My Conservative Family thinks if you are not a

flag waving,pistol packing,warmonger, Then you are not a christian and proberly are a comunnist. IS that INsane or What

Which one?

If you need to, print out the pages of
http://www.LiberalsLikeChrist.Org/Christlike .
and discuss them point by point, because what Conservatives call "Christianity" is actually Paul's teaching about Jesus, rather than JESUS' OWN TEACHING.

See what Christ might say about the "Christian Coalition" & "Religious Right" imposters.

no offense but thats very ignorant, heh my grandfather one of the most democratic people you'll meet, if someone called him a communist he would raise hell, he doesnt hate commies mind you but he did fight them in Korea, war really was hell for him I think, he is a devout Catholic as well.

and personally meet those of us who:

1. resist idolatry of anykind including thhe flag, the bible, and the ten commandments;

2. are brave enough to meet life un-armed;

3. are smart enough to see that, with few exceptions, war profits only the rich;

4. were baptized and raised christian, but can no longer lie about the failure of christianity; it is a business like any other and should be taxed accordingly;

5. and recognize that capitalism damages people in equal measure to what that which is called "communism" is accused of, so we won't be suckered by either one of those labels.

You may not have a sidearm but you definetly are not unarmed. The ability to know that brains can defeat most situations already shows you be dangerous :-)

Necessity IS the mother of invention. When you remove the necessity of coping by carrying a big gun, literally or metaphorically (as in for example "God this . . ." "God that . . .") your brain stops developing its own powers.

The problem is that psychopaths, or, as they are referred to nowadays, sociopaths, limit their sadism only by the ability of their victims to physically resist their sadism.

Let's not lose control here, friend. Christianity hasn't failed, just because a lot of Christ's followers have fallen away. Every movement has hypocrites, but that doesn't sully the entire movement. Jesus anticipated false prophets, and they'll get theirs come judgment day.

You have my sympathy

They sound like flying monkeys by labeling us as communists. No one is more loyal than we are; and you don't have to be a "Christian" to be a great person. I have my doubts about a lot of the so-called christians, and believe that many of them wear their religion on their sleeve. They're probably not insane, but badly misinformed.

speak and pray and yells on the streets so to make people think they are something they are not. Maybe the ones whom like to wear it on the sleeves are very insercure about their religon and afterlife. I feel very secure in my beliefs. And I do not feel the need to shout it on the rooftops.

and what makes the situation tolerable (my Mother loves to get me going as I am the only liberal in the group) is that I realize the only reason they are conservative is because intellicutaly (yes it is spelled wrong) it is much easier to be a conservative then a liberal.

We are very patriotic and hard working. We support the troops and America.

Remember you don't have to like Bush to like America. Although the right will tell you if you don't support Bush you are not patriotic. Bah!

From my observations conservatives believe what they are told. Like god created the universe while liberals seem to think for themselves. I happen to support evolution and the big bang.

I loved growing up in a liberal household.

and it is much easier intellectually to be a borg drone than an independant person.

America has a pretty FUknow the rest idea of religion. Especcially those on the right side of the aisle!!! Christ condemed violence, and would not support this xenophobic nationalistic behavior!!!

It seems to me that Protestantism and Democracy both spring from a desire for people to have more power in their own governance and a rebellion from those who rule by "divine right", like a king or the Pope. That all falls apart when we see a judge defying a court order to remove a religious monument, claiming that he answers to a higher authority.

The question I pose to my conservative friends and family is quick, easy and quite painless...

"Do you honestly and sincerely believe that you will be asked what your party affiliation is when you stand before God in judgement?"

In all but two cases it has, for all intents and purposes, shut down the speaker. In the two cases, the counter-claim went something like this... "Democrats believe in abortion-on-demand and taking prayer out of school..."

To which I then replied, "...and Republicans do not believe in the mandate from God to be good stewards of this planet and to leave it in a better fashion than when they inherited it."

At this point, the eyes start getting bloodshot and the face is getting red, so to pre-empt any anger, I quickly conclude the conversation with

"...however, I doubt anyone accepts and agrees 100% with any party platform (those that do are usually party-hacks who put party before God anyway). I believe that God will judge both you and I on our own merits, not on that of a secular political organization....Thanks for the opportunity to witness parts of my religious faith to you..."

Their eyes are glaring at me, the rage is obvious, the fists clench but they simply stand there, dumbfounded by the obvious and the simple.


<Edited for spelling>

and welcome to DU!

Thank you vert much! I steal from the best...lol :)

Can I borrow that the next time the political/religious comes up when talking to my Southern Baptist parents and extended family in Central Texas ("Gawd's Country!")? Being a Democrat and liberal Episcopalian is tough come the holidays...

why do they need a gun? :shrug:

... and yet I despise the Bush Dynasty.

Ask 'em about that.

Where are you, Harry Truman? America needs you now more than ever!

:crazy: My conservative family has pretty much written me off. They decided I was a lost cause when I converted to Judaism, married an artist, and declared my intent to leave Texas for San Francisco.

My Grandmother told me that the only reason why I converted was because I was afraid of going to hell and Jews don't believe in hell.

My police officer uncle (who used to be a pot-smoking rabble-rouser) called me a communist and hoped I enjoy falling off the earth when the "Big One" swallows up all the freaks and fags in San Francisco.

Sometimes you got to blaze you own trail, in spite of your unfortunate familial affiliations.

I've spent my entire life trying to distance myself from my family's trailer-park mentality. I neither need their or anyone else's approval. They only fear what they couldn't possibly understand.

I applaud anyone who has the courage to stand-up to the "so-called" Christians (even if they are members of their own family).

Why would anyone want to live in Teaxs anyway.

My mom thinks that most democrats have no conscience and will beleive anything bad about the Clintons (too much right wing radio I suppose) And absoulty nothing bad about Bush whether it is the truth or not.

Thinks unless everyone sees things her way esp about the Iraq War they are cowards or fruitcakes.
She is a Republican Baptist and she is not too fond of the Catholic Church or Methodist doctrine.

I was raised a Methodist by my Grandmother a (independant) who later returned to the Baptist church.

I plan on joining a Catholic Church soon. You should see some of the debates we have about religon and politics at our house :nuke:.

My grandmother thinks President Bush is some great christian why I do not know. and thinks President Clinton has no morals becasue one affair in the white house a laps of judgement. she also thinks Senator Clinton has none for standing beside her husband.

It so nice to be able to talk to smart and resonable people. :)

Really looking forward to the move. Got about 8 months left here in Bush Country.

I am very lucky that my husband and I are on the same page. We keep up with the news on DU and Bush Watch. We watch Jon Stewart. We ignore our families.

Reasonable people are really hard to find these days.
This is a great place to find a sympathetic ear.

Now I don't come from a conservative family at all. My dad was a member of SDS and my mother went to Woodstock. (I'm cut from the old hippie cloth) however I totally understand about texas. My ex was a Texan that bastard. He joined the army after 9-11. and got all gung ho nationalistic and got really into his religion southern baptist. Now as I am an eastern european Jew from Brooklyn that didn't work out. The point is. in my experience People born in the south. Totally fucked in the heads. I don't know I'm rambling I'm going to shut up now.

I don't think it is entirely a southern problem. Texas has never really fit in to the label of "the South". Texas has it's own thing going on. Always has been that way.

I figure it is not so much being southern born that causes the psycho-conservatism. I feel that is is largely due to being Southern Baptist. I may be generalizing, but I have never met a free-thinking, progressive, tolerant Southern Baptist. In my experience, they have all been intollerant and close-minded.

My mother was not like the rest of my family. She was a bit of a hippie too. She married a Navy man (my father) who didn't want his wife trapsing off to Woodstock to be part of a dirty hippie sex fest.

I credit my mother with allowing me to think or believe whatever suited me. she never pushed any belief-system on me. she wasn't as lucky. Somehow she managed to be a pretty free spirit anyway.

Jesus said you can only serve one master one can not have two he will either love one and hate the other. How can they serve God and Country and not hate one of them. I attendated a religon sponsered event a christian music group was singing. They did not give out cross's I saw none it was just FLAGS with FISh on them. It was really more of a patriotic event. My Southern Baptist family saw nothing wrong with it just as they see nothing wrong with the Baptist church having flags in their church.

Now I have no problem with a church beleving a certain way just when they try to make laws and force people to act the way they beleve people who are not even members of that church that is when I have a problem. I know plenty of Baptist who are open minded and clear thinking who back Democratic Party they perhaps are not the ones going and getting brain washed every Sunday.

I serve God and Country yet I do not put them on the same level. Look at the vietnam draft people did not go becasue they had a higher calling to God to acheive peace. Yet the conservatives will call the draft dodgers evaders cowards and traditors.

I love America but Just beacsue you are not a flag waving red white and blue wearing person dose not mean you are not patriotic. Democrats would perfer to sit down and solve the problem and think of soultions instead of flag waving and singing and blowing up building in foriegn countries. Obvisouly they are insecure about their love of America a we do not need to put a sign on a cherry tree so people will know it is a cherry tree.

My aunt, who is a department head at a small Southern Baptist university (no more details to protect the innocent). Her fellow profs there seem alright, too. She was raised SB in deep East Texas, yet jokes about being one of the five registerd Dems in her county (half-joking, as the Hispanic population of her town possibly has more than four registered Dems). She's an active enough member of her regular Southern Baptist church that she's occasionally been nominated for deacon. She turns it down each time, telling me that it'd be more trouble (with work) than it's worth. She says that she doesn't get flak from her collegues over her politics, but she's not happy with the SB Convention for having congregations sign off on the Statement of Beliefs and Faith (not sure about the wording) in order to use some facilities that they've been leasing for years. Any attempts by the state or national conventions to coerce professors at Souther Baptist schools to sign off on it REALLY hack her off.

She does not like to discuss politics or religion. If I were in her situation and part of the country, I probably wouldn't, either. She's a bit sad that I've become an Episcopalian, but isn't worried about the state of my soul or anything like that. Maybe she's sad that I didn't have the stomach to stick around and fight.

My aunt is a true Baptist (priesthood of all believers, the Holy Spirit guides individual believers in the meaning of the Bible, and independence of congregations). Would that the leaders of my old convention be as true to the tradition of Roger Williams.

Please remember that people like me and several of my friends were raised Southern Baptists (and maintain varying levels of adherence) before slurring the whole bunch. Flies, vinegar, honey, etc.

My quick response to my family members who hold that line:

"Do you honestly believe that when you stand before God on your day of judgement, that He will ask your party affiliation?"

Usually it shuts them down.

On the occasion when they respond with something like, "Well, the Democrats are the party of abortion...", I quickly interupt with, "...and the Republicans consciously defy His command to be good stewards of the planet. Just goes to show that neither party has a monopoly on faith."

It doesn't hurt my case that I attend church on a regular basis and devour books on apologetics...lol


Edited because I thought this a newer post. Seems I already responded to it a while back. Damn me and my inability to pay attention to details...lol. At least I'm consistent, though...

semi-literate.

not stupid just uninformed or unable to analyze.

not stupid. just unable to analyze.

for rebelling against their government for one reason or the other. Tell your family that.

Oh heck, Jesus rebelled against the Romans. Point that out to your family.