Given some of the posts I've seen here and from other life experiences, I agree with Jean-Yves Leloup that Christianity is a misunderstood religion. If only some of the people who claim to stick to the facts or to reason really did... Rosie O'Donnell acts as if fundementialist Christians flew airplanes into the twin towers. She isn't alone. How rational is that? Here is another example of reason failing to serve us. Or our failure to use reason in service to find the Truth.

The problem isn't religion fails to lead people to the "Truth". It is our failure to find the Truth for ourselves.  

I think rigid, literal interpretation of the Bible can be a dangerous thing.   I also agree that Chrisitianity is frequently unfairly attacked by the liberal left. 

I'm a bit confused by the term "radical homosexual."  Homosexuality isn't a revolutionary social or political movement, no matter what Valerie Solonas thought.  Radical anything can be dangerous, be it left, right, or religious, but you can't be radically gay.   Or is a radical homosexual one with strong political views, such as Rosie O'Donnell?  Is George W. then a radical heterosexual? 

In my life, I have personally felt more threatened by fundamentalist Christians.  Im not scared of terrorists, no matter what the government wants me to think.   It does directly affect me in my daily life when I feel separation of church and state is threatened, so in that regard. the bible thumpers are more threatening to my freedom than suicide bombers.   

Yeah, well, what I meant to say was check out this website for a rundown on the past five months worth of Muslim religious violence in the world. Then I'd like Rosie to show me anything similar with Christian driven violence. (Not violence by those who are nominally Christians but those acting in the name of Christianity) Is this really even worthy of serious debate in the year 2006?

PS  Just a little photographic image of a few Islamic extremists gathering in a rally to celebrate their heady recent "victory" over Israel.  Pause for thought.  Something's happening here...

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I'm sure it was more along the lines of 'to get the young to be more accepting of other choices by exposing them to homosexuality'   Seriously.  It's a very sad misconception that this translates into wanting to "turn" anyone gay.  And if it's wrong to expose children to homosexuality, then it's wrong to expose them to any kind of sexuality at all- which is ultimately impossible. 

One reason why gay teens grow up depressed and confused is because the Christian Right (and friends) sends these very oppressive messages that being gay means you're some kind of reject. 

http://members.tripod.com/~aquarianzone/hetquiz.html

This is just a quiz that demonstrates how ridiculous and insidious homophobia is.     

x-ray
if your back's against the wall, turn around and write on it...

No, that isn't what she meant at all.  What she meant is what I said.   But you never see gay people portrayed that way in movies or the Media.  Well, actually you did in 80's movies, LOL  But look at how you see Christains potrayed in the movies.  I am not saying that all gay people share this woman's view point.  I think that less than 1% do.  But also the point I am making is that not all Christians spend their time stoning people at funerals or blowing up clinics, but that is what the news would like for you to believe, unless something really bad happens then maybe you will you see a postive story about Christains.  I am not including the 700 club because I think it goes to the opposite extreme.

I mean think of a movie like Saved.  I know it is a black comedy and it is suppose to show what is wrong with a system, but think if Christains made a similar movie but pointing out streotypes about people.  You would never hear the end of it.  Or think of a movie like Broke Back Mountain.  What if the movie was about two Christian men and the harrassment they face because they are Christian.  Also the orginal ending of Saved.  The main girl in it.  I forget her name was suppose to go into the school and shoot everyone.  Kind of saying that Christians caused the school shootings.  But it is actually the opposite.  In most school shooting cases I have heard about the shooters had extreme hatred toward Christians and Jewish people.

Actually they are. 

I think it's fair to say that the world- culture in general- jumps to the defense of the gay cause because Christians have already had their centuries of intolerance in the sun. You really don't think that crazy Baptist lady got more media attention than all those priests who molested little boys, or John Wayne Gacy for that matter? Both are sick, but don't represent a dangerous ("less than 1%," as you say) radical group.

As for the Christian Brokeback style plot you mentioned, there's no market for a movie like that. It's absurd. A movie about oppressed Christians (perhaps Christians who had to battle the system for their right to hate gay people?) would be about as easy to empathize with as a movie about white CEOs who were really upset about affirmative action. Conversely, Malcolm X was a powerful film.

(perhaps Christians who had to battle the system for their right to hate gay people?)

Yeah, they are a large and scary force in America today!  Kinda like that preacher with NO congregation but who was "popularized" by Daily Kos and Air America. You know, the guy who carries a sign reading "God Hates Fags." I daresay he'd have no attention at all from Christians if the Christianaphobes of the Left were not so obsessed with seeking out "conspicuous" examples of gay bashing church folk.

Absurd.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Which was exactly my point.  But they are scary to people like Ms. O'Donnell. 

Just to be clear, a dramatic movie about Christians who feel picked on still would only appeal to Christians who feel picked on.  

I'm with rainbow - I got a parking ticket off a Seikh bloke the other day - and in my world that makes more impact that terrorist attacks overseas.

So Seikhs are just as bad as Fundamentalist Islamic Terrorists.

Regarding a movie about oppressed Christians. In the West, a film about comtemporary Christians who are oppressed would appear absurd. However, there is more to the world than North America and Western Europe. In many parts of the Middle East, Africa and the Far East Christians live with a great deal of oppression. 1 story I read a few years ago, in the southern part of Egypt, local Muslim tribesmen kidnapped about 2,500 Christian women for slavery. When the local Coptic bishop complained to the judge with jurisdiction, he was arrested for trying to start a riot.

In the USSR, not too many years ago, the communists (aka athetists) murdered millions of Christians. And Jews and any other religious people they could find. Then there are all the sad examples of Christians oppressing each other. Such a film is possible if you put it in another part of our world.

Okay first off who said anything about the system being gay people.  And Christians hating them.  Making a statemate like that just proves that you have a phobia of Christians.  You think all Christians hate gay people.  Saying that only Christians would see a movie about Oppressed Christians is like saying only black people would like Roots or only Jewish people would like Schindler's List.  If it is the Moral Majority then why is that you can't pray in public schools?  Why can you have these huge Greek and Roman stautues in buildings and call it history but can't have the ten commandments in buildings.  Why can you be arrested by praying in certain places.  Do you think if it was the moral mojority that the murder rate would be what it is or that we would have as much porn as we do.  If you look at moves of God like during the days of Evan Roberts.  The murder rate and crime rate went down.  The prositution houses became houses of prayer.  People would leave work early to have time to go to the revival meetings.

You talked about Rosie being scared of some Christians well what if Christians are scared of some gay people. What is the difference?

I've always preferred Eric Roberts to his famous sister Julia though I understand he is the kiss of death to any film.  At a recent seminar on independent films, one producer claimed there are three things a distributor never wants to hear about a film project:

1.  Eric Roberts

2.  Eric Roberts

3.  Eric Roberts

I think that's so unfair.  They used to say the same thing about Mickey Rourke and I like him too.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I. I'm saying Christians (in the West) aren't an oppressed minority, so it wouldn't be a human interest story that elicits empathy.

II. The name "Moral Majority" was something they decided to call themselves. They exert an enormous influence on US culture. Look at the MPAA. (And watch This Movie Has Not Yet Been Rated) Look at the Republican Party (no offense, Republicans.) Thankfully, there's a balance between the Falwell followers and the godless heathens.

III. No one is worshiping Greek and Roman statues. Thanks to Christianity, those are dead religions. It's now considered fine art and history, as is DaVinci's The Last Supper. Moses' tablets are considered sacred and belong in the Vatican. The Commandments aren't quite cultural history yet- they're still a contemporary rule book that Christians follow and belong in churches. I think freedom of prayer is important, but so is freedom from prayer.

IV. Gays and Christians as groups- not individuals, as there are gay Christians- may always be to some extent scared of one another. A sad fact of the world is that people tend to be scared of people who aren't like them. But homosexuals don't hope to "save" heterosexuals from their straight lifestyles like Christians hope to do to atheists and other 'lost souls.' It's invasive and it's off putting. That's the difference.

This is a pretty interesting Wikipedia entry on the Ten Commandments.  I think the last seven are pretty universal among the religious and non-religious in civilized society. 

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

1)  Christians in the West are oppressed in many ways. 

2) Again you are putting all christians in the same catagory.  Something you become upset about when Christians do it to other groups of people.

3) Who said anything about worshiping the ten commandments.  I agree somewhat on the prayer.  I think if Christians prayed more there would be no need for prayer in school etc... because society would change like it has done so in the past.

4) You say homosexuals and christians are groups.  Homosexuals say they were born that way.  Why can't christians use the same argument.  That they are born again that way.  Not just a belief system, but you become a new person.  And many homosexuals are trying to save christians from their christian lifestyle.