Honor thy Father and thy Mother

[Thomas]

I'm inclined to believe from 13 to 30 he did some traveling and ran into followers of eastern religions be they Hindu or Bhuddist, I don't know that he made it as far as India...but I think he ran into a number that made it west...

Is that because it's hard to believe he came up with anything of his own?

It's an interesting point, although I'm not sure I know of any Hindu or Buddhist teachings in Christ that were not already framed in a Jewish context.

But why do I have issues with Christianity? Mostly due to the vocal practitioners and preachers.

That's an American problem, if it weren't Christianity it would be the commercialisation and commodification of whatever the mainline religion happened to be. Christianity in the US now largely aligned to a non-Christian materialist ethos – Prosperity Theology writ large.

And, I can't help but notice that, on that point, according to a popular info resource:
"The New Thought movement, which emerged in the 1880s, was responsible for popularizing belief in the power of the mind to achieve prosperity. While initially focused on achieving mental and physical health, New Thought teachers such as Charles Fillmore made material success a major emphasis of the movement. By the 20th century, New Thought concepts had saturated American popular culture, being common features of both self-help literature and popular psychology."

 

[wil]

Its rough out here Thomas...they put up billboards, pay for commercials, pay for whole hour long television slots to pay for the passenger jets they own to fly from fleecing to fleecing and you speak of new thought prosperity churches which are a drop in the perverbial bucket from these literalists who use fire and brimstone and fear and greed to fill their coffers....they prey on the week to take their last dime with empty promises like what I shared above.

It sickens me...yes, I live here, this is what we are inundated with daily and the bill oards driving down the highway...it as if they intentionally want to destroy their own religion and will if it builds mansions.

But there is no greater hypocrisy than our religious schools...modern was are paying out millions for sexual violence against children...and what we are discovering as to how the old ones "civilised" the "savages" is even more appalling and you wonder.

Federal Investigation Finds At Least 973 Children Died in Federal Indian Boarding Schools

eji.org

You think new thought churches are the problem? Lol...they are basically non existent!

50 million Catholics, 75 million other Christian denominations, 160 thousand follow four or more new thought denominations...lol. there is less adherents to all new thought than Baha'i, Jehivah Witness, Judaism, Buddhists, Hindu...

Me thinks again you are barking up the wrong tree...most of us ended up here as a last ditch effort to hold on to something....because we got pushed away from the rest...but we still appreciate the teachings purported to be of Jesus.

And as you know....I object to and discount much of the teachings of that.

All in all, I see it often sickening what is done and said in the name of Jesus largely to me using his name in vain...if he were to come back he would have a plethora of tables to over turn before he ever found one from a prosperity church.

 

[wil]

Then clearly the problem is not with orphan houses, but with people ... every institution, every professional body, every non-profit body, every human collective, has its abuses and its abusers.

Is there, I wonder, any good in anything?

Yes, I believe there is good out there, we do see it all the time.

But we are clouded because yes we have a ton of evidence that humans are not humane...the word implies a misnomer simply by its etymology

 

[Thomas]

Its rough out here Thomas...

I am in no doubt. David Bentley Hart pulls no punches. I don't see how anyone can call themselves Christian and align themselves with the current administration ...

You think new thought churches are the problem? Lol...they are basically non existent!

Not so much 'the problem' as an effect.

Me thinks again you are barking up the wrong tree...

I don't think so ... its from the same root ...

most of us ended up here as a last ditch effort to hold on to something....because we got pushed away from the rest...but we still appreciate the teachings purported to be of Jesus.

I've read American Christian theologians, D. B Hart, Jordan Wood, Cardinal Avery Dulles ... so I don't tar all Christians with the same brush as you do.

Then again, there's been reports of financial misdealing and child abuse in Unity, but as you say, not on the scale because its a small community.

And, as you know, my opinion of Unity Christology is very poor.

And as you know....I object to and discount much of the teachings of that.

I am not having a go at you.

 

[muhammad_isa]

And, as you know, my opinion of Unity Christology is very poor.
...
I am not having a go at you.

What we need is unity..
Perhaps if we think of G-d as One, we might think of humanity as One.

 

[wil]

Not so much 'the problem' as an effect.

Not much of an effect...we are smaller in numbers than most other fragments of denominations or religions.

I've read American Christian theologians, D. B Hart, Jordan Wood, Cardinal Avery Dulles ... so I don't tar all Christians with the same brush as you do.

Lol...tar all Christians? That is funny...I have specifically decried the hypocrites that can't wait to get out of the parking lot after service or want thebten commandments in classrooms instead of beatitudes.

If all or even most Christians were akin to the authors you state we would not be having this conversation.

 

[Thomas]

Not much of an effect...we are smaller in numbers than most other fragments of denominations or religions.

I'm talking qualitatively, not quantitatively; of substance, not scale. Scale the numbers up, and ... ?

Lol...tar all Christians? That is funny...I have specifically decried the hypocrites that can't wait to get out of the parking lot after service or want thebten commandments in classrooms instead of beatitudes.

I know ... 'them', again and again... that's your world.

 

[TheLightWithin]

Yeah, I was being ironic, but IMHO, a birth rate of more than 2.1 (more than just replacement) should be maintained, otherwise societies do not survive.
Yeah again, I do not believe that but do not also favor stagnation in population. Migrations from other cultures may lead to conflicts.

Well, but the overall world population shouldn't just keep endlessly growing. Concern about whether or not there will be more people than the planet can support has been floated for some time.

 

[TheLightWithin]

You think new thought churches are the problem? Lol...they are basically non existent!

50 million Catholics, 75 million other Christian denominations, 160 thousand follow four or more new thought denominations...lol. there is less adherents to all new thought than Baha'i, Jehivah Witness, Judaism, Buddhists, Hindu...

Me thinks again you are barking up the wrong tree...most of us ended up here as a last ditch effort to hold on to something....because we got pushed away from the rest...but we still appreciate the teachings purported to be of Jesus.

And as you know....I object to and discount much of the teachings of that.

All in all, I see it often sickening what is done and said in the name of Jesus largely to me using his name in vain...if he were to come back he would have a plethora of tables to over turn before he ever found one from a prosperity church.

Correct, I have very similar objections, and so did my mom and grandparents

 

[TheLightWithin]

And, as you know, my opinion of Unity Christology is very poor.

I don't know, but I know your Christology is different

 

[Aupmanyav]

Yes, I believe there is good out there, we do see it all the time.
But we are clouded because yes we have a ton of evidence that humans are not humane...the word implies a misnomer simply by its etymology

Humans are humans. Society teaches them to be humane. All societies do that. Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists and others. No one should claim a copy-right. Religions (copy-right, my God or my messenger alone, wants people to be humane). It is not like that.

 

[Aupmanyav]

And some religions put a price on their ticket to heaven -
You cannot go to heaven or have an 'ever-lasting life', unless you accept the messenger of my religion.

 

[Faithfulservant]

Well, but the overall world population shouldn't just keep endlessly growing. Concern about whether or not there will be more people than the planet can support has been floated for some time.

Do a google search of countries facing a declining population crisis. Less babies being born to replace the aging population thats passing away. It sounds like youve been listening to the depopulation agenda.

 

[wil]

Then clearly the problem is not with orphan houses, but with people ... every institution, every professional body, every non-profit body, every human collective, has its abuses and its abusers.

Is there, I wonder, any good in anything?

The orphan houses were primarily run by groups that claimed Christianity and pointed to the orphan houses for.the "good" they did. It is only now with ground penetrating radar and forensic science have we "uncovered".all the death and abuse and been able to prove horrific stories that have been denied by churches for decades....

Nope, I don't find good in that.

 

[muhammad_isa]

The orphan houses were primarily run by groups that claimed Christianity and pointed to the orphan houses for.the "good" they did. It is only now with ground penetrating radar and forensic science have we "uncovered".all the death and abuse and been able to prove horrific stories that have been denied by churches for decades....

Nope, I don't find good in that.

Good in what? People .. or religion in general?

I find good in both .. and bad in both.