Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Make Christianity relevant and moral

Mainstream churches are decidedly anti-Western.

by StFerdIII

There are two things about the ‘Church’ we should know. First its ‘product’ and philosophy is out of step with the modern world and far too supernaturally focused. Second, most if not all mainstream churches are left-wing, anti-american and display disturbing immoral relativity on key issues ranging from the market; to fighting Islamic fascism; to even acknowledging the extermination of literally millions of Christians by Muslims. These weaknesses in the mainstream churches make it doubtful that we need ‘Christianity’ to save our civilization.

Unless Western churches start to defend our civilization and the ethos, ideas and culture that developed the modern world, they will be a part of the problem – not the solution. This would include defending: economic freedom; freedom of speech; freedom of association; freedom of choice; enacting our laws [even against illegals], protecting ourselves through a strong military; and rejecting the Islamification of Western Europe and North America. Far too often both Christian sects preach the opposite. Illegals are good; Muslims are peaceful; Islam is a religion of tolerance [it is not even a religion]; market economics is bad; US and Israel should be condemned [insert reason here]; capitalism destroys the environment [it doesn’t]; individualism is to be avoided [collectivism enshrined]; and so on. How tiresome.

When you combine this anti-Western bias with supernatural obsessions you have a program destined for irrelevance.

Churches of all stripes seem to focus on three areas: 1. the moral teachings of Christ; 2. pacifism and 3. economic socialism. I have never heard a minister advocate any of the following: economic free trade; military strength; the wonders of our modern culture and civilization; or rolling back the authoritarian impulse of the state. In fact I read and hear the opposite. Some recent examples of far left Church behavior include:

-US Protestant and Catholic churches openly supporting and aiding illegal immigration, even publicly stating that they will help illegal Mexicans get into and live in the US.
-US Protestant groups calling for the USA and US firms to divest from Israel.
-US and European churches openly supporting the election of Hamas in Palestine, a terrorist group intent on destroying Israel.
-US and European churches condemning the USA and Israel for Palestinian ‘suffering’ and demanding an increase in aid to the Palestinians.
-With the exception of the new pope [Ratzlinger] and the Arch Bishop of Sydney, few if any Christian leaders have condemned Islamic and Muslim atrocity, murder, intolerance and jihad.

In the past 30 years literally millions of Jews and Christians across the world have been murdered by Muslims – but nary a word from Church leaders. Nigeria, Sudan, Iraq, East Timor, Indonesia, Pakistan, North Africa, Russia, Lebanon, Turkey and all places in between have seen Christians hunted and killed for their faith.

Yet when Arafat, a mass murdering terrorist who killed hundreds of thousands of Christians and Jews and who started the civil war in Lebanon which alone exterminated 100.000 Maronite Christians died, the Vatican issued this press release: "The Holy See joins in the pain of the Palestinian people for the death of President Yasser Arafat. May God welcome in His mercy the soul of the illustrious deceased." Incredible. When asked about terrorism and Islamofascism by a reporter the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams replied that terrorists "have serious moral goals". What?

There is something wrong in both the Protestant and Catholic churches. Arafat illustrious? Hamas should be supported? Israel vilified? Terrorists are moral? Silence when literally millions of people from your Church and faith are exterminated? Holy ghost what is going on here?

It is well and good for famous Conservative pundits like Mark Steyn, Melanie Phillips, or the Heritage Foundation to call for more Christianity. But what kind of Christianity are they demanding? Is it the immoral relative nonsense that supports illegal immigration; breaking laws; terrorist groups; the demonization of Jews and the hatred of fighting any war, any time, any where for any reason? Or is it the Christianity that focuses on supernatural phenomena with old ministers on Sundays droning on for the 654th time about Leviticus 10 or the letters from Paul to the Corinthians? How boring, irrelevant and mind curdling that is.

Christianity has two main problems. First its ‘product’ is boring, out of date, and though hugely relevant from an ethical-spiritual perspective, not marketed properly. How many preachers preach from the book and make the sermon relevant for the modern world? Few if any. Second it is imposingly left-wing and almost monolithicly socialist. I have never heard nor read from any Christian source about the benefits of what makes a modern society dynamic, wealthy, moral and mentally stimulating. I only see and hear the opposite - trite, nonsensical statements or sentiments such as: ‘all war is bad’; ‘terrorists are freedom fighters’; ‘capitalism exploits the poor’; ‘markets lead to inequality’ and other dogma dominate Church discourse and culture.

Personally there is no doubt in my mind that unlike Islam there are some excellent aspects to Judeo-Christian thought and history. Christianity at its root is about the replacement of uncivilized savage behavior with a belief that some divine inspiration exists in all men. Believing in some power of good and right helps to destroy man’s natural egotism, and forces a realignment in social and personal behavior. Christian ethos is a key basis of civilization. But the layering on of supernaturality and the maintenance of pagan storylines distorts the importance of the Judeo-Christian ideal. Add in socialist immoral idiocy and the complete product is not very interesting.

Make Christianity relevant please. While famous Conservative experts worry about our religious decline I would suggest the more relevant concern is the content and message emanating from the citadels of Christian faith. The fact that the mainstream churches are still obsessed with supernaturality, left wing political-economy and immoral relativity regarding Islamic fascism, does not give me great hope that Christianity will ride to Europe’s or anyone else’s rescue. Without reform Christianity may well be a part of the problem in our fight with Islamic fascism and intolerant socialist liberalism both here and abroad.