I never understood why the evangelicals thought the Anti-Christ would be among us unbelievers. We’re already damned according to their beliefs, so why would the Anti-Christ focus on us?
Untrue, unless you’re saying that people like Dr. King aren’t real Christians and only the fascists can claim Jesus…
If Jesus showed up today he’d get turned away at the border, shot by the police, and/or thrown in Gitmo.
A lot of self-proclaimed Christians don’t want Biblical Jesus or even Buddy Christ:
They want the equivalent of Gandhi II from UHF.
I’m dismayed at how much of current time terribleness comes back to be Nazi stuff in shiny new clothes.
I am Christian because my value system originates from my Irish grandmother and Mr. Rogers, who I watched at my grandmother’s house as a child.
All Christians necessarily cherrypick Christ’s teachings for many reasons: contradictions between the Gospels, statements that not readily understandable…
But, when people discard the “love one another” directive, I agree that is the cause of many of our societal and spiritual crises.
My preferred Jesus has become Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple Jesus
A lot of people ask WWJD when faced with a tough decision. But Jesus lived a long time ago. Asking WWMRD is something that I think we could answer with a lot more confidence (many people today have watched his TV series.) IMO his teachings are a lot more era-appropriate and I think Biblical Jesus would generally approve of his messages.
Or perhaps “Would Mr. Rogers do this to or for his neighbors?” is a better version of the question.
A local politician was going door to door in my neighborhood. His pamphlet pretty much included all of the Republican positions. One thing that was displayed prominently was that he is a Christian. When I responded with “Jesus Christian or MAGA Christian? They have absolutely nothing in common.” he took some offense.
The proper answer to “WWJD” is “A miracle, but I can’t do any so I have use my own judgement”.
Well not all of his actions were miracles, though. Throwing the money changers out of the temple was just plain old direct action. So was his choice of companions, the outcasts of society. His words, such as the Temple on the Mount was also not a miracle. Some of the best stuff he is said to have done has nothing to do with the miraculous, and is the place where people can most effectively follow his lead.
I always figured the Bible made it clear that the Anti- Christ would pretend to be one of them
I’m not sure I’d fully throw in with Nietzsche’s position that the last Christian died on the cross; but at a bare minimum it seems like reaching this point is part of the normal sectarian lifecycle; with new sects arising as would-be reformers are released like puffs of spores looking to reclaim the original church.
This Christian clergyman created the problem about which he is now complaining.
I will dance in the streets when the churches are gone. This religion has critically damaged our democracy and it doesn’t even pay taxes, all the while raking in bajillions in PROFIT.
That’s a good point. The kind of things that Martin Luther was protesting against were at least - if not more - morally bankrupt than what we see from evangelicalism.
I’d say it’s as morally bankrupt, actually. They are doing no better than the Catholic church in covering up rampant abuse, economic crimes, and they’re advocating for a white supremacist state, so forms of ethnic cleansing and probably genocide.