Hurtful, angry, spiteful, people!(religious fanaticism)

i live in the bible belt. matter of fact, under the big brass buckle thats controlled by southern baptist.

i have no issue with personal belief with regard to religion. around my neck of the woods a friendly discussion/debate on religion/belief systems will yield nothing short of a fist fight at times (ok, maybe not all discussions/debates but a good chunk lol). i would be a liar if i did not admit that i have lost my temper a time or two during a heated debate....... mainly due to frustration because people tend to look/talk down on me for not being christian. they will flat out treat you like you "dont get it," or that your below them lol.......

i usually completely avoid those discussions. no use getting a rise in blood pressure trying to help some half wit understand why i believe what i believe.

good times...............

AA

reply to post by open_eyeballs


Hi eyeballs! Yeah at one time my ignore list was full.. I just got tired of the back and forth and vowed to never come into these threads again..
But I said to myself tonight.. Im sick of getting bullied around here..
Im going to speak my mind for once.. And I took everyone off my ignore list, as I had a good long break from this site..
And sometimes with many of them, I would just ignore them.. So I didnt end up saying something that made me look bad..

If they want to come in and shame themselfs with saying mean things.. It will only proove my point!
Thus they will have to think long and hard about how to reply to this thread.. Or it could end up prooving my point..

I mean, they do stick together, and they do pander and get really mean..
I just hope I worded my OP in a way that I won't be open to that many attacks..
I put alot of thought into how I would word this..

I thank you for taking the time to read what I had to say, and yeah Im very moderate.. And I just wish for peace and love to all.. Even those who hate me for being different..

Its not easy to stand up VS these bullies.. I just have always wondered how to beat them, without becomming the very bully yourself..
Its not easy.. So I thought this would be a good place to start looking for some answers..
Its never easy to deal with extreamists.. But sometimes when you give them something to hate.. They take it and run with it.. Thus I am doing my best here to curb that before it even starts..

Belive what you want.. Just don't shove it down my throat.. Im not afraid of the bullies anymore!
Thanks for stopping by!

reply to post by TurkeyBurgers


Whats up Turky Burgers!

Ya man, I can relate. My mom (whom lives with me and my wife and son) has all the fundamentalist beliefs as the most extreme evangelicals...

My mom has had symptoms of depression and anxiety her whole life, and she wont bend in any of her blind faith when it comes to Superman..I mean Jesus Christ...( I call him Superman...the way she describes him, its much the same)

Anyway, what I would do is try to explain her what "hell" actually means in the Bible, or better yet the Torah. How the interpretations of the words used to describe hell have been altered in the newer King James versions and modern Christianity versions of the Bible.

There are a few good threads on that exact subject. Sometimes just taking a logical approach to someone with extreme beliefs is the best bet. Not so much challenging her faith as show her their are multiple interpretations of what she believes.

Anyway, good luck!

Originally posted by mikerussellus
A few weeks ago, my son's youth baptist group was meeting at our house. ( don't even start with that. But it's better than the drugs he was doing a few years ago).

Anyway, they were discussing evolution vs creationism.

Of course they were slamming Darwin when I chimed in.

I stated that Darwin could prove the existence of God. I said that evolution is even talked about in the bible.
I started by saying that evolution is a change that an organism goes through when new environmental stresses are applied to it. I said that given that, an organism (whether single cell or a lemur) basically has a genetic choice to make.
Adapt or not adapt.
Basically, FREE WILL.
They have the option of evolving or not. They have the free will to change (to new environmental stresses) or not.

I almost got chased out of my own house.

I'm Christian and I believe in evolution and I agree the Bible does talk about it, but since that isn't the main focus of the Bible, it doesn't go into enough detail for many. I even believe there may be life on other planets; anything is possible.

According to the Bible there are only 7,000 that are actually condemned and those would be the fallen angels and lucifer. I don't tell people they are going to hell if they don't believe what I believe in because I might be wrong about what I believe. We're not supposed to judge.

Sorry so many of you have had such bad experiences with Christians, but we're not perfect either.

reply to post by anonamousantichrist


haha..for sure man..its totally not worth going to blows though...but i know the mentality you are talking about...

Originally posted by ahimsa
Sorry so many of you have had such bad experiences with Christians, but we're not perfect either.

Hi Ahimsa! See you sound like a moderate aswell.. No problems what so ever there! You sound like a smart and well edjucated person..
I worded my thread with great care as not to give the wrong idea here.

We have had bad experiences with religious Fanaticism.. Not your every day christian who goes about their lives not pushing their thoughts onto others!
No one is perfect!! We are all flawed.. But its those fanatics that this thread is all about..
Peace!
And thanks for stopping by with your POV

Originally posted by open_eyeballs
reply to post by anonamousantichrist

 

haha..for sure man..its totally not worth going to blows though...but i know the mentality you are talking about...

yeah man, i hear ya. totally not worth it lol. now that im a tad older even a small fight makes me feel like i got hit by a freight train LOL.

reply to post by anonamousantichrist

Originally posted by anonamousantichrist
I usually completely avoid those discussions. no use getting a rise in blood pressure trying to help some half wit understand why i believe what i believe.

Yeah most the time I steer clear myself.. But sometimes I get so many thoughts going through my head if I don't write them out and talk about them I tend to bottle it up..

I worded this thread as carefully as humanly possible..
I don't expect to much fire in this thread until some of the crew shows up.. But I already know how to deal with them..
The point of the thread is hurtful, angry people.. Thus they come in all angry and saying hurtful things.. Case point.. And no need to reply back!

Its called Gandi Tech.. I used it VS CoS many times!!
Works well!

Gandhi, on the other hand, taught to peacefully confront the problematic people and let them show their true colors or character, and then publicize their actions. I call this Gandhi Tech. Gandhi's methods were to help all humans equally. "Often, in

What did Gandhi Tech accomplish? Exactly what Gandhi taught it would. It exposed to the world (with the help of the media) just how evil Scientology can be, how intolerant they are of free speech, how willing they are to attack, and how uncivilized their moral code is. Their facade of being a persecuted nice religion was shattered. We succeeded this day.

As CoS or Church of Scientology is another Extream religion that is very hateful, full of spite, and dangerous..

[edit on 12-7-2009 by zysin5]

reply to post by ahimsa


Howdy!,

Just wanted to say, most Christians I have come across in my life have all been good people. I mean some of them have done things and do things on a regular basis that makes me feel almost shameful. Some are very worthy people and very unselfish.

That being said, it is the common perception that most Christians have a "better than thou" attitude, and are amongst some of the largest hypocrites.

Example:
Church. people go to church every sunday and listen to preaching about goodness, fairness, equality. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is a common theme. Then after they give their tithes and head out the door, they forget everything they just heard.

When they get to their cars, they all cut each other off trying to get to the exit, and have no consideration for the person next to them...trust me I know this one from personal experiences. went to a catholic high school...saw it on a daily basis.

My point is, although most christians' faith help them become good people, many of them do things contrary to what they believe and preach about. Does that make them bad, or evil?.....Absolutely not.

reply to post by anonamousantichrist


definitely, thats when it is time to hang em' up...haha...

and being in the part of "town" you are, them are some big boys to be messing with...

ive been cracked by a few of them southern mid west boys...not fun

Originally posted by zysin5

Originally posted by ahimsa
Sorry so many of you have had such bad experiences with Christians, but we're not perfect either.

Hi Ahimsa! See you sound like a moderate aswell.. No problems what so ever there! You sound like a smart and well edjucated person..
I worded my thread with great care as not to give the wrong idea here.

We have had bad experiences with religious Fanaticism.. Not your every day christian who goes about their lives not pushing their thoughts onto others!
No one is perfect!! We are all flawed.. But its those fanatics that this thread is all about..
Peace!

And thanks for stopping by with your POV

You're welcome. Me, I avoid churches like the plague. I have met some of the meanest people in churches. They almost had me wanting nothing to do with God, but then I realized that God wasn't the problem.

I do know the type people you mean and some of them are quite scarey.

Originally posted by open_eyeballs
reply to post by ahimsa

 

Howdy!,

Just wanted to say, most Christians I have come across in my life have all been good people. I mean some of them have done things and do things on a regular basis that makes me feel almost shameful. Some are very worthy people and very unselfish.

That being said, it is the common perception that most Christians have a "better than thou" attitude, and are amongst some of the largest hypocrites.

Example:
Church. people go to church every sunday and listen to preaching about goodness, fairness, equality. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is a common theme. Then after they give their tithes and head out the door, they forget everything they just heard.

When they get to their cars, they all cut each other off trying to get to the exit, and have no consideration for the person next to them...trust me I know this one from personal experiences. went to a catholic high school...saw it on a daily basis.

My point is, although most christians' faith help them become good people, many of them do things contrary to what they believe and preach about. Does that make them bad, or evil?.....Absolutely not.

When I was young I had a friend who did not believe in God, but everyday she would try and do something good for someone else. She was very kind and loving and if there is a God, and I believe there is one, I know that He loves her and will welcome her. Then there is someone that I wish I had never known or trusted who is considered a pillar in her community and church who has done serious evil. She believes she is a great Christian, I believe she is one of the most horrible people on the planet for what she has done.

Me, I think my non Christian friend is a better person than me. I have always tried to do as much as I can for people, but I have bad moments where I actually want to smack the crap out of some people, the other woman mentioned in the last paragraph is one of those people.

Originally posted by open_eyeballs
Example:
Church. people go to church every sunday and listen to preaching about goodness, fairness, equality. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is a common theme. Then after they give their tithes and head out the door, they forget everything they just heard.

When they get to their cars, they all cut each other off trying to get to the exit, and have no consideration for the person next to them...trust me I know this one from personal experiences. went to a catholic high school...saw it on a daily basis.

I know what you mean.. Here is a video example Of when everyone is ready to shake hands at the end of Mass.. people are like Im not shaking his hand.. Peace be with you! Peace off!!!
Old school Dane Cook.
Funny but true.. And reminds me of what you are talking about.
Many of us can relate.. My parents made me go to church too when I was young.. I had a hard family life due to religion.. As many of you did aswell.. Some could say we grew up jaded.. But in all truth, so much of what they do to people in this world just isnt right..
But I thought a little comedy would lighten the mood a little.. ITs always good to laugh a bit..(Granted its been very peaceful in here so far)
Is why I love Bill Hicks.. But that would end up offending someone.. LOL
And not looking to offend or get any flames.. LIke I said Gandhi Tech!

What did Gandhi Tech accomplish? It exposes to the world just how evil religion can be, how intolerant they are, how willing they are to attack, and how uncivilized their moral code is.

[edit on 12-7-2009 by zysin5]

reply to post by zysin5




holy crap (no pun intended) thats an old skool dane cook! never knew he looked like such a weenie!...

ya, the 'peace be with you' part was hilarious, cuz it is so true...

The discussions at the dinner table that revolve around religion always end with my Mom getting very upset that I will not be with her in the Afterlife because I do not have faith.

My Mum even bought me a book 'Heaven Without Her' PMSL- whatever, I never read it but remind myself she means well

Ahimsa hi

Good for you- I have met Christians like yourself- really nice people who don't judge, don't look down-
some just work tirelessly to help others- it's just a pity more Christians can't be like that, kudos-

[edit on 12-7-2009 by lifecitizen]

I grew up in this kind of environment. My father was a Sunday school teacher and a deacon for our church that is similar to Westboro a lot only quieter. The pastor was nothing short of a psychopath. During those years I watched him take his sons behind the church and whip them with a bicycle chain and he was frightening to me.

Any of us teens that popped up being gay were immediately stolen from parents and (sometimes with their consent) shipped to an ex-gay type facility across state lines (illegal). There were several of us and all needed psychiatric treatment into adulthood. I was afraid to speak to my parents until I was an adult and never disclosed anything to anyone before then.

One of them a good friend is still in need of help. He says that as a 15 yo teen he was taken to an ex-gay facility and raped repeatedly and told it was because he was evil and brought this upon himself. Another came from the facility and seemed fine and got married and had children only to hang himself in a closet with a note left that he could not be the man people expected and would always be a gay sinner.

Anyway yes I had to go to counseling for 5 years for religious abuse. After I left the church the pastor showed up at my door and being kind I invited him in and he proceeded to say he heard rumors and I confirmed. He gets a glazed over look in his eyes and i could see hate and anger pouring out. He told me face to face that if he were not Christian he would strangle me right there. I told him to leave.

Funny story...
while at my nephew's karate tournament with my partner a man walks up that is obviously gay and I'm talking flaming. He sashayed over to us with a hand on his hip and we're kinda joking with each other that wow here comes a big ole queen. He hands me a card and it is for an ex-gay type ministry and tells me we can be saved from our sin.

I told him that we weren't interested in conversion but, thanks for the card. Outside he hits us up for sex in a local hotel! We kinda laugh about it and turn him down unbelieving that he was so bold for a man that had renounced his gay ways. I check out the website listed on the card and every church in the area is funneling money in for him to convert their gay members.

Oh wow and it is the executive director and he is a former drag queen from Greenville SC that we had seen in the clubs regularly (The Castle Greenville SC, The Cove Spartanburg SC, Scorpio, Charlotte NC, Velocity, Charlotte NC ). One of my friends says he is a regular at "The Cove" (small and kinda rural bar) still and hits on every man in the bar. He is married with children! Oh the hypocrisy!

Truth Ministry

I suppose conversion works if you don't get caught.
(Mods don't worry I have 5 people that can confirm this story)









[edit on 12/7/09 by toochaos4u]

my father and grand father were both ministers (christian). my grandfather had just over 54 years as a minister (50+ as a mason) when he passed. i was lucky in that they allowed me to find my own path and never tried to unduly influence or manipulate me.

Originally posted by lifecitizen
The discussions at the dinner table that revolve around religion always end with my Mom getting very upset that I will not be with her in the Afterlife because I do not have faith.

My Mum even bought me a book 'Heaven Without Her' PMSL- whatever, I never read it but remind myself she means well

Unfortunately that is how some churches teach.

My son doesn't believe either, but I believe we will be together if there is life after death. Why? Because God gave him to me to love and I as a parent would never give my son something that he would love with all his heart only to destroy it and expect him to continue to love me.

reply to post by zysin5


Do not get me started with regards to the COS!!

I was brought up in a Strict Catholic background, every day of my life until the age of 16, I had jesus and the virgin mary shoved down my throat. At the age of 16, I turned myback on the Catholic church, My parents were not happy with my decision at all. They even had a priest come to discuss with me the reasons why I was turning my back onthe church and also to persuade me to returnto the fold so to speak.

I refused point blankly to return to the catholic church, informed the priest, that I would find my own way inthis world, If I have faith in G_d my own faith, rather than having to follow a doctorine of a religion, which I do not believe in and which I think is corrupt so be it.

I am now 25 years old. I nevr looked back, I have my own faith and self believes in G_d. I do not need no religion to dictate to me what is right and what is wrong. I still have correspondence with my parents, but that is mostly long distant.



[edit on 12-7-2009 by Laurauk]