Pretty great image, isn’t it. It says a LOT.
Some of you have been reading on Bill Maher’s treatment of anything Christian (or Islamic, for that matter, to his credit.) That’s old news….
But did you hear John Stossel call O’Reilly “a ten foot tall cry baby” for suggesting Christians are under any kind of attack…or will be…in America. I’ve never been a fan of Stossel’s…ever. I have always seen emptiness behind his eyes and found out why Monday night when I heard that interview. It’s something I see only in people of no faith; it’s a very odd thing.
Are Christians making too much of the attacks on bakeries and florists for not doing gay weddings in the name of the Bible? Are Christian kids asked to do too much when they have to dress like Muslims or write about Islam or attend a mosque for a week per their public school teachers’ curriculum? Are stores going overboard when they tell their employees not to say “Merry Christmas” to customers? Isn’t there something odd in that when 99% of the folks shopping at Christmas are Christians shopping for…well…Christmas presents? You all could go on and on here ….right?
I’d have no problem with a religion curriculum covering ALL religions for a day or a class period, would you? But the muslim instances haven’t seemed to do that. And nothing has been said about the cruelty to Muslim women, etc., in the texts or curriculum…just lots of awe for the ‘great world religion’.
What about Christianity? The last time I looked, IT was THE WORLD’S GREAT RELIGION…but I don’t see that much anymore. Huff Post has an anti-Christian article nearly every day (yesterday’s was how much Christians could learn from Buddhism), and other sites highlight stories like that all the time. One article on Stossel and O’Reilly’s interview said “Stossel DESTROYED O’Reilly!” “destroyed?”
I see such dissent across the globe that I’m starting to wonder where it will go. And, in correlation to that slow dissent, I could do a graph showing that and how our culture and times have reflected it…also on the slow decline……….coincidence?
What do you think’s going on? Is Stossel right? Is O’Reilly right?
Z
geeez2014
GeeeZ .... 
Stossel, as a libertarian, is just being true to his colors. His philosophy has a certain amount of flaws, as does any philosphy, and he wears his on his sleeve. I think he rubs you the wrong way because he is so confident that libertarianism is our cultural savior, and doesn’t see its flaws as flaws at all, but rather as virtues.
O’Reilly, on the other hand, is just a 6’4″ weasel wearing a nice suit. He tries to come off as representing ‘the folks,’ when he really only represents himself and his cloistered world view as an ‘independent.’ The guy is wrong quite often about many topics, but rather than review them when his opinions are repudiated by facts, he never brings them up again. Not exactly something a ‘stand up guy’ would do.
Example: he yelled down Neil Cavuto several years ago during a debate on the oil industry. O’Reilly’s opinion was that the prices of oil were sky high because Opec and the major players were in cahoots in artificially setting prices. Neil said it was just supply and demand, and O’Reilly screamed at Cavuto calling him a dolt, or words to that effect. This was when oil was nearly $140 a barrel, and gas was $4.30 a gallon. Now oil is dirt cheap, $53 a barrel or so, and gas is around $2.40 a gallon. Did all of these conniving, manipulating oil producers/refiners have a change of heart, and all agree that they needed to give back the obscene profits to the proletariats out there to the tune of a trillion dollars or so, since according to O’Reilly they controlled the prices and decided to slash them?
No, this isn’t what happened. Neil Cavuto was and is right, its just supply and demand, and the topic will never be mentioned by the 6’4″ weasel again, as he was as wrong as wrong could possibly be on this, and the proof is at every gas station in the US right now.
But don’t get me started on Bill O’Reilly…..
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I heard John Stossel on The O’Reilly Factor. Just happened to catch that portion of that show.
No fan of O’Reilly am I.
But I believe that Stossel is wrong about this issue. Boiling the frog is what’s going on.
As well as “First They Came.”
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For Stossel, as long as his ox isn’t being gored. For Christians, not so much.
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I think Christians are under attack by the crazy leftists and other statists. Those people are more vocal than the ones who follow God or have at least some decency and respect. Is it a majority or everybody? No. Thank God it is not.
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fredd, they’re both very self serving… O’Reilly’s done so much for children, and alerted Americans to so many things, and have had them change because of his advocacy, I admire that (for example, some stores lifted the “don’t say Merry Christmas” ban because of him…but there have been more important instances, too.. I can’t stand his personality, most of the time; “blowhard” doesn’t even come close to describing his ego. He also gives a TON to charity so i can’t write him off. He’s important; a friend recently told me that he encountered him some years back and, when the friend was a starving waiter, and O’Reilly couldn’t have been kinder or more generous, which kind of changed my mind for the better about him, but…he’s a tough one!
AOW: I’m with you on O’Reilly,no fan, but I do think a lot of his advocacy and how effective he is keeping conservatives watching FOX.
Bunkerville….well said.
FB…if only the Christians VOTE this time. We’d have beat Obama had the ‘precious Christians who think Mormons shouldn’t be elected’ had voted. Damn
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Even though I tend to be Libertarian-ish, I’m not a fan of John Stossel. Especially not a fan of Bill O’Reilly. Bill’s a bit of a nut and I found his “Killing Jesus” offensive, to say the least. Neither seem to have Bible based beliefs, so, I wouldn’t look to them for guidance or wisdom (not that you do). Really, all these people need our prayers.
But, back to the question, yes, Christianity is under attack. I read a lot of history and realized the other day that those of us who Believe and try to “walk the walk” have been on the Front Lines for centuries in one form or another. For me, in the 1980’s I was “fired” from a temporary job only because I carried a Bible and read it alone on my breaks! I didn’t make a scene or anything, I didn’t even openly witness, it was just the boss didn’t want a Bible there. I smiled, thanked them politely for allowing me to work there for awhile, and left quietly. I think kindness is what wins folks over, not being in their face like the liberals. I do feel (and pray) for the businesses being targeted but really it’s a form of martyrdom to stand one’s ground for Christ. They should hold their heads high and keep witnessing. I pray that they can stay strong. History relates that it’s not going to get any better.
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Just read this attributed to ‘obama’s military’ on Washington Times
Soon there may only be atheists in the foxholes.
Christians are leaving the U.S. military or are discouraged from joining in the first place because of a “hostile work environment” that doesn’t let them express their beliefs openly, religious freedom advocates say.
Michael Berry, senior counsel at the Liberty Institute, a Texas-based legal organization dedicated to defending religious liberty in America, said recent high-profile cases of military chaplains facing punishment for private counseling sessions that reflected the teachings of their religion could cause devout Americans who are qualified for military service to think twice about joining the military.
And in general obama’s been attacking Christianity domestically as well. Many examples.
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@fredd…not to pick at a scab friend…but just what do you think OPEC is? Some benevolent, altruistic, well intentioned and generous organization? Their sole purpose is to control the price of oil by manipulating supply. The Saudis are waiting to break the frackers who are responsible for a new glut of oil on the world markets, or at least replacing their terrorist imports / supplies with our own. The dollar goes up….we have a glut of oil so prices drop. Demand is down….prices are down.
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I think there are some who attack Christians at every opportunity, but these are almost exclusively leftists. They can’t help themselves, of course. It is who and what they are: scum. It is interesting how atheists always seem to attack Christians for their beliefs, while Christians are happy to allow atheists to choose their own path. It is a one-way street —standard fare when dealing with scum. Nevertheless, in a country where 74% of the people profess Christianity, I do not think there is a large attack upon the Christian faith. I think that it seems that way because the leftist press is making it appear so … for their own purposes. I agree with Fredd on several of his points, and admit to having some libertarian leanings myself, but in looking at the world generally, is there any “libertarian” country on the entire planet? I think not. There is a reason for this … which tends to place Stossel in “LaLa” land. As for O’Reilly, I think he is full of himself.
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Fredd summed it up pretty well, although like Z, I am a Stossel fan. Every public figure has their schtick, and they’re all peddling something, so I don’t get too upset at them for it.
There is a dedicated core of people who absolutely hate religion, all religion, and they go after Christianity because that’s the big one here. They stand up for Islam and Muslims only because it is a useful cudgel in their battle against Christianity and Christian society.
The fairness argument gets the masses on board, and that is how you tip over a society.
I also believe that just as married heteros have done more damage to marriage than gays, Christians often end up harming their own cause, for a multitude of reasons and motives.
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Addendum: This,small dedicated core hates religion because it brings with it a rock-solid morality that is unchangeable and eternal. Progressives of all stripes hate that, because in order to bend people to their will and shape societies to their twisted vision, they must create their own morality, and to do so they must kill the competition.
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We also watched the Stossel interview. Nothing new here where he is concerned. I do take exception with what Fredd said about controlling oil prices. Until 1973 crude oil was pretty steady at $2 a barrel. A very close friend of my father that owned a large assembly line furniture factory had been speculating in oil for many years and finally hit it big. In 1973, he got a call from them that they were holding up their royalty checks due to a slowdown, but they would resume when it hit $10, which it did. He told my father he didn’t like it, even though he was benefiting from it, because he had 200 employees who will be suffering. That is controlling in my book. The OPEC-kers do the same!
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Along the lines of what SF said, I believe a lot of progressives are sociopaths. Sociopaths have top learn to fake morality, emotions, etc and they’re tired of doing it. Many want to kill the idea of God and Judgement day so they can do whatever they want to anyone without morality coming down on them.
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I do agree with SF that Christians harm themselves, but it is also true that we always hear more about the bad Christians than we do the good ones. Bad news sells, along with “gotcha” material. On the other hand, Christians know they are sinners; they feel bad about it, they ask for forgiveness, and they try to do better (or at least, many are sincere in this). Kid is spot on when he argues that if the left can destroy our sense of right and wrong, then they can live happily ever after as sociopaths mired in a cesspool.
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A house divided cannot stand on its own.
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Or something along those lines is where we are unfortunately.
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Darn. All the good comments are taken.
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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/15/us-military-losing-christians-because-of-hostile-c/
Kid, i just found this link sent to me by Elmer’s Brother…. your information about military leaving because their faith is so maligned…or not joining because of it. This is AWFUL.
Ed, that cracked me UP!
Mustang, SF and Kid: That REALLY HIT ME HARD. Ed’s right…these are some of the best comments EVER at geeeZ.
IMAGINE? There’s so much truth to how we’re being manipulated to a NEW “Good v Evil”. All controlled by the Left.
I remember the moment commenter Ducky once said, about 8 years ago, after I posted on something I thought was immoral or something…he said “Who’s to say what’s right and what’s wrong?” And I thought “WHAT? Have we come to THIS, that people don’t think certain things are just plain WRONG?” I’m not talking about ordering chocolate over vanilla….I’m not even talking abortion, because most of us know that, but stuff like our kids being poisoned by Bruce Jenner stories, etc etc etc…..you know?
Yes, the new GOOD is accepting EVERYTHING….as long as people haven’t got their feeling s hurt….when their actions are either GOING TO or ARE hurting them NOW! They can’t SEE
SF…I am not a Stossel fan and am sorry if I led anybody to believe that. Obviously, I agree with some of what he says, but I always found him odd somehow…
Imp; I agree…..’divided’ really does seem like a good term, particularly when it’s divided from GOD.
Sparky…imagine being let go for just quietly reading the Bible? WOW. They’re like vampires looking at a cross, some of them, aren’t they.
And, I’m glad you agree about KILLING JESUS; not sure most of it isn’t Biblical; I think it is, BUT I tried to read the DIRT-DRY-BORING book and the movie…what was new about THAT? It’s BEEN DONE! Give us something that elucidates the situation or SOMETHING!
And O’Reilly is SO SMUG about it…”Notice I never said ‘Christ’ because they didn’t call him that..” “Wow, Bill…HEAVY” (not) “The NAZARENE” is what he calls him.
I think it’s wonderful if he touched some folks by the movie, but…………I couldn’t even watch most of it.
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“But did you hear John Stossel call O’Reilly “a ten foot tall cry baby” for suggesting Christians are under any kind of attack…or will be…in America.”
NO!
Stossel, while making some good points, seems at times almost lifeless. O’Reilly is, yes, “full of himself”; pure and simple. I find their back and forth banter to be extremely boring, even irritating !
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Cartoon is bitingly accurate. I heard from a person in Silicon Valley’s tech industry. That neighborhood is full of traps for and targeting Christians, conservatives or anyone who looks like one. He said the manager reviewing resumes in his company told the screener “if any of them look like Republicans throw them away.”
All these attacks on our core cultural institution are like growlers. No, I don’t mean beer. Those little icebergs – little rounded lumps that come from the core of an ice berg – that are turned over and very unstable. They stick up a few feet above the water and are treacherous for ships which weave and dodge through infested waters. As our ‘waters’ get more infested, we will become ice locked and forced to move with their flow – at least, that’s their intention.
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John, Stossel does make good points….and O’Reilly has done a TON to get Conservativism more acceptable again, and has saved children through exposing various scandals, etc etc….but he does everything he asks watchers not to do; bloviates, opines, ..etc!
Baysider; You know the Bergemont Station art studios near the fwy? My friend shows in a gallery there and was standing at the top of some stairs overlooking the studios downstairs, at a big cocktail party opening in the main areas….and a fellow artist said to her “Man, if there are any REPUBLICANS around here, we need to get rid of them” About GUESTS!
This is TYPICAL. Or go to a dinner party and people start bashing Republicans as if it’s just guaranteed they’re all liberals. Unbelievable.
THis has to be fought and I’m not sure how anymore, particularly because our teachers say things like “Don’t use FOX news, it’s not a real news venue” to journalism classes, for EXAMPLE….You mention REPUBLICANS to highschoolers and some will look a little squirrely (their folks are probably R’s), most will look disdainful and smug as if THAT IS INSANE AND R’s are ALL HATEFUL AND STUPID AND LOVE WAR, etc.. (their folks are probably liberals OR they’ve bought into the liberal line on their own), and some will just look stupid because they couldn’t care less!
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Re: “if there are any REPUBLICANS around here, we need to get rid of them” Now THAT’s shocking – customers! It’s a lot like not allowing a black to shop in your store because you only want ‘white’ money. Geesh!
I’m working on an answer to that, BTW, starting with Greg Koukl’s Columbo tactic: “What do you mean by that?” It’s great. It lets THEM define their ground as they stammer out an answer.
In two or three questions you will either totally confirm their bigotry in viewpoint discrimination (and can identify it as such – “gee, Joe, you sound like you’d be more at home in a southern diner in the Jim Crow era than in this cosmopolitan gathering”) — or ferret out reflexive ‘chin music’ and maybe, just maybe, plant a seed of self-examination.
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O’Reilly certainly be my first choice as my Christian champion, but he has been right more often than not on these issues. It isn’t even arguable that Christians are under attack. What gets my mumble beads in a knot is when the secularist progressives attempt to hijack Christianity by somehow making the argument that Jesus was a socialist. All I know is that I gave to Caesar what Caesar demanded yesterday, but he will never get my soul.
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“Wouldn’t be my first choice…” This iPad rarely cooperates.
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It’s an IPad. Quit the cult Jerry.
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