If the USA is nominally a Christian country, why are so many Americans opposed to treating everyone equally (i.e. socialism)?
Because Socialism simply isn’t a Christian ideal. The question assumes a very fallacious basis. Socialism only works if the fundamental principles of Christianity are false.Socialism says that all men will WORK as MUCH as they CAN and only TAKE as LITTLE as they NEED.But Christianity says we all have a sin nature (which is why we need Jesus), it says that men are greedy, selfish, vain, lazy, proud etc etc (remember the 7 deadly sins, surely you don’t think those were irrelevant ideas).So in reality instead of what socialism promises, what you get is that:Most men will WORK as LITTLE as they NEED and TAKE as MUCH as they CAN.As a result socialist states eventually go bankrupt and some even devolve into controlling Dictatorships in an attempt to force people to work and consume less.Jesus said the Church empowered by the Holy Spirit should take care of the poor. And for centuries it worked until today we see that the origin of hospitals and orphanages and free counseling was all rooted in the Church. But then the Federal Reserve amendment was passed and bankers took over the economy and the progressives created the welfare state that has not reduced the number of poor at all despite the Trillions forcibly taken from people.Government Charity is nothing less that taking a gun to your neighbor’s head and forcing him to “donate” to your favorite charity. Worse it doesn’t work. Government effectively wastes 85c of every dollar they take, giving only 15c to the needy. Charities are considered evil if they take more than 15c of every dollar for admin and give less than 85c to the needy.And No, I’ve not confused Socialism with Communism. As you’ll note Communism is merely a stronger shade of Socialism. Communism is what you get when nobody wants to work hard and tries to take as much as they can and the state has to incorporate Totalitarianism to ensure people are scared into producing.definition of DEMOCRATIC-SOCIALISTS:(Full-fledged socialists)The government must FULLY -OWN ALL the ways and ALL the means of ALL the production and ALL the distribution of ALL the goods and ALL the services in society, so that the government becomes the only proprietor and only employer in society and the destroyer of the private sector.But in the end remember, Jesus said: YOU give to the poor!NOT Force your neighbor to give to the poor under the threat of imprisonment!
Would improving the American educational system be a valid method of reducing Christianity’s influence in society, politics, and culture?
Maybe, maybe not. Americans were highly educated in the 50’s and 60’s. We were fighting the Cold War and had a Space Race, so government invested heavily in public education and pushed math and science; nevertheless, most people still went to church and believed in God.Christianity’s influence on society wouldn’t be a problem if the majority of Christians lived Christ-like lives like they are supposed to. For example, Jesus didn’t tell the leper, “Sorry, that’s a pre-existing condition.” He healed him, free of charge. He frequently fed the hungry and the masses. He sympathized with those stuck in poverty rather than accusing them of making bad choices. He was loving and tolerant of his neighbor. He forgave people of their sins. He looked down on materialism and wealth, and kicked three greedy businessmen out of a church in righteous anger. He certainly did not tell people that owning weapons was a God-given right, as the mass manufacture and distribution of assault weapons flies in the face of his “turn the other cheek” philosophy.If you study the Bible as a work of literature and follow the plot, you find that the character John the Baptist explains the birth of Christ as ushering in the Gospel of Good News, a fresh way of looking at things, as opposed to the Old Testament way of fire, brimstone and public stonings. Unfortunately, too many Christians are stuck on their favorite cherry-picked verses from the Old Testament, and many others have a problem “loving their neighbor” unless that neighbor is as white as they mistakenly believe Jesus was. In fact, far right Christian fundamentalism has a lot in common with far right Muslim fundamentalism that drives groups like ISIS.
Does social democracy line up with general tenets of Christianity? If so, why are the most fundamentalist Christians so opposed to democratic social policies?
No, social democracy does not line up with the general tenets of Christianity. The stated goals of social democracy line up with Christianity, as do the stated goals of laisse faire capitalism, communism, socialism, fascism, and every other economic system ever devised by man.Tell you what, I have a new economic philosophy, and it works like this: in order achieve social justice, equality, and the highest possible quality of life for all human beings, I propose that we round everybody up, place them in maximum security prisons, and spray them down with firehoses every three hours. Sound good to you? No?But wait a minute - I said that my proposal will achieve social justice, equality, and the highest quality of life. Why are you against social justice? Are you some kind of racist? What do you have against equality? You think only the rich deserve healthcare? How can you even call yourself a Christian when you oppose my plan?See where I’m going with that? Social democracy is just one approach to achieving the goals that all of us want. When people oppose social democracy, or any other political/economic system, it isn’t because they hate the poor or love the rich. It’s because they believe that the means used to achieve those stated goals are either immoral, ineffective, or counter-productive.Now, don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying that social democracy, on its face, is a violation of the tenets of Christianity; but neither is it manifestation of the tenets of Christianity. It is a morally ambivalent economic philosophy. It has the potential to be more consistent with Christian principles than, say, democratic socialism, but we should not assume that opposition to social democracy is somehow unchristian, or that anyone who calls themselves a Christian must support social democracy.
Why does society feel that it is okay and funny to offend Christians?
and.... 2 Timothy 3:1-9 Godlessness in the Last Days 1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. 6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
Why did the Roman Empire fall?
A slave based society can not pass through the next stage of economic development which is industrialization. No need to make a work saving device, just get more slaves. - ( I put this before barbarian invasion because if the Roman empire was able to grow economically it could make up for so many failures on the battlefield. )A slave based society amplifies the difference between the haves and have nots. Not just between slaves and freemen, but between rich slave holders and poor unemployed freemen. This greatly reduced the amount of stake holders within the Empire. Why should you fight to defend a society you have no stake in?The Emperor system neither produced good Emperors on a regular basis or allowed for a peaceful line of succession. Civil War is the most wasteful and dangerous of enterprises when faced with an outside enemy.The Emperor system also needlessly added to the states bureaucracy. Just one example is Governor-ships. With each new Emperor political favors need to be payed back and new Govern-ships where created until the ranks of Governors swelled beyond what would of been recognizable in the 1st century.In the 3rd century AD, for reasons not completely understood today central Asian horsemen poured out to of the Russian steppe pushing Germanic tribes in front of them, pressing them up against the Empire.Extended conflict along the Rhine/Danube, and the extensive use of Germanic mercenaries allowed a technology transfer to such a degree that by the 4th century it was difficult to tell the difference from a German in the Roman army and one that was fighting the Roman army.The reopening of the Silk Route allowed the freer movement of goods and ideas, but also plague. Plague ravaged the Empire who’s densely populated cities where highly vulnerable.These pressures and mismanagement pushed the Roman tax system beyond the Laffer curve optimum. Taxes where pushed higher, revenues fell and then taxes where pushed higher again. The currency depreciated and the amount of silver used in the coinage was reduced by dilution.
Was John Lennon a communist? Is his hit “Imagine” a communist manifesto, or solely a beautiful dream?
The song ‘Imagine,’ which says, Imagine that there was no more religion, no more country, no more politics is virtually the communist manifesto, even though I am not particularly a communist and I do not belong to any movement. You see, ‘Imagine’ was exactly the same message, but sugar-coated. Now ‘Imagine’ is a big hit almost everywhere; anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song, but because it is sugar-coated it is accepted. Now I understand what you have to do~ John LennonSo, yes, he was a communist in the sense he held those beliefs (loosely-held?) and no, he didn't consider himself as part of any anarchist/libertarian or marxist movements. Bigots think communist/socialist/leftist means stalinist, but you should know that the USSR also persecuted them (left-wing), they are always the one fighting against the big guy crushing the little guy while being arrested, killed and publicly shamed for it, so good people like John Lennon has to sugar-coat reality to be accepted.Also, no, he didn't live in a small farm and drive an old Beetle like José Mujica, but he was a communist, not a franciscan. He was just an individual who dared to dream, not Jesus Christ. A more elaborate explanation is that communism is a mode of production, a political view, not a lifestyle choice, so an individual do not live a mode of production, the mode of production is a political decision that is defined by the society according to the hegemonic thought.