you can design a religious literacy test for your columnists and posters.

Many of the posters seem surprised that orthodox Christianity reserves salvation through Jesus and his resurrection alone. That has been orthodox Christian theology for about 2,000 years.

Yes, there are sect/denominations that don't hold such beliefs, but they aren't labeled orthodox--liberal maybe, but not orthodox. Orthodox is a term preferable to "conservative" which is a better descriptor for political views. Warren is a perfect example of a mix of conservative (anti gay marriage) and liberal (ecology and HIV concerns) in the political arena. Yet his theology is orthodox.

My guess is that if these posters know this little about Christianity (living in a "Christian culture"), they're even less informed about the finer points of Catholicism, Greek Orthodox, Islam, or the various Eastern religions.

Obviously they've been listening to too much Devil music:

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If you're going to ban people from posting due to lack of knowledge, you'd better also throw in a bit of required reading for the Jesus freaks, such as knowing the difference between Darwinism and Social Darwinism, the fact that Hitler was a Catholic, that the Soviet Union wasn't founded by Jews, and the definitions of several common logical fallacies.

Of course I know that orthodox Christianity reserves salvation through Jesus and his resurrection alone.

My point (in my post below) is that I'm appalled that people find this just fine and dandy. And I'm appalled that people think that this is a religion of peace and love.

Think about it. What could be more hateful?

Seriously, the religion that brought us the Spanish Inquisition and you're confusing it with "peace and love"???

BWA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAA!

You're appalled? Boo hoo hoo hoo. WAAAAAAA! they believe I won't get to go to a place I don't even believe exists.

Waaaaaaaa! Black Jesus H. Christ, shut up

test. Consider Islam, where your salvation is based on performance. How good is good enough? Maybe you're a better person than me, so you get in because you told 3 fewer lies in your lifetime? Or because you (a rich Arab) went on a pilgrimage to Mecca but I couldn't because I am a poor Indonesian? Or Buddhism where your sins from a previous life carry over into this one, even though you aren't aware of them? And you call Christianity hateful? Think about it.

But you are RIGHT that ignorance (or knowingly distorting facts) doesn't disqualify anyone as a poster.

Stop-truth-decay, what's most annoying about these posters is how they dismiss the theology as silly, mythical, and inconsequential, but simultaneously want to be included.

I mean, I don't care that Jehovah Witnesses think that only a few thousand Jehovah Witnesses are going to go to heaven, and that the rest of us will cease to exist physically and spiritually. Why doesn't that make me feel bad? Because it's stupid, and I don't want to do what Jehovah Witnesses require in order to *maybe* be one of the lucky JW's who go to Heaven (which probably doesn't exist anyways).

Do orthodox Christians feel bad when Jehovah Witnesses tell them that only JW's go to heaven? No, regular Christians say that JW's are quacks, and keep it moving.

Do dumb Hitchens fans feel bad when regular Christians tell them that only Christians go to heaven? Yes, and they become offended and claim that it's hateful.

If I can find one example of mankind abusing an institution for their own gain, then the whole institution is worthless. Let's see--how about atheistic Communism (Mao, Stalin), government in this country (Blago, for one), industry (Enron, et al), the legal system (death row inmates exonerated), health care (nurses killing patients), the list goes on and on and on. Ard, try a bit harder to discredit the religion that opposed slavery (the abolitionists in this country, Wilberforce in Britain) founded the first universities in this country (ever heard of Harvard), founded hospitals (your hometown probably has a hospital called St. Something), etc, etc, etc. Your argument is not clever, not original and not compelling.

Actually, Christianity did not spawn the Spanish Inquisition. As others have said elsewhere, a lot of the persons who post comments here need more education. The Roman Catholic Church is responsible for the slaughterous Crusades in the Middle East, the Spanish Inquisition, rabid anti-Semitism, extortion, bribery, thefts, murder, and religious wars. The RCC is ipso facto not Christian. Jesus never killed anyone, neither did he advocate killing anyone, nor did he sanction killing anyone. He possessed the power to annihilate mankind, but he laid down his life rather than kill and commanded his disciples to follow his example ("Yet will I show you a more excellent way."), which they did and have always done. All of the apostles (except Judas Iscariot) and virtually all of the early Christians (who were predominantly Jews) were martyred without offering any resistance. "They loved not their lives unto death." Most modern churches are just corporations doing business for profit as churches. They have nothing to do with Christianity, except that, like the Catholic and Protestant churches, they claim to be Christian. That's where the confusion lies. It should be obvious to any cognitive adult that the televangelists are all con artists. What is less obvious and difficult for most persons to discern is that all mainstream churches are worthless shams. If it has a building and a sign out front, it's a phony.

Impressive! That's the most expansive use of the No True Christian fallacy I've ever heard. It covers pretty much everyone in history. Well done!

Lowell33:

Impressive! That's the most expansive use of the No True Christian fallacy I've ever heard. It covers pretty much everyone in history. Well done!

It was very impressive! It should help to stop truth decay.

Stop-truth-decay:

test. Consider Islam, where your salvation is based on performance. How good is good enough? Maybe you're a better person than me, so you get in because you told 3 fewer lies in your lifetime? Or because you (a rich Arab) went on a pilgrimage to Mecca but I couldn't because I am a poor Indonesian? Or Buddhism where your sins from a previous life carry over into this one, even though you aren't aware of them? And you call Christianity hateful? Think about it. But you are RIGHT that ignorance (or knowingly distorting facts) doesn't disqualify anyone as a poster.

Islam and Buddhism though are minority religions in the west and so western liberals don't really take them all that seriously, at least not enough to get upset over their teachings. Somebody in another thread was crying over how evil Christians are for not thinking that Muslims go to heaven, and yet it didn't occur to them that Muslims believe the very same thing.

You failed your own religous literacy test. There is really no such thing as "Orthodox Christianity" unless your speaking of orthodoxy (as in strict adherence to settled doctrine) within a particular Christian sect such as the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Presbyterian Church, Anglican Church, Lutheran Church, etc. The theologies of various churches under the broad umbrella of Christianity are quite diverse, such as in the means a believer can achieve salvation. In churches descending from Calvinism, for example, there is nothing a follower can do to engineer his own salvation -- he is either among God's elect or he is not.

Lowell33:

Impressive! That's the most expansive use of the No True Christian fallacy I've ever heard. It covers pretty much everyone in history. Well done!

I agree, that was impressive. Usually I have to shoot down multiple rebuttal posts before they've ruled out anyone except Jesus as a true Christian.