I've always thought it ironic that a religion that seeks to separate itself from the world--the religion in which its founder insisted that his followers would be persecuted because of him--has spent so much time attempting to become more like the world.

Americans love to connect themselves to those Puritan forbears who supposedly came here looking for freedom (a view of history that is utter nonsense), but let's get real: the Puritans, even most of the Founders, would not recognize anything particularly Christian about this pop-oriented culture.

As a Christian, I've had a problem with the so-called "Christian culture." I grew up in a fundamentalist church and was fully sold-out to the who bit: Christian rock, the t-shirts, etc.

However, I came face-to-face with the Christian music industry when my husband and I moved to Nashville in order for him to try and use his considerable muscial skills and get in with a band and play full-time. It was the whole music-as-a-career dream so many musicians have. What we were confronted with was an industry that was pretty much Christian in name only. This is old news to everyone and I think the author of this piece identified the struggles the musicians themselves have with it, so I won't beat the dead horse.

It did make me really start thinking though. It's hard to draw the line in these things. Some parts of Christian culture are patently offensive and money-grubbing. For me, the classic example is the WWJD craze. What started out as a pastor's desire to get his congregation thinking about how to really put their money where their mouth is (i.e. acting like Jesus would act) turned into what looked to me like companies milking the latest cash-cow craze. The jewelry of all types, the t-shirts, the hats, the bumper stickers. Enough already! It became meaningless. I think where Christian culture loses it is when money becomes the driving force and the original good intention is lost. I'm sure (call me naive!) the original WWJD bracelets were something people wore to keep themselves mindful of what Jesus would do, but it soon became a fad. And maybe that's the tipping point right there: the fad aspect.

Anyway, I'm not presenting this as clearly and lucidly as I wish I could, but I can't disagree that the idea of Christian culture is somehow odd and derivative in many (if not most!) of its aspects.

I've always thought it ironic that Democrats, like Anse, first pretend to be "tolerant" and often even "Christian" themselves, and yet launch into tirades and hate speechs at :

"fundies"

"bible-thumpers"

"flat-earthers"

"right wing religious extremists"

"extra chromosome right wing"

and countless other hateful pejoratives.

I don't see anything particularly tolerant or moderate about Democrats like Anse, even though they CLAIM to be...

What is patently obvious is their reprehensible and contemptible dishonesty. Christians may have many, many faults, but if you despise Christianity so very much, please pack up and move to North Korea. Christians aren't welcome their any more than they are in Anse's petty little world.

Anse's right. So what's your beef? You prickly types, with your "war on Christians" meme have become as bad as the radical Islamists and their prickliness over perceived "insults" to Islam. You have, in fact, ceased to be Christians and have become "christianists." And that's what you'll be as long as you parrot the spew of entities like RObertson, Falwell and Hagee. Shame on you.

CaliforniaDreamin:

What is patently obvious is their reprehensible and contemptible dishonesty.

How about this? I'm an atheist, so I make no pretense of being a "Christian." You can't slam me for dishonesty. I believe all "Christians" are, by definition, hypocrites. Every "Christian" picks and chooses the parts of the Bible that works for him/her, and disregards the parts they don't like. It's impossible to follow everything in the Bible, because some parts contradict other parts. If people could just step back and look at the Bible objectively, they would see it for exactly what it is: A collection of writings done by various authors at various times, in various places, and in various languages. If it were truly the word of "God", don't you think it would be a little better written and a little more consistent? Of course, I'm sure the Bible thumpers can find ways to rationalize that, as they do with anything that doesn't fit into their square box.

How many times are you going to re-post that old ,boring paste and post comment?Nobody here is buying you stupidity buddy.Go back to the cave and finish your cave drawings and leave the normal people to discus the world.