Featured Atheists and Liberals better than evangelicals

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2008/05/educational-levels-denomination/#.UzEj3YWa-BJ

In the above article citing Christian Polling Organization, Barna Group, it appears that the more conservative you are in Christianity: the less educated you are, the greater your chances of committing a crime and getting divorced are.

WHAT A SHAME!!!!

SHAME ON US!!

How terrible that those who claim most vociferously to believe the Bible are the stupidest and most immoral among all groups in America!!

We have failed! We are not failing- we HAVE failed... miserably!!

Most of our churches are not worth two cents.

The more religious the state in America, the higher the divorce rate and the poorer educated it is. My state, Mississippi, is at the BOTTOM and I know why. I have been to enough churches in this state to know why Mississippi is so uneducated, so poor, so immoral (more crime, std's, divorce, etc...). It's wonderful to bring in people whose lives are a mess, but the Gospel is supposed to CHANGE that. If the church in the community is not changing the stats some after a while- it ought to close up shop.

If your beliefs don't improve the quality of your marriage and don't enable you to provide a home in America where your kids grow up to be very intelligent, capable contributors to society then your beliefs are not worth two cents.

Yes, I know there are exceptions. But we use the exceptions to excuse ourselves too easily. The fact is that generally speaking atheists lead more moral, more intelligent lives than most evangelicals.

Our churches ought to discipline people whose healthy children are failing schools. F's on a healthy minded Christian's report card smear the name of Christ in America. Christians ought not be stupid if there is any other way. Atheists ought not be able to raise kids better than evangelical Christians.

Our churches ought to discipline members who get divorces. Get down to the bottom of it and discipline whoever is responsible- usually both parties. Forgive and restore after the discipline if there is genuine repentance but don't skip discipline and jump ahead to restoration. There ought always to be repentance before restoration and time ought to pass between the two.

A faith genuinely held by two married people that does not make them love each other more and more as time passes is not worth two cents.

I honestly believe the death of conservative Christianity in America may be the best thing for real Christianity in America. And I am conservative. I believe the Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God but the sad thing is that most other people who claim to believe the same thing have a faith that cripples the rest of us from making inroads.

3,500 churches are closing their doors every year in America. 9 churches every day close PERMANENTLY. That may be the best news we've heard in a while. The shedding of dead weight that is most evangelical churches in America will be a welcomed occurrence for genuine Christianity in America.

 

The article you cite here identifies as its criteria for "Christian" thus:


The factor making the most difference is religious commitment and practice. Couples who regularly practice any combination of serious religious behaviors and attitudes -- attend church nearly every week, read their Bibles and spiritual materials regularly; pray privately and together; generally take their faith seriously, living not as perfect disciples, but serious disciples -- enjoy significantly lower divorce rates than mere church members, the general public and unbelievers.

That's precisely what I am saying. Most members of most churches do not have any real commitment to Christ.

That's the whole problem. That's the thing most churches are allowing. Most preachers are muzzled to preach against such a lack of commitment. Most churches wouldn't dare confront uncommitted members. So most churches have in attendance less than two third, many less than half what they have on their rolls.

Your article PROVES my point. It calls for what I am calling for- REAL Christians to fill our churches.

I do not disagree.

Pew Poll supports this data.

And?

Low class. You're like those people who compare everybody they don't like to Hitler. I forget the name of that psychoses.

YES!! That's what I am a calling for. That's why I keep saying most of our churches are not worth two cents. We don't help people with such things by and large.

People who do not take advantage of the help, call themselves Christians and let their children do badly in school should not go unchallenged by the church. Providing for one's own means more than feeding them and sheltering them. We do that for our dogs.

What a weird and far fetched analogy! The Hitler thing I mentioned above again.

Extreme analogy- silly.

I don't want people to report to the church what their kids grades are but two things:

1. The atmosphere of the church ought to be such that one who let's his children do poorly in school and does not go to the church for help ought to feel very uncomfortable there.

2. Usually bad grades cannot be hidden from the community and the church. Most people know what kind of grades most kids make.

You are a very bitter person. Your personal problems with me are a spiritual problem for you. They really are.

 

You keep lecturing me about this "pressing the flesh" business and I keep telling you that I already do it.

I helped over forty prisoners get their GED's last year.

I offer after-school tutoring classes to children in our community.

I have led our church to support our association's food bank monthly and I am trying to lead them to start our own.

You keep lecturing me about the very thing that I am trying to tell everyone churches ought to be doing.

I don't know what reference you are talking about. I have never read anything else this guy has written before in my life.

But here's the thing, Steve. You don't go to church because in all of New Jersey there is not a church good enough for you. How many churches are there in New Jersey? A thousand?

And not one of them is worth even ATTENDING!!

And you tell me that people who claim to be believers in this country are better than atheists???

Doesn't fly, Bud.

 

And here is why the church is in such bad shape.

It is full of people who think like this.

People who do not know how to deal with Scripture (like the passage cited above) and spread their bad hermeneutics around.

People who are insecure and feel the need to insult educated people.

People who glory in ignorance.

Atheists do not do that. That is my point.

 

Most atheists do care. Again, atheists are by and large better educated than church members BECAUSE they care about education.

Atheists do not get divorced like church members BECAUSE they care more than church members about such things.

I am not defending atheists. Atheists will perish for denying what is clearly evident- that God exists and deserves to be worshiped and adored.

I am excoriating the American church. I am saying that by and large it is full of people who just attend to make themselves feel better about themselves- not to be molded into the image of Christ.