Christian Carrie

On a lighter and opposite note, the church has brought some good things with it, too. It brings people peace, a sense of community, and has helped people all over the world through missions.

It comes with holidays that bring the family together:








It has also brought music and chilling moments like this:

Consecration and condemnation

This morning I took the test of all tests in my Modern Christian Theology class.

Tuesday I left the same class furious.

As a disclaimer, I understand that every religion, ethnic group and country has its history. This class just happens to be about Christian history.

I've been known to interpret the Bible differently than other people, but to me it seems like Christ's idea for what is now Christianity has not exactly come to fruition.

Not only did the early church add in things like the papacy (based on Peter?), they then held the First Vatican Council and declared him infallible. But that's another story for another day.

If there is one thing that I've learned in this class, it's that religion in fact falls into a category along side ethnic groups and nations. There are hierarchies, there are wars, and there are way too many cases of mistreating their own.

In terms of explaining wars, the term "crusades" should suffice.

The hierarchies of the church are prevalent but not always scripturally based. I can perhaps credit my Protestant upbringing with my idea that a religion should be based on the scripture and words of the holy figure. In realizing that other sects and religions focus more strongly on tradition, the idea of a hierarchy is more accepted. So for the most part we'll leave the hierarchy alone. (I never did understand why another man would need to be the liaison between God and me though.)

So now we've come to mistreating their own.

Again, it is my belief that we all have the same God. So the Turks taking over Constantinople and forcing Islam is almost as baffling to me as Christians killing each other.

Almost.

Let's explore.

-In the 16th century Michael Servetus thought that maybe Catholics shouldn't emphasize the trinity when trying to convert people because it didn't make sense to Jews and Muslims. So he was burned at the stake.
- Henry VIII wanted to get divorced from his barren wife so that he could have an heir with another woman so he started the Anglican church. Then he killed a bunch of Catholics and Lutherans.
- Thomas Cranmer was forced to denounce Protestantism under torture from Queen Mary and then later was executed anyway.
- In 1864 Pope Pius IX issued the Syllabus of Errors that listed 80 things that non-Catholics believed. All of which were condemned by the Catholic church.
- During the French Revolution, anyone who thought that the pope didn't have absolute authority in every nation was killed, including Gallicans, Febronians, and Josephists.
- Even as recent as 1907, Pope Pius X issued lamentabili, a doctrine listing 67 modernist propositions that were condemned.
- In Russian Orthodoxy, the people that didn't agree with reforms, Old Believers or Slavophiles, were then condemned and all killed. Most of them didn't want to be killed though so they committed suicide by lighting themselves on fire.

The list goes on forever. Add in the crusades and the inquisitions and you have a real good time.

Point being, the church has a dirty history.

I can't help but think that if everyone that associated with any church learned this history, they would question their allegiance.

So this is the question: Does declaring loyalty to a denomination or Christianity in general require the acceptance or condonation of its past?

I hope not. And I think not.

The majority of the Christians I know, and dare I say Christians in the world, do not understand the extent that the early church went to in order to "protect" its beliefs and truths. When singing "Jesus Loves Me" and telling stories of the good Samaritan, somehow the bloody past of the religion gets left out.

To me, not knowing about the history does not make them less Christian. I think it's important to question and understand what you are in fact insinuating by stating, "I am a Baptist/Unitarian/Catholic, etc." I also think that people who really question their beliefs and go on a spiritual journey to find the best religion, pick the teachings that speak to them and bring them peace.

The idea of God in a man brings comfort to people, and Jesus brought a lot of hope and peace with him, regardless of his actual divinity. I think it's absolutely acceptable to take that peace and hope for what it is, and leave the church's actions in the past.

I do not think, however, that is is acceptable to take the path of least resistance and blindly choose whatever denomination/religion was chosen for you by your family or society. Discover what's best for you on your own. And if at the end of the day what really does it for you happens to be the same thing that does it for your family, too— then more power to you.

That being said, I think Christians, and people in general, can learn a lesson from the abundant condemnation done by the church already, and think twice before judging others. Originally the papacy may have been thought of as heresy and here the Catholics are with Pope Benedict XVI, number 265.

Society changes. And the church changes with it. Second Vatican Council, anyone?

The basics of Christianity are to love God and love one another. I don't exactly know where "kill those who disagree with you on any issue" is in the Bible, but I haven't quite read it all.

Organized religion is what you make it. As is any form of spirituality. But in labeling yourself as a specific religion or denomination, history comes with it. I hope the free-thinking society we live in today feels welcome to doubt and question the intentions and corruption of any denomination.

But if that denomination is what floats your boat and brings you peace, then don't hold back from pursuing it. Just be aware of the past.

Patience is a virtue.

I have been reminded by a number of parties this weekend that the last time I blogged was April 5th. So here is some music to listen to while you're waiting...

My recent favorites.

No news is good news

Journalism has power.

It has the power to unify a nation behind a cause (9/11), uncover the ugly side of a war (Vietnam), dissolve a presidency (Nixon), and now, bring attention to someone who shouldn't have it.

Last summer, Florida pastor Terry Jones announced he was going to burn a copy of the Qur'an on the anniversary of Sept. 11.

In a tweet.

He started a Facebook group for International Burn a Qur'an Day and claimed it was a book "full of lies."

And the news, stupidly, covered it.

The man is, excuse my language, a dumbass. His church, the Dove World Outreach Center, includes just 50 families. He calls himself a man of god sticking up for Christianity and carrying out the will of god. He seems to have forgotten that we all have the same god. Even if you don't believe in one universal spirit, Islam and Christianity are both Abrahamic religions so they have virtually the same base.

In a time when we're at war, particularly with people of this race and religion, this man decided to stir the pot even more. Again, dumbass.

After worldwide protests and an absurd amount of meetings and negotiations, Jones finally decided to withhold from burning the book.

On Sept. 11, Jones said on the Today Show that his church would never burn a Qur'an.

He lied.

On March 20, he burned a Qur'an live on the Internet. And the news, smartly, didn't cover it. Unfortunately for pretty much everyone, it was already out there, and it was the video seen 'round the world.

Thanks to this extremist dumbnut, violent riots have broken out in Afghanistan, among other countries, where so far 20 people have been killed, seven of which were UN workers.

Twenty people are DEAD because of riots sparked by this man that so ironically calls himself a pastor.

So here's the issue. Is this man, who decided he was going to burn a book, news? Someone originally thought he was, and the story caught on. Unfortunately, people were then interested in him and he gained the attention he craved. The news gave that to him.

I think now, considering the backlash, the media understands that it may have been a mistake to cover this crazed man in the first place.

Also, when 9/11 happened, Americans had to accept that the attackers were extremists, and not typical Muslims; that the terrorists were under the power of bin Laden, and not acting in a way that would represent the general views of Islam.

Now, when the tables have turned, are people abroad accepting that Jones is an extremist, and not an average American or Christian?

I do realize that the two incidents are extremely different, and thousands were killed in 2001, while it was "just a book" that was sacrificed in March. I also realize that it has taken 10 years for Americans to even somewhat accept Islam.

Even furthur, I recognize the irony in the fact that I am giving Terry Jones even more attention. Hopefully the profound amount of people that read my blog are connected to neither Jones nor violent protesters in the Middle East.

The point is, journalism can do good. It can also cause unrest. In order to keep journalistic credibility, all news has to be covered. This one, however, I believe could have gone unreported.

I'm headed to UNC-Chapel Hill next year to continue my study of journalism, and I'm excited for the opportunity to do something with my writing someday. Hopefully causing more good than unrest.



In my Newspaper Management class yesterday we reviewed this article written by my professor. It's similar to what I wrote, just with years and years of journalistic experience behind it.

Also, most of this information came from the Chicago Tribune, mostly this article.

Typ.

At chapter, the panhellenic delegate was trying to encourage us to go to a blood drive they're holding.

To convince us, she used the fact that you burn 600 calories every time you give blood.

The life of a sorostitute.