Only place I've seen God being portrayed as white is in paintings, no scriptures or anything like that.
In South America and even North America, Jesus, God and Mary are portrayed as white through paintings and textbooks and most Biblical art....why? Because it was a way for whites to ensure their own power psychologically, most probably.
Do I care? Not personally....I am half white, so it doesn't hurt me per say. But I am also half hispanic, and it does hurt knowing that so many of my relatives believed that they were the wrong race because God did not belong to them"
Ask the NATIVE AMERICANS what race they think God is from everything they learned in United States culture.......your eyes will be OPENED my freind...OPENED
Boy you sure are one sided about religion. Religion also is what motivated the end of slavery. And most of the other examples you cited are better examples of religious hypocrisy than actual religion.
Actually I am not. I am agnostic and come from a Christian family. Been to Catholic School all my life. My grandfather is Evangelical. I have read the Bible many a time my freind !
Religion is not what helped end slavery. Abraham Lincoln set the blacks in the South free so that the North could win the war. You see my freind, the South was very powerful because of slave labor. Once the slaves were freed, they had to start PAYING for weopons, troops, and food.
It was a victory strategy, religion had little to do with it.
Religion also HELPED slavery in fact. In the Old Testament, slavery was only condemned for "God's Chosen people". For everyone else slavery was okay, the Bible condones it. It tells Slaves to obey their masters and work honestly for them.
Also....In the early ages when Africans were starting to be sold as slaves, European Christians beleive that Africans were sub human. They thought this because they thought evil was "dark". Since blacks have DARK skin, they figured they are FLOODED with sin from head to toe. They justified enslaving them because thier religion said evil was darkness, and blacks were OH SO DARK.....religion helped START slavery for blacks, do dont even try it bro. Take a college history course one day. 😬
Religion itself (at least the post abrahamic variety) has greatly increased the human condition (for the most part, I'm not arguing that people haven't done stupid things in the name of religion). just look at the way things were before it versus after.
Science has done more good than religion though. Psychology revealed the truth of Dissassociative Identity Disorder. Before hand, people with this horrible disease were burnt alive or executed in other ways for being under "demonic possession"
Doesn't matter over all. Religion is still the force and excuse behind the Salem Witch Trials, the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition......
This is by no means excusable.
TODAY religion contradicts itself by violating free will. To try and BAN gay marriage is not only taking away a CIVIL RIGHT that all Americans are entitled to, but impedes on the freedom to make our own choices.
PREACH all you want about the "sinfullness" of being gay, but do not FORCE a gay person into SUBMISSION by taking away thier chance at happiness. YOU and no force in this Universe HAS that right.
Only place I've seen God being portrayed as white is in paintings, no scriptures or anything like that.
In South America and even North America, Jesus, God and Mary are portrayed as white through paintings and textbooks and most Biblical art....why? Because it was a way for whites to ensure their own power psychologically, most probably.
Do I care? Not personally....I am half white, so it doesn't hurt me per say. But I am also half hispanic, and it does hurt knowing that so many of my relatives believed that they were the wrong race because God did not belong to them"
Ask the NATIVE AMERICANS what race they think God is from everything they learned in United States culture.......your eyes will be OPENED my freind...OPENED
Boy you sure are one sided about religion. Religion also is what motivated the end of slavery. And most of the other examples you cited are better examples of religious hypocrisy than actual religion.
Actually I am not. I am agnostic and come from a Christian family. Been to Catholic School all my life. My grandfather is Evangelical. I have read the Bible many a time my freind !
Religion is not what helped end slavery. Abraham Lincoln set the blacks in the South free so that the North could win the war. You see my freind, the South was very powerful because of slave labor. Once the slaves were freed, they had to start PAYING for weopons, troops, and food.
It was a victory strategy, religion had little to do with it.
Religion also HELPED slavery in fact. In the Old Testament, slavery was only condemned for "God's Chosen people". For everyone else slavery was okay, the Bible condones it. It tells Slaves to obey their masters and work honestly for them.
Also....In the early ages when Africans were starting to be sold as slaves, European Christians beleive that Africans were sub human. They thought this because they thought evil was "dark". Since blacks have DARK skin, they figured they are FLOODED with sin from head to toe. They justified enslaving them because thier religion said evil was darkness, and blacks were OH SO DARK.....religion helped START slavery for blacks, do dont even try it bro. Take a college history course one day.
Religion itself (at least the post abrahamic variety) has greatly increased the human condition (for the most part, I'm not arguing that people haven't done stupid things in the name of religion). just look at the way things were before it versus after.
Science has done more good than religion though. Psychology revealed the truth of Dissassociative Identity Disorder. Before hand, people with this horrible disease were burnt alive or executed in other ways for being under "demonic possession"
Doesn't matter over all. Religion is still the force and excuse behind the Salem Witch Trials, the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition......
This is by no means excusable.
TODAY religion contradicts itself by violating free will. To try and BAN gay marriage is not only taking away a CIVIL RIGHT that all Americans are entitled to, but impedes on the freedom to make our own choices.
PREACH all you want about the "sinfullness" of being gay, but do not FORCE a gay person into SUBMISSION by taking away thier chance at happiness. YOU and no force in this Universe HAS that right.
Actually both sides of the slavery question were arguing from the bible. Slavery was in the Bible, but it wasn't the same as what we think of as slavery, You could actually work your way to freedom in it.
And if you think that Lincoln wasn't motivated by religion at least somewhat you haven't read his speeches and writings. Read his 2nd inaugural address and tell me that it doesn't sound a tad religious.
docb77....
everyone in power uses religious reasons to back up thier actions..Bush and Cheney pull that crap today.
Religion is an easy way to sway the masses, people will automatically buy into it if they think its in the service of a "higher good"
Especially in this time, when religion was universally publically accepted as Truth, and Atheism wasn't welcome. He HAD to use religion in his argument, otherwise many people would have not cared about the negativity of slavery.
I guess what it really boils down to since both sides of any issue can use religion as an argument, is that the real impact of religion is on the lives of individuals. When religion becomes a state power it can get out of hand, which is why the founders of the US wanted government and religion separate. However, Individual lives can benifit greatly from religion. I've seen lives improve dramatically because a person accepted religion. In fact I've never seen a life go downhill because of faith in God (excepting the financial losses of some televangelist donors.)
How about when gays commit suicide because thier Faith says there is something wrong with them, and they feel they cannot live up to it.
How about the parents who have such a strong Faith that they kick out thier daughters for being pregnant, or deny thier sons for being gay.
How about the person who loses valuable friendships because they want to stay away from "sinners"...
Yes Docb77, religion is great for many people. But for others it does not work. You imagine that if every1 followed the Bible, this world would be better, but that will never happen.
The Bible is not compatible for everyone, nor is your Faith.
If it were, everybody would be converting right now.
Originally posted by Lord Urizen
How about when gays commit suicide because thier Faith says there is something wrong with them, and they feel they cannot live up to it.How about the parents who have such a strong Faith that they kick out thier daughters for being pregnant, or deny thier sons for being gay.
How about the person who loses valuable friendships because they want to stay away from "sinners"...
Yes Docb77, religion is great for many people. But for others it does not work. You imagine that if every1 followed the Bible, this world would be better, but that will never happen.
The Bible is not compatible for everyone, nor is your Faith.
If it were, everybody would be converting right now.
Those are sad examples. And in those cases, I think that God will be more merciful to the sinners than the parents or "friends" at the final judgement.
I do think that religion is great for everyone, but you are right that different people can only accept the truth at different levels. I think that religious truth is a little like math, you start with addition, and over time work your way up to the calculus and such. Giving someone too much at once would definitely overwhelm them.
As far as the bible goes, yes if everyone had a perfect understaning of it and followed it the world would be a great place, but it would be an even better place if people would go to the source (God) directly. I like what Moses said at Mt. Horeb. "Oh that they were all prophets".
No, neither the bible nor my faith tries to conform to fit the world. It's up to the different people to better themselves to the point where it works for them. I think everyone will get a chance at salvation.
Oh, and many are converting to my religion, it's one of the fastest growing religions in the US.
No, neither the bible nor my faith tries to conform to fit the world
Yes it does. If you vote to ban gay marriage you are forcing limits upon people who do not owe you anything. You are therefore violating thier free will, taking away thier civil rights, promoting "seperate but equal" and thereby contradicting yourself.
I beleive many Christians confuse Love with Control.
Fine ...but my point WAS: please answer
If you vote to ban gay marriage you are forcing limits upon people who do not owe you anything. You are therefore violating thier free will, taking away thier civil rights, promoting "seperate but equal" and thereby contradicting yourself.
I beleive many Christians confuse Love with Control.