A Low Class, Ignorant Attack On Christianity
The Blasphemy Challenge
I have a lot of friends and colleagues from different religious persuasions, including a few that are atheists out of principle. I respect the religious, or non-religious, views of most of my friends, colleagues and family. My own flair for evangelizing my faith is by the deeds, as well as my efforts to be fair, generous, and respectful of others.
I don't always succeed at following the tenets of my faith. There are times when I am cranky towards my wife. I sometimes lose patience, even with those I respect the most. Sometimes I swear like a division of sailors or a platoon of marines. I don't always make it to church, and I do hold some views that are contrary to the positions of my church leaders out of conscience and my own reading of Scripture.
When I engage in debates on science, religion, philosophy or the status of our culture, I try to be reasonable in my efforts. If I disagree with someone, I try not to go off on ad hominem attacks. Again, I don't always succeed, but I try. (My ability to do this with Mr. Bush and his cronies is tested every time I read the news.) If I do engage in ad hominem attacks, the attack is based upon the behavior and actions offered by the people to whom I am addressing (i.e. calling Bush a fascist and the majority of his cabinet a gang of fascist thugs because of their actions that support those conclusions).
But the effort to disparage all of Christianity offered by the so-called "Rational Response Squad" on the "Blasphemy Challenge" web site, is neither rational, reasonable or tolerable. I do not say this out of defense for the beliefs I hold. If my beliefs could not withstand such irrational attacks, it would not be much of a faith. But I say this out of concern for the method in which these folks have chosen to put their views into the world.
These folks do not seek to persuade people of the reasonableness of their position and views. Instead, they prefer to go on the attack not only of the faith, the tenets or doctrines offered by the churches, or the history of the Christian religion--all of which can be justifiably attacked in some way and on some legitimate grounds--but on the very nature and integrity of the people that make a decision to believe.
I won't engage in apologetics for my faith or for organized religion. Many more qualified people have written appropriate apologetics throughout the centuries. I need not try to better such scholars as Augustine, Luther, Aquinas, Calvin, Wesley, Beckett or others. Nor do I need to defend such hypocrites as Falwell, Robertson, Swaggart, Roberts, Jones, Coulter, Limbaugh, et al.
But the manner in which these so-called rational people choose to entice people to reject Christianity--and it is specifically mainstream Christianity that they are attacking--is ludicrous, ruse, vulgar and asinine.
I won't even dignify these folks by quoting anything from their web site... But I urge you, no matter what religious or anti-religious views you hold, to approach the issues with reason and respect. Maybe then we can live, work and play together without the hatred, prejudice and outright idiocy.
I have a lot of friends and colleagues from different religious persuasions, including a few that are atheists out of principle. I respect the religious, or non-religious, views of most of my friends, colleagues and family. My own flair for evangelizing my faith is by the deeds, as well as my efforts to be fair, generous, and respectful of others.
I don't always succeed at following the tenets of my faith. There are times when I am cranky towards my wife. I sometimes lose patience, even with those I respect the most. Sometimes I swear like a division of sailors or a platoon of marines. I don't always make it to church, and I do hold some views that are contrary to the positions of my church leaders out of conscience and my own reading of Scripture.
When I engage in debates on science, religion, philosophy or the status of our culture, I try to be reasonable in my efforts. If I disagree with someone, I try not to go off on ad hominem attacks. Again, I don't always succeed, but I try. (My ability to do this with Mr. Bush and his cronies is tested every time I read the news.) If I do engage in ad hominem attacks, the attack is based upon the behavior and actions offered by the people to whom I am addressing (i.e. calling Bush a fascist and the majority of his cabinet a gang of fascist thugs because of their actions that support those conclusions).
But the effort to disparage all of Christianity offered by the so-called "Rational Response Squad" on the "Blasphemy Challenge" web site, is neither rational, reasonable or tolerable. I do not say this out of defense for the beliefs I hold. If my beliefs could not withstand such irrational attacks, it would not be much of a faith. But I say this out of concern for the method in which these folks have chosen to put their views into the world.
These folks do not seek to persuade people of the reasonableness of their position and views. Instead, they prefer to go on the attack not only of the faith, the tenets or doctrines offered by the churches, or the history of the Christian religion--all of which can be justifiably attacked in some way and on some legitimate grounds--but on the very nature and integrity of the people that make a decision to believe.
I won't engage in apologetics for my faith or for organized religion. Many more qualified people have written appropriate apologetics throughout the centuries. I need not try to better such scholars as Augustine, Luther, Aquinas, Calvin, Wesley, Beckett or others. Nor do I need to defend such hypocrites as Falwell, Robertson, Swaggart, Roberts, Jones, Coulter, Limbaugh, et al.
But the manner in which these so-called rational people choose to entice people to reject Christianity--and it is specifically mainstream Christianity that they are attacking--is ludicrous, ruse, vulgar and asinine.
I won't even dignify these folks by quoting anything from their web site... But I urge you, no matter what religious or anti-religious views you hold, to approach the issues with reason and respect. Maybe then we can live, work and play together without the hatred, prejudice and outright idiocy.
posted by Jim Downey at 3:35 PM
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