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Christian fundamentalism can be very abusive!

JJ50

Well-Known Member
I have no problem with moderate Christians like my own three daughters, who don't force their faith on anyone. My problem is with those who seek to convert others by threatening them with the tortures of hell if they don't get 'saved'.

Religion of that nature spoilt my childhood, we attended a pentecostal church where the hell-fire sermons were a feature Sunday after Sunday. They used to give me nightmares as a kid. Scaring children and the vulnerable in this way is very abusive and can be damaging. It should be treated like any other abuse, especially as there is no evidence whatsoever to support Biblical literalism.
 

YoursTrue

Faith-confidence in what we hope for (Hebrews 11)
I understand. Horror movies are frightening enough. I have never seen a person physically tortured. I hope I never will see such a thing. But I wonder how is hellfire a part of divine justice?
 

PureX

Veteran Member
Unfortunately, we humans are born completely dependent upon other humans, and that makes us vulnerable to their abuse. The state cannot raise children. So it has to be somewhat open-minded about how those who can and will raise children, do. I understand and appreciate the state's reticence in it's oversight of this responsibility. But I also recognize that there is a need for some external controls. So I suppose a balance has to be struck.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Christian fundamentalism can be very abusive

You don't say? Not only have i been threatened by funnymentalists, my children have by funnymentalists threatening me. Surely they should be intelligent enough never to use children to fight their battles!
 

YoursTrue

Faith-confidence in what we hope for (Hebrews 11)
Unfortunately, we humans are born completely dependent upon other humans, and that makes us vulnerable to their abuse. The state cannot raise children. So it has to be somewhat open-minded about how those who can and will raise children, do. I understand and appreciate the state's reticence in it's oversight of this responsibility. But I also recognize that there is a need for some external controls. So I suppose a balance has to be struck.
Let us say, for the sake of discussion, there is a God. Since so much abuse goes on in the name of religion, would you say God cares? By the way, you bring out some interesting points. (I believe there is a God, meaning the creator and supreme ruler, I also believe He cares, but what do you think?)
 

tayla

My dog's name is Tayla
My problem is with those who seek to convert others by threatening them with the tortures of hell if they don't get 'saved'.
Yes, that is shameful and despicable. People like that certainly deserve hell.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I have no problem with moderate Christians like my own three daughters, who don't force their faith on anyone. My problem is with those who seek to convert others by threatening them with the tortures of hell if they don't get 'saved'.

Religion of that nature spoilt my childhood, we attended a pentecostal church where the hell-fire sermons were a feature Sunday after Sunday. They used to give me nightmares as a kid. Scaring children and the vulnerable in this way is very abusive and can be damaging. It should be treated like any other abuse, especially as there is no evidence whatsoever to support Biblical literalism.
It makes me laugh hard and rolling on the ground whenever Christians tell me that their religion is not based on fear.
 

Ancient Soul

The Spiritual Universe
I have no problem with moderate Christians like my own three daughters, who don't force their faith on anyone. My problem is with those who seek to convert others by threatening them with the tortures of hell if they don't get 'saved'.

Religion of that nature spoilt my childhood, we attended a pentecostal church where the hell-fire sermons were a feature Sunday after Sunday. They used to give me nightmares as a kid. Scaring children and the vulnerable in this way is very abusive and can be damaging. It should be treated like any other abuse, especially as there is no evidence whatsoever to support Biblical literalism.

It's like I keep on telling these Christians, their religion is based upon all this FEAR mongering brainwashing.

The entire Christian brainwashing is based upon a punishment (FEAR, "god's gonna torture them for ALL ETERNITY, Satan, damnation, etc.) that forces them to accept their only way out, the reward "An everlasting life of bliss in "Heaven".) and all they have to do is blindly believe in the Jesus myth. And they keep drumming it in, and drumming it in, and never stop drumming it in... until it all shorts out their rational thinking and they just submit to the lies. They are then left forever living in fear, spiritually and mentally broken. Only a rare few manage to overcome it and escape.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
Let us say, for the sake of discussion, there is a God. Since so much abuse goes on in the name of religion, would you say God cares? By the way, you bring out some interesting points. (I believe there is a God, meaning the creator and supreme ruler, I also believe He cares, but what do you think?)
Religions are not "God". And there is no reason that I can think of to assume that any religion has special insight into the nature or existence of any gods even if they claim to. On the other hand, I also have no right to tell anyone else what they should or shouldn't believe regarding the gods. Which is why the state I live in tries to keep it's control out of religious matters. But, still, abuse will occur, within religion or without it, and children will need to be protected. So a balance must be struck between the adult's right to believe what they choose about the gods, and the child's right not to be abused by adults who choose to believe in abusive gods.
 

pearl

Well-Known Member
The basic problem with fundamentalist interpretation is refusing to take into account the historical character of biblical revelation, it makes itself incapable of accepting the full truth of the incarnation itself. As regards relationships with God, fundamentalism seeks to escape any closeness of the divine and the human. It refuses to admit that the inspired word of God has been expressed in human language and that this word has been expressed, under divine inspiration, by human authors possessed of limited capacities and resources. For this reason, it tends to treat the biblical text as if it had been dictated word for word by the Spirit. It fails to recognize that the word of God has been formulated in language and expression conditioned by various periods. It pays no attention to the literary forms and to the human ways of thinking to be found in the biblical texts, many of which are the result of a process extending over long periods of time and bearing the mark of very diverse historical situations.

The fundamentalist approach is dangerous, for it is attractive to people who look to the Bible for ready answers to the problems of life. It can deceive these people, offering them interpretations that are pious but illusory, instead of telling them that the Bible does not necessarily contain an immediate answer to each and every problem. Without saying as much in so many words, fundamentalism actually invites people to a kind of intellectual suicide. It injects into life a false certitude, for it unwittingly confuses the divine substance of the biblical message with what are in fact its human limitations.
 

GoodbyeDave

Well-Known Member
The entire Christian brainwashing is based upon a punishment
Well I had a daily religious service at school and a weekly religious instruction lesson, and I can't remember talk about hell or damnation. But then that was Anglicanism.

OMG! I've just written a defence of Christianity! That's what happens when one is exposed to the rantings of atheists…
 

Ancient Soul

The Spiritual Universe
Well I had a daily religious service at school and a weekly religious instruction lesson, and I can't remember talk about hell or damnation. But then that was Anglicanism.

OMG! I've just written a defence of Christianity! That's what happens when one is exposed to the rantings of atheists…

Epic fail, I'm not an atheist.
 

YoursTrue

Faith-confidence in what we hope for (Hebrews 11)
Religions are not "God". And there is no reason that I can think of to assume that any religion has special insight into the nature or existence of any gods even if they claim to. On the other hand, I also have no right to tell anyone else what they should or shouldn't believe regarding the gods. Which is why the state I live in tries to keep it's control out of religious matters. But, still, abuse will occur, within religion or without it, and children will need to be protected. So a balance must be struck between the adult's right to believe what they choose about the gods, and the child's right not to be abused by adults who choose to believe in abusive gods.
Many nations claimed to have a particular God or Gods they worshipped. The record, however, is clear about Israel and its relationship with the God they were in a contract with.
 

YoursTrue

Faith-confidence in what we hope for (Hebrews 11)
Well I had a daily religious service at school and a weekly religious instruction lesson, and I can't remember talk about hell or damnation. But then that was Anglicanism.

OMG! I've just written a defence of Christianity! That's what happens when one is exposed to the rantings of atheists…
Now you got my curiosity up. So what did the minister talk about?
 

YoursTrue

Faith-confidence in what we hope for (Hebrews 11)
The basic problem with fundamentalist interpretation is refusing to take into account the historical character of biblical revelation, it makes itself incapable of accepting the full truth of the incarnation itself. As regards relationships with God, fundamentalism seeks to escape any closeness of the divine and the human. It refuses to admit that the inspired word of God has been expressed in human language and that this word has been expressed, under divine inspiration, by human authors possessed of limited capacities and resources. For this reason, it tends to treat the biblical text as if it had been dictated word for word by the Spirit. It fails to recognize that the word of God has been formulated in language and expression conditioned by various periods. It pays no attention to the literary forms and to the human ways of thinking to be found in the biblical texts, many of which are the result of a process extending over long periods of time and bearing the mark of very diverse historical situations.

The fundamentalist approach is dangerous, for it is attractive to people who look to the Bible for ready answers to the problems of life. It can deceive these people, offering them interpretations that are pious but illusory, instead of telling them that the Bible does not necessarily contain an immediate answer to each and every problem. Without saying as much in so many words, fundamentalism actually invites people to a kind of intellectual suicide. It injects into life a false certitude, for it unwittingly confuses the divine substance of the biblical message with what are in fact its human limitations.
Another basic is that the hellfire, heaven and hell doctrine has been completely distorted by many churches and religious folk.
 

Ancient Soul

The Spiritual Universe
The basic problem with fundamentalist interpretation is refusing to take into account the historical character of biblical revelation, it makes itself incapable of accepting the full truth of the incarnation itself. As regards relationships with God, fundamentalism seeks to escape any closeness of the divine and the human. It refuses to admit that the inspired word of God has been expressed in human language and that this word has been expressed, under divine inspiration, by human authors possessed of limited capacities and resources. For this reason, it tends to treat the biblical text as if it had been dictated word for word by the Spirit. It fails to recognize that the word of God has been formulated in language and expression conditioned by various periods. It pays no attention to the literary forms and to the human ways of thinking to be found in the biblical texts, many of which are the result of a process extending over long periods of time and bearing the mark of very diverse historical situations.

The fundamentalist approach is dangerous, for it is attractive to people who look to the Bible for ready answers to the problems of life. It can deceive these people, offering them interpretations that are pious but illusory, instead of telling them that the Bible does not necessarily contain an immediate answer to each and every problem. Without saying as much in so many words, fundamentalism actually invites people to a kind of intellectual suicide. It injects into life a false certitude, for it unwittingly confuses the divine substance of the biblical message with what are in fact its human limitations.

The bible was only inspired by evil self serving men who wanted to start a new church so they can con people out of their money. I has nothing to do with any true spiritual matters or of any God. So it doesn't matter what denomination of Christian churches teaches it, it's all flawed from the get go.
 
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