I am tired of threads trashing Christianity in the most disgusting terms. There is a vast difference between Jehovah's Witnesses and most other forms of Christianity. wikipedia mentions this in its paragraph on Jehovah's Witnesses. The obvious difference that strikes me is the status of Jesus. Christians believe in the Trinity. Jesus is God Incarnate, not a dinky minor angel. Armageddon is treated differently in most mainstream Christian religions.
I became immersed in Protestantism b/c I wandered off my campus one day. Christianity does not teach what most of you suppose. Many of you confuse political/economic movements in history with religion. When I read posts here lately, the hatred of Christianity and all religions is so intense that it sounds just like the Witnesses ruthlessly attacking Roman Catholics.
As long as we are human, religion will be mediated by humans. After my Armageddon consciousness as a little kid, I want humans to mediate it. What you describe is not what I hear from the pulpit or the pews. There is a vast difference between a fundamentalist corner storefront church and the mainstream denominations. I am fairly well read. My church experience is as far from the Witnesses as you can go.
Christianity is not going anywhere. It has been a force for much good and for bad. I don't know a single Christian from my churches who believes in creation. The lay people are extraordinarily well read. They would want to know why I waste my time here. Furthermore, the churches were and are active in social movements. I have yet to meet a conservative Republican in church altho they could be present and decide to stay quiet. Members of the church worked tirelessly during the AIDS crisis. Gays are more than welcome. My bishop and dean were freedom riders during the Civil Rights Movement. I audited a theology course. Their were students from five to six denominations in the class. Dan Berrigan and Dietrich Bonhoffer were not stooges.
I can understand the rage. It exists in me after four decades of normal life. I am glad I had the courage to walk in despite my fears. Believe me, I've always run out of churches. They are not cookie cutters. Christianity is no more a habitat for dingalings than atheists are. Atheistic societies have not created (wrong choice of words) good societies. Mao-the greatest slaughterer of people. Stalin. Dingalings exist everywhere.
If you get rid of all the prophecy fulfilled garbage, I see no reason why Jesus had to do. I can only recommend The Last Temptation of Christ. The book is better but it is long. Scorcese made a film of it that was controversial. I am glad Robert DeNiro declined to play Jesus. I never believed the ransom concept. Why does God need ransoms? It sounds like a primitive leftover from blood tribal feuds. As Jung wrote in The Problem of Job, man is more moral than God, esp. the OT God.
Oh, the Bart Ehrman book is released. I saw it in a bookstore yesterday.
