Evidence that American Christians are generally more American than Christian, and that opposition to the “radical religious right” is basically a mopping-up operation: Unbelieving ‘born-agains’. Most born-agains reject the Trinity and consider salvation a matter of living a good life. A third or more deny the Resurrection, and accept premarital cohabitation and same-sex unions. All is not lost, however—half of all atheists and agnostics believe in the soul, heaven, hell, and life after death, and one out of eight believes that accepting Jesus Christ as savior brings immortality. Is this a new sort of super-ecumenism?
I think it is “a new sort of
I think it is “a new sort of super-ecumenism.” You phrased it well. IMO, it seemed to surge in more recent times with the popularization of omissions from scriptures. Judge as we would have others judge us became, “Don’t judge” [at all—ever] Forgive those who repent and ask for our forgiveness (Luke 17:2-3, if I remember correctly, offhand) became “Forgive” [all, unconditionally—let them at your children, etc.] And many said that the Ten Commandments no longer apply and that Christ did away with the old Law. Oh, and that “We can’t be saved by good works” [at all—religion allowed, only]
This, from the early ’70s, on, I think.
Voila. …no more morality needed. As long as we’re religious and worshipful (which exclusivity Jesus also warned against), we can do whatever feels good, now.
There was an earlier surge of mysticism and spiritualism that hurt Christianity in the USA very much. That continues today, also.
Yes, I finished the last of the Susan B. Anthony series, as mentioned. It’s noisy for the purpose of getting attention, but there are references to crucial facts mentioned behind some of the links. Those references are already being sought by scholars for further study, reports and books. Most who requested to be alerted and to use the material in classes and other publications are Catholic clergy who disagree with the new (politically correct) status quo in ecclesiastical education concerning family matters.
“Susan B. Anthony: Lucifer’s Babe?”
http://familyops.us/anthonyproject/
I think it’s Most People
I think it’s Most People Can’t Think Straight. Should you whether I think that more people could think straight in earlier times, I would answer yes. Our culture, especially our educational system, gives no encouragement to people to learn to think straight.
Should read “Should you ask
Should read “Should you ask whether….”
Two formulations, one by Mr.
Two formulations, one by Mr. Kalb, one in the linked article, help explain this strange phenomenon. Mr. Kalb wrote: “American Christians are generally more American than Christian.” The idea here is that there is this general American belief system, consisting of a watered-down Christianity, that Christians and non-Christians and non-believers all have in common—sort of a generalized God or benevolent principle who watches after us, and if we’re “good people,” we will somehow continue after this life; and that we’re pretty much free to believe what we want about this God.
Second, the article says:
“Either way, this is strong evidence of how American Christianity is conforming to the dominant secular culture. It is all right to be religious, according to the dictates of postmodernism, as long as your faith exists just in your head. If you start claiming that your beliefs are more than just a private mental state that makes you feel good, asserting instead that what you believe is objectively real and valid for everybody, then you are an intolerant menace to society. Many Christians apparently agree, feeling solace in their own private mental decisions and mystical experiences, without reference to the God outside themselves who is revealed in His Word and in His slain and risen Son.”
I have heard that a large contingent with the evangelical community is indeed subjectivist, and this article backs that up.
However, let us remember that the polling still only shows a minority, though a significant minority of “born-agains” holding these ideas. Unfortunately, the article is confusing on what is a born-again.
Here’s another column with
Here’s another column with more information in it about the same research.
“Church doesn’t think like Jesus” —WorldNetDaily
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35926
But it is still true that a large portion of non-denominational people are into subjectivism, regardless of where there are larger portions of subjectivists by a few percentage points.
Pope Pius X said that modernism was a problem. He spoke of the same problem of subjectivity, so I’m reading to find what, if any, significant similarities and differences exist between modernism and post-modernism.
Modernism
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10415a.htm
The problem of libertine rationalization is everywhere. I wonder, though: what is really ecumenism-instigating about the belief, for example, that adultery is a sin? Granted, few denominations will teach that it is so any more, but what denomination will publicly say that adultery is not a sin? What denomination would say that the Ten Commandments should not be obeyed? …or the Commandment from Christ (“love”—anti-romantic)? I would think these things could be stated without controversy except in militantly libertine company. Or am I ignorant of something on this?
The element that may be
The element that may be missing from Art’s analysis is how successfully libertine liberalism has indoctrinated us in obedience to the 11th Commandment: Thou shalt not give offense to anyone who is “other.” It may be that at a gathering of conventionally religious people there is no one who would disagree with the proposition that adultery (or sodomy) is wrong. For fear of giving offense, since there is no way to be sure that someone won’t take offense, no one dares say so, which is why one reason denominations are now shy about teaching the real 10 Commandments. It is safer to say nothing, so people are not taught.
This is especially true of anything to do with homosexuality, something traditional Christianity and Judaism have never ratified, to put it gently. Homosexuals have succeeded in placing themselves on the same level as blacks and Jews in the hierarchy of Those Whom One Must Never Offend, even unintentionally. This is one of the main ways politically correct Leftism stifles debate and suppresses expression of traditional views (which are likely to offend libertines). HRS
i am trying to get
i am trying to get information on the start of christianity in america. please help
Lora, somehow your question
Lora, somehow your question doesn’t make it sound as if you are expected to write an exhaustive treatment of the subject. What “level” are you on? If you’re in high-school, for example, one way to start might be to look up the Pilgrim Fathers in a good encyclopedia, and go on from there. I haven’t tried “Googling” the Pilgrims, but that might be another good way for a high-schooler to begin researching this topic.
I just went ahead and
I just went ahead and “Googled” the term “Pilgrim Fathers,” and the first screen that came up looked like a gold mine of articles that should be useful to you, Lora.