(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Christianity’s Defective DNA and Gays [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-17 In 312, Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. In 380 AD, Roman Emperor Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica, declaring Christianity the Roman Empire’s official religion. How much does Christianity owe to Roman civilization rather than to the Bible or Jesus? Here are two clues. One, the Christianity of 380 AD had a Sunday Sabbath rather than the Saturday Sabbath of Jesus. Two, it had changed the name of God’s only begotten son from the Hebrew “Yeshua” to a Roman name. Like “Marcus,” “Aurelius,” “Brutus,” and “Augustus,” “Jesus” is a Roman name. Of course, it’s possible a religion that effectively leads people to God was foremost in the mind of the emperors. But isn’t it more likely that issues of state, such as control of the populace, were their more pressing concern? Would Rome have made a religion which did not serve its needs its official religion? Since 380 AD, Christianity has faithfully served the needs of the state. For instance, Saint Augustine (354 to 430 AD) described the “Just War” doctrine, which states the conditions which must be met for a Christian to morally participate in a war. Since the time of Saint Augustine, how many wars have any mainstream Christian denomination declared immoral and forbade believers from fighting? I have found exactly zero. Christianity has traditionally given carte blanche to the state for its wars. This is exactly what we should expect if the needs of the state are in Christianity’s DNA. What would a state want in a religion? First of all, obedience to state, i.e., obedience to itself, obedience to authority. The Christian learns a slavish obedience to authority at an early age. “Here is the Bible, God’s very own Word,” says the preacher. “The Bible says ‘serpent’ but don’t believe your eyes because when God wrote ‘serpent,’ God meant ‘Satan.’ You must believe me rather than your own eyes.” What better way to teach obedience to authority? Jesus condemns oaths clearly and emphatically. The preacher says oaths are OK with God. Christians follow the preacher; they follow authority rather than the plain teachings of Jesus. Second, to survive, a state must have subjects willing to fight wars. The list of wars fought between two Christian states over the past 2,000 years is a very long list. The list of wars declared unjust, immoral, and not permissible for a Christian to fight is an exceeding short list. Lastly, rich and powerful rulers of state are often interested in their own welfare rather than the welfare of the populace in general. A populace worried about and feeling guilty over their sexuality is easier to control that a confident populace who realize their own power. So, we find that morality for the Christian focuses on sexual morality. But does God really have the same obsessive concern as do preachers with sexual morality, with contraception, pre-marital sex, and masturbation? The teachings of Jesus emphasize a different type of morality. Feed the hungry, heal the sick, give to the poor. The teachings emphasize a concern for the well-being of fellow human beings. A country that gives tax breaks to the rich but provides inadequate medical care for many is a country ruled to benefit the rich and powerful. A morality concerned with sexuality does not threaten to upset the state or the status quo. A morality concerned with social justice does. Which is why Liberation Theology, a theology concerned with social justice, has found so little favor in mainstream Christian denominations. A better morality would demand a country run for the benefit of the many rather than the benefit of the few. If Christians were concerned with “supply chain morality”—the morality of concern for the people who work in sweatshops, the child laborers, and the underpaid people who provide our goods and services—the world would be a much different place. But supply chain morality does not serve the needs of the rich and powerful heads of state, who benefit from cheap labor and who care little for the needs of the average person. Focusing on sexual morality, on the other hand, fills people with guilt; people who feel guilty and inadequate are easier to control than those who have confidence in themselves. And people who accept their preacher claim that God’s very own Word says “serpent” but really means “Satan” are not likely to contradict authority. Thus, we have the spectacle of a singing group being “too immoral” to appear as a “Christian” college. But suppose a certain once powerful politician wanted to visit the college, a politician who is a poster boy for The Seven Cardinal Sins. I speak, of course, of Donald Trump, to whom pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth are old friends. I have no doubt the “Christian” college would all but fall on their knees and kiss his feet. P.S. The above is from a manuscript I’m working on. Title: “Defending God: Believe in God no matter what religion says.” Present draft version available to anyone interested. Message me. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/17/2153476/-Gays-and-Christianity-s-Defective-DNA Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/