Mark, if a group of vegetarians started shooting cattle ranchers, I would publicly denounce them. That kind of action would go totally against the entire spirit of vegetarianism, which puts a very high value on life.
Some decent Christians do denounce the activities of the far religious right. However, it gets really complicated when ministers and their congregations act very clearly as organized church groups, not as individuals. This is the case in the group which picketed Goldwater's funeral, and also picketed a gay and lesbian church in San Francisco.
Is it fair to say that these activities do not represent Christianity, when a Christian church itself does them? This is a different case from someone who identifies himself as Christian, like Timothy McVeigh does, bombing the Federal building. It is a group activity by an actual church.
What you finally arrive at, using logic, is that Christianity does not represent anything in particular, and therefore has no essential meaning. People who consider themselves Christian are all over the map on every issue. |
