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Christianity is the world's largest religion. 2.4 billion adherents, known as Christians.

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Jack Hamm & The National Christian Choir

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this is the NCC at a concert at Moody Church in downtown Chicago

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Jerusalem is mostly important to Christianity because that is where Jesus Christ was brought to occasionally as a child, preached to the poor in his adult life, crucified in the end of his life, and resurrected by God.

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The fish is important to Christians because it was a special way for the Christians to communicate with each other when they couldn't talk about their religion.

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Officials in a Missouri town have decided to cover up a Christian symbol on a war memorial that honors the lives of two soldiers killed during the Gulf War after a church-state separatist group threatened to take legal action, calling the presence of a so-called "Jesus fish" a constitutional violation.

The symbol, which is known as an "ichthus," has been on the monument since it was installed at Courthouse Plaza in Columbia, Missouri, in 1992 to honor Navy Lt. Patrick Connor and Army Reserve Spc. Steven Farnen - soldiers who were killed in action, according to the Associated Press.

After Americans United for Separation of Church and State reportedly threatened legal action earlier this year, the Boone County Commission voted that it would be most prudent to cover up the symbol, ensuring that the public monument would be solely secular in nature.

A plaque that reads "Dedicated 1992″ is now covering up the previously viewable Jesus fish.

The activist group is now content with the decision, though Connor's parents are not. After being informed of officials' cover up of the ichthus, Marsha Connor told the Columbia Daily Tribune that the move dishonors the fallen.

"The fish symbol was in recognition of their personal faith. This is not an attempt to establish a governmental religion," she wrote in an email to the outlet. "The action changing the memorial is an affront to the beliefs upon which the United States was founded. ... Action taken by elected officials spending government funds dishonoring a veterans memorial is questionable."

Architect Peter Scavone, a former Boone County resident who fundraised to put the monument up 22 years ago, told the Tribune that he believes county officials "desecrated" the memorial by covering up the religious symbol.

What do you think?
This story has been amended to note that the incident unfolded in Missouri.
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Front page image via Shutterstock.com

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United for Separation of Church and State

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What a Local Gov't Did to This 'Jesus Fish' on a Veterans' War Memorial Has Critics Calling the Act 'Desecration'

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Officials in a Missouri town have decided to cover up a Christian symbol on a war memorial that honors the lives of two soldiers killed during the Gulf War after a church-state separatist group threatened to take legal action, calling the presence of a so-called "Jesus fish" a constitutional...

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The Holy Communion is the lord's supper. It represents god's love for the people.The bread represents the body and the cup represents his shed blood.

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Bethlehem Baptist Church | All Rights Reserved

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The Cross, Jesus died on a cross

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More than a million free vectors, PSD, photos and free icons. Exclusive freebies and all graphic resources that you need for your projects

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Salvation: The goal of Christianity is to achieve salvation. Which is eternal life of the one's soul with G-d in heaven. Christians believe one attains salvation be following Jesus's teachings about living a moral life and by participating in the sacraments.

Resurrection: The Resurrection is the day when Jesus rose back to life three days after he died on the cross.

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1. Christmas: it is a celebration of Jesus birth and is believed to fulfill several prophecies made in the old testament

2. Easter (Good Friday) (Resurrection Sunday): Good Friday was when Jesus was crucified and died on the cross. Resurrection Sunday or Easter Sunday is the day Jesus rose from the dead. It is the most important holiday in Christianity.

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The Catholics believe the bread and wine are the body and blood of god, but other Christians believe its just symbols.

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J.W. Wartick -"Always Have a Reason"

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Sam Harris recently debated William Lane Craig on the topic "Is Good from God?" See my comments on the debate here. During the debate, Harris argued that the rituals of Christianity can be seen as a kind of lunacy. Harris said, "[Religion] allows perfectly decent and sane people to believe by the billions what only lunatics could believe on their own. If you wake up tomorrow morning thinking that saying a few Latin words over your pancakes is going to turn them into the body of Elvis Presley, you have lost your mind. But if you think more or less the same thing about a cracker and the body of Jesus, you're just a Catholic."

Consider what Harris is claiming here. Basically, he's saying that to believe a cracker becomes the body of Jesus is a kind of lunacy. Interestingly, throughout the debate he issued these veiled (or not so veiled) insults to Christians at large, and quickly retreated from them when he was called out. But that's neither here nor there.

My contention is that Harris' implicit argument against the rationality of the Sacraments (and Christian rituals at large) contains an implicit assumption. Once that assumption is exposed, his argument fails. The implicit assumption is this:

1) Christianity is false

Yeah, I'm serious. The reason is because the only way Harris' argument makes sense is if one assumes a priori that Christianity is false. For consider his objection if Christianity is true. If Christianity is true, then God exists, Jesus was God, Jesus told us what would happen in Communion/the Eucharist, etc., etc. But then if Christianity is true, it is perfectly rational to hold that the uttering of certain words as part of a ritual would be causative in the sense that God said it would be. So Harris' argument turns on the assumption that Christianity is false.

But perhaps I'm missing Harris' point. Perhaps he is instead trying to say "Look at what you guys do! It's crazy if it's something else!" But again the only way this would make sense is by assuming Christianity is false. If I believe Christianity is true, then I have no reason to think the rituals involved therein are lunacy or anything other than perfectly rational worship of our God.

But it could be pressed that it does seem as though Harris' assertion that Holy Communion would be viewed as lunacy in other contexts is in some sense correct. For were I to do the same with pancakes and Elvis, I would be seen as a lunatic. Why not the Christian too? Well, then the question would have to be what kind of evidence do we have for thinking Christianity is true as opposed to other beliefs? In short, if the Christian is epistemically justified in believing Christianity to be true, then Harris' argument is exposed for what it is: a facile argument which shows how deeply Harris and the other "New Atheists" fail to understand the position they attack.

Image: Priest distributing Holy Communion at Holy Protection Church, Düsseldorf.

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About J.W. Wartick

J.W. Wartick has an MA in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. His interests include theology, philosophy of religion--particularly the existence of God--astronomy, biology, archaeology, and sci-fi and fantasy novels.

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Sam Harris on Christian Sacraments-Lunacy?

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Sam Harris recently debated William Lane Craig on the topic "Is Good from God?" See my comments on the debate here. During the debate, Harris argued that the rituals of Christianity can be seen as a kind of lunacy. Harris said, "[Religion] allows perfectly decent and sane people to believe by the billions what only...

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1. Church: Common places of worship and teaching for Christians and have no specific design

2. Cathedral: Massive Churches that have ornate architecture and in some cases detailed glass art. They're mostly built for very large congregations of Christians.

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The Holy Trinity is, G-d the father, Jesus Christ the son, and the Holy Spirit, are the 3 beings but one G-d or the "Trinity"

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1.Dunked or sprinkled with holy water.

2.Priest blesses the water.

3. Taking your sins away.

4. Dunked in water when newborn.

5. When converted to Christianity, can be Baptized any time.

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1. Man is sinful and therefore separated from G-d Jesus died for the sins of the world so that they may be forgiven and so man can finally be with G-d in heaven

2. All people must individually accepts Jesus as their savior.

3. The Holy Trinity