What is Evangelism?

Barbarism is not excused because it was "an old book"...

This "old book" has caused death, misery and suffering to countless innocent people... Genocide, slavery, religiously motivated witch hunts... all are shameful reminders of religion's evil and misguided past.

Antiquity is no excuse.

Male chauvinism and arrogant self important clerics of old are no excuse for thousands of years of brutality...


John 10:10 (KJV)
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Comment:
I wonder what "thief" Jesus was referring to?

Perhaps the old book? Jesus condemns it why do you condone it?

You are facilitating "the thief" by defending this garbage and anti-Christ.

...and courtrooms are often occupied by hypocritical, apologetic religious people zealous for the carnage of the old law.

And what about the guilty? The penalty for adultery was common knowledge.

I do not condone stealing, killing, or destroying. I do condone self defense. Please produce one post that shows I condone any of those things, or just stop lying.

Evangelical Singer Calls Out Trump’s Christian Supporters In Scathing New Song
The Indiana pastor puts evangelicals who support Trump on notice.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/daniel-deitrich-evangelical-anti-trump-song_n_5e3114ebc5b6e8375f64ce56

Two words I created in my mind only to find I am not the first to consider these words.

Christocratic and Christocracy.

Many liberals are people of faith but they also believe strongly in secular government.

This has allowed the right wing conservatives to put a stranglehold on religion and in doing so change/corrupt its most simple of ideas.

Many may argue that religion is not worthy of public consumption.

Though the words are found and consumed by the unenlightened and the meaning thereof is auctioned off by the highest bidder without any real consideration as to the social impact.

Should religion be interpreted by power hungry elitists or should it be conformed to the needs of the many?

Should religion enslave or should it liberate?

Should it subjugate or educate?

Should it benefit the few or be the salvation of all?

Poppycock!


Many liberals are people of faith... Guess what?
there are many conservatives who are also people of faith.

Neither group has a 'stranglehold ' on religion.

Beliefs are fashioned from individual interpretation. Some folks lean left, some to the right and plenty who hang out at the center.

Politicians are your enemy here, as they are the ones that wave their versions of God and the bible around as a means to get what they want.

I believe what he was getting at was that the perception of the Right being tied to religion, that by extension gave 'religion' a stranglehold on the left (who had religious leanings) and therefore the right is controlling the left. Whew!

He has a point, but going beyond the politics and 'religion', the only thing that matters is what you the individual embrace.

Apparently you do not understand how polarized our country has become where republican means liar and fake christian and democrat means truth justice and well... democracy.

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Comment:
You cannot serve Trump and Jesus...

You cannot love your neighbor and love the KKK...

"Render onto Caesar......"
Yes you can.

Two Baptist Churches, Pastors Sue Democratic Governor: ‘the Bible Teaches the Necessity of Gathering’
https://lawandcrime.com/covid-19-pandemic/two-baptist-churches-pastors-sue-democratic-governor-the-bible-teaches-the-necessity-of-gathering/

Comment:
This shows how little fundamentalists know about real Christians...

1st century Christians did not have bargain box mega churches... They had small in-home gatherings of four to ten people.

The real Christian church was part of the home and not part of some money grubbing scheme for charlatans and hypocrites to get rich quick.

After Jesus, the gathering of large groups stopped.

Jesus' ministry gathered, "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" but the Christian (epistolic) church is not that same mechanism, it is geared towards, "the world" with small, in-home gatherings. One on one, word of mouth (each one reach one).

Maybe these "pastors" can demonstrate how a real healing is performed and cure someone of Covid-19, otherwise they should STFU and let the governor protect the people in the best way possible!

Please show us how gathering is safer than distancing when there is a deadly virus on the loose.

I totally agree with where you’re coming from on the mega-churches.
But if you’re trying to win the argument against risking your earthly life by anything Jesus said, you’re doomed to lose that one. He said way too many 'crazy' things (like - 'he who looses/hates his life shall find it') to justify that position. He never prioritized preservation of this life over the next.

I mean, Christ!, the man committed suicide by cop for his principles. And to give an example to follow of course.

If Jesus was a real person, there is most assuredly a difference between what he actually said versus what was written that he said.

The idea of a innocent man persecuted and murdered by religious zealots is still is a lesson that needs to be learned by every generation.

The problem, is more often than not, "the religious" that are usually at fault.

The story of Jesus is filled with many truths and a many falsehoods.

Matthew 1:5+6 (KJV)
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Mark 16:15+19 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Comment:
After his resurrection, his ministry changed from Israel to the world.

This leaves the question... then, are the Gospels addressed to Israel
or the church?

If he wasn’t a real person, then there is no point in discussing what he said.

If he was a real person but we have no basis for knowing what he said, the same holds true.

Re: comments.

Personally, I thought it was pretty clear that he first offered his words to the descendants of the first man who took his father seriously (at his father's request). So yes, those people were called 'Israel'.
But very few came to the party, so yes, he then invited everyone. The ones that accept the invitation are called 'the church'.

I didn’t know that was a controversial question.

The Cobbler uses Jesus for excuses, not faith.

I give him credit for stating his position, even if contradictory at times.
At least he doesn’t usually resort to personal attacks or the even more cowardly 'silent thumbs down'.

I respect your opinion, but I still think he uses religion as a convenience and is spiritually lacking.

Sometimes. But also like a whipping boy.

The gospels and epistles are documents and letters that are addressed to certain groups of people.

It is an issue "to whom" these documents/letters are addressed.

Would you like a letter addressed to you delivered to someone else instead?

Perhaps in the letter you are told to meet someone at a certain destination and they have since called you and changed the time and place of the meeting? Will the recipient of the letter find this information useful if it is errant?

There are many reasons why directives addressed to the wrong person can have disastrous outcomes.

If Jesus was not a real person well, the the issue becomes, the writers who penned the words on his behalf, what were their motives and considering the underlying deception, how much truth is contained within these writings?

It is the whole truth and nothing but the truth or can a half truth still have some useful meaning?

Many writings are full of holes but they still may carry some truths that are self evident.