Fundamentalist Religion

[beckyg]

When my husband and I got married, I agreed to raise our future children in his church and I did for 17 years. I didn't ever feel moved by God there, not once. In fact, I found myself very perturbed with them most of the time. They were always spouting something like they were they only ones getting into heaven or preaching the "sins" of homosexuality. I really felt that homosexuality was NOT a sin way before my son came out. I went through some experiences in my life that changed my view on religion and the church. I didn't want to go to that church anymore so I stopped. My husband wasn't happy with me. My mother-in-law showed up at my doorstep the very next day. It was not pretty. LOL It is now seven years later, I've gone back to the church only on special occassions to spend time with my husband who still goes to that church. On one particular occassion, one of the congregation members was preaching. He was talking about tolerance. He said stuff like "we should be tolerant of smokers, because some of them just can't quit." Then he told a story about how he used to love to rollerskate when he was a kid but the only place he could do that was in a rink that also had a bar in it. Some of the church members frowned deeply on that and it almost made him leave the church. In the next breath, the guy looked right at me and said "You cannot be a Christian and support same-sex relationships by writing letters in the newspaper." I was so angry with him that I immediately came home and wrote him a letter and told him exactly what I thought of that. Would he condemn somebody from the pulpit for any other supposed "sin"? I doubt he would.

So today is Easter Sunday. I contemplated going to church with my husband but then decided against it. My daughter is not happy with them either after they printed something in the church bulletin that was very disrespectful to women. She also disagrees strongly with their homosexuality stance but she chose to go. She came home today and immediately told my son and I that it was a good thing we didn't go. She said they were being "mean" again. Somehow the preacher managed to throw in the old "sins of homosexuality" in a sermon on Easter Sunday.

It is so easy for me to understand why so many glbt people turn away from Christianity. I doubt these people even know what they are doing and I'm quite sure that God wouldn't approve.

[JayHew]

Stick to your guns Becky, I'm behind you 100%. The unfortunate with religion verses spirituality is the dogma. The dogma of the church is so much more important than anything to do with spirit. The bottom line too seems to me, if it was actually taught that each individual has his own unique way of being able to approach the Higher Power of us all, there would be little need for organized religion, thus the power base would be gone. Control is a strong temptation.

[Sam]

I know what you mean some of my family brings up their religious views when talking to me and it make me feel really bad. I am a christian but I don't belong to any certain church nor do I go to church because every church has different interpretations of the bible and I interprete the bible in a certain way I know I can't help who I am and I know its not a choice and I believe that Gods love is unconditional so if someones says something about me sinning or they say that God doesn't like me being like this and I'm going to hell well excuse me Gods love is supposed to be unconditional so nomatter what I do God still loves me even my dad while still being a good dad with everything else he does says that I'm going to hell. but yeah I totally agree with you. just out of curiousity and I hope this question isn't too personal you don't have to answer it if you don't want to I was just wondering since your husband is a member of this church how does he feel about your son? I know you are really supportive of your son so just wondering.
Sam

[jman77]

as with any religion there are fundamentalists the obvious one is muslim but then again christianity had the crusades and that wasnt that nice lol if its really bothering you then i wouldnt go. as for my church we are pretty open the whole bar thing, my pastors daughters husband (lol) runs a bar and there are people in my church with homosexual children but everyones views are different but for the most part we are tolerant just to let you see not all churches are like that

[xequar]

This is yet another example of something I've said before and I'll say again. Fundamentalist Christians give ALL Christians a bad name. Unfortunately, they're also the loudest... :eusa_doh:

[GuitarGirl1350]

I used to go to a church that soudned exactly like that. My story of them is almost the same, except I stopped going completely. Would this happen to be a Bible Fellowship church? Mine thought women's only place was in the kitchen to cook, behind a vaccuum, or in her bed making babies. It was very disrespectful and at times cruel. They even wouldn't let the girls participate in the youth mass! (Which was a mass service run by the youth group, with participation such as music from the youth.) I asked why, they said "It's not a woman's place to take leadership roles in the church." They also told on many occasions that homosexuals were possessed and babies born of in vitro fertilization were demons. And everyone believed them. If you present them with scientific fact, you're a heretic. I left every time feeling more pissed and eventually begged to leave. My mother apparently felt the same way. I had only gone there because my friend did and he spoke of this place like the best thing ever. My advice is not to be pressured into it by your husband if you feel nothing good for it. There's many religions and churches out there. I have since taken up Deism, since it coincided with many of my previous beliefs.

[beckyg]

Sam, of course my husband had to reevaluate his beliefs. He's not like I am and that is okay. He supports our son by loving him, welcoming his friends into our home and stuff like that which is just fine with both of us. When Oregon was battling it out over the gay marriage amendment, the preacher said from the pulpit "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve". My husband is not a confrontational type person but he made an appointment and went in and talked to the minister. (different one than they have now) He told him he had a son who was gay named Adam and he did not appreciate that comment. My father-in-law has also came forward and told these people that this is not appropriate. It was easy for me to leave because I felt no attachment to this church in the first place. It is harder for them because it has been in their family for many generations. I have talked with many Catholics and Mormons especially who feel almost like their religion is part of their culture. The church my husband attends is a Church of Christ. The are very fundamental. Like Guitar girl's church, they are oppressors of women also. The business meetings were always called "Men's Business Meeting". Women were excluded from any kind of functioning of the church. The only thing they could do was cook, clean, and teach Sunday School.

What I love and treasure about GLBT people, they are mostly okay with whatever spiritual teaching you wish to follow. Some are Wiccan, some are Buddhist, some are athiests, and some are Christian. I was brought up to think that if you weren't Christian, that is a bad, horrible thing and you were certainly doomed to hell. I saw a great bumper sticker this weekend that said "All that wander are not lost". So true!

[xequar]

What I love and treasure about GLBT people, they are mostly okay with whatever spiritual teaching you wish to follow. Some are Wiccan, some are Buddhist, some are athiests, and some are Christian. I was brought up to think that if you weren't Christian, that is a bad, horrible thing and you were certainly doomed to hell. I saw a great bumper sticker this weekend that said "All that wander are not lost". So true!
This is a great sentiment! I am a Christian, raised Lutheran, but the vast majority of my friends have been and are non-Christian, running the gamut from Atheist to Buddhist to Wiccan to belief systems that are not able to be classified under any one label. One thing I've learned is that being a beacon of light to the Lord does NOT involve going and clubbing others over the head with your own beliefs or being intolerant of others, and unfortunately, it seems to me that far too many Christians get this absolutely wrong. What being a beacon does mean to me is living according to your own beliefs and being an example to others. A beacon that is meant to guide a ship does not come over to the ship and kick the captain in the face. Instead, it shines a light that the captain can see, and the captain drives his ship accordingly. I sincerely hope that more Christians adopt that philosophy, since we're supposed to be the tolerant ones.

[Proud1p4]

Stick to your guns Becky, I'm behind you 100%.

*pumps shotgun*

I second that!!

"God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve".

The Bible/Preachers also claim that God created everything.....everything that is except the dinosaurs which there is no evidence of there being any.

*onicient voice*
"And on the third and a half day God said let there being giagantic reptiles"

....clear evidence that either god just choose to leave the couple of billion years (or what the bible would summarized as one unrealistic day) out of the bible or that it was written by drunk incompitent HUMAN monks. I laugh at the huge, huge holes in that religions philosphy.

They're coming to the debate unprepared and unbacked by any credible reasons.

It is harder for them because it has been in their family for many generations.

What is religion a hierloom in families now a days? lol
I think it's silly how people think just because some old guy witht the same DNA hundreds of years back thought something fitted his beliefs, it has to fit theirs as well. For example my mother votes Conservative or Republican (for those in the US) just because her father and her father's father voted Conservative. When i confronted her as to how much of a dependant moron she is for doing that she says she really has no reason to vote Conservative other than her father's father thought it was a good idea some 200 odd years ago.

What I love and treasure about GLBT people, they are mostly okay with whatever spiritual teaching you wish to follow. Some are Wiccan, some are Buddhist, some are athiests, and some are Christian.

Represent. :icon_bigg

And i agree, i think being ostracised gives us a unique appreciation for things people in the crowd don't even notice.


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Again Becky keep on rockin'. :thumbsup:

[Sam]

well thats good my dad is the same way he holds onto his beliefs but at the same time loves me and doesn't say to much about his beliefs to me he doesn't pressure me to change (not that I can) he wishes things were different but loves me the same

[CatamiteAngel]

Fun with Mormons: Have them read all the love confessions between David and Jonathan to you. It's waaay more campy in the Mormon scriptures than in the New King James Bible *laughs*.

[KojikaKaze]

Yeah, it really bites. I'm not a Christian at all anymore because of things like that. You should tell the people in your church to read the works of Bishop John Shelby Spong. Again, I'm not a Christian but I adored his book 'The Sins of Scripture'. It talks about how we can't use things the bible says as an excuse for predjudice and abuse anymore.

[TeeBe]

I am a Christian, but only in title. It was another one of those..."you are too young to NOT be part of this religion, and the rest of the family say so" thing. So now I am stuck. I used to play lip service every Sunday, not because I felt anything particular for the religion, but because it seemed to be as much of a reason for people to help others as any. Of course, it also proves to be at LEAST as much of a reason for discrimination. My breaking point was when the priest, infront of the full congregation, urged his parish to sigh the petitions against same-sex marriage that he had put by the doors...then read a letter from the bishop condemning the unions.

True to form, I walked out of the church slowly and deliberately, before he was done speaking (dramam queen...I know :P)

Jeez, I thought that being a good person would be more important that who you married...

[dhutchid]

I was brought up christain but tbh the Church of Scotland allows anything, even sex before marrialge and same sex relationships (well depending on the minister). Technically It's wrong in their view but you can get away with it (especially with falling attendence).
However i would now called myself humanist.

America clearly has problems - creationists being one of them. The Bible is not literal !! it is not a fact book and they are so selective about their following of rules. Who actually rests fully on a sunday? which of them support the war in Iraq. There is countless peices of scripture against war, violoence and telling us to love one another. I believe there is one passage against homosexuality. But which one is gone on about ??

Jesus told us to love one another reguardless, surely he must be considered a greater authority than some line burried in the old testiment.

[KevinM]

Ah religion.

The funny thing about religion is that all of them promote peace, tolerance and love. And yet it is the biggest tool for prejudice and discrimination.

I think that the big problem with Christianity today is it's inability to change. There was a time when the religion was altered and adapted for the people, and this saw it's widespread growth and consolidation. It basically realigned beliefs to fit celebrations of other groups in order to easily convert them and bring them into the fold. It's the reason we have Christmas in December, Easter in the spring (but on different days each year), golden halos or disks and a whole host of other things.

However, in the recent years, Christianity has taken a very staunch, conservative almost fanatical stance. Perhaps it has to do with the falling attendance or their lack of support, I don't know. But the religion is failing in its role to serve the people. I can't even begin to understand the conflict in America. Thankfully Canada is more open, and even our conservative politicians (most of them anyways) realize that there are things that they can't touch (like same-sex marriage).

I can't offer any advice, I find the fundamentalists to be very disconcerting. If you ask them, they believe themselves to be 'true' Christians and loving people, and more often than not they are the ones leading the discrimination and hate battles. And, unfortunately, their loudness makes up for their small size.

It's just a little funny that, even on Easter Sunday when you are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the minister still can't help but bring up homosexuality. I think he's... ummm... lost focus of what his religion and job are suppose to do.

[beckyg]

Well I would agree with you on that Kevin! The fundamentalists are really terrified of their Bibles being wrong because it blows their whole belief system out of the water. So now with gay rights being a huge focus in politics, they are up in arms ready to defend the "good book" and what it stands for.

[Proud1p4]

So now with gay rights being a huge focus in politics, they are up in arms ready to defend the "good book" and what it stands for.

It's funny how they're willing to defend a book that has taught them so much hatred.
Religions with a 'head' figure (ie: The Pope) or an absolute text (ie: The Bible) are subject to corruption and misuse. It's sad really what humanity has come to. Like it has been said before, a religion that values love and peace spreads so much hated and one-sided dispute.