To those on the Religious Right that think I'm down on their religion

Submitted by Prometheus 6 on November 10, 2004 - 5:00am.
on Religion

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I'm not. It's your organizations and leaders that bother me.

Two questions. And keep your answers to yourself (or not…)

Who does your Bible say is the ruler of the world?

When the Religious Right finishes reshaping the USofA and, through it, the world, who will be the ruler of the world?

Think long, think wrong.
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Submitted by James R MacLean on November 10, 2004 - 1:36pm.

This is a really good point. The answer is, “Satan,” of course (John,1 Cor, Rev.)

If Christianity were understood truly, then few would have any desire to have public authority within the church. Let me put it this way: if standing in an organization has benefits, then people shall strive to get that standing for the sake of the benefits, and not necessarily the underlying belief system of the organization. As a result, organized religion will suffer from perverse incentives to emphasize irrelevent and misleading doctrines. Preëminence in the church becomes, in turn, a license to revise the popular interpretation to favor the interests of all authority—namely, to remove from scrutiny the acts of the authorities, and to pass judgement upon the outcasts.

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Thus, the reflex to be a Pharisee is an integral failing of organizations that purport to have “moral authority.” If you want to make sure your executive has “moral authority,” make sure the pension plan involves two boards and some nails. I’m sure Kenneth Arrow explains this someplace (eyes twinkle).

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John, 20:20-28: Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?"

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She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom."

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Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?"

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They said to him, "We can."

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He replied, "My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left (, this) is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."