Visitor: Monergism said, "How many people are being killed by Christians right now? If none then why bring it up? It seems his concerns are wildly misplaced." (a line from essay Are Evangelicals Upset with Obama for Accurately Recounting History?)
Proof you are too busy keeping tabs on Muslims and pretending Christians are progressive and infallible in 2015. If you took a closer look, you'd see the damage Christian philosophy (as a religion, not the teachings of Christ) are doing. Keep up with Uganda? How about Russia? The treatment of LGBT doesn't really count, because they're wrong right? You know you can get away with killing somebody for being gay in Uganda because it's justified by the Bible? Don't be hypocritical and don't rationalize. There are Christians who are peaceful, and there are Muslims who are peaceful- and there are others from both who are dangerous. It's not just beheadings and bombings that do damage to society. And also, Christians weren't completely central to the change in civil rights and revolution- there were a lot of progressive non-believers as well, but take all the credit for that too.
Response: Thanks for your comment. But it seems you did not bother to really read the whole article. It did NOT say ALL Muslims were violent. It was an essay about consistency. If I did not make this clear enough in the article, not only are Muslim's human beings just like me, but there are millions of Muslims who are, no doubt, morally upright citizens. The article even declared that most Muslims hospitality puts me to shame and I am sure they surpass me in other areas of morality as well. Furthermore, no doubt, many non-believers off all kinds are better citizens and more moral than I - in countless ways. Non-believers have done many great things for mankind. Many beautiful aspects of the world we live in have been brought forth by those which are unredeemed by God's grace. God has gifted natural men and women with the skill to create beautiful music, create just governments and laws, make profound works of art, to invent intricate machines and do countless things that are productive, excellent and praiseworthy, and this includes gay people. Clearly there were non-believers who also played a role in dismantling the injustice of our past. To somehow think we believe otherwise is to profoundly misunderstand what Christians affirm to be true. And if you read carefully, the article did not make any excuses for Christians who have committed atrocities but acknowledged them. And even said, but for the grace of God I would all do the same things. The seed of sin lives in me as well and the capability to committing the worst sins is not beyond me, or any of us, if we are honest. Let this sink in: We are not better than you. I will say it again: We are not better than you.
As far as Obama's talk is concerned, it was inappropriate, not because Christians haven't done bad things or are incapable of doing evil, but because as countless peaceful Christians are being marched off to genocide the President, directing his comments to American Christians at a prayer breakfast, decided that this was the most opportune time to give these Christians a history lesson. It makes about as much sense as Winston Churchill if he were to have declared, "The Jews are being exterminated in the death camps of Auschwitz .. but lest you Jews get on your high horse, remember your part in the atrocities you committed in the 1st century when you killed Jesus and his early followers." Fact is that would be a non sequitur and be totally out of place for Churchill to declare. Currently there is a near genocide of Christians in parts of the world and Obama seems concerned that Christians get on their high horse? Excuse me.
Regarding your comment about putting homosexuals to death being justified by the Bible ... you seem so focused on your own cause that you seem wholly unaware that there are a VAST array of sins which were punishable by death in Old Testament Law. The list of capital crimes is so comprehensive that justice required in the Old Testament would likely sweep up everyone on earth. When I read those laws I know that I personally deserve to be among those who are put to death. Here are just a sampling of acts punishable by death in the Old Testament: Cursing Parents (Leviticus 20:9); Working on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:15); Premarital Sex (Deuteronomy 22:20); Disobedience to Parents (Deuteronomy 21:18); Child Sacrifice (Deut 18:10); Witchcraft (Exodus 22: 18); Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16); Apostasy and Enticement to others to worship false gods (Deuteronomy 12:6); Homosexual acts (Leviticus 20:13); Adultery (Leviticus 20: 10-12) ...the list goes on and on (and includes even some seemingly lesser offenses).
The Israelites were not chosen by God because they were more righteous than other peoples. God told them, "Do not say in your hearts, 'it is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land', ... for you are a stubborn people ... But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery; Leviticus 20:15 (Deut 9:4,7; 7:8)
In fact, the Israelites were deserving of death just like the other nations, but God, in His sheer mercy, chose them to be the nation to fulfill God's redemptive promise in Genesis 3:15 to send a Savior who will crush the serpent's head and take the punishment upon himself. The Israelites were a stubborn people and disobeyed God and God took many of their lives. The others were provided Levitical sacrifices which pointed to the future sacrifice of the Messiah. Animals could not take away human sin but were used as a sign, a shadow which pointed to Christ.
Please consider that a fact quickly glossed over is that we all die ... and death is the just punishment for ALL of our rebellion against God - rebellion from every single human being. So do LGBT people deserve to die for their sin? Yes they do and so do I. But for the grace of God in Jesus Christ we all deserve to die. It is just that we all die. But for this very reason God sent His Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah. As Savior, He absorbed the just penalty for our sin upon Himself for all who look to Him in faith.
Are we Gentiles any better? Is it because we are now more "progressive", as you say, that we don't put people to death. No. Jesus came to bear sin for Jews and Gentiles. Death remains the just penalty for all sin. (Romans 6:23) But, thanks be to God, Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf delays justice, not only for LGBT people but for us all. It is now an age of mercy wherein we are to proclaim to the world the good news that their sin can be forgiven in Jesus Christ. There is no sin too deep that grace is not deeper still ... and this includes your sin if you trust in Christ. But to those who worship the false idols of their hearts (any God-replacement) take heed ... Jesus will soon be invading with His armies and will overthrow his enemies and all injustice with the breath of His mouth. Those who continue in their sin He will tread them the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty (Revelation 19:15). But He is now offering pardon in advance of His invasion to all those who receive Him (John 1:12, 13). He summons people from every tribe, ethnic background, religion and nation. Those who are joined to Him now before He invades will be considered His ally and He will raise them up to be co-heirs with Christ as sons. The alternative is to be under the wrath of the king. We herald this announcement: that the True King is on the throne and he'll be invading and because of his substitutionary death on the cross grants forgiveness to all who trust in Him. Justice delayed is not justice denied ... it is because of God's mercy that He Himself bore our sin on that tree and the delay means He is merciful and giving human beings ample time to repent.
If you took the time to understand Christianity you would stop thinking yourself or LGBT peoples to be singled out as the victim(s) and you would understand that Christians are not forgiven because they are better or more moral than you. You are obviously getting your theology from the news and your activist friends and not from the bible. Take a few moments to listen and, even if you still disagree with us, you might have a better understanding and so not make such grave misrepresentations of our beliefs. We are sinners like you and we all need forgiveness.
Now, just to cover a couple more comments you made. Get this straight, the most theologically conservative Christians are not interested in violence against LGBT people. We are here to point out how people of all backgrounds can be rescued. The media, following the rhetoric in your camp, use the terms "homophobia" and "hate" way too liberally, applying it to anyone who simply disagrees with you. The accusations of homophobia are so frequent that it just sounds like crying wolf now. There really are people out there who are homophobic and really do hate LGBT folks. Learn to differentiate between those who have a desire to physically harm you or call you names with those who simply believe homosexuality is morally wrong. The difference is profound. We are all in the same boat and need mercy just like you. We are merely trying to help rescue as many people out of the bondage of this world, by the grace of God, as we can.. We were all born into bondage to various sins... sins from which we cannot escape apart from the grace of God. It is not because we are "progressive" that we do not put LGBT people to death but, on the contrary, because we are theological conservatives... and we understand that, because of Christ, this is an age of mercy in which we all have an opportunity to hear and respond to Christ's call... and, again, we are not saved because we are more righteous than you.
As for people like those in Uganda, indeed, but it is not because they are taking their Bible seriously but they are not taking their Bible seriously enough ... they have an over-realized eschatology, meaning they are taking into their own hands before the proper time, what God has promised that He himself will do when he comes to judge the world. Or, on the other hand, it is possible they are simply being self-righteous and have completely misapprehended the most basic message of the gospel: that they were saved by grace plus or minus nothing... that they too justly deserve the wrath of God, save for the mercy of Jesus Christ alone. It is the theological "progressives" that I worry about the most - it is they who are most liable to fall into these kinds of sins. A simple example from history should suffice - In Nazi Germany it was only the confessional church that ended up standing against the regime -- that is, the church that was most theologically conservative. It was the liberals who were more open that ended up yielding to Hitler. That is not to say that theological conservatives won't ever fall into sin (and historically they have) because they are human and can still be deceived, but it is much less likely because they are serious about the Bible.
The article about Obama and Islam is not really about who is more moral, Christians or Muslims?, but about consistency. Muhammad was a violent conqueror, Christ was non-violent and self-sacrificing. I consider the real Christians are those who take the Lord and the Bible at its word. I consider true Muslims as those who take Muhammad and the Koran at its word.... For their peace and non-violence etc.., I thank God for the progressive Muslims, but they are deviating from their so-called revelation. But there is no need to be progressive to be a non-Violent Christian. It is the original message of our Lord as we see the seriousness of our own sin and the desperate need of us all for a Savior, lest we all are swept up in the coming wrath.
Lastly, it is not only theologically liberal Muslims who are being inconsistent but secularists and relativists who are being inconsistent as well. Indeed, non-believers like secularists have played their roles in doing good for society but their belief in moral relativism precludes them from criticizing anyone else's morality. If morality is only a social construct then no ones moral code, by definition, can be right or wrong. But every day I see moral relativists express moral outrage at the views of OTHERS. You see if some secularist/atheist/relativist friends of yours decided to go out and commit atrocities they are not being inconsistent with their understanding of the world. You may personally believe something is wrong but there is no standard or universal morality to appeal to that is meaningful. Right, wrong, just, unjust, war, rape, slavery, racism, murder, genocide, hate, greed etc are not inconsistent within moral relativism. As soon as you declare that anything morally right or wrong for EVERYONE, then you have embraced moral absolutes and need to point to which universal laws you are appealing to. Otherwise is it just a preference. One persons' ideas of human flourishing will radically differ from another. The only thing a consistent relativist can say is THIS is right for me and THAT is right for you and we should celebrate our differences. To be clear, the above list of vices is not on display to say this is how moral relativists actually behave... but rather, their inconsistency about this reveals that they really do believe in moral absolutes ... because every day I see relativists take up moral causes but then declare there is no right and wrong. Every day I see relativists criticize the morality of God but then say there is no absolute right and wrong.
So to the main point. Christianity is the only idea which makes real sense out of the world we live in. When something is inconsistent with the data, it demonstrates that, somewhere along the line, it is based on falsehood. I would encourage you, therefore, to take the time to consider and ask yourself why you would follow an idea which so obviously flies in the face of reality and what you already know to be true.