Falwell's Legacy (Jesus, beliefs, homosexuality, America, churches)

[Booko]

Originally Posted by beckysoup61

What do you think can be done to change this country or the thinking of such people?

Reject the ideas as vociferously as possible, but as lovingly and logically as possible.

Anything else would require muzzling free speech.
Personally, I think that would be much worse.

edit: Oh yeah -- and do what we can to stop child abuse and prevent alcoholism.

Funny how so many of these problematic guys were raised in less than stellar families. Oh well, that's probably fodder for another thread anyway.

[Wandered Off]

Originally Posted by beckysoup61

What do you think can be done to change this country or the thinking of such people?

Unfortunately, Becky, you can't change their thinking. They have to change it themselves, and that requires them to break down some very carefully placed and reinforced mind traps.

I grew up attending Southern Baptist churches, one of the largest if not the largest denomination in the US. It certainly dominates the South. These believers are trained to reinforce their own narrow views and reject anything contrary as "from Satan". They are taught that any deviation is a disappointment to God. Those who leave the fellowship are dismissed as not having ever been true believers in the first place. A pastor had a cute little saying: "Faith that fizzles before the finish was faulty from the first." (Baptist preachers love alliteration to make things easy to remember...)

Outside pressure will only backfire, as they see themselves already under siege from an increasingly ungodly nation, which conveniently they find prophesied in their scriptural interpretations. They expect this and take it as further proof they are on the right track.

There is hope, but it's on the individual level. One by one, each has to go through the same painful, guilt-ridden process of letting go of that toxic system and face the hell threats and imagined divine disappointment that have been pounded into the psyche. Really, it's a form of 'deprogramming'. I have been through that process, so I know it can work, but many see the journey as leading to Hell and will never go.

For me, reason was what made the first crack in the foundation. Their beliefs can never stand up to reason, which is why they are often strongly anti-intellectual and suspicious of 'human wisdom'. They love the little verse that's so good it's in Proverbs twice:

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death."

That's how they justify rejecting reason, but in the end, reason can win. The way to improve the situation is help individuals see for themselves. I think places like RF can help those who are willing.

[Dirty Penguin]

What a punk... Standing on his soap box in judgement of the masses.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by alwayswondering

Cancel their flipping television shows!

Who gets to decide who gets a TV show and who doesn't?

There's the rub.

[MaddLlama]

Originally Posted by Booko

Who gets to decide who gets a TV show and who doesn't?

There's the rub.

Ultimately, we do. If nobody watches the show, the show gets low ratings, and gets canceled.

[Bishka]

Originally Posted by Terrywoodenpic

Why not send them to fight the terrorist armed only with their "Tracts"
God will protect them.

I am so horrible for chuckling at this.

[yuvgotmel]

I am unsure how this will be accepted (or not) on this forum.... but, yesterday, I was browsing other forums, reading threads about Jerry Falwell's death.

And I found some of these quotes from another forum funny....

(NOTE: If this violates any rules at RF, then please delete this post. If nothing else, it does show that the members of RF have, in comparison, been much more considerate overall than as could be expected with such a various group.)

• The world just became a little less evil.

• I have to admit, I'm having a very hard time shedding a tear.

• Put another evangelist on the fire!

• So now can the left claim God is punishing him? and that he must have gone against gods will?

• I hope he died painlessly.

That being said, I'm glad he's dead.

• "Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but noted that Falwell had “a history of heart challenges".”

That's a diplomatic way of putting it.

• I pray that God judges him fairly and for the bigoted filthy hypocrite that he truly is.

Good riddance!

/Can Pat Robertson be next? Please?

• These kind of deaths are reputed to happen in threes. I've got my nominees for the next two in my back pocket, trying not to get my hopes up.

• Ah, called home by Satan.

• Talk about late term abortion

• may he be reincarnated as a transsexual

• One should say nothing but good of the dead.

Jerry Falwell is dead.

Good.

• Praise be to Allah!

• The rapture IS happening, one ******* at a time.

• Every time a fundie dies, a gay angel gets their wings.

• "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a letter saying I approved of it." Mark Twain.

• I hope TinkyWinky and Spongebob have glorious unprotected sex over your grave!

• This puts FUN and AMEN in "dead FUNdAMENtalist"

• The autopsy will show he was just one big unremarkable anus.

• A cancerous mass sapping life from humanity is removed. I don't hate many people. Now I hate one less.

• "Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but noted that Falwell had “a history of heart challenges.”"

The main challenge for Falwell was surviving that long WITHOUT a heart. Now he doesn't have to worry anymore.

• So does this mean God finally has enough money?

• Dear God,

What took you so long?

• I thought the light was a little brighter, the trees a little greener, and the birds a little chirpier today. Now I know why.

• I just came in to read all of the nice comments that everyone was going to make about poor Jerry.

Begin search: *.nice
*.good man
*.missed
*.well liked
*.RIP

*** File not found ***

/BSOD

• I suddenly have this urge to party like the ewoks at the end of Return of the Jedi when the emperor is killed and the death star is destroyed.

• As long as he doesn't rise again in three days, we're all set.

If he does, then we'll all know that the zombie apocalypse is finally upon us, and all of my stockpiling of beer, pr0n, and ammo is not in vain.

• Does....does....

Does everyone get their money back now?

[GeneCosta]

The best way to combat the fanatical thinking of Dobson, Phelps, Robertson, and Falwell is to reinforce progressive believers with voices; it's pretty obvious non-theists will never win their hearts alone. Whenever questioned about the issues of poverty and abortion by Person X, press the issues of poverty and community; two subjects Jesus actually talked about. Ask why criminalizing abortion at risk of causing more deaths is better than combatting abortion with sex education, social outlets, and love. Ask why homosexuals should be marginalized when Jesus preached a life of reaching out. You don't have to be pro-choice, but for the love of God, two issues do not make or break a Christian!

When the non-religious and religious work together, they'll see that secular is not a euphemism for godless. What we can do is work together. The "Moral Majority" would break down if it tried reaching out to anyone outside of their narrow view.