Posted by Jeff from bgp01107368bgs.wbrmfd01.mi.comcast.net (68.42.59.180) on Tuesday, May 21, 2002 at 1:42PM :
In Reply to: you know what the problem is posted by Stella from ? (140.192.132.153) on Tuesday, May 21, 2002 at 1:23PM :
: with Assyrians who identify themselves ardently as Assyrian=Christian? The problem is their whole perception of Christianity itself. They place value on the authority rather than the content of their religion. It's right and good because the Bible says so, or because the popes say so. Forget whether the content makes sense or not.
: The general beliefs of these Assyrians who have made the word Assyrian synonmous with Christian sound absolutely incredible to anyone who can think for themselves. Eternal damnation for those who don't believe in Christ?!? Come on now. There's clearly a separation of faith and logic when thinking that way. You get events like the holocaust when thinking that way. Germany considered itself a Christian state, believers of Jesus Christ. Yet they savagely took away the lives of millions of people who were also creations of God. Their perception of Christianity was not rational: Believe in Christ, but go completely against his teachings of radical compassion and love.
: That's exactly how these radical Assyrian Christians are thinking. They preach their faith in Christ but with that same tongue they will damn an Assyrian Muslim to the fiery depths of hell. Way to be consistant.
: DISCLAIMER: I don't claim to know everything about Christianity. This is just my opinion. Let's hear yours.
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Stella,
That makes much sense. I suppose after so many generations where the leader of the village community was the priest, this would have developed. I can't tell you how many of our people I have met who would tell you that not only are the Muslims going to hell, but Jews, and everything else under the sun that isn't EXACTLY like them. That was always one of my main problems with them... why all of this damning of everyone to the lowest depths of hell?
A Chaldean (I hope Aprim isn't around) friend of mine once said to me that when it comes to Christianity, Chaldeans don't practice what they preach. She said that they spend 6 days out of 7 sinning like there's no tomorrow, then come Sunday spend an hour in Church and think that everything's going to be ok. Whether or not you believe in Christianity, you can see how practicing a religion so foolishly is pointless. Clearly they don't understand the basic tenets of Christianity, or any religion for that matter.
In Dante's inferno the wise philosophers (pre-Christian Greeks) and the Jews who led good lives are caught in a place between heaven and hell because they weren't baptized. It's much better than the levels of hell, which get exponentially more painful and horrible as Dante descends all the way down to Satan (but it isn't quite heaven, either). Do you suppose, Stella, that those who are not baptized can not get into heaven? I would guess that you do not believe that.
-- Jeff
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