hm...very thought provoking. i must admit that i do bash christianity sometimes--this is because i have very serious theological and moral issues with the religion. but then, i expect you have theological differences with paganism--the key is to keep that discourse civil and be willing to agree to disagree. but i do take your point about not tarring christians with the same brush. whilst i may very strongly disagree with some of the premises of christianity, it's the practices of some christians that really enrage me. i don't think i'm likely to stop complaining about fundamentalists, but it is important to always keep your comments specific--e.g. 'i hate the way many fundamentalists want to deprive gay people of rights', 'i think it's hypocritical for people to ignore children starving to death in africa yet spend all their energies opposing abortion'--these are legitimate criticisms (and there are very, very many legitimate criticisms of pagans, i assure you). it doesn't mean it's okay to say 'i hate the way christians...' as though they were monolithic. i guess my point is that there is a lot to be said against certain christians and groups of christians who use their religion in ways that are, in my opinion, cruel, hypocritical, and downright evil. pagans are, frankly, pretty powerless and ergo haven't been able to commit large scale evil in the name of religion lately--they might be just as bad if it were a mass religion. so i must support the criticisms of christianity as it is used by powers i oppose. but you are right that it isn't fair to assume any of these views about all, or about any individual christian. and we should be sensitive and specific about any criticisms or complaints we do feel the need to make.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-03 01:44 am (UTC)i must admit that i do bash christianity sometimes--this is because i have very serious theological and moral issues with the religion. but then, i expect you have theological differences with paganism--the key is to keep that discourse civil and be willing to agree to disagree.
but i do take your point about not tarring christians with the same brush. whilst i may very strongly disagree with some of the premises of christianity, it's the practices of some christians that really enrage me. i don't think i'm likely to stop complaining about fundamentalists, but it is important to always keep your comments specific--e.g. 'i hate the way many fundamentalists want to deprive gay people of rights', 'i think it's hypocritical for people to ignore children starving to death in africa yet spend all their energies opposing abortion'--these are legitimate criticisms (and there are very, very many legitimate criticisms of pagans, i assure you). it doesn't mean it's okay to say 'i hate the way christians...' as though they were monolithic.
i guess my point is that there is a lot to be said against certain christians and groups of christians who use their religion in ways that are, in my opinion, cruel, hypocritical, and downright evil. pagans are, frankly, pretty powerless and ergo haven't been able to commit large scale evil in the name of religion lately--they might be just as bad if it were a mass religion. so i must support the criticisms of christianity as it is used by powers i oppose. but you are right that it isn't fair to assume any of these views about all, or about any individual christian. and we should be sensitive and specific about any criticisms or complaints we do feel the need to make.