Organized Religion is Not True Christianity, Brad

Brad at Brad's Brain, recently stated that Christianity "is the most dangerous religion in the world." Here's the post. Please read it. Please comment. Please also read the string of comments on his blog. I think they speak for themselves.

In case you don't read my last comment, here it is
I won’t comment on your personal attacks. There isn’t a point in that. If if makes you feel better to claim you don’t “suffer fools lightly,” well, then, congrats.

You wanna argue a point, then argue this statement you made about Christianity and Islam: “delusions to further belief structures damaging to the lives of ordinary people, to placate them, and to wage wars to make the powerful more powerful.”

I can only speak towards Christianity, but where in the Bible does Christ or any of the apostles mention furthering belief structures to placate anyone or waging wars to make the powerful more powerful? True Christianity is not based on what organized religion espouses, but what Christ said and asked us to do.

Your argument seems to be based against organized religion and not the beliefs of Christians. Any politician, Demorcrat or Republican, that uses religion to further a political ideal is typically traipsing out their faith as another plank in their platform. Christianity is about putting others first, following Christ, and loving God above all others? What is wrong with that ideology? Are those the ideals that are poisoning America or is it some agenda of a denomination to which you’re referrring?

Has evil been done in the name of Christianity and Christ? Absolutely! I personally ask for the forgiveness of those others who’ve ever been harmed in the name of Christ or any organized religion.

I do believe (and that’s what this boils down to…belief or faith) that following Christ is a noble thing and what God wants us to do. Can that be argued? No more so than the feeling that the warm sun feels good on your face or that you might like the smell of rain.

I’m sure I’ve said some hypocritical things. I’m a hypocrite EVERY DAY! Thank God he’ll take me, and you for that matter, back EVERY DAY. I will not pretend to be some intellectual giant that has perfect thoughts or posts, because I’m not. I do believe I add a valuable voice to the public discourse and will continue to do so.

If this makes you respond with some smart-ass comment about how ignorant I am, then so be it. I’ve tried, and will continue, to compliment you on views of yours that I agree with, and have tried to find common ground with you, which I think I did on your love for music.

Let me know what you think!

Hello! Jesus isn't just the great teacher of humanity but Christ as He claimed

In a recent post on Brad's Brain, Brad described why he doesn't believe in God. I'm not posting to convert Brad. If he choses not to believe in God, that's his choice. In my short stint in blogdom, Brad and I have disagreed on most everything. I do respect Brad's intelligence and point of view, I just don't agree with him usually.



I know that there are several that refuse to believe in any faith because of the terrible things done in the name of that faith. The fault with that argument typicallys is that those that say that often overlook the good done in the names of those same faiths.



As fair disclosure, I am a sold out believer in Jesus as the Christ.



I write this post as a rebuttal to Brad's argument that Jesus isn't the Christ, but just one of humanity's greatest teachers. C.S. Lewis refutes this argument best in his Mere Christianity:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (Lewis 1952, pp. 43) .

I'm usually not one to just quote other's words and leave it at that, but Lewis' argument is cut and dry. Jesus was either a liar, deranged, or, as he claimed, the Son of Man. It's your choice. I think the argument is strongest for Jesust being the Christ.

Pluralism is not a set of beliefs

As I've stated proudly before, I'm a Christian. This post isn't about me bringing you over to my side. This is a post about the proliferation of the idea that everyone's ideas can be correct. Our society is becoming more and more accepting of the "fact" that there are several truths out there.

The pluralistic idea is pure absurdity. Truth is truth. It is or it isn't. Are there questions in life? Absolutely. Are there areas of life that we won't know the answers to until we meet our maker? Of course. The idea that everyone's ideas about life's truths are correct just doesn't hold water. If everyone is correct in their search for truth, then who's wrong?

Grow up America. There is a right and a wrong. I'm tired of having to apologize for that. Do I believe that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life? ABSOLUTELY. Am I closed minded enough not to listen to other opinions? NO. Faith closes the gaps when the facts aren't there or just don't make sense.

I'm sure there are those that will think I'm close minded for stating this opinion. I truly welcome your comments in order to have an interesting conversation.