Tag Archives: Christian

May 02

Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity

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I am sending this to you to help those who have left fundamentalist churches that preach damnation, hatred, fear and “you’re not a Christian if you don’t believe like me.”  Many have turned against the church and never came back, or just ran away from strict preachers, parents, teachers, etc. and never looked back to find a loving, caring church, group, club, etc.  I like a church sign down the road from me that states:
“We Welcome Sinners and Backsliders Like Us.”  You’ll find some good ideas from the summary and the reviews shared from others who have had a similar experience.-mackie
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From the author of the widely acclaimed A Place at the Table, this is a major work, passionately outspoken and cogently reasoned, that exposes the great danger posed to Christianity today by fundamentalism.
The time is past, says Bruce Bawer, when denominational names and other traditional labels provided an accurate reflection of Christian America’s religious beliefs and p…moreFrom the author of the widely acclaimed A Place at the Table, this is a major work, passionately outspoken and cogently reasoned, that exposes the great danger posed to Christianity today by fundamentalism.
The time is past, says Bruce Bawer, when denominational names and other traditional labels provided an accurate reflection of Christian America’s religious beliefs and practices. The meaningful distinction today is not between Protestant and Catholic, or Baptist and Episcopalian, but rather between “legalistic” and “nonlegalistic” religion, between the Church of Law and the Church of Love. On one side is the fundamentalist right, which draws a sharp distinction between “saved” and “unsaved” and worships a God of wrath and judgment; on the other are more mainstream Christians who view all humankind as children of a loving God who calls them to break down barriers of hate, prejudice, and distrust.
Pointing out that the supposedly “traditional” beliefs of American fundamentalism–about which most mainstream Christians, clergy included, know shockingly little–are in fact of relatively recent origin, are distinctively American in many ways, and are dramatically at odds with the values that Jesus actually spread, Bawer fascinatingly demonstrates the way in which these beliefs have increasingly come to supplant genuinely fundamental Christian tenets in the American church and to become synonymous with Christianity in the minds of many people.
Stealing Jesus is the ringing testament of a man who is equally disturbed by the notion of an America without Christianity and the notion of an American Christianity without love and compassion.
For more click on:
Apr 08

JESUS’ CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE…

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THE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE OF JESUS: Creating a whip from some cords, “he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. But he said to those who sold doves, ‘Get these out of here! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!’[Jn 2:13-16]”
JESUS OCCUPIES THE WRONG AND MAKES IT RIGHT THROUGH THOSE WHO TRUST AND OBEY HIM.~mackie
I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.  Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.  ~Mahatma Gandhi
The unique impression of Jesus upon mankind – whose name is not so much written as ploughed into the history of the world – is proof of the subtle virtue of this infusion.  Jesus belonged to the race of prophets.  He saw with open eyes the mystery of the soul.  One man was true to what is in you and me.  He, as I think, is the only soul in history who has appreciated the worth of man…. He takes men out of time and makes them feel eternity.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”~Jesus-Jhn 10:10
They can’t say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ You see, the kingdom of God is within you.” ~Jesus~Lk 17:21
WE ARE NOT CALLED TO TELL OTHER PEOPLE WHAT TO DO, BUT SHARE WITH THEM HOW GOD IS WORKING THROUGH OUR HEART, MIND AND SOUL.
Mar 24

HAVE YOU HEARD OF THIS GUY???????

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“Christian Nation?

So America was founded on a foreign born brown skinned Jewish guy
that never spoke a word of English, fed and healed the poor for free.
Defended a woman from being slut shamed and killed and
chose not to conform to either religious or political nonsense?
Feb 22

MANY ASKING IN DEBATES: “ARE YOU, OR IS HE A CHRISTIAN?”

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C. S. Lewis wrote a great answer in “Mere Christianity” that has help many people, including me.- Enjoy. mackie 

“If conversion to Christianity makes no improvement in a man’s outward actions – if he continues to be just a snobbish or spiteful or envious or ambitious as he was before  then I think we must suspect that his ‘conversion’ was largely imaginary;

 and after one’s original conversion, every time one thinks one has made an advance, that is the test to apply. Fine feelings, new insights, greater interest in ‘religion’ mean nothing unless they make our actual behavior better; just as in an illness ‘feeling better’ is not much good if the thermometer shows that your temperature is still going up. In that sense the outer world is quite right to judge Christianity by its results.
 
Christ told us to judge by results. A tree is known by its fruit; or, as we say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
 When we Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well,
we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world.
 
The war-time posters told us that Careless Talk costs Lives.
It is equally true that Careless Lives cost Talk.
Our careless lives set the outer world taking;
and we give them grounds for talking in a way that
throws doubt on the truth of Christianity itself.”
 
 
 
 
 
Oct 20

2nd look: WHY SHE QUIT BEING A CHRISTIAN?

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One of the first things I would do as a minister called to another church is to ask for a list of members who no longer came.  I would call, setup an appointment with each one of them and go to their homes.  I told them everything would be in confidence.  I just wanted to know why they no longer came.  I heard things like: “the preacher played favorites,” or “I took on too many responsibilities and just burned out,” or, “the trustees or deacons tried to run the church,” or “there was too much quarreling, gossip,” etc. 

  I assured them that I never played favorites, that I would be open to any concerns they had, etc. We had prayer together.  I would leave with this: ” I heard it said that a new broom sweeps clean.  I am glad to be your pastor and hope that you will give us another chance.  Regardless, please call if I can help in any way.”  mackie

+++++++ source cited below.

 ‘On July 28, bestselling author Anne Rice officially left the Roman Catholic Church. The writer has had a fairly tumultuous religious history. Although she was raised Catholic, Rice rejected the church for the first time when she was 18.

 But in 1998, Rice — who’s famous mostly for writing steamy, gothic, decidedly un-Christian novels such as Interview with the Vampire — had a religious awakening. She converted to Catholicism and began to write exclusively Christian-themed novels, like Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.

In July, Rice decided she had had enough. She announced her decision on her Facebook page:

“For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being ‘Christian’ or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”

But, the decision wasn’t an easy one.’

 For much more click on:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128930526&ps=cprs

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SEARCHING FOR RELIABLE SOURCES,
not hearsay, rumors, or falsehoods.
Sep 26

Christians Debate Human Origins………….

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September 22, 2011

“The story of Adam and Eve is a primary belief for many Christians. Some Christian scholars argue that research on the human genome shows that modern humans did not descend from the Biblical couple, and that Christianity must find a way to reconcile modern science and religious beliefs.

NEAL CONAN, host: This is TALK OF THE NATION. I’m Neal Conan, in Washington. The Book of Genesis tells the story of creation, of the sea, the sky, the birds and animals and, finally, Adam. Chapter 2, Verse 7 reads: The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Eve was formed out of Adam’s rib.

Then a cunning serpent and – and original sin stains a perfect world. Opinion polls report that four out of 10 Americans believe this account of the creation story. It’s a central tenet for many conservative Christians.

Science tells a different story. And recently, several Christian scholars argue that the scientific evidence must be accepted, which profoundly concerns others in the evangelical intelligentsia.”

To read or listen to the entire article click on: http://www.npr.org/2011/09/22/140710361/christians-divided-over-science-of-human-origins

Sep 14

ABOUT US.

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OUR AIM IS TO SHARE WITH YOU RELEVANT IDEAS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER FOR YOUR OWN ENLIGHTENMENT.

We provide an independent platform for in-depth investigative reporting and critical analysis, to reveal systemic injustice and offer transformative ideas to strengthen democracy. We share a host of ideas about what seeking minds want to know about science, health, the spiritual, mental, financial, and how we can improve our own lives, communities, and world.

We want your feedback.  Mackie Bazen, editor@unbiasedtruth.net

He started in the U.S. Navy IN 58, received an honorable discharge as an Electronics Engineer, hired by NBM to recruit and train technicians to install background music throughout the Southeast.   He later felt a calling to go into church ministries.  He earned his BA, MDiv, and DMn degrees, was ordained and served several churches in the 70s-80s.  Later, because he was not able raise his children to receive a good education,  he continued to work with churches on a weekend basis, was recruited by a major financial firm to be trained as Chartered Financial Consultant that would lead to management.  He earned his Charter from the American College, was promoted and appointed district manager with 3 offices in the Virginia Beach and Newport News area.  After a few years his and his wife’s parents were becoming older and needed their help.  They became caregivers.    During this time Dr. Bazen wanted to find another need and fill it.  It was his concern for the polarization in churches, schools, politicians, communities, the growing gap between rich and poor, etc. that led him to a new venture.  Believing in “United we Stand, Divided we fall” he began developing the website to air all sides in truth. This has been going on and growing for over 10 years.

Nov 26

A BETTER UNDERSTAND OF THE STORY OF JESUS…

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Many Christian preachers, teachers and members believe that the story of Jesus WAS CLOSED, SEALED AND DELIVERED 2000 YRS AGO IN THE BIBLE.  The following shares the latest insights on the story of Jesus for those who are not religious or do not understand. -mackie

 (quoted)

“Most Christians seem to assume that the details of their faith system dropped out of heaven in a fully developed form. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 The creeds began as baptismal formulas in the 3rd century and did not receive the shape we now recognize until the 4th century. Doctrines like the Trinity and Incarnation were still being formed in the 5th century.

 Moving closer to the life of Jesus, scholars now suggest that miracles were added to the Jesus story only in the 7th and 8th decades of the Christian era. The Virgin birth and the suggestion that resurrection meant physical resuscitation are products of the 9th decade, and the account of Jesus’ ascension enters the tradition only in the 10th decade. Perhaps the biggest gap in our knowledge of Jesus, however, occurs in those years between 30 C.E. when Jesus’ earthly life came to an end and 70 C.E. when gospels began to achieve written form. Today, by lining up the gospels in chronological order with Mark first (ca. 70 C.E.), then Matthew (ca. 80 C.E.), Luke (ca 90 C.E.) and finally John (ca 100 C.E.), we can see how the miraculous was heightened; the details become more graphic and supernatural activity more pronounced.

 If the story could grow as dramatically as it did from 70-100 C.E., is it not reasonable to assume that it also grew from 30-70 C.E.? Yet with no written sources, entering that time of oral transmission is a problem.

 For the past year that forty-year oral phase of Christian history has been the primary focus of my study. In a series of columns not necessarily on successive weeks, but as a theme to which I will return often during the next six months, I want to begin to share this study with my audience under the general topic of “Jesus for the Non-Religious.”
 For much more click on: http://johnshelbyspong.com/bishopspongon_jesus.aspx

 
 
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SEARCHING FOR RELIABLE SOURCES,
not hearsay, rumors, or falsehoods.
Sep 08

BIBLE MORE VIOLENT THAN KORAN? CODE RED ALERT!!!!!!!

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BURNING THE KORAN COULD CAUSE MORE TERROR AGAINST US SOLDIERS AND AMERICANS!
WILL WE ALLOW EXTREME FUNDAMENTALISTS ON BOTH SIDES TO TERRORIZE MORE PEOPLE?
 
(source cited)
In the minds of ordinary Christians – and Jews – the Koran teaches savagery and warfare, while the Bible offers a message of love, forgiveness, and charity. For the prophet Micah, God‘s commands to his people are summarized in the words “act justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Christians recall the words of the dying Jesus: “Father, forgive them: they know not what they do.”

 But in terms of ordering violence and bloodshed, any simplistic claim about the superiority of the Bible to the Koran would be wildly wrong.

 In fact, the Bible overflows with “texts of terror,” to borrow a phrase coined by the American theologian Phyllis Trible. The Bible contains far more verses praising or urging bloodshed than does the Koran, and biblical violence is often far more extreme, and marked by more indiscriminate savagery. The Koran often urges believers to fight, yet it also commands that enemies be shown mercy when they surrender.

  Some frightful portions of the Bible, by contrast, go much further in ordering the total extermination of enemies, of whole families and races – of men, women, and children, and even their livestock, with no quarter granted. One cherished psalm (137) begins with the lovely line,

 “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept”; it ends by

 blessing anyone who would seize Babylon’s infants and smash their skulls against the rocks.
 

Read much more at: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/03/08/dark_passages/

 

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SEARCHING FOR RELIABLE SOURCES, not hearsay, rumors, or falsehoods.
Sep 12

A broader view of the ultimate, supreme, eternal, creating Being

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“In Sailing Home, renowned teacher Norman Fischer deftly incorporates

Buddhist, Judaic, Christian, and popular thought,

as well as his own unique and sympathetic understanding of life,

We see how to resist the seduction of the Sirens‘ song to stop sailing and give up;

how to bide our time in a situation and wait for the right opportunity; and how to reassess our story and rediscover our purpose and identity if, like the Lotus-Eaters, we have forgotten the past. With meditations that yield personal revelations, illuminating anecdotes from Fischer’s and his students’ lives, and stories from many wisdom traditions, Sailing Home shows the way to greater purpose in your own life.”
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