I’d argue that what these people are spreading is about as close to Christianity as Trump’s sharpie hurricane map is to an actual hurricane though; damaging and ignorant by misleading people.
As an example, they say God orders women to submit to their husbands. They get that from a letter Paul of Tarsus wrote to a group of early Christians in response to the way a particular group of (uneducated, likely trophy) wives were behaving that wasn’t in line with Jesus’ teachings to put others before themselves, because they misunderstood the bit about Jesus being an ultimate sacrifice that freed people from Jewish law to mean that you could behave however you wanted, and all would be forgiven. Paul told them that’s not how things work, and to ask their (likely educated in Jewish law) husbands to explain it to them at home instead of disrupting public meetings by preaching junk like this.
Unfortunately, a lot if what the public sees of Christianity in the US is remixes of exactly the same things the Bible these people own directly instructs against.
Jesus was a socialist pacifist. These people attempt to re-make him in their own image, taking instructions from his immediate followers out of context to justify their behavior, totally ignoring actual direct commands like “love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.”
I don’t disagree with you that these people are taking a message that seems inconsistent with the biblical portrayal of Jesus. But the above comment was criticising people “who feel the urge to spread Christianity in any way”. Which, yeah. Fuck them. If someone wants to do their research and convert to Christianity because they like it, more power to them.
But introducing children to that nonsense (by which I mean belief in resurrections and other obviously ridiculous bullshit, even if it’s not directly used to cause tangible harm) as though it’s fact at a vulnerable young age should be considered child abuse. And preying on vulnerable lonely or depressed people and using highly manipulative tactics like love bombing the way many evangelical branches of Christianity do, as do Mormons and I believe Jehovah’s Witnesses, should also be considered abusive behaviour.
Feel free to spit in my face then.
I’d argue that what these people are spreading is about as close to Christianity as Trump’s sharpie hurricane map is to an actual hurricane though; damaging and ignorant by misleading people.
As an example, they say God orders women to submit to their husbands. They get that from a letter Paul of Tarsus wrote to a group of early Christians in response to the way a particular group of (uneducated, likely trophy) wives were behaving that wasn’t in line with Jesus’ teachings to put others before themselves, because they misunderstood the bit about Jesus being an ultimate sacrifice that freed people from Jewish law to mean that you could behave however you wanted, and all would be forgiven. Paul told them that’s not how things work, and to ask their (likely educated in Jewish law) husbands to explain it to them at home instead of disrupting public meetings by preaching junk like this.
Unfortunately, a lot if what the public sees of Christianity in the US is remixes of exactly the same things the Bible these people own directly instructs against.
Jesus was a socialist pacifist. These people attempt to re-make him in their own image, taking instructions from his immediate followers out of context to justify their behavior, totally ignoring actual direct commands like “love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.”
I don’t disagree with you that these people are taking a message that seems inconsistent with the biblical portrayal of Jesus. But the above comment was criticising people “who feel the urge to spread Christianity in any way”. Which, yeah. Fuck them. If someone wants to do their research and convert to Christianity because they like it, more power to them.
But introducing children to that nonsense (by which I mean belief in resurrections and other obviously ridiculous bullshit, even if it’s not directly used to cause tangible harm) as though it’s fact at a vulnerable young age should be considered child abuse. And preying on vulnerable lonely or depressed people and using highly manipulative tactics like love bombing the way many evangelical branches of Christianity do, as do Mormons and I believe Jehovah’s Witnesses, should also be considered abusive behaviour.
open up for me 🛐