Posted by Hemant Mehta in From My Confined Space:
This seems to be true for the more conservative denominations.
Not so much the other ones.
Is that your experience, too?
[tags]atheist, atheism, fundamentalist, conservative, Christian[/tags]
The More Conservative You Get, The More True This Becomes
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A girl I was friends with in high school has a bunch of stuff on her facebook, including:
I think there used to be more stuff about abortion, but let’s work with what we have. This person has spent time since high school getting drunk (including when she was underage), having sex (hetero, but unmarried), and doing other bad things. She is a Christian, of that I have no doubt, but she seems to think she gets to go to Heaven while the gay people are going to Hell. Now, if gay sex is a sin, I am not sure why it would be more of a sin than straight unmarried sex. Both, according to various passages in the Bible, are sins (though I think you could argue that unmarried sex is ok as long as you are the guy’s wife’s handmaiden, and he needs to get you pregnant). Yet the gays are going to Hell and she is not. Either you need to have Jesus or something to get to Heaven, or you need to be sinless, which- simply not her, or anyone, for that matter. What happens if she repents and continues to have sex? Is it ok because she says “Oops” after? What if the gay person has sex and prays afterwards and then steals something and has gay sex? Is God going to forgive them the stealing but send them to hell for the sex? Is underage drinking going to be why I go to Hell, but does she get a free pass? Would that be taken away from her if she got n abortion? Is unmarried sex ok if you have a baby and raise it Christian, but does it become a sin again if you give the baby to gay alcoholics?
Christians are a mystery to me.
I really like that. Chrisitianity – a mystery in every sense.
Pretty much. Not to mention, if you deny any possibility that they maybe wrong… expect the Inquisition.
I can think of no definition of perfect where that’s true for any Christian.
This reminds me of one of my favorite songs generally sung acapella. It goes: “Gathered here in in the mystery of the (or this) hour. Gathered here in one strong body. Gathered here in the struggle and the power. Spirit draw near.” Generally I hear this used as a precursor to the prayer.
Sometimes the mystery is what keeps us there. I think some atheists do understand this and respect it (even if they don’t totally agree with it).
It’s been my experience that the general attitudes of the liberal and conservative forks of christianity work out thusly:
Liberals believe that forgiveness is for all to offer, judgment is the Lord’s alone.
Conservatives believe that judgment is for all to offer, forgiveness is the Lord’s alone.
Unless you’re David Vitter.
hey, BTW, my fiancee and I live in Melrose Park, IL, if there’s ever a get-together or anything let us know; she’s an atheist, and I’m a… well, I’m something else. Not a christian, not a mainline religious person at all. But I’m also not a pusher.
And I’m generally appalled at what’s done in this world in “god’s name”.
Yep, double standard all the way. This has been demonstrated over the past few years by the number of ‘family values’ conservatives outed for everything from seeing sex workers on the fly, to the recent Larry Craig affair. They are deeply conflicted people who use religion and morality as part of the political agenda they believe will bring in the votes. Time and again their hypocrisy has been unmasked. The caption is right on the mark because finally it is all about control and influence – over others.
Who can forget the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:48?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Well, Christians have outgrown Jesus, and no longer expect people to be perfect.
Steven, if you believe people have outgrown Jesus, I would like you to introduce you to my weird mother and aunt.
My apologies, I didn’t realise it was authentic Christianity to listen to such words of Jesus as ‘Be perfect’.
You live and learn!
I wasn’t saying that, Steven. I was saying not everyone has outgrown Jesus or the dogmatism of those beliefs.
My feeling is that , scratch a conservative Christian, and you will find Jesus underneath.
It explains a lot about why they are they way they are.