As Der Trihs correctly estimates in this post, he is most likely to die in a Christian concentration camp. It should be intuitively obvious to any rational person that this is indeed the direction in which this country is headed. Numerous studies have shown that church attendance is at an all-time high, the number of people self-identifying as born-again or fundamentalist Christians is growing every year, and there is growing public support for enacting Old Testament Law, with its concomitant death sentences for adultery, homosexuality, and idolatry, as the law of the land. There have already been a few public officials elected to high office who have expressed a desire to build concentration camps, and no doubt these people will continue to gain power. Even our very president is a self-described fundamentalist Christian who has repeatedly, publicly sworn allegiance to an interpretation of the bible as completely inerrant in all respects, and indicated that he would fully support legislation to criminalize even the mere status of not being a Christian. (Apologies for not having explicit cites for these clear facts. I know there are plenty out there; Google must just be malfunctioning at the moment. I’m sure I’ll be able to find some tomorrow. In the meantime, for cites, just read any number of the threads in this forum.)
Given this undeniable, clear evidence that in 50 years or so starvation in a Christian concentration camp will have replaced heart disease as the leading cause of death in the USA, what can we do to spare ourselves this fate? Is there any way that we can reverse the seeming juggernaut of the fundamentalist Christian seizure of govermental power that has already begun, or, barring that, somehow escape from the concentration camp system before it’s too late?
But, but… If A is true, then it follows that there would be a small and steadily diminishing pool of concentration camp attendees available to starve to death and thus alter the cause-of-death statistics as predicted in B.
Remember, you are called to show the love of Christ, even to people who do not follow Christ. You are not called to debate them into a Christian life. You are called to love them without expectation of anything in return.
If more Christians would just do this, people would have a better opinion of us, and be more willing to join us… but somehow we feel the need to debate and put down people who disagree with us. We ridicule and belittle.
If Der Trihs’s experience with Christians had been one of them loving him unconditionally, do you think he would feel the way he does? The fact that he is threatened by Christians speaks ill of us, not him.
Nicely stated. You seem to be the sort that gives me hope for Christianity. Too bad the others are so much louder than you and seem to get more attention.
You are correct, that we are called to love others. Some can be pretty challenging. Being forgiving, slow to anger, and kind toward all, especially those who present a challenge, are part of the fruits of the spirit. Der Trihs is an extremist who usually refuses to acknowledge anything positive by anyone associated with Christianity. I know patience and tolerance are more Christlike but a little humorous sarcasm or just the honesty of calling ridiculous crap what it is, can be good therepy.
So what goes on in a Christian concentration camp? Daily blessings? Do they pray you to death? Make you spend hours staring at a creche while reciting the Constitution? They wouldn’t have to starve me to death: I’d find a way to slit my wrists in the first week.
You won’t be able to slit your wrists. You’ll be strapped down to a chair in a movie theater. Your eyes will be held open by metal eyelid retractors. A dispassionate nurse will periodically administer eyedrops. Christian Hymns a la Wendy Carlos will blast loudy throughout the theater, and the penitent vegetables we know and love from ‘Veggie Tales’ will massage your mind into the image of Godly virtue.
Yeah, a concentration camp filled with Christians, victims of increasing disenfranchisement from Godless liberals and secular humanists, with all Christmas and Easter rituals banned because of political correctness…
…wait, isn’t that what he’s talking about?
I can answer that question. You see I spent four weeks in a Christian concentration camp and lived to tell about it. Oh sure they called it summer camp but I wasn’t fooled for a moment. No real camp wakes you up at 5:30 am for morning prayer meetings. Real camps don’t make kids go to five bible classes a day, two prayer meetings, a nightly fireside worship and make leather craft crosses. They even had padlocks on the phones so we couldn’t call our parents for help. :eek:
You go ahead and laugh but they are real. It’s been 34 years and I still have nightmares.
If I remember aright, the nun waits until your attention wanders, then whacks you with the ruler and says, “Concentrate!” I can’t account for Tinkertoy’s experiences; must be denominational differences. There’s no way that we could have had fireside worship at St. Matthew’s. Many of the nuns were completely devoid of moisture and would have gone up at the slightest spark. But I kid the nuns; they baked some seriously religious cookies.
I also would like to take this opportunity to nominate newcrasher for President of Christianity worldwide. The sentiments expressed sound familiar, but I can’t quite place the source. Nonconfrontation, humility, unconditional love… Something about it all rings a bell. I’ll think of it eventually.
Some people revel in the thought that they are victims. Makes them feel noble… or something. Whether it’s Christian blow-hards who think they’re victims of evil “secularists” or narrow minded leftist who see an onslought of “Christian Ayatollahs” ready to take over this country. Few on this board take any of those extremists seriously.
I’ll just follow the example of a boss I had many years ago. As soon as he saw one error in what he was reading, he returned it for correction. Try again, gardener.
