DITTO

I wonder why people are able to see TV evangelists as scams but fail to see politicians and NEWS agents as such?

Media, advertising and commercials are full of charlatans that most accept readily.

People see scams whenever an authority is saying what they do not want to hear or believe

OR

when they perceive other imperfect humans to be 'judging' them

our culture is equally suspect of 'evangelism' as it is 'politics' , in my experience

making it difficult to speak or debate about either topic,,,

I got fed up with others telling me what I should or should not believe. That is why I no longer watch media hype.
It gives me a realistic view on the world around me.
I choose which products I use because I want it, not because someone else tells me I need it.
I form my own opinions based on what I see and believe not on some person that is a so-called authority says I need to believe.

Most of the stuff that floods the media is nothing more than someone elses opinion or belief. It exists to get people concerned about things that have nothing to do with them.

Save this, save that. Nevermind that it may never be part of your life experience. Get all worked up over this, demand that. Don't need it or want that crap in my life. I'm calm and content without it.

stuff happens and we react to stuff that happens.

opinions are good to share, opinions should assist us in the soul enhancing task of 'walking in someone elses shoes'

how much those opinions impact us is a part of the human experience and we always are free to agree or disagree

I never feel like anyones opinion is 'telling me' what to feel myself, at the end, that is always coming from me and my own experiences as well as those of people I trust and love,,,

the problem with that is thAt some people can't see the difference between opinion and fact... that's why we are having so many problems right now...

amen to that

glad you agree...

Jim Baker? That guy is still around?

lol, he is only 77 actually

I also agree.

I also understand that many opinions are based on emotions and even those emotion based opinions open our minds to diversity in the human condition.

Sometimes, for some discussions, the emotional impact can override the facts and enlighten one to concepts the facts are inadequet to express.

It is our opinions that allow us to go beyond the facts to enable empathy. Subjects based on facts only tend to get dry and limited in scope. Facts inspire no imagination and the concepts that are born from imagination.

Facts stagnate and close discussions. Opinions and imagination inspires discussion.

Facts are good but opinion is good too.

I like facts... no arguments with facts

Where's the fun in that?

lol.. I guess it depends on who's arguing...

I'm saying that what Jim Baker is saying has nothing to do with politics per se - I'm saying he's an angry self righteous extremist. His acting that way has nothing at all to do with left or right wing protesters. he's basing his prediction on his personal religious beliefs and his arragance and ignorance. Your bringing up hoodlums is off topic. Read the initial post again.

ummm..who is causing the problems right now? is it the left or right? the left is the the ones calling for impeachment, not the right... everything he says makes sense, for the fact the right wont tolerate it... and, which side is more fundamental about god? his term christens may be wrong, but it has a deeper meaning...

it is interesting that freedom from religious persecution has evolved into a culture that socially persecutes religion,,smh

I always took it to be a quest for a place where people could FREELY worship or not, without government interference telling them what to worship or keeping them from worshipping what they chose,,,

Likewise for me as well.

Freedom is a fickle animal.
You have
Freedom TO...
and Freedom FROM...

In the middle there is a clash that causes conflict.
When the Freedom TO practice a religion is made public it conflicts with other's Freedom FROM religion. And...Vice versa.

Some freedoms are inherent to private and when made public they conflict with other's freedoms.

Religious freedom, one of our nation's founding freedoms is the right to worship whatever religion you wish, if any. It also give one the right to not be subjected to any religion.

In a social structure like the United States, government is not restricted to political or authority entities. The media also shapes the society.

When any religious or anti-religious public presence is broadcast it affects someone's freedom.
I have the right to live free of Christian influence.
I have the right to live free of Catholic influence.
I have the right to live free of Pagan influence.
I have the right to live free of Satanist influence.
I have the right to live free of any religious influence.
I have the right to practice any religion I choose.

The only way to provide the same freedom to all is to make religious matters completely private.
That just can't happen in today's world of media overload.
The result is turmoil like this.

all religious people think they are right and everyone else is wrong...

I disagree. I was born and raised Christian and I still am. I have many friends that aren't. We respect that is our belief. The problem isn't with a religion. It is with the fanatics. TV evangelists are bad. They have tons of money. The way I was raised is WWJD. Reminds me of the Ray Stevens song "would Jesus wear a Rolex"