Where have i referred to Islam, i dont understand your point here.
so true, Christs Kingdom is indeed "not of this world", for how could it be ,being driven by Greed, selfishness, Envy, Hate and Lust and being the province of the Devil who could offer Christ ALL the kingdoms of this World if he would bow down and worship him. And although we do have "Free will", Christ gives us a clear set of Commandments and teachings about how we should live
You believe the Romans with their oppression, their exploitation, their enslavement of conquered peoples and their utter destruction of any that opposed them "kept the Savages/Barbarians out"?, not to mention their enjoyment at seeing men kill and maim each other in the Gladiator ring. And yes they provided a "Legal system", a brutal and corrupt Legal system that relied on executions and maiming to maintain order amongst the conquered masses. But thats an interesting point about Christ coming when he did within the roman system, and also the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire, as corrupting as it was it enabled the spread of Christs words throughout the Empire and was a leading cause as to the Dissemination of a sort of Christianity, however corrupt and self serving that "Christianity" became.
Like you i dont wish to discuss Governments except to say that by their nature and the nature of the people they govern and serve they are ALL corrupt, and also to say that if you wish to see the effects of a government that is unable to give "handouts" as you call them, just look around Africa and parts of SE asia where poverty and deprivation are widespread and millions of men, women and children die every year from Hunger and easily preventable disease. And i really dont need to see the "Dog video" when i can see the effect of Greed and selfishness playing out in the real world. But i would be interested in your answer to my re-posed question about Christ talking of feeding the hungry , housing the homeless, etc" and whether you consider that as "Handouts"?.
But Satan does already control this world, its not a question of him "getting there" or of "Christians fooled into facilitating him getting there" for he is already there, and Capitalism through its infiltration and control of all Political systems and human nature has enabled him to do so, youve really got to get out of this train of thought that one political system is responsible for most of the ills of the world, for they are ALL responsible, as are ALL of us , what we , as followers of Christ who accept him as our Lord and Saviour, are called to understand is that we cannot serve the forces of Mammon, in ALL their forms, be it ideological, financial or political, and still serve God, Christ alone is our master and we must try as best we can to build our lives upon the firm rock of his truth and not the corrupt and twisted lies of our Earthly prejudices and desires.
This should have been at the start of my reply, but as usual, i messed up, but whats new, sorry,..........Hi NBTT, sorry about the delay in replying, its been a hectic week, but before i go any further could i ask for an answer to the questions i posed as it would give me a greater understanding of just where youre coming from, so i'll re post them here......."So do you believe that when Christ spoke of "Feeding the Hungry, of clothing the naked, of housing the homeless, of welcoming the stranger, of healing the sick and visiting the prisoner" he was wrong?, or do you view these not as "handouts" but perhaps just expressions of Love and Compassion for those in need, along the line of "Love your neighbour as yourself" and "treat others as you'd want to be treated". On numerous occasions Christ called on his followers and those that would follow him to "Give what you have to the poor, follow me and you will have treasure in heaven", by saying this do you think Christ was perpetuating a system of dependence and destroying "Dignity and self worth".?....." I think we should recognise the destructiveness of ALL political systems and ideologies and not let our own personal beliefs and prejudices cloud our understanding of Christs words, or do you believe that as socialism is "ungodly" then Capitalism is "Godly", and if you do, i'd be interested to see Christs words and teachings in support of that position."......."Lets be honest, when push comes to shove, we are ALL self serving hypocrites , so far removed from the faith we profess as to sometimes make it almost meaningless. But i would be interested to know just what you mean by "extreme situations", is being "hungry" enough to warrant help, is being "naked" enough to warrant help, is being "homeless" enough to warrant help, is being a "Stranger" enough to warrant help........ you get my drift, and if its not enough to warrant help, then do we not as Christians run the risk of turning away from the very Saviour we profess to Love and follow and be condemned by him for so doing?."
