Christian worship service

The definition of cult encompasses most religions...
And yet I was taught to steer away from cults due to their brain-washing techniques, interesting comparison. It is said to take over a region one of the first things to do is to discredit and replace their religion
 
Just cause no one likes their religion defined as a cult doesn't change the dictionary.
You miss read me saying to take over a country often time the conquering country does away with local religion because it serves a threat to reigning regime. An observational fact.
Christianity is a perfect example modernizing Native American Savages. sadly look at their present living condition and the white man labeled them savages because they had their own way of worship. I am disgusted by human nature and their intolerance toward difference.
 
Yes a perfect example of the cult of Christianity trying to upgrade the savages... Cut your hair, wear our clothes,.conform to our norms
 
Disregard inappropriate remark
 
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You miss read me saying to take over a country often time the conquering country does away with local religion because it serves a threat to reigning regime. An observational fact.
Christianity is a perfect example modernizing Native American Savages. sadly look at their present living condition and the white man labeled them savages because they had their own way of worship. I am disgusted by human nature and their intolerance toward difference.
Yes a perfect example of the cult of Christianity trying to upgrade the savages... Cut your hair, wear our clothes,.conform to our norms
However we should not over idealise the 'noble savage'. The Commanche indians were raiders who tortured their captives and controlled a large slice of the great plains. For example here is a clip:

The rest of the podcast is linked to the clip, on You Tube.
 
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However we should not over idealise the 'noble savage'. The Commanche indians were raiders who tortured their captives and controlled a large slice of the great plains.
Or the Zulu... or in European historical context, the Gauls defeated by Caesar, or the Baltic Peoples subjugated and sometimes wiped out in the Northern Crusades... Or the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland, the Saami, the Roma and other Travellers?

I think it's more complex than "idealizing the underdog". I can say, "What the crusaders did to the Baltic Prussians was completely immoral" without approving of the way the Balts tortured their prisoners to death. I can say, "taking away the children of traveller families and putting them in orphanages or having them adopted, as happened in Switzerland for about half of the 20th century, is deeply immoral", (the same was done to native American families), without idealizing their lifestyle.
 
Oh I agree. Here is one of the saddest books ever:
250px-Bury_My_Heart_at_Wounded_Knee_cover.jpg
 
Excellent examples, however, aren't they all tied to human nature?
 
Yes. The story of Cortez and the Aztecs is horrible too. The Spanish were genuinely shocked by what they saw. They felt justified in imposing Christian civilization.

However that was really a sideline to the aim of conquest and treasure, and of course the Spanish methods weren't very pretty either.
 
With hundreds of differing tribes, each continent had their bad apples, they are not examples of the whole.
I'm just saying the European 'settlers' were often genuinely shocked. I'm not saying the settlers were not corrupt and greedy, or that they were essentially motivated by humanitarian principles. But usually their missionary attempt to instil some 'Christian values' was genuine. Misplaced perhaps, but genuine at the time.

It did not originate simply as a Machiavellian strategy to subdue the natives by replacing their sweet and innocent ways with nasty controlling Christianity?

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And it's worth realising if not 'Christianity' then it would have been something else. Blaming these events on Christianity just conveniently disguises the core issues.

Consider the case of the three identical strangers.

This social experimentation is as disgusting as it is outrageous, especially when the observers stood by and made notes without interference while the three boys were in and out of psychiatric institutions as a result of the trauma of being separated at six months. And all in the name of science, seeking to answer the nature v nurture debate.
 
Blaming these events on Christianity just conveniently disguises the core issues

Well, the irony remains that Jesus' teachings were used to justify these atrocities, even if if they run totally counter to the spirit and letter of said teachings. I do think this is a failure on the side of the Christians of the time, that they did not resist this 180° twisting of their central teacher's words to the purposes of the rulers of this world...
 
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Well, the irony remains that Jesus' teachings were used to justify these atrocities, even if if they run totally counter to the spirit and letter of said teachings. I do think this is a failure on the side of the Christians of the time, that they did not resist this 180° twisting of their central teacher's words to the purposes of the rulers of this world...
Oh the parallels today astound me, literally astound me.
 
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Well, the irony remains that Jesus' teachings were used to justify these atrocities, even if if they run totally counter to the spirit and letter of said teachings.
No argument there ... rather that any teachings would be used to justify imperialism. It's the nature of the beast, rather than the book.
 
I am frustrated by religion as I know it to be, I am uncertain how my feelings about religion will evolve from here.
 
I am frustrated by religion as I know it to be, I am uncertain how my feelings about religion will evolve from here.
Hi, I am a new member who just signed up yesterday. :)

Your comment caught my eye. Can you tell me why you are frustrated by religion as you know it to be?
I am also frustrated with religion as I know it to be, even though I belong to a religion, the Baha'i Faith, but I am probably frustrated for different reasons than you are. ;)
 
Welcome to the forums, @Trailblazer I hope you will enjoy the discussions here!

There's a place for intros in the Lounge section, in case you'd like to give us some background.
 
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