I think some of you guys and the media are being a bit harsh. The guy is human just like you and me... Just because he is religious clergy member doesn't mean that he never makes a mistake. Sure he says to do one thing and the did the opposite...but no one is perfect.
Accused pastor admits he bought meth
- Thread starter Eric the Red
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AR Husker Fan
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The distinction, however, is that he presumes not just to criticize, but condem others for the very behaviors in which he, himself, engaged. That is the very definition of "hypocrite".
He deserves all the scorn, humiliation, and comdemnation he receives...
He deserves all the scorn, humiliation, and comdemnation he receives...
Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
He'll receive it, but then he'll get treatment and tell his followers that "it was just the Lord testing him just as he will test all of you" and they will continue to follow. It's just that easy. People who are this religious simply cannot think for themselves.
admo
Heisman Trophy Winner
I will always have my view, that if you cant be faithful to God (as a religious preacher, rev, priest, etc) how can you be faithful to your wife and family?
The rev is married with three kids. I dont want to cast my stone, but he pretty much said it all here:
"There's a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life,"
Just because you take the responsibility as a religious order, it doesnt make life simple. But you have to put your trust in God, give him all your troubles, and he will see that it passes. Weak faith = weakness with excuses and sin.
Media loves to turn the religious into humans and say "ah hah! we got a story!"
I feel bad. Because it's possible that just one kid, one family, one person who has nothing - is looking up to this person as deliverer of faith. And this breaks out.
There is none of us who walk without sin. If you think you do, have mercy on you.
The rev is married with three kids. I dont want to cast my stone, but he pretty much said it all here:
"There's a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life,"
Just because you take the responsibility as a religious order, it doesnt make life simple. But you have to put your trust in God, give him all your troubles, and he will see that it passes. Weak faith = weakness with excuses and sin.
Media loves to turn the religious into humans and say "ah hah! we got a story!"
I feel bad. Because it's possible that just one kid, one family, one person who has nothing - is looking up to this person as deliverer of faith. And this breaks out.
There is none of us who walk without sin. If you think you do, have mercy on you.
Redman
All-Conference
Harsh? Harsh is these pinheads trying to infuse their religion into our government. Doing this, even the attempt at doing this, is by definition "unamerican". Freedom of religion is only a freedom if one has a choice. I will be harsh on these people until the day they 1. practice what they preach (consider sticking to the new testament and not revert to the old testament when ever they deem it worthy), 2. Keep their noses out of government, 3. keep their god out of public schools, and 4.(and most importantly) stop condemning others who do not share their beliefs. I do not wish for this guy to turn into a pillar of salt or be cast into the fires of a hell that doesn't exist, but this bad guy deserves all that he gets (so does anybody who is dumb enough to continue to follow him...... EVER!
Blackshirtsguru
All-American
Three things my dad always told me never to talk about in public....Politics, Religion, and another mans wife! 
Redman
All-Conference
Three things my dad always told me never to talk about in public....Politics, Religion, and another mans wife!
Not talking about them publicly (at least politics and religion) is why they have become such a problem. I do agree with not talking about another man's wife though.
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HUSKER 37
All-American
I'll try to field this one until ETR notices this 2 year old thread.
Not that I can answer for him..Only the things I interpret from his post.
I think he's talking about people that are willing to follow the teachings of other humans blindly, because it's pretty much based on a Bible that may or may not be influenced by God or some supreme being.
I, personally, believe there's a great difference in having a good relationship with God and being "Religious".
I have a friend and several relatives that are strongly involved in Church, which in most cases is really nice.
But I also feel that the "sinners" that would possibly anger God the most are the ones that sin "in His name".
I'll admit, I haven't read very much of the Bible..I usually talked myself out of it by believing it was really just early man's first attempt at "yellow journalism"..The "National Enquirer" of it's day.
It was also a useful tool to help keep the masses safe from looting and pillaging and to make your Wives and Daughters relatively safe from marauding groups of rapists when you couldn't always be there in person.
("Be Good for goodness sake...Santa Claus is coming to town").
What amazed me was the time I actually forced myself to read part of the Bible when I was older and found out the meaning of some of the words (like Begat)..I kept having Deja-Vu moments..
And Occasionally, I'd come across something that I recognized as being incorrect...Which scared me a little.
I'm now thinking of chalking it up to everyone having a part of God or Jesus in them..Probably stronger in young children..(My seven year old used to tell me memories he had when he was dead..Which freaked me out a little).
My Sister-in-Law Told me the "Mistakes" I'd found were mainly due to bad translations of that particular (New Testament)...She studies and collects Bibles and even learned Arabic so she could translate the really old ones, herself and not rely on someone else's interpretation..
She ended up showing me the same verse that I recalled being wrong in 3 or 4 different Bibles that worded things a little better, but still the whole gist of the thing seemed a little off.
In short...The Bible is amazingly accurate for as many people (Some corrupt?) were involved in writing it/them..But there's also way too many mistakes/misinterpretations and important parts left out... to base your whole existence solely on it and ignore your own conscience..That's the best-est way God has of talking to you.
Religious People are akin to Football fans that say they're behind the current coach just because he's the Football Coach..And ignoring the things that bother them like hiding weapons, pretending to slash throats, or grabbing the big kid's facemask.
Sorry to discuss Religion and possibly bring up painful Coaching memories, but God made me do it.
Oklahoma Husker
Five-Star Recruit
Sounds good to me. Really liked your post. Gave me a lot of things to think about. I was just wondering because I consider myself "religious" and just didn't really want to hear that people think I'm crazy haha. But I think our definitions of religious are different.
And I can agree about the "sinning in His name" part. That is one of the major things that groups religious people in a bad light.
But to end I don't follow the teachings of any human blindly. Most of what I believe is from my own interpretations of the Bible and my own intuition.
And thanks for taking the time to answer.
HUSKER 37
All-American
I have a feeling, if I ever wanted to learn more about Religion, you'd be fun to PM with..And if you ever have a question for God..She/He more times than not... answers mine semi-coherently.
Your statement about grouping religious people in a bad light is sorta sad but true.
I'm reminded of my best friend's Mom when I was in Highschool '78 or '79.
I was over at their house and she was watching "The 700 Club"? or whichever one Jim Baker was on.
She was actually writing him a check and I was giving her a hard time for being so gullable.
We had some really interesting talks about who invented God and crazy things like that..and at the time..I was better at spotting what I thought were "evil people" or maybe looking back..People a little weaker in faith than most..
My friend went off to school in Enid, OK a couple years after I went to UNL..And I lost touch with his Parents..Dropped by to an empty house every time I went back home for a visit..But to this day..I regret not being successful in contacting his Mom after the Baker-gate? thing happened..Partly to say "I tol' you so", but more to make sure her faith wasn't fazed..(I know it wasn't).
bennychico11
All-Conference
totally off topic (and a couple years late, but I like discussing religion too)...
but funny you should say this because this is actually my point of view as of late on early theism. A lot of it I believe was just an early attempt to explain what was going on in the world. What caused floods, how to cure the sick, how to raise fertile crops...
Which if you think about it, it's how many tribes in Africa or the Amazonian jungles still live. When someone in the village is sick, it's caused by a god or a 'witch' in the village....or lack of rain is because a god is angry at them. We of course can look in from the outside and say that's illogical because our society has advanced much further and been taught to think critically. But to them, it's faith.
HUSKER 37
All-American
I think I first started feeling like this about the origin of God and/or Religion after reading "Lord of the Flies" or something like that..Actually, it was discussed in class (Jr. High?)..Still hated reading books I couldn't color in.
Near as I can recall, there were these kids stranded on an island after "a three hour tour..A three Hour Tour"
Sorry..Gilligan's island flashback.
Anyway..I think they split up into groups and one of the first things they did was create a religion or superstition in the form of a giant idol left behind by a neighboring island's inhabitants.
The leaders created and used lots of fear to keep the younger ones in line..
There were pigs heads stuck on poles and lots of kids killing each other or something like that...I think there was even talk of banning that book or something.
Some of our class discussions got pretty intense..so much so, I may have even read half of a chapter, myself.
Around three decades ago, I'd have these epiphanies or ? like my Freshman year at UNL after losing my Dad and my oldest Brother a couple of months apart from each other..Id be thinking to God and usually silently asking Why they were taken from me when I'd wanted to leave Earth, most of the time, myself...
Then, one of these times, I'd have these mind expanding things where it felt like I was channeling God or something..
One weekend I'd come back home to see Mom, do laundry, and spend time with my Girlfriend..I'd had one of these "Discussions" with God when suddenly I felt the urge to wake my Mom up to have her ask me anything..I knew this "expanded knowledge" would probably be just temporary, but I also knew I'd never be able to write this stuff down fast enough to keep up with my mind...
And I wasn't on any drugs or beers!.
Anyway..One of the questions I got around to asking myself/God was who invented him..
The answer doesn't make a whole lot of sense now..But in that altered? state of mind..It seemed plausible.
It deals with time bending or trying to think of time in a nonlinear sense.
Spooky stuff, if you dwell on it.
I guess overall...one of the things I keep trying to establish in myself..It the belief that I won't ever know all I want to know and to be ok with that..And to never believe something so strongly, that I shoot down other people's beliefs.
Sometimes I feel "Religious" people fear other points of view because they may not believe as strongly as they would like others to think they do..Or by questioning their God, may somehow anger him and so they treat him like some giant Soup Nazi.
Sorry..I hadn't told many people these things before and not really sure how much of it I believe..But..
Aint speculation fun?