The Discipline of Conservative Christian Children

Of course they are. In fact, all people are sinners. Do you see any exceptions in yourself or others? We all have flaws.

Sin is a stupid Christian concept, there's no such thing. There are only right and wrong ways to behave in a particular society in a particular time.But that said, I'm talking about fundamental right wing Christianity - that gives you the right to be a bigoted total arsehole to people who aren't exactly like you.

That's the wrong take on what Tangle is saying.Yes, of course nobody is perfect and everybody has done wrong. In the wake of the 1970 Jesus Freak Movement (where I received my fundamentalist education -- not indoctrination), there was a bumper sticker: "I'm not perfect, just Forgiven."Tangle's point centers around the next step: We're not perfect, so what are we going to do about it? We all know the situation (which is normal--all fouled up), but what's the solution (which question would include whether we should even seek a solution)? Just saying "We all have flaws" only serves to rationalize the problem and to avoid having to deal with it.Our response to that problem should at the very least be to try to do better. The common expectation for religions like Christianity is that they provide guidelines and motivation for doing better. Our observations show that the "true Christianity" being pushed by fundamentalists/evangelicals/conservative-Christians/etc not only fails to have its followers do better or even address the problem, but it even promotes the exact opposite as it motivates its followers to do far worse things. Indeed, their theology teaches them that they can justify the most horrendous acts as long as it's "because they luuuuuv Jesus", plus they are guaranteed being forgiven completely for whatever evil they commit in Jesus' name, especially since Jesus hates the same things and people that they do (funny how that always works, isn't it?).That is what Tangle is challenging you on while you just stand there making weak excuses. If your religion cannot guide nor motivate you to try to be and do better (and indeed motivates you to do worse), then what good is it?

What is so conflicting about admitting the need of a higher power? What is so conflicting about observing that ALL do indeed sin? If you have a valid fear about "turning conservative" these are not the beliefs that would do that to you.We can't simply lay it all at the Apostles feet in a progressive secular party. Without God, no one can trust the Apostles. Unless of course you get rid of original sin and tell people to be free to act and behave as they want. (Sounds like a liberating idea but i'm not buying it)

You don't "need" a higher power. It should be sufficient to resolve to do better. I have no such fear. Conservatism is absurd.As Jesus said (paraphrasing a little): it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a conservative to enter the kingdom."Original sin" is absurd theology.

Define sin.

Sin is anything you do that violates my subjective moral code, ie, putting lemon in Earl Grey tea.

The only thing your answer has in common with nwr's statement is the word "conflicting." He's saying that if you have a religious belief that is contradicted by other information then that belief needs to be re-examined.If you personally need to believe in a higher power, that's one thing. If you're asserting that there is a higher power that is the Christian God, that's another thing, one for which there is an enormous amount of conflicting information. Nwr is saying that in light of this conflicting information that your belief should be re-examined. And without Harry Potter there would be no books and movies. Ideas about God have been changing since the beginning of mankind. They're just stories we tell ourselves and that some people actually believe, some to the point of using them as the reason for mistreatment of other human beings, such as striking their children. Original sin has about as much reality as Harry Potter's cloak of invisibility. You are living within imaginary walls of your own construction.--Percy

Sin is quite simply indulging your carnal nature, acting selfishly, being afraid of competing with other cultures which might lower your standard of living and force you to work harder, sin is thinking of yourself before others, sin is paraphrased by the satanists as "Do As Thou Wilt". For believers, sin goes against their conscience in communion with God as absolute authority. In essence, sin challenges authority. Sin tears down culture as moral absolutes diminish and disappear.I challenge godless authority because I mistrust progressive intentions. They seek to control my money and force me to give mandatorily my share as determined by them.Ive prayed about my flaws before, and it may well be that I am sinning by fighting progressives. I refuse to submit to the authority, however.

Done much jail time?

By authority, I meant a populist globalist-leaning government whose military-industrial complex feeds the wars for the stated purpose of improving a lot of humanity but whose agenda leaves the United States itself with a declining middle class, a growing nation of shoplifters and thieves, crumbling infrastructure and ever-growing inflation while we pump money overseas to defend democracy for the rest of the world. I won't see any jail time for that, any more than the shoplifters will after a defunded police have no teeth left to hold them accountable.

Where have police been defended? Everything else sounds like the Republican Party.

If you're going to rant, could you at least do it in the right thread? This thread is about The Discipline of Conservative Christian Children.--Percy

"Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's" - some filthy hippie a couple thousand years ago.

Care to state anything about the topic?