Jim: Is this part of our problem?

Media Matters highlights a report that demonstrates significant media bias toward presenting conservative Christians over liberal Christians in various forms of media. Could this have something to do with the disconnect between my view of "average Christians" and Matt's?

Jim: Ugliness Not Limited to the 16th century

A Christian student at Liberty University constructed a car bomb to use against protesters at Falwell's funeral. The protesters he was concerned with were not leftists, but other Christians who protest the funerals of soldiers. In the '80s and '90s Christian terrorist made a concerted effort to attack abortion clinics.

These are not just acts of Christians, they are acts that the particular Christians believe to be an expression of their faith. The question is, but for Christianity, could these things occur? But for Islam, could you have so called honor killings?

It is a sobering question for me. But this much I know, as a Christian it is my obligation to stand up to this kind of evil. I must denounce everyone who would use violence in the name of the faith. As inclined as we are to be tolerant and accepting--indeed without these ideals in the Christianity that I practice I would probably not be Christian--we must nonetheless have the courage to condemn this violence. What is more, I believe we must condemn the ideology that leads to it.

Matt: Next Steps?

Okay, I agree with the new idea, we'll try to tag things for clarity.

One of my problems is that lately I've been busy at work, another is not knowing exactly how best to proceed. I research things, but then I have a hard time with figuring out how to pursuasively conclude that there are causations. So I am shrill and point out all these Christians who did dispicable things. To that point, in Red Man's Land White Man's Law Washburn quotes Charles V as writing in 1529:

We trust that, as long as you are on earth, you will compel and with all zeal cause the barbarian nations to come to the knowledge of God, the maker and founder of all things, not only by edicts and admonitions, but also by force and arms, if needful, in order that their souls may partake of the heavenly kingdom.

So again, I have a Christian King saying something terrible about non-Christians, and advocating violent conversion. So where does that get us? How would I be able to convince us or anyone else that this had a lasting impact on the culture of Christians in the New World?

Do you see my problem?

Jim: Jump Start

I wonder if the very careful format for which I advocated initially is slowing things down too much? I think it is. So, maybe we should talk about lots of topics and use the tagging feature to sort them out for when we write a book.

I will clarify and reiterate a little here and then maybe we can get the discussion going again.

First off, the point of this blog is to evaluate the impact of religion on our country. It is basically a backward looking blog--what has religion done for us. I am writing another blog that looks at where I think Christianity should go. So, that will help me keep the should've happened's out of a discussion a the did happens.

I think religion has had an impact on: tolerance, equality, justice, charity, optimism, the pursuit & use of peace/war, and the pursuit & use of science. I think on balance religion has been good, but acknowledge it could have been a lot better and at time was/is a hindrance to what is best for the country.