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I've always found that sort of imagery grotesque and unnecessary. Yes, we get that it's a metaphor, but it still doesn't sit well with people who have a mind like mine with enough horror-movie scenes already in it. If you like it, enjoy it, but not everyone does
You should not devalue the pain of others by claiming that they are whiners. You get to talk about your pain too, if you're so inclined. Also when people like Freak or myself talk about the harms of the fundamentalism we came out of we are in large measure bringing things to people's awareness that we find often overlooked. I can't speak for Freak but I suspect he does it more from a burden for others caught in the same ideology than for himself. I know I do.
IMO Bringing up the harmful effects of something is different than constantly harping about it. Saying "Woe is me" only gets us so far. I believe in doing something besides harping on the negative things that have happened to us. Very few people get a life that does not include negative, horrible, heart-breaking things. People....kids.... have to deal with lives full of poverty, hunger, brutality and neglect. The people who get past those negative, horrible things are the people who learn from them, deal with them and move on to build a better life.
IMHO dealing with the past and moving on is not accomplished by constantly poking the bears that remind you of the negative, horrible things in your life.
Last edited by DewDropInn; 01-09-2016 at 09:06 AM..
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains...
Ever heard that one?
Yes indeed. One gets so used to it that desensitization occurs. Only after you've been away from it for a few years does it dawn on you that it is basically gore porn. The catholics favor imagery over words, and it's less connected to the redemption / blood sacrifice narrative than to the "suffering is an ennobling gift from god" narrative, but it's just as grotesque.
Also when people like Freak or myself talk about the harms of the fundamentalism we came out of we are in large measure bringing things to people's awareness that we find often overlooked. I can't speak for Freak but I suspect he does it more from a burden for others caught in the same ideology than for himself. I know I do.
You would be correct.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DewDropInn
IMO Bringing up the harmful effects of something is different than constantly harping about it. Saying "Woe is me" only gets us so far. I believe in doing something besides harping on the negative things that have happened to us. Very few people get a life that does not include negative, horrible, heart-breaking things. People....kids.... have to deal with lives full of poverty, hunger, brutality and neglect. The people who get past those negative, horrible things are the people who learn from them, deal with them and move on to build a better life.
IMHO dealing with the past and moving on is not accomplished by constantly poking the bears that remind you of the negative, horrible things in your life.
Essentially some forms of child emotional abuse (fundamentalist indoctrination) are socially acceptable. And it's fascinating to hear people of a more liberal persuasion resort to "blaming the victim" which is usually more of a conservative pastime.
If I were the only one, I wouldn't be so concerned. But a significant portion of the next generation is being indoctrinated with Christian fundamentalism as we speak. And in the near future, most of them will be voting based on those beliefs. Climate change? No worries, God will take care of it. Growing gap between rich and poor? No worries, there's a Pie In The Sky When You Die. Social services and welfare? No, those things must be done only by the church in order to bring people to God. Legal abortion? No, life begins at conception. Minority religions? They shouldn't have the same rights because they worship a false God. Funding for scientific research? No, science is the devil and we didn't come from no monkeys.
If I sound like a whining alarmist, it's for good reason: I grew up in fundamentalist Christianity and realize what a dangerous and harmful ideology it is, to both individuals and society.
IMO Bringing up the harmful effects of something is different than constantly harping about it. Saying "Woe is me" only gets us so far. I believe in doing something besides harping on the negative things that have happened to us. Very few people get a life that does not include negative, horrible, heart-breaking things. People....kids.... have to deal with lives full of poverty, hunger, brutality and neglect. The people who get past those negative, horrible things are the people who learn from them, deal with them and move on to build a better life.
IMHO dealing with the past and moving on is not accomplished by constantly poking the bears that remind you of the negative, horrible things in your life.
Eh, all I did in this thread was bring up some common American Christian buzzwords: "God's Word" (on the Christian Right) and "The Spirit" (on the Christian Left). If doing so gores some sacred oxen, well...
I think that there is a place for the word "blessed". But not to replace "happy". As in "We are so blessed to have found our new home".
Or to avoid "lucky" or "fortunate" - verboten by many fundies.
Example of obnoxious use "You have a lovely home!" Christianese speaker "Yes! We have been blessed". This is also a back handed way to tip others of that one has done well financially.
It seems people are offended by even a hint that someone may be a a Christian.
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