>>Fascinating!
>>
>>So their God has renounced the 10 commandments in favour of 10
>>suggestions I assume? What do they call this "religion"?
>>
>>If it isn't authoritarian, it simply isn't religion.
>Okay. Then it isn't religion. Call it faith or a calling to selflessness.
Calling it "faith" begs the question. "Faith" in what? If its not faith in something you concocted yourself, then its faith (unquestioning adherence) in something put forward by some authority, thus it is by definition authoritarian. If it is "faith" in something you have just made up yourself, then it is something slightly different (a claim that you yourself are the prophet (authority) but in neither instance is it religion in any real sense of the word.
But answer my question. Does this church, which claims to be Christian, believe in obedience to the basic principles of Christianity or not? If it doesn't, then it isn't Christianity. If it doesn't submit to some authority, then it isn't any kind of religion at all. Its as simple as that really.
I'm not being critical of what these people do per se, simply challenging their right to claim that they are doing it in the name of some religion. Maybe there are tax advantages to doing it that way of course, that's a narrow legal question.
> Although I'm not part of this church, as I am not a Christian, I've
>attended many services and have spoken at length with members, as
>well as the minister, an African-American who worked in the
>Sanctuary Movement during the 80s as well as in El Salvador itself
>and Nicaragua. Currently, they're engaged in antiwar work, reaching
>out to local Muslim groups (this area has one of the highest Muslim
>populations in the States), as well as to Jewish groups in an effort
>at dialogue and working together against the occupation of the West
>Bank and the assaults on Gaza. It's really quite amazing to see, and
>knocks the cynicism right out of you -- unless you need yours, that
>is.
I'm not being in the least cynical. I don't doubt your claim they do good work. But either they acknowledge the ten commandments as commandments (rather than suggestions) or they don't. If they can't accept the fundamental tenets of Christianity, then I can't for the life of me see what possible basis they have for claiming to be "Christians". If they aren't willing to unquestioningly accept the fundamental basis of any religion, then they can't claim to be of any religion.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas