Christianity versus American Christianity

[yesferatu]

<<Christianity versus American Christianity<br><br>Since I'm on a roll...<br><br>This gives me a small flicker of hope:<br><br> Before the last presidential election, he preached six sermons called "The Cross and the Sword" in which he said the church should steer clear of politics, give up moralizing on sexual issues, stop claiming the United States as a "Christian nation" and stop glorifying American military campaigns. "When the church wins the culture wars, it inevitably loses," Mr. Boyd preached. "When it conquers the world, it becomes the world. When you put your trust in the sword, you lose the cross." <br><br>Of course,<br><br> By the time the dust had settled, Woodland Hills, which Mr. Boyd founded in 1992, had lost about 1,000 of its 5,000 members.<br><br> - Disowning Conservative Politics, Evangelical Pastor Rattles Flock, NYT<br><br>For a long time I really struggled with understanding American Evangelicalism - how can, for instance, American Christians support the bombing of Lebanese Christians? How can Janet Jackson's bare breast be more worthy of outrage than the destruction of thousands of lives? What happened to "love thy neighbour", let alone "love thy enemy and pray for those who persecute you?" How did a theology of triumph win over a theology of sacrifice? Made no sense.<br><br>So I went back to my notes from the All Nations courses: anthropology, sociology of religion, folk religion, and it became clear to me. You're not going to like this, but I've come to believe it's true: The situation only makes sense if you consider a separate entity called "American Christianity" which is an entirely separate religion to Christianity. Not a branch of Christianity, not a form of Christianity, but something with absolutely no connection to Christianity at all. It's a separate religion. And what is the goal of this religion?<br><br> "They said, 'You're not doing what the church is supposed to be doing, which is supporting the Republican way.'" <br><br>Go for it; look at it phenomenologically, look at it sociologically, and what do you see? Basically a syncretic folk religion, based primarily on American nationalism, an expression of the "pervasive religious dimension of American political life". Its purposes are basically civil and political. Its morality is taken from a highly selective and individualistic reading of the Old Testament, and it mixes in bits of consumerism, Zionism, Republican political values, and corporatism for good measure. Add to this an almost romantic sentimentality concerning the person of Jesus, much like the contribution of Catholicism to Vodou religions, and suddenly it all makes sense.<br><br> American civil religion has its own prophets and its own martyrs; its own social events and sacred places; its own solemn rituals and symbols. <br><br>Fine with me, but can we give it a better name than "Christianity", please?>><br><br>Um, yeah. I call it amerikan jezuzism. <br><br>Oh and don't forget a big amerikan jezuzism ....the fear (worship) of 666. What a joke.<br><br>I disagree it can be classified a "folk religion" though. That is insulting to folk religions. <br><br>No, it is just the same ravaging bloodthirsty berzerker madness that manifests thru co-opted icons. Flags & crosses, halo's & circular presidential seals.....all one and the same. <br><br>Btw, 666 is just a number for the sun. Moron xtians.<br><br><br><br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://blog.simon-cozens.org//post/view/1113">blog.simon-cozens.org//post/view/1113</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=yesferatu@rigorousintuition>yesferatu</A> at: 7/31/06 9:21 pm<br></i>

[yathrib]

I seem to remember hearing that in Italy evangelicals tend to be leftist in politics, and that there is often friction w/ the American evangelicals who come to preach to them for that reason. May be true of other places as well, or may no longer be true at all since I heard this back in the eighties I believe. <p></p><i></i>

[dude h homeslice ix]

three years ago left gatekeeper amy goodman interviewed some south african bishop or other, about the evangelization of iraq following the invasion. as you may recall, there was palpable excitement on the part of american christians about the prospect.<br><br>ill never forget it: she asked: "are you worried about a christianization of america?"<br><br>to which he immediately replied, "no, i am much more worried about the americanization of christianity." <p></p><i></i>

[yesferatu]

From the latest LaHaye berzerker jezuz novels:<br><br>"Men and women soldiers and horses seemed to explode where they stood," Dr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins write. "It was as if the very words of the Lord had superheated their blood, causing it to burst through their veins and skin.'' The authors add, "Even as they struggled, their own flesh dissolved, their eyes melted and their tongues disintegrated."<br><br>There is a painting of muscular amerikan WWF jezuz here<br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/04/weekinreview/04kirk.html?ex=1396414800&en=5175e4e9cb96e30f&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND&pagewanted=all">amerikan jezuz </a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br>Now if I could only find the painting of ripped, muscular jezuz tearing himself off the cross, splintering off the arm of the cross as his biceps bulge and the sweat glistens. I saw it once and could not figure if it was a parody painting or a painting by an amerikan jezuzist moron.<br>If anyone finds it, please add it to the images thread. It's a gem. <p></p><i></i>