Saturday, August 01, 2009
In the bosom of the Institutional Church
You don't have to worry about torture, the evils of the world or even Jesus Christ Himself. Ray McGovern examines the paradox of Institutional Christianity that does not practice or believe the teachings of Christ.
Who but the cowardly crew leading the “Christian” churches can be held responsible for the fact that many of their flock believe torture of suspected terrorists is “justified?”Drop a few bucks in the basket as it passes and feel good knowing that God smiles on your town, but not mine.
Those polled were white non-Hispanic Catholics, white Evangelicals, and white mainline Protestants. A majority (54 percent) of those who attend church regularly said torture could be “justified,” while a majority of those not attending church regularly responded that torture was rarely or never justified...
...What kinds of folks comprise this 54 percent? An informal “survey” of my friends suggests these are “my-country-first” people — like the fellow who recently gave me the finger when he saw my bumper sticker, which simply says “God bless the rest of the world too.”
They are people accustomed to hierarchy and comfortable being told what they should think and do to preserve “our way of life.”
They place a premium on nationalism, which they call patriotism, and on what the Germans call Ordnung. I suppose that this may be part of why they go to church on Sunday.
It’s a problem that has existed for almost 1,700 years, ever since 4th Century Christians jettisoned there heritage of non-violent resistance to war and threw in their lot with Constantine.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
Post a Comment