The worst people I have met in life are usually christian
How many cases of child sexual abuse have they swept under the rug?
Tax the church!
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The worst people I have met in life are usually christian
How many cases of child sexual abuse have they swept under the rug?
Tax the church!
Ive been grown up in Germany as part of the evanglian lutherian Church, the main Christian church in northern Germany.
And all the officials of the church (Pastor, superintendend etc) and volunteers ive met have been really nice people. Collecting money and stuff for the poor, giving refugees facing deportation church asylum, taking part in civil rights movements to fight for the rights of minorities like LGBTQI*, people of color or member of other religions, taking care of the old and sick, helping alcohol and drug addicts etc.
Like a good aunt. Not always the most progressive person you know, but still always good hearted and kind and willing to fight for the good.
So churches can be imho a good place.
Can be but they are not
As a millennial, Christianity for most of my life has been defined by queer bashing and other horrific shit. Ollie fucking North is held up as an example. Growing up in a shithole southern state, it’s less a religion and more a tribe/enforcement of social conformity. It’s also the expected social safety net here - that’s why they gut social programs, to force you to comply with whatever your local church thinks you need to do to deserve to eat.
Sometimes I hope this all a joke - that Trump/Musk are Antichrists sent to exemplify the hypocrisy and rot at the heart of American white dominionist Christianity, that eventually Jesus himself will show up and call these fuckers out.
I must be one of the lucky few who weren't raised by hypocritical Christians. My parents actually tried to be generous and helpful.
I was raised by hypocritical Jews if it helps. But then that kind of goes with being Jews. We don’t exactly follow the books unless we’re super orthodox.
My parents actually tried to be generous and helpful.
That was one of the first lessons of first communion and confirmation while being raised christian. Being a great human just isnt enough, you had to go through some church ceremonies or you'd burn in hell. Too bad for the brown people who had no contact with christianity, but I'm afraid their souls were all just doomed to burn in exquisite agony forever.
Lesson for the children: Anyone not like us burns in hell. They are lesser.
I'm not religious anymore myself. Grew up Catholic. But my experience with it definitely seems to be different than a lot of other people. The priest we had was super progressive and inclusive. Didn't spout any of the fire and brimstone crap either. Actually tried to live the life of Jesus and told us to love and accept everyone, including gays and people from other religions, etc. I do realize this isn't the typical experience for most people though. I think father Matthew was genuinely a good guy and got into the faith because he actually wanted to help people.
"Jokes on you idiot that was just so we could take advantage of you" oh.
That's what I feel like all those cartoons I watched in the 80s and 90s did to me.
ITT poor understanding of Christian theology
Which one? There are several schools, and each thinks its the correct one.
I like the ones that think they're correct, but that it almost doesn't matter and everyone is saved anyway.
And then there are the Calvinists…
Bring this up to Christian an that's when they go "Old Testament " on you. Bitch what about the New and Improved Testament?
New testament god still supports slavery
"We didn't think that included caring about people who weren't cishet, white Christians! That aren't poor! And don't annoy us for whatever reason!"
For real! I've been raised pretty religious, and this bigotry is a big factor that made me an atheist.
"Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians -- you are not like him." - Bara Dada (~1925)
I love the humorous and relevant username for this thread.
Your care is limited to Thoughts and Prayers.
But not money or action.
Organized Religon is a control mechanism that humanity no longer needs.
Never ever need
We never really needed it, it arose naturally when people began to question the nature of their reality and other people realized they can gain political power by giving them "answers".
Religon was kind of a law enforcement system before governments could properly setup formal law enforcement.
It's a way to make communities self police.
These days, organized religion is a dangerous tool sitting around for random con men to pick up and weild.
Which is why leaving the church is one of the most christian things I have done.
that's because christianity and christian nationalism are two entirely different religions.
Christianity and Christianity are two entirely different religions. It differs between the time period, geography and even between 2 neighbours. Christianity is not a moral code but something you can interpret based on your already existing moral code.
My church squared that circle by only caring about others in the "eternal souls damned to hell" sense. If your physical needs weren't being met, that was a personal failing as far as they were concerned. What's that? Jesus did a lot of caring for the physical needs of others? Nah, see, that was as only as a metaphor for their spiritual needs. Get your hands off my stuff, dammit.
Yearly reminder that Mother Theresa was quoted as saying she withheld medication from children because she thought their suffering brought them closer to her god.
The most revered catholic saint in modern times wanted to increase the suffering of children with excruciating diseases because it was holy.
As someone with a lifelong genetic condition that causes chronic pain, fuck everything about any religion that would venerate that. It’s absolutely barbaric, and that mentality needs to die the agonising death it’s inflicted on others.
And then later admitted privately that she didn’t know whether or not that god even existed.
So the loaves and fishes were only metaphors and he didn’t actually feed the masses. Got it.
Bet he also didn’t mean to pay taxes when he said “give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”
Is this /s?
Yes, it’s all metaphors. Pretty much all the Bible stories are lifted from earlier Mesopotamian, Greek, Egyptian, and Pagan fables. There are direct translations of previous myths and fables that we can trace through ancient manuscripts. None of it is true, and we’re all far better off understanding that.
We can still take wisdom from the stories, but they’re nothing more than stories. No, there was no literal incident of a guy named Jesus cloning bread and fish to feed people. If you want to take a moral from that story, that’s lovely – just the same as we can take a moral to question strangers from Little Red Riding Hood. Just don’t expect us to believe a wolf literally swallowed a child and her grandmother whole, and they cut themselves from his stomach as he slept.
I remember multiple Christian authority figures growing up espousing the importance of kindness, natural wonders and thinking for yourself. Deeply ironic in hindsight! Perhaps no one was more hypocritical than my parents though.
I was kicked out of home for being gay. My parents have never grown a vegetable or had a house pet - which I think says a lot about their ability to love something other than themselves. Despite being immigrants, they both love Trump and extreme right wing beliefs. They are also very racist towards immigrants from other countries, dismissing them as "lesser".