this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2023
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"Not all Christians are bad!" (lemmy.world)
submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by SharkEatingBreakfast@lemmy.world to c/exchristian@lemmy.one
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Shut up. Shut up. Shut the fuck up.

Christian teachings led me into horrifying situations. It taught me the "correct" way to act. It taught me that questioning God is a sin. It taught me to trust in those who preach the word of God.

Those people abused me. Hurt me. Led me to become the broken person I am today. I'm still suffering. It finally led me to my PTSD diagnosis and I'm fucking struggling.

"Not all Christians are bad!" and "Well, they weren't real Christians!" are things I've been told. Shut the fuck up. If the wolves fit into your flock so well, YOU'RE ALL WOLVES.

Christian teachings led to this. Not """"fake Christians"""".

The church ain't paying for my fucking therapy or my bills that I struggle with since the PTSD has me struggling for steady employment. Fuck Christians and their shitty teachings.

EDIT: Did you know that in a lot of places, clergy are exempt from mandatory reporting laws? Most are also exempt from laws that keep vulnerable people safe from being preyed upon by people in positions of power. People like teachers and therapists have these laws applied to them. Clergy and church """"counselors"""" do not.

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[–] MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 32 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Ah the good old No True Scotsman arguement. Even if it wasn't a logical fallacy, it doesn't even address the fundamental problem.

No one snowflake is responsible for the avalanche. While technically correct, that doesn't allow me to cope with an avalanche on a snowflake by snowflake basis.

Simply being a member of the church sustains it, and therefore empowers it to harm. That's just a fact, regardless of the rationalization for being a member. As soon as you put a nickel in the collection basket, you're helping to fund it.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 8 points 11 months ago

Literally also called No True Christian argument for a reason

[–] SharkEatingBreakfast@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

The fact that churches have clergy put into power over so many vulnerable people with no checks or balances, it's no wonder the whole system is an endless cycle of abuse that attracts the lowest of the low.

It is working as intended.

If you support churches, you are complicit. You are an accomplice. You are helping them abuse people.

[–] theotherone@kbin.social 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Funding terrorists.

[–] MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

Without a doubt, unintentionally or not. The church certainly doesn't mind their parishioners throwing money on the collection plate, thinking that the money is helping feed the needy or something.

[–] NoIWontPickaName@kbin.social 2 points 11 months ago (2 children)

So your problem is with the church or the teachings?

[–] Eylrid@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

Yes

[–] spaceghoti@lemmy.one 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Why do you ask?

[–] NoIWontPickaName@kbin.social 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Curiosity.

It's similar to separating the art from the artist thing.

[–] spaceghoti@lemmy.one 3 points 11 months ago

So you're looking for a way to defend Christianity?

[–] MisterD@lemmy.ca 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Bringing kids to church is abuse

[–] SharkEatingBreakfast@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

I've come across more predators in churches than I ever have in any other environment.

Legitimately, I urge anyone who has children to keep them away from churches!

[–] groucho@lemmy.sdf.org 8 points 11 months ago

I've met a few decent evangelical christians. A dozen at most, and I spent the first 20 years of my life surrounded by evangelicals. I think they're people that managed to be decent in spite of their faith, not because of it. That's a hard trick to pull off.

The rest are banal, neurotic messes who simultaneously believe their all powerful god controls everything and will return any day now, and also that they have to police the world on his behalf because he's not doing anything, and also that their faith makes them paragons of morality, and also that they're literal worms with no redeeming value. And that's just the congregation. The pastors.... holy shit.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 8 points 11 months ago

Christian teachings led to this. Not """"fake Christians"""".

This right here is why I'm an antitheist. Bart Ehrman said it well in his book Armageddon: "It matters which Jesus of the Bible you believe in, because that will determine the causes you support."

If Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism were eradicated tomorrow, I would be a tentative antitheist, because I believe based on past precedent that theism causes problems at the confluence of human behavior and religion, and I would expect the same kinds of harm to arise again.

[–] plagueofnations@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

Nice rant.

[–] s_s@lemmy.one 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

People are people and religion doesn't change them.

There are good christians and there are bad christians. Just like there are good atheists and there are bad atheists. Just like there are good people from other cultures and bad people from other cultures.

And if that doesn't sound like a complete condemnation of voluntary religious participation, you're not paying attention.