Slog
News & ArtsSunday, September 13, 2009
Religion The Lost Christians
Posted by Charles Mudede on Sun, Sep 13, 2009 at 3:00 PM
In light of the health care debate, and in light of the crazy claims made by the teabaggers ("your health is your business"), something for the American Christian (the worst kind of Christian on the face of this planet) to think about. In his book The Rise of Christianity, sociologist Rodney Stark, a former UW professor (he now teaches at Baylor University), links the expansion of Christianity in the Roman Empire with the success of the social services the community provided during devastating plagues. He writes:
The second [reason for the rise of Christianity] is to be found in an Easter letter by Dionysius, bishop o Alexandria. Christian values of love and charity had, from the beginning, been translated into norms of social service and community solidarity. When disasters stuck, the Christians were better able to cope, and this resulted in substantially higher rates of survival. This meant that in the aftermath of each epidemic, Christians made up a larger percentage of the population even without new converts. Moreover, their noticeably better survival rate would have seemed a “miracle” to Christians and pagans alive, and this ought to have influenced conversion.The bulk of the Christians we deal with today in America are nothing but moral mice when compared to those early, moral giants in the twilight of the Roman world. They had a love for life that is wholly absent from the noise of the rabble on the right.
1
After that it was one murderous crusade after another. Interrupted by inquisitions of massive tortures and burnings at the stake. Followed by murderous invasions and plunders of native peoples on every continent. All of which would still be going on today when one looks at their hateful attitudes and meanness of spirit towards others. Nothing good ever came of religion. Nothing.
2
Love and Charity spring from the individual without compulsion. They are acts of individual compassion and service not coerced by the state.
Taxing your neighbor to provide social services you deem appropriate to individuals you select is not Christian Charity.
Taxing your neighbor to provide social services you deem appropriate to individuals you select is not Christian Charity.
4
From my perspective, most of the Christians I know, don't fit your description of the bulk of America's Christians, Charles. We are quiet people. Here's an example, this is Nightwatch and it happens every Friday night beneath the Burnside Bridge in Portland, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V13qvtfZt…
5
rewind:
Night Strike and it happens every Friday ...
Sorry, I confused it's name with something else.
Night Strike and it happens every Friday ...
Sorry, I confused it's name with something else.
6
There's a reason England got rid of them and why we suffer with the extremist bunch that now control the republicans.
It's no surprise that when they lose they become psychotic AND dangerous. They project all their failings onto others.
It's no surprise that when they lose they become psychotic AND dangerous. They project all their failings onto others.
7
How do Jim Wallis and the progressive readership community of Sojourners (http://www.sojo.net/) fit into your idea of American Christians ("the worst kind of Christian on the planet"), Mr. Mudede?
8
The problem is the invisibility of the mainline Protestant tradition that informed MLK. People aren't reading Walter Rauschenbusch, Reinhold Neibuhr, Paul TIllich, Cornel West, Mary Daly, Serene Jones, etc. Instead they're reading racist bullies like CS Lewis, who wrote apologetics instead of theology, and train people to be obstinate and insular.
Unfortunately, Charles, you contribute to this problem when speaking of american christians as an undifferentiated mob. Progressives, secular and religious, have a strong stake in supporting a reinvigorated mainline theological tradition. This tradition is still with us, yet often shouted down by idiots.
Unfortunately, Charles, you contribute to this problem when speaking of american christians as an undifferentiated mob. Progressives, secular and religious, have a strong stake in supporting a reinvigorated mainline theological tradition. This tradition is still with us, yet often shouted down by idiots.
10
Rightwing American Christians are indeed often "moral mice" (aptly put). I see mainline Christians as sharing some of the blame, however, through their long-term passivity and conspicuous silence in the national public discourse on myriad social issues, from civil rights to health care reform. There are exceptions, but shockingly few, and so the wackos dominate public discourse to the exclusion and detriment of all else.
It used to be that interdenominational theological debates were a cornerstone of public discourse in the United States. Now it has somehow become taboo to call people to task on their belief systems and engage people on what they believe and why--now people just hide behind the First Amendment and say merely, "My faith tells me that X is right and Y is wrong, and don't you oppress me by trying to convince me otherwise." This is actually quite a new phenomenon.
As a society, we have lost the ability to have debates and conversations with each other across ideological lines.
It used to be that interdenominational theological debates were a cornerstone of public discourse in the United States. Now it has somehow become taboo to call people to task on their belief systems and engage people on what they believe and why--now people just hide behind the First Amendment and say merely, "My faith tells me that X is right and Y is wrong, and don't you oppress me by trying to convince me otherwise." This is actually quite a new phenomenon.
As a society, we have lost the ability to have debates and conversations with each other across ideological lines.
11
@10, i could not have said it better. When the American Christian is not screaming, he/she is apathetic. Where are now in this debate? where?
12
@8: I largely agree with your general point here, but I think Mary Daly would be quite amused if not actually horrified to find herself identified as part of the mainline protestant tradition. :)
13
Vince: why are you so angry?
Also, is religion to you limited to Western Christianity? Did those "Natives" lack religion? What about Zoroastrianism, Islam, Shinto, Buddhism, Hinduism - are all of these negative forces in the world?
Also, the point of this post was to show that religion in the later Roman Empire was, in fact, a good part of society. Right?
What about hospitals, the universities, social services in "third-world" countries... Are these legacies of religion bad things?
Also, is religion to you limited to Western Christianity? Did those "Natives" lack religion? What about Zoroastrianism, Islam, Shinto, Buddhism, Hinduism - are all of these negative forces in the world?
Also, the point of this post was to show that religion in the later Roman Empire was, in fact, a good part of society. Right?
What about hospitals, the universities, social services in "third-world" countries... Are these legacies of religion bad things?
14
Simac and Charles,
I understand that you find the silence of progressives American Christians as concerning, but I disagree that we are silent due to apathy. The reason that we are silent, is that we are commanded to be silent, check out Matthew Chapter 6. We are so commanded that when we disagree with the behaviors of fellow Christians, that we pull them aside and address the issue in private. Hence, no screaming matches. It's not that we are not distressed, it's that we can only bang our heads on the wall for a finite time, before we turn and allow others to reap what they sow.
As to the interdenominational theological debates, they still exist. You can check out two "local" groups:
Washington: http://www.thewac.org/
Oregon: http://www.emoregon.org/ and http://www.whyhunger.org/component/conte…
I understand that you find the silence of progressives American Christians as concerning, but I disagree that we are silent due to apathy. The reason that we are silent, is that we are commanded to be silent, check out Matthew Chapter 6. We are so commanded that when we disagree with the behaviors of fellow Christians, that we pull them aside and address the issue in private. Hence, no screaming matches. It's not that we are not distressed, it's that we can only bang our heads on the wall for a finite time, before we turn and allow others to reap what they sow.
As to the interdenominational theological debates, they still exist. You can check out two "local" groups:
Washington: http://www.thewac.org/
Oregon: http://www.emoregon.org/ and http://www.whyhunger.org/component/conte…
15
Hospitals are hospitals.Plenty of people do good things for others without ever thinking about or having anything to do with a religion. The myths and superstitions that drive religion are clearly falsehoods. The exact same falsehoods that were spread for thousands of years before. Why am I angry? Did you read what I wrote? Add to that the rape of countless thousands of children by christian priests and the relentless attacks and lies against gay's and lesbian's.
17
Christianity brought something new to Rome, transformed Judaism, the extension of the tribe across, at least to some extent, ethnic an class boundaries. Norms more or less interpret moral sentiments, but the sentiments themselves really depend on being able to imagine the other as somehow potentially involved in your life. When you extend community effectively you extend moral sentiment.
As such the salient difference is not how principles are lived but rather how a broad, catholic even, sense of community has become for the most part a xenophobic, exclusionary community of old people and young people who hope to capitalize on the well endowed corpse of christianity.
As such the salient difference is not how principles are lived but rather how a broad, catholic even, sense of community has become for the most part a xenophobic, exclusionary community of old people and young people who hope to capitalize on the well endowed corpse of christianity.
18
@10 and @11 I actually asked Ben Jealous of the NAACP a similar question at a conference this weekend--what's behind the public timidity of the religious left, and how can we reinvigorate that tradition--he pointed to an old Nation article that documented the left's unfortunate abandonment of religious language since King's murder. There are various reasons behind this. The impulse to want to distance themselves from those with theocratic aims has meant in part that progressive christians often don't talk about their values as faith-informed at all, out of concern for being lumped in with the idiots. The unintended consequence has been that the idiots get to represent Christianity to the public sphere.
Given, though, that most progressive Christian activists don't see the world in terms of a sharp divide between Christian morality and non-christian morality but in more universal terms, it makes sense that they would involve themselves in activist movements where they work alongside people of all faiths and no faith, rather than segregating themselves off and doing "faith-based organizing". When you spend time at progressive activist gatherings, you often find that they're filled with people who quietly identify as progressive Christians. The ethical impulse behind their activism is informed by their christianity, and they are effective in fighting for their causes, even if they don't talk about them in religious terms. But not wanting to offend non-religious allies has really ended up being counterproductive.
And with a few exceptions, those who do talk about their progressive activist work using religious language are still marginalized and shut out of the MSM. Plus, much of the left is ignorant about american religious history, knows nothing of the social gospel movement, of the fact that it was Christian activism that ended child labor in america.
When faced with idiocy such as "nothing good ever came from religion," many progressive christians feel their time is better spent just continuing to plug away at health reform, poverty relief, etc rather than wasting valuable time trying to explain themselves to dumb Christopher Hitchens fans who aren't going to listen anyway.
@12 I'm thinking early, pre-exodus Mary Daly, but I see your point, of course!
More...
Given, though, that most progressive Christian activists don't see the world in terms of a sharp divide between Christian morality and non-christian morality but in more universal terms, it makes sense that they would involve themselves in activist movements where they work alongside people of all faiths and no faith, rather than segregating themselves off and doing "faith-based organizing". When you spend time at progressive activist gatherings, you often find that they're filled with people who quietly identify as progressive Christians. The ethical impulse behind their activism is informed by their christianity, and they are effective in fighting for their causes, even if they don't talk about them in religious terms. But not wanting to offend non-religious allies has really ended up being counterproductive.
And with a few exceptions, those who do talk about their progressive activist work using religious language are still marginalized and shut out of the MSM. Plus, much of the left is ignorant about american religious history, knows nothing of the social gospel movement, of the fact that it was Christian activism that ended child labor in america.
When faced with idiocy such as "nothing good ever came from religion," many progressive christians feel their time is better spent just continuing to plug away at health reform, poverty relief, etc rather than wasting valuable time trying to explain themselves to dumb Christopher Hitchens fans who aren't going to listen anyway.
@12 I'm thinking early, pre-exodus Mary Daly, but I see your point, of course!
19
Charles,
That's an interesting perspective from both you and Stark. I've heard that in Africa as well. That is, Christian altruism is responsible for bringing in many converts usually from animist and Muslim communities and that the "service" notion of Christianity is the real draw not necessarily its theology.
I'll part with you however, with "the American Christian is the worst kind of Christian on the face of the planet". Whether one is Christian or not many American immigrants with Christian roots in Europe started hospitals, schools, universities (many Ivy League and elite schools such as Columbia and the University of Chicago HAD affiliations with Protestant churches. In those cases, it was the Episcopal Church and the Baptist Church respectively) and community service organizations such as the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association by George Williams) with benefits such as swim instruction and organized sports. Even today their legacy is good.
That's an interesting perspective from both you and Stark. I've heard that in Africa as well. That is, Christian altruism is responsible for bringing in many converts usually from animist and Muslim communities and that the "service" notion of Christianity is the real draw not necessarily its theology.
I'll part with you however, with "the American Christian is the worst kind of Christian on the face of the planet". Whether one is Christian or not many American immigrants with Christian roots in Europe started hospitals, schools, universities (many Ivy League and elite schools such as Columbia and the University of Chicago HAD affiliations with Protestant churches. In those cases, it was the Episcopal Church and the Baptist Church respectively) and community service organizations such as the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association by George Williams) with benefits such as swim instruction and organized sports. Even today their legacy is good.
21
That said, religious-based health reform movements are extremely active & vocal right now, for anyone willing to pay attention. http://faithinpubliclife.org/content/pre…
Also groups like Faithful Reform who are bringing together all these religious folks to get mobilized:
American Muslim Health Professionals
Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Center for Healthcare Reform, St. Joseph Health System
Church Women United
Clergy Strategic Alliances
CodeBlueNow!
Disciples Center for Public Witness
Disciples Justice Action Network
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelicals for Social Action
Families USA
Health Ministries Association
Herndon Alliance
International Parish Nurse Resource Center
Islamic Medical Association of North America
Islamic Society of North America
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Council of Jewish Women
National Episcopal Health Ministries
NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
United Jewish Communities
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Church, General Board of Global Ministries
Universal Health Care Action Network
VoteHealthcare
Women’s Universal Health Initiative
How come the idiots can get the press coverage and we can't? How come all the above groups' leaders never get on CNN but jerks from the leadership Southern Baptist Convention always can? I don't know, but i guarantee it's not because we're apathetic.
Maybe the same reasons the birthers' protests get more media coverage than iraq war protests ever did?
More...
Also groups like Faithful Reform who are bringing together all these religious folks to get mobilized:
American Muslim Health Professionals
Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Center for Healthcare Reform, St. Joseph Health System
Church Women United
Clergy Strategic Alliances
CodeBlueNow!
Disciples Center for Public Witness
Disciples Justice Action Network
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelicals for Social Action
Families USA
Health Ministries Association
Herndon Alliance
International Parish Nurse Resource Center
Islamic Medical Association of North America
Islamic Society of North America
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Council of Jewish Women
National Episcopal Health Ministries
NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
United Jewish Communities
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Church, General Board of Global Ministries
Universal Health Care Action Network
VoteHealthcare
Women’s Universal Health Initiative
How come the idiots can get the press coverage and we can't? How come all the above groups' leaders never get on CNN but jerks from the leadership Southern Baptist Convention always can? I don't know, but i guarantee it's not because we're apathetic.
Maybe the same reasons the birthers' protests get more media coverage than iraq war protests ever did?
22
Atlanta Police LGBT Liaison Officer Dani Lynn Harris said there was a complaint of illegal activities at the Eagle. After the complaint was made undercover officers were sent to the Eagle where they discovered enough information to secure a warrant for the raid.
In an interview with Southern Voice on Friday morning, Harris said the APD officers followed the same procedures they would have used for raiding any other nightclub.
In a third interview late Friday, Harris said that the raid originated from two anonymous complaints: one to the mayor's tip line and the other to Crimestoppers. The complaints alleged that Thursday is "sex night" at the club and that gay men were having sex not only in the club but outside as well, she said.
“The original complaint received is that on Thursday night at the club is sex night. … It's saying the club is a sleezy place on Thursday all that goes on is solicting of sex," Harris said.
According to Harris, the complaints claimed that the club owners retaliated against neighbors by pointing speakers at residential apartment complexes nearby and playings sounds of gay men having sex.
In an interview with Southern Voice on Friday morning, Harris said the APD officers followed the same procedures they would have used for raiding any other nightclub.
In a third interview late Friday, Harris said that the raid originated from two anonymous complaints: one to the mayor's tip line and the other to Crimestoppers. The complaints alleged that Thursday is "sex night" at the club and that gay men were having sex not only in the club but outside as well, she said.
“The original complaint received is that on Thursday night at the club is sex night. … It's saying the club is a sleezy place on Thursday all that goes on is solicting of sex," Harris said.
According to Harris, the complaints claimed that the club owners retaliated against neighbors by pointing speakers at residential apartment complexes nearby and playings sounds of gay men having sex.
23
Hey Charles, you missed the big story on Haast's Eagle. This was a bird that wieghed 40 pounds and preyed on the moa and other flightless birds -- also flightless HUMANS IN nz after the Maoris showed up about 800 years ago. In just a few hundred years they exterminated the last Haast's Eagle. They had myths about birds snatching kids.
As did everyone, really, see that Arab story about the seven seas and what's his name. Sinbad! What a great name.
(Beyond the human-animal boundary nonboundary that you usually explore, get this! The movement of the Maoris to NZ and their killing off this bird have nothing to do with capitalism!).
As did everyone, really, see that Arab story about the seven seas and what's his name. Sinbad! What a great name.
(Beyond the human-animal boundary nonboundary that you usually explore, get this! The movement of the Maoris to NZ and their killing off this bird have nothing to do with capitalism!).
24
@23
Yeah, I read that story too and found it fascinating. I visited New Zealand. Interesting country. Quite pretty. Weird thing is the country essentially two mountainous islands (the North and the South), has no indigenous land mammals (the sheep were imported). But, it does have some cool birds (the flightless kiwi, the Giant Moa a flightless bird like the emu or ostrich but far bigger which went extinct round 1910 or so and now Haast's eagle). Great story.
Yeah, I read that story too and found it fascinating. I visited New Zealand. Interesting country. Quite pretty. Weird thing is the country essentially two mountainous islands (the North and the South), has no indigenous land mammals (the sheep were imported). But, it does have some cool birds (the flightless kiwi, the Giant Moa a flightless bird like the emu or ostrich but far bigger which went extinct round 1910 or so and now Haast's eagle). Great story.
26
It's amazing that then, as now, Christians operated more efficiently than government bureaucracy (Rome).
As far as Christians today, you have no idea...when Katrina struck, it was Christian communities and churches who poured in billions of dollars of charity, including manpower, to help the survivors and rebuild New Orleans.
If I were in deep shit, I would much prefer to have a loving community of Christians helping me out, than any government mandated program.
As far as Christians today, you have no idea...when Katrina struck, it was Christian communities and churches who poured in billions of dollars of charity, including manpower, to help the survivors and rebuild New Orleans.
If I were in deep shit, I would much prefer to have a loving community of Christians helping me out, than any government mandated program.
27
Religion can be a means by which nefarious forces exploit a population. To some degree, the teabaggers are victims. Isn't it sad to see our countrymen reduced to this? Smacks of Lovecraft.
Our poor educational standards set the stage. Did you know that "Creation" (the new movie about Darwin) has yet to get an American distributor, because his theory of evolution is, "too controversial for religious America?"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew…
Our poor educational standards set the stage. Did you know that "Creation" (the new movie about Darwin) has yet to get an American distributor, because his theory of evolution is, "too controversial for religious America?"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew…
28
Charles is correct that societies that have embraced Christian values have flourished, especially as seen in Britain and America.
To the extent that America was and has been true to it's Protestant heritage it has prospered, as it rejects those values and embraces humanism it descends into social chaos.
To the extent that America was and has been true to it's Protestant heritage it has prospered, as it rejects those values and embraces humanism it descends into social chaos.
29
@28 That's a pretty bold statement.
Are you sure you want to connect your religious beliefs to prosperity and 'flourishing' whatever that is? If you extend that reasoning, it would mean that jesus likes rich people better than poor people, because rich people are flourishing and prosperous. We know that's not the case because of Matthew 19:24. Jesus wasn't fond of the rich. He specifically denied the prosperous entrance into heaven. So I doubt that Jesus would advance the prosperity of whole nations because they are Christian. I doubt Jesus would approve of the sweat shops (slave labor) that supports our current flourishing economic system, or the conquest and mass murder that supported England’s world spanning empire. Jesus came to the Jews, an oppressed minority in a backwater of the Roman Empire, not to the prosperous and flourishing Emperor.
Are you also sure that England and the United States didn't prosper because of large aquisitions of land, slave labor, climate, scientific advancement, winning wars, and industrialization? I can draw a direct line from those to our relative wealth and prosperity. None of them have anything to do with Christian values. So there's no causal relationship between Christianity and prosperity either.
Regarding the social chaos you mentioned, European nations that have embraced humanism and socialism have better health care, less violent crime, more personal freedom, fewer abortions, less poverty, longer lifespans, lower infant mortality rates, and better fashion sense. In the USA, it's always better to live in a blue state than a red state. Red states, and by extension, more Christian States have more divorce, more crime, more abortions, more poverty, and poorer educational systems. I don't know exactly what you mean by 'social chaos' but every real world indicator points to the opposite being true. In order to achieve a society more in line with actual Christian values, like healing the sick, helping the poor, and blessing the cheese-makers, one should embrace the morality of humanism rather than adhere to a Christian identity.
More...
Are you sure you want to connect your religious beliefs to prosperity and 'flourishing' whatever that is? If you extend that reasoning, it would mean that jesus likes rich people better than poor people, because rich people are flourishing and prosperous. We know that's not the case because of Matthew 19:24. Jesus wasn't fond of the rich. He specifically denied the prosperous entrance into heaven. So I doubt that Jesus would advance the prosperity of whole nations because they are Christian. I doubt Jesus would approve of the sweat shops (slave labor) that supports our current flourishing economic system, or the conquest and mass murder that supported England’s world spanning empire. Jesus came to the Jews, an oppressed minority in a backwater of the Roman Empire, not to the prosperous and flourishing Emperor.
Are you also sure that England and the United States didn't prosper because of large aquisitions of land, slave labor, climate, scientific advancement, winning wars, and industrialization? I can draw a direct line from those to our relative wealth and prosperity. None of them have anything to do with Christian values. So there's no causal relationship between Christianity and prosperity either.
Regarding the social chaos you mentioned, European nations that have embraced humanism and socialism have better health care, less violent crime, more personal freedom, fewer abortions, less poverty, longer lifespans, lower infant mortality rates, and better fashion sense. In the USA, it's always better to live in a blue state than a red state. Red states, and by extension, more Christian States have more divorce, more crime, more abortions, more poverty, and poorer educational systems. I don't know exactly what you mean by 'social chaos' but every real world indicator points to the opposite being true. In order to achieve a society more in line with actual Christian values, like healing the sick, helping the poor, and blessing the cheese-makers, one should embrace the morality of humanism rather than adhere to a Christian identity.
30
That article seems pretty fluffy to me. Lots of conjecture, and little proof.
It's interesting that you rarely see people blaming Christianity for the FALL of the Roman Empire. It became the state religion just over a century before its collapse...of course, gay people are blamed constantly for the fall of Rome. In my opinion the place just fell apart.
It's interesting that you rarely see people blaming Christianity for the FALL of the Roman Empire. It became the state religion just over a century before its collapse...of course, gay people are blamed constantly for the fall of Rome. In my opinion the place just fell apart.
31
I had some Christians tell me the other day, during a discussion about why "Why is Obama allowed in the public schools but God is not?!?1?" that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are Holy Wars. Part of the End of Days as foretold in the Bible. They also think we are losing said wars because we (1) teach evolution in the schools, (2) are too tolerant of gays, and (3) have legal abortion. Then they proceeded to tell me that I would burn for all eternity in hell unless I joined their nutty cult. I was just trying to point out that there might be some serious logistical difficulties for "winning" a war with entrenched, amoral guerrillas fighting for their families in a challenging landscape, particularly for an overstretched, bankrupt traditional military that more or less follows the Geneva Convention. See the Fall of Rome for more on that.
Look, I'm a Southerner. I was raised Christian. My family is very Christian. I know these people. I even love them. But they are crazy. They believe in an invisible space man who fights talking snakes and turns fag hags into salt; the foundation of those beliefs are the hallucinations of some goat herder whose schitzophrenic voices told him to kill his own son; beliefs that were later modified by another guy whose mother was a virgin. Based on these totally reasonable sources, all scientific thought is a hoax.
It doesn't matter what those people think about health care. They are insane. Sure, some are "secular believers" and don't try to inflict their rote scriptures on others, and believe me, I appreciate that. But late at night, they are talking to an invisible space man, asking him for special favors. Guaranteed. And those people control practically everything.
Ugh. They believe in Armageddon and are doing their best to bring it on. It's a shame, really. If they would only open their eyes to humanity's potential! Healthy, safe, educated humans with adequate food generate so many fantastic ideas and creations! But that's just not Christian, is it. So no health care, no environmental protection, evolution shouted down, etc etc. I give up. I gave up years ago. I just live my life in the cracks between their epic mass delusions hope that maybe, at least, the Rapture is for real. But they're going to destroy everything, watch. It's already happening. Bush's battle against Gog and Magog set it in motion. And they think it was pre-ordained. When in reality, it was just willful stupidity.
More...
Look, I'm a Southerner. I was raised Christian. My family is very Christian. I know these people. I even love them. But they are crazy. They believe in an invisible space man who fights talking snakes and turns fag hags into salt; the foundation of those beliefs are the hallucinations of some goat herder whose schitzophrenic voices told him to kill his own son; beliefs that were later modified by another guy whose mother was a virgin. Based on these totally reasonable sources, all scientific thought is a hoax.
It doesn't matter what those people think about health care. They are insane. Sure, some are "secular believers" and don't try to inflict their rote scriptures on others, and believe me, I appreciate that. But late at night, they are talking to an invisible space man, asking him for special favors. Guaranteed. And those people control practically everything.
Ugh. They believe in Armageddon and are doing their best to bring it on. It's a shame, really. If they would only open their eyes to humanity's potential! Healthy, safe, educated humans with adequate food generate so many fantastic ideas and creations! But that's just not Christian, is it. So no health care, no environmental protection, evolution shouted down, etc etc. I give up. I gave up years ago. I just live my life in the cracks between their epic mass delusions hope that maybe, at least, the Rapture is for real. But they're going to destroy everything, watch. It's already happening. Bush's battle against Gog and Magog set it in motion. And they think it was pre-ordained. When in reality, it was just willful stupidity.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Hating People Doesn't Make Them Thinner by Jen Graves
-
Los Angeles Gay Bar Bans Bachelorette Parties Until Marriage Equality Is Attained by David Schmader
-
Fill in the Blank by Grant Brissey
-
This Reminds Me of the Great Calculator Scare of the Late '70s/Early '80s by David Schmader
-
Idiot Tries to Defend Bigoted Anti-Gay-Marriage Preacher on Anderson Cooper by Paul Constant
-
Six Moms with Too Much Time on Their Hands and a Shitty Website Decide to Fight Gay Superheroes by Paul Constant
-
Why Mayor McGinn's Wife Canceled Her Family's Seattle Times Subscription by Eli Sanders
-
What the Hell Is Wrong With Seattle's Pride Parade? by Dominic Holden
-
The Saturday Morning News by Unpaid Intern
-
NYC Man Ticketed for Not Riding in the Bike Lane by Jonathan Golob
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (31) RSS