"Last night I was driving home from my Spanish class and was stuck behind someone with one of those plastic license plate frames. On the top, it said "No Jesus, No Peace", and along the bottom it said "Know Jesus, Know Peace". How clever.

Anyway, I started thinking about what a total scam this was. First off, who was this self-righteous Christian telling me what to believe. I don't see a lot Muslims driving around with "Praise Allah" bumper stickers. In fact, the only fervent evangelists that I can think of are Mormans, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Fundamentalists.

The next thing that bothered me was the commodifcation of religion in some Nike-esque advertising slogan. I thought God was supposed to be some deep, incomprehensible being, not a slogan to be plastered on your bumper. Indeed, is this slogan any more meaningful than "Just Do It?"

On the surface, obviously not. There are plenty of countries and times that have been peaceful and not Christian. As far as I can tell, for instance, Native Americans were not in a continual state of bloody warfare until their decimation at the hands of Europeans. Nor were the Taoists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, or any other religious group.

In fact, it can probably be argued (though I'm no historian, and what I do know is way too Eurocentric) that Christian societies have been some of the most warlike ever. Europe has a long history of secular wars, and also of religious violence (most noticeably the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the conquest of the Americas). Different sects of Christian have long exhibited virulent intolerance for one another. And given their superiority in methods of warfare, it is quite probable that they devoted a larger share of resources to its pursuit.

In light of the Christianity's intolerance for other religions, it seems to me that this phrase can more accurately be seen as a threat. For example, it perfectly encapsulates Columbus's relations to the Native Americans: if you don't accept Jesus, we will kill, rape, exploit, torture, enslave, and otherwise deprive you of any peace. Indeed, it is a trope of "No Justice, No Peace", which is obviously a threat (though, to my mind, a much more acceptable one).

Of course, a good Christian would probably tell me that, no, what they meant was inner peace. And again I fail to see any correlation between Christianity and self-satisfaction. Indeed, much of the theology is based on the idea that we are all inherently evil, and only through the grace of some arrogant God can be forgiven our faults and allowed to experience something good. Why don't I feel better?

This is not to say that I think Jesus, or most Christians, are bad people. Nor are most of any other group. Just that I fail to see any meaningful correlation between Jesus and peace."



--Unknown

Don't make copy and paste posts.

Christians? Intollerent? Look @ Halloween, Christmas, Valentines day, and other holidays all reminiscent of pagan feasts. (Samhain <celtic new year, Christmas <winter solstice, Valentines day <feast of lupricus) All encorporated into christianity however much we[christians] don't want to admit it. I beleve that it doesn't invalidate a relgion it just adds culture to it.



On the other side of the world Bhudisum is very tollerent of other religions since its a philosiphy.

Assimilating pagan rites and symbols into christianity isn't tolerance, it's theft and manipulation.



It was just a means of 'sweetening' the invasion of a foreign faith by saying 'look, you can still have your holy days, you just have to use our names for them and accept our interpretations. You still get to celebrate Yule, you just have to learn that now it's our god's birthday instead of the winter solstice celebration.'

It may have added to the christian culture, but it steamrollered the original ones.

That is like saying the whites 'tolerated' the First Nations by forcing the children into white residential schools.



edit: spelling and structure.

[This message has been edited by AbsentMindedWitch (edited 01-23-2005).]

Christians are the most intolerant people imaginable. Right en par with muslims.

I say this from my (Catholic) view. A lot of bloodloss was caused by some ordinary man just going "GOD SAYS U SUCK".

Crusades. The Inquisition. Iraq.

quote:Originally posted by Ahadiel:

Christians are the most intolerant people imaginable. Right en par with muslims.

I say this from my (Catholic) view. A lot of bloodloss was caused by some ordinary man just going "GOD SAYS U SUCK".

Crusades. The Inquisition. Iraq.



God says everyone sucks equally from the start. Big deal.

quote:Originally posted by Ahadiel:

Christians are the most intolerant people imaginable. Right en par with muslims.

I say this from my (Catholic) view. A lot of bloodloss was caused by some ordinary man just going "GOD SAYS U SUCK".

Crusades. The Inquisition. Iraq.

Wow.

Ignorance runs amuck.

Nowhere in the Bible does it instruct man to commit suicide, with the purpose of taking out a few heathens.

Also, go ahead and look up the numbers for the amount of donations that pour in for world disaster's. Americans, and more specifically Christians, donate the most.

INTOLERANCE, I say !

People that have murdered and pillaged in the name of the Christian God are obviously not following His will.

If you're Catholic, try grabbing a Bible and educating yourself.

Someone might actually believe you.

Oh, Digi getting fiesty.

The parable of the good samaritan.

Love your brother as you would love yourself.

Ill will, or bad thinking of another is the same as murder.

Judge not, lest ye be judged.

Carry one anothers burdens, and so fufill the law of Christ.

Yeah, you guys are right, christianity is sooooo intolerant.

Of course Christians are intollerant, any Zealotic fuck head is.

Some are, some aren't. Why can't anyone else look beyond a stereotype and realise that there are these interest little creatures we call individuals around. It involves being a person, not a sheep. You do what you agree with, not what they tell you.

I'm Christian and I'm not a fucking bigot, I get pissed off when people catagorise people, even if it is comoonly true it's not set in stone.

Debate on this subject ticks me off so much. I'm a christian yet i still have the intention to want to screw the hot girl sitting next to me. Asside; theology is complex. These super christians the ones that really try hard at the relegion attempt to make our world peaceful by putting these bumper stickers up and yes they give me head aches too. I just felt like rambling...

Cheers.

I should have mentioned that as well, but I figured wanting to fuck the hot girl was a human trate, not a christian one. I know I sure as hell want to screw everything with tits and a heart beat that passes the human test.

haha i sternly agree with you.

Everybody is intolerant.

/\ Best reply so far.

This christian is intolerant of spamming lots of text that didn't come from your brain.

quote:Originally posted by Arson-God:

Of course Christians are intollerant, any Zealotic fuck head is.

So, all Christians are zealots ?

It wouldn't have mattered if

christianity never came along at all.

We would probably still be in

pretty much the same mess as now.

What you are talking about is

roman imperialism combined with

a little christian philosophy.

America is the continuation of

that legacy.

Please explain how Christ's teachings are even remotely compatible with roman imperialism.

And THIS christian is only intolerant of the fact that you assume all christians are like that, and that there aren't extremely liberal and open-minded christans as well.

quote:Originally posted by Digital_Savior:

So, all Christians are zealots ?

I doubt he knows what a real zealot is.