Why are so many USA 'Christians' so evil and foolish?

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Interesting how you came to these conclusive statements. Mind sharing the reasoning for your judgments or are they merely arbitrary statements which you will receive in full measure during your judgment?

I blame Calvinism. This idea of absolute depravity and that only through God's predestined intervention can people be saved... from that came the idea that the fortunate are blessed and the unfortunate are cursed and are to be despised. So your favour with God and chances of Heaven are based on the contents of your wallet.

Not all Christians are Calvinists. However, the notion that the fortunate are blessed and the unfortunate are cursed and are to be despised is counter scriptural in the sense that it was one of Job's friends who had said it to Job in a manner of, paraphrased, "you've been cursed so you must have deserved it, repent!" and Job rebukes his friend who is giving him advice based upon a crappy notion.

To paraphrase the Good Book:

Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord," will enter into heaven.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

Actually, John Calvin would have been appalled with what self righteous had made his theological system into.
And, no, I'm not a Calvinist. I just feel there's a difference between the man, and his later so called followers.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

Salvation is a grace and a gift. It is unearned, unearnable and it will be bestowed only on 144,000 thousand favored souls. The rest (billions and billions) will perish.

ruveyn

Do you know the context of what you are referring to? The instance of 144,000 people, 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel which God will find (not the mormons or seventh day adventists) is at an ultra specific time. There are loads more people than just those who are able to accept salvation.

For one, conservative christians in the USA seem to support war and torture, thus they are evil or idiots or both.

Are the 144,000 only male and virgins, according to this?:

"And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless." Revelation 14:3-5


If the calvinist predestination is right, then the 144,000 doesn't seem to conflict with it, only that a small portion of the population is going to heaven, and the less the better.

Anyway, I believe Jehova's witnesses don't believe exactly that only 144,000 will be saved and the rest doomed to hell, rather: "They believe that 144,000 (which they believe to be synonymous with the "little flock" of Luke 12:32) have a heavenly hope and will reign with Christ, while all other people accepted by God (the "other sheep" of John 10:16, which includes "the great crowd" of Revelation 7:9,14), will live forever in an earthly paradise (an "earthly hope"). According to the Witnesses, the first of the 144,000 were raised to heaven from their graves in 1918 and others who die after 1918 immediately go to heaven when they die." - wikipedia.

And I believe Seventh day adventists, if I'm correct, they believe the number to be symbolic rather than being a literal number.

There's a difference between simply being the so-called Christians (the ones that are judgemental, degenerate, and idiotic) and believing in Hell. In one case, it has to do with how you treat another person, in another case, it has to do with whether or not you believe a statement (about the afterlife) to be objectively true.
Nobody (that I know of) takes comfort in the idea of Hell. A rational person doesn't adopt a belief because they find it comfortable, or all-embracing, or modern, or advanced, or whatever else. A rational person adopts a belief because they have examined all objective evidence and come to a conclusion based on that evidence.

That about sums it up.

The issue with the OP isn't the belief in Hell, it's saying that these people that she doesn't like are destined to go there -- a rather harsh and nasty thing to say.

Holy misquote, batman.

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

In other words, before you feel obliged to judge others, understand that you will be judged by the same principles in turn. The passage in context is merely a suggestion that you should practice what you preach.

Judging, or 'evaluating' is a necessary part of our lives. If something is morally abhorrent to us then it is right to question its validity. In the same sense, you would not allow someone you judged as unfit or untrustworthy to take care of your children should you find yourself in need of a minder.

Absolutely. We have never been told to never judge.

I see what is meant.

Anything that's based upon following a set of ancient teachings as absolute truth and being part of a large group is going to cause some stupidity. It's not like it's anything new.