[Flipside]

LOL Sorry, don't ask me, I used to stand in church saying

'You will be assimilated, Resistance is futile'

Flipside

[Rampage]

From http://www.catholicdoors.com/faq/qu57.htm
As a general rule, the Protestant Holy Bibles contain only 66 Books while the Catholic Holy Bibles contain 73 Books, 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. When the Protestant Holy Bibles do list the additional seven Books, they are listed under the title of "Apocrypha" which means "hidden books.

What the "apocrypha" means in Greek is "false teachings". (Gr. "apo-" means "false" and "cryph" means "writing".)  They are:

1. I and II Maccabees (Fills the gap between the histories of the Old Testament (Persia) and the New Testament (Rome).)
2. Judith (Depicts a heroine who assasinates an important Assyrian official.)
3. Baruch (Jeremiah's secretary.)
4. Tobit (An epic tragedy involving Tobit and the demon Asmodeus.  <- Guess how Volition got the name...)
5. Wisdom (Extention to Psalms?)
6. Sirach (Also called Ecclesiasticus, Extention to Ecclesiastes)

*Some Protestant denominations also exclude the Book of James from the New Testament, for they believe that it constitutes the Anglican, Catholic, and Episcopalian's meritorious (work-based) salvation instead of forensic salvation.

When you say "Protestant", you mean, but not exclusively, the Baptists, Presps., Methodists, and any other Southern fundamentalist Christian group.  Usually, the Anglicans and Episcs. are not considered to be "Protestants", for they are spin-offs of the Catholic Tradition.  The Mormons are considered cultic Christianity.

[Rampage]

Originally posted by Woolie Wool
I hope he's not. I really hate stupid people.

Mock me all you want.  My opinions stand!

[Taristin]

To quote my father:

Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.

[mikhael]

Originally posted by Woolie Wool
Just a thought: Could it be that Christian fundamentalism is the reason why half the world hates the US?

In a word, yes.

The particularly American variety of Christianity known as 'born-again' or 'fundamentalist' Christians are very vocal. You don't find anything like them anywhere else in the world. They must absolutely baffle European and Asian Christians, due to their absolute certitude that they know the Truth.

Half of my family is Catholic (natch, I'm puerto rican) and the other half is an even mix of Baptist and Presbyterian. Even they don't understand the Born-agains and Evangelicals and Fundamentalists.

If different sects of Christianity can't figure them out, how are the Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Shinto, etc supposed to? The loud and bile-laden speech spewed forth by people like Falwell ("Mohammed was a terrorist!"*) and the heavy anti-semetic rhetoric ("Jews are responsible for the murder of Jesus!"*), how can the rest of the world do anything but look at the US as a bunch of crazed religious zealots?









* quotes above are statements taken directly from American religious figures or followers. They do not represent Mik's opinion in any way.

[Woolie Wool]

This site is satire, but it basically lumps together all of the born-again babbling into one horrid philosophy:

www.landoverbaptist.org

[Ace]

Originally posted by Rampage
When you say "Protestant", you mean, but not exclusively, the Baptists, Presps., Methodists, and any other Southern fundamentalist Christian group.  Usually, the Anglicans and Episcs. are not considered to be "Protestants", for they are spin-offs of the Catholic Tradition.  The Mormons are considered cultic Christianity.

The Anglican church is the protestant church along with the Lutherans.

Forget about the whole bit about King Henry, his wives, and starting a state church? You know the church of England?

Yes, in tradition the Anglican and Episcopal church are very similar to the Catholic church, but they are very much protestant.

[pyro-manic]

Right, here goes my bit:

Faith is cool. There's nothing wrong with believing in something (whatever the hell it is, one or more gods, getting stoned off your face on a regular basis, the skin on cold soup, anything). Faith can bring people together like nothing else, and it can be a real force for good in the world (e.g. the work that St. Theresa and her nuns did/do). However, it can also bring out the worst in people - nearly every single proper war (i.e. not the stealth-imperialistic raping of the developing/oil-producing world by a certain country in recent years) that has ever occurred has been over differences in belief (among other things, obviously). The Crusades, most of the wars in Medieval Europe, and both World Wars were all at least partially to do with religion.

As for Christian fundies, they scare me even more than the Islamic extremists that we've all been taught to hate recently, if only because they're in even more dangerous positions. I mean, the big W is a born-again Christian, as are a good portion of his cabinet! (read this and tell me it doesn't scare you). And with the kind of firepower that lot are splashing around the Middle East at the moment, we should all be worried. The 8th Crusade, anyone?

Gah, I've banged on about this for long enough. Basically, I think faith is a good thing to have. Religion is fine, as long as people realise that every religion is exactly the f***ing same, and don't use it as an excuse to knock five shades of **** out of each other at the slightest opportunity. I personally am not religious (although faith plays an important part in my life), but as long as people don't try and force it on me or anyone else, I'll respect them for it.

[Woolie Wool]

That article doesn't scare me. It's partisan Chicken Little-ing

[Sandwich]

Originally posted by mikhael
The particularly American variety of Christianity known as 'born-again' or 'fundamentalist' Christians are very vocal. You don't find anything like them anywhere else in the world. They must absolutely baffle European and Asian Christians, due to their absolute certitude that they know the Truth.

I don't know where you've been, but you can't prove a negative, and I can prove a positive. Born-again Christians are all over Europe, the Middle-East, Africa, Asia... well, it'd just be simpler to stata that there aren't any on Mars.

Originally posted by pyro-manic
Religion is fine, as long as people realise that every religion is exactly the f***ing same...

*disagrees completely, but isn't about to open that can of worms*

[Woolie Wool]

Originally posted by Sandwich


I don't know where you've been, but you can't prove a negative, and I can prove a positive. Born-again Christians are all over Europe, the Middle-East, Africa, Asia... well, it'd just be simpler to stata that there aren't any on Mars.
 

Not in the numbers in which they exist in America.

[Bobboau]

ya, were infested

[mikhael]

Originally posted by Sandwich


I don't know where you've been, but you can't prove a negative, and I can prove a positive. Born-again Christians are all over Europe, the Middle-East, Africa, Asia... well, it'd just be simpler to stata that there aren't any on Mars.

I dunno, Sandwich. I've lived all over the world, and travelled all over the rest, and seemingly I find these sorts only where there are Americans. Of course I've travelled all over the place and only seen Shintos in Japan. That doesn't mean there aren't any anywhere else, just that they are mostly concentrated in Japan.

[Sandwich]

Originally posted by mikhael


I dunno, Sandwich. I've lived all over the world, and travelled all over the rest, and seemingly I find these sorts only where there are Americans. Of course I've travelled all over the place and only seen Shintos in Japan. That doesn't mean there aren't any anywhere else, just that they are mostly concentrated in Japan.

- No, now I get it... what you're not seeing (oblique Princess Bride reference, anyone?) is called "normality". The big-wig Christian groups in the US are a lot more visible and outspoken, for any number of reasons, one of which is the religious freedom in the US. Of course, this also means that there actually are more per-capita in the US than elsewhere, but that doesn't mean they aren't elsewhere, too.

America may be associated with being the English-speaking country in the world, but there are actually more English speakers in China.

Same with Christians.

[Ace]

Originally posted by Sandwich


- No, now I get it... what you're not seeing (oblique Princess Bride reference, anyone?) is called "normality". The big-wig Christian groups in the US are a lot more visible and outspoken, for any number of reasons, one of which is the religious freedom in the US. Of course, this also means that there actually are more per-capita in the US than elsewhere, but that doesn't mean they aren't elsewhere, too.

America may be associated with being the English-speaking country in the world, but there are actually more English speakers in China.

Same with Christians.

What everyone is talking about aren't necessarily 'Christians' by the literal definition (including all denominations), but more the blade-wielding fanatical zealots in the US

[Zeronet]

Don't lump me with Ramage and Hotsnoj, not all christians are  fundementalists who make schools take evolution out of the curriculum.

[Solatar]

Originally posted by Zeronet
Don't lump me with Ramage and Hotsnoj, not all christians are  fundementalists who make schools take evolution out of the curriculum.

ditto...

I'm Roman Catholic too and I'm not pissing people off by saying that all this **** should be taken out of schools etc. What really pisses me off is when people start thinking that all Catholics are bad because a few priests abused their power. I mean, most of the people in my church are old ladies....

[Ace]

Originally posted by Zeronet
Don't lump me with Ramage and Hotsnoj, not all christians are  fundementalists who make schools take evolution out of the curriculum.

Well I'm Episcopalian, and I'm not too fond of people who self-proclaim about how they will be 'taken by the rapture.' It is a very vain statement. Hey, isn't vanity a sin? Ha! Disqualified!

[mikhael]

Originally posted by Sandwich


- No, now I get it... what you're not seeing (oblique Princess Bride reference, anyone?) is called "normality". The big-wig Christian groups in the US are a lot more visible and outspoken, for any number of reasons, one of which is the religious freedom in the US. Of course, this also means that there actually are more per-capita in the US than elsewhere, but that doesn't mean they aren't elsewhere, too.

America may be associated with being the English-speaking country in the world, but there are actually more English speakers in China.

Same with Christians.

Um. Dude. That's what I just said. I could swear I made it clear in the very passage you quoted.

[Sandwich]

Originally posted by mikhael


Um. Dude. That's what I just said. I could swear I made it clear in the very passage you quoted.

Well, I understood from the Shinto parallel you gave that the Christian fundamentalists are concentrated in the US. While that may be partially true, the primary reason that you only see these annoying outbursts of in-your-face Christianity in the US is that the same kind of people, with the same beliefs and everything, are far less outspoken and (c)rude overseas.

It's one of those things where your actions are dictated in part by your surroundings, I guess.