Serial Preacher
This is why we at Holier Than Thou find the Religious Right so hard to take seriously.
He’s a born-again Christian who is at the heart of a growing religious movement. Christians around the world write letters to him, pray for him, send him money and have even named their children after him. He works as a pastor, produces Christian videotapes and journals, gives interviews to Christian radio shows, and has appeared on Pat Robertson’s “700 Club.”
Oh, and did we mention, he’s also a serial killer?
So, just who is this serial killer who has found religion in prison and turned into the darling of the Religious Right?
A. “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez
B. Charles Mason of “Helter Skelter” fame
C. “BTK” killer Dennis Rader
D. “Hillside Strangler” Angelo Buono
E. “Son of Sam” David Berkowitz
ANSWER
E: None other than the Son of Sam, David Berkowitz, who is also featured in a CD sold by none other than James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.
Since finding religion in prison, David now knows — and his followers agree — that he’s been granted a place in God’s kingdom, despite those six people he brutally murdered in New York in the 1970s.
“I’m heaven-bound and shouting victory!” he tells his Christian audiences.
Need we say more?
posted by G @ 8:26 AM
14 comments
14 Comments:
I find it interesting that you guys choose to focus on the sins of others and not your own. This is not only a waste of time but a wasted opportunity. But I don't think I can convince you to change your minds since you seem so determined.
By the way, did you even notice that church is actually FOR evil people as well as good people? If Christ came to call sinners then these evil people are in the right place. Christianity welcomes all evil men to come and listen to the Word. Let all thieves learn how to be generous. Let all killers learn how to be merciful. Let all liars learn how to tell the truth. Let all doubters learn how to have faith.
Finally, I do pray for Sam. And when Jesus returns he'll set all kinds of prisoners free! Sam is one of the freest men on earth (because of his faith and his fight against his own sins), you guys just don't know it yet. But you will someday ....
While you're praying a blue streak for a brutal murderer, we hope that you take a moment to remember the family members who's lives were ruined by this man's blood lust.
We have a great deal of trouble swallowing that someone who was capable of killing so many is now a paragon of virtue and compassion simply because he says he's a Christian.
And as for the website, it's not a waste of time that when this country is increasingly being influenced by a radical, intolerant form of Christianity, that we point out when these people who profess to be righteous are far from it. There's no sin to reveal the truth.
Well, that was a long time ago. Maybe he just isn't delusional anymore; you know...... hearing voices. But then, doesn't Mr. Robertson hear voices? Sigh.
Thanks for reminding me about the families that have gone through enormous pain. I mean it, I will keep them in my prayers as well.
Sam will live and die in prison. My whole point being that he is freer then you think because of his religion. Is it surprising that the whores and the tax collectors will enter the kingdom of God before the religious leaders do?
And yes, what is going on with the Evangelicals in Washington is nothing more than a horror story. These people, although I don't watch their television programs, are Armageddonists, aren't they? And they have the ear of the President? And they want to impose their beliefs and moral values on all America? I am a Christian and I believe Christians should speak up against this kind of behavior.
Aren't these the same people who discourage peace between the Jews and the Palestinians? If massive amounts of killings and bomb-droppings on children persisted and never came to an end, these people would be happy. Jesus would be at the door getting ready to make his entrance! Hey, I await Jesus as well, but, I am commanded to say, "Peace to the Israel of God," when I pray.
I don't watch the 700 Club. I don't watch religious programming at all. Well, I might borrow a relgious video from the library dealing with say How The Most Popular Hymns Were Written, or The Life and Message of Paul, or whatever. But what is this desire to see Chavez dead? Jesus did not say slay your enemies he said pray for your enemies.
Has Bush ever prayed for Osama Bin Laden? I don't think so. He's too busy trying to find out where he is so he can give the order to drop a ten ton bomb on his head.
I'm no prophet, that is I don't speak in tongues and claim to have the ability to predict the future, but, using scripture alone I can deduce what is going to happen not from a future-historical perspective but from a future-moral perspective.
"Woe to the man who trusts in man." Their trust in Bush will fail, and teaching kids to worship near cutouts of Bush will come back to bite them on the butt. "My kingdom is not of this world." Their attempt to take America back for God will fail and they will be sent fleeing from Washington with their tails between their legs. "You will be hated by all nations on account of my name." Unfortunately, their actions will affect everyone's opinions of Christians in general, so their foolishness affects my very own life and existence.
Thank God I believe in Christ and not the Evangelicals. There seem to be prison cells waiting for all us Christians, ladies and gentlemen, and the swords are being raised around the world getting ready to take off our heads.
Be careful what you want, you just might get it. Thank you, Evangelicals.
Why did you forget the persecution was to come before the second coming? Why? I think I know why. Because they're hoping for The Rapture. They can start the war and then get away before the war gets them. There's a horrendous video game called Eternal Forces that will explain this to all people.
Guess what? I'm counting on the cross to save me from my sins, not the Rapture to save me from my enemies. If this Rapture does not happen in time, you will see a lot of Christians leaving their faith.
They think they know when they'll be rescued and they can cause trouble before they depart.
I believe in the Rapture too, but, I don't know when it's going to take place, and will not cause all kinds of trouble in this world -- commit all kinds of sins, hoping for an easy escape.
I'll see you guys in prison. We have a lot to talk about, but very little time in which to say it.
Certainly a thought-provoking perspective. We're so accustomed to hearing the Evangelical side of things — and hearing them endorse bloodshed, intolerance, the war and of course, Bush — that it was good to hear another side. Good luck!
Please, forgive me for taking up your time with this stuff, but, I've got more to say. All lot of it involves Bible references so bear with me. These are the specific texts involved in determining what is of God and what is not. This is controversial but people ought to know what is going on.
I do not see the Evangelical Movement's Christianization of America as a good thing. Christ did not command us Christians to rule governments, he said we would be the prisoners of governments.
Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
John 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them.
Revelation 20:4 - And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
I don't know where they get this "take America back for God" philosophy. It is not done in the spirit of Christ, which is the spirit of prophecy. I am so afraid that if the Evangelicals succeed in their quest to rule America, that they will be the ones that are chopping off Christians' heads. Do they not seek to rule the government and the police and the way people are educated and the courts, and everything else? You must understand that many Fundamentalists believe that the anti-Christ will actually be a Christian who has turned away from God: some Fundies have written books that say it will be JFK, yes some of them think he's still alive somehow. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. If these people obtain power we'll see more persecution against sinners and unbelievers than the world has ever seen in previous history. What will make them angry enough to attack all mankind even though they now say they are doing it to us in love? The Rapture will most likely not occur when they hope it will and this will really piss them off.
2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 2:1 - But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
These Evangelicals are raising up politics to a higher level than the gospel message. They should not be our country's leaders since they are false teachers and false prophets (Deut.18:22). If they come into power you will see a horrendous evil spread across our land.
Why the Evangelicals have as much blood on their hands as Bush does:
2 John 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
So, we come to the Armageddonist/Rapturist hope that we are living in now ... this is going to sound really crazy so bear with me ... this is no joke ...
So, you see, it really isn't nice of the Evangelicals to start Armageddon then leave while the rest of the world suffers.
Leaving so soon? Very impolite of them! But the party just got started!
Take this text for example:
Rev. 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
... For some reason they think THIS is the time of the church of Philadelphia, which the Lord is going to rescue from a time of great hardship to come. The only hardship I see going on is the hardship they are creating themselves.
Then we have this: THE METAPHOR OF ENOCH:
Genesis 5:23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. 25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. 26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. 28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
Enoch came before Noah, therefore Enoch is a metaphor for the Rapture before the Tribulation (the flood is a metaphor for total world annihilation).
If you guys think I'm making this up, think again. The Evangelicals think that the time of Enoch/Philadelphia is upon the world. This has to be some of the most insane stuff I've ever heard come from us Christians. Ever.
Granted, I'd love for the Rapture to happen, but the Evangelicals think THEY KNOW MORE OR LESS EXACTLY WHEN IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN!!!
I am not making this stuff up. In their minds, Jesus will make a partial return, then the Big Christian Persecution/Seven-Year Long Tribulation will happen, and when that's over then Jesus will make a full return -- which means he returns with the Evangelicals (which he rescued from earth previously) to rule the world.
Phew! There, it's said!
Well ...
I don't know about you guys but all this has me a little worried. If Jesus says "many will leave the faith" there's got to be a reason the faithful dump Christianity and go their own way.
All I've tried to do here is show that there is another side to Christianity besides the madness that is now on display in Washington. Honestly, we're just trying to get by, and survive, and stay sane, just like anybody else.
Many of us don't speak up because we are unaware of what the Evangelicals are up to, to tell you truthfully. Many Christians don't know what the diabolical plans are that have been set in motion. They will be just as surprised as the rest of the world.
And I'm trying to get some Christians out there to see that you can still believe in Christ even though the Evangelicals are ruining everything Jesus stands for.
The hour of madness seems to be upon us. Look to the cross of Christ, Christians. As for the world's opinion of us, well, at least some of us tried to let them know we're not all evil bastards.
I think I've written enough on this subject. For now anyway.
God have mercy on our souls.
There's a post I wrote for someone else's site which I don't know will ever appear, so I'll try to recall what I wrote (more or less) and post it here, because it belongs here as well. The idea at least (because it will never be exact) ...
Politicians are liars. All of them. In fact they are professional liars. They make a living at being lying manipulators. The Religious Right is now at this moment pointing fingers at anyone else but themselves over the Foley Scandal. They're blaming the Leftists and the homosexuals, etc, etc, etc. They knew goin in that they would have to lie to obtain the power they want and would have to compromise their moral values. It is impossible to believe this happened any other way. They knew they would have to lie and support liars.
In other words, they have learned to play the political game, which is lying, and playing the blame game if need be. They have learned to be politicians, which therefore makes them liars. Period.
Lying is a sin. A sin, once committed becomes a lifelong struggle. "He who commits a sin is a slave to sin." This means a liar will not stop lying. He will lie even when he does not need to. He cannot help himself because it is a sin. Sin is something that attacks the human soul and corrupts it and defiles it.
This makes the Evangelicals worthless to anyone who is a Christian.
And ...
"All liars shall have their place in the lake of fire that burns with brimstone."
Any Evangelical is more than happy to tell you this horrible fact about hell. They use hellfire and brimstone sermons all the time.
So, in conclusion. All politicians are liars, equals all politicians are going to hell, equals all political Evangelicals are going to hell.
These are all very simple spiritual facts to remember.
The Evangelicals simply forgot about them.
You'll find a new weapon in the arsenal of the War of Armageddon the Evangelicals have let loose upon the earth. Get this ...
Spraying the bubbles from sparkling wine across the enormous gray bow of the USS George H.W. Bush, the Bush family on Saturday christened the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier named after the 82-year-old former president.
"I know you join me in saying to our father, President Bush, your ship has come in," the current president said during a ceremony for the last of the Nimitz-class carriers, the CVN 77.
"She is unrelenting, she is unyielding, she is unstoppable," Bush said, --
-- Wait! What was that word? Unstoppable? Didn't they say something similar about the Titanic? Didn't some wise woman of that day say she changed her mind about boarding the Titanic because she believed the statement "She is unsinkable" was something like mocking God to his face?
Be sure that God heard this line, "She is unstoppable." God knows exactly where and how she will sink.
Get off that carrier, people! That carrier is doomed! Make plenty of bones about it! You don't have to be a prophet to know "She's gonna sink!"
You see, Bush, you have to add the phrase, "God willing," to whatever grand statements you make, or ... it just isn't going to work out.
Romans 13:10 - Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
1 Corinthians {13:1}If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.{13:2}If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing.{13:3}If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing.{13:4}Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud,{13:5}doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;{13:6}doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;{13:7}bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.{13:8}Love never fails ...
From George Grant, a leading dominionist writer in The Changing of the Guard, Biblical Principles for Political Action:
Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ -- to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other aspect of life and godliness.
But it is dominion we are after. Not just a voice.
It is dominion we are after. Not just influence.
It is dominion we are after. Not just equal time.
It is dominion we are after.
World conquest. That's what Christ has commissioned us to accomplish. We must win the world with the power of the Gospel. And we must never settle for anything less... Thus, Christian politics has as its primary intent the conquest of the land -- of men, families, institutions, bureaucracies, courts, and governments for the Kingdom of Christ. (pp. 50-51)
(The above quote comes from Dominion Theology: Blessing or Curse by Thomas Ice, published in 1988 by H. Wayne House and Thomas Ice. pp. 412)
THIS DOES NOT SOUND LIKE LOVE !!! POOR EVANGELICALS, THE MORE I FIND OUT ABOUT THEM THE MORE PATHETIC THEY SOUND !!! YOU CANNOT SHOW LOVE TO YOUR NEIGHBOR BY STEALING THE ROOF OVER HIS HEAD, TAKING HIS BOOKS FROM HIS HOME AND REPLACING THEM WITH WHAT YOU WANT HIM TO READ, TELLING HIM HOW TO DRESS, WHAT TO THINK, HOW TO SPEAK, WHO HE SHOULD VOTE FOR, WHO HE SHOULD MARRY, AND WHO HE SHOULD KILL.
Revelation 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
WE ARE COMMISSIONED BY CHRIST TO LIVE AND LET LIVE. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE WORD "LET" MEANS? AS IN "LET THEM DO AS THEY PLEASE AND DO NOT ATTEMPT TO STOP THEM".
YOU EVANGELICALS ARE SPREADING A LIE THAT THE GOSPEL MESSAGE COMMANDS US CHRISTIANS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. HA! YOU WILL FIND YOURSELVES LOCKED OUT OF THE KINGDOM, ALONG WITH ALL THE WHOREMONGERS AND IDOLATORS, ETC, BECAUSE YOU MADE AND LOVED WHAT IS NOTHING MORE THAN A LIE !!!
You poor people, you were so busy looking for the devil out there in the world that you forgot about the evil in your own hearts.
1.
Yeah, Christian Nation, that’s a good one, eh? I’m a Christian and was with the Fundamentalists years ago, and I remember their patriotic songs,
“I believe in America, I believe in the red, white, and blue!”
Or something like that. I always felt uncomfortable about worshipping this country as if it represented heaven and all its values were supposed to be embodied in it. I could not trust in a country that dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I could not trust a country that assassinated its own people, like JFK and Martin Luther.
I can’t trust in Jerry Falwell if he takes tons of money from Reverend Moon, who was hated during the time I was with the Fundies, because he was seen as a false Messiah. Christ commands us not to meet with such men.
Jesus talks about a “falling away” a great apostasy, and the fact that the devil would try to deceive the elect (if that were possible). If things go according to the ancient prophecies there will arise a man who can work magic and perform wonders. So this guy is supposed to be able to make fire come down from the sky and other things only Hollywood was capable of doing with their myriad of computers. I don’t care about the lying wonders he will do in this world, what I am concerned with is where he will come from. Will he arise from the Evangelicals? I mean, most Evangelicals will tell you the antiChrist is a fallen Christian. If this is so, what the hell are they doing going into politics?
Others say it is not a political figure, and that all he will need to convince the world to follow him are the signs and wonders he is capable of performing. I don’t know who he is but I’ll tell you one thing, the world at this point is ripe for his appearance.
Jerry Falwell has called the antiChrist a Jew, as if a man like him would know anything about how to interpret Bible prophecy. Here is a man who befriended a Christ-wannabe and has therefore made himself unclean.
“Where the corpse is the vultures will gather.” Death and decay has come to Christendom in the form of the Evangelicals. Corpses and vultures seek to rule our nation. These are people who will spend eternity in the deepest darkness along with all the unholy angels that turned away from God and are too evil to let loose on the earth.
Tim LaHaye will find himself still on earth by the time the Temple in Jerusalem is built and the Christians are getting their heads chopped off and Armageddom will be in full swing, and he’ll stand there wondering why the Rapture did not occur. And the forces of evil will be coming for him. He will flee from a lion only to run into a bear.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 - For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
2 Peter 3:4 - And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Many will be disappointed because the Evangelical Prophecies are not coming true …
Luke 12:45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
Why would any man trust a Christian anyway, when Christ himself admitted …
Luke 16:8 - And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
Jesus himself admitted that unbelievers are smarter than the believers. Look at Jerry Falwell, he is proof of this!
You don’t want the Christians who are admittedly inferior ruling this country, they will drive it into the ground and there will be no one to save it. It will be a sinking ship.
It is true that Christ will come and he will set up his kingdom, but that time is not now, not yet, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.
I will look to the cross of Christ, I will not look to the Christian flag; soon I think that flag will be sprayed with the blood of the Christian Saints.
2.
The Religious Right is too busy lookig for The Great Apostasy to see that THEY ARE THE GREAT APOSTASY !!! My prayer is that some of them will escape the lies and the abuse of power their leaders are generating.
Let’s face it, brothers and sisters, the true Christians will meet in the prisons, for those who have gone over to the devil himself will put them there. Any Christian Sect that seeks to own the courts and the police and change the laws of our Nation for their own twisted reasons, is the Sect we should be worrying about.
Christ said,
Matthew 24:9 - Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
Don’t you have ears to hear? Afflicted, afflicted, afflicted, afflicted … How many times do I have to say it? Afflicted … tortured … afflicted … tortured…
Killed … murdered … Killed … murdered …
Bush … Evangelicals … Bush … Evangelicals …
Bye bye, Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry, and good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye, singing, This will be the day that I die …
Now, I don’t like all the lyrics that are in that song, it is very irreverent and sacreligious, but, there’s a mood and a sentiment it expresses about things coming to an end that just lingers in the mind and settles on the heart. Anyway, let’s get back to the subject at hand …
I’ve written elsewhere that I always thought The Great Christian Persecution would occur as a result of the Christians trying to do something good, like end world hunger. Little did I know it would be due to our own sins.
Furthermore, many of the leaders that are trying to grab political power in our Nation, many of them have made prophecies that did not come true, as to the Rapture and the coming of Christ and other things. Read Deut.18:22 and you shall see that a true prophet of God ALWAYS gets it right because he is not speaking from his own heart, he is saying what he was told to say, in essence repeating what was told to him. You’ll find many of the Religious Right are prophets not sent by God and they are not to be feared. They are false prophets, and they will follow false prophets. They will only listen to liars they agree with.
March 20, 2003 John Hagee told Benny Hinn on the air that the rapture would occur within the next six months. Hinn questioned him about it being that close, and Hagee replied, “It’s that close.”
Anyone who give mankind a prophecy and fails is a reject and not to be trusted. You’ll most likely find many of these types hiding in the circles of the Religious Right. We cannot have false prophets ruling our country!
There are way too many false prophets in this world, too many! Please, be careful! The Christian Evangelicals are not here to help us! They are here to put their hands in our pockets and their knives on our backs!
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF BETRAYAL IN JESUS' NAME:
The Fundamentals? Ha! I was a Fundie for three years and I'll tell you how their belief system works and fails ...
They attract you with words of love and peace and whatnot, and use the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a front. Let me explain. They have a prayer I like to call The Eternal Prayer which is based on verses taken from the New Testament (one such prayer is called The Roman's Road to Salvation), they'll have you believe that if you pray this kind of prayer you will be saved. In their eyes being saved means to be saved forever, sealed with the holy ghost.
But as you progress as a convert you will soon see that the prayer for salvation is overshadowed by a more sinister element I call The Other Fundamentals. These beliefs are a test of your loyalty to the organization: Virgin Birth, The Trinity, and many other doctrines that overshadow the death, burial, and resurrection.
You see, they tell you God will accept you as you are, and they sing the Just As I Am song to get you to come forward, but, you will soon learn that was just to suck you in. Now they want to chew on you like a good piece of meat.
They'll ask you to change your habits, your way of thinking, and add a lot of other beliefs to see if you are willing and able to remain part of the flock.
Now, you HAVE to believe in the Virgin Birth, and you HAVE to believe Jesus is God, and many other things. They are chewing on you good now, remember, and if you don't taste well they'll spit you out!
Yes, if you don't believe the other Fundamentals you are an outcast, a reject, not fit to be one of them. They will turn their backs on you, tell you not to visit the church anymore, and leave you outside in the soaking rain to catch cold and die.
You cannot be a part of the Fundamentalist Movement if you do not agree with everything they say about the Bible. Each Fundamentalist Church may differ on certain beliefs, but, you are considered a waste of time if you disagree with them on what they consider to be major issues.
Where is the love? What happened to the cross of Christ, and the burial, and the resurrection? They will make you doubt your salvation, in fact even tell you the devil might be pulling your strings and making you say things he wants you to say and think.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ no longer means anything, they have trashed it to make you feel terrible.
So, you leave the Church, or they ask you to leave, and they'll give you no direction as to what to do or where to go. They'd never tell you that you could try a different denomination that might suit your personality better, no way! So, whatever became of The Eternal Prayer, The Roman's Road?
You're left standing there, and the door is shut in your face, and you don't even know if you are saved or not.
The Old Rugged Cross ... it's ... gone ... fading away in the distance ... because they found out you were gay, or you could not believe in some doctrine they felt was important. Could it be they found out you had AIDS because of a dirty needle or some doctor's carelessness? Could it be you didn't want to participate in some church activity you found was a humiliation and you decided to keep your dignity? Maybe you heard some minister say the stupidest thing you've ever heard in your life and you openly disagreed?
Whatever the case, all you have now is nothing, and nowhere to go to seek the spiritual healing you need!
I hope some people out there read this little post and decide to stay away from the Fundies, and go to a church that preaches the Gospel as the most important aspect of Christianity, and leaves the rest to you and God.
"If I have not love, I am nothing." The Apostle Paul - A Murderer of Christians.
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