Would any ex-christians like to participate an interview?

[Godlesspanther-2-]

Hi Folks,

I am working out a project on religious propaganda that I am intending for a presentation for a local skeptics group.

I am primarily focusing on American propaganda that is created by the right-wing Protestant groups. Religious tracts, movies, books, TV programs, and the like. I am focusing on recent to contemporary material. I consider that to be 1960s or later.

I have never been involved with a Christian group with the exception of accepting an invite to attend church on rare occasions. I may ask some very dumb questions.

I am looking for people who used religious propaganda as part of their religious devotion, what you thought of it then, what you think of the same material now, and how that has changed.

The parameters are not set in stone, so if you were involved in something other than Protestant Christianity or you feel you have some things to say about the topic feel free.

I can be contacted at: lightthecorner[at]gmail[dot]come

Or if you just want to talk about it her that's fine too.

[JesusFightClub]

I'm an ex Christian, but I am Scottish not American. Any use?

[Arete]

I'm an Eastern Orthodox Christian, albeit very "cafeteria" style at this point. I was targeted by right wing Protestant Christians in the States both as a child and as a college student, so I definitely have some views on the propaganda and techniques. Putting it out there if you'd want an opinion from a follower of religion on the effects of that propaganda. No worries if it's outside the scope of your project.

P.S.-I don't proselytize, consider it repugnant, so don't think I'm up to trying some kind of "backdoor" conversion on you. Just find your topic interesting.

[Godlesspanther-2-]

I'm an ex Christian, but I am Scottish not American. Any use?

Yes, I am curious about religious tracts in Scotland. In the US we find them placed around in all sorts of public places. One will find them at bus stops, post offices, restrooms, waiting rooms, on buses, any where where people frequent and will likely find them. I have heard that in England that would be unimaginable. Does that go for Scotland as well?

Do people use tracts as a form of proselytizing? Do they have Jack Chick and Ray Comfort tracts there?

[Godlesspanther-2-]

I'm an Eastern Orthodox Christian, albeit very "cafeteria" style at this point. I was targeted by right wing Protestant Christians in the States both as a child and as a college student, so I definitely have some views on the propaganda and techniques. Putting it out there if you'd want an opinion from a follower of religion on the effects of that propaganda. No worries if it's outside the scope of your project.

P.S.-I don't proselytize, consider it repugnant, so don't think I'm up to trying some kind of "backdoor" conversion on you. Just find your topic interesting.

Yes, that would be great. Eastern Orthodox are not known for proselytizing. In the US it's mostly Mormons, JWs, and fundie protestants.

I would like to hear how you observe religious propaganda as it's been used to convert you.

[JesusFightClub]

":dmt0p6yp]

Yes, I am curious about religious tracts in Scotland. In the US we find them placed around in all sorts of public places. One will find them at bus stops, post offices, restrooms, waiting rooms, on buses, any where where people frequent and will likely find them. I have heard that in England that would be unimaginable. Does that go for Scotland as well?

Do people use tracts as a form of proselytizing? Do they have Jack Chick and Ray Comfort tracts there?

We have Chick tracts, I used to have quite the collection. But my partner at the time was superstitious and threw them away. If you came to where I live (Edinburgh) I could show you where the Chick tracts come from.

Ray Comfort, not really. We laugh at the banana thing but we do not have his tracts.

[Kitty]

I'm an ex-Christian who lives in North Carolina, who attended Southern Baptist churches. So I'm probably the sort of person you're trying to find!

I never did hand out any propaganda, I was always the one receiving it, in church.

[Maude]

Ex-Penetecostal here (living in Canada). I was involved for around three or so years in my early teens. I attended youth group, went to 'see you at the pole' and Wednesday night bible studies, and also did some evangelizing (I don't remember giving out Chick Tracts, but that doesn't mean the church didn't have them). It was the beginning of the whole courtship craze as well. Josh Harris' 'I Kissed Dating Goodbye' was on everybody's reading list. To be honest, it's all very creepy looking back on it now and I'm glad I left when I did because I could easily have gone fundie.

[Hevcoh]

Ex-Mormon, who served a mission and used a lot of propaganda tools (tracts, movies, Book of Mormon, Proclamation on the family etc. etc.) Would that be useful? I'm in Israel, served my mission in Australia.

[AtroposHeart]

I am an ex-baptist.

I am currently a Pagan. Will that be an issue? Does your group only want Atheist/Agnostics

[prairiemuffin]

I'm an ex-Lutheran who identifies as Pagan; if I might be of help, just pm me!

[tacky]

We used to hand out tracts to trick-or-treaters when I was a kid. I'm surprised our house wasn't egged. We did get TP'd a few times. I really didn't think anything of it, because pretty much everyone I knew did the same thing. Now I think it's ridiculous and disrespectful. Predatory proselytizing by any group is obnoxious, IMO.

I remember once when I was in my early 20s a group of friends from my church went to a Marilyn Manson concert to witness to people and hand out tracts. As I recall it didn't go over so well, but I didn't participate so I don't remember the specifics.

[Sola]

Hey glp, dont i know you from another forum :)

I can give you some stuff from my childhood, when our church had a visiting evangelist from the US. He managed to scare the shit out of us kids.

[patsymae]

I hit something and the screen for my unfinished comment disappeared so if it got posted and this is sort of a dupe, sorry.

I'm a lapsed/recovering Catholic so don't have much to offer in terms of my own experience, but if it's relevant two groups you might want to look at are

1) Evangelic groups that target the Amish or more especially Amish who are considering leaving (half of the Amish who leave join evengelical groups, not secular society). Some are quite aggressive. "Amish Out of Order" had a segment about it and Mose Gingerich has a website so maybe you can get some info there.

2) Messianic Judaism groups. These are Evangelical Christians (the largest group, Jews for Jesus, is (or was--this passed out of my radar in the mid 2000s) a project of the Southern Baptist Convention. The basic idea is to convert Jews to Christianity while pretending they are still Jewish ("jeshua" is the messiah) by using Jewish cultural and religious symbols--for example, having "rabbis," "temples," Friday night and Saturday services, celebrating Jewish holidays--things not threatening to Jews who might have a cultural aversion to, say, churches, priests and crucifixes. From the 1980s or so until at least the mid-2000s these groups were very aggressive at going after newly arrived Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union--people who had little exposure to religion but might, for example, have remembered a grandma lighting candles on Sabbos or something. So you could get these people, make them feel comfortable about being Jewish, and convert them to Christianity at the same time!

[MysteryHaggis]

I'm a pretty much lapsed Church of Scotland protestant. I do have a lot of family members in the evangelical/fundie lite/pentecostal/born again moulds which are popular in some areas here (e.g, numerous fans of the Hagees),with peripheral experience of Closed and Exclusive Brethren. I also am a good friend of a girl who I would consider verging on fundamentalist Catholic- militantly prolife, for one thing- so I am exposed to a lot of her literature and audiovisual propaganda. If this is of use to you, just let me know!

[VintageJen1984]

I hit something and the screen for my unfinished comment disappeared so if it got posted and this is sort of a dupe, sorry.

I'm a lapsed/recovering Catholic so don't have much to offer in terms of my own experience, but if it's relevant two groups you might want to look at are

1) Evangelic groups that target the Amish or more especially Amish who are considering leaving (half of the Amish who leave join evengelical groups, not secular society). Some are quite aggressive. "Amish Out of Order" had a segment about it and Mose Gingerich has a website so maybe you can get some info there.

2) Messianic Judaism groups. These are Evangelical Christians (the largest group, Jews for Jesus, is (or was--this passed out of my radar in the mid 2000s) a project of the Southern Baptist Convention. The basic idea is to convert Jews to Christianity while pretending they are still Jewish ("jeshua" is the messiah) by using Jewish cultural and religious symbols--for example, having "rabbis," "temples," Friday night and Saturday services, celebrating Jewish holidays--things not threatening to Jews who might have a cultural aversion to, say, churches, priests and crucifixes. From the 1980s or so until at least the mid-2000s these groups were very aggressive at going after newly arrived Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union--people who had little exposure to religion but might, for example, have remembered a grandma lighting candles on Sabbos or something. So you could get these people, make them feel comfortable about being Jewish, and convert them to Christianity at the same time!

Re: the bolded. It sounds like this bothers you. May I ask why? The Amish lifestyle is highly restrictive and cookie cutter. It makes sense to me that a person may not disagree with the Bible even if they disagree with the lifestyle. You don't have to give up your faith just to get out of a lifestyle. And based on what I know of Amish theology, I suspect Evangelic groups are most likely to agree.

[patsymae]

Re: the bolded. It sounds like this bothers you. May I ask why?

It doesn't bother me personally at all, and actually I don't think anybody else's religious or spiritual life is any of my business (unless they attempt to use that as a political weapon). And I totally understand why people who were raised in one tradition might be attracted to another group that allows them to feel comfortable with their core and also explore a new way of thinking/life.

My point to the OP was that some aggressive groups target those who are disaffected with their own lives and promote Fundamental Christianity as a way that they can supposedly, but not really, be themselves and still be part of the Fundamental movement. So disaffected Amish can still be Amish while accepting "faith rather than works" (totally contradicts the faith but keeps the lifestyle the same), Or Messianic Jews can still be Jewish while accepting Jesus as messiah (totally contradicts being Jewish). It is not the beliefs--which I care nothing about--but the mechanisms used to manipulate--that I thought I was commenting on. Sorry if I wasn't clear.