LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY dawnshadow)

"The gospel that is being taught in almost every evangelical and fundamentalist church in America is a false gospel, and it has condemned tens of millions of people to eternal damnation in the fires of Hell."

Over a year ago, someone linked me to this essay (was it from here?) and I read it and ended up subscribing to this guy's essays. Today he posted a link back to this along with his summary and commentary on the recent Times article about the pastor who turned away from politics and lost a good chunk of his congregation from it. Basically, it's about why mixing Christianity and Politics is against Christianity, etcetera.

And so I give you (or re-give you) Christians in the Hand of an Angry God by Brad Hicks. Use the "Next Entry" links in the left bar to go to the following parts. I hope you find it interesting, or at least thought-provoking.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY wyldraven)

You Can Keep the Faith by Dave Zirin, The Nation, Web Only

Bobble-head Jesus? A crucifix in your Crackerjacks? This is the valley of the shadow of greed Major League Baseball hath begun to venture into after the July 27 debut of "Faith Days and Nights at the Park" at Turner Field in Atlanta. "Faith Days" is a spectacle, as the New York Times wrote, where "churches will get discounted tickets to family-friendly evenings of music and sports with a Christian theme. And in return, they mobilize their vast infrastructure of e-mail and phone lists, youth programs and chaperones, and of course their bus fleets, to help fill the stands."

In Atlanta, fans also had the privilege, as the Christian Science Monitor wrote, of hearing "Braves star pitcher John Smoltz share how his life changed by believing in Christ." The event also included a hefty helping of Christian Rock, led by Aaron Shust, who, according to promotional materials, is the voice behind the "hit single 'My Savior My God' [which] reached #1 on six charts simultaneously for four straight weeks."

It's easy to mock the transparent commercial trappings of "Faith Days and Nights at the Park." Major League Owners, once called "a den of idiots" by late Orioles Boss Edward Bennett Williams, are clumsily trying to maximize their manna with little concern as to whether Christ himself would toss them out of the temple. It's also easy to point out that despite PR efforts calling the "Faith Days" scheme an ecumenical promotion, no synagogue, mosque or Buddhist temple has been invited to take part.

Beneath the veneer, it represents the ugliest edge of right-wing evangelism and its advancing influence. The Higher Power behind Faith Days and Nights is a group called Third Coast Sports, Inc. Third Coast Sports president Brent High, says, "We've been very careful to make sure what we're not about is ambush evangelism." But go to their website, and it's quickly revealed who the mastermind behind Faith Days is: Third Coast Sports proclaims with pride that "Focus on the Family, one of the largest evangelical organizations in the nation, has joined Third Coast Sports to sponsor 'Faith Nights' and 'Faith Days' at ballparks nationwide this summer."

( Read more... )
I really wonder how many of the families going to the ballpark this summer have any idea what they are supporting by doing so.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY rechan)

Okay, see if you can follow this one.

A teacher in Kentucky was fired for doing a porn film ten years ago. But the Christian Right are helping her get her job back, because now she's a Christian and is moral.

Yet Ms. Martinez, a host on a PBS show, was fired because she did two parody commercials years ago where she mentions "Anal sex" twice and advocates the use of vibrators, both of which she brought to the company's attention. She was fired because these commercials "Undermine her credibility with children".

Martinez was more than likely fired for damage control - to prevent the moral outrage from various right wingers when they found out someone on PBS of all places was parodying their Abstinence commercials. And yet at the same time, the wingnuts are defending a porn actress.

You think the wingers would support a Christian teacher who was gay?

I should note that I am personally against the firing of both women. That's not the point. The point is the lack of consistency and support, the "Oh well she's a CHRISTIAN, so her slutty smutty sex on film doesn't count", when they have such utter bile for other people who do immoral things. I can bet dollars to donuts had she Not been a Christian, the same moral indignants would be screaming for her firing. Y'know, the same kind of people who are going apeshit because a business hung a rainbow flag next to an American flag.