What They Think of Us: Adolf Hitler

“Christianity is an invention of sick brains; one could imagine nothing more senseless.” Adolf Hitler

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;  (1 Corinthians 1:23-27)

Why I Sometimes Post Shocking Things on This Blog

Some web pages and sources referenced on this blog may shock you. Some may contain profanity, hostile attitudes, offensive images, and other disturbing elements. As Christians, we need to know about these things.  It is short-sighted to be like the proverbial ostrich and “hide our heads in the sand.” (See the note at the end of this post.)

 

I never edit sources which I quote here because I believe we are all big boys and girls.  Jesus said, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)

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Ostriches do not actually bury their heads in the sand. http://www.ostriches.org/factor.html#head

Escapism Has No Place in the Church

Recently, at work, I went to supper expecting to watch the evening news on the break room television.  The television was turned off and everyone in the room was looking down.  No one was talking to anyone.  They were all focused on their personal devices: iPhones, iPads, Kindles, etc.  I did not want to be rude and to disturb them, so I did not turn on the television.  

None of them looked up or acknowledged that I had entered the room; they were each in their own little world, shut off from everything and everyone else around them.  One was reading Facebook posts.  Another was playing a TETRIS-like game in which the falling items were various pieces of candy.

On another night, the other person in the room was already watching a rerun of the comedy series Seinfeld instead of the news.  Seinfeld can be hilarious, but the creators and actors involved with the series have been totally honest in declaring that it is “a television show about nothing.”

There is nothing inherently wrong with games, social media, or funny television programs, but they can become “wrong”when they are used as shelters,  What all of these people had in common was that they were “escaping.”  They were withdrawing into comfortable little corners where the world could not touch them.  None of them was curious at all about what was going on in the outside world.

I had object proof of this one night when I did have the televison set on the evening news.  There was a story about the dedication ceremony of our new hospital building.  One of my co-workers inquired, “Who is that man?”  The man was the governor of the state in which we live.

Christians are not immune to this.  I understand and agree with the separatist impulse among conservative Christians.  Indeed, we are told to be in the world but not of the world and to come out from among them.  We are told to be holy (meaning separated for God) because God is holy. (Leviticus 11:44, 19:2, Isaiah 52:11, James 4:4, 2 Corinthians 6:17, 1 Peter 1:6)

Some Christians make the mistake of carrying this to such extremes that they remove themselves from any meaningful involvement in the outside world.  They use the church and church activities as an escape.  This, in effect, removes them from many opportunities to share the Gospel.   We have been told to go into all the world and to spread the Gospel to all nations.  We are also told to be aware of what is going on around us: to be as wise as serpents but as gentle as doves. (Mark 16:15, Matthew 10:16)

The Senility Prayer

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
 The courage to change the things I can,
 And wisdom to know the difference.”

The first known appearance of this short prayer is in a 1943 sermon by the American Christian theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971).  It is popularly known as the Serenity Prayer.

Recently, I found a copy of a parody of the Serenity Prayer called the Senility Prayer.  As an aging person myself, I found the prayer to be amusing.  I am aware that it is not a Christian prayer.

“Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.” 

Make a Joyful Noise

“If you can’t sing good, sing loud.”  Forrest Gump (The fictional idiot savant of the book, Forrest Gump (1986), and the same named, Oscar winning film, (1994).)  From the book, Gumpisms. The Wit and Wisdom of Forrest Gump, 1994.

  

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. " Psalm 98:4

Fundies Say the Darndest Things!

Fundies Say the Darndest Things! (a title stolen from Art Linkletters' television program, Kids Say the Darnedest Things!) is another one of the Christian-hater websites which seem to be all over the internet. The word, "fundies: is a derisive shortening of the the label, fundamentalist. The website claims to have the world's largest collection of what it calls "hilarious, bizarre, ignorant, bigoted, and terrifying" quotations from Christian blogs, forums, etc. The problem with this website is that the quotations are exactly what fstdt says that they are. People!!!!!  Don't give them any ammunition!  They already think that you are idiots. Christians should be in the intellectual forefront of discussions on every topic, not running around saying stupid things.


There is a saying that it is better to remain silent, and be thought stupid, than to open your mouth and prove it. This has been attributed to numerous people: George Eliot, Confucius, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Samuel Johnson, Benjamin Franklin, Socrates, etc. Actually, the saying probably originated from a mangled mis-quotation of Proverbs 17:28. " Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: [and] he that shutteth his lips [is esteemed] a man of understanding."