That's just the thing, you see. It's not the only possible definition. Other people have different definitions; QED. Nobody says you have to agree with their definitions, but it's not reasonable to just pretend they don't exist just because they don't jive with your own interpretation of what "Christian" means. The same is true for any named ethos, obviously.

If you want a substantive discussion on this — and for god's sake, please no — then it has to start with ideas, not bickering over semantics. Okay, fine, some people who self-identify as Christian do or say things that you don't think Christians should do or say. So what? They still do that stuff, and they still self-identify as Christians, and its not like anybody can sue them for trademark infringement for using the word without permission, so … what? What's the point of hauling out the "they're not really" thing?

Now. On the other hand. I could get tee shirts made up that say "I'm so Christian you just can't believe it" and then go on a killing spree and murder like a hundred toddlers. Would my actions say anything at all about Christianity? Not a damn thing, not any more than if I'd described myself as a Democrat or a Cubs fan. Unless there's some apparent causal link, or even compelling correlation, between two aspects of somebody's behavior, saying "That guy was X, so X is bad" is just fucking stupid.

It isn't "my" interpretation. The word "Christian" was first used in Antioch to identify those who followed the teachings of Jesus and the apostles (Acts 11:26 if anyone cares). Any other definition is made up. C. S. Lewis compared it to the word "gentleman" which lost its original meaning and early uses of it became useless unless people knew what it originally referred to.
Words have meaning. If definitions become relative then we have no basis for understanding what anyone is saying. If I say I am a Buddhist but go against the fundamental teachings of Buddhism, I am not, by definition, a Buddhist. If I say I am a  Socialist Liberal Democrat but vote only for Capitalist Conservative Republicans, I am, by definition, not a Socialist liberal democrat.
Any definition of Christian has to be based on New Testament teaching - i.e. the foundation of Christianity - or else there is no reason to even use the word. It becomes an illogical mess otherwise. We have to have a definition to hold people to. Once again, this is not a religious debate but a debate about defining what words mean. I would say the same for any other religion or political movement.

I've said all I have to say on the subject. If you don't get that there has to be known, objective definitions in order to make any sense of words, then we can't possibly continue to communicate.

Last edited by fardawg (2010-08-05 19:17:34)

Why no sequel? Godzilla should have appeared out of the North Sea.

That was Judaic law, which Christ superseded.

I mean, if we're going to get pedantic.

Another good one, guys. I'm weird, i usually try not to watch the movie with the commentary or else i might switch you off and watch the movie like i did a couple of times here.

And soylent green is made of people. People! But yeah, the scene where the president yells at the pilots to turn around and they won't listen is awesome.

Damn man, you're like one of the fucking Hyperion pilgrims. (That's meant as a compliment. )

Back on the subject of nuclear war, there's a great game out there called DEFCON. It was inspired by (and directly emulates) the big board from Wargames. It's maybe the darkest game I've ever played. The soundtrack is very low-key, elegiac classical music, but if you turn the sound all the way up, deep in the background you can hear distant sobbing. It rules.

The multiplayer is great, too. Get three or four friends, set the game to "survival" scoring mode and the slowest possible speed and off you go. Nobody wants to fire the first shot — in "survival" mode everyone starts off with 100 points and loses points for every civilian casualty suffered; winner is the one who loses the least — and the tension can just be ridiculous.