Isn't one of the main points of Christianity to scare people into behaving themselves for fear of the tortures of hell?

===============================================================================
FUNNY!
Thanks!
Q!

Try reading the book of Isaiah, 37:29 / "Because of your anger against the Lord - and I heard it all! - I have put a hook in your nose and a bit in your mouth and led you back to your own land by the same road you came."
Maybe you missed this in your readings and/or teachings? Real Christians have faith in the lord, therefore not feared by hell!!

===============================================================================
Thank you for reading! And, of course, thank you for contributing.
You have helped me to make my point.
I am fully aware of what Isaiah wrote, but as a Christian, I follow Christ--NOT Isaiah.
Pease remember, Christ came to establish a NEW covenant with us. We are fools to follow the covenants of old . . . .
Quentin

First off, you fail to understand the mentality of most evangelical Christians in America today. Christians have been told time and time again that they should step back and allow abhorrent behavior to be taught to their children in schools and that they should not complain when television shows move the envelope farther and farther to the edge of the table.

They are being marginalized for the very things this country was originally based upon. The more base society becomes the more they are pushed aside. They are beginning to react like a wild cat backed into a corner ready to be captured. It's my belief that the poll reflects the very nature of mankind when he/she sees their ultimate doom in the making.

Add to the mix the very nature of the type of torture that is actually being debated about. Americans are told that waterboarding is bad and should be outlawed. Then they are told that the very people whom most American's attribute the 911 atrocities to could be released from their prison right into the heartland of America.

You know as well as anyone Quentin that most white evangelical Christians are supportive of the policies on the right. They will take with a grain of salt any information fed them by the left, as do those who support the agenda on the left do to any information fed to them by the right.

I'm too tired right now to argue what is right or wrong when it comes to what each of us considers interrogation methods that crosses the line. However most Christians do not see things through your liberally slanted brain. You don't even agree with 90% of what Christians in the whole world believe. I digress though, because to help you understand why white evangelicals will answer the poll question the way they did.

Now I did look at the results in the poll, and if you run the statistics on the poll, there is not enough evidence to conclude that those who claim to be religiously affiliation are more inclined to condone torture than non-religious people. You have a premise and that premise is to present data in a way that you can make evangelical and Catholic Christians look way more supportive of torture then the average American, but that is not what the poll shows.

I could make a similar statement that says "Most non-religious people condone torture in some instances." After all 69% of all non religiously affiliated Americans support the same idea of limited torture. That 69% is only 4% less then the evangelical and catholic number. Where you are wrong is that you conclude, that based upon the polling data, evangelicals and catholics are 'more' likely to condone torture.

Quentin, again you have a conclusion in your head that makes you attempt to slander Christians in the process instead of being honest. The facts show that the difference in responses is statistically insignificant if you run the correct tests.

I understand PERFECTLY why some christians are being marginalized.
You wrote it yourself:
"You know as well as anyone Quentin that most white evangelical Christians are supportive of the policies on the right"
Most policies of the right are NOT Christian! You see, this makes you look stupid and hypocritical. Most people will not respect someone who gets up there and shouts from a rooftop, "look at me and how hypocritically stupid I am!!!"
You make an excellent argument regarding the collection of the data yet you are completely blind to the fact that ONE CHRISTIAN respondent that would condone torture is ONE too many.
Hello?
Don't you get it?
Truly, I love skewering the so-called christians--because they DON'T follow Christ--they follow the Devil in the guise of Republican policies. And just as Jesus told me in the Sermon on the Mount, I can tell you by your fruits. Now, perhaps I should be more nurturing and compassionate to them, but really Fred, if you're a Christian and what you have posted to my site is any indication of how Christians think and behave, well then, you have made my point far better than I ever could have!
For that, my thanks!

Quentin, I admit I am a flawed Christian and that I allow my emotions to get the best of my at times, but at least I do not support all kinds of abhorant (sic)
behavior and Claim God condones it.

God judges everyone, and one of the standards are how one leads another. If you lead another to sin, or to believe that sinful behavior is OK, then you will be judged very harshly. You cannot claim to know what it is God says when you say two homosexuals are not sinning as you did on PS [Post-Scripts--another blog here at NorCal Blogs].

So your opinion of anyone's walk with Christ is no better than the opinion of an atheist on Christianity. Especially since you do not believe half the stuff in the Bible. You pick and chose what it is you want to believe, why not just write your own Bible and quit claiming to be a follower of Christ?

I KNEW it, Fred!
I just knew you'd jump back into this after what I posted on Post-Scripts.
Again, you prove my point exactly.
Now, you're claiming to know the mind of God.
Y'know, you christians used the Bible to justify slavery, too. (In fact, it was claimed by some pro-slavery christians--now there's a joke--that "leading others away from 'God's natural order' of slavery" was leading "another to sin.") You hypocrites have used the Bible to justify every God-damned atrocity committed by you people.
Guys like you are a dime a dozen. You are the very reason for the wide gate.
It was guys just like you--so sure of their own certitude--who helped crucify Jesus.
You damn me?
Guess that puts me in good company!

"Homosexuality is a sin."
Yeah?
Says who?
Some guys who cobbled some manuscripts together in the 4th century; under the direction of a world-famous hedonist, and called it "The Bible?"
It's a sin because Fred Jake says it's a sin?
Who the Hell elected Fred Jake to judge mankind?
I went to my room, closed my door, and prayed to my Heavenly Father in secret. He told me not to worry about it--there was real sin in the world.
Now what, Fred?
What happened when you did that?
Real, honest-to-God Christians don't worry about the splinters in others' eyes when they have a plank in their own.
Please note that I never claimed God condoned homosexual behavior.
I will claim He does forgive it--IF it's a sin--so why don't you forgive others too?
Why don't you and all your narrow minded friends just follow your Savior and turn your cheek?
Or, are your standards higher than God's?
One thing in your post you got right:
You are, indeed, a flawed Christian.
I will pray for you, sir.
And remember, a narrow mind will not get you through the narrow gate!

Shorter Fred Jake--"Yeah, I condone torturing human beings, but at least I don't like queers!"