Is The Widespread Hatred Of Christianity...

[Ricknlia]

 

 

 

My husband first had doubts a few years ago and sunk into a very deep depression over it. I fought every inclination to question my faith, but recently decided if it is indeed truth and worth living and possibly one day dying for, it should be able to stand up to scrutiny and unfortunately, it did not. I have been saddened by this, but am learning to accept and embrace it.

 

 

Deconverting is a tough row to hoe. For me, I felt like I was going through detox. I was miserable for months as the realization that the beliefs of a lifetime were false. I was disappointed, hurt and angry that so much of my life had been lost in a world of nonsense. 

 

It's natural for you to feel the way you do. Disillusionment is never easy. But it's better than living in an illusion, IMHO.

 

It is tough, but I am handling it better than my husband did, thankfully, no depression here. Mostly fear...I feel as though I am "coming out"....very strange.

 

 

You are right. It is very like "coming out." How many of your Christian friends/family know about this? I'd be very cautious about letting them know. That's usually best reserved for when you are sure of your decision and firm in your thoughts. Even then, be prepared for a lot of shunning.

 

My husband has warned me to be careful. It isn't easy though. I am an honest til it hurts kind of person and it makes it very hard. could just never be successful at faking it that I am still a believer. It kinda makes my stomach church at this point. I am so thankful that my husband and I have not been heavily involved in church these recent years. That would've made it so much harder. I am not worried about rejection for myself, I don't really have a whole lotta friends....I worry about my children. I still don't know what I am gonna do about them.

[MerryG]

Can you tell me about Westboro Baptist? I am assuming it is a pro-gay church??

 

 

It's the notoriously anti-gay church (actually mostly members of one extended family) whose most famous motto is "God hates fags." Westboro members have made themselves notorious and hated because they like to show up at the funerals of dead soldiers with that message.

[pawn]

 

 

 

Can you tell me about Westboro Baptist? I am assuming it is a pro-gay church??

 

It's the notoriously anti-gay church (actually mostly members of one extended family) whose most famous motto is "God hates fags." Westboro members have made themselves notorious and hated because they like to show up at the funerals of dead soldiers with that message.

The Westboro baptist church are the scum of the scum of the scum of the earth. If hell exists, they will have a special corner made just for them.

 

The only corners of hell worse will be reserved for child rapists, torturers and other abominations of hatred.

[MerryG]

Also, timnlia -- you're doing just fine. You've come to a place where people will be very supportive of what you need to do, but won't push you. This is a great place to get help finding your own path.

[Vigile]

 

It kinda makes my stomach church at this point.

 

I'm guessing that's a Freudian slip.  Good one.

 

I'm like you.  I can't fake things.  Not every coming out story has to end disastrous though.  My own family worries about me, but they took it in stride and we still have a good relationship. 

 

 

[Vigile]

 

 

Can you tell me about Westboro Baptist? I am assuming it is a pro-gay church??

It's the notoriously anti-gay church (actually mostly members of one extended family) whose most famous motto is "God hates fags." Westboro members have made themselves notorious and hated because they like to show up at the funerals of dead soldiers with that message.

The Westboro baptist church are the scum of the scum of the scum of the earth. If hell exists, they will have a special corner made just for them.

 

The only corners of hell worse will be reserved for child rapists, torturers and other abominations of hatred.

 

 

Oh, I don't know.  They're always good for a laugh.  I find it difficult to be offended by the opinions of crazy people. 

 

[Lilith666]

 

 

 

 

 

Is the widespread hatred of Christianity evidence that it is "truth"?

 

I am a newly de-converted Christian and this is one of my mom's arguments for Christianity.

 

Along with the hatred for the Jews throughout history and the worldwide spread of the Jewish people.

 

Thank you for your thoughts.

The Christians have to meet in secret to avoid public tortture down there in Fla? Or can they meet freely in one of many churches?

My mom is referring to around the world, of course. Over the years, reading such things as the Voice of the Martyrs,a publication sharing the persecution of Christians around the world, has led us all to believe that the persecution of Christians far outweighs any other religious persecution, and that it is only a matter of time before it is here in the U.S.

 

My mother is in no way referring to personal experience, but she and my father were involved in a Messianic Jewish congregation for many years and have a solid connection to the Jews, so much so that they did several dna tests over the years to try and prove there is some form of Jewish lineage in our family. That being said, I think they definitely throw the Christian persecution in with the anti-semitic actions around the world.

There is the occasional graffitti-ing of the local synagogue with swastika's and such here in my town in the west US but nothing much else in the way of Christian persecution, locally. I would agree that other countries like Afghanistan are definitely into the persecution thing... like execution or imprisonment of non-muslims.

 

I remember at my fundy church we were supposed to 'rejoice' when some unbeliever made fun of us because that was supposed to mean we were successfully doing god's work. Like being made fun of is horrible suffering. lol.

Yep. I used to wish that someone would persecute me so I could suffer for Jesus.

[Lilith666]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nobody is more hated than Westboro Baptist; perhaps Mommy Dearest should consider changing churches.

I heard one gay comedian say that he tracks the activities of Westboro Baptist because they know when all the Gay event are and that's how he finds out about fun gay activities in his area.

Can you tell me about Westboro Baptist? I am assuming it is a pro-gay church??

No....actually, they hate gay people so much that they picket all the time to protest the "fags," so they would know where all the gays are.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=westboro+baptist+church&client=safari&hl=en&prmd=ivnsum&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=z-BjUvLVCILY9QST_YGIAQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#

 

They also hate soldiers and Amish people, for some unknown reason.

 

Nobody is more hated than Westboro Baptist; perhaps Mommy Dearest should consider changing churches.

I heard one gay comedian say that he tracks the activities of Westboro Baptist because they know when all the Gay event are and that's how he finds out about fun gay activities in his area.

Can you tell me about Westboro Baptist? I am assuming it is a pro-gay church??

[Lilith666]

Sorry about that last post. Not sure how that happened. My comment is in the middle.

[Ricknlia]

 

 

It kinda makes my stomach church at this point.

 

I'm guessing that's a Freudian slip.  Good one.

 

I'm like you.  I can't fake things.  Not every coming out story has to end disastrous though.  My own family worries about me, but they took it in stride and we still have a good relationship. 

 

 

 

Lol. I caught it afterward, but couldn't figure out how to edit.

[Ricknlia]

I am not a news watcher. I just looked up Westboro Baptist.....wow.

 

So sad to see all the hate. Especially the way they seem to use their children.

 

How much hate would disappear if the Bible disappeared?

[Lilith666]

 

 

 

 

Can you tell me about Westboro Baptist? I am assuming it is a pro-gay church??

It's the notoriously anti-gay church (actually mostly members of one extended family) whose most famous motto is "God hates fags." Westboro members have made themselves notorious and hated because they like to show up at the funerals of dead soldiers with that message.

The Westboro baptist church are the scum of the scum of the scum of the earth. If hell exists, they will have a special corner made just for them.

 

The only corners of hell worse will be reserved for child rapists, torturers and other abominations of hatred.

Oh, I don't know.  They're always good for a laugh.  I find it difficult to be offended by the opinions of crazy people. 

 

Except they torment people who are already hurting by picketing funerals. Their representative said on Fox News that they were glad the little Amish girls were dead.

[Vigile]

 

 

 

 

Can you tell me about Westboro Baptist? I am assuming it is a pro-gay church??

It's the notoriously anti-gay church (actually mostly members of one extended family) whose most famous motto is "God hates fags." Westboro members have made themselves notorious and hated because they like to show up at the funerals of dead soldiers with that message.

The Westboro baptist church are the scum of the scum of the scum of the earth. If hell exists, they will have a special corner made just for them.

 

The only corners of hell worse will be reserved for child rapists, torturers and other abominations of hatred.

Oh, I don't know.  They're always good for a laugh.  I find it difficult to be offended by the opinions of crazy people. 

 

Except they torment people who are already hurting by picketing funerals. Their representative said on Fox News that they were glad the little Amish girls were dead.

 

 

Yeah, I know, but then again, you still have to care what crazy people think in order to be offended about what they say about your loved ones.  I don't support them picketing funerals, but I certainly support their right to do so.  I know my views on this aren't popular around these parts, but I find a lot of things in this world more offensive than Westboro; things that actually hurt real people in tangible ways, like wars and such.

[Bhim]

Well, as I previously mentioned, my folks were part of a Messianic Jewish Congregation (comprised mostly of Jews who believe that Jesus was the Messiah) for about 18 years, after having been in the church for about 18 years. They have been to Israel themselves and were heavily involved in the culture and people, trying to reach out and witness to as many as they could wherever they were. There is actually a good number of Jews around the world who believe in Jesus.

Yes, I have heard about the Messianic Judaism movement.  People within it tell me that most people in Messianic congregations aren't actually Jewish (though some, like your parents, make the effort to trace their lineage and find some Jewish ancestry).

 

As for the actual number of Jews in Israel who believe in Jesus, it's surprisingly painful to find figures on this information.  I did find one source (http://jewishisrael.ning.com/page/statistics-1) by an anti-missionary organization which suggests 10,000-20,000 Jews in Israel believe in Jesus.  The population of Israel is 7.3 million, out of which 75.6% are Jewish.  If you believe the estimate, then this means that 0.36% of the Israeli Jewish population is Christian.

 

 

 

I agree about the points being made that the persecution is not evidence of the truth, since it could very well be applied to other religions. These are things I need to tuck away inside of me for reflection in the moments of doubt and fear that come and go.

I think that's definitely important.  Christianity places a strong emphasis on your state of intellectual assent to doctrine in relation to escaping eternal torment in hell.  When fear and doubt arise, I think many of us ex-Christians will start to care very much about what we think about Jesus. At those times it's important to be armed with facts and rational thought.

 

I am going to do my best to avoid discussion of these matters with my parents, but I doubt I will be able to avoid them forever, esp since they live three doors down and our lives are so intertwined, it makes it hard. But I would like to learn as much as I can, so that in the event that I have to defend where I am at with all of this, I can do a good job at it. I never was very good at defending my faith, it was pretty much, well, I believe what I believe because I was raised to believe it and it's what I've always done.

 

I guess I can't be very helpful here, since thankfully my parents aren't Christians.  But I wish you good luck interacting with your parents when the issue of Jesus comes up.

 

 

The point made about how if I were raised in another family or culture with Muslim, Hindu, etc, beliefs, that would be truth to me is one of the number one reasons I began down this path. As I thought about how truly unfair that would be to be sent to hell when all you were ever taught was about Allah and the Koran from birth, it just made no sense to me.

 

Now here's something I can comment on.  What you said is a argument against Christianity, and I think it's a valid one.  The response by Christians, of course, is to spread the gospel so that this sort of thing never happens, i.e. by Christianizing the whole world, everyone will be raised in a Christian environment.  Though I converted to Christianity, I ultimately could not reconcile being a Christian with my own Hindu background.  And this despite being born and raised in America!  What evangelicals fail to realize is that their faith is as much a culture as it is a religion, and carries with it certain baggage.  I would be very interested to see statistics or case studies on people who convert to Christianity and then go back.

 

Now that I am stepping back and looking at it from the outside, it seems so clear to me how twisted so much of it is. I have no anger, hatred, or animosity towards Christianity or the people who practice it, as some ex-Christians seem to harbor, and I hope I never get to that point. I am just thankful to be free of it and look forward to the day when all the fear is washed away as well.

Heh, well I've always said it's not Christians I hate, it's Jesus.  Evangelicals would have us accept him as Lord, or reject him entirely, but they ask that we not go the route of some liberal Christians and view him as a good moral teacher.  The underlying assumption here is that Jesus is a good person and taught good morals.  I seek to challenge this.  How good can a person be who invented the idea of an eternal hell where people go for failure to believe that he is God?

[Sybaris]

Time to whip out the examples of Christian persecution in the U.S.:

 

Bibles in every motel room

God on our money

Prayer before public events

Christian cable networks 24/7

Discounts on insurance for being Christian

Churches every 6 blocks in every city over 100,000

Laws that prevent non-Christians from holding public office

Christian bookstores in every town over 12,000

God in the Pledge of Allegiance

Televangelists 24/7

Christian billboards along the highway advertising Vacation Bible  School and “Repent or go to Hell”

Federally recognized Christian holiday

Radioevangelists 24/7

Religious organizations are tax free

75% of the population claims to be Christian

National day of prayer

God in the National Anthem

Weekday Christian education for elementary students.

Christian clergy led prayer at Presidential inaugurations

[Sybaris]

I am not a news watcher. I just looked up Westboro Baptist.....wow.

 

So sad to see all the hate. Especially the way they seem to use their children.

 

How much hate would disappear if the Bible disappeared?

 

None, something else would take its place

[RogueScholar]

 

 

 

 

 

Can you tell me about Westboro Baptist? I am assuming it is a pro-gay church??

 

It's the notoriously anti-gay church (actually mostly members of one extended family) whose most famous motto is "God hates fags." Westboro members have made themselves notorious and hated because they like to show up at the funerals of dead soldiers with that message.

The Westboro baptist church are the scum of the scum of the scum of the earth. If hell exists, they will have a special corner made just for them.

The only corners of hell worse will be reserved for child rapists, torturers and other abominations of hatred.

Oh, I don't know.  They're always good for a laugh.  I find it difficult to be offended by the opinions of crazy people.

Except they torment people who are already hurting by picketing funerals. Their representative said on Fox News that they were glad the little Amish girls were dead.

 

Yeah, I know, but then again, you still have to care what crazy people think in order to be offended about what they say about your loved ones.  I don't support them picketing funerals, but I certainly support their right to do so.  I know my views on this aren't popular around these parts, but I find a lot of things in this world more offensive than Westboro; things that actually hurt real people in tangible ways, like wars and such.

I agree that once we starting telling people that they cannot protest and say bat-schyte crazy things, we start walking down a dangerous path of censorship. I certainly do not like picketing funerals or the crazy things they say, but I believe the best way to combat bad speech is with more speech. IMHO, trying to force somebody to shut up almost never works and in some cases may work to support their cause. Better to allow them to expose their craziness and let other people debate these ideas and words.

 

Look what has occurred with the popular Facebook site by the same name that focuses on good things and all the people who have been galvanised to combat (In a non-coercive sense) these people. If anything, letting them do their thing has galvanised a good portion of the country to reject the ideas and ideology of this small group of people.

[TheRedneckProfessor]

Time to whip out the examples of Christian persecution in the U.S.:

 

Bibles in every motel room

God on our money

Prayer before public events

Christian cable networks 24/7

Discounts on insurance for being Christian

Churches every 6 blocks in every city over 100,000

Laws that prevent non-Christians from holding public office

Christian bookstores in every town over 12,000

God in the Pledge of Allegiance

Televangelists 24/7

Christian billboards along the highway advertising Vacation Bible  School and “Repent or go to Hell”

Federally recognized Christian holiday

Radioevangelists 24/7

Religious organizations are tax free

75% of the population claims to be Christian

National day of prayer

God in the National Anthem

Weekday Christian education for elementary students.

Christian clergy led prayer at Presidential inaugurations

 

Don't forget the prayer at the beginning of every NasCar race.  That there's important to us rednecks!

[pawn]

Just to make it clear, I love humor, and often post sarcastic and ridiculous things on the forum that I don't literally mean.

 

I don't believe in hell, and I certainly don't believe that anyone deserves to be punished for Eternity, that's sick.

I was just joking around as usual, I don't agree with the hateful tangent of christianity, but I respect their right to free speech and I understand all to well that they are just a small group of heavily brainwashed people. It's sad really.

 

*dry serious post, no humor intended here*

[leopardus]

Yes. And likewise for the widespread hatred for Nazis, gender feminists, gays, Buddhists, Americans, ...........   They're all TRUE!! No matter if they are contradictory, they are just true!!!