the changing of communion wafers into divine fleshWhile (arguably) only Catholics profess transubstantiation, it's not the case that it's "just Catholics" who profess "the changing of communion wafers into divine flesh". Certainly the Orthodox also believe this and so do many liturgical Protestants (e.g. some Anglicans).
That's just Catholics (transubstantiation), not all Christians.
admitted atheist doesn't have much change of getting political office the United States.that seems to be true.
I go to civil rights ralliesposted by orthogonality at 12:42 PM on March 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I read New Republic and Nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I'm almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like Korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
belief that one's religion prohibits abortion or stem-cell research does not doctrinally imply any of those other positions. It does imply that the creed the person adheres to is conservative, illiberal and right-wingSince I figured you meant the latter rather than the former, I wrote "I think this is badly phrased"
30% of Americans self-identify as Evangelicals1Atheists as well as anyone who did not identify with any one particular church
25% of Americans self-identify as Catholic
17% of Americans self identify as having no religious affiliation1
14% of Americans self-identify as Mainline Protestant
8% of Americans self-identify as Black Protestant
3% of Americans self-identify as Other Faiths2
2% of Americans self-identify as Jewish
2% of Americans self-identify as Mormon
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.posted by orthogonality at 8:27 PM on March 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
[....]
I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom. I have just received a letter from a white brother in Texas. He writes: "All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry. It has taken Christianity almost two thousand years to accomplish what it has. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth." Such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.
So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Par from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent and often even vocal sanction of things as they are.Some Christian preacher said that.
But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.
Perhaps I have once again been too optimistic. Is organized religion too inextricably bound to the status quo to save our nation and the world? Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church, the church within the church, as the true ecclesia and the hope of the world. But again I am thankful to God that some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom, They have left their secure congregations and walked the streets of Albany, Georgia, with us. They have gone down the highways of the South on tortuous rides for freedom. Yes, they have gone to jail with us. Some have been dismissed from their churches, have lost the support of their bishops and fellow ministers. But they have acted in the faith that right defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. Their witness has been the spiritual salt that has preserved the true meaning of the gospel in these troubled times. They have carved a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment.
I hope the church as a whole will meet the challenge of this decisive hour. But even if the church does not come to the aid of justice, I have no despair about the future. I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham, and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom.
The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals1 are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.Now, that is clearly discrimination against LGBT people, but it's not a prohibition on them serving as ministers unless a monastery requiring that its monks not be married is an explicit prohibition on heterosexual people joining, which it's not.
Yeah, good luck with that around here.
posted by dersins at 9:56 AM on March 29, 2011 [11 favorites]