you have to understand that these are my personal opinions. you can't use me as your personal fact dictator. I will happily try to give you facts to back all of this up for you as I too have plenty of time to kill and was anticipating some type of response. YOU! need to do some research for yourself though if you really want a firm grip on the subject. try going on a Christian message board and see what the majority rules. you will hear people saying that democrats and "liberals" are satanic I promise.
I am exaggerating a bit when I say they have "taken over" as if they have a huge Nazi army with guns and tanks although there have been radical groups that bear the name evangelical that have huge compounds with guns and explosives. for the most part they have had a major influence in conservative republican politics which I have seen first hand from state to state apart from what the T.V. media stations tell me. The main stream Christian entertainment industry produces hundreds of books and music CDs every year to name a few authors: Max Lucado, Rick Warren, Joyce Meyer, Jerry Falwell etc. as they would label them selves to be in the Evangelical movement. The main states you will see their influence in is Texas, Northern Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Alabama, Missouri, west Virginia, Virginia, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Maryland. they call it the bible belt it is around the south east central parts of the USA.
I would be an opposing side to Evangelicalism since I carry opposing views of what they call "liberal views" and I also have opposing views of how to please a god or gods. the word "liberal" is a buzz word they and more so republicans use a lot to describe people who favor abortion rights, gay rights, atheism, universal health care, gun control, tax reform, socialized education, war efforts etc. you would also find opposing views with Roman Catholics. my opinion on God is that there is no Jesus. I believe that God sees what you do and counts that as righteousness and will bless you for that. while Evangelicals believe that you have to pray to Jesus or you cant be godly.
no, unfortunately I am not jumping on the bandwagon I have been surrounded by Evangelicals my entire life. I actually wish I could jump on the bandwagon as they have been the bane of my existence but unfortunately I would be the coach driving the bandwagon. I do associate Evangelicals with republicans because that is what they quite often do themselves. It will be kind of hard for you to find many main stream Evangelicals that will give up their political views to the public. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson have both said some horrifying political things but for the most part the media strays from politics. now I would not say that Evangelicals are purely conservative republican or that republicans are purely evangelical BUT! from what I have experienced as a child to adult to what I have seen I would say evangelicals more than less favor conservative republican views. as I have experience with being at a lot of major gatherings where I have witnessed them. and most of all politicians are religious no matter what their political party. you will have to do your own research by going to their churches and meeting these people for yourself.
Congratulations! you have been fortunate enough to have avoided contact with the ones who call themselves evangelicals. I myself was raised in a evangelical household it was half baptist and half Pentecostal. I was made to go to many different churches and gatherings as a child. I have sat in church services where George bush was the "logical" choice and promoted as a "great" leader. I have heard preachers talk about how the war efforts in Iraq are of a Holy God and that God blesses it in Jesus' name.
okay so in technical terms an Evangelical is sect of Christianity which has protestant origins dating all the way back to the 18th century. an "evangelist" as you have asked is merely some one who goes about the world spreading news of any sort. what I am referring to is the protestant movement. to be an Evangelical you must be "born again" by believing in the saving power of the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. you also must have the bible in high regards by believing every word is true and inspired by God. and finally you must actively spread the news of the saving power of Jesus although for them it is not as important as just simply believing in Jesus.
I can't tell you how many times I have heard there nonsense go on and on and on and on. the main Evangelicals I am referring to is the ones in modern times. they have many sects of it Pentacostal, Baptist, Methodist, Bible, free, etc just google it I am sure you will find extensive information on how many types of Evangelicals there are. but yes! this argument about legalism makes me so angry as it is always used by the high and mighty veterans of their church. anytime they are confronted with an issue they don't see fit to talk about or except they will call that legalism. legalism is actually what I would be classified as since I believe in doing works. but you know you are not going to see any of this unless you do research for yourself. so you can except what I say as truth or you can go to your local church and meet these people.
My obligations to be concerned about what other people believe about their god comes from actively witnessing them first hand. like I said you're going to have to check it out for your self. My concern is the psychosis of believing that you have a trump card over all other religions versus your personal dedication to living a holy and just life.
It becomes a matter of them believing that they are the chosen ones and therefore they are holy. when in my opinion you are holy by what you do and how you live no matter what god or religion you have. it like when you are in the "club" it doesn't matter what you do but if you are out of the "club" then it all matters. this is what allows room for them to do what ever it is they want to do under the umbrella of the "grace of God".
speaking in tongues is a sordid affair lol! sometimes they have people that claim they can interpret what they are saying but for the most part they just spit out a bunch of gibberish and say that the holy spirit is speaking through them. in the bible! the first account of people speaking in tongues was an instance of them speaking in many languages that were known to the surrounding people so that all people could individually understand the news of Jesus Christ in their own language. that is absolutely unheard of today.
there are "liberal" churches out there...but they are very scarce. and once again I am speaking from my personal observations. out in California they have liberal churches. In a place like Texas you would find very few churches to support Barack Obama or gay rights.
People stay in a stagnancy in what I have seen. very few people repent and improve their lives based on what they teach about Jesus. fathers still beat their children and wives. recently there was a couple that my aunt and uncle were counselling that had done much prison time and ended up murdering their neighbors. it happens often because they really don't teach you to pursue a higher quality of life they just tell you that Jesus forgives you and send them on their way. Jesus is the one who perverts repentance. NOW! in the bible in the four gospels Jesus does preach repentance BUT! they seldom ever talk about what Jesus preached now a days. if you go to a church today most likely you will here a sermon on how your sins are forgiven and you can go to heaven if you just pray a prayer to Jesus and that is it! I still for fun will go into churches with my family just to mock people. Its kind of funny I am the only one that goes to the small group meetings where you can voice your opinion. while there I have been accused of being in league with Satan just by merely speaking logically. it is very entertaining to see their faces turn bright red in confusion and hear them back pedal out stuff. that is my main point they don't challenge them selves or think outside the box so when I come in I just destroy their minds like Godzilla in Tokyo.
yes far too often I have been in conversations with them and they have directly and indirectly accused me of being in league with Satan. and I have spoken with many friends who have had the same experiences.
I am generalizing and making big assumptions. but I like I have said I have much experience in this area. my own dad can't figure out why I support Obama over McCain because he is not allowed to question or think for himself or by his own definitions he would be "playing with fire". and this issue particularly will really only be found out if actually go to one of these churches and see for yourself. In the mainstream Evangelical Christian movement they might have views that seem more liberal but they tend to just avoid most controversial views so that they can cater to all audiences.
and that! is how they stay strong. they keep people in a neutral level of thinking and favor what ever is popular. right now since obama has been president there has been a emergence of support for more liberal views just because that is what they think will sell more books.
no can not speak for every Evangelical that has ever lived but I can promise you that if you do your own investigations you will find this to be true as I have through out my entire life.
when I think of making one self better i see every aspect of life. eating healthy, exercising your brain, becoming a positive influence on society, practicing safety, being aware of danger, noting on details. far to often I see Evangelicals not caring and living sub par lives and producing children that become criminals. like the example I gave with my uncle and aunt: they met this couple at their church the man had a long history of crime and had a psychopathic druggy demeanor about him which I myself would never associate with let alone let him into my house where my children are and now we ended up hearing about the couple on the local news involved in a murder. now both people are in prison for murder. my aunt and uncle were trying to extend the "grace of God" to a psychopathic killer who belonged in a mental institution in the first place. they just lose grip of reality and end up in dangerous situations based on the forgiveness and saving power of Jesus. if I was the pastor of a church and a pedophile came in seeking help from God I would send that pedo straight out of the building. but what many people don't see or realize is that it happens all the time.
-- Tue May 01, 2012 10:29 pm --
Rattatat wrote:stupid americans infest the world wit all their problems that they make for themselves. 1/4 of religious americans try to buy their way into heaven by buying bombs for the jews to blow up gazan children who stand next to terrorists and when they f up like they always do, like that murderer bush, all the people in other countris who never put a foot wrong have to get abused for america.... because the other americans in those boxes that they make to clissify people like evolutionists say f i but what did we do wrong. Just the neverending case of americans wanking themselves off to build a greater alter for their OWN personal lives wit zero care for the effects that they cause to others.... america= always I am no 1.
So the point in case ... if you want to moan yer pathetic little asses off about religion or politics dont be a racist ... but sure to add the prefixe AMERICAN... as that is the basics of the problem you want to masturbate and play sticky bicky wit.
well yes I am talking about americans. I am also talking about Evangelicals as a whole to a smaller extent as I have met many Evangelicals from different countries and they still hold similar views as americans do.
-- Tue May 01, 2012 10:33 pm --
let me just clarify that I am not only talking about politics but also the psychosis of thinking that Jesus makes you a good person.
The Evangelicals posses a common belief that you are considered a saint if you just merely believe in the death and ressurection of jesus. this is the main pschosis I am talking about. I call it the Jesus delusion.