"Confused Americans Attribute Bible Quote to Captain America"

ant · Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:54 pm

I found this to be an interesting, brief article about a survey conducted about a line in the Captain America movie. Americans were largely ignorant of its origin:


	Quote: “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up.”

The article can be found here (yes, it's from a Christian website, but bear with me)

http://www.christianpost.com/news/confu ... ica-54725/


	Quote: A survey conducted on behalf of the American Bible Society found that 63 percent incorrectly believed that a verse found in 2 Corinthians was actually a quote from either Martin Luther King Jr., former President George W. Bush, or the patriotic superhero, Captain America.


	Quote: Overall, the vast majority (82 percent) of Americans say that they rely on something other than the Bible to cope with trauma, and six percent say they rely on nothing at all.

Strictly as a literary work, the Bible has some profound messages when read become a source of comfort and inspiration, which often leads to a more positive, healthy outlook on life.
As is the case with all literary works, separating the wheat from the chaff is something that can be applied to the Bible as well. To totally dismiss it as a work of fiction is to ignore a source that has been looked upon for countless years as a foundation for many of life's challenges.


	Quote: "The Bible – not politicians, comic book heroes or civil rights activists – was the first to speak out about dealing with trauma and gaining freedom," said the National Commander for The Salvation Army, Commissioner William Roberts.

Militant atheists who scoff at those that rely on the Bible for daily guidance overlook the positive influence it has had on many people's lives. This issue is much more than what they'd like people to think it is:

Religion is bad. We'd be better off without it!
Millions die because of religion!
The Bible is filled with mythical nonsense that only fools would believe!

What is bad about someone finding comfort from inspiring passages of hope, love, courage, and gratitude for good fortune that someone may refer to as "blessings"?

What is bad about the millions of lives that have been turned around for the better after a life of crime, reckless abandon, and irreverence for life, all because they found inspiration in the Bible?

What is foolish about benefiting from the "wheat" the Bible offers to readers that do not turn away from it because of individuals that justify malfeasance because they've transformed some of the chaff into crazed ideology?

Militant atheists that want nothing short of the total absence of religion because of its negative influence on the lives of some (not ALL) are becoming totalitarian in their speech.
What should we do about Quakers, or the Amish who faithfully adhere to their creeds?

We often become what we hate. Militant atheists who's objective is to aggressively ridicule those of faith are an ideology of their own making. Objective morality and its origin has yet to be given a definitive Darwinian explanation. Regardless of its origin, which is far from settled, the Bible is a forerunner to any ethical code that has been written since.

Thanks

Dexter · Sat Jan 21, 2012 9:47 pm


	ant wrote: Militant atheists that want nothing short of the total absence of religion because of its negative influence on the lives of some (not ALL) are becoming totalitarian in their speech. What should we do about Quakers, or the Amish who faithfully adhere to their creeds?

Do you think atheists want to kill them or something? "We" shouldn't do anything about them. It's the Christian conservatives that want to legislate their own morality (see Rick Santorum).

People can believe whatever they want, as long as they mind their own business.

ant · Sat Jan 21, 2012 10:35 pm

Dexter wrote:


	ant wrote: Militant atheists that want nothing short of the total absence of religion because of its negative influence on the lives of some (not ALL) are becoming totalitarian in their speech. What should we do about Quakers, or the Amish who faithfully adhere to their creeds?

Do you think atheists want to kill them or something? "We" shouldn't do anything about them. It's the Christian conservatives that want to legislate their own morality (see Rick Santorum).

People can believe whatever they want, as long as they mind their own business.

You have the freedom to vote for someone else. That is what is great about this country.

An atheist that is qualified can run for president.
It is up to said atheist to make his case convincing enough for people to vote for him.There is no other way around it. Vitriolic rhetoric will only cause further division. It is as petty as the other side. It demonstrates no advantage over the other camp. As a matter of fact, it takes a page right out of the opposing teams playbook. Nonsensical, by definition.

I could say the very same thing about atheists - they can chose to believe in nothing, as long as they mind their own business.

Thanks

Dexter · Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:08 am


	ant wrote: You have the freedom to vote for someone else. That is what is great about this country.


	Quote: I could say the very same thing about atheists - they can chose to believe in nothing, as long as they mind their own business.

If two other people voted on taking your wallet, would you be OK with that because you had the freedom to vote?

Just because a religious wacko gets into office, it doesn't make it right for him to impose his views. And yes, that is inflammatory rhetoric. But you're creating a false equivalence, peoples' freedoms aren't being infringed by atheists, the danger is the other way around.

DWill · Sun Jan 22, 2012 10:00 am

I know most people don't know the Bible--even the most religious--but the example from Captain America is a bad one. We're supposed to know that a common thought, phrased in modern English, "originated" in the Bible?

What you seem not to like, ant, is a lack of live-and-let-live on the part of activist atheists. Stephen Prothero, in God Is Not One summarizes well how this movement came about. Atheism came out swinging after the religious right hijacked politics in the 80s and 90s and the World Trade Towers came down in '01. Before that, atheism was a background phenomenon. I can't deny that going on the offensive seemed called for, even though my own preference is for everyone to act nice at all times. The New Atheists are seen as bullies by many, but really, they are still the Davids in the fight.

The Bible has had an incalculable value regarding the rise and spread of literacy. It is the reason that reading was held to be important in the first place. Of course, no book has had close to its influence on Western literature and art.

Forum rules

"Confused Americans Attribute Bible Quote to Captain America" Tweet This Topic

Who is online

Chat Room Always Open!