dwp666

I've read a very a interesting article on the violence that has marked the history of Christianity. It's a wide ranging article but the part I quote below was from a section about violence that erupted in the wake of Christians trying to force particular brands of the religion into (or rather, trying to prevent other brands from creeping into) schools.

I have never heard of this particular incident before, has anybody else? The article provides no references or citations at all and the language used is very much slanted against Christians. I presume the article was written by Austin Cline because his picture is proudly displayed at the top of the page.

Can anybody attest to the credibility of this story, Mr.Cline and the About web site?


http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQ..._biblewars.htm

"Similar violence occurred well into the late 20th century. In 1974, West Virginia residents battled over the adoption of new school books. The books up for a vote were denounced as "irreligious", "immoral and indecent" and even as having "the most vulgar, vile and filthy words in print" - although reporters were unable to find what the critics were talking about.

"The books were adopted by a majority of the board, but this sparked an incredible wave of less-than-civil unrest. Religious leaders urged that all "true Christians" keep their children at home rather than send them to school. Mobs surrounded the schools and blocked bus garages. Teachers and parents who didn't join the boycott were threatened.

"Coal miners - about 3,500 - went on strike in sympathy for the good Christian parents, and the mob violence escalated to the point the some people began carrying pistols out of fear of personal safety. Both school buses and regular city buses were stopped completely, leaving some 11,000 poor people without any transportation. Court injunctions against the protestors didn't help, so the superintendent had to close all the schools because he couldn't guarantee the safety of the children from the Christians.

"Reporters of course were attracted to the story in droves, but at their own peril - a cameraman was beaten by a mob of fundamentalists at a rally. Eventually the schools were reopened with increased security, but without the protests stopping. Pro-boycott ministers prayed to God that the board members who dared to vote for the books be killed. After that, a Molotov cocktail was thrown against a grade school. Five shots hit a school bus.

"Another grade school was damaged by a dynamite blast, and a bigger explosion damaged the school district's central office. Eventually, Minister Marvin Horan was indicted along with three of his followers for the bombings. It is fortunate that they were caught, because they had planned on wiring bombs to the gas tanks of cars of families who drove their children to school during the boycott.

"This is the sort of protection against school violence which American Christianity offers us, I guess. For some reason, it doesn't inspire a sense of safety and peace in me."

Radorth

Well he certainly knows how to string assertions together. Reminds me of an old pastor I listened to once.

Let's see.

We know school violence, suicide, vulgar, violent sexist rap music, abortions of convenience, etc is becoming more popular.

We know the number of Christians is decreasing, according to atheists.

I think I get it now.

Rad

winstonjen

Um, Radorth, correlation does not equal causation. In Australia, where there is a lower proportion of Xians than the US, we have fewer murders, fewer suicides and fewer rapes per 1000 people.

Radorth

It depends entirely on how you count Christians.

We have real Christians in my church. The divorce rate and unwed pregnancy rate are negligible according to the head of counseling, a friend of mine. We did have a youth pastor who admitted sleeping with his girlfriend and resigned. We don't hold protests about school books. We just send our kids to Christian school or start our own if we need one closer. We don't try to shut down abortion clinics and porn shops except by prayer for revival. The HS kids sell donuts so they can pay their way to Mexico to help build houses. My daughter was suspended from school three days for writing a cuss word. If she hit somebody, (as she did when first adopted by us) she would be suspended forever.

There is no possible way to define or recognize a Christian except by behavior, and violence is a sure indicator they are not. Unllike Muhammed, Jesus never broke a "bruised reed," and neither did his apostles. Me, I finally quit stepping on Junebugs, and am teaching my dog to leave them alone as well. I still kill spiders and ants, but hey...

Rad

Yellum Notnef

LOL! Thats what you all say.

I don`t even kill the spiders and ants. You`ve got a long way to go and it`s no wonder you need Jesus as much as you do.

BTW,
Was that post in the other thread meeting for a beer and not being much fun meant for me? I wasn`t sure if it was for me or not since you started it with a quote that wasn`t mine. Let me know if it was and I`ll go reply to it.

Old Man

Don't forget that one of Jesus disciples' was a Zealot, who was dedicated to the overthrow of the Roman occupation by force.

And where does "unwanted pregnancy rate" feature as a mark of a Christian in the bible? What about Mary's unwanted pregnancy? She wasn't even married.

The bible says that they should have got married. Why didn't they choose that option instead? In fact the whole concept of "girl friends" and "boy friends" is unbiblical. The very fact that you allow "girl friends" and "boy friends" in your church, without requiring them to get engaged or bethrothed, smacks of a whole church out of touch with biblical morals.

Your standards of adjudication seems to be that unless you are a pacifist, you cannot be a Christian. Sad. Christians are permitted to indulge in acts of violance provided it is (a) In self-defence, or (b) Against people whom the bible condemns under the Levitical law. However, as always, the beneficiality of the act of violence needs to be carefully considered, even if it is lawful. Frequently, the consequences do not make the effort worthwhile (as Jesus pointed out).

HelenM

That'll teach you to talk about how great your church is, Rad!

Helen

HelenM

Tell Paul that, then

Ephesians 2:8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Helen

Celsus

I presume, then, Jesus' cleansing of the temple involved mops and detergent? Oh and that Peter, cutting off someone's ear at the tip of a hat. Terrible.

Joel

Slavik91

According to your logic, they're not true atheists.