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Evangelical Christianity is not only intellectually bankrupt, I believe it is also morally bankrupt. It’s basically just a smokescreen for far-right politics.
My father is a pastor in an evangelical Christian sect. His attitude toward native Americans and blacks is this: they need to quit playing the victim and pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. When I confronted him about the legitimate historical grievances (genocide of natives and slavery for blacks), he only doubled down on his views. I then told him that his views seemed inconsistent with Jesus’ teachings about the less fortunate. He then got angry and said that I don’t know what I’m talking about, since he recently helped an elderly lady in need. That just made me more angry, because he appeared to be using his good works to provide cover for his rotten attitude toward natives and blacks. I recall Jesus saying something about the hypocrisy of doing good works while maintaining a selfish heart.
Having grown up in evangelical Christianity, I can see what it’s really all about: power. It’s particularly about putting (white) men at the top of the food chain, and making wives and children subservient. It achieves that end by indoctrinating children with the fear of Hell, and it’s very effective. It’s systematic, institutionalized, generational abuse. It’s the kind of thing that belongs in a remote jungle tribe and has no place in a modern civilized Western country.
That's how it looks to me too. But I won't be sticking my nose into this thread - so anyone wants to break a lance for evangelical Christianity - let's hear it
What I find really bizarre is that evangelicals more than most Christians believe the Bible to be the literal Word of God and yet they ignore most of what it says.
Some examples, Jesus told people "judge not" and it seems like one of the main activities of an evangelical Christian is to judge everyone around them at all times. Jesus also said to love your neighbor and most evangelical Christians regularly express their hatred of gays or members of other religions. In fact a big fight taking place right now is whether the US Supreme Court will allow them to discriminate against gays in a business transaction. That does not seem to match up with what Jesus said at all. I think the same guy that spent time with criminals and prostitutes would have no problem making a cake for his fellow human beings. Evangelicals are more like the Pharisees than the type of followers that Christ wanted and spoke about.
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Having grown up in evangelical Christianity, I can see what it’s really all about: power. It’s particularly about putting (white) men at the top of the food chain, and making wives and children subservient. It achieves that end by indoctrinating children with the fear of Hell, and it’s very effective. It’s systematic, institutionalized, generational abuse. It’s the kind of thing that belongs in a remote jungle tribe and has no place in a modern civilized Western country.
You won't be surprised that I wholeheartedly agree.
Fundavangelism is a spiritual cancer that needs to be eradicated. And I'm confident it will be. The backlash has begun.
What I find really bizarre is that evangelicals more than most Christians believe the Bible to be the literal Word of God but they ignore most of what it says.
Some examples, Jesus told people "judge not" and yet it seems like one of the main activities of an evangelical Christian is to judge everyone around them at all times.
Have you read the rest of that verse?
Quote:
Jesus also said to love your neighbor and some of the evangelical Christians that post on this forum regularly express their hatred of gays or members of other religions. Evangelicals are more like the Pharisees than the type of followers that Christ wanted.
I've never said I hate gays or anyone else. That seems to be a recurring theme -- lying about evangelicals and "fundamentalists" on here.
Maybe I should start a thread attacking whatever it is that you self-identify as.
I've never said I hate gays or anyone else. That seems to be a recurring theme -- lying about evangelicals and "fundamentalists" on here.
Maybe I should start a thread attacking whatever it is that you self-identify as.
You have called them immoral, compared them to pedophiles and people that have sex with animals, believe they are not entitled to the same civil rights you expect for yourself and that they deserve to be punished by your angry God for all eternity. If that is not hatred what would you call it?
I self identify as a member of the human race. I don't feel a need to judge others, condemn them to hell or strip them of their dignity and civil rights. I don't treat people differently based on what deity they may worship or who they love and have sex with.
You have called them immoral, compared them to pedophiles and people that have sex with animals, believe they are not entitled to the same civil rights you expect for yourself and that they deserve to be punished by your angry God for all eternity. If that is not hatred what would you call it?
Again....more slander. If you'd take the time to actually read what I have said in the past, you'd see you're way off base. But it's clear that is not the point here, as much as it is a slanderous attack on Christianity, as was pointed out by CM.
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I self identify as a member of the human race. I don't feel a need to judge others, condemn them to hell or strip them of their dignity and civil rights. I do my best every day to treat people the way I want to be treated, regardless of what deity they may worship or who they love and have sex with.
You are on your pious little high horse, judging me and anyone else that calls themselves a Christian. The fact that you can't see that from that perch way up there is astounding.
Again....more slander. If you'd take the time to actually read what I have said in the past, you'd see you're way off base. But it's clear that is not the point here, as much as it is a slanderous attack on Christianity, as was pointed out by CM.
You are on your pious little high horse, judging me and anyone else that calls themselves a Christian. The fact that you can't see that from that perch way up there is astounding.
Would you like to point out any specific falsehoods in my post?
Are you denying that you have called gays immoral?
Do you deny that you have said gay marriage could lead to people marrying children or animals?
Are you claiming to support gay marriage?
Do you not expect your God to punish gays in the afterlife?
I love the irony of a fundie making this type of statement. I judge only the Christians that make it their mission to judge and punish others.
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