Questions to pose to fundies...

[LuckyTheDog]

How do we keep the First Amendment intact and also make the 10 Commandments "the fundamental basis for all our laws?"

How can we protect religious freedom while also making it illegal for people to have "other gods" before the one worshiped by the ancient Jews? Can we really ban carved images and call ourselves the land of religious liberty?

Wouldn't it be a violation or free speech rights if we made it illegal to take the name of the Lord in vain? or forced people to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy?

[Avalux]

1. Their heads would explode from those questions -

and you know what - THEY DON'T CARE. I think it's pretty obvious the fundies are hell bent on performing an extreme makeover on this country; Consititution and individual rights be damned. Theirs is the only way, and the rest of us are either on their side or going to hell.

[Bellamia]

2. No way, Jose.......

am I going to hell even if the Fundies think otherwise. There are millions of us whose perception of what it means to be a Christian is radically different than theirs. Check out the work of John Shelby Spong, retired Episcopalian Bishop, if you need to have ready answers for these Fundies.

[Avalux]

3. You're missing my point -

have you ever tried to have a rational discussion about Christianity with a fundamentalist (born-again) Christian? They don't care about your beliefs or your interpretations of the bible. They will never concede there is another way.

[LuckyTheDog]

4. You are right

And my point, though, was to force them to confront the stupidity of declaring the 10 Commandments to be the "basis for all our laws" while also pretending that such a thing would not fundamentally remake America.

We need to frame the debate with the truth: that these folks want to CHANGE America, not save it, not return it to its roots. They actually want to replace our secular legal traditions with an ill-defined "Bible-based" legal structure.

[Avalux]

5. Speak the truth -

yes, I agree with you completely - every American needs to know these folks want to change America for themselves, not save it. It was evident with the Terri Schiavo case that most Americans do no agree with them, and that's what we need to remember - that gives me hope.

I don't agree however, that we can force the fundies into admitting stupidity; they are a lost cause.

[LuckyTheDog]

6. We can't force them to admit it

But we can "out" their theocratic revolution to the nation.

[johnnomac]

13. Now now.....

There are certainly some "fundies" who are completely competent and rational. While I wouldn't consider myself a fundy, I certainly share many beliefs with them, as far as private life goes. (Beliefs about government, not so much.)

I really think it is unfair that all evangelical Christians are assumed to be rabid Bushites. Especially when many of Bush's policies are so far askew from Jesus' teachings. Now, I grant you there are many who would follow Bush anywhere, believing him to be "God's chosen president" or whatnot, but there are those who are more critical of him.

[wryter2000]

9. I adore Bishop Spong

He has a weekly newsletter for under $50 per year.

[Pizza]

12. I need to go to hell...

...because I will have NO friends in heavon :)

[Freedom_from_Chains]

7. Fundies responce:

Constitution, we don't need no stinking Constitution, we have G-d's word.

[jmcon007]

8. I believe most of the fundies believe that...

the words in the Bible should be taken literally.
In this case ask them if they believe the words in the Bible attributed to God that say, "I am the same yesterday, today, and forever." Of course they will say yes.
At this point ask them if they believe we should revert to the days of Moses when people were put to death for "striking, cursing, or disobeying" their parents, "working on the Sabbath", and eight or 10 other things considered capital crimes then.
In the unlikely event they agree we should have the death penalty for these crimes, ask them if they are prepared to go into shopping malls across the country, drag the employees and owners of Christian bookstores out into the streets and stone them to death.
If they say something like "Well, times have changed....", then it's an easy thing to ask them who and at what point did someone overrule the words of God...who YOU just acknowledged never changes.

Jesus "trapped" the religious literalists in His day with their own words and I believe He would today.

Personally I'm a Christian, but I don't recognize the Christ of the Bible in this group's interpretation.

[ktowntennesseedem]

11. Bingo - fight fire with fire.

You have a terrific arguement there. I doubt it would do more than frustrate the fundy, but that in itself is worth the price of admission. Anytime you can confuse them enough to shut them up, even for a moment, I'll take it!

[Don_1967]

10. Constitution ?

I once saw a tv preacher hold up a bible and this is my Constitution.