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And when the fundies send you letters worrying about your son's immortal soul, do you reply with selected excerpts from your "O they will know we are Christians by our..." posts? I think that would be an appropriate response.

Posted by Hernandez | December 17, 2007 3:06 PM
2

Jesus Christ. I treat my DOG better than this, people. I'll never understand parents who bring life into this world only to make that life utterly miserable.

Posted by Michigan Matt | December 17, 2007 3:08 PM
3

These stories would be less pointless if you emailed the fundies back and asked them why they are not worrying more about the home life of abused and neglected kids. You could post their reply, and then you could respond to them. Perhaps steps towards some kind of understanding could be taken by all.

Or maybe I could just complain to the people excited about the Crocodile closing that they should be worried about the kid who was left naked in the bathroom. And when ECB goes on about the city council, I'll say "but a kid got left naked in a bathroom!"

I guess I could go through every single issue anybody ever mentions and point out some other worse thing somewhere and we could all be very very bored by it.

Posted by elenchos | December 17, 2007 3:41 PM
4

@3: The problem is that Dan's typical response is to post articles like this as a prompt for blanket denunciations of Christianity in general.

Posted by Greg | December 17, 2007 4:40 PM
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Yeah, yeah - but was the kid obese?

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty | December 17, 2007 5:34 PM
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@4

What's the problem? By the way, that's a rhetorical question.

Posted by Mr. Poe | December 17, 2007 6:37 PM
7

I can top this with dumpster babies.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0712/14/ng.01.html

Posted by Y.F. | December 17, 2007 7:24 PM
8

Dan probably gets so many of these emails that a personal response, which would of course lead to some kind of back-and-forth discussion with each and every one of them, would be very taxing on his time. Ignoring them is likely the best route.

But I would like to see some of these emails you get, Dan... I'm sure they're ridiculous and I need a good laugh...

Posted by Toby | December 18, 2007 8:01 AM
9

I'm not Christian, but I do hate to think that we're lumping all Christians in together. There are good people who are real Christians (and who live their lives accordingly) just like there are good Muslims and good Jews and good agnostics...and crazy fundamentalist/extremist versions of all of those catagories, too. I think it's important to remember that religious zealots don't speak for their entire community -- may not even be *part* of the very community they claim to represent -- just as most people (gay or straight) don't abandon their children naked in restrooms. I think whenever we point to the worst case scenario as a way to attack those whose positions we (justifiably) deplore, we end up contributing to the polarization of society, to the detriment of meaningful debate. And while it may be true that the lunatic fringe cannot be reasoned with, it's a shame to alienate the non-radical majority who might engage in productive dialogue with us. I feel for Dan, because I can only imagine the kind of hate and ignorance that people spew at him and his family. But I hope we all realize that while there are plenty of intolerant and stupid people out there they do not speak for all of us, anymore than the abusive, violent people speak for all straight parents.

Posted by Blake | December 18, 2007 10:50 AM
10

As much as I'm generally in favor of mutual understanding, and as much as I believe that there are some theologically/socially conservative Christians out there that might actually have their views change and evolve (pardon the pun) after a civilized dialogue, I'm guessing that the reasonable ones are not generally the ones likely to send someone they don't even know an email telling them that they are damning their son to hell.

Posted by Beguine | December 18, 2007 11:24 AM
11

In case it wasn't clear, comment 10 was addressed to comments 1 and 3

Posted by Beguine | December 18, 2007 11:26 AM
12

@4 & 9: He specifically said FUNDIE douches ie. fundamentalist ie. fringe radicals ie. not moderate Christains.

Posted by chi type | December 18, 2007 11:40 AM
13

@12 - That's true. And I don't fault Dan for being angry at those who are hateful and ignorant, particularly when they aim their vitriol at his family. My point is that broad generalizations are damaging and can, in fact, undermine the very point Dan is trying to make. I don't think pointing out the senseless and horrible violence perpetrated by others validates his family in any way. The fact that his family is loving, safe and supportive is what validates his family and their choices -- to the extent that they need validation in the first place, which is, I think, an extremely questionable assumption. Posting about a terrible, abusive parent in response to hate mail seems to imply that Dan needs to defend his family (essentially saying, "I'm not evil; *here* is something evil!") when in fact no defense is necessary. Dan isn't going to convince hatemongers to see things his way; but I think by going on the defensive (and his postings are defensive, in spite of their ostensibly aggressive and caustic tone) he does run the risk of giving the impression that there is some reason why he should have to defend his family's very existence.

Posted by Blake | December 18, 2007 1:18 PM
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Posted by Vilyamci | December 28, 2007 8:41 PM
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Posted by Vilyamci | December 28, 2007 8:41 PM
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Posted by Vilyamci | December 28, 2007 8:41 PM

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