Training evangelical pastors to be politicians

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

I have to ask you a hypothetical:

You end up locked in a cage doused in gasoline. I have the key and matches. I can hand them off to an American evangelical or an ISIS militant. Which would you prefer?

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: chr0naut

Evangelical Christian Pastors have no particular history of violence as an organization

Ever heard of John Hagee?

Yes, who did he murder?

Less sarcastically, do you believe that John Hagee's extremist views are held by the majority of pastors?. My experience of pastors is that they (nearly unanimously) feel a 'calling' of care for for their fellow man.

a reply to: ketsuko

So you wouldn't give the keys to Buzzy? but instead give the keys to one of two people you do not know?.

originally posted by: WakeUpBeer
I feel good knowing beezer is an Oregonian.

I'm a dangerous wildcard here.

a reply to: chr0naut

Less sarcastically, do you believe that John Hagee's extremist views are held by the majority of pastors?.

Of most EVANGELICAL pastors, yes. They are. The American Evangelicals are a whole different subculture than moderate, mainsteam, Protestant or Cathlic pastors (none of which are holding Jesus-Camps to recruit politicians from their ranks).

Are you familiar with Westboro Baptist Church? They would be the most 'famous' extreme - but then you get Ken Ham, and Kent Hovind, and John Hagee, and Mike Huckabee, and.....well - at the top of the thread I made a secondary OP that talks about who these people are.

I know so little about Canadian or British or Australian politics....I always appreciate when you folks come in and discuss with us Americans how you see things.
Thanks for chiming in.

a reply to: boymonkey74

If she has to choose one of those two, considering that she thinks they're equivalent, or says she does ... she's in quite a pickle. No?

Either she admits one of the two is maybe not that bad or she can't decide. Or she chooses the ISIS militant and accepts her fate bravely.

a reply to: beezzer

That's ok. I'm useless.

I just have an affinity for anything Oregon.

Now that includes you!

a reply to: ketsuko

I have to ask you a hypothetical:

You end up locked in a cage doused in gasoline. I have the key and matches. I can hand them off to an American evangelical or an ISIS militant. Which would you prefer?

LOL!!

Good one, ket!
Hmmm. After a couple minutes thought....that would depend on who I saw witnessing it, or who the people outside the jail were. If there are only Evangelicals outside, then that would be a different decision than if there were only ISIS guys outside. The Evangelicals could very well be targets. Am I sure I want to ally with them???? Since ISIS is closing in and have lots of guns?

Or is it Islamists? They would be the targets, then - of being bombed by drones or Israeli rockets. It would depend on much more than these two random jailers that you present.

That is a good 'big question' though. Gotta hand it to ya. Also - depends on what country I was in.

Suppose your hypothetical caged person is gay? Muslim? Wiccan? Buddhist?

What do you think they would or should choose?

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

For me, I would honestly choose the one whose God I could most effectively blaspheme as I go out horribly.

ETA:

Which, depending on the angle, is the same God...

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

I would just get my monkeys on them both and nick the keys and make my escape to the sounds of monkeys beating up all involved bar me .

originally posted by: Klassified
a reply to: chr0naut
From the constitution of the United States...

Section 4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

From Ben Franklin's own mouth...

"A Republic. If you can keep it."

Pledge of allegiance...

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We are a Constitutional Republic. Our representatives are however, voted for democratically.

But they allow a Nazi party and a Communist party too, so perhaps the US is a Dictatorial Nazi Communist Social Welfare Constitutional Democratic Republic.

The American definition of a Republic is a government of individuals elected by representatives of the citizens,which sounds like a type of democracy to me. An indication that I am not the only one who sees it that way is that there is actually a "bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor" within that government.

You say tomato...

a reply to: WakeUpBeer

Well, I didn't even read ket's allegation of what 'a pickle' I'd be in. There would be LOTS of other factors besides their religions that I would consider first.

The 1st Amendment would inhibit any theocracy.

Now if we elect Hillary, then consider the Constitution null and void and all bets are off.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: chr0naut

Less sarcastically, do you believe that John Hagee's extremist views are held by the majority of pastors?.

Of most EVANGELICAL pastors, yes. They are. The American Evangelicals are a whole different subculture than moderate, mainsteam, Protestant or Cathlic pastors (none of which are holding Jesus-Camps to recruit politicians from their ranks).

Are you familiar with Westboro Baptist Church? They would be the most 'famous' extreme - but then you get Ken Ham, and Kent Hovind, and John Hagee, and Mike Huckabee, and.....well - at the top of the thread I made a secondary OP that talks about who these people are.

I know so little about Canadian or British or Australian politics....I always appreciate when you folks come in and discuss with us Americans how you see things.
Thanks for chiming in.

I must confess that the only real info I have about US evangelicals are tele-evangelists. I am NOT enamored.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

I think she just wants to know if you truly think Evangelicals are as dangerous and unforgiving as ISIS.

a reply to: WakeUpBeer

ya think? She knows. I was just going to pose a question to her: if she were the one in the cage doused in gasoline and I had the key and matches, and could hand them to either a Homosexual or a Westboro member, which would SHE choose?

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Not sure if ISIS vs Evangelical is as fair a comparison as Homosexuals vs Westboro tbh.

Our President is Christian; the last President was Christian.

Our Congress is 92% Christian.

The Supreme Court has 7/9 Christians

I think the "percentages" of Christian Representation in American government is safe.

The individuals referred to in the OP are not "merely representatives" of the Christian religion.

Anyone who denies that the stated goals of these groups are to overtake the American system of government and implement God's Law either are ignorant of what these people stand for or blatantly misrepresenting what they know to be true.

a reply to: ketsuko
who controls the showers and has the cigarettes?
and well who are you the most similar to?

ya know while at the birth of Islam it was rather a mild religion that was more about teaching religion and doing good works, it wasn't till they had managed to gain some power that they began fighting and conquering nearby peoples.
who's to say the same isn't true of the far right christians? They don't really have the power to control like they want now and have to pretend to be something they aren't till they can gather up more?

but well, in the end I think many of the christians are gonna find out that they were very badly misled and as a result have helped the antichrist come into power. the one's pulling so softly on their strings do not have the same motives as they do....
they want to get rid of abortion, the one's pulling the strings don't want to get rid of it, but they want to be the one controlling it! deciding who should be born and who shouldn't and well, the christians can serve to accomplish the first phase of that by convincing the populaton that there must be legislation and a system in place to decide who should be granted one and who shouldn't.

a reply to: WakeUpBeer

Not sure if ISIS vs Evangelical is as fair a comparison as Homosexuals vs Westboro tbh.

No? Okay. I was trying to think of a good one....do you have a suggestion??


Gotta go, guys. Husband and I (man and wife) are going to watch a movie.
Have a great night!

I LOVE philosophical puzzles!
Thanks, ketsuko!!