Can We have a Civil Discussion about Abortion?

[Chuck Naill]

... Do you have a specific question?

What? No. I answered your question.

You wrote, " I really don't think you have to look outside of Christianity to find the familiar faces of every kind of evil ever perpetrated upon humanity." What was your point? That only Christians perpetrate evil?

No, of course not "only Christians" commit evil.

Your question that started this contained the unspoken presumption that you were not familiar with whatever "ideology" (your word) produced a policy of removing the children for adoption from a war zone. You seemed flummoxed by some "ideology" unfamiliar to you that would produce this practice. I thought about the question and the assumption and remembered that Putin is not only the leader of a country but also a professed born again Christian. The irony of this struck me so hard that I answered your question with the additional information that Putin's "ideology" is not so foreign or unfamiliar: he is a sexist, bigoted, white nationalist Christian male in one of the most powerful positions on the planet. This is actually FAMILIAR to us, no? Democracy and Christianity also both promote powerful systemic behaviors that, when they go unchecked, look just like what is happening with those children. Let's remember, for example, that the Nazis got their academic training on eugenics theory from Christian Americans in American universities.

No, evil is not "only" in Christianity. But when mixed with Christian (or any religion's) ideas of exceptionalism and with institutional power, the inherent evil of humanity is amplified and spreads.

There is no irony when compared to the message of Jesus, "rethink/reconsider what you've thought was true, the Kingdom of Heaven is right in front of your nose", my paraphrase. It is important to distinguish Christianity as a brand with discipleship/an apprenticeship with Jesus. This is his message to the early followers, and it has not changed. Someone can be a Christian, whatever that means to you, and not be a Christian. It is also probable that one could be a disciple and not a Christian. Just because someone, like Putin, performs a horrible act and then claims to be a "born again Christian", if he did, means nothing except to those unfamiliar with what Jesus taught. I mean no disrespect to your views on Putin or knowledge of Christianity, but it should not be confusing to anyone remotely familiar with what Jesus said and taught such as loving your neighbor as you love yourself and treating others as you would have them treat you. Both of these teachings would indicate that Putin has a different ideology that he is choosing to employ.