Update: A couple of pictures

Reading Schaeffer, I thought of these two things. I'll explain later.

Update and Explanation:

I thought I would put these photos up so people could have a little while to contemplate them. The pictures are of 1) a Medieval Crucifix I saw at one of the big Chicago Museums, and 2) Ghandi (or, as Rick dubbed them, "Jesus with the _____ ____, and Ben Kingsley). Their relevance is as counterexamples to some of Schaeffer's assertions.

The first is only of peripheral importance, but I thought it was amusing. If you've looked at the crucifix, you might have noticed that the artist painted Jesus' abs in a, shall we say, interesting configuration. This crucifix was one of about 6 or 8, by different artists (iirc), hanging in a row, all similarly configured. Schaeffer, in one of the early chapters, denigrates Roman/Greek art as dedicated to the cult of the phallus. I would just say that the cult seems to have survived within the Christian milieu.

The second, and much more important point has to do with Schaeffer's arguments about democracy. The Ghandi photo is just to show that there are other philosophies and religions that value peace. Schaeffer argued that the American Revolution and the British "Bloodless Revolution" were successful due to the presence of Bible-based Christian values (as opposed to the French and Russian revolutions which turned into blood baths). He also argued that Christianity is a necessary prerequisite to democracy. Ghandi and India certainly cast doubt on those propositions. Ghandi is revered as a peaceful revolutionary. And India is the most populous democracy in the world. In fact, of all the people that have ever lived in a democracy, nearly half of them live or lived in India.