Christian Bigotry
Sent in by Andrew T:
I am an ex-Christian and very familiar with the Baptist way of thinking. I have a good friend who is a Southern Baptist who I will call Mr.K. He's happily married with 2 kids and life seems to be quite satisfactory for him. He sings in the Church choir and his wife plays the piano at the same Church.
When I was a Christian I happened to make acquaintance with a person I will call Tim. He used to frequent our Church. A pretty jolly fellow!
A few years ago, Tim committed suicide. He had bought Mr. K's condo when Mr.K decided to get married and move into a house. Tim shot himself in this Condo. However the gun shot did not kill him instantly. He was able to call 911 for help, but died anyway after reaching the hospital.
While having a discourse with Mr. K about my renouncing Christianity, I mentioned Tim's death and reminded Mr. K, on how Tim used to frequent church and still, God did not prevent his tragic death. For me it was proof that the Christian God does not exist.
Mr. K's answer was that Tim was brought up in a dysfunctional family (obviously he knew Tim much longer than I did) and when he was a child he was not in the habbit of attending church. He further went on to tell me tin an indirect manner that Tim was not a good Christian (as if to imply that because of his less perfect life, he did not deserve God's protection and hence encountered tragedy).
I was bothered by this statement. I detected an element of bigotry, prejudice and condescension. What was Mr. K thinking about me?
May southern Christians share this type of attitude- where they-
1) consider themselves better than others
2)they are so special to God that they can do anything they want- like go to war and justify slavery
3)they are all going to heaven and the rest of us a doomed.
4)America belongs to them and rest of us don't belong in America.
It's scary to think that their strong beliefs are so militant in nature. Such ignorance pervades many levels of our society.
I am an ex-Christian and very familiar with the Baptist way of thinking. I have a good friend who is a Southern Baptist who I will call Mr.K. He's happily married with 2 kids and life seems to be quite satisfactory for him. He sings in the Church choir and his wife plays the piano at the same Church.
When I was a Christian I happened to make acquaintance with a person I will call Tim. He used to frequent our Church. A pretty jolly fellow!
A few years ago, Tim committed suicide. He had bought Mr. K's condo when Mr.K decided to get married and move into a house. Tim shot himself in this Condo. However the gun shot did not kill him instantly. He was able to call 911 for help, but died anyway after reaching the hospital.
While having a discourse with Mr. K about my renouncing Christianity, I mentioned Tim's death and reminded Mr. K, on how Tim used to frequent church and still, God did not prevent his tragic death. For me it was proof that the Christian God does not exist.
Mr. K's answer was that Tim was brought up in a dysfunctional family (obviously he knew Tim much longer than I did) and when he was a child he was not in the habbit of attending church. He further went on to tell me tin an indirect manner that Tim was not a good Christian (as if to imply that because of his less perfect life, he did not deserve God's protection and hence encountered tragedy).
I was bothered by this statement. I detected an element of bigotry, prejudice and condescension. What was Mr. K thinking about me?
May southern Christians share this type of attitude- where they-
1) consider themselves better than others
2)they are so special to God that they can do anything they want- like go to war and justify slavery
3)they are all going to heaven and the rest of us a doomed.
4)America belongs to them and rest of us don't belong in America.
It's scary to think that their strong beliefs are so militant in nature. Such ignorance pervades many levels of our society.
Comments
However, Christians are much worse, because the perfect-looking people believe that life is good to them because God is good to them. And God is good to them, they believe, because they're such great Christians.
Christian social circles reward appearance much more consistently than non-Christian ones. Which is a shame coming from a group of people who believe and wave around the following verse:
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:6,7
I grew up with a Mr. K. I went to a Baptist church and he a Methodist. Then in college he started attending a Souther Baptist church while I moved further away first from our home town and later from Christianity. It was interesting and disheartening to see how much my Mr. K has changed over the years of immersing himself in the Southern Baptist church.
We also had a friend who committed suicide (in our High School years, the man lead Bible studies we attended). When I called Mr. K to let him know or Mr. O's death, his comments were near exactly what you have described your Mr. K saying. Wonder if they are the same Mr. K or just how pervasive this attitude is among the cult of the Southern Baptist.
End of story.
This is a Mr. K in texas.
This five year old boy had been exposed to the Russian language more than he had been exposed to the English language and never read a book on how to speak Russian.
So this is proof of indoctrination.
We learn to speak our native language from our relatives, we learn our beliefs from our relatives, we learn our bigotry and prejudices from our relatives and peers.
Humans are just parroting and mimicking what they hear and see.
We've all been indoctrinated into our set of bad habits and beliefs, we are all a result of where we happened to be born and how we were raised.
Before 1492, there had never been a christian religion on America soil.
The white Europeans brought over with them, the christian religion.
It's all ignorance, that is presumed to be true, passed down through indoctrination.
5) Anyone that does not agree with them is under the influence of the devil.
I just had a 2+ hour conversion today with the owner of the company I work for. She came into my office to confront me because I had told someone that I no longer believed the bible was true. I won't go into the details of the conversation, since you have all gone around and around on that merry-go-round yourselves, but the most interesting thing she said is that she has told her kids to be careful around me because "When he speaks, it is not just him speaking!" She thinks I am a mouth piece for Satan himself!! I asked her to clarify that statement and she said that she thinks I am under the influence of demonic forces. I am not kidding!!!
How can you use logic and reason to convince a person of anything if that person believes you are channeling the devil?!? How can a person like this think clearly about all the implications involved in one of their own committing suicide if they believe that anything that questions their faith comes straight from the depths of hell? Don't expect reason from people like this. Reason and logic are tools of the devil.
They can't allow themselves to ask questions like you did. I don't know about your Mr. K, but people like this don't think of themselves as just talking to other human beings. They see this giant spiritual battle being waged and you are just a pawn in their game, and they are on God's side. Thus the condescension you mention.
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Hey webmaster Dave. I feel a good rant coming on about this. Can I just post one myself? I am still kind of new to this kind of thing? Thanks.
Lance
They and their 5-year old son refused to ever speak to me, and everytime I would come back to their house from classes, I would find Focus on the Family and other fundamental Christian tracts placed all over my college textbooks and belongings. It was almost as if they believed college to be some sort of evil atheist conspiracy. Not only that, but they would treat me like utter crap by constantly making rude remarks and talking down to me. No matter how nice I was to them, they would never reciprocate just because of my beliefs. They could never see me in a positive light despite all of the good I had done. It's an affective bias.
What really frustates me about people like them is that whenever something doesn't go right in your life, they automatically blame it on your lack of Christian beliefs. You could be ten times wealthier, ten times smarter, and way better off in all key areas of life compared to them, but as soon as you make one mistake.... one mistake, they'll essentially say "I told you so! That's what you get you evil atheist! God is punishing you! You need to see how wrong you are!"
These people have got to be the most rehensible people on the planet.
I have reached out to believers, knowing that they can't help being what they are, that they have been brainwashed, and every time my natural instincts for decency gets trampled on.
Nevertheless, there is nothing that could ever persuade me to go back to believing in supernatural, unsubstantiated bullshit.
In my opinion, my total lack of faith in supernatural stuff makes me a superior human. CASE CLOSED.
Dan
People like this are most frequently found in the most conservative denominations. I knew many when I believed.
But think about it. Why should we expect them to show kindness and respect toward those don't believe exactly as they do, or believe very differently from them?
1) They claim their morality has to be given to them from the bible, commanded by god, with bad consequences if disobeyed. Without it, they argue, they would not be inhibited from murder, theft, adultry, etc.. In other words, they are "moral" out of fear of punishment, not because their feelings of compassion, sympathy, cooperation, and common sense. It is a weak, selfish "morality", so one would expect them to be disrespectful and unkind to those who are "wicked". Just like their god is.
2) They follow a rigid, authoritarian, merciless, and very judgmental god (who's severe punishments never fit "the crime"). Being judgmental of others flows naturally for them. It's what their god does, and, in fact he condones them doing so as his "agents". So, it is "respectful to god" to be disrespectful and unkind to those who don't believe, and especially to those who openly reject their beliefs.
It is a mean, self-centered, judgmental, authoritarian, selfish little world they believe in. It should be no surprise that many people of that personality type gravitate to it, or that those raised in it (like I was) are taught to be this way.
And that behavior is not restricted just toward unbelievers, as Mr. K so clearly proves. Their kindness and concern is often just a act, and whose insincerity is eventually exposed.
Deuteronomy 13:6-11 - "If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone him to death, because he tried to turn you away from the LORD you God, who brought you our of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again."
That is one of my favorite verses, because it summarizes exactly how they behave, except they aren't allowed to kill us anymore. Most christians I've shown this too have never have seen this particular verse, but they seem to know how to follow it anyway. I especially like how their god of love needs to use violence and fear tactics to keep people in line. The last verse explicitly says so.
And here is one from King David, who is described as a man after God's own heart.
Psalms 139:21-22 - "Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them: I count them as my enemies."
And you expect these people to treat you with respect and kindness. Sure Jesus says you should love YOUR enemies, but God's enemies? That is a different story.
Here is one from Jesus himself.
Matthew 10:34 - "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves his father and mother more than me is not worthy of me."
Try to have a warm friendly discussion with a family member who believes this when you don't.
And last, from Paul:
Ephesians 6:12 - "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Again, don't expect an intelligent debate from a person that thinks you are an agent of hell.
So my question is why would should we expect to christians to behave with anything but disdain for those who disagree with them?
"After staying with my sister, brother-in-law, and their son for almost 2 years, I was so happy to get the heck away from them............"
Dan offers:
You can be born again into reality, and that is far superior to what your sister and brother in law will ever have, unless they dump their religious mysticism.
You are ahead of them in the race toward sanity!
Relax and be proud of that. Relish it.
Today is the first day, of the rest of your life, and just think! You aren't carrying around in your head a whole shitload of supernatural garbage like they are.
You can look at your talents and use them, without any fear of an imaginary God judging you. You are limited only by what is real and not by what a bunch of bronze age sheep herders imagined.
Go out and live this day as well as you can, be a better person than those poor people who are not able to see you as a viable person.
You can do that, because you are not brainwashed and they are. Have pity on them. Help them if you can, but you have a life to live, and they don't.
They are just sitting around wallowing in their inherited sin, trying to kiss the ass of an imaginary deity, so they can get to some other imaginary life. They cant wait to die, and you have a whole life to live!
Dan
who wrote of his/her trials with
depression and anxiety, and some
family members who apparently thought religon was the answer.
I too have had problems with depression and anxiety, but thanks
to antidepressants and therapy, I
have been free of those problems
for many years. I remember when I
started to have problems with it,
one of my brothers told me this
was God's punishment for my turning
my back on him. Around a year later
he started getting panic attacks
and depression! (I guess God must
have been mad at him, too!) He
also takes antidepressants, although it took him a long time
to start taking them. Like a lot
of Christians, he had to convince
himself there was nothing wrong with taking medication instead of
"having faith in God."
my friends sisters bigotry abounds what if the stress made her miss carry the baby then who is going to hell
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