Fundies can only imagine the desperation of us sinners

[0 kids n not countin]

The mentality just drives me bonkers...

I can only imagine the desperation most feel. The world is empty. The more pleasure and riches they get the more unhappy they become. They try church and nothing is different there. It's why I want to stand out. I want my life to make the statement that the world has nothing to offer and that there is more to Jesus than the local talent show with a steeple on top. People are broken hearted, miserable and empty; inside and out of religion. Satan tells me I'm just a voice among a thousand shouting liars and my voice only adds to the chaos but I'm gonna keep shouting. Because of you. I've got a message from the One that calmed my storm, touched my eyes and cleansed my leprosy. I know this Man. The real One. And I want you to meet Him. If I occasionally seem angry and frustrated it's because I am. I know what you are getting cheated out of and I want to do something about it. It is my prayer, though, that I can somehow stay out of the way. That my life can be a road sign that merely points you to a Destination so sweet that the sign is forgotten. Jesus can take your pain. Jesus can lift your burden. Jesus can heal your marriage. Jesus can set you free. But you've been lied to on how to meet Him. Jesus is not the golden ticket given to the apathetic; He's the LIFE given to the desperately broken! If you still think you can make it you won't. You can work the "sinner's prayer" into your morning routine along with brushing your teeth but the REAL Jesus won't be yours until you're ready to dump the pride and hand Him the keys. He loves you. He's waiting for you. You won't regret it.

[CrankyCatLady]

I don't understand the God/Jesus will fix anything mentality either. It makes me question their grip on reality.

[laura oz]

One part of me wants to think this person is coming from a good place and means well. Then my cynical side takes over when I read the end and I have to call judgmental bullshit. It reminds me of why I kissed organized religion goodbye. I just don't understand why they needed to post this. Live your life and be a quiet example. Don't blow your own horn.

[Dev83]

You know, the world totally has so much to offer those that think just like you but live in places like Africa, Haiti and other nations that face extreme poverty yet still have a deep Christian faith. Pretty sure that many of these people feel desperation often, Jesus or no Jesus. But these fundies cannot see out of their little bubble.

And FYI to her, I am much happier now as a sinning sinner who sins and who does not believe in God than I ever was as a Christian.

[Vex]

Wait, s/he had leprosy...?

[Full enough quiver]

I know I'm much happier since I left the church. I read a quote somewhere, I forget where, that said "religion is like a penis. There's nothing wrong with having one. But please don't wave it around in public or try to shove it down anyone's throat (unless they consent). Laughed my ass off! But I often wonder about fundies like the Maxwells, who have no fun, ever, and think they're getting their reward in heaven, how stupid are they gonna feel of it turns out they're wrong, and only Muslims or Catholics go to heaven. Or what if there is no heaven, and this is it? Sucks to be you, Sarah Maxwell!

[Anxious Girl]

Linkage to the crazy please?

[samurai_sarah]

You can work the "sinner's prayer" into your morning routine along with brushing your teeth but the REAL Jesus won't be yours until you're ready to dump the pride and hand Him the keys. He loves you. He's waiting for you. You won't regret it.

There's an unreal one? :shock:

(Not) sorry to that blogger, but some of us don't care about what your deity has to say. You may think you're right, but so did the Vikings. I'm not going to start praying to Freya, Thor and Odin either. Or to the abnormally large spider beneath the kitchen sink.

And as for your book "proving" anything, I've got a book too. After asking for an answer as to whether or not to follow your deity, it says "Proxemics and kinesics involve such fineness of observational detail that special training is required in the terminology and notational systems by which gestures, postures, touches and other bodily motions can be recorded" (pg 111 - opened at random, while asking). Well, I suppose it's an answer, of sorts. You make of that what you will, but know that my book is truer than yours!!!!11!! :twisted:

[Shirley MacLaine]

Wait, s/he had leprosy...?

Haha. MTE.

[Eliowy]

My question would be if the person 'saying the sinner's prayer' every morning really thought they were saved. I mean if you aren't whats the point in depriving yourself of cola ala Terry Maxwell and if you are then wouldn't your hypothetical god get annoyed that you keep praying 'just in case' ? I mean the entire thing is crazy but thats the first thing that popped into my mind....

[Joan of Snarc]

...I've got a message from the One that calmed my storm, touched my eyes and cleansed my leprosy.....

They've got antibiotics for that now. Works way better than just cleaning, from what I understand.

:auto-ambulance:

[Vex]

They've got antibiotics for that now. Works way better than just cleaning, from what I understand.

:auto-ambulance:

That's God for you. Father. Creator. OB-GYN. Infectious disease specialist.

He's branching out. You know. For the new millennium!

[August]

I feel the same way about her, so I suppose that makes us even.

[dairyfreelife]

Linkage to the crazy please?

Same. Who said the quoted?

[Conuly]

There is a word for people who claim to love you but will punish you if you don't do everything their way, ceding all control to them. It's called abusive. They always find a way to blame you for the fact that they hurt you, too, don't they?

[Dev83]

That's God for you. Father. Creator. OB-GYN. Infectious disease specialist.

He's branching out. You know. For the new millennium!

Well with eternity behind and in front of him, you would hope he would try to learn knew things. I mean, god-ness would be pretty boring just blessing people with snow and dresses.

[Dev83]

There's an unreal one? :shock:

(Not) sorry to that blogger, but some of us don't care about what your deity has to say. You may think you're right, but so did the Vikings. I'm not going to start praying to Freya, Thor and Odin either. Or to the abnormally large spider beneath the kitchen sink.

And as for your book "proving" anything, I've got a book too. After asking for an answer as to whether or not to follow your deity, it says "Proxemics and kinesics involve such fineness of observational detail that special training is required in the terminology and notational systems by which gestures, postures, touches and other bodily motions can be recorded" (pg 111 - opened at random, while asking). Well, I suppose it's an answer, of sorts. You make of that what you will, but know that my book is truer than yours!!!!11!! :twisted:

Yeah, he works at Holy Land in Fl.

[Minerva]

I really do hate it when people try to generalize their experience to the population at large. You were miserable without a specific version of Christianity. You are happier with it. What makes you happy varies greatly from person to person, and it shouldn't take that much exposure to other humans to realize that there can't be a magic happiness bullet.

[Blahblah]

There is a word for people who claim to love you but will punish you if you don't do everything their way, ceding all control to them. It's called abusive. They always find a way to blame you for the fact that they hurt you, too, don't they?

Yes. That pretty much sums up my feelings about this whole way of conducting yourself.

Everything is prescriptive. And it's fire and brimstone if you screw up, if you don't worship in a devout enough manner, or use birth control, or wear pants or any number of ridiculous things. And if something horrible happens, well that was probably your own fault, or it happened because it was part of God's plan and mere mortals can't question that.

It seems to me that rather than freeing yourself by handing over responsibility for your life, you are subjected to a never ending cycle of watching out for every little thing you do, say, see, think etc and living in fear of retribution and eternal damnation if you slip up.

But at the same time God will cure you of all ills, make your life complete, you don't know what you're missing out on etc

Well why the fuck can't he let you have some FUN at the same time?

[Vex]

The fundie god just does not add up. You're supposed to love and trust him unconditionally, he knows you're not perfect and loves you anyway. Unless you're gay. Or wear pants. Or cut your hair. Oh, and at any time he might cause the death of your loved ones but it's okay because he's giving you a 'teachable moment' and a chance to 'humble yourself' and he 'has a plan for them'. He sent his only son to die in agony to save mankind, but unless you say the magic words you're damned to hell for all eternity.

He'll find your car keys or a spare part for your bus or help your daughter win in a beauty pageant, but he lets millions die of preventable diseases, hunger and thirst.

God is perfect, he is never wrong and he makes no mistakes.

But the bible is meant to be his direct word, and it's full of contradictions to the point where it is literally impossible to follow every command he dictates simultaneously.

How do you reconcile this in your mind? How do you confront the cognitive dissonance and still believe? And if you have to ignore that cognitive dissonance in order to believe, how can you say your faith is genuine?

[Blahblah]

The fundie god just does not add up. You're supposed to love and trust him unconditionally, he knows you're not perfect and loves you anyway. Unless you're gay. Or wear pants. Or cut your hair. Oh, and at any time he might cause the death of your loved ones but it's okay because he's giving you a 'teachable moment' and a chance to 'humble yourself' and he 'has a plan for them'. He sent his only son to die in agony to save mankind, but unless you say the magic words you're damned to hell for all eternity.

He'll find your car keys or a spare part for your bus or help your daughter win in a beauty pageant, but he lets millions die of preventable diseases, hunger and thirst.

God is perfect, he is never wrong and he makes no mistakes.

But the bible is meant to be his direct word, and it's full of contradictions to the point where it is literally impossible to follow every command he dictates simultaneously.

How do you reconcile this in your mind? How do you confront the cognitive dissonance and still believe? And if you have to ignore that cognitive dissonance in order to believe, how can you say your faith is genuine?

I'm surprised we're not all deaf from the sound of fundie heads exploding.

[wild little fox]

And FYI to her, I am much happier now as a sinning sinner who sins and who does not believe in God than I ever was as a Christian.

Me, too. Self acceptance is so much healthier than a constant reminder how flawed we are and how a man had to die to appease an angry sky god. I just couldn't do it anymore.

[Vex]

I was never in as deep as many FJ members but I am so glad I got out of religion before I came to the realisation I was gay. I think it would have caused nothing but pain, and I wouldn't be the person I am now. I don't go around wearing pride shirts or rainbow buttons or anything, but I never lie about my sexuality and if it comes up in a conversation I'm always open about who I am. I do not think I would be able to do that if I'd stayed in the faith. It was hard to come out as gay at a conservative Lutheran school, but it would have been harder still if the anti-gay stance of the priests there had meant something to me. They didn't.

I think that sometimes, on a quiet night, I hear the distant 'pop!' of another fundie brain exploding from the strain that comes with the cognitive dissonance.

[Dandruff]

The fundie god just does not add up. You're supposed to love and trust him unconditionally, he knows you're not perfect and loves you anyway.

He sees all, knows all, and does all for the good. If bad things happen you must have been bad or your parents were bad so you inherited bad and deserve to be punished. If you're good then you must be tested and had better not lose faith, no matter what, or else you're bad and deserve to be punished. If it's not that you're bad and not that you're good then it's for some other reason that He doesn't owe you an explanation for, so you had better suck it up, or else you're bad and deserve to be punished. And don't forget to thank Him for it.

YES, I've been going through a rough spell.

[formergothardite]

Much happier now that I am not trying to please a god who can't be pleased.