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How to fight the religious right. . .

DrM

Member
This is an article to help those of you struggling for what to say or how to match point for point your nemisis positions.
"You're going to Hell!"
"Satan has blinded you!"

"If you support abortion, you are supporting murder!"

Have you been assaulted with statements such of these? Have your political views, your religious beliefs or your behaviors been targeted by such verbal abuse? Have you found yourself defending your choices against individuals so bent on their own agenda that nothing you say makes a difference? Chances are you are being attacked by Fundamentalist Christians.

Often called the "Religious Right," these people come from an extreme wing of the Christian Faith. Because of their growing number, many of them - as well as many non-Christians - believe they represent all of Christianity. Not true. These people represent a far-right position in a much larger spectrum of Christian believers. They are Fundamentalists. And by that definition, which they use, they have set themselves up as defenders of the "fundamentals" of the faith, as the guardians of righteousness, as soldiers of the truth.

Worried? You should be.

Fundamentalists are nothing new however. They can be abrasive, angry, judgmental and downright mean, but they are not true representatives of any of the faiths for which they claim to speak. I say that because every major religion has had its share. Fundamentalist Muslims have made many non-Muslims fear that religion, and yet the Muslim faith, at its core, remains a peace-loving faith. Fundamentalist Jews have made many non-Jews fear that religion, and yet the Jewish faith, at its core, remains a peace-loving faith. And Fundamentalist Christians have made many non-Christians fear that religion, and yet the Christian faith, at its core, remains a peace-loving faith. It's only when Fundamentalists are allowed to gain political power that their existence is a threat to mankind.

How to Fight the Religious Right Full Article

SOME QUICK LINKS

Abortion is a Sin
Alcohol is a Sin
Homosexuality is a Sin
Pornagrapgy is a Sin
Sex outside of marriage is a sin
Liberials are Anti-God
Evolution Contradicts the Bible


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I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.

Thomas Jefferson
 
The problem I have with those links is that they encourage you to argue with fundamentalists using their belief system. That's usually ends up in a Bible quote fight never gets anywhere. Even if you stump somebody, they'll just go home and Google a clever argument written by somebody on their side that they feel proves their point. While it may not be any more effective, I'm much more interested in forcing the person out of their comfort zone and making them debate about the underlying morality of what they are preaching. Don't let them rely on Bible quotes, let them rely on the supposed morality they should have absorbed through their belief system. There's rarely a question stronger than a simple "why?".
 

tomato1236

Ninja Master
This is an article to help those of you struggling for what to say or how to match point for point your nemisis positions.

Abortion is a Sin
Alcohol is a Sin
Homosexuality is a Sin
Pornagrapgy is a Sin
Sex outside of marriage is a sin
Liberials are Anti-God
Evolution Contradicts the Bible

I haven't followed these links, and I'm not a fundie. But I was struck that these things listed are poised as the position of the unreasonable, angry and pushy fundamentalist Christians, though I agree with all but the evolution one. The Liberal one is a bit rash, but in many cases it is true. I just wouldn't feel comfortable making such a blanket-statment since I know many truly religious liberals.

So is the problem with these statements that they are pushed on people or is the problem that people believe them?
 
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angellous_evangellous

Guest
Best way to fight the Tea Party, Republicans, and the Religious Right....

All of them use the same nutless monkey.

Either shoot the nutless monkey or get control of the chalkboard around its neck.
 

Requia

Active Member
I haven't followed these links, and I'm not a fundie. But I was struck that these things listed are poised as the position of the unreasonable, angry and pushy fundamentalist Christians, though I agree with all but the evolution one. The Liberal one is a bit rash, but in many cases it is true. I just wouldn't feel comfortable making such a blanket-statment since I know many truly religious liberals.

So is the problem with these statements that they are pushed on people or is the problem that people believe them?

I hate to break it to you but the LDS church is seen as a central player in the Religious Right.
 
Best way to fight the Tea Party, Republicans, and the Religious Right....

Oh there are raving lunatics on either side of the political spectrum. The right made their political pact with a large portion of Evangelical Christianity in this country (though there's a fair share who aren't aligned with it), but the left's attempts these past few years to lure some of those voters away show they would just as happily accept some similar bedfellows.
 

Kathryn

It was on fire when I laid down on it.
First of all, for starters I am not a fundamentalist. But as a Christian and a fairly well read person, I can tell you that this guy's "arguments" are not very compelling. If you're going to fight fundamentalism, you're going to have to do better than this drivel.

More "intellectual gems" from the link:

[QUOTETerrorism against the minority Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland is launched by British Protestant Fundamentalists.][/QUOTE]

However, Lot, the father of this one so-called godly family, does an interesting thing. In chapter 19, verse 8, the Bible tells how Lot offered to give his virgin daughters to these men so that they might rape them instead. Is this how God wants us to protect ourselves from the "homosexual agenda," by offering to let them rape our virgin daughters? Ask that to the Fundamentalist and see how much they squirm.

Ridiculous argument - has the man even read the story? Lot's offering of his daughter's is not represented as noble or right. Any average fundamentalist knows this.

Nudity, according to the Fundamentalist however, causes people to lust, which according to Matthew 5:28 is a sin. And pornography, that is, images or stories of people engaged in sexual activity, is specifically designed to make people lust, so its existence must, by default, be a sin according to these people. The Bible, itself, however, would have to be considered pornography by this definition. In Song of Solomon 7:7-8, Solomon describes how satisfying the breasts of his lover are, and then tells how he longs to take hold of them and how he wants to climb onto the woman. And in Ezekiel 23:1-20 we read of two women with insatiable sexual appetites, and we are told of how men with penises the size of donkeys' would pour out horse-like quantities of, well, their "issue" upon these women's breasts. If viewing pornography is a sin, then reading the Bible would also a sin considering how much pornography is in it. Point out these verses to your Fundamentalist friends and see how much they sweat.

Wow, what a smart argument. Has anyone on this thread actually READ this article?

And even if we call him "Jesus," that's not his real name. In Greek it's "Iesous." in Hebrew it's "Joshua" or "Hoshea," and in Latin it's "Jesu." If his name is important, by which name should we call him? Indeed, if using his correct name is necessary, then no English-speaking Christian could be saved since we don't call him by his real name.

Oh lord. Is this a serious argument???

[QUOTEAll who call themselves "Christian" absolutely must forgive the sins of any other sinner - even the homosexual. ][/QUOTE]

Wait - I thought homosexuality isn't a sin? Where's the consistency in this guy's arguments?

"CATHOLICS ARE PAGANS - THEY PRAY TO MARY" Actually they don't. They ask Mary, who is considered to be a very godly woman - even though she is in spirit and no longer walking the earth, to pray on their behalf.

No, actually they DO - Catholics pray to Mary and other saints. Catholics believe that prayer is COMMUNICATION - not necessarily worship. I'm not saying that's right or wrong - I'm simply saying that Catholics DO pray to saints.

[QUOTEAsk them if they are absolutely positive that the Bible is right. Of course they'll say yes. Ask them if every word of it can be taken literally to understand God's creation plan for mankind. They'll say yes again. Then ask them if that means they believe God supports our right to use marijuana, cocaine, or opium. And of course, they'll say no. Then simply quote Genesis 1:29, where God states quite clearly that he made "every" plant and "every" seed to be used by mankind. If they indeed believe Genesis word for word, as they claim, they'll have to admit that God created marijuana, coca (which contains cocaine), and poppies (which contain opium) for use by humans.][/QUOTE]

This argument is used in the article to defend the concept of evolution. Wow, the intellectuality of this is AMAZING! I am sure that this argument will PROVE evolution to fundamentalists!

I also find no problem with homosexuality. It is a naturally-occurring part of life, and the use of the Bible to condemn, harass and belittle homosexuals is just plain evil. I wrote more about this in the article called When Christ was Gay. On a side note here, it's also intriguing how many people assume I must be gay to take the positions I take. I'm not. If anything, I like women too much.

What a smart guy.

There was a lot more "ridiculosity" in this article but I got bored with reading such substandard crap.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Oh there are raving lunatics on either side of the political spectrum. The right made their political pact with a large portion of Evangelical Christianity in this country (though there's a fair share who aren't aligned with it), but the left's attempts these past few years to lure some of those voters away show they would just as happily accept some similar bedfellows.
True dat!
You can usually tell who's crazy & evil by how they demonize the other side for being crazy & evil.
But my side is the only real virtuous one....the others are all crazy & evil.

Best way to fight the Tea Party, Republicans, and the Religious Right....
All of them use the same nutless monkey.
Either shoot the nutless monkey or get control of the chalkboard around its neck.
Ah dunna kin what yer say'n, but Groundskeeper Freddie is sharpening his razor fingers....& ahm'a come'n for yah, Angellous...in yer dreams!
Ah'll have me way with yah....gonna re-write yer dissertation in Gaelic & play yer Willie Nelson records backwards! Then ah'll grind yeh into haggis!
 
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angellous_evangellous

Guest
Ah'll have me way with yah....gonna re-write yer dissertation in Gaelic & play yer Willie Nelson records backwards! Then ah'll grind yeh into haggis!

My wife has threatened to remove all the periods in my dissertation. :eek:

I would vote Republican if it meant saving the dissertation from the fire.
 
Kathryn, I agree.

Those articles are intellectually weak, generalized, and logically unappealing. That's why I'm an advocate of real discussion with people instead of relying on "attack arguments" like what's in those links. "Fundamentalism" covers a large group of people holding different beliefs, and, as such, five or six poorly thrown together and dismissive arguments aren't going to accomplish anything at all.
 
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