Have You Had Debates With Fundies In Real Life?

[Crackedeggs]

I have found when talking to them in real life, if they sense you are not one of the brethren, they end the discussion quickly - either politely but still somehow rudely, or "la-la-la you are satan I can't hear you" style.

[Rosa]

I used to make a hobby of it, in my early '20s (when I still remembered all those Bible verses I'd memorized as a kid) but it gets old.

The best was, when I used to serve food with Food Not Bombs, the Bible College kids would assume we were evangelists and come over to chat. I'm actually pretty well grounded in my own religious beliefs and since they're pretty idiosyncratic, I could have a good long chat with a kid who only had the preprogrammed "But you can tell by looking that God made the Universe!" spiel before his accountability partner pulled him away.

[pixydust]

I had an ex-friend show her true fundy colors one day. We were talking about colonial history and I made the statement of how people evolved in stature just from the nutrition alone and the only thing she heard was the word evolve. She actually stuck her fingers in her ears while screaming evolution is satan and therefore you are satan and I can't hear you satan. She then began screaming la-la-la all while having her fingers in her ears. Mind you we were out in public in a nice sit cafe having lunch. Yeah, good times. :snooty:

[loratliff]

Fundie-lite brother-in-law and I had a doozy about abortion. He seems to think that any woman who's pro-choice is an automatic baby killer/hater. Just a few weeks later, I saw more kids at the Planned Parenthood rally than I'd seen in a long time. Of course, this is the same guy who offered to "adopt" any unwanted kids I may conceive. Nuh uh. He's a lost cause.

[hagia sophia]

I ran into my old youth group leader* at a funeral. He said I can't be an atheist because I was sealed by the holy spirit. I guess I just think I'm an atheist. :roll:

That was the first time I'd heard that. Usually when I run into former church members they say, "Well then, you were obviously not really saved." But Mike knew me, and knew I had been really saved so I had to give him points for finding a way to integrate my atheism into his world view.

*Same youth group leader who married a girl from the youth group, 20 years his junior. Yup. She was pregnant. Oopsie!

[ladypuglover]

OMG, I'm sorry but that made me laugh so freaking hard! I'm just picturing some 30something lady in a puff sleeved shirt and skirt, with big hair screaming at you with her ears plugged! Was she wearing a frumper?

God, I know that had to be weird and embarrassing for you, but thanks for the laugh, I had a lousy day!

[crazyforkate]

I went to a weird fundie-liteish Bible camp when I was twelve (I've mentioned it before- they wouldn't let you in to the dining hall to eat until you had your daily quota of memorized Bible verses). I got in big trouble for telling them that a song called "God is a Good God" implied that there were other gods with various levels of good and bad. Basically, my entire purpose that week was to mess with them.

The counselors bought me Lee Strobel's "The Case for Faith" at the end of the week, because apparently I was in special need of saving.

[finleeport]

I had a debate just this Christmas with my friends from Church, it was all about Gay rights. I told them I was fully supporting LGBT because they are are human like the rest of us, I told them "They're not diseased animals they're real people like God made them"

Unfortunately none of them were supportive and kept giving reasons why being Gay is 'wrong' :roll:

They even used the old "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve"

I just said to them that "well of course he made a man and woman first, otherwise it would be stupid to start with two men"

These guys were a couple of years younger then me, so I cut them some slack, even though we did use a lot of immature name-calling. I should of known better.

[Jessica]

Oh boy. My dad came over a few days before the Super Bowl last year, back when I was still, for whatever reason, attending the LDS church. Here's the conversation that followed...

Me: (man) and (his wife) invited us to a super bowl game but we're going to be busy so we said no.

Dad: You mean you would go if you weren't busy?

Me: Maybe, just to be with them, but we're not really interested in the super bowl. It'd just be to get together with friends.

Dad: Well... I wouldn't go. *I* believe in keeping the Sabbath day HOLY.

Me: So do I...

Dad: Then why would you go to a superbowl party? You need to be at home to read the scriptures and think about CHRIST!

Me: I can take my scriptures and read it during the game, if we ever went to a party,

Dad: I just think it's inappropriate for Sunday.

Me: Well, I do too but I would still go to a friend's house even if they did have the TV on. Anyway how is it any different than you checking the (favorite team) score online on Sundays?

Dad: It's taking the focus off of CHRIST.

Me: How is being in a room with the superbowl on in the background as we talk with friends about church any different than you taking a break from the scriptures to check the score?

Dad: That is TOTALLY different.

Me: Well, you know, we all have our agency but I'm not going to judge a good, faithful member of the church who attends all their meetings, helps people, volunteers, and has a lot of faith in Jesus because one day a year they watched a game when plenty of other people go outside and play football in the backyard or watch movies.

Dad: Well see, how can you really say they're a good faithful member if they'd decide to do those things?

me: Because I'm not God and I'm not here to judge their worthiness. Anyway I don't think it's anything big enough to keep them from the Celestial Kingdom.

Dad: (pause, with a half-confused, half-angry look) Well, you can't really say that... You never know!

Me: Are you seriously questioning peoples' eternal salvation over one football game a year?

Dad: NO, I didn't SAY THAT!!!

Me: Well you make it sound like it's a possibility that they WILL be kept from the CK for watching the superbowl!

Dad: They could! It's totally possible! It's not my fault other people don't care about following the commandments but I know for me, *I'M* just trying to do what Jesus would have me do so I can go to the Celestial Kingdom!

Me: So you think He would want you to judge peoples' worthiness over something so trivial? This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

[friers57]

I used to work with a woman in a retail setting that meet most of my criteria for being a fundie- 4 kids under the age of 5, long hair and skirts, constantly talking about her minister and her "church family". One Christmas she started complaining about saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas", saying how wrong it was that America had forgotten the true reason for the season, and how we need to put the Christ back in Christmas. I reminder her that we lived in an area that had a large Jewish population, and how in our jobs we needed to incluctionary. She responded with a rant about how other religions were taking over the season and that all good Christians should be aware that the government was taking away their right to celebrate while forcing other religions on them. I told her I didn't mind being forced to celebrate Chanukah because Jesus celebrated it too. She refused to even talk to me for the rest of the day.