chapotraphouse

My parents were atheists, but my grandma took me to church and raised me to be Southern Baptist. And coming from that background, I have never seen Christianity as being any sort of positive force in any way. As soon as I realized all the vile shit they said wasn’t true and terrifying, I turned 180 and became the most annoying middle school atheist you’ve ever seen.

It’s only as an adult that I’ve even really been able to understand why the fuck even people largely on my side on things would still make positive claims about Christianity, how the church they went to didn’t spew the evil hatred that mine did, and come to accept “maybe not all churches, not all Christians”

But no, after the last few years I think middle school me was right. Christianity is a dangerous death cult that should be banned and persecuted. Churches should be razed and Christianity should only be spoken of in history classes in the way we currently talk about Aztec human sacrifice. Christianity has probably been the largest force for cruelty and evil for the last 2000 years, and is incompatible with a compassionate human society.

Truly demonic. American Protestants are Mammon worshippers

Sincerity Post Alert - Sorry in advance for the cringe.

This honestly hurts my heart.

I'm an atheist now, but I grew up in church, I attended a tiny, private Christian school from 8th grade through 11th (and only left because they weren't chartered to give diplomas), I literally had formal Bible class 6 days a week and happily attended evening services - because I was a naive kid who truly believed that "love everyone" and "do unto others" stuff was as important to everyone else as it was to me.

I was always a weird kid without many friends my age, and the kindness and friendliness of the adults at church was a big deal for me. Coming to terms with the hypocrisy in the adults around me - realizing how judgemental and shitty most of them actually were - made my late teens extra lonely.

Nobody's perfect, but - Jesus Fucking Christ, I don't know why, but I still get surprised at the depths of awful behavior done in his name, and the ways his message of empathy and compassion gets twisted to justify it.

His message of empathy. That is the core of his message. Mark, Chapter 12:

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[f] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g] There is no commandment greater than these.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Versus

Enticing Empathy: How Satan Corrupts Through Compassion

This is truly evil. The antidote for the prosperity gospel brainworms is empathy and compassion. Honestly, I truly, deeply believe in my stupid little naive heart that the antidote for most societal ills is empathy and compassion.* How do you actually, really solve the diseases of greed and selfishness without them?

This demonization of caring is just evil. How do I talk my evangelical boomer parents out of their brainworms if they're getting this kind of messaging in church? Idfk. I guess I just keep reacting with the appropriate level of disgust to this sort of thing and ask questions and hope they're not too lead-poisoned to someday see the contradiction between the message of Christ and the message of church.

This is a real bummer, but I guess it's better to know than not. yuck.

/* - I understand there are also problems that require math and/or guillotines.

And Jesus said onto his flock "lo, and fuck them poor people, lmfao"

you know, the moral dilemma usually involves time machines and baby hitler, but I sometimes think baby martin luther is a more interesting subject for that specific hypothetical

Christians conveniently ignore the part where Jesus violently throws all the merchants out of the church

So many of these sick people clamor to get to the parts where God punishes and say "see, I'm doing God's will!". But that's just the thing, they skip any part that might call attention to their pride and hubris, they think they have devine judgement because they are God in their own hearts - the highest blasphemy a person could ever commit.

"Huh, I wonder why some people see my religion as a bunch of lies for me to cynically grab power for myself."

Reddit atheists come back.

My brother in Christ, the New Testament is basically composed of Jesus going around, telling people to not be assholes and to believe in God. If you take him out there's no religion, Qur'an itself says you can't be a Muslim without believing in the prophets so that's ruled out and I know these people won't all convert to Judaism. Are they gonna start worshipping money? Ford?