Why I Don't Live In Tennessee

[BlueStreak]

I will say that I wouldn't point a finger specifically at Tennessee. JJ is right, nuts are everywhere.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by JJIII

See Don's post # 9.

Heaven's Gate was a New Age apocalyptic cult with a handful of deranged followers.

This guy, Sam Morris, plus Fred Phelps, Terry Jones, Mike Huckabee, Pat Robertson, Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell are (or were) ordained ministers in mainstream religious denominations.

John

[JJIII]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Heaven's Gate was a New Age apocalyptic cult with a handful of deranged followers.

This guy, Sam Morris, plus Fred Phelps, Terry Jones, Mike Huckabee, Pat Robertson, Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell are (or were) ordained ministers in mainstream religious denominations.

John

Like I said, nuts are everywhere. Makes no difference what position they hold. You've left out Jim Jones, Charlie Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, and a host of others. We could name names forever.

My point is that Tennessee doesn't hold a monopoly on nut cases.

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by JJIII

Like I said, nuts are everywhere. Makes no difference what position they hold. You've left out Jim Jones, Charlie Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, and a host of others. We could name names forever.

My point is that Tennessee doesn't hold a monopoly on nut cases.

For certain, Kansans must bear our scarlet Phelps. (Yeah, I know, a pretty weak literary reference)

Regards,

D-Ray

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by JJIII

Like I said, nuts are everywhere. Makes no difference what position they hold. You've left out Jim Jones, Charlie Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, and a host of others. We could name names forever.

My point is that Tennessee doesn't hold a monopoly on nut cases.

Dahmer and Manson didn't have official positions of influence in mainstream religions. Dahmer was a lone actor and Manson had a small drug addled "family". Jim Jones was a self-ordained minister, affiliated with a "church" of his own creation, The People's Temple". He denounced official and traditional Christian doctrine in favor of his own brand of religion.

John

[JJIII]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Dahmer and Manson didn't have official positions of influence in mainstream religions. Dahmer was a lone actor and Manson had a small drug addled "family". Jim Jones was a self-ordained minister, affiliated with a "church" of his own creation, The People's Temple". He denounced official and traditional Christian doctrine in favor of his own brand of religion.

John

What is your point?

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by JJIII

What is your point?

Power, influence and acceptance in their respective communities.

John

[JJIII]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Power, influence and acceptance in their respective communities.

John

Now we are making progress.

[d-ray657]

I suppose it becomes a question of how broadly one defines community. In the cult situations, there was immense influence within a small, closely knit community. The hate mongers like the one in the OP have a broader audience, but there are also more countervailing voices in the broader community. All of us have the obligation to critically listen to what is being preached and determine whether it jibes with our sense of morality/spirituality/reason.

I know that there is room to suspect that the Methodist faith that I practice has its share of hocus pocus, but the theology also includes reason as one of its central tenets. Fortunately, reasonable folks believe that we are all allowed to practice, or not, our own faith. Unfortunately, there are also those who wish to suppress faith practices that are not part of the Judeo-Christian tradition (i.e. vandalism to deter the construction of Mosques). I still have faith that reason will prevail (and yes, I recognize the irony in that last sentence).

Regards,

D-Ray

[icenine]

My mom was from Tennesee. She was pretty nice to me