tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post5218026808422798511..comments2024-01-02T18:05:23.666-06:00Comments on Streak's Blog: Moral authorityStreakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01443433745929880701noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post-74803819937548588392012-01-31T07:07:50.365-06:002012-01-31T07:07:50.365-06:00Love the Spencer essay. I think he is dead on. T...Love the Spencer essay. I think he is dead on. The reality is that many people (myself included) compartmentalize their belief systems, especially if there are inconsistencies. This allows them to be both A and B, even if there is some level of conflict. <br /><br />This certainly happens outside of religion. Take torture, for instance. Among many on the left, there was justified outrage at waterboarding and similar practices that were being illegally used by the government in the GWOT. While we have received reassurances that we are no longer doing this, we are still engaging in torture by proxy, through rendition, and we are certainly still holding people without charges, ignoring due process, and engaging in some of the more ignominious acts of the previous administration. <br /><br />At this point, very little is being said and there is certainly not any outrage that I can hear. I doubt that one should conclude that former critics are now ok with these practices, but rather that the political choices are very limited.steveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08862590608695420004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post-2635095974423206312012-01-30T09:17:30.405-06:002012-01-30T09:17:30.405-06:00First, I am bookmarking that guy's blog. I lo...First, I am bookmarking that guy's blog. I love his perspective (though, to be as honest as reading his posts require someone to be, I'd have to admit that that's because I agree with him!).<br /><br />On to your post:<br /><br />I appreciate how you've taken Greg's post and added your bit about the "60%;" that if a large number of a particular sect find it in themselves to believe something as broken as 'torture is OK' then it is the system itself that is flawed. Greg illustrates that same point quite well when he lists a number of very positive actions and then says "...I don't believe in God. Am I still a Christian?" Clearly, the operative is the belief in God. Someone can then be and do <i>none</i> of those positive traits, but so long as they believe in the agreed-upon authority, it is OK. <br /><br />Man, that's backwards.<br /><br />I really like this post, and I'm glad for your thoughts as I am glad for your link to the excellent article.<br /><br />This feeds into a secondary theme I see in your post: liberal versus conservative. This, under the context of "am I still a Christian," is directly related to the agreed-upon authority. But the agreed-upon authority is no longer any recognizable version of God or Jesus. It's politics. Politics - conservative politics, mainly - is God. If I don't believe in torture, tax cuts for the rich, or that global warming is a hoax, I am branded a liberal and disallowed from one (or more...) particular sect of Christianity. <br /><br />And what the Hell is so bad about being a liberal anyway?? Under Greg's explanation of moral authority and from whence it is derived, what does it say about the inner workings our my or your brain versus the inner working of, say, Limbaugh's?<br /><br />And given the truth behind evolution, why is it that the pro-evolution-and-species-survival behavior (feed each other, clothe each other, share, protect the air so's we can breathe...) seems to be <i>losing</i> to anti-species-survival behavior???<br /><br />Probably because survivalist behavior requires one to step away from themselves. Selfish behavior is an easy place for moral authority because I merely have to listen to my <i>own</i> biases. Greg says as much: <i>My personal preference becomes the moral authority.</i><br /><br />Blah blah blah, ramble ramble, but this is <i>fun</i>, dude! Good stuff.Noahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14345059376742159966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post-60624115706975384432012-01-29T09:13:41.399-06:002012-01-29T09:13:41.399-06:00I am not sure if I have mentioned the excellent es...I am not sure if I have mentioned the excellent essay by Michael Spencer (may he rest in peace) titled "I'm Not A Conservative Christian (Dare I say it? I don't need Rush, Sean or O'Reilly to tell me what's important.)"<br /><br />Google it, great reading. But this is the core paragraph, that I think, speaks to your issue:<br /> <i>How many conservative Christians are listening to multiple hours of Rush Limbaugh every week? I wonder how many include a couple of hours of Fox News Channel's conservatives, Hannity and O'Reilly, on that menu. I wonder how many regularly listen to Marlin Maddux's "Point of View" program, or Pat Robertson's "700 Club." How many surf Newsmax.com, Conservative News Network or WorldNet Daily.com, the tabloids of conservative web journalism? If we were to take the total hours devoted to these--and many, many other--conservative information and opinion outlets, how would it compare to the amount of time spent under the teaching of scripture? How would it compare to time spent in acquiring a Biblical vision of God? <b>Does the total amount of time spent by that same random evangelical in "the renewing of the mind" with the Word of God come even close to the amount of time spent seeing the world through the eyes of conservative pundits and journalists?</b></i><br /><br />Over and over I find conservative Christians defending their positions from everything BUT Scripture. An oddity if there ever was one. I think they have been seduced by something other than the Holy Spirit into watching and listening to someone other than God via His Word.Monk-in-Traininghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07373661525025912462noreply@blogger.com