Comments on: How an Evangelical Could Feasibly Vote for Obama

By: ed

ed — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:31:07 +0000

Adam, thanks for your thoughts here. I’m working on a response to Chris, but life has been moving a bit too fast this summer to get all of my thoughts together on this one. The core here Chris is I’m hearing a lot of the arguments used by the new atheists. I don’t know how you feel about them as a group, but the bottom line is it’s not necessarily accurate to attribute religion with evil. Religion can be used as a tool for evil ends. Atheism, communism, and capitalism can all be used as tools for evil as well. Jesus taught us to love our enemies, to pray for those who hate us, and that the peace makers would be blessed. So if Bush wants to invade a nation claiming some crack pot version of Christian theology, then it is a mistake to shove all Christians under his banner.

You bring up many other points that I’ll need to address at another time. Thanks for contributing.

By: Adam Malliet

Adam Malliet — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:19:00 +0000

Chris, it seems to that the evils you described where done in the name of capitalism, a very dangerous secular religion. Of course Christians have been co-opted by capitalist society and are now complicit in the violence.

Jesus taught us that Christians would be hated, it would do us some good to consider who hates us. I’d prefer that a murderer like George Bush (Ceaser) hated us, than you Chris, you sound like you care about people. Of course, if the Bible is right, that will be all sorted out; it’ll be Bush who will be shaking in his boots.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:03:22 +0000

Have you ever considered that perhaps the moral problem is religion itself? That the underlying root to so many of the issues that you care about is, in fact, a problem caused by religion?

All of these world conflicts that you mention are fueled by religion. Evangelicals believe that non-Christians are all going to hell. Besides making no sense whatsoever…how do you think that makes the rest of the world feel? Why do you think W invaded Iraq? Sure, there are plenty of other reasons, but isn’t a main one the pure arrogance that can only come from such an absurd belief system?

And all of your talk about redistribution of wealth is really just a belief in more institutions. the church is a massive institution that for centuries was used to control people, by telling them what to think and how to live their lives. and now we have another institution, the U.S. government, a necessary evil to be sure, that suddenly is expected to steal from the rich (the productive and their heirs) and give to the poor (the unproductive and the unfortunate)? Is that really a just solution?

I don’t mean to attack you personally, I just take strong issue with your ideas. I used to be religious myself, and I know how intense the belief can be. but i think that if you stop and look at the big picture, it become glaringly obvious that religion is simply a crutch: a set of teachings meant to control the way you think and no “truer” than some crazy guy on the street.