I was basing the numbers from Pew Research (2015). Remember that I’m only talking about the U.S.

ETA: Perhaps I should say Protestants, or the ones who call themselves Christian vs Mormon, Catholic, etc.

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/923e1c6eb466fb293ed738583e355d9858ee659536888990a67b7da84a9c71fd.png

I don’t think they make up the majority of Christians, it’s that they are by far the largest unified voting bloc and they are the only one whose members routinely use religion to justify their political decisions (not that it’s actually true — they are just politically right wing).

Based on all that I have learned from you, this blog and others, I know that not all Christians are of the misguided evangelical types. The problem is that in the US, the misguided types are the majority of Christians (and Republicans), and that makes them an issue in our lives and politics. So vocal are they that, like I used to be, many people are not aware of the other Christians.

You have to admit it’s an excellent strategy that Christians have used in the past. It works. It doesn’t help that your minority of bad Christians is rather a large and very loud group. I don’t even have to say anything. Christians show what their culture is all about. For every Throckmorton, there are a dozen Bartons and Grahams out there. And those are the nicer conservative Christians. Some of the more extremist conservative Christians are down right nasty.

Again, this isn’t about truth. It’s about winning. Christians have never had a problem lying about other groups. A thousand years of calling the Jewish people as “Jesus killers” resulted in the Holocaust. A few hundred years enabled a culture of white supremacy where white Europeans invaded and stole and murdered inhabitants from all around the world outside of Europe. And let’s not get hung up over the “Atheists will turn into Stalin and Pol Pot and Hitler and kill people” nonsense.

Humanity hasn’t evolved to the point that they can think beyond their tribalism. All I have to do is highlight the more disgusting Christians so that they and their religion are smeared. The same things that lead people to a religious position are the same things that can be used to push them away. Until conservatives start teaching critical thinking skills and promoting evidence and logic, anyone can manipulate human groups using the innate thinking flaws that we all have. It’s so much easier to stereotype and blindly believe something rather than individualizing and fact checking. Liberals are a bit more difficult but since they aren’t as nasty as conservatives are, I don’t really have to highlight hypocrisy. If anything, my strategy with liberals is the exact opposite where I have to restrain their purity politics because it causes self-harm to liberal and progressive causes.

The main message of the Bible is the prophesied, blood bought and glorious new covenant of grace; which continuously shines the spotlight on JESUS Christ and who we are in Him. Which is a beloved and redeemed child of God AND Kingdom of priests at new birth. Whose primary purpose is to minister unto the Lord in the inner court as a priest to be nearest his presence; thus bein g empowered to present JESUS himself, as a conduit, and bring the Kingdom of God to earth!