The ferocious last gasps of the religion of Christian America

[Dan Z]

Civil religion is the tribute worldly power pays to a Kingdom it can never grasp.

Still, I wonder if society isn't better off with at least civil order, basic human rights, etc. Romans 13 tells us that even civil authorities have a role to play.

Exactly - Paul's Roman's 13 nod to civil authority is a concession to the need for relative (and provisional) order in a fallen world, not a blueprint for how the cause of Christ will advance. For the sake of my neighbors immediate wellbeing I root for a just and equitable civil structure, and pay deference to it where it does not violate the way of Jesus, while simultaneously, for the sake of my neighbors eternal wellbeing, I put my energies and resources into the building up of the Kingdom of God.

[temporal1]

Page 5:

Some thoughts from beyond the ocean.
First, I am always astonished how vivid Calvinism/Puritanism is in the U.S., on both sides of the political theatre.

For example, I got interested in Quakerdom as an attempt of Christians to get the better of their Puritan starting points (like the Bohemian Brethren got the better of Hussitism and Anabaptists got the better of the rising "Reformed" worldview). But after a while I found that in fact the Puritan elements in Quakerism are just what a lot of young people find fascinating in Quakerism. And the same seems to my eyes obvious even with people who deem themselves distant from "Calvinism".
The main points for me are_
1. Calvinists are cocksure how the world has to become in order to please God (and that the question: How would this world please my human neighbour on this earth? doesn't count in such a worthy case).
2. In consequence Calvinists see themselves as God's army and (logically) their opponents as the army against God.
3. As Puritans, they are always bothering about how to "purify" Christianity from pagan ort wordly influences.

The latter point is of course the base for this momentaneous campaign against "Christian nationalism". I admit that nationalism is unnecessary for Christianity - as unnecessary as calling the First Day "Sunday" or celebrating "Christmas" (two things which were anathema to the original Puritans). On the other hand, the name "Sunday" and Christmas customs give additional colour to our lives, and so does nationalism. So does Cathedral architecture or a Bach cantata (Bach implemented secular musical inventions into church music).

As for the first two points :
Leftist American Puritans are not much different from rightist American Puritans.

Criticizing "Christian nationalists" is in most cases a matter of the pot calling the kettle black.

But - and that is in my eyes the real miracle - there is hardly anyone who questions the Christian overtones in American Leftist enterprises, from the the Civil Rights Movement to the Open Borders Movement.

Leftist American Puritans are nearly never challenged about their mixture of religion and politics;
so how can they learn to use the same standards for their opponents as for themselves?

By the way: We Europeans have the advantage that here there have been actually open and honest Anti-Christian movements, parties, political projects and persecutions. That's why we have Christian Parties, as a means to protect ourselves!

Deserves not to be completely lost in chatter.

PetrC,
one thing about “Leftist American Puritans” is, they have secured direct access to the U.S. Public Treasury and have crafted laws to protect this access. in addition, right along with these powerful tools, they find their way directly into the U.S. DOE, right under everyone’s noses, with so little bureaucratic red tape, it is gasp-worthy.

PetrC, with all that, ^^^ “non-left Americans” now seem to exist mainly for the purpose of being used to further yet more leftist policies! “non-left Americans” are now being used not unlike antagonists are used in creating theater. without identified “bad guys” or antagonists, where is the story!!

Very unhealthy place to be.

[temporal1]

Page 6

MODERTOR ACTION: Posts in this thread related to the presence of a Conservative Mennonite young woman at the Jan. 6 Capitol incursion have been removed due to their speculative, sensitive, and personal nature.

Please carry on - DZ

DanZ has his censoring powers and he knows how to use them.

(my disappearing post was not about this young woman, not about anyone not present/gossip, but was directed as an adult to an adult forum member about Christians and political priorities.)

it didn’t even make it to the briar patch.

[Dan Z]

Page 6

MODERTOR ACTION: Posts in this thread related to the presence of a Conservative Mennonite young woman at the Jan. 6 Capitol incursion have been removed due to their speculative, sensitive, and personal nature.

Please carry on - DZ

DanZ has his censoring powers and he knows how to use them.

(my disappearing post was not about this young woman, not about anyone not present/gossip, but was directed as an adult to an adult forum member about Christians and political priorities.)

it didn’t even make it to the briar patch.

The "censored" discussion, which was about a particular (known) young woman from the conservative Mennonite community, included speculation and accusation of a personal and potentially legal nature. The discussion was also spilling over into individual grievances beyond the young woman implicated. In the past we've tried to avoid these type of personalized discussions on this, a public forum. T1 - the two post of yours that were archived along with the rest, quoted and were in direct response to comments about the young woman in question.

If you feel my moderator "powers" were use inappropriately or inconsistently, please feel free to take that issue up with the board owner Robert. Thanks!

[Josh]

Page 6

MODERTOR ACTION: Posts in this thread related to the presence of a Conservative Mennonite young woman at the Jan. 6 Capitol incursion have been removed due to their speculative, sensitive, and personal nature.

Please carry on - DZ

DanZ has his censoring powers and he knows how to use them.

(my disappearing post was not about this young woman, not about anyone not present/gossip, but was directed as an adult to an adult forum member about Christians and political priorities.)

it didn’t even make it to the briar patch.

An option is to discuss these things in PM instead.