1. I do not see you as angry at all. All your objections seem to be based on content, not rejecting for the sake of rejecting. You seem to present yourself in a evenly keeled good natured tone.
I understand you have reasons for distrusting, criticizing and rejecting "politicized Christianity" but that is separate from the true meaning message and practice.
That seems a natural reaction that doesn't impede you too much from interacting and seeking to share with others.
You seem to stay rationally minded about this, so I would peg you as one of the "righteous gentiles" who naturally follows the law by conscience.
This path is still governed by the same spirit of truth and justice that God and Jesus represent, while gentiles using natural laws share from a secular perspective of seeing and saying things.
If you have a bias against the concept of a god, I think it is natural for you, and not just an emotional reaction against other people or views.
So I think this is workable with. Everyone has limits, conditions, boundaries and biases.
We all have cultural differences that make our perception and experiences come out different and unique to each of us.
There is no reason to make this a stumbling block when everyone is going to have differences, and some of these are going to conflict directly. that's just life and how people are.
2. I would compare your view of Christian politicians as very similar to why people distrust the Democrat party and liberals "as a group" and do not have faith that abuses of power can be corrected.
Instead of seeking to work with people within the party, opponents just attack the whole group, pointing out the corruption and wrongs done by party leaders and politics in the name of elections and votes, and the complete denial and refusal to address these issues.
So this is similar to how opponents reject Christianity where members seem to totally overlook wrongs and seem to push their own agenda for selfish reasons, so it's abusive
The abuses of Christianity are then used to discredit the practice and its practitioners as a whole.
Sealybobo it is interesting to me that you and I can forgive the problems with Democrats falling to corrupt politicians abusing the party for votes and power; I share the faith that people WITHIN the party have sincere ideals and commitment, even if the system of power has been hijacked by those with more influence financially, politically and with the media.
I do not throw out all the other members, and principles, just because of the corrupt Democrat leaders, practices and history that have completely gone against these goals.
In fact, I try even HARDER to correct the problems by standing up for these principles,
and working toward corrections, solutions and restitution invested from past abuses. I think that is the very least owed, for all the exploitation of minorities and politics in the past.
So when I take this same self-correctional approach with Christianity, enforcing the principles among peers in order to hold each other to the standards we agree to follow, to correct abuses,
I find that not all people can do that. Christians may have faith that other Christians can be held to account this way; but opponents attacking from outside do not. The parties are equally bad if not worse.
GISMYS may be able to forgive the wrongs committed in the name of Christianity because he puts the good and true purpose first;
but when it comes to groups he opposes, then all the dirt and past wrongs come out to discredit that group and people associated with it.
Same with political parties.
(One of my friends is so dependent on the Democrat party to represent his disdain for conservative Christian Republicans, that he will not come forward and talk about his opposition to ACA because he doesn't want to align or get used by the other party.)
SB if you also favor the liberal Democrats over the conservative Republicans, if you can forgive the problems and exploitation in the history of the Democrat party, and seek instead to focus on humanitarian principles and purposes that are good to defend, and can be used to OVERCOME and correct the problems that Democrats have long been blamed for.
Isn't that similar to how Christians defend the good principles and purpose in the faith,
and forgive historic wrongs and abuses while seeking to correct these? Instead of rejecting the whole thing as problematic?
I have friends who are christians, muslims and jews. If my opinions offend them we just don't talk politics. And yes I can work with them. I'm not as angry as I come off. I'm passionately debating my side. There is no god. Anyone who thinks there is is just hoping.
And these christians who say I'm so angry, that's funny because I have never unfriended a friend because of their christian bullshit, but I have been unfriended by a catholic and jewish friend. They get FURIOUS if I even try to suggest there is no god. Why so defensive? Hard to discuss with someone who's so brainwashed they are even scared to discuss facts like no virgin can get pregnant.
3. my understanding of the concept of immaculate birth of Christ
is that it represents Jesus carrying no karma from physical family as other people do,
and thus no debts that his actions had to repay for his own conscience sake.
So the sacrifice of Christ was not to pay for anything he did or owed which was nothing,
and so it represents paying off and breaking the cycle of karma for all humanity.
Collectively it was for all other people, by nature of his divine role in this process,
and was not for him personally.
Everything is paid forward to help others, and none of it is for working off debts owed in the past, as symbolized by Jesus born free of sin/karma normally inherited from the past.
That is what it symbolizes, but the storytelling and explanation of it makes no sense.
If Mary had to be 100% pure for him to be pure, then so would her parents etc. etc. etc.
That is taking it too literally.
The point is about spiritual purity and lack of conditions.
All other people carry conditions and biases where we do not treat people equally
but favor some more than others. what Jesus represents as God's love or justice
is unconditional, where all people are loved and included equally, which only God can do.
the rest of us are imperfect and biased by material conditions or "sin/karma" passed down.