But it won’t. The word “Christian” doesn’t mean “a person who follows the teachings of christ”, it just means you’re a member of a hyper-authoritarian political club.
I try to live the way Jesus demanded people live. It’s very humanist, almost buddhist, even. But I would never, ever call myself “Christian” because it stands for the opposite of everything Jesus stood for. It’s very decidedly anti-christ.
I was behind a truck yesterday with two bumper stickers. “Jesus Saves” and “Fuck Biden.”
I think that sums up the American Christian.
“Mentally ill narcissist” sums up the average American Christian.
God, we need a new word for narcissism…
I agree with the sentiment, but totally makes those with clinical NPD seem tame when they are most certainly not.
You mean it needlessly demonizes people with NPD who have done nothing to harm the speaker.
Yup. I’m of the opinion that that Jesus fellow (at least to the extent we can see in the Bible) was a pretty cool dude. But Christianity seems to reject pretty much all his teachings.
These statistics are difficult to measure accurately but we believe there are about 770,000 homeless Americans and as far as the oracle can tell me there are 350-400k churches. If Christians did Christianity right churches would provide shelter and community integration/engagement for the homeless. Each church only needs to help two people and most congregations have 30+ people.
Christianity could trivially solve homelessness, they just chose not to.
At the minimum they should be taxed at the highest bracket. They’re just cult tax shelters for white conservatives.
hey now let’s not go too far… they should be taxed at the level any other business is taxed at, and their philianthropic endeavours should receive the same tax breaks as any other business too… if they’re entirely charitable (their existence is not by and of itself charitable) then they’re entirely charitable
Raise the taxes on the other businesses to match the 1950s marginal rates
also yes
Homeless people aren’t nearly as evenly distributed as churches are.
Hrm, that’s true. Maybe we could just auction off all the churches to raise funds to house all the homeless people.
I can count on one hand, maybe two, the number of true Christians I’ve met. And I don’t count myself among them when I was “Christian”.
Many Christians use their bigotry and hatred and hide it behind the Bible as an excuse and an appeal to authority. “BeCaUsE tHe BiBlE sAyS sO!” Is not a fucking reason to want to force women to have babies, Karen.
The label on the back of cookies says to only have two per serving. I don’t see you following that rule.
Would it then be acceptable to pick up a rock and practice a lil biblical stoning? “Bible says so!”
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In my experience, every time someone claims “the Bible says so” to justify their own evil, it doesn’t actually say that. And when it seems ambiguous, a little bit of basic academic research clears it right up. And guess what? Still doesn’t say what they say it does. But no amount of evidence or explanation or research will change their minds because it was never important to them in the first place, but a convenient justification for being monstrous. Like you said, “appeal to authority”.
There is not much written about jesus in his teenage years (the years that in our day and age typically correspond to university). It’s speculated he travelled widely and might have reached India, where he learned about Buddhism and Hinduism. There were contacts between the Mediterranean and India as far back as ancient Egyptian times, so it’s not impossible
Ever read Lamb: the gospel according to Jesus’s childhood friend, Biff? First place I’d heard of this idea.
I was hoping to see this comment. That book is great, as are most of Christopher Moore’s books.
The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply. Your question was: > Oh great oracle, > > what do you do with a supplicant who leaves his .sig at > the end of his questions? > -- > -- And in response, thus spake the Oracle: } WHAT R U TALK1N' ABOUT MAN? SIGZ ROOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! } } LATER MAN. } } BIFF. } } -- } BBBBBBBBBBBBB IIIIIIIII FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF } BBBBBBBBBBBBBB IIIIIIIII FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBBBBBBBBBBBB III FFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFF } BBBBBBBBBBBBBB III FFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBB BBB III FFF FFF } BBBBBBBBBBBBB IIIIIIIII FFF FFF } [email protected] BBBBBBBBBBBB IIIIIIIII FFF FFF [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] B1FF@COMU$ERVE.COM } [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] } } MY SIG /^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\ WAITING } CAN BEAT !@@@@@@NUKULAR@@@@@@@@! 4 } UP YOUR ------------------------- ARMAGEDIN } SIG !@@@@@@@@BIFF@@@@@@@@@! IT"LL B } !!! \--------! !--------/ AWESOME!!!! } ! ! } --------- THIS SPACE 4 RENT CALL BIFF } /\\\ ! ! HA HA FOOLED YOU!!! } ||| / \ } /-\ } /----/-\------------------------------------------------------------\ } | BIFF|@|AOL.DELPHI.PRODIGY.COMPU$ERVE.NETCOM.WORLD.MSN.B1FF.EDU DUDE!> } \----\-/------------------------------------------------------------/ } \-/ } |-| BANG THE FALSE METAL HEAD THAT DUZZN"T DRINK BEER!!! } \/// HOT METAL TUBS RULE IN A MAJOR WAY DUDEZ!!! } } __________ __________ ___________ ___________ __ } / /\ / /| / /| / /| / / } / / \ / // / // / // / /| } ********** / **********/ ***********/ ***********/ ** | } ** |____** / ** ** |______ ** |______ ** | } ** / ** ** ** / /| ** / /| ** | } **/ **/ \ ** ** / // ** / // ** | } **********/ / ** *********/ *********/ ** / } ** |____** // __**______ ** | ** | **/ } ** / **/ / ** /| ** | ** | / /| } **/ **/ / ** // ** / ** / ** / } **********/ **********/ **/ **/ **/ } } [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] B1FF@COMU$ERVE.COM } [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] [email protected] } [email protected] } } K0M1NG S00N T0 THEATREZ NEER U!!!!!! } _______ _______*_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ __ __ } +. /____ //______//______//______/ /______/ /____ / /______//_/ /_/ } ` _____/ / __ _____ . _____ , __ _____/ / ______ ____ } , / ___ _/. / / . / ___/ '/ ___/ +. / / / _ __/ / ___/ / / } / /__/ | __/ /__ / / . , / / , . / / / / \ \ / /___ / /\ \ } /______/ /______//_/ * + /_/ *, ` ,/_/ /_/ \_\ /______//_/ \_\ } } FEETUR1NG THE GRATE B1FF1NSK1 AS C4PTA1N B1FF!!!!!! } } B1FF 4RUOND TH4 W3RLD!!!!! } . } _--_|\ } P3RTH--> / \<--SIND3Y } \_.--._/ } v<---B1FFSM4NIA!!!!!!! } } ___ (_) } _/XXX\ } /XXXXXX\_ <-- MT. B1FF1NGT0N __ } __ __ /X XXXX XX\ MT. K1BO (SHORT3R _ /XX\__ ___ } \__/ \_/__ \ \ TH4N B1FF'Z) ----> _/X\__ /XX XXX\____/XXX\ } \ ___ \/ \_ \ \ __ _/ \_/ _/ - __ - } __/ \__/ \ \__ \\__ / \_// _ _ \ \ __ / \____ } __ \ / \ \_ _//_\___ _/ // \___/ \/ __/ } /_______\________\__\_/________\_ _/_____/_____________/_______\____/___ } /|\ } / | \ _____ _____ } / | \ \ V / } THE RO4D T0 B1FFN3SS!!!! / | \ | R00T | } / | \ | 666 | +---------+ } ALL MUST TR4V3L 1T / | \ \___ ___/ | B1FF | } / | \ V | R00LZ!! | } SUMD4Y!!!!!!!! / | \ | o +---------+ } / | \ | o } / | \ | |\__/| .~ ~. } / | \ | /o=o'`./ .' } / | | {o__, \ { } / | / . . ) \ } / | `-` '-' \ } } | .( _( )_.' } | '---.~_ _ _|
The fact Trump’s their man really shows how low they’ve gotten. My sister is extremely religious and her house was decorated with Trump Xmas decorations. She knows I hate him and asked me what I thought. I told her I thought the Bible forbid idolatry. When she protested I told her to look up the word and commented how it’s also weird to put the face of an unrepentant rapist around her home with a teen daughter there. But xtians are well trained to ignore their hypocrisy. Wish they were as well trained to do good.
Christ isn’t a part of the Christian church to be an example for people to follow. Humans are not nearly as smart as we believe (it’s hard to tell when you’re dumb) and when we belong to a group with members that enjoy moral respect, we transfer that quality to ourselves whether we deserve it or not in a phenomenon called moral licensing. Christians don’t have to act Christ-like to FEEL Christ-like. All these stories are told about Christ’s moral superiority not to teach us now to be moral, but to make Christians FEEL moral without even having to do anything. It is the sugary way that Christianity deals with one of people’s fundamental needs of religion: knowing that they are good people.
I believe therefore I am.
It’s based on the same false assumption that feelings are the same as facts.
People who say “facts, not feelings!” are usually living in denial about their own feelings and how they influence their own behaviour.
We’re approaching the same phenomenon from two different angles: the core issue is that there is a major problem with people who are not able to discern objective truth from subjective interpretations.
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As a person of faith, I have been horrified to watch Christianity’s fall from grace in mainstream America today. Having mentioned my church in passing to a group of peers, I was once recently met with surprise—surprise that I’m a practicing Christian because, I “seem like a nice person.” I’m no biblical scholar, but I’m pretty sure that if people conflate your religion with being a terrible human being you’re probably doing it wrong. Yet in recent years that has arguably become the face of mainstream Christianity, and any Christian who cares about the future of our faith should be deeply concerned.
Amen to that.
“No hate like Christian love.”
The writing has been on the wall…for decades.
Seriously. Looking back, Christian love was something that caused a lot of subconscious confusion and friction for me over years, and was probably what started my journey out of Christianity before I had any conscious doubts.
“Why are they treating me like this, when they’re supposed to love me?”
That dissonance has been fucking up America for a long time.
“Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
Shit is dead simple.
Yet in recent years that has arguably become the face of mainstream Christianity
I’m not so sure it’s all that recent. But now that xtianity’s numbers are dwindling year over year, it’s now no longer politically incorrect (in the real sense of that term) to point it out, as the number of “nones” is no longer some kind of fringe element and cannot be marginalized quite so easily.
TBF, I grew up around a lot of xtians that were definitely on the left, and in the general sphere, it did take me a bit as a child to square their behaviors and moral structure with the general, mostly right-wing, xtian population. So I definitely know many xtians that actually seem to have paid attention to that Sermon on the Mount type of stuff and try to put it into practice.
I’ve recently met someone who made me reconsider line between the institution of religious Christianity and what it means to practice the Christian faith. I won’t repurpose anything in this article, as it alludes to much of what I’ve considered, but I want to add a thought to it.
The fundamental problem with the modern Christian faith is that they have no intention of following the ethics and philosophies of Jesus Christ, and instead worship the man himself. They place the man before the teachings, and then define the man however they choose, filled to the brim with their own personal bias’, and use their cherry picked and context free Bible passages to justify it.
Motherfuckers need philosophy in their lives. Too bad right-wing politicians have worked hard to gut any form of free-thinking arts.
To be fair, a lot should make the Christian right feel ashamed. Like, you know, completely ignoring the teachings of Christ so that you can make rich people richer and lick the boots of your oppressors.
“Christian Right Feel Ashamed”
These words don’t belong together in the same sentence.
Seriously “feeling shame” isn’t part of the Christian right…
If they were capable of shame, or any form of self-awareness, they’d have committed mass seppuku long ago.
I had the exact same thought. They are incapable of shame.
I see the author has never met anyone from the Christian right.
There is no hate like Christian “love”.
It’s why them calling themselves Christian is a joke.
I’m an atheist, but was raised Christian, and unlike most of them, actually read their rulebook. If Jesus Christ of the New Testament existed, no one in the “Christian” right would be welcome in his house. It’s not even about no true Scottsman, they don’t try but fall short of their self-professed Lord’s word. They literally, enthusiastically play opposite day with their self-identified Lord’s word every single day and call it piety.
The Bible to them is nothing but a prop, thumping the book they don’t read as they see it is literally just a means to be morally “on base,” knowing themselves to be morally superior while having license to support any inhumanty, solely by virtue of holding that book they don’t read, because they choose to willfully ignore any intrinsic sense of morality in favor of hatred and schaudenfreude they’ve been conditioned to need through for profit media and for profit prosperity gospel confidence scams.
Pathetic zombies, most of whom are beyond any hope of deprogramming, as they’ve darkly poetically developed a taste for human blood.
If Jesus Christ of the New Testament existed, no one in the “Christian” right would be welcome in his house.
Would all not be welcome? Isn’t that supposed to be your point about their condescending gatekeeping?
Yeah sorry, didn’t proofread well. Fixing thanks.
Bless your heart 🙄
When Jimmy grew up his house didn’t have electricity or running water. Or malice, as it turns out.
Too bad they have no shame or any idea of what Christ taught. Most are just selfish hypocrites who hate more than they love.
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar” John 4:20
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one of the best things about the bible is that it’s so incongruous you can find a passage that says pretty much anything.
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34
Taken in context it isn’t the gotcha you think it is. Matthew chapter 10 is about Jesus telling his disciples what to expect when spreading his gospel. He is sending them out as sheep among the wolves. He tells them to expect resistance, to expect to be flogged, imprisoned, and or killed. His message will pit sons against fathers, and mothers against daughters because his message is disruptive to the existing state of religion.
pointing to something as preposterous as the bible will never be a “gotcha”
It’s such an interesting verse. A message of peace, kindness, and forgiveness cuts like a sword towards people who love to hate.
Why aren’t churches free housing for all?
There is (or was?) a church in SF Tenderloin that lets people sleep in the sanctuary every weekday. Somebody quietly comes around to offer meals to anybody who is awake. I was already an exchristian at the time, but being there and seeing that was inspiring. It was the kind of church action that every church I ever attended called people to do and claimed to do, but never did.
Edit: here’s an article about it https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Project-Gubbio-at-St-Boniface-sanctuary-of-sleep-3407103.php
Looks like it’s more than just Tenderloin https://www.thegubbioproject.org/
They are! Every Sunday for a couple hours. Maybe even on multiple occasions during that day.
Remember to tip, though!
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner may or may not include a wafer and a thimble of juice.
Once you’re done, you should leave and feel good about the roof over your head experience and the lecture you got about how to be a better person. Just don’t actually follow the lessons, though! People that are different from you should feel bad about themselves and need to be saved from themself.
🤣 Religion is the greatest trick the devil ever pulled
Most don’t want to do it because it’s messy. Our church was trying to do it but funds were a problem. We needed an additional insurance policy, 24 hour staffing, and some facility upgrades to meet regulation. We didn’t have the finances for it.
Heaven is a peanut farm
One for you and me
With friends and music, banquets and balls
And a good man named Jimmy
.
Heaven is a peanut farm
Surely it’s the best
There’s a porch with a sleeping dog
One where you can find rest
.
They say there is a man out there
Who made sure every heart he would fill
When God said “it’s okay, you can stop your work now”
He said “no, I don’t think I will”
.
When you come to this peanut farm
You will be filled with this delight
Friends and family, we gather 'round
To wish Mr. Carter goodnight
LOL! Those cunts have no such concept.
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In order to join the cult of the right, you must cast any sense of shame away.
You must be willing to soil yourself so that your enemies will smell it.
Organised religion is a political institution, it has always been. It will do whatever gives them the most power.
