Thoughts of a Freethinker

With more Democrats who are clergy running for office and suggesting there is more than one version of Christianity other than the Christian right we are seeing bitter commentary about these liberal politicians. If several of these liberal clergy win election, will there be anyone that disapproves of any version of the faith? Will there be any blasphemy left? Christians are so fragmented it's hard to see a central definition in the future. Not long ago, Christian factions united against liberal who did not want prayer in schools and at public meetings. Now Christians themselves are in different camps. Some are saying the Constitution itself was flawed in wanting a separation of church and state. Apparently, they want a new Constitution requiring the Christian right.  Political groups now seem to be forming religions that conform to politics. This may not be all bad because it is more honest than what we see today. Today religious groups say their politics are a result of their reli...

One of the most humorous things conservative Christians say about their faith is, "The culture changes but the faith never changes." Beliefs in Christianity have morphed in many directions since day one. When studying the faith as a whole, we need to distinguish among the various ways its many parts are organized. Groups like the Southern Baptist Convention join it voluntarily. Churches can be kicked out but there is not a church bureaucracy like the Methodists, Lutherans and Presbyterians. Yet the economic base of the latter is those in the pews who pay the bills. The members navigate the cultural waters to a large degree. People leave one denomination and go to the competition. To gage the struggle in the faith, the Catholic denomination is the place to look. It has been for the last several hundred years very top down. The "truth" is at the top, not in the pews. The current struggle I've been following for several years is the German Catholic  determination t...