Tuesday’s Godbytes

Like much of the world, the blogosphere is fixated on the tragic killings in Norway today, with the folks over at Religious Dispatches ruminating on the idea that “Christian Terrorism” is embodied in the suspected Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik and Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh: “Both were good-looking young Caucasians, self-enlisted soldiers in […]

Like much of the world, the blogosphere is fixated on the tragic killings in Norway today, with the folks over at Religious Dispatches ruminating on the idea that “Christian Terrorism” is embodied in the suspected Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik and Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh:

“Both were good-looking young Caucasians, self-enlisted soldiers in an imagined cosmic war to save Christendom. Both thought their acts of mass destruction would trigger a great battle to rescue society from the liberal forces of multiculturalism that allowed non-Christians and non-whites positions of acceptability. Both regretted the loss of life but thought their actions were “necessary.” For that they were staunchly unapologetic. And both were Christian terrorists.”

CNN’s Belief Blog, however, questions whether “Christian fundamentalist” is the right title for Breivik:

“…experts on European politics and religion say that the Christian fundamentalist label could overstate the extent to which the suspect, Anders Behring Breivik – who has told authorities that he carried out the attacks – was motivated by religion, and the extent to which he is tied to a broader religious movement.”

Meanwhile, Hemant Mehta at The Friendly Atheist has his own question about the massacre regardless of the killer’s faith:


“Anders Behring Breivik, the man responsible for the recent terror in Norway, says he’s a Christian – some of his writings point to him being only a cultural Christian while several media sources have called him a “Fundamentalist Christian.” At the very least, the speculation brings up a thought experiment that I find interesting regardless of what we eventually learn about his beliefs … If he were really a Christian (even in name only), he would likely accept the divinity of Jesus Christ.

So here’s a question for the Protestants out there: Would Breivik go to Heaven when he dies?”

In more earthly news, blogger Rachel Evans comments on how Campus Crusade Christ recently changed its name to “cru.”

“What bugs me about Campus Crusade’s rebranding is not the name change but the insistence that God came up with it. In the press release announcing the change, President Steve Douglas declared,’This decision has been saturated with prayer. We only want what God wants for us.’ Vice President Steve Sellers said it even more bluntly: ‘We believe wholeheartedly that God has given us this new name.’

Finally, inter-faith activist Eboo Patel gets the Tweet of the Day, retweeting a comment made by Shireen Zaman, Exec Director, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding:

@Eboopatel RT @intrfthalliance: Zaman: I believe America is still the best country to be a Muslim

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