004 12:44 am **Posts:** 113

Sometimes the simplest things in life can be the hardest to achieve. You know, people say all the time that religion doesn't make sense. I disagree. I think it makes a whole lot of sense. And it's all tax free. So, from a business stand point, it makes perfect sense.

Catherine · **Posted:** Tue Jan 04, 2005 1:59 am

And you can hide so much behind a guise of being religious...many politicians do it, as do their supporters.

Good morals, or morality, is in the mind, and reason is in the mind. No matter where you look for morality, it all comes down to the mind. Believers look to the mind of a god, a prophet, a preacher, a priest, or a pope. If there were a god, then its moral decrees would originate from its mind.

Why is it correct to assume that the mind of a deity is better able to judge human actions than humans themselves? Why do believers assume that a higher power is a more moral power? Author Ralph Green calls the Bible a "moral grab bag." And Mark Twain said, "Heaven for climate, hell for companionship."

IMHO, using one's mind to discern right from wrong and practicing it makes for a reasonably good, and moral, human being. I don't need to be a member of any religious organization to understand that.

Reference: www.ffrf.org

Catherine

Lucas · **Posted:** Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:27 am

EvilPoet,

Why is that you go and find the most extreme person - Rev Fred Phelps - and use his hate filled message to prove that christian compassion is gone? For one, no christian in their right mind agrees with him. Go look up his name on any search engine and you will find hundreds of christians voicing their concern about this man and his preaching of hate. A real christian hates nothing! Hate is a disgust

ing, dispecable word! Yes, there are people like this in the world. And yes, for some strange reason they feel they are doing right in the eyes on God. But it doesnt take a rocket scientist to see that he is off his rocker. Because he preaches hate against gays and lesbians, does that make the whole of christians uncompassionate? not a chance! dont single out a few bad apples and call christians uncompassionate.

dori · **Posted:** Fri Feb 04, 2005 11:26 am

Lucas, why do you suppose Carl Rove's idea to put the referendum about gay marriage on the ballot in several states brought out so many people that voted against it?

You say Christians are not like 'that', so who voted against gays?

Incidentally, Jesus didn't speak out against gays, but he did speak out against judging others. Why don't Christians listen to their supposed god?

Catherine · **Posted:** Fri Feb 04, 2005 11:54 am

The Christian religion is one of the most violent in the entire world.

Most Christians are supporting the Iraq war...I wonder if they would be if the majority of the Iraqis were Christian.

I wonder if they would be if the Iraqi people were white,dressed like Westerners, and behaved in the same way.

I wonder if they would be if the Iraqis didn't speak that "strange" language.

I wonder if any Christian has considered the fact that there is no evidence that proves that anyone from Iraq or the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attack.

Yet, the majority of Christians condone this inhuman invasion.

Go figure...

Catherine

dori · **Posted:** Fri Feb 04, 2005 6:54 pm

One other thing--churches in this area, and it would surprise me if it didn't happen all over the country, backed not only the war but told their parishioners to vote for Bush, the true Christian.

True Christians, if that is what Bush is, are going to kill us all.

Lucas · **Posted:** Fri Feb 04, 2005 10:42 pm

Dori and Catherine,

I am very against the war in Iraq. I am against war period. It saddens me that so many christians have been mislead by Pres. Bush, who claims that he is a christian. I,myself, do not believe that he is. He does not act like one in my opinion, but thats all it is, my opinion. I think he pandered to the christian voters in America by claiming he was christian and many jumped on the bandwagon without really investigating what he really stood for.
I have a lot of family that happened to support Bush in the beginning, but now have become anti-Bush because of what they see now. Just because you are a christian, doesnt mean that you cant make bad judgements. Every person is the same. Christians are just held to a higher account, and as they should be. If christians are preaching peace and love, then they should live it too.
Catherine, i agree with you in some sense that christianity has been quite violent in the past. The crusades was an ugly time, where some people thought it was right to kill people if they didnt except God. But that fault lies in man's bad judgement, not with God. God doesnt intend for bad things like that to happen. Throughout the bible, we learn that God is a God of love, not hate. He does want the best for us. But He has also given us free will, because He doesnt want a bunch of robots worshipping Him. He wants sincere love. And when we turn from that, being the gentleman He is, He leaves us to our evil intentions. That is why we see horrbile things like the crusades, the holocaust and wars around the world. If people were more in tune with God and what He really wants for us, we wouldnt do the terrible things we do to each other.
As for the issue of gays, I dont hate or dislike any gay person. I see homosexuality as another sin. I have many sins myself, therefore I am in no position to judge someone who is gay, and I will never do so.
Dori, you are right that Jesus said nothing against gays, but God did. They are one and the same as part of the Holy trinity.

Eva · **Joined:** Mon Jan 03, 2005 8:50 pm **Posts:** 184

Lucas wrote:

Just because you are a christian, doesnt mean that you cant make bad judgements. Every person is the same. Christians are just held to a higher account, and as they should be. If christians are preaching peace and love, then they should live it too.

Lucas,

I am curious, why are Christians held to a higher account? Also, I would like to know how you feel about other religions. Do you feel that Christianity is above other religions?

-Eva

dori · **Posted:** Sat Feb 05, 2005 4:35 am

Lucas, this stood out for me too.

Quote:

Every person is the same. Christians are just held to a higher account, and as they should be. If christians are preaching peace and love, then they should live it too.

I agree with every person being the same. I don't understand what you mean by 'Christians are held to a higher account.' In what way?

I will be interested in your explanation to Eva's question about other religions, and quite frankly, the most 'Christina' people I know are not religious at all. They are loving, kind, compassionate, empathetic, and they don't judge others in ways they would not like to be judged themselves.

Didn't Jesus tell us to 'treat others the way we want to be treated'? Isn't it more important to live Jesus instructions on how we are to conduct ourselves than feeling we are of a 'higher calling' than our neighbors?

Glad you are not for this war, I don't understand anyone who is!

Lucas · **Posted:** Sat Feb 05, 2005 8:02 am

Eva,

First off, no christianity is not above other religions. I will never slander another person's beliefs. I believe that by saying "higher account" I said the wrong words. I don't feel christians are above other people and their beliefs. What I do feel is that christians should be held to a high account of what they do and say. It is every christians responsiblity to live as Christ-like as possible, not only for themselves, but for those around them that may not be christian. I can't go preaching christianity if my actions and words contradict what God says. In other words, you must practice what you preach. If I don't, then I am not setting a very good example of being a good christian. And too often I see this in other christians, not practicing what they preach. And I will admit, I catch myself doing it as well. As hard as I may try, I fall into traps and have to dig myself out and explain myself, and rightfully so. I want to be a good example, and I strive everyday to do so in hopes that I can show those around me what God is doing in my life for me.

Dori,

I agree 110% with you. We should treat one another the way we want to be treated back. I don't feel that I am called to a higher calling than those around me. Everyone has their own calling, and its special in its own way. I do feel, as a christian, a calling to tell others about God. I explain it like this to people. If you found this great gift that everyone could share, wouldnt you want to share it? Or would you selfishly keep it to yourself and hoard it away? That is how I feel about God. Some people don't know God, and they don't know the wonderful gift of eternal life through Him and His son, Jesus. I'd feel selfish if I didn't try and tell people about Him. I try and do this as humbly as possbile, and I do so because God has told me, through His Word, the bible, to do so. He wants everyone to know about Him because He wants everyone to come to heaven, to Him.
I hope I answered your questions.

dori · **Posted:** Sat Feb 05, 2005 3:56 pm

Lucas, your second explanation makes more sense to me.

To me, every person is a walking example of his/her beliefs. I often talk about religion because so many people I know talk about it rather than living it. I am not religious myself but have no problem with others who are as long as they do not insist everyone has to think/do things their way.

It is one thing to invite someone, as you seem to say you do, to share your beliefs. It is another to insist. If you are inviting, I have no problem.

There are so many religions, so many gods, and they all speak to those who believe in them. If those religions are about kindness, respect, caring, they are all good. If they are about putting others down--well, you know.

What really gets under my skin are all the emails I get of just pure hate towards anyone who is not Christian. It isn't a good advertisement, nor a good way to coax people to believe Christianity is a loving religion. I know Christianity takes in a whale of a lot of people and they are all going to be different, I will consider the ones who actually follow Jesus teachings about how we are to treat each other as true Christians--the others are just wearing the robes but not following Jesus rules.

Christian right's compassion deficit

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