Asimov Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 1. ... 2. ... 3. ... 4. ... 5. ... 6. ... 7. ... 8. ... 9. ... 10. uuuuhhh....I gotta go doody.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I do have a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter. He's one of the few who actually lives what he teaches. Probably can't come up with another nine, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I nominate Friedrich von Spee, who virtually singlehandedly stopped the witch hunts in Germany in the early 1600's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwellyn Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 MLK Jr.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 ... (time goes by) ... (uncomfortable silence) ... Darn, I can't think of any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KT45 Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 I would say Mother Teresa (spelling?) but I just saw that episode about her in Bullshit! with Penn and Teller. I change my mind about her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taphophilia Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Bill and Hillary Clinton. Yes, they are Christians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sage Nabooru Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 JP2 was the greatest pope to ever live. I have a lot of respect for him. A lot of shit happened in the later years of his reign, but I consider that to be caused mostly by his progressive ill health, and the situation being taken advantage of by dishonest people in the Vatican. Still, he seemed to view religion as a unified whole, rather than take an "us-vs.-them" approach. He had much more to say about peace and cooperation than condemnation and inquisitions. And let's not forget St. Francis. His devotion to peace and to respect for animals is the mark of a true spiritually sincere person. And I do consider Mother Theresa to be a good person, along with Princess Diana (although I don't know how devout the latter was). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-COG Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Ha ha! Notice how we struggle to come up with names here, but in the "Great Bastards of the Christian Faith" thread, one after another comes to mind. Great Christians, as in "good toward the world and humanity" are few and far between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Gods Fail Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Johnny Cash. He was the coolest xtian ever! Also, I have a grudging respect for John Wesley. He managed to help clean up Gin Alley, preached love instead of hate and fear, and was generally a decent guy. He really did try to help people, not just brand them into his flock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPillAddict Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 that one guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Elvis Presley (I think he was Christian) He did a good thing to the music industry. Oh, actually I have one, for the top of my list: My dad. Probably my family will occupy the list overall. Love them, eventhough they're Christians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxic Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 The Ranters and the Diggers and the Levellers in the English Civil War were okay. Also St Francis of Asissi as someone already mentioned. I would disagree about mother teesa of Calcutta though - I read she was a bit of an arsehole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Yes - Elvis and Johnny Cash! I agree with Sage about JPII. Yes, he still promoted the same "turn or burn" trash that all sects of Xianity are all about, but he did a lot to liberalize (and hence undermine) the Catholick Church. Sure, that probably wasn't his intention, but that's what it accomplished. All of JPII's policies that "modernized" the Church only served to undercut its already fractured foundation. Any Xian who can accomplish that, especially in one of the biggest juggernauts of Xianity, gets some points from me St. Francis? Sure, I can understand that. More respect for animals and nature is always a good thing, and he is proof you can even take a soul-killing, anti-nature religion like Xianity and cherry-pick it to make something decent out of it. Now, if he were a Heathen with that attiude, I'm sure he'd have done even more good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bdp Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Bruce Cockburn, an artist/musician who is definitely NOT of the Religious Right strain. "Padded with power - here they come International loan sharks backed by the guns of the market-hungry military profiteers Whose word is a swamp and whose brow is smeared with the blood of the poor Who rob life of its quality - who render rage a necessity By turning countries into labor camps Modern slavers in drag as 'champions of freedom'..." See his CD World of Wonders for more (it's a mid-80's CD so it might take some digging but well worth it). I dispute that Bill and Hilary are Xtians or in any way 'great' - they both give me the creeps, poster children for 'dysfunctional.' Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 My grandfather. Despite his zealous christianity he was one of the most solid and selfless human beings I've ever had the pleasure to meet. He genuinely loved his fellow man and quietly sacrificed to help others. Much of the legacy he left behind wasn't revealed to me or others until a steady stream of people stood up at his funeral and revealed how my grandfather had forgiven their debts, paid their child's tuition, given them a job when no one else would, fed their children, etc... I believe he would have been a humanitarian with or without his christianity and I respect the fact that he didn't let his christianity get in the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 And I can say much the same for my folks. Despite that stupid religion they still hold to, they still looked out for me and each other, and put family first, where it belongs. They also didn't bother to instill in me the usual guilt and fear other Xian families do to their kids. They're good people, much more so than that god they still honor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Meadows Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Therese Martin. Even though I left xtianity behind I still love dearly this young women who died at age 24. Love burns brightly in her spiritual autobiography and a kind of child like innocence that my imagination associates with God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Greetings Folks, I am sorry but I think some of you have forgotten your history. What about the X'ians that brought about the Renaissance and those that shaped 'Western' Culture: 1. Galileo 2. Newton 3. Copernicus 4. Davinci 5. Rabelais 6. Erasmus 7. Luther 8. Calvin 9. Huss 10. Dante ... Special mention needs to be made for the monks who preserved, and eventually unearthed the writings of the early patristic fathers (i.e Ignatious, Tertelliun, ... (sp?)) and, moreso, the writings of antiquity such as the Socratic dialogues, mennipean satire, and so on. Let's give a very sanctimoneous nod to the Europeans who hid a lot of Jews (especially in Poland and Holland) and suffered along with them during WW2. These folks preserved a way of life that has historically been set up as anti-thetical to their own. The problem is that Scottish didacticism took hold of Evengelical Christians (esp. in North America) for the last ~200 years (well - probably since J. Edwards) and consequently Christian throught ceased to be of any real consequence. I think that your cynical ramblings are largely indicative of a misplaced attention to the aging brand of North American Envangelical X'y. I think that you do youselves a disservece by not working from a broader conception of history (there are afew people that are doing good things right now but this is a prejudgement and only history will flush them out (You should give a nod to the RC's whose liberation theology has done a lot of good (the case in point that comes to mind is Chile). Samaritin's purse is also doing some very good work in places like Afganistan & Sudan (my buddy has been in some very dangerous situations b/c he is putting in wells and water filtration systems). Maybe you should give a nod to the faith communities that are sheltering refugees who have been ordered back to their home countries because of racist or ignorant immigration officers.). Oh yeah, one last guy you have forgotten is Descartes. If it wasn't for him, the rationalism and positivisms that y'all invoke in your attack on Christianity would not have much ground. He set up the subject-object dualism upon which your arguements rest (this is not to invalidate your arguements but I think you should not throw the baby out with the bathwater). Best, Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosingMyReligion Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 My mother. Inspite of it all she never let's her religion come between those she loves. Babble gawd could learn a thing or two from her... I also say MLK Jr. Even though he was a whoremongerer behind closed doors he was a wonderful human being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 1. Galileo 2. Newton 3. Copernicus 4. Davinci 5. Rabelais 6. Erasmus 7. Luther 8. Calvin 9. Huss 10. Dante ... I would agree to some of them, but Calvin? What did Calvin really do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sage Nabooru Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 I would agree to some of them, but Calvin? What did Calvin really do? Hang out with Hobbes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Hang out with Hobbes! He sure made for some funny reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 I would agree to some of them, but Calvin? What did Calvin really do? Hang out with Hobbes! Ah! That Calvin. Or was it the other Calvin? The Calvin and Hobbes that crossed America, or the Calvin and Hobbes that's funny? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Gods Fail Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Greetings Folks, I am sorry but I think some of you have forgotten your history. What about the X'ians that brought about the Renaissance and those that shaped 'Western' Culture: 1. Galileo 2. Newton 3. Copernicus 4. Davinci 5. Rabelais 6. Erasmus 7. Luther 8. Calvin 9. Huss 10. Dante ... [snip] Best, Jimmy Interesting choices, although I definitely wouldn't include either Luther or Calvin. They caused a lot of human misery, both in their lifetimes and in the centuries following. Also, you could debate whether or not da Vinci was a xtian. He certainly wasn't a fan of organized religion, and didn't show much interest in the church until late in life. Personally, I don't think his belief system was simple enough for traditional xtianity. But I'll give you Newton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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