Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
The Christian Mindset:: A point of view (Taken from CNN)
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/24/my-take-when-bedford-falls-becomes-pottersville/?hpt=hp_c1
Not only did I find this article myopic, I am disturbed that a widely-read media outlet can post this as possibly being representative of their (apparent) readership. This is only an editorial, but still I highly doubt that they will give equal time to Jews,Buddhists,Islamists, and so on.
"Christians are the most generous" (maybe with money,but far more with their proseletyzing)
"Evil is innate to us all" (as delineated by Christian doctrine,anyway)
What I get from this article is that more people should be Christian because....
No,thanks. I am a happy Atheist because of views like this. Just my 2c, your mileage may vary.
Not only did I find this article myopic, I am disturbed that a widely-read media outlet can post this as possibly being representative of their (apparent) readership. This is only an editorial, but still I highly doubt that they will give equal time to Jews,Buddhists,Islamists, and so on.
"Christians are the most generous" (maybe with money,but far more with their proseletyzing)
"Evil is innate to us all" (as delineated by Christian doctrine,anyway)
What I get from this article is that more people should be Christian because....
No,thanks. I am a happy Atheist because of views like this. Just my 2c, your mileage may vary.
0
Comments
"Because I truly cherish this movie, and I am a Christian as well, I read the article with eager anticipation. But in all honesty, I do not agree with the premise of the article, which is that it is the presence of Christians that makes a community of love and hope such as Bedford Falls, rather than a community of corruption and despair such as Potterville. Regretfully, in real life, the opposite is true. Christianity has become so corroded by false religions posing as "angels of light" in the mainstream of American society, that all kinds of Potter thinking is not only accepted, but downright worshipped under the guise of Christianity, thus both exploiting people and their misfortunes, and discrediting the life and teachings of Christ in the eyes of others at the same time. It is horrible and evil what passes for Christianity today. Nevertheless, for those very, very, very few who actually do seek out and assimilate the life and teachings of Christ, throwing off the false teachings that mainstream religion pushes, those few can and do make a difference for the better. Their lives are better, and so are those around them. But...this is not the point of the movie. George Bailey was not a religious figure, but a true man of conscience with an ingrained sense of responsibility. He was able, despite all of his faults and human failings, to be able to put others needs ahead of his own. He would have been kicked out of most mainstream churches operating in the U.S. today, or he would have been drained like a turnip by many of the more money-minded of them. The point of this movie, and what makes it so great, is that ANYONE is a potential hero, not by virtue of his/her ideology, providing that one follows the dictates of human decency, no matter how the belief is formed, and refuse to be drug along with the me-first mentality that is so rampant among the business community today, and among so many of the contemporary religious systems operating today. It is a Wonderful Life, and it is meant to be lived, not in petty isolation and self-centeredness, but fully engaged in the process of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. It calls for us to be real, and to simply be who we are. If you also value the life and teachings of Christ, and practice them in your own life, so much the better."
I got side-tracked and forgot to read the comments, which I usually do. That is a great response, however.
"There was a time when religion ruled the world: we know it as the dark ages." - Ruth Green
"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith. I consider the capacity for it terrifying."
..........Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
The essence of Christianity is told to us in the Garden of Eden history. The fruit that was forbidden was on the Tree of Knowledge. The subtext is, All the suffering you have is because you wanted to find out what was going on. You could be in the Garden of Eden if you had just kept your fucking mouth shut and hadn't asked any questions. - Frank Zappa
Hunter Thompson: "The Christian Church: two thousand years of vengeance."
For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.
..........Charles Bukowski
Been awhile since I have read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas...30 years at least. It was pretty hilarious as I recall, what made you reference that, out of curiosity?
Couldn't think of a film more antithetical to It's a Beautiful Life that I enjoyed more....
Some people never go crazy, what truly horrible lives they must live. - Charles Bukowski
Merry Christmas, Hubris!
As for the latter, I offer you this to keep it relevant:
The word "Christmas" originated as a compound meaning "Christ's mass". It is derived from the Middle English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crīstesmæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038.[6] Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah"; and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. The form "Christenmas" was also historically used, but is now considered archaic and dialectal;[21] it derives from Middle English Cristenmasse, literally "Christian mass".[22] "Xmas" is an abbreviation of Christmas found particularly in print, based on the initial letter chi (Χ) in Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), "Christ", though numerous style guides discourage its use;[23] it has precedent in Middle English Χρ̄es masse (where "Χρ̄" is an abbreviation for Χριστός).[22]
Enjoy your day, New Buddhist people