Christians Vs Christ Followers?

[Msterbeau]

http://www.thinkchristian.net/?p=960

Enjoy folks. Serious discussion is optional.

[AntiHero]

In the words of my brother-in-law. "I like God, not his fan club." Those were strange, but they were like the Mac/PC commercials.

[BrassFusion]

That was pretty odd, but pretty cool.

But I gotta say: while keeping an open mind is better than believing everything you read, reading a whole bunch of shit is better than not reading anything and believing whatever a handful of pedophile hypocrites tell you.

[Steven]

I dug it.

those ads did a good job of exemplifying what should be versus what the machine is. I've spent years living in that video clip, and Istill get questioned for the most ridiculous things:

"Your a christian? well then how come you:

smoke

drink

have tats

go to bars and clubs

sing in a secular rock band

listen to Zepplin and Sabbath

wear those boots

say that cuss word

have those freinds

go to that website

eat that taco (ok kidding)

reject this teaching

embrace that teaching

go off on your own

call things to question

and be pals with Brass Fusion?"

Because I want to.

some things and or people are obviously real and dont really need to be defined.

some thigns and or people are obviously fake and dont really need to be defined.

[n0Mad]

Steven, all good points. A coworker asked me about a month ago that if I'm a Christian, how can I be a goth. My answer was, "Because Christianity is a religion. Goth is a style of music, clothing, art, and more. One is a belief, one is a lifestyle. The two are not exclusive to each other and can be intermingled. Just like I view Buddhism as more of a philosophy so I can follow some of their ideas and still be Christian."

He seemed stunned for a while and then said, "But aren't goths Satan worshipers?"

To which I responded, "There are probably more Satan worshipers in Congress than there are in the goth community. Now get back to work."

I've never heard anything so naive in my life. Actually, that's not true. I've heard a lot of things during my life at this level of naivete.

[BrassFusion]

I dug it.

those ads did a good job of exemplifying what should be versus what the machine is. I've spent years living in that video clip, and Istill get questioned for the most ridiculous things:

"Your a christian? well then how come you:

smoke

drink

have tats

go to bars and clubs

sing in a secular rock band

listen to Zepplin and Sabbath

wear those boots

say that cuss word

have those freinds

go to that website

eat that taco (ok kidding)

reject this teaching

embrace that teaching

go off on your own

call things to question

and be pals with Brass Fusion?"

Because I want to.

some things and or people are obviously real and dont really need to be defined.

some thigns and or people are obviously fake and dont really need to be defined.

lol, fuck you, steven...

[phee]

Steven, all good points. A coworker asked me about a month ago that if I'm a Christian, how can I be a goth. My answer was, "Because Christianity is a religion. Goth is a style of music, clothing, art, and more. One is a belief, one is a lifestyle. The two are not exclusive to each other and can be intermingled. Just like I view Buddhism as more of a philosophy so I can follow some of their ideas and still be Christian."

He seemed stunned for a while and then said, "But aren't goths Satan worshipers?"

To which I responded, "There are probably more Satan worshipers in Congress than there are in the goth community. Now get back to work."

I've never heard anything so naive in my life. Actually, that's not true. I've heard a lot of things during my life at this level of naivete.

Great post

[Zenji]

The videos are funny if not mockingly unoriginal...but then Christianity isn't really original either.

I think it clever though to use a common commercial archetype to make the same point many Christians have made over the centuries. The only thing I find lacking is that they choose to use Christians and Christ Followers as if they truly were two different religious types. Depending on your Denomination you could try to fit yourself into one type or the other but it seems to me that regardless of any of that, you'll still be a Christian.

I guess to me it's a lit bit much like po-tay-to and po-tah-to. I like the expression of religious freedom, just think the message could also go for other religions included, not just attempting to split Christianity into "conventional" and "liberal".

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Yep.. more anti-christian propoganda... from a church no less... because being a Christian is such a bad thing.

Dont bother telling me I should not be offened by it or try to somehow convince me that it's not anti-christian propoganda... and please, don't go into some long to explain how evil being a Christian is and the long history of bad things the church has done... I don't care. This is just another fine example amung many others, that show how it's ok to practice religious discrimination as long as it's against Christians.

[Zenji]

I pretty much try to label everything these days as propaganda, regardless of the message. It sounds discriminating but to me it seems to be the most fair overall representation of most forms of communication.

I've been labeled clearly and quite often as a "shock" communicator. Regardless of my message or delivery thereof, it's always gonna be propaganda in some way or another.

Christians vs. Christians is an age old battle just like ay other. It's great though to see how the two sides (especially in the videos here) will react. some of the hardliners will be like, "Satan got hold of some our flock, we gotta turn them back!" while the liberal followers will be like, "I'm down with the k-i-n-g, I don't care what you or your book says."

I just think in some sad way it sucks cuz it's not like the old days where the guy who made this video would have been burned at the stake for being a heretic.

[BrassFusion]

Yep.. more anti-christian propoganda... from a church no less... because being a Christian is such a bad thing.

Dont bother telling me I should not be offened by it or try to somehow convince me that it's not anti-christian propoganda... and please, don't go into some long to explain how evil being a Christian is and the long history of bad things the church has done... I don't care. This is just another fine example amung many others, that show how it's ok to practice religious discrimination as long as it's against Christians.

But... But but but...

It's not anti-Christian. It's anti-closed-mindedness.

Did you even watch it????

[Msterbeau]

Yep.. more anti-christian propoganda... from a church no less... because being a Christian is such a bad thing.

Dont bother telling me I should not be offened by it or try to somehow convince me that it's not anti-christian propoganda... and please, don't go into some long to explain how evil being a Christian is and the long history of bad things the church has done... I don't care. This is just another fine example amung many others, that show how it's ok to practice religious discrimination as long as it's against Christians.

Christians put the beat-down on damn near every religion for the past 2000 years and you expect us to listen to you whine because people are showing them in a bad light now?

It's tragic, I tell ya.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Same with white people. It's ok to discriminate against white people because in the past white people did bad things. The same fucked up assinine logic applys here. It's ok to Discriminate against Christians... they did bad things in the past.

I'm sorry. I have read FAR to many history books to think that every evil the world ha ever known had a white male Christian behind it.

You go be a hypocrit if it makes you happy and helps to releive some of your white guilte... I'm not drinking that koolaid.

I'm going to go read a book about some Left wing Liberal killing a few hundred thousand people because they refused to drink his "this is how the world should be" koolaid.

[Zenji]

I'm all into balance. Eye for an Eye type of deal. If Christians can fuck with other folks why can't other folks fuck with Christians? If whte folks can fuck with other folks why can't other folks fuck with white people?

I wouldn't go far as to say that both white folks and Christians "deserve" to be fucked with, nor would I say that they've obviously "earned" being fucked with... what I'm saying is if they can't take it, don't dish it out either.

All in all, I see the commercials as a little propaganda, not some kind of harsh slap in the face of hardliner Christianity. It's only meant to offend those who would be offended by it. Most hardline devout Christians woulnd't find it offensive as they are steadfast in their beliefs.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

I don't find discrimination to be OK. Ever. No matter who it is against.

[Shade Everdark]

Exactly how much Bill O'Reilly do you watch, or listen to? Every last thing you've said in this post could have come straight from one of his radio programs.

Nobody I know has it in for Christianity, Gaf, I'm sorry to tell you. Most of the folks I know whom I know are not Christians themselves generally just want to be left the hell alone. Most of the time, we are.

The problem is when avowedly Christian groups do things like try to make social policy for the rest of us, i.e. passing legislation banning gay marriage. Or when they assume that they have some special set of rights or privileges that the rest of us don't. Which I suppose go hand in hand together.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

None. I have read a few articles by him.. and listened to his radio show once or twice.

None of that has shit to do with my point... Discrimination is bad no matter who it is against. Thats not a left or right view. I dont like putting down of anyone's religion... ever. I don't like reverse discrimination any more than I like discimination. There is not a damn thing you can say, nor a way you can spin it, to make Discimination of any kind seem like a good thing.

I'm a whole shit load if things (a good portion are negative) ... a Bigot\Racists is not one of them.

[torn asunder]

I'm a whole shit load if things (a good portion are negative) ... a Bigot\Racists is not one of them.

out of curiosity, where the hell did the racism card come up!?!? am i watching the same thread??

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

My second post? I know it's not a direct link to the conversation.. but it goes to the same type of fucked up thinking and is just as wrong.

"It's OK to discriminate against and bad talk Christians because in the past they did bad things."

"It's OK to discriminate against and bad talk Whites because in the past they did bad things."

[phee]

Staying out of this one... but interesting discussion.

[torn asunder]

My second post? I know it's not a direct link to the conversation.. but it goes to the same type of fucked up thinking and is just as wrong.

"It's OK to discriminate against and bad talk Christians because in the past they did bad things."

"It's OK to discriminate against and bad talk Whites because in the past they did bad things."

ah, i see... well, i can't watch the video from work, so i haven't seen it. it does seem that this thread was more about the distinction between x-tians and christ-followers, so i'm not sure where the x-tian-bashing/discrimination comes into play, unless it was obvious in the video. if so, i'll reserve more comment until i can watch it...

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Have you seen the Mac/PC commecials? Same exact thing. Though nothing is ever directly said bad about the PC... you get the snotty, better than thou attitude from the mac as it slams on the PC...

Just replace a guy playing the PC with a guy playing a Christian and replace the guy playing the Mac with a guy playing the "Follower of Christ". Then throw in a bunch of snide "OMG you so closed minded and out of touch" shots and you get the commercials.

[phee]

Have you seen the Mac/PC commecials? Same exact thing. Though nothing is ever directly said bad about the PC... you get the snotty, better than thou attitude from the mac as it slams on the PC...

Just replace a guy playing the PC with a guy playing a Christian and replace the guy playing the Mac with a guy playing the "Follower of Christ". Then throw in a bunch of snide "OMG you so closed minded and out of touch" shots and you get the commercials.

Are you trying to say Bill Gates is Jesus???

OK sorry... continue on ... threadunjacking commencing

[torn asunder]

Have you seen the Mac/PC commecials? Same exact thing. Though nothing is ever directly said bad about the PC... you get the snotty, better than thou attitude from the mac as it slams on the PC...

Just replace a guy playing the PC with a guy playing a Christian and replace the guy playing the Mac with a guy playing the "Follower of Christ". Then throw in a bunch of snide "OMG you so closed minded and out of touch" shots and you get the commercials.

i see... but if you're not the kind of x-tian to which they're referring, why are you offended? it sounds like the commercial is just one way for someone to make a point in a clever way. x-tianity, in general, nonchalantly dismisses other religions as foolish, misguided, and downright evil, at times. i would say, "what's good for the goose" & all, ya know? everyone bashes everyone else anymore, it's just that now, we've found better, more "PC" ways to do it. i seem to recall you bashing the muslim faith in the past - how is that any different than this? (and yes, i realize it was the overly-radical ones... that's beside the point) just curious how you resolve the two...

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

everyone bashes everyone else anymore, it's just that now, we've found better, more "PC" ways to do it

And what exactly makes that right? I am not trying to defend what Christians do now or what they did in the past. I am mearly pointing out that people who sit back with that smug attitude that they are somehow better than Christians simply because they practice a different faith or the same faith but with a different style... as just as bad if not worse than the people they are discriminating against. The Christians don;t hide the fact that they think everyone else is wrong about how to worship God. They will call you a pagan and it's not a compliment. Thats what the Bible teaches. That all other faiths are lesser and/or wrong. That no excuse for their past problems and the evil things done in the name of God. Doing the same things to them and somehow thinking it is ok... while bitching about how they do it... How is that better or excusable? Just seems a hypocracy to me.

As for me and Muslims... I have no problem with Muslims, never have. I do have problems with assholes who claim to be Muslim with bombs strapped around thier bodys going onto school buses and killing innocent children. People like that gave up thier rights the moment they started killing to make a point.

Nothing is ever going to get better when people act like this. Treating people badly and as less than human is never excusable or right. Discrimination is never right. Nothing is ever going to get better until everyone realizes that. You can think up all the craptastic reasonings you want to discriminate... your still wrong.