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| Olde Tyme Religion |
| 'The Bible Belt is Collapsing' |
| 2013-08-18 |
| [PJM] ‘The Bible Belt is collapsing,” says Russell Moore. Oddly, the incoming president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission doesn’t seem upset. In a recent visit to The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Moore explains that he thinks the Bible Belt’s decline may be “bad for America, but it’s good for the church.” So conversely, what is "bad for the church" is then "good" for America? My logic wheel just slipped a cog. Why? Because “we are no longer the moral majority. We are a prophetic minority.” We are all now stateless desert wanderers or Amish. The phrase is arresting coming from such a prominent religious leader—akin to a general who says the Army has shrunk to the point it can no longer fight two wars. A youthful 41, Mr. Moore is among the leaders of a new generation who think that evangelicals need to recognize that their values no longer define mainstream American culture the way they did 50 or even 20 years ago. Blinding flash....must have been the angel of Moore. On gay marriage, abortion, even on basic religious affiliation, the culture has moved away. So evangelicals need a new way of thinking—a new strategy, if you will—to attract and keep believers, as well as to influence American politics. Are everyone's views now "evolving" to fit modern-day political narratives ? The easy days of mobilizing a ready-made majority are gone. By “prophetic minority,” he means that Christians must return to the days when they were a moral example and vanguard—defenders of belief in a larger unbelieving culture. He views this less as a defeat than as an opportunity. I see it as an admission. Returning to a moral example? Perhaps Mr. Moore has stumbled upon the problem. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #14 RJ, I grew up in a culture of Haughty Atheism, and have to bring up a few points. Anthropologically, religion serves very important services in regard to the nature of humanity. It is why one cannot discuss the history of a region without also considering the impact of religion. It is a way of social interaction. People come together for events. It gives a language for people to describe what exactly is, for example, the work of the devil, doing good. Without a clear cut goal of what human achievement should be, it is impossible to describe good or evil. As far as the superstitious aspect, if other people do believe in God(s), if they do believe in afterlife consequences for behavior in the physical world, then their actions indirectly and directly involve your presence in this world. Consider the construction prowess necessary for the construction of a cathedral, or the Athenian acropolis, Stonehenge, Mayan temples, Pyramids, Anghor Wat. Those were all made for the glory of each religion, why ever they were built. Those skills and resources came from years of those particular religions ability to bring people together. Now I'm not bagging, but it has been my experience that individual Atheists can be interesting people, but in groups they bag on everyone else, like jerks. That is when I learned that the anti-theologians have their own little Liturgy. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2013-08-18 22:16 |
| #13 Ar*s level. Enjoy |
| Posted by: Frank G 2013-08-18 21:37 |
| #12 as a practicing Christian, I have NEVER been taught/ felt the impulse/ understood that my way to an afterlife was extinguishing mine along with whatever "different" believers were unfortunately beside me at the time. Jim - you have stepped past the stoopid line to ... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2013-08-18 21:35 |
| #11 Well said AP. At the end of the day I want to believe, therefore I do. Its a little thing called faith and hope. It helps me get through this so called life. We have all seen enough and suffered enough to doubt or not believe, even though, I still get back to it and believe, because I want to. I never tie the church to my beliefs, the church is run by men, they fall victim to greed and all other human frailties, after all they are human. As for the non believers- I find it interesting as to where they go for solace when there is true darkness and evil presents itself. Maybe I'm just weak... |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2013-08-18 21:07 |
| #10 The history of Christianity has its dark sides, no doubt. But we need to look at it as it is today. Nobody forces you to believe in whatever the Bible says. Islam however... |
| Posted by: European Conservative 2013-08-18 16:24 |
| #9 uh huh |
| Posted by: Frank G 2013-08-18 15:17 |
| #8 Thee's no god, there's no devil either, just people acting as jerks. You're a bitter old man. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-08-18 15:07 |
| #7 they're all "equally bad" as RJ says. You remember the rampaging Episcopalian mobs, don't you? RJ? You may be an atheist. I'm not. Call me a jerk? F*ck you. You're welcome to your little desperate world and I don't/won't begrudge you that. Have a nice atheist afterlife. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2013-08-18 15:06 |
| #6 Dogma for dogma's sake is programming, whether the so called followers of Mo, or the Church doing things in the name of Christ. All Jesus offered was a way of life and salvation that would include everyone, Romans, Jews, just plain Joes. Then over the years, people went apesh*t with power and things got lost in translation. Fundamental problems in human nature......I would say. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2013-08-18 15:04 |
| #5 Thee's no god, there's no devil either, just people acting as jerks. Well as you say RJ, jerks for damn sure. I'll take the 'pick three' and go with it. Sometimes I get tired of talking to myself, but that's must me. :-) |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-08-18 14:37 |
| #4 just people acting as jerks. hokay..... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2013-08-18 13:38 |
| #3 Christianity is as much a sham as Islam, BOTH started Killing the Apostates, BOTH want you to believe "There's only one god (And mine is the one god, not yours)Both preach the essential same. Why should I listen to either? Neither have fulfilled the teachings, and BOTH are SUPREME. (Odd each claim they're toe ONLY ONE and the other is fake, there have been thousands like them, all faded away to the same nothing these will. Thee's no god, there's no devil either, just people acting as jerks. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2013-08-18 13:32 |
| #2 Something maybe along the lines |
| Posted by: newc 2013-08-18 11:51 |
| #1 Maybe, instead of 'waiting' for your rewards and sitting on the sidelines, actually showing up and voting for the least odious candidate might have made a difference, rather than surrendering this world to the despoilers. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-08-18 11:31 |