Just the nose of the camel under the tent.

http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/152133/rampant_denial_about_the_threat_posed_by_christian_dominionists%2C_perry_and_bachmann/

Good piece there. This was linked within it and provides further elaboration:

http://www.alternet.org/story/152034/meet_the_christian_dominionist_%27prayer_warriors%27_who_have_chosen_rick_perry_as_their_vehicle_to_ power/?page=1


It's easy to dismiss the movement as demon chasing nutjobs but their numbers and influence would caution against that. And contrary to someone like MSFowler who shys away from eschatology, these dominionists are motivated by a very specific eschatology quite different than that of traditional fundamentalists. They're post-millentialists and not pre-millenialists. This seems like a minor biblical point but it implies that Jesus will not return to earth until Christians come to dominate the world. Most 1950's and 60's fundamentalists were pre-millenialists who were going to escape the world and its destruction via the rapture when Jesus returns and the world would be left to go to hell. This change in eschatology signals a change in political position and power of fundamentalist christianity in the USA.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

The article and kerry's response deals with less than 1% (probably closer to 0.3%) of those who self-identify as Christians. That's in the realm of 3 sigma, comparable to dealing with people with an IQ of 145 to 155. How many of those do you encounter in your day? Do you develop your behavior based upon what is required to deal with people with an IQ of 145 to 155? Of course not.

The eschatological oprions are typically:
1. pre-millenial
2. amillenial
3. post-millenial

not 2 as listed above. Further the characterization of how folks were in 1950's in this area are fine but it is more informative to see how the body of Christians have looked at this throughout time.

Finally, I suspect the vast majority of Christians are not preoccupied with eschatology at all.

This ongoing 'drum-beat' of fear that you'll try to raise about the impending dire actions of Christians is silly.

The values and actions promoted by secular humanists (a competing belief-system to Christianity) is (IMO) much more threatening to a continuation of Western Civilization than a few wacko's trying to out-do Moses and the works of Deuteronomy.

The percentage of christers that believe this crap is not important, it is the percentage of believers that vote. These nut jobs usually have an inordinately large turn out at the polls. Elections have been turned by less than 2% of the voters, or less. Look at Gore in Fla.

Finally after over 50 years we have gotten rid of the right wing chirstian bias on the school book selection committee in Texas. This is important because as Texas goes on school books so goes most of the rest of the country. The anti-science bias in science text books is one of the things that is causing this country to fall so far behind in science and math.

Remember that science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings.

Finding an amillenial fundamentalist is a tougher job than exorcising demons from secular humanists.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Um not so much. Just this year they were debating the new book standards and the nut jobs won out quite handily as I recall.

TX Board of Ed


TX board of Ed

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- With out god, life is everything.
- God is an ever receding pocket of scientific ignorance that's getting smaller and smaller as time moves on..." Neil DeGrasse Tyson
- You can pray for me, I'll think for you.
- When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.

Well my friend, I am a preterist (probably partial but let's not get carried away).

That makes me akin to amillenialism.

I have some fundamentalist/Pentecostalism to my walk as well.

It's not always easy neatly categorizing folks.

I did enjoy your 'Methinks' earlier.

kip Foss - Finally after over 50 years we have gotten rid of the right wing chirstian bias on the school book selection committee in Texas. This is important because as Texas goes on school books so goes most of the rest of the country. The anti-science bias in science text books is one of the things that is causing this country to fall so far behind in science and math.

Kip, Kip, Kip,

Christians have done many foolish things. They also have done many wonderful things.

I live in Calif which influences textbooks much more than Texas. The reason my students were dumb in science/math/english had nothing to do with with Christian influence on school boards.

Secular humanism, the alternative belief system that is at war with Christianity, started dumbing down our students from about 1965 onward.

See the English text from 1900's for 6th grade.

I failed to call you on that McGuffy reader deal in the other thread but feel I should now. Following your link from this thread, you state that the scanned piece you posted was what a sixth grader in 1900 was "expected to be able to read and comprehend". It clearly isn't. It's SUPPLEMENTARY. Normal sixth graders were not required to read entire Shakespeare plays. Supplementary materials then and now were and are used for advanced students. The link you posted on that page leads to a pdf of the actual 6th grade reader and does NOT include any whole plays, only 3-5 page excerpts, mostly of famous dialogues or monologues from selected plays. The rest of the reading material is written at about a sixth to ninth grade level and with guided instruction then and now would be no problem for a modern junior high student. That it contains old titles by famous writers that nobody reads anymore is not evidence for the decline in modern education. It seems to me to be an argument designed to convince those who are looking for an easy explanation, people who mostly haven't read that stuff either and are easily impressed. "Ooooh, look at all these HARD books!!"
There have been tens of thousands of volumes of more timely literature written since then and those books are avidly read by modern kids.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

The percentage argument is irrelevant even though I think the percentages quoted are likely not accurate. The violent theocratic Muslims are only a small percentage of Muslims but they have wreaked havoc around the globe.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Of course numbers are relevant.

You try to scare people with insignificant arguments while ignoring the larger problems before them.

I'll guarantee you it will not be the 3 or 4 sigma outliers that will be feasting on the corps of society, quite possibly in our lifetime but certainly our children.

These fringe wackos are just that. I'm much more concerned about the almost 50% who don't pay income tax or the 4th generation welfare recipient.

But you want to rally against a movement with 300,000 total members, who knows how many are active, rail away.

Perhaps tbomachine can find witty few-letter profanity laden expression to demonstrate his perspective.

oh, don't confuse him with the facts.

he lives in dream world, where everything was perfect in the good old days, when there was prayer and bible readin' in the schools. and he longs for the next world, where all the righteous folks will be hanging out, singing hosanna and praising god for eternity. (sadly, he does not realize that both the past he imagines, and the future he dreams of, are both fantasies. )

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"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."

Fantasie is according to you.

So tell us, what do you think happens when someone dies?

I havent heard the Atheist description for awhile.(it would seem that all you like to do is critque believers, and never state your belief)

Serious question.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

The trouble with religion is that a priest class wants to make a profit from it.

Boil down Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and many other religions to the basic underlying principle: treat others as you would want to be treated. If we could stop there, what a wonderful world it would be.

The fact that some humans want to impose their slant on the underlying principle does not mean that religion is bad. Where would we be if nobody had a belief in a higher authority?

What atheist would claim the right to kill anyone he wishes dead since there is no afterlife? Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot? Almost all others respect a higher authority, though he may not admit it.

A question for atheists: Why should we behave as civilized humans if there is no afterlife? Why not rob, steal and rape as we see fit as long as we don't get caught?

__________________
1983 300SD "Guderian"
1987 MR2
2015 Camry
2015 Chevy Spark
2006 Hyundai Tucson

Do us all a dis-service,by using up valuable oxygen in pursuit of their "Master's"
[AND I don't mean Yaweh,Christus,Etc.] Worldly "Plans for Conquest". (Spelled Greed)

A Double Pox on Religious Nut Jobs for allowing themselves to be used as the "Tools" of the "Conservatives"
(WHO,will make the RNJ s the "First In The Ovens" when they achieve power.)

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'84 300SD sold
124.128