Is this the true face of the USA?

[Awesome Possum]

I live in a rural area, deeply Christian, conservative and bigoted. The article describes them perfectly. These people recently learned that public schools weren’t allowed to force religious beliefs on students and the whole area went nuts. The county school system endorsed the principal delivering a daily prayer, they did so for years. Some students were from non-religious or from a different religion and would leave the classroom during these prayers. The parents sued the school system when they learned that the teachers were encouraging the students to publically shame them for not participating and constantly attacking the student’s beliefs. The whole area rallied around the school’s “right” to attack these children in the name of their religion.

That’s who these people are. As long as you fit into their group, you’re fine. You don’t have to even believe it, just don’t dare question them or do anything to stand out and make them think or they’ll do everything they can to destroy you with utter conviction that they are morally justified in every awful thing they do.

 

[Nyotarules]

^They sound as 'Christian' as Genghis Khan's backside.

 

[urbandefault]

It's not nice to judge an entire sector of the population based on anecdotes and prejudice.

I think I read that on this BBS.

 

[Awesome Possum]

^They sound as 'Christian' as Genghis Khan's backside.

I grew up in a toxic environment that taught me from the moment I was aware of the world that I was wrong and a delusional mistake and if they knew I wasn’t exactly like them they would direct their endless supply of vile hatred at me. All my bullies in school would proudly beat me and tell others about how much Jesus meant to them and how they were saved and forgiven for all they had done. So I consider them to be monsters hiding behind a cross.

It's not nice to judge an entire sector of the population based on anecdotes and prejudice.

I think I read that on this BBS.

I can only base my examples on how I see people behave. I’m sorry so many Christians have shown me time and time again the absolute worst examples of how humans act. I wish this wasn’t the case, but that’s how it happened for me. Maybe they aren’t representative of the majority, but based on what I’ve read of others it seems pretty widespread. Maybe I am prejudiced against Christians, but it didn’t come from nowhere. My parents are South Baptists and I grew up going to church every Sunday. I saw what they preached and how they behaved up close and personally. It was never love and forgiveness. I live in fear of these people because I know exactly what they are capable of. I known a couple for most of my life. The guy is a childhood friend I’ve known since kindergarten and I’ve known his wife since college. I adored these people. They were religious, but they were reasonable and open minded. But something changed. Now both are deeply bigoted. The guy has openly said he’d attack a trans woman physically if he saw one. A mutual friend killed himself a few years ago and on the night before his funeral he called the widow and screamed at her about how this was all her fault. She was a close friend and a few of us had taken her to dinner after the visitation because she wasn’t doing well, she had always struggled with depression and suicide herself. I was right besides her when he called and heard every word. I haven’t had anything to do with him since. I know he still has his beliefs and proudly proclaims them. So maybe I am prejudiced, but only in the same way a dog that’s been beaten repeatedly reacts poorly around people. They made me this way and I wish I could have known these supposed “good Christians”, I really do. But I don’t think they even exist. I just see people who are good despite their beliefs.

If you have a problem with that, maybe some of you should police your own. I just get told I’m wrong and need to shut up, the same thing I’ve been told all my life.

 

[Refuge]

It's not nice to judge an entire sector of the population based on anecdotes and prejudice.

I think I read that on this BBS.

link please

 

[Spot261]

No it's not fair to generalise about a whole segment of the population, although it is fair I think to make the statement human beings are seemingly hardwired to behave in certain ways, one of which is to value blind faith on the basis of conformity. There are plenty of reasons why this might be and its certainly not limited to Christians by any stretch of the imagination, I daresay natural selection has in many ways favoured selective ignorance under particular conditions.

Religions (again, not Christianity specifically) generally do tend to lend themselves to this though in that by their very nature they present a set of answers and discourage the sort of curiosity which leads to questioning those answers. It hardly cements the moral authority of a priest/immam/whoever if they lose face on the very fundamentals that authority is based on, therefore it is in their interest to encourage the sort of tribal instinct which sees outside influences as a threat.

Doubting Thomas was pariah for a reason.

 

[urbandefault]

Sorry that some people have had a tough time in life. We all have our burdens to bear.

But to label a large segment of the population of this country based on the experiences of a few goes against what is preached here on this BBS (almost to the point of nausea). The "other side" is expected -- no, demanded -- to understand and accept, but the reverse is ridiculed.

People are different, and have differing views, opinions, and beliefs. This BBS is a small slice of humanity, and the membership tends to lean one direction. And that's ok.

Just don't expect everyone to agree with your opinions of others, and especially don't demand rules of debate and documentation when someone disagrees.

The world is full of people who disagree with you and me. We may disagree with each other here and in the real world. Slapping labels on people because they don't think the way you do is counterproductive.

To use an oft-quoted phrase, "turn the other cheek ."

YMMV, but I won't argue with you.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I live in a rural area, deeply Christian, conservative and bigoted. The article describes them perfectly. These people recently learned that public schools weren’t allowed to force religious beliefs on students and the whole area went nuts. The county school system endorsed the principal delivering a daily prayer, they did so for years. Some students were from non-religious or from a different religion and would leave the classroom during these prayers. The parents sued the school system when they learned that the teachers were encouraging the students to publically shame them for not participating and constantly attacking the student’s beliefs. The whole area rallied around the school’s “right” to attack these children in the name of their religion.

That’s who these people are. As long as you fit into their group, you’re fine. You don’t have to even believe it, just don’t dare question them or do anything to stand out and make them think or they’ll do everything they can to destroy you with utter conviction that they are morally justified in every awful thing they do.

My time with the Pentecostals taught me this..... They were pretty much like this if you didn't fit in with the collective.

Oh and don't dare make a mistake or slip up because the moment you do that and backslide a bit forgiveness, dream on.. They drop you like a hot potato.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Sorry that some people have had a tough time in life. We all have our burdens to bear.

But to label a large segment of the population of this country based on the experiences of a few goes against what is preached here on this BBS (almost to the point of nausea). The "other side" is expected -- no, demanded -- to understand and accept, but the reverse is ridiculed.

People are different, and have differing views, opinions, and beliefs. This BBS is a small slice of humanity, and the membership tends to lean one direction. And that's ok.

Just don't expect everyone to agree with your opinions of others, and especially don't demand rules of debate and documentation when someone disagrees.

The world is full of people who disagree with you and me. We may disagree with each other here and in the real world. Slapping labels on people because they don't think the way you do is counterproductive.

To use an oft-quoted phrase, "turn the other cheek ."

YMMV, but I won't argue with you.

My burden exists purely because Christians want there to be a burden on me. My life has been made difficult for me by them my whole life. I understand them, they don’t understand me and refuse to. I was born into this. Not everyone can be so privileged to be part of the majority and so many in the majority do so much to keep the rest of us down. I wish I hadn’t have to live like that, but I do and attitudes like yours are extremely dismissive. You want to ignore it, ignore all the evil and corruption being done in the name of Jesus. So many people, especially children, are dead because of this. I’ve read their notes and tried to stop them. But it keeps happening time and again while Christianity gets a pass. It’s not Christians like you, it’s someone else. It’s always someone else and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

You know respect and understanding is supposed to go both ways. It’s not forcing victims to say nice things about their abusers. I don’t hate you and I don’t hate Christians, but they hate me. So instead of criticizing me, criticize the ones who made me this way. Maybe the world will be a better place if Christians actually practiced what Jesus told you to.

 

[Refuge]

Sorry that some people have had a tough time in life. We all have our burdens to bear.

But to label a large segment of the population of this country based on the experiences of a few goes against what is preached here on this BBS (almost to the point of nausea). The "other side" is expected -- no, demanded -- to understand and accept, but the reverse is ridiculed.

People are different, and have differing views, opinions, and beliefs. This BBS is a small slice of humanity, and the membership tends to lean one direction. And that's ok.

Just don't expect everyone to agree with your opinions of others, and especially don't demand rules of debate and documentation when someone disagrees.

The world is full of people who disagree with you and me. We may disagree with each other here and in the real world. Slapping labels on people because they don't think the way you do is counterproductive.

To use an oft-quoted phrase, "turn the other cheek ."

YMMV, but I won't argue with you.

I agree with you

 

[fireproof78]

It might surprise some to learn that, even in rural America, there are all kinds of people with all kinds of views and beliefs. I thought that perpetuating stereotypes tends to be frowned upon these days.

It sounds to me like the author has daddy issues.

Indeed. Not all "blanks" are "blanks" is a logically fallacy

Oh and don't dare make a mistake or slip up because the moment you do that and backslide a bit forgiveness, dream on.. They drop you like a hot potato.

I wish you all could come visit my church...This all makes me very sad. I've messed up more times than I can count.

 

[RJDiogenes]

The true face of the USA is humanity working together. Any American who doesn't get that is doing it wrong.

I thought that perpetuating stereotypes tends to be frowned upon these days.

It depends on the stereotypes.

It's a portion of America just like everyone else is. Subject to its own delusions and inflexibilities. Just as much as hipsters and SJWs are subject to theirs.

Extremism breeds extremism. That's how we got to where we are today.

 

[Australis]

The "other side" is expected -- no, demanded -- to understand and accept, but the reverse is ridiculed.

I don't see any attempt at 'understanding' on their side, they have closed themselves off to that.

 

[UncleRogi]

Mark Twain wrote a bit about this, and I paraphrase loosely:

"White Christians are gonna be mighty surprised to find that most folks in Heaven are brown."

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Mark Twain wrote a bit about this, and I paraphrase loosely:

"White Christians are gonna be mighty surprised to find that most folks in Heaven are brown."

One can only imagine their aghast expressions when they go past the pearly gates.

 

[MacLeod]

Sorry that some people have had a tough time in life. We all have our burdens to bear.

But to label a large segment of the population of this country based on the experiences of a few goes against what is preached here on this BBS (almost to the point of nausea). The "other side" is expected -- no, demanded -- to understand and accept, but the reverse is ridiculed.

People are different, and have differing views, opinions, and beliefs. This BBS is a small slice of humanity, and the membership tends to lean one direction. And that's ok.

Just don't expect everyone to agree with your opinions of others, and especially don't demand rules of debate and documentation when someone disagrees.

The world is full of people who disagree with you and me. We may disagree with each other here and in the real world. Slapping labels on people because they don't think the way you do is counterproductive.

To use an oft-quoted phrase, "turn the other cheek ."

YMMV, but I won't argue with you.

Doesn't the issue come when one side decides to try and force their set of beliefs on others and aren't really open to accepting others might have different viewpoints. Take the Abortion debate in the USA one side seems to be trying to restrict access to it because their set of beliefs say it is wrong, whilst the other side says more or less it's your choice. The former is basically says our way is the only way.

Unfortunately our own experiences can cloud our views, i.e. if we only see the negative side of a group we can begin to think that everyone in that group is like that.

 

[1001001]

Take the Abortion debate in the USA one side seems to be trying to restrict access to it because their set of beliefs say it is wrong, whilst the other side says more or less it's your choice. The former is basically says our way is the only way.

This is, exactly, the main problem with right-wing fundamentalists in the United States (and probably elsewhere).

They claim to want religious freedom, but that is a lie. They already have religious freedom.

They can go to their tax-free churches any time they want, and pray as long as they like. They don't have to have abortions. They don't have to use birth control. They don't have to marry someone of the same sex, or perform those ceremonies in their churches. They're not forced to have gender-correction surgery. They don't have to go to public schools. They don't have to have pre-marital sex. They are, by and large, completely free to practice their religion.

But that's not what they really want.

What they really want is for everyone else to follow their religious rules as well. They want to take away our freedom, and force us to live by their interpretation of what their God wants. They want to codify their discriminatory beliefs into law under the guise of religious freedom/protection.

So yes, you're right. The two "sides" are not equivalent.

 

[E-DUB]

You hear a lot of talk about the "white working class". But the simple fact is that policies aimed at bettering the lot of the working class do so for the class as a whole, not for white or black subsections of the working class. Part of the problem is with folks who are in dying industries who want to set back the clock to the "good old days" and just pretend that the last ten or twenty or fifty years didn't happen. Tough rocks for them because things change, but they rarely change back.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I was thinking about what I said earlier how the lack of true forgiveness was my experience with the Pentecostals I wanted to add more to that.

I was not in the "cool crowd" but I was arty and creative and tried to help in that area and I this is where disappointment set in. We had a couple of people get into a relationship and one of them was one of the singers you would see on stage during worship, and they were pretty cool. But yeah anyway they got into a relationship and did the evil sex thing, because having sex is evil, and naughty and frowned on. You can tell I'm being sarcastic here can't you? Don't do sex kids you will burn in hell.

Anyway they were "talked to" by one of the youth leaders, youth being 18 to 30 in our church. They asked forgiveness because the girl that sang on stage really did love what she did, but a few months later on they slipped up once again. Anyway the thing was that it felt like you were given one chance and then forgotten about if you slipped up again.

She was taken off the roster for singing and her boyfriend then told he could no longer participate in doing the sound desk. That irked me. I didn't move in their circle but I did know them well enough to know that they were both upset.. Even their friends didn't talk to them after this and they eventually left.

For me it was a trip to Berri where we were visiting some other church there for the weekend and I found myself an adoring fan in the form of a young lady that really wanted to hang out with me which is odd and so I spent the day with her and her family. This upset our leaders who were more concerned with how this made our church look than what actually went on. She and her family were fine with everything but I got into shit for what? being friends with someone, although yeah it did happen unusually.

They invited me to spend the day with them rather then with our group.

It was this and a few other things that started turning me off the whole organized religion thing. So much micromanagement of people's lives. Geez fuck off. Plus the church's obsession with prosperity and everyone being rich, as they followed prosperity doctrine. Don't even ask. That's not even biblical, it's something stupid from America. (apologies Americans) I do love most of you. Their other obsession was talking about marriage and sex a lot, almost every 2nd week a sermon on relationships and stuff and it started to really piss me off.

Anyway I have ranted way too much bye bye.

 

[BillJ]

Just don't expect everyone to agree with your opinions of others, and especially don't demand rules of debate and documentation when someone disagrees.

There's a difference in having a disagreement in opinion and using that opinion to try and deny rights to other groups of people. Much harder to turn the other cheek in those situations.