Great point, I phrased that horribly. I was speaking more historically; at present you are totally correct... my premise is more that the legacy of centuries of intermingling of church/state is a fairly irreligious populace. But as I think more about this it might be a poor example anyway... EDIT: Maybe England would be a better example?
Great posts. England is definitely a better example. I'm really curious to see what Iran looks like in another 50 to 100 years. Their revolution is still too fresh in the minds now for many of the older folks, but you have to wonder how their theocracy is impacting the faith of a lot of kids....
I'm not talking about a "church"--I'm talking about the many, many texts in the Bible that speak of sin and how it separates us from God. If you're going to ignore all of those texts, then you're ignoring the very thrust of the gospel. Jesus spoke of the sin problem over and over, and emphasized the need for repentance and "re-birth." This is so basic to his message that it boggles the imagination that someone could deny it. Read Paul, and Luke, and Matthew. Read any of the New Testament writers. They all struggled with sin, and they knew how important it was to turn their back on temptation and walk with Christ. In Luke, Jesus said, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." He also said that salvation was not possible without Him, and that some people would reject him and be lost. In John 6, he says, "I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." It's very clear that He knew some people would choose to follow him, and some would not. This idea that God is within us all, and that we are all part of Him, and that means everything is peachy fine is just wrong. Hitler certainly wasn't "Godlike," and neither was Stalin; both of them killed millions of people and chose the path of evil over the path of righteousness. Many others choose to vanguish evil from their life and accept the righteusness of Christ. Either way, it's our choice, and God leaves it up to us.
Wrong. I cheer when terrorists die, and I will continue to do so. For every terrorist who dies, many innocent people will be saved.
