Christian agenda worries other faiths

[atommom]

It is conservative Christians on the State Board of Education who are sitting today in judgment of evolution instruction in Kansas schools.

But their religion, of course, isn't the only one practiced in Kansas.

"I think that this is trying to sneak in a certain brand of religion in disguise. I do not think that this is the American thing to do, because we do not impose one religion on everybody," said Judith Roitman, guiding teacher at the Kansas Zen Center, 1423 N.Y., and a professor of mathematics at Kansas University. "This is not just a Christian agenda, but a particular brand of Christianity, and they are trying to impose it on everyone else.

"I practice two faiths -- Buddhism and Judaism -- and in neither one of them does the mainstream feel that it is appropriate for someone to come in and say, ‘My religious text tells me that your science is wrong.'"

http://www.ljworld.com/section/evolution/story/204457

[BrklynLiberal]

1. In case you have any doubt about what the agenda of the Christian Fundies

is, check out the links in this post.
Their agenda SHOULD worry everyone who lives in this country and wants to practice their faith, or not practice any faith, if that is their choice.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1464891&mesg_id=1465486

[Pacifist Patriot]

2. My husband has thought for years that I was over-reacting.

We are not Christian either and what I have been seeing over the last decade has alarmed me. He only just became alarmed in the last year. I honestly do worry about the country my children will be living in if the pendulum doesn't begin to swing back soon. What sort of badge will they be required to sew to their lapels?

[DUgosh]

3. The badge will be the "mark of the beast"

Your thread speaks right to the heart of this. If we are not "for them" then we must be "against them"

[Pacifist Patriot]

4. True. My conservative Christian relatives honestly cannot

wrap their brain around the idea that I do not care what their religious beliefs are and to each his own provided they do not infringe upon my right to my spiritual path. The idea that someone couldn't be less concerned for their immortal soul is completely foreign and unfathomable.

[atommom]

5. This is a hot button the Religious Right likes to call

"Moral Relativism." When we would simply call it "respect for others."

[toddaa]

6. As a person of "another faith"

I really must say that I'm tired of being treated as "lesser American" because I do not believe that Jesus died for me. Sorry, but I just don't.

I am a pantheist. I am a devout pantheist. As much faith as these so called Christians have in their God, I have just as much reverence and spiritual commitment for my god, which just so happens to be the Tao Nature which I am a part of. The Tao Nature that I came from teaches me to observe nature. To be as close to nature as I can. When I am as close to nature as I can, I am with the Tao. To say that something created the Tao is nonsense. The Tao is creation. If you teach my child that some Middle Eastern nomadic god is the source of diversity on this planet, then you discriminate against my religious beliefs. Hear that, dimwits in Kansas? You are religous bigots.

Seriously, let's put the ID crap in comparitive religious studies, where it belongs.

[Maat]

7. I also fear in the same vein.

I'm a member now of both a Church of Religious Science and a Unitarian-Universalist church, and I'm very dedicated to both.

It upsets me when a Conservative Christian "scholar" call either of those churches (that I attend) a "false church" a la Albert Mohler of the Southern Baptist Convention (who called the Catholic Church a false church0.

Like Pacifist Patriot, I feel the pendulum needs to swing back NOW.

[dattaswamI]

8. FAMILY BONDS AND REALISATION OF JESUS

THE ONLY LOVE

Luke—14:26 to 27

“If any one comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can not be my disciple’’.

The knowledge is compared to a sword. Bhagavatgita says “Chhitva Jnanasinatmanah”. This means that the ignorance should be cut by the knowledge, which is like a sword. The bonds with wife or husband and children are due to ignorance. Such bonds should break when the Lord in human form competes with them to conduct His test. Lord comes in human form in every human generation to preach and give His direct presence. If the Lord comes in only one human generation, God becomes partial to that human generation because other human generations are not blessed with such opportunity. To see, to touch, to talk and to live with the human incarnation, He comes down as per the prayers of the devotees. The Lord comes to preach and so He will not enter the statues or animals or birds. Veda says “Na tasya pratima asti’’ which means that God will not enter the inert statues. Gita says “Manusheem tanu masritam” which means that God enters the human body only because the main purpose is to preach the human beings. Gita strongly says that he who worships the inert statues will be born as an inert stone (“Bhootani yanti”).

The Christians should be commended on this point who are worshipping the Holy Jesus only, who is the most powerful human incarnation of God. Veda says “Na tat samah” which means that nobody and nothing should be equal to the Lord in human incarnation. One should leave everything and everybody for the sake of the Lord in human form. The bond with the human beings can be broken only by the bond with a new human being. Such new human being must be very powerful who can be only God in human form.

A new bond existing with formless God or statues cannot break the human bonds. Only the bond with another living being can cut the bond with the living beings. The bond with formless God is impossible. The bond with inert statue has no use. The above statements of Holy Jesus indicate that one should cut the bonds with his family and with the wealth. In Hindu religion also it is said that God (Datta) cuts all the bonds of family and wealth (“Dattam Chinnam”). Even the bond with the body should be cut for the sake of the God. Gita says the same thing as “Mat Gata Pranah”. Holy Jesus says that one has to carry his own cross (death) for the sake of the Lord. This means that one has to invite his own death with his own hands for the sake of God. Holy Jesus did like this as an ideal example for others. This means that you have to cut your bonds not only with your family and wealth but also with your life if necessary.

Hanuman, a top devotee, tore his heart with his own nails for the sake of the Lord and was blessed by the Lord to be immortal. So when the devotee sacrifices his life, his life gets protected forever. The essence of this gospel is that the love is proved only by the practical sacrifice. Veda says “Dhanena Tyage nyke…” which means that sacrifice of money proves the real love. Money is the fruit of the work. So money is another form of work. If it is inconvenient to sacrifice the money, at least they should sacrifice the other form of money, which is work for the sake of God. Depending on the money all the family members are attached to you. If money is not there all the family will leave you. You are also giving the money to your family only. Therefore if the bond with money is cut and if the money is sacrificed to God, the family bonds are considered as vanished, even though the family exists externally. The work of God in human form is the propagation of His divine gospel. For doing such divine work the family also stands as an obstacle because most of your energy is diverted for the family only.

Therefore you do not have any energy to work for the sake of Lord. Hence Holy Jesus wants His disciples to leave their families for the sake of God. The propagation work needs both money and work. Generally every body works to maintain his family. In the name of maintenance, several luxuries are introduced, which look like essential needs and thus there is no end for your work to earn the money for the sake of your body and your family. Your blindness increases and you will be putting more and more efforts to work and earn money for the sake of the family bonds. In such a case you can never even see the human form of God. At least you should remove your blindness by the divine knowledge if not the actual bonds. People of very high devotion only can cut the actual bonds. You are giving money to your family but you are giving words to God by prayers and you are giving mind to God through meditation.

You are giving love to your family through your work and money, you are calling the sacrifice of words and sacrifice of mind as love to God and you are fooling the God. Your real love is only with your family and not with the God. Holy Jesus tests your real love to God by these statements. The Christian Pope and fathers and the Hindu Acharya and saints left their families and concentrated completely on the work of God. Such pious souls can only be representatives of God in this world.

www.universal-spirituality.org