Originally posted by Suzianne
I think I would prefer a Mossberg 500. 😀

The minions of hell are immune to normal weapons; and besides, how in blazes will you be able to aim a shotgun properly when the enemy is hurling confuse and fireball spells at you?? 😕

Originally posted by Agerg
The minions of hell are immune to normal weapons; and besides, how in blazes will you be able to aim a shotgun properly when the enemy is hurling confuse and fireball spells at you?? 😕

Of course I'm talking about the 24" barrel one. It's all about the proximity!

And it's a shotgun. Aim is overrated. And I wanna see how a demon defends against getting its head blown off.

And oh yeah, Christians don't take damage from Confuse or Brimstone. 🙂

(Well, some might, but that's only if self-inflicted, hehe.)

Originally posted by Suzianne
Of course I'm talking about the 24" barrel one. It's all about the proximity!

And it's a shotgun. Aim is overrated. And I wanna see how a demon defends against getting its head blown off.

And oh yeah, Christians don't take damage from Confuse or Brimstone. 🙂

(Well, some might, but that's only if self-inflicted, hehe.)

Well, see, they wouldn't get their heads blown off because the shot would bounce off them (you have to use +3 or higher magic weapons, or level 7+ spells to deal any sort of damage to Anti-Christ's demonsReveal Hidden Content)

Originally posted by knightmeister
I think if Christianity can withstand the Roman empire then it can come through anything.

christianity didn't withstand the roman empire. it was wiped out by it.

Originally posted by rwingett
Do you think people like Santorum are tarnishing Christianity's image amongst the general public? Yes or no.

i don't think santorum is adding to the tarnish of christianity, he's just reflecting the tarnish that already exists, particularly in the "conservative" spectrum of christianity.

so, is it bad that santorum calls obama a snob for wanting to send children to college
or...
is it bad that the "christian" audience applauded him.?

Originally posted by rwingett
It is well documented that "the nones" (people with no religious affiliation) are the fastest growing segment of the population. They're around 16% of the population and rising. When people like Santorum get on the campaign trail and spew their bile, it further alienates large segments of the population, who are horrified at his medieval notions. The hard c ...[text shortened]... like Santorum continue to be the face of Christianity, I think this process is inevitable.

"W" said he would ride the evangelicals all the way to the White House and they laughed at him. The question becomes, are evangelicals as powerful now as they were? In addition, have evangelicals learned anything from their blind support of "W"?

As for myself, I'm voting for Ron Paul. 😀

Originally posted by whodey
"W" said he would ride the evangelicals all the way to the White House and they laughed at him. The question becomes, are evangelicals as powerful now as they were? In addition, have evangelicals learned anything from their blind support of "W"?

As for myself, I'm voting for Ron Paul. 😀

That's two of us. Every little bit helps.

Originally posted by rwingett
I will put the question to you again: Are people like Santorum helping or hurting Christianity? By putting Christianity into an increasingly extreme position, are people like Santorum alienating mainstream society from it? Will this have long term detrimental effects on Christianity?

I think what Santorum represents definitely will have a long term detrimental affect on American Christianity at least. I don't think there is any doubt that Christian fundamentalism, because of its devotion to anti-intellectualism and its unprecedented, even radical insistence upon biblical literalism, will eventually go the way of the dodo.

Fundamentalists like to think of themselves as rediscoverers of the original faith of the early church, shortly after Christ's death when Paul was writing his epistles, but the fact is anti-intellectualism and an exclusively literal interpretation of scripture were never part of the founding of the Christian tradition. If fundamentalists knew how radically their ideas diverge from those of the earliest Christians and the majority of church history up until the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they would be undone by how unprecedented their understanding of scripture truly is.

I disagree with people like RJHinds who arrogantly declare other Christians like Santorum "fake Christians" (for whatever reason - it doesn't matter) - I believe RS is sincere - but sincerity is no guarantee of being right. I think someone once said that being convinced that you are right is a good indicator that you, in fact, aren't. Fundamentalism is reactionary and therefore theologically doomed, in my opinion, and long before Santorum had anything to do with it.

Originally posted by VoidSpirit
christianity didn't withstand the roman empire. it was wiped out by it.

wiped out by it???? Constantinople ringing any bells! what a thoroughly silly assertion
you make, one of your most ludicrous, even by your standards.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
wiped out by it???? Constantinople ringing any bells! what a thoroughly silly assertion
you make, one of your most ludicrous, even by your standards.

He probably never heard of it, because it is called Istanbul, now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul

Originally posted by epiphinehas
I think what Santorum represents definitely will have a long term detrimental affect on American Christianity at least. I don't think there is any doubt that Christian fundamentalism, because of its devotion to anti-intellectualism and its unprecedented, even radical insistence upon biblical literalism, will eventually go the way of the dodo.

...[text shortened]... theologically doomed, in my opinion, and long before Santorum had anything to do with it.

How does being sincere prevent one from being a fake. I am sure you would
not defend my sincerity as being a Christain in the same manner. He can be
totally sincere in his false beliefs and still be a fake in my opinion and in the
opinion of Ron Paul, as well.

Originally posted by RJHinds
He probably never heard of it, because it is called Istanbul, now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul

you dont say. . . .

Originally posted by rwingett
Do you think people like Santorum are tarnishing Christianity's image amongst the general public? Yes or no.

he simply reinforces the "none" doubts. People who are predisposed to a negative view towards Christianity will point to him and say "see, this is why". Otherwise he is an irrelavent fool.

Originally posted by epiphinehas
I think what Santorum represents definitely will have a long term detrimental affect on American Christianity at least. I don't think there is any doubt that Christian fundamentalism, because of its devotion to anti-intellectualism and its unprecedented, even radical insistence upon biblical literalism, will eventually go the way of the dodo.

...[text shortened]... theologically doomed, in my opinion, and long before Santorum had anything to do with it.

You raise a couple good points. I don't see how scriptural literalism ever gained such a following, especially since the bible wasn't written for some 40 to 70 years after Jesus' death. The early Christian church was indeed quite a bit different from what today's evangelicals imagine it to have been.

Originally posted by rwingett
I don't see how scriptural literalism ever gained such a following, especially since the bible wasn't written for some 40 to 70 years after Jesus' death.

If find most Christians do not know even the basics of the history of the Bible. And almost all literalists start with faith first and learn history later. Some stick by their faith whatever, and some give up on literalism.

But seriously, Christians and other theists have been talking nonsense, and believing stupid things throughout recorded history. Santorum is hardly notable in his statements. Maybe some of what he says is less mainstream madness, but to a non Christian, what he says is no less madness than what most Christians believe. The only difference is most Christianity is seen as a harmless delusion, whereas Santorums seems to have some dangerous delusions.