Breakthrough: Right-wing Christianity IS idolatry

Look at this page from a Jack Chick comic book:



I was looking at this earlier out of horrible fascination with it when it really became clear to me that Jack Chick believes in witchcraft as much as he believes in Jesus--which is kind of precisely what he's NOT supposed to believe in, if he's a Christian, right? He's not supposed to believe in magic, but he can't help himself. He flat out does. It's in every tract he creates. And he is far from alone among right-wing Christians in this belief in the "reality" of incantations, spells, talismans, etc. But really, isn't this exactly what you're NOT supposed to do as a Christian?

Actually isn't it that magic, witchcraft, etc. are the work of Satan?

So confusing... :crazy:

:crazy:

But when you get right down to it, Jesus and God are just playing a game because they can whup Satan's ass any day. They must be playing a game because it would be no problem for either one of them to pop down here right now and take control. No problem at all. They just have to command it and it will be so. Right? Jesus? God?! :crazy:

like World Championship Wrestling? When God bodyslams Satan he's just going along with it to pick up the big fat check afterwards?

in the power of evil, demons, devils, and all sorts of horrifying ghouls in the closet and under the beds how would they maintain their power over them? This is EXACTLY how leaders have controlled people from time immemorial. In religion the enemies are "spiritual". In politics, the enemies are political. The means may be different, but the ends are the same.
How easy would it be to change Oceania/Eurasia/Eastasia/Party/Big Brother to some religious entities?


George ORwell "1984"

And *I* don't even think 'magic' is half as powerful as Jack Chick does.

Even stranger, every now and then, I read about Christians and Orthodox Jews creating 'talismans' of various kinds. I have to wonder what tradition they are pulling those out of. Some weird, old ceremonial Solomonic tradition, apparently. :shrug:

Finally, I find instances of 'magical thinking' to be far more prevalent among right wing Christians than among most of the pagans I've met. Believing that one can change reality through faith and the force of will alone -- I'm not sure even Aleister Crowley believed that. He seemed to be well aware of the fact that most of what he wrote about was metaphor and internal meditation -- not 'psychokinesis' or truly invoking a real 'spirit' (I'm sure some will disagree with me, but read him more closely if you do -- ie., were the 'spirits' and 'gods' part of his own mind, or something outside it?). 'Course, Crowley didn't mind *others* thinking he had vast magical powers to bend reality to his will...:evilgrin:

The Goddess has a sense of humor.

I'm not a Wiccan, but one of my SO's friends is. She had the "law of threes" posted in her kitchen, and I read it one day when I was contemplating revenge against a boss who fired me and then proceded to enforce a non-compete agreement against me that would have basically kept me unemployed for two years - long story but the details don't matter. What matters is that I read that - that the good you do comes back to you threefold, as does the evil you do.

It helped me let go of the (totally justified) hatred and anger, which wasn't getting me anywhere. I realized my hatred wasn't hurting him at all, and even if some petty revengy thing might, it would probably hurt me even more in spirit. Not that's some powerful "magic".

I think there is a lot of wisdom that even non-believers can find in Wicca, Catholocism, Judaism, Quakerism, Islam, etc.

It's one thing that helps me keep my anger at ease against everything going on now too. I just have to remind myself that sometime that Bush and all the people with him will have his (their) karma. It might not be when we want it to happen but it will happen. Whatever you put out does come back sooner or later whether for good or evil. I just ask for one thing from the powers that be: I get to watch and have some nice popcorn for the show.

Don't you think * looks terrible lately? He looks like someone under a tremendous amount of stress. Plus I think he's scared; he knows how hated he is here and around the world.

:hide:

at any rate I do agree with you on the bit about "magic".

On one hand traditional christianity despises "witches" and anyone who thinks that casting a spell or making a charm or worshipping something besides their monolithic god is evil, while purging themselves of sin by reciting the Our Father, doing rosaries, rituals of penance, stations of the cross, and believing in either transubstantiation or consubstantiation, in believing that prayer is rewarded more often by the divine than action.

I can't help but draw parallels between "my god is more powerful than yours" when Jesus walks on water (oooh, aah) and people float off to heaven when biblical history is done with them. Seas part, blind can see, the dead are raised, and somebody has a damn food replicator they're not telling us about. Parlor tricks, all of it.

I don't care about miracles - if this all powerful being wants to play masturbatory games with faith for 2000 years without actually putting in a real appearance, like it's some rock papers scissor thing in order to get through the velvet rope line, then I don't think he's anything more than just another petty tyrant deity with better PR, and please please please show me that there is anything at all that is really supernatural in this world - I am waiting anxiously for a wee bit 'o' magic to exist independent of my faulty perceptions.

On magic: it is what you want it to be, maybe even more magical for knowing that. The ability of these disparate atoms to glom together from emergent complexity of simple rules into elements and molecules and cells and nerves in a way that the universe can wake up and look at itself -- that's magic, that's the miracle, and no petty petulant self centered god of this planet running around turning people into pillars of salt gets to take credit for that.

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0094/0094_01.asp

Then take a nice long shower. :scared:

You put it very well. The magic of old-time religion is cheap compared to the miracles of the natural universe.

http://www.chick.com/tracttips/

were you witnessing to me? have you infiltrated the mall yet? Is this chick you?:

:evilfrown:

Richard Chamberlain?

I know I'm laughing, but this guy is actually friggin' scary!

They're onto me! Yes! I'm trying to hypnotize good Xtian's with my evil Rock music withchraft!! Bwhahahahahahahahhahahaha!!!!

He claims that Catholics worship a cookie god.

My step-daughter went to a christian school where they said the christian pledge of allegiance to the christian flag every morning, it was ludicrous. But these are all examples of idolatry, creating an image, painting, sculpture, of a concept and then according the physical representation veneration. Its no kidding, their bible worship is itself idolatry.

They think they're *literally* supposed to worship words. It's very strange, though, that such bone-dry literalism so often leads people to believe in the wildest fantasies.

A Christian flag you pledge to? I've never heard of that before. And it's very humerous to me how they claim not to worship false idols and all that but then turn around and all this nonsense with the Ten Commandments. If they were so important to you then you wouldn't have to have them placed all over the place. In reality isn't that a form of worshipping something over God? Of course they wouldn't think of it that way but an outsider looking in surely would.

and while many of the tracts poopah Christianity in many ways -- especially that it's borrowed from many older traditions -- I've never read anyone wanting to subvert it with incantations, etc.

Hahahahaha!

That's the band in a Chick comic about the evils of rock music. Hilarious! "We're gonna rock rock rock the ROCK..."

It just struck me that I've seen the greatest mass concentration of Chick tracts, in one place, exactly where they should be--on the floors of public toilets.

No Sinners shall escape my sight.

Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power: the Scripture's Light!

O8)







... ugh, the worst part of it is, I know some Christian comic book readers who would probably love that little analogy. :evilfrown:

the Bible, not Christ.

They believe the Bible is inviolate, every word is true, and instead of quoting the words of Jesus Christ, they quote verses of hatred and condemnation.

I don't. I know the Bible was written by man and I know it was transcrippted through the years and written in English and various versions so we don't know what is true and what isn't since none of us were around then. The Bible is great to study and I think Christ was a great person and am a Christian. It's interesting how some of those on the right who are claiming to be Christians do like you say Lindacooks and quote from the Old Testament to validate reasons but I've heardly seen them quote from Christ personally. To Christians you're supposed to follow Christ and he changed how things were. To a lot of us the Old Testament is a history book to show how things lead up to Christ. During the Schavio case they obviously missed Matthew 6 which was from Christ.

Not most Christians.

And you're right - Christians are supposed to follow Christ, but many people seem to be interested only in his birth and death and resurrection (the Apostle's Creed, written in Nicea).

I have never heard a fundie quote one saying of Jesus about peace, forgiveness, not judging, helping the poor, old, sick, young, infirm, etc.

seem to love the Old Testament a lot more. And according to them, every word in the Bible is as valid as any other word, so the Mosaic Laws are the same as the New Testament sayings of Jesus. But they are focusing on the OT, it seems. War and the laws of revenge suits them better than forgiveness and mercy. Ever since they became a political branch of the GOP.

I'd like to start attending a church again, but it has to be what you describe--mainstream Christianity, not fundamentalist. I did that for a long time, and will never go back!! I like the idea of NOT having to believe that every word of the Bible is true, and of just following Christ's teachings. You can PM me if you don't want to post. :)

United Church of Christ, is pretty good. They have a practice of being open and affirming and of being quite liberal.

as if it had something to do with jesus.

The bible is a grouping of early christian writings. The best you get is the people who knew Jesus and thier memories.

But revelations and alot of the materials are just one theologians opinion. One that was popular at the time, but still just one opinion.

Most "born-again" churches are only recent formations. The Roman and Orthodox Chuches go back well over 2000 years. Education is importatant and they both have enough church history that can be referred back on to show that things are not "pratically perfect".

on all this supernatural b.s. and the very real dangers it presents to mankind...

I saw a picture about the fight over the ten commandments and immediately thought of the second commandment. Seeing all those people gather around that stone and pray made it look like they were indeed praying to a gaven image.

Bible believing Christians. NOT following in the footsteps of Jesus Christians. THAT is the real idolatry. They've put the Law of the Bible over the message of Jesus, the exact thing He came to put an end to.

They have so much more in common with the Pharisees than with Jesus. :cry: And they don't even see it.

Polarity/Duality isn't the ultimate Truth, though it can be very useful.

Christianity, as Fundies see it, and "Devil-Worship" are indeed two sides to the same coin.

It has been persecuted as heresy at times.

"-which is kind of precisely what he's NOT supposed to believe in, if he's a Christian, right?"

No of course not! A literal reader and believer of the New Testament to say nothing of the Old Testament, MUST believe that evil is a positively existing force (spelled Eee-ville), and that there are demons running around possessing human beings, that witches (like the witch of Endor) truly exist, and that the only means by which your salvation from eternal death and damnation was effected was some kind of hostage/ransom situation with the Son of God doing time in Hell's domain in your place.

If Jesus was compelled to undergo suffering either below ground or above while still alive, this can only make sense as a kind of payoff to dark forces. You can't pay off what ain't there. Ergo, the Enemy is force to contend with and must not be disregarded as simply "the privation of Good."

Just because this dealmaking and polytheism is a paradoxical affront to the idea of an Omnipotent, Unique, Omniscient and Eternal God doesn't mean it isn't part indeed right at the heart of Christian belief. Christianity has been justifiably attacked as polytheistic for centuries.

:kick: fundie ass BurtWorm! :D

I am not saying that to disturb either the Fundamentalists or the Pagans/Wiccans. Modern right-wing Fundamentalism/Evangelicism/Dominionism/whateveryoucallit is, at its roots, a modernized Indo-European death-god cult.

All it really has that is still Christian is the veneration of Jesus Christ. Most Fundies, to their credit, do practice as much Christian love as they can; their Druids, like Falwell, Dobson, and Archdruid Bush, are the invokers of the thunder gods, the war gods, the pain gods, and the death gods.

Their worship of the Bible -- and not the Holy Spirit -- is a form of idolatry. Their screeds against the Catholics, non-Christians, gays, and so on, are broad violations of the command to not bear false witness. Jesus instructed his apostles to "be no part of this world", but the Druids of the death-god still politick and connive for power.

It's a sad situation, but it remains unexamined, and festers like the superstitious cult that it is.

All I can offer is that if you are a Christian, seek authenticity in your Christian practice; if a Pagan, expose this as a highly deviant mutant form of your faith that relies on fear, not love; and for everyone, see through the lies and violence and try to spread a message of reason and hope.

As we see the Pope of the Roman Catholic rite surely moving toward his earthly death, maybe this would be a good time for all people with any spiritual interest (even if only to argue against it) to turn their attention to matters of the decay of the Christian world. The Gospel of Jesus has been lost to the Gospel of superstition. From any point of view, the Good News needs to be renewed and the corruption to be cast out.

--p!
A theologian? Moi?