Are you ALL awake?

[Isaac]

What does it matter that you are Christian, if rather than embody mercy, you call for genocide in Gaza? Like, what is the value of your Christianity if in the face of a crisis you are cruel and spiteful in your ideals?

Who's doing that?

 

[Isaac]

Redefining the start date of calendars has been around for years

But doing so because of a hostility to Christ has picked up steam more recently. I think that was the point

 

[MarkK]

Who's doing that?

Pat stated in a different thread that Gaza should be "glassed." I asked if she was advocating genocide, she doubled down.

In this thread, Pat seems upset that the name of Christ is being erased by pop culture.

So I ask, what matters about Christianity? Does Christ give crap if his name is attached to year zero? Does Christ give a crap if his adherents call for genocide? Where does the actual value of Christianity occur?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Where does the actual value of Christianity occur?

Before I answer this question, I will point out that you can ask the same question for EVERY religion, and the answer is always the same.

Where does the actual value of Christianity occur? In the minds of its followers.

Now, reframe the question to put other religions in place of Christianity and/or to consider those religions in modern or ancient times.

Any and all benefits start from the minds of the followers, whether those benefits are interpersonal behavior, donations, or charitable works.

Any and all detriments also start from the minds of the followers, whether those detriments are open hatred of non-conformants, persecution, attacks, or acts of genocide.

 

[Isaac]

Pat stated in a different thread that Gaza should be "glassed." I asked if she was advocating genocide, she doubled down.

In this thread, Pat seems upset that the name of Christ is being erased by pop culture.

So I ask, what matters about Christianity? Does Christ give crap if his name is attached to year zero? Does Christ give a crap if his adherents call for genocide? Where does the actual value of Christianity occur?

I see. Thanks for pointing out the glassed, which I hadn't read - I spend about 5 min on AWF per month these days. No comment on that, except human life should always be valued as much as it can in the balance and certainly, innocent civilians (if they really are innocent civilians, which we know they are less often than they appear), should be spared, on any and all 'sides'. Have no idea what Glassed means. Not really up on slang.

I am not sure if Christ gives a crap about the AC and BC thing. I would say yes, Christ gives a crap if his adherents call for genocide - but then are they adherents? Why blame Christ for something a Christian does? That's like saying AA doesn't work because an AA member decides to go drink.

As to the value of Christianity, I'm not sure where you live or are knowledgeable about, but where I live (and where my relatives live), Christian organizations execute about 90% of all helpful charity in the area - homeless help, family help, domestic abuse survivors, orphanages, you name it, they're doing it. I suppose there's some value, at least in the eyes of the recipients who are then less hungry, exposed, confused, and lacking.

 

[MarkK]

Where does the actual value of Christianity occur? In the minds of its followers.

Then it does not matter if Christ's name is attached to year zero.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Have no idea what Glassed means. Not really up on slang.

Just for your edification and with no intent of actually recommending this option, "glassed" in that context is a reference to what the desert looked like underneath the Trinity site in New Mexico where the first atom bomb was exploded. It is a specific reference to melting the desert via nuclear fire and with the implication of "and reducing everything living there at the time to inorganic ash."

Having studied nuclear chemistry and nuclear reactions in college, and having reviewed detailed videos of the aftermath of the two bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I can never recommend that option. Never. All-out conventional warfare? Possibly. Nuclear warfare? Never. Nuclear war would lead to all four of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse being loose in the area. War, famine, pestilence, disease. Four for the price of one.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

The problem is you've got some very strange characters in the current US government. It strikes me that there is a distinctive possibility that they 1, don't realize the implications of nuclear war, and 2, possibly relish the idea of destroying the whole world.

Sadly, you might be right. This is going to sound a bit odd, but it might be useful to make every one of those persons play the game Fallout 3 using VR goggles. I love the game but there are moments when it is SO depressing that I have to step away. The images of devastation - and the implications of mutation caused by the radiation - are impactful.

 

[Jon]

What I'm saying is, don't let the divisional dividing politics bugger up our common working relationship, a relationship we all share.

Very Buddhist. The Dalai Lama says we have way more in common with one another than differences. We all need food, feel pain, suffer, seek companionship, have wants and needs. There is more than joins us than divides us, even when on opposing sides of the political aisle. It all depends on what we want to focus on.

I think I might have read that from this book: https://www.amazon.com/Dalai-Lamas-Little-Inner-Peace/dp/157174844X/