Someone should start "Jesusland Tours"

[gorbal]

Somebody should start a "Jesusland Tours" travel company and offer to take people on a tour of the strange and surreal Bible Belt.

I just saw the movie "Saved" and it reminded me of the Christian bookstore I visited in Oregon. I felt as if there was this whole other culture that people had built up around themselves that I didn't even know about. There was christian books, christian movies and christian rock n' roll, and it was all part of a chain bookstore that is doing booming business around the country.

"Saved" is really funny by the way. You should check it out:)

[Jayster777]

1. A little Help

I'm not completely sure if I understand your post completely and it's purpose, but I am a Christian, and think I may be able to help our party out. The first question is whether we want to appeal to the Evangelicals, because many things they stand for are "outdated". I say that, even though I do consider myself a Christian. I'm just a little more open-minded than others that I know. Here is a Jesusland tour. I will speak with utmost respect about the south, being from Alabama, as I can. Growing up, I was labeled a hippy. I was beat up by the rednecks. Later, after I quit trying to fit in, I "fit in", just cause I was different and confident with it. I think this is the key....Confidence. Many Christians share morals with us democrats...here are a few...Tolerance, Giving to the poor, and helping those in need. These issues need to be emphasized in the rhetoric. The anti-Christian talk needs to cease. All it does is divide more. I understand the seperation of state and church, but the attack is a little to swift right now for the majority to tolerate. It needs to slow down and be a little less obvious and little more gradual. People are not ready for and revolt. This is my first post here and I will slow down with my moderate ideas. I'm just concerned about our party and want to contribute.

[gorbal]

2. Tell us more!!

I am serious when I say how surprised I am by some of what I have learned. I thought evangelical and far right christians were only a small segment of society, I did not realize how much right-wing christian culture had spread and mutated across the country. I am intriged, and hope I don't sound disrespectfull.

[madrchsod]

3. since you are new here i`ll

explain my take on the Christian thing here..
first- i`m a believer in Christ`s words and deeds.
second- don`t confuse alot of posters rage at Christians. they feel that all Christians are like Bush,Falwell,and other false "profits"
third-don`t despair,there are alot of people here that stick up for the belief`s in what Christ tried to say about how people should treat each others.
fourth-welcome to du,it`s a pretty good place to be. we offer advice to those who ask,we comfort people in need, and at times we are really really crazy...oh yes-we discuss politics and politicians

[Jayster777]

6. Out of Touch

I must be out of touch with the rest of my party here. I realize, unfortunately that the anti-Christians parasite upon us because we stand for equality between all beliefs. But that is the key word..."All beliefs". And the way the ACLU is now, the perception is waaaaaaaaaay out there that the democrats are anti-Christian. Personally I think we have to divide ourself from the FAR left positions. I don't believe in them. If all beliefs are equal...don't attack the Christian ones.

[gorbal]

7. Well

I feel like I am "out of touch" with much of America. We NEED people like you around here, please settle in and help some of us understand the South a little better.

Saying that, I don't think we should change our core values to appeal to the far right, so much as try to understand the middle a little better. As far left positions go...what is a far left position?

[Jayster777]

8. Thank you

This party does have hope...being that it is the open minded party. There is a meet in the middle area...no reason to give up any core values. A far left position is anti-Christian, and almost communist. People such as Michael Moore. There is a reality that is somewhere between the right and the left, the yin and the yang. Or more exact...the left and right wing of the same bird. If they are too out of balance...the bird can't fly. There is a far right and far left. The far left is why communism failed....because mankind is not evolved enough for it yet. Here is the deal. Selfishness, or as the Christians name it the devil, which is within all of us rules the world. God is love. Love is the answer. But if you go out with love in a world of selfishness, the world will just take, take, and take, and not give back. That is where welfare fails. And that is why I am a moderate in this party. The democrats are idealistic...and beautifully...but almost day-dreamers. The republicans are realistic...but their problem is being stubborn. Clinton worded it good saying that conservatives draw lines that shouldn't be crossed, and Democrats try to cross lines that need to be crossed. Personally I just think the democrats are trying to cross these lines too fast. The republicans are having a revolution against it. This party needs to learn to be subtle and patient. Too much at once, expecially when it comes to court rulings that the ACLU pushes, will only result in opposition. The Right feels it has been pushed too far, and stayed silent for too long. This, to them, is reality, as hard as that is to believe. Trust me, my folks are republicans.

[Jayster777]

9. You know

Perhaps the best advice I can give to our party to appeal to the South is to know the difference between rednecks, hicks, and hillbillies. You want to reach the south...go for the hillbillies. Let me compare them to the rednecks. The rednecks want to fight at the drop of a cowboy hat. The hillbillies are layed back. The rednecks are into beer and liqour, the hillbillies are dope-heads..almost hippies. The hillbillies do enjoy hunting and fishing however. Hillbillies live in the mountains and are more remote. They don't have a lot of motivation to travel out and vote. They have a care-less attitude...."whatever happens happens." Get them out to vote...and you got some traction. Hope this helps...wherever it goes.

[gorbal]

10. I agree in part, in part I don't.

I think one of our failings is in communicating effectively many positions we hold in common. I think too many have taken an insulting tact rather than a persuasive one, and some on the left are completely intolerant. I remember when I went to a meeting of a group on campus (I didn't know at the time it had communist leanings.) When I criticized the group leader for calling cops "pigs" he lambasted me and said "you're either with us or against us".

I disagree however that Republicans are more "realistic" than the Democrats. If you study how the economy fared under both parties you will find that the economy has tended to fare much better under Democratic leadership in the last 50 years or so. I also disagree that welfare is a problem. (unless you are talking about cooperate welfare) The countries that are often called "welfare states" are at the top of both the human developement index and the social progress index and also have much less crime than the countries with less welfare. The US has moved down the social progress index since it cut welfare programs.

Many Democrats disagree with me on this still, sigh.

(Edit: Interesting what you say aboput hillbillies. The people I have met who live in more remote areas are some of the most interesting that I know:)

[Razorback_Democrat]

16. A very astute observation

it is also true that ACLU defends all kinds of issues, they defend the constitution, not atheists, theists, or whatever. They have defended the KKK, Satanists, Christians, and even Rush Limbaugh.

I think you are missing the message of ACLU as it has been skewed by the right wing media and even the MSM.

I am a liberal Christian from the south. I live in "Jesusland" as you call it. It really is a question of denominations. The more conservative religions that have started practicing a "dominionist" brand of Christianity, where they believe that they have dominion over all things "evil", so that if you label something evil you have dominion over it! If they say liberals are evil (and they do) then they can justify dominion over them. Also in this belief system is the idea that if you are poor or in trouble, then it is because you aren't a "righteous" person in God's eye. Wealth is seen as a sign that God has smiled upon you. This justifies the idea that you don't care for the poor because "God doesn't bless them or they wouldn't be poor". Get the picture, one can begin to justify all kinds of things like cutting welfare, Medicaid, and Medicare, and even Social Security by this philosophy.

I strayed and rambled.

[newyawker99]

12. Hi Jayster777!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[ExclamationPoint]

15. Response

I realize your concerns, but do you know what people of other religions had to go through because christians were against their religion. Witch burning, for example. I understand what you mean by trying to unite and stop yelling at the christians, and I'm sure none of us want to ridicule the more liberal minded of christians at all. It's just the baptists and evangelicals that have just gone too far that we're against. I'm not anti-christian at all, however I am against the christian evangelists in the south who show no respect whatsoever for people of other faiths. Though I'm sure not all are like this, I don't believe it is the time for christians to be complaining about anti-christians. The jesusland thing was meant to be taken as a joke, and though there are some things that should be taken seriously, this shouldn't have.

No offense to you Jayster777, I don't think people should be labeling us all as fascists either.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Go to Branson MO

and you can get on the LIVE TV show with Jim Bakker. Yep, he's back, and living in Branson.

[gorbal]

14. Part of me want's to do that

I have never spent more than perhaps a week in a red state. Are the christian right really living on the same dimension that I am? Perhaps there is some sort of tear in reality that could explain the strangeness in how they see the world.

[madrchsod]

5. "saved "is really a funny movie

made even funnier with mandy moores character. good performances all around...

[enki23]

11. saved started out smart and funny...

but mostly lost me somewhere around two-thirds of the way through when it got all caught up in preaching it's own message.

[gorbal]

13. I loved it!

I watched it twice. I think when people look back years from now it will really paint a picture of a whole culture parellel to american popular culture and much like it, yet somehow more distinct from it than many other COUNTRIES.

I found very interesting, some perspectives on the film from a christian forum-

http://www.youthontherock.com/viewtopic.php?t=4715

I was ready to just pass off the whole christian youth movement as a bunch of crazies until I read this. They really allow a whole range of opinion within the movement and I think they rock for doing so:)

(Edit: check the second and third pages for the diverse opinions:))