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Originally Posted by scaeagles
So, Eric, again, I do not consider you to be bigoted in the least, and please accept my apology for the obvious implication.
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I appreciate that, Leo, I really do.
We had a thread recently where we were discussing who, if anyone, did we hate. I had a really hard time answering that one, because truly, I don't hate anyone. There are things in this world that I do hate with a passion however, and one of those is bigotry. Therefore, even when bigotry is merely implied in my direction, it pushes buttons. It also causes me to get a lot of typing practice.
I've always felt that you were a great example of how someone can let their beliefs shine through example, rather than through rhetoric. And in fact, I have many Christian friends who do the same thing. They don't tell others what they should do, they simply live a good moral life. I don't think anything could paint religion in a more positive light than choosing to lead by example.
And for the most part, even though I don't subscribe to all Christian beliefs, I still feel that that it has a mostly positive effect in the lives of its practicioners. And anything that can help people lead more positive lives is ok in my book. If it works for you, then by all means, go for it. I'll never suggest that you shouldn't.
But it is undeniable that people have used religion throughout the ages to justify their own prejudices, their own bigotry. I think the biblical justifications for slavery and for limiting women's rights are a good example of that. I also think that many people use their religion to show how much better they are than those who don't believe. They are far more interested in proclaiming "how good a Christian they are" than actually working towards being a good Christian. That nauseates me.
And lastly, sometimes people proclaim they are wonderful Christians simply so that they can gain the votes of other Christians. This is, in my opinion, what Bush does (and I fully understand it is what many other politicians do. He isn't alone.) But, there was nothing very christian about calling people and asking them if they were aware that McCain had a black baby. There is nothing in Christianity that says that it is ok to kill innocent people. In fact, it is strictly forbidden. So, on one hand, we are told that a few cells have the right to life and yet, we can't seem to figure out how to conduct ourselves in a way that doesn't lead to the deaths of thousands of innocent people. I just don't understand the logic.
Anyway, no harm, no foul as far as you and I are concerned. We just have differing opinions on the role of Christianity in our government. You see the separation of church and state to be mostly mythical in nature. I see it as one of the more important concepts of our particular form of government. We can agree to disagree on that.