Are there any Jews on this board?

Well, no, you are. Or you are at least trying like hell.

Put another way,
How many people would have to tell you how wrong you are in your beliefs about THEM before you'll stop posting walls of bullshit based on your assumptions about what YOU believe about Luther?

I'm just one person but I can do it enough for whatever number you set if it will save us all some time.

 

Why don't you simply find the part or parts of what I'm posting that you disagree with and say why rather than calling my posts "walls of bullshit"? Hasbeens has managed to do that without the apparent frustration you're having with me. He's agreed with some things I've said, disagreed with others, and said that others aren't as cut and dry as I portray them, and I can appreciate all that.

 

Why bother? Someone did it for you in another thread too and here you are again. Plus, I asked you to stop assuming in another thread. How well did that work out?

Same shit. Different day. In a Jewish thread this time even.

So, that's my point. Let it go. We know you think Protestantism sucks now. Thanks for sharing. Imma gonna go and convert now.

 

Just a note on this (and I'm going on my High School memory here and experiences during my time in England as a youngster), there is a historical link regarding money lending and the Jews. In England around 1066 (around the time of the Battle of Hastings), in an effort to discourage Judaism and Jewish migration to England, it was illegal for Jews to work in many industries - except tailoring, shoe repairers and money lenders. So, of course began the impression that Jews were misers, tight with their dosh etc.

Carry on...I just thought I'd add that .

 

I wasn't attempting to define "cult;" I was just pointing out that rituals are widespread & not at all indicative of whether or not a particular group is considered a cult.

However, cult is one of those words that can be applied differently depending on your point of view. The primary definition of "cult" on dictionary.com is "a religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader." By that definition, it seems that any majority can consider any minority a cult. Semantics.

I do agree with you that religion is used as a tool by those in control to manipulate the populace--not just to promote the religion itself, but to acquire & consolidate power for the head honchos.

I think the history of the Christian church would be a fascinating subject to get into, but we can leave that for another thread.

Thanks, HG, I had no idea

That's why I come here--to learn stuff I didn't know & get new perspectives on things

 

You can't just say "stop assuming" without being specific about what I'm assuming and why it's an incorrect assumption. As far as I can tell, all you've done so far is follow me into threads and tell me I'm full of shit. I don't find that meaningful or productive. Obviously, we're each going to apply our own judgements and opinions to the unprovables like whether something is spiritually right or wrong, but if I'm wrong in my historical perspective on this, I'd like to know. I never said Protestantism sucks, I said that when you look at religions, most of them have many earmarks of what are considered cults, but Protestantism has specifically attempted to strip itself of all things that make it look like a cult. Hasbeens agreed with me on this. I went further to say that without the things that seem cult-like, it's not really a "religion" anymore, but a very generalized belief system with no real structure or organization. That's how and why it came up in this thread and you are free to disagree, but if you're too upset to do so coherently, then stay out of the thread.

 

It's a business

 

I shouldn't comment on this because it's not about Judaism and I'll just get in trouble, but...

Not for everyone involved, but the lack of structure certainly promotes the ability for individual pastors/entrepreneurs and churches to turn it into a business, and the way churches are popping up in strip malls and advertising on TV would support that. And of course, you're widening your potential market considerably by telling people the only thing they have to do to join and tithe to them is to "be saved". You could argue that the Catholic church is nothing more than a business because they own so much real estate, but there's no room in it's structure for the clergy to actually profit, so that takes away one potential source of insincerity from the religious experience that happens at the parishioners' level. But like I said, no religion is immune to corruption, but without a strong connection to it's origins, a religion doesn't have the means to notice when it happens or correct it, and it's doubly difficult with no governing body.

 

church goers need to unionize

 

My sincerest apologies for not providing a more scholarly response to an argument that boils down to this: