poker and christianity

[KeysrSoze]

Dude, the King James version of the bible is the only inerrant translation there is, and should be taken as literal word for word. Jack Chick told me! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[baggins]

oh boy. jack chick.

i hereby apologize for the man and all his misguided tracts.

[sexdrugsmoney]

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Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And as we all know, the bible should be taken literally in all things: it is impossible for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle, so therefore it is impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom (heaven I presume). So a rich degenerate gambler who throws his entire wealth away at the poker table or roulette wheel is just removing an obstacle to his ascendency into heaven.

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Jesus spoke in many parables and a study of the Bible will show it does not speak only literally, but also symbolically/figuratively.

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Oh, and Pat Robertson (whose net worth is estimated to be over $200 million) is going to hell. That is all.

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I'm not sure if Pat Robertson is going to hell or not, as if there is a hell and a God only only he would be able to judge a person's heart as to where they will spend their afterlife.

But Pat Robertson can't complain if he got to heaven and God pimpslapped him for using his ministry to urge the Bush administration to assassinate Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

For those in the dark, Robertson said:

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"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability,"


"We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator," he continued. "It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."

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You can read the rest here.

Hugo Chavez, for those that don't know, is the President of Venezuela. Without going into a bio, people generally have mixed thoughts about Chavez.

He does seem to be very popular in Venezuela with the people (proletariats), but a portion of the country (Bourgeois) despises him because of his democratic socialist policies.

I'll admit I don't know too much about Chavez, nor have I been to the "República Bolivariana de Venezuela" (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) which Chavez with the support of the people renamed to be Venezuela's official name in honor of Simón Bolívar, but it's a very complex scenario.

In a nutshell though:

- Venezuela has oil
- Chavez supplies oil to Fidel Castro (much to the chargrin of the US)
- Chavez wants Latin America to unite (as was Bolívar's plan) in similar to the EU but the US likes Latin America as it is (Latin America has always been exploited since Columbus) discovered it.

Interesting fact, US Ships frequent the area around Venezuela from time to time and Chavez has publically stated that if he is assassinated blame George W. Bush, who Chavez once called a "Pendejo" (Spanish for "Stupid Wanker" or "Stupid [censored]"), so we know Chavez is intelligent. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Ofcourse there are some reports about Chavez being 'crazy' but one must question where these reports are coming from as both the Bourgeois in Venezuela and the US have desire to see Chavez gone and a "Friend of Capitalism" (preferably one that be bribed like so many Latin American presidents that have 'greased the wheels' at the expense of their own people) put in his place.

I reserve my judgement on Chavez, but clearly Pat Robertson didn't, and furthermore he used a Christian Broadcast Network to call for an assassination order, and in the same speech said:

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"(Venezuela under Chavez) ... a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."

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Hang on, isn't a call for an assassination broadcast on a religious network eerily similar to Ayatollah Khomeini's call in 1989 on Radio Tehran for a "Fatwa" on Salman Rusdie because he deemed Rushdie to be against Islam?

But it's ok for a Christian to do it right Robertson? (Jesus - the founder of Christianity - disagrees)

Pat Robertson is what is wrong with Christianity, and so is George Bush, and they both need to buy themselves a clue and read Jacques Ellul's "Anarchy and Christianity" and stop dragging a pacifist religion through the muddy waters of a right wing Government and invoking God for war decisions IMHO.

Perhaps the best thing for Robertson to do is switch denominations to one in which Church and State aren't seperate.

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Robertson's comments were biased, inappropriate, and unecessary IMHO. Jesus said "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" and even the Book of Revelations mentions martyrs who die (passively) for their belief in Jesus under an evil government NOT martyrs who die in a 'jihad' against an evil government or ones that call for an 'assassination' of political leaders. (I'd like to see the biblical basis for Robertson's 'assassination call')

Robertson is why a significant portion of people (especially teenagers) turn away from Christianity because many of them find out the people they listen to on a Sunday lie to them and/or pollute the message by interpolating their own human message between that of a religion. (which IMHO what Robertson has done in this case, and what Bush does everytime a camera is on him)

Yet perhaps the real tragedy here is the Christians who stand by Robertson after his comments, for they are truly sheep, but profess to be 'lambs' of two 'flocks' = Christianity (peace) + Right Wing Cohesion of Church & State. (war)

Oh and for the record this isn't the first time Robertson has done something stupid on record. Post 9/11 Jerry Falwell said homosexuals and their sins caused 9/11 and Robertson agreed with him. (yet later apologized and distanced himself saying he didn't understand what Falwell said)

In all fairness, preachers are men and make mistakes, some mistakes are to be forgiven upon acknowledgement and repentance, others though clearly question whether they are able to provide spiritual leadership to a congregation. (paedophiles and warmongers I'm looking at you)

Sorry for hijacking your thread spaminator101, but I will say that this is in a way "pseudo-applicable" to your situation regarding your Christian friends, who I have no doubt have their hearts in the right place, but let's hope their heads are nodding in agreement with a "Pat Robertson" style preacher.

If so, turn to the "Yellow Pages" and find ye another church with someone who's there to provide spiritual leadership, and not to make sure there's another x number of votes for the party he supports via spiritual pollution.

My 2c.

* Note to Catholics: Believe it or not, I don't mean to offend by posting this picture. The history of Catholicism regarding war is very long, very heavy, and very debatable. That doesn't mean it's a "coin flip" on what road to take in this particular issue though.

I personally believe one cannot be in bed politically with a person like Hitler and profess to follow a canon that contains messages like "I will bless those that bless you, and curse those who curse you" (Regarding the Jewish people - Genesis 12:3) & Jesus' message of love for your fellow man. (Remember, Jesus was of Jewish ethnicity, how can one hold masses in his name while at the same time 'hail' a man who's purpose is to erradicate said ethnicity?)

[TheQ]

I totally agree.

[KeysrSoze]

I was being facetious (in a A Modest Proposal kind of way) in my original post, but I'm glad it inspired that totally awesome rant. I really despise Pat.