Anti-Christian Books

[cavell]

TBC: The comments following were written by an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi:

There is no better term than propaganda blitzkrieg to describe what has
been unleashed against Christian conservatives recently.

Consider the long list of anti-Christian books that have been published
in recent months. Here are just a few samples of more than 30 similar
titles, all from mainstream publishers:

"American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America"

"The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us"

"The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason"

"Piety & Politics: The Right-wing Assault on Religious Freedom"

"Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism"

"Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and
Threatens America"

"Religion Gone Bad: The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right"

What is truly alarming is that there are more of these books for sale at
your local large book store warning against the perils of fervent
Christianity than those warning against the perils of fervent Islam.
Does anyone seriously think America is more seriously jeopardized by
Christian conservatives than by Islamic zealots? I fear that many
Americans believe just that in the same way that many pre-World War II
Westerners considered Churchill a bigger threat than Hitler.

Considerably more intellectual energy is being pumped into the
propaganda campaign against Christianity than was ever delivered to the
anti-smoking or anti-drunk-driving campaigns. Fervent zealots of
secularism are flinging themselves into this anti-Christian war with
enormous fanaticism.

If they succeed, Christianity will be driven underground, and its benign
influence on the character of America will be lost. In its place we
shall see a sinister secularism that menaces Bible believers of all
faiths. Once the voice of the Bible has been silenced, the war on
Western Civilization can begin and we shall see a long night of
barbarism descend on the West.

Without a vibrant and vital Christianity, America is doomed, and without
America, the West is doomed.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53748

 

[ab1385]

People do think that extremist Christians are more of a threat to America than extremist Muslims, even if only because there are a lot more of them.

That being said, why is this presented as a new topic? There have always been lots of anti-Christian books, it's just that they are only now really becoming acceptable to read. I can't really comment on any of the books, however, not having read any of them to see what they are getting at (as I'm guessing is true of anyone who comments on them here). How can one criticize what one does not understand? And how can one understand without at least knowing what the book says?

Anyway, my favourite bit, as a non-American, in that post, was this:

"without America, the West is doomed." lol

 

[Voegelin]

People do think that extremist Christians are more of a threat to America than extremist Muslims, even if only because there are a lot more of them."

OK....then name some names ab1385. Tell us exactly what Christian leaders and denominations in America are "extreme". Tell us what they have done which shows they are more of a threat than radical Islam. Appreciate it if you are specific and detailed. As the number of extremist Muslims groups is rather large (from the Muslim Brotherhood to Islamic Jihad to Al Qaeda and operate in countries from the USA to Nigeria to Thailand) please give us an American Christian offset for every single one of them. If you need the names of a dozen Muslim groups which have engaged in violence and the names of their leaders in order to tell us the American Christian equivalent, I will provide them.

In fact, you can start with the first World Trade Center attack. Tell us which American Christian denomination and leaders pose the threat today that Ramzi Yousef, El Sayyid Nosair, Sheik Omar Adbel-Rahmen poised in 1993.

After that, we can go on to the bombings of the American Embassies in Africa, the bombing of Khobar Towers, the attack on the U.S. Cole and the final attack on the World Trade Center.

 

[ab1385]

EDIT - I think I should clarify that by 'people think...' I mean that 'some people think...' - not that I necessarily agree or disagree with their views.

Westborough Baptist Church is a good example - I don't necessarily mean people will blow up buildings and stuff, but as a threat to open minded culture there are a lot more Extremist Christians than Muslims in America. Extremist Muslims blowing up a lot of people was horrific, but has it changed the American way of life? No, not really, other than an increased sense of fear and willingness to go to war. Christian Extremism is promoting homosexual hatred, closed-mindedness to science, and xenophobia. Those are, I would say, more of a threat to what America is than Islamic terrorists.

It is, I suppose, a question of what you consider a threat - and what you consider to be threatened. Whenever I have, over here, heard Americans talk about the threat of Islam they talk about the threat to the way of life of America, and I don't really see that being threatened by Islamists. Think of threats in terms of this - how many people will die in America as a result of Islamic extremism over the next 10 years? And how many will die as a result of falling down the stairs? Does that mean that stairs are a greater threat to America than Al Qaeda?

 

[Filina]

Those are, I would say, more of a threat to what America is than Islamic terrorists.

Unfortunatly people will keep going saying Christian are threat to America and to the world.

The day will come though when other ideologies will take over and the freedom to express ourselves will be gone and just a thing of the past.

 

[Voegelin]

EDIT - I think I should clarify that by 'people think...' I mean that 'some people think...' - not that I necessarily agree or disagree with their views.

So why did you bring it up? Some people thinks Jews or blacks or Mexicans pose this or that threat. Lots of literature out there by those who are believe Jews are a threat. People who bring those screeds against Jews up usually have one of two motives: they agree with them or they want them exposed as hateful and dangerous.

"Some people think" is simply not credible. Cite names, both of the "some people" who think Christians are a threat and tell us exactly what Christians are being referenced. By mentioning what "some people think" you are aiding in their propagation their views. I'm not juding why you are doing this, simply saying that in the interest of fairness you should be more specific.

Westborough Baptist Church is a good example - I don't necessarily mean people will blow up buildings and stuff, but as a threat to open minded culture there are a lot more Extremist Christians than Muslims in America.

If you don't believe Christians will "blow up buildings and stuff" why did you compare them to those who do?

The Westborough Baptist Church is a good example of what? They have no support among 99%+ of Christians. Only reason we hear about them is because the liberal media promotes them.

What is this "open minded" culture you speak of? Your country criminalizes speech. What is "open minded" about that? In America we have people who think themselves opened minded who physically assault speakers they do not agree with on college campuses. They pass speech codes. They are in court everyday trying to censor the free exercise of religion. They want to and have had some sucess in banning clergy from speaking out on political issues.

You also wrote:

That being said, why is this presented as a new topic? There have always been lots of anti-Christian books, it's just that they are only now really becoming acceptable to read

Have you thought through the logic of that statement? Aside from disagreeing with you on if they "acceptable to read" (no one in my family tolerates this type of rhetoric about any group) so what if these books were acceptable? If 80% of the people believe what Julius Streicher wrote is "acceptable" does that make it right?

 

[Gwenyfur]

 

[kulenok]

It is just that Homo's where not designed for..that. it is vital for a human to reproduce,and well, gays dont. Besides,being gay is unhealthy.there are twice as much STDs for gays then normal relations.Eww anyways.


Romans 1:26-27
"Even their woman exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. in the same way men also abandoned natural relations with woman and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion."

 

[Jipsah]

Consider the long list of anti-Christian books that have been published
in recent months.

The books listed were by and large anti Christian Right, and not necessarily simply anti-Christian. I personally find a lot to object to about the Christian Right myself. Their "the US can do no wrong" jingoism, their mindless support of anything that Israel does be it good or bad, their robotic Republicanism, and so forth. They've made "patriotism" (as they define it) and laissez faire capitalism part of their religion. They tend to preach what is, in reality, a fascist political ideology. That, along with their tendency toward bonehead fundamentalism causes me not to like them very much.

Having said that, the anti-Christian Left is even more annoying than the Christian Right. The ACLs would, in many cases, like to have Christianity suppressed and Christians disenfranchised. They want to establish an oligarchy (not realizing that we already have one) run by their sort, who they believe to be better/smarter/nicer/cuter/wiser than the hoi polloi.

A plague on both their houses.

If they succeed, Christianity will be driven underground

If a dog had wool and a sheep had hair and an automobile could fly in the air and a watermelon grew on a pumpkin vine then we'd all eat snow in the summer time.

Without a vibrant and vital Christianity, America is doomed, and without
America, the West is doomed.

Agreed. My fear is that the Christian Right is more of a threat to a vibrant and vital Christianity than is the anti-Christian Left.

 

[Fuchsia]

The books listed were by and large anti Christian Right, and not necessarily simply anti-Christian. I personally find a lot to object to about the Christian Right myself. Their "the US can do no wrong" jingoism, their mindless support of anything that Israel does be it good or bad, their robotic Republicanism, and so forth. They've made "patriotism" (as they define it) and laissez faire capitalism part of their religion. They tend to preach what is, in reality, a fascist political ideology. That, along with their tendency toward bonehead fundamentalism causes me not to like them very much.

Having said that, the anti-Christian Left is even more annoying than the Christian Right. The ACLs would, in many cases, like to have Christianity suppressed and Christians disenfranchised. They want to establish an oligarchy (not realizing that we already have one) run by their sort, who they believe to be better/smarter/nicer/cuter/wiser than the hoi polloi.

A plague on both their houses.

Agreed. The overly political Christian Right is actually probably just as much a threat against Christianity than anything else. Closely tying religion and God with a man-made, flawed political party and the ideology of that party (whether it's biblical or not) doesn't seem to me to be a smart move. I think it's especially bad that so many people take certain Republican beliefs and try to pass them off as biblical beliefs, even when the Bible itself actually goes against them.

 

[SallyNow]

OK....then name some names ab1385. Tell us exactly what Christian leaders and denominations in America are "extreme". Tell us what they have done which shows they are more of a threat than radical Islam. Appreciate it if you are specific and detailed. As the number of extremist Muslims groups is rather large (from the Muslim Brotherhood to Islamic Jihad to Al Qaeda and operate in countries from the USA to Nigeria to Thailand) please give us an American Christian offset for every single one of them. If you need the names of a dozen Muslim groups which have engaged in violence and the names of their leaders in order to tell us the American Christian equivalent, I will provide them.

In fact, you can start with the first World Trade Center attack. Tell us which American Christian denomination and leaders pose the threat today that Ramzi Yousef, El Sayyid Nosair, Sheik Omar Adbel-Rahmen poised in 1993.

After that, we can go on to the bombings of the American Embassies in Africa, the bombing of Khobar Towers, the attack on the U.S. Cole and the final attack on the World Trade Center.

What kind of groups Christian groups in America are extreme? Groups advocating the repeal of women's voting rights and property rights, groups advocating that young women not be educated at universities, groups advocating men not be nurses or have other "feminine" careers, groups that support child abuse in the name of corpral punishment, groups that picket in front of funerals, groups that advocate the beating of women, groups that picket in front of medical clinics and try to distrupt the flow of customers going to businesses near clinics, groups that advocate all media be censored, the list goes on.


I won't post that kind of filth here; anyone can google it if they want proof.

 

[TheDag]

OK....then name some names ab1385. Tell us exactly what Christian leaders and denominations in America are "extreme". Tell us what they have done which shows they are more of a threat than radical Islam. Appreciate it if you are specific and detailed. As the number of extremist Muslims groups is rather large (from the Muslim Brotherhood to Islamic Jihad to Al Qaeda and operate in countries from the USA to Nigeria to Thailand) please give us an American Christian offset for every single one of them. If you need the names of a dozen Muslim groups which have engaged in violence and the names of their leaders in order to tell us the American Christian equivalent, I will provide them.

In fact, you can start with the first World Trade Center attack. Tell us which American Christian denomination and leaders pose the threat today that Ramzi Yousef, El Sayyid Nosair, Sheik Omar Adbel-Rahmen poised in 1993.

After that, we can go on to the bombings of the American Embassies in Africa, the bombing of Khobar Towers, the attack on the U.S. Cole and the final attack on the World Trade Center.

mere numbers do not indicate who or what is a larger threat which is what you seem to be thinking. I have seen small numbers. Look at the movie 300 just recently released. It is based on a group of about 300 men who stand up against far superior numbers. So even if a group or leader was named for every group you could think of it still wouldn't give any indication of which is the bigger threat.

 

[EnemyPartyII]

It is just that Homo's where not designed for..that. it is vital for a human to reproduce,and well, gays dont. Besides,being gay is unhealthy.there are twice as much STDs for gays then normal relations.Eww anyways.


Romans 1:26-27
"Even their woman exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. in the same way men also abandoned natural relations with woman and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion."

don't suppose you have any, you know, FACTS to back up your claims about homosexuality, do you?

 

[EnemyPartyII]

mere numbers do not indicate who or what is a larger threat which is what you seem to be thinking. I have seen small numbers. Look at the movie 300 just recently released. It is based on a group of about 300 men who stand up against far superior numbers. So even if a group or leader was named for every group you could think of it still wouldn't give any indication of which is the bigger threat.

Of course, defensive actions like Thermopylae are not good examples to be extrapolated into generalities...

 

[Candide]

I think that, while it may be easier to see the threat from guns as more prevalent than that of words, this may not be the case. I think of people like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and James Dobson, and I think that it's very easy to see how extremist Christians can have a negative impact on America.

The fact of the matter is that radical Christianity poses every bit the threat to freedom and safety that radical Islam does. One only needs look as far back as the Crusades to see that.

Any time you have a religious group in control or involved with a government, you are asking for trouble. That's not to say that America should be non-religious or a-religious, simply that there should be a separation between church and state, and when there's not, things like the Crusades are more likely to happen. America is built on religion, and the freedom therein. America would be as bad off without Islam as it would be without Christianity, just as it would be bad off without African Americans or Native Americans.

 

[MoNiCa4316]

I've noticed lots of anti-Christian books too, particularly the 'God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins. Seriously, that book is everywhere!

 

[Ringo84]

TBC: The comments following were written by an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi:

There is no better term than propaganda blitzkrieg to describe what has
been unleashed against Christian conservatives recently.

Consider the long list of anti-Christian books that have been published
in recent months. Here are just a few samples of more than 30 similar
titles, all from mainstream publishers:

"American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America"

"The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us"

"The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason"

"Piety & Politics: The Right-wing Assault on Religious Freedom"

"Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism"

"Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and
Threatens America"

"Religion Gone Bad: The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right"

What is truly alarming is that there are more of these books for sale at
your local large book store warning against the perils of fervent
Christianity than those warning against the perils of fervent Islam.
Does anyone seriously think America is more seriously jeopardized by
Christian conservatives than by Islamic zealots? I fear that many
Americans believe just that in the same way that many pre-World War II
Westerners considered Churchill a bigger threat than Hitler.

Considerably more intellectual energy is being pumped into the
propaganda campaign against Christianity than was ever delivered to the
anti-smoking or anti-drunk-driving campaigns. Fervent zealots of
secularism are flinging themselves into this anti-Christian war with
enormous fanaticism.

If they succeed, Christianity will be driven underground, and its benign
influence on the character of America will be lost. In its place we
shall see a sinister secularism that menaces Bible believers of all
faiths. Once the voice of the Bible has been silenced, the war on
Western Civilization can begin and we shall see a long night of
barbarism descend on the West.

Without a vibrant and vital Christianity, America is doomed, and without
America, the West is doomed.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53748

Oh please. What this person considers so-called "attacks" against Christian conservatives is free speech - which is allowed whether or not you agree with it.

It's so easy these days to slap an "anti-Christian" label on ideas that we don't like and thereby call it persecution. It's not persecution to acknowledge the fact that some more outspoken Christian conservatives out there are often more concerned with conquering and dominating the political and intellectual fields rather than compromise with those with whom they disagree. I'm talking about events such as Falwell's blaming 9/11 on homosexuals and feminists.

I do not wish to limit the free speech of Christian conservatives. I wish to call attention to the fact that the label "anti-Christian" is overused these days for ideas that aren't anti-Christian at all.

I would suggest that the person who wrote those words in the OP (the original author - not the person who posted it) grow up and get over it.
Ringo

 

[EnemyPartyII]

I've noticed lots of anti-Christian books too, particularly the 'God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins. Seriously, that book is everywhere!

But have you read it? (note, it isn't anti-Christian, its anti RELIGIOUS... the way you say it you would think it was an attack on Christianity alone)

 

[keye]

"If they succeed, Christianity will be driven underground, and its benign influence on the character of America will be lost. In its place we shall see a sinister secularism that menaces Bible believers of all
faiths."

I'm sure that places like Sweden and Finland, which have some of the highest percentages of non-believers in the world, are very sinister and menacing places to live. </sarcasm>


"Once the voice of the Bible has been silenced, the war on
Western Civilization can begin and we shall see a long night of
barbarism descend on the West."

The last widespread 'long night of barbarism' would probably be the Dark Ages, which came soon after the beginning of Christianity, just when it was becoming widespread.


"Without a vibrant and vital Christianity, America is doomed, and without America, the West is doomed."

Xenophobia much?

 

[dayhiker]

I stand behind the freedom of these people to publish their books. There are a lot of Christian authors publishing books that attack post mordernism, evolution, the left, the religious left and so on.

The ones I fear most are those that will not read a book outside their own world view. I've often read books that I'd seen Christians put down a false. Well, some of those I read and thought the author was out to lunch. Otheres I've read and had to agree with them.

I've now read enough history to realize that some of my College church history class wasn't aways honest about the effect of Christianity as it moved around the world. There were unchristian things that church leaders supported. But the left has also not been honest. Christianity has helped a huge number of people as well. We need to know both sides of the story.

So let them publish. Then we shoulc check their arguments and see if they hold water. If their are historically factual. Did their ideas work in the past? Then publish our own books. Or just post the date here.

dayhiker