Wingnuts Praying for Obama's Death

No, they won't speak out about it because it's not big news! There's always wackjobs within every belief system, and if Christians had to apologize for every single idiot who happens to be a Christian that'd take forever. Sure, they may be using their religious beliefs as an excuse for their hatred, but that still does not mean Christians in general hold these extremist views.Most evangelical Christians would be as appalled as you are by these pastors, and I know plenty of fundamentalists. If the point of your OP was to show that Christians are all deranged hatemongerers, then it served you poorly that you chose a fringe extremist movement for your example.Respectfully,-Meldinoor

I didn't say it's not a big deal. I'm just saying it's nothing new. Nutjobs are, sadly, a part of any society. The reason these nutjobs get away with what they're saying is because we have freedom of speech, and nobody really takes them seriously.Christians (in general, and in my experience) are not "protecting" them just because they're Christians. Christians come in a variety of denominations, and individuals have differing opinions on political issues, and just about every issue you can think of. I think most Christians would disagree with the extremists you've cited, but I doubt if many would feel outraged because they exist.Think about it. With all the differing denominations and points of view among the Christian religion, each individual Christian already disagrees with just about every other Christian on the planet, to some extent. Joe the Presbyterian probably thinks the Mormons are a bunch of heretics, the Catholics a bunch of pope-worshipers, and Jim Jones a quacky cult leader. When little old Joe hears of pastor Drake and his hate speech against Obama, he's just gonna shake his head and lump this guy in with the rest of the oddball "Christians" that aren't really "Proper Christians" anyway.As for the congregations quacks like Drake serve, I imagine they've gotta be as weird in the head as he is, and hopefully they do not represent a substantial demographic of religous people.Respectfully,-Meldinoor

If you are claiming that all evangelical Christians who wear their beliefs on their sleeves support the murder of doctors, and the assassination of liberal presidents, then be prepared to back up your statement with fact.In the real world, there are plenty of door knocking, evangelizing, openly religious people who are not extremists (at least, within the context of this discussion).You are being paranoid, my friend. Extremists, like Scott Roeder, or these crazy pastors are a threat, make no mistake about it! But they're not representative of the general religious population.Respectfully,-Meldinoor

We should be seeing People getting together to protest these kinds of things. Don't lump all the blame onto the Christian population when a few conmen decide to make money off of gullible believers' emotions.And as I said in my response to Hooah: I agree that these are scandalous scumbags. I think the violent extremists are a serious threat. I just think Hooah is wrong to smear Christianity for having a few quacks. I'm sure you both could find plenty of more legit ways to express your fear of religous people.Respectfully,-Meldinoor

Cool down a little, bro. Just because I'm trying to be the voice of reason here, doesn't mean I support hate speech and murder. Curiously, I know and grew up among lots of evangelical Christians who are outspoken about their beliefs, and not one of them has ever killed anyone. I think everyone of them would be just as opposed to killing abortion doctors or Obama, even though I know many of them disagree with the president. Why aren't they rioting in the street right now because of some crazy extremist pastor in Orange County? Gee, I don't know. Has Fox News done a report on the guy? Because until media really starts spinning this, I doubt if they'll know about it. The world where your average churchgoer is not a drooling lunatic off to kill the president. Oh I see. Now I'm an extremist. I, with liberal leanings and pro-choice sentiments, am apparently a murder advocate because I happen to believe that most evangelical Christians are not dangerous (maybe a bit deluded at worst). I thought that was the purpose of this thread, to show how dangerous fundies are by demonstrating an extreme. You claim they are "bad press for [Christianity]", which indeed they would be if every single person saw their actions as an example of Christianity, rather than fundamentalism taken to the extreme. While we both may think Sarah Palin is a media whore, and disagree with her on her politics, this is not the kind of fundy we're talking about in this thread. AFAIK, she has not advocated killing doctors or the president. While it might upset you that there are people in this country who hold opposing views, lumping them in with dangerous madmen is hardly fair.Respectfully,-Meldinoor

A lot of gullible and ignorant people would see ID in the classroom. And many, if not most evangelicals (I'm too tired right now to look up exact stats, so I'm just going by personal experience), fall into the category of being ignorant of evolution.
This is a serious problem, but it is not born of malice like hate speech and murder.I think where we differ is that I look at Christians on the scale of the individual, while you're look at them as a large cohesive monolithic group (which they are in some respects). While I would not like to share a neighbourhood with pastor Drake, I don't mind living in the same house with creationists. Creationists impede the betterment of education on the larger scale, but that doesn't necessarily make them bad as individuals. But a person who threatens to kill anyone is an evil person, in my opinion.A herd of sheep can be a drag when they start plowing off in the wrong direction. They might ruin the farmer's day. But the sheep can be redirected back to the pen if shown the way. A vicious goat intent on killing the shepherd is more dangerous, and must be disabled or removed. I think many fundamentalist evangelicals are sheep, not goats, ignorant, not malicious, generally good people, not murderers.I believe the ID movement is a crippling one, dangerous and misleading. But ultimately, I'm confident that enough minds will be changed, and the evolution debate will be settled in the public eye, even among fundamentalists. But I doubt we will ever be rid of the violent nutjobs. Exactly! And most fundamentalists that I know are not for reinstating stoning as a punishment for homosexuals. The Bible says a lot of things that most fundies don't seem to even realize are in there. We both disagree with her politics. You disagree with her because she is a favourite of religious fundies and is one herself. You extend this to mean she represents the extreme views of pastor Drake, and other dangerous religious individuals. If this is not so, then I don't see how she pertains to this discussion.Respectfully,-Meldinoor