The Nightmare of Christianity??

[transward (imported)]

As someone who has seen both the good and the evil side of Christianity, and as there are people on this site from various background, I am curious how others react to the following article http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090921/blumenthal. It is too long to quote here, but it is a discussion of the background of the mass murderer-suicide at Ted Haggart’s church in Colorado Springs in 2007, and how fundamentalist Christianity affected him.

Transward

[IbPervert (imported)]

Well kiss my grits! I never knew there was a good side to Christianity.

[tugon (imported)]

Well kiss my grits! I never knew there was a good side to Christianity.

There sure is. They can use it to control others and feel better about themselves. They have a big book that they can twist to their own advantage. If they learn the book well they can be on tv and have people send them millions. In some cases they can get their followers to offer up their children for their own pleasure. They have a god figure that they do not have to be anything like to be righteous.

[chilliwilli (imported)]

Often, religion so controls the human dynamic, that people lack ability to connect with others. As the article stated those affected often become missionary auto-atrons for the church. He rejected this, perhaps out of rage againt the church, or perhaps to get back at the mother he felt he never had. (They never booted his ass)

Eventually embracing a culture of "satan" displaced from his community, out and not having developed any natural psychological and social ability to relate to others, he spiraled out of control.

Great article Transward!

Just as many advocate hormone therapy at a young age, this kid should have been put on high doses of medical marijuana at puberty! I'm not kidding! He could have "checked out" early on and sorted the mess out later.

"He just wasn't listening to the right music." Carlos Santana reponse to the McDonalds shooter in San Diego.

chilli-

[chilliwilli (imported)]

Feeling blessed, growing up I never set foot in a church:) It seemed a huge waste of time. We did feel for our classmates who had to waste their Sunday sitting on a board. What a waste.

chilli-

[transward (imported)]

Well kiss my grits! I never knew there was a good side to Christianity.

In my more cynical (def. cynic n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic's eyes to improve his vision.) moments I might agree with you, but CSS (Catholic Community Services) and the Salvation Army do more to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless than anybody else, and in many countries the only health care available to the poor is from Christian groups. Christianity started out comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable, but after it became a state religion and was pretty much taken over by the Scribes and Pharisees, and their spiritual descendants, those got switched around and now too much of Christianity spends its time comforting the comfortable and afflicting the afflicted.

Transward

[Riverwind (imported)]

In my more cynical (def. cynic n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic's eyes to improve his vision.) moments I might agree with you, but CSS (Catholic Community Services) and the Salvation Army do more to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless than anybody else, and in many countries the only health care available to the poor is from Christian groups. Christianity started out comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable, but after it became a state religion and was pretty much taken over by the Scribes and Pharisees, and their spiritual descendants, those got switched around and now too much of Christianity spends its time comforting the comfortable and afflicting the afflicted.

Transward

I agree with you, and you can add the Mormon's to that list that will feed those in need.

I am a recovering christian having given it up for lint one year. Today I am a pagan and very happy about it.

Everything posted above is true, Christians are for the most part good people if taken one at a time, its when they get into a group and get a leader that they become a problem.

River

[bobover3 (imported)]

There's good and evil. Then there's belief and disbelief. There's no automatic overlap. People can use religion to rationalize what they do, be it good or evil. Nonbelievers can be good or evil; they just can't use their god as an excuse.

I've got to say that, even though I'm a lifelong atheist whose parents and grandparents were atheists, some of the best, kindest, most selfless people I've ever seen have been actuated by their religious convictions. I suppose they were good people anyway, but the added encouragement of their religion led them to saintly behavior.

I hate to admit this, atheist that I am, but, just as religion makes evil easier for the evil, it also seems to make good easier for the good. I've known some very dark moments, when I was near death, or in extremity of despair, and my fellow atheists were likely to tell me to buck up, while some religious showed me true compassion. I can't forget these experiences now.

I think all religions do great harm by striving to discredit reason, but they're also the best way for many people to acknowledge the importance of the people around them, and to connect to something larger than themselves. So I'm ambiguous.

[moi621 (imported)]

CSS (Catholic Community Services) and the Salvation Army do more to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless than anybody else,

Transward

Quite a revelation to me. In my neck of the O.C., the local synagogues

and Protestant churches offer their ground for community efforts

such as A.A., ALANON or H.O.A. meetings unrelated to the primary

beliefs of the establishment except maybe, charity.

But, there is no greater group of sinister pigs in the 'hood then those

members of the local Roman Catholic Church. I know it is not true for all Roman Catholic Churches.

I have been shocked at the lack of charity by the local institution and its' members as individuals.

It was nice to be reminded there are sincere members of his Holiness the Pope, Bishop of Rome, Church.

The local Church really changed as the Sisters grew old and retired and were replaced by Priests.

Was it the times or did the Sisters maintain better attention to ethics and morality?

If hypocrisy is involved, please be atheist.

Moi

[Origen (imported)]

Seems a long way removed from Episcopalians ...