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Politics : Foreign Policy Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (7950)	12/27/2006 1:49:59 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 15991

It's hard for me to tell whether this site really is run by people who are opposed to Christian evangelism, or by Christian evangelists themselves, pretending to be someone else so they can hype their own successes. Oh.. I get the distinct sense that they are an anti-evangelical organization, given their arguments as to why evangelism should be opposed: crusadewatch.org And I think there is a certain logic in their position. I've seen the reports of so-called "christian" churches in Africa where the church leaders make Jim and Tammi Bakker look like petty thieves. They prey upon their members, telling them they have give as much money, and/or material belongings, to the church, or face hellfire. Yet, the church leaders drive around in Mercedes and Rolls Royces. I firmly believe God has reserved a special place in hell for these deceivers. Whenever I look at joining a church, the first thing I want to know if what kind of car the minister drives, and the kind of house he lives in. I don't expect them to live in poverty, but if they display excessive wealth, then I start asking more questions about where they send their donation receipts. And if they start telling me that if the members don't give even more then the church faces closure, I get real nervous. Finally, if they are like "Reverend Tilton", promising fantastic wealth in return for giving to his "mission", then I run like the devil is chasing me (which, in a way, he probably is.. ;0) But there are genuine and credible evangelical missions working to change people's hearts and better the communities that they live within. So we shouldn't be too cynical.. but rather, scrutinizing. It's all part of being a "good steward" of the wealth that has been imparted upon us. And while I'm not willing to debate the merits of Christianity versus Islam, I will say that Islam has revealed itself, not only in the past, but also currently, to be more susceptible to manipulation by fanatical and aggressive clerics. In part, I submit that this is because Islam is a much more decentralized religion, lacking the kind of heirarchy found in Western denominations. Sure, they have their Imams and Ayatollahs, but each has their own followings, as well as interpretations of the Quran. And I seldom see the leadership of these factions condemning violence committed on behalf of Islam, except when the victims are Muslims. Respect for the rights of others to worship as they please, respect for the rights of women to work outside the home, get an education and vote, these are necessities. I concur completely. Both women and men must be equal spiritual partners, complimenting one another in pursuit of their faiths. And the religious support of scientific discovery should be treated as the act of "revealing God", not as a means of creating some kind of twisted "pseudo-science" that ignores hard scientific fact. God is far too big to be limited by our scientific ignorance. Hawk