Flagged for being Christian.

[Sikizu]

Sweet Peppermint Tea

yum_tea Paganism and Wicca are in no way "dark." That's kind of a weird way to look at a powerless and harmless minority group. In what way are pagans oppressing you?

Your apology is appreciated but unnecessary. I don't care if I'm tolerated or accepted, I just want to be left alone to live my life the way I see fit; I'm not harming anyone else.

I know, but at the time it seemed really dark because of what I was going through. I don't hold that grudge anymore. Let's just say that at the time what I was going through and my hormones didn't exactly compliment each other well... but that's who I was. Now I'm not.

[Sikizu]

X sansmerci

Sikizu

.

I like your avatar, it's cute.

On-topic, how familiar are you with the concept of societal privilege?

Thanks, and I've never heard of that before...

[Belonging To Night]

People can be cruel. Christian, non-Christian. Everyone has an opinion, and when that opinion is expressed it leaves room for a counter-opinion to be put forth.

[X sansmerci]

Sikizu

X sansmerci

Sikizu

.

I like your avatar, it's cute.

On-topic, how familiar are you with the concept of societal privilege?

Thanks, and I've never heard of that before...

You probably would find it interesting to look it up. It's basically a way of putting a name to the way some people are institutionally considered/treated better in society.

So, majority group X people have X privilege, which includes a bunch of benefits, both direct and the absence of negative things, that are subtly granted to X people due to subconcious messages and assumptions about X people.

It's a useful concept for understanding the different between oppression and unpleasant events that are not caused by institutionalized biases. For example, even if an individual person or even a whole bunch of people are unkind to me and make a point of saying "I am doing this because you are an X", I wouldn't be oppressed by those people, because they aren't backed by a whole society, and in fact I still have X privilege.

Even if I'm also something else that IS institutionally oppressed, my X privilege means I do not experience the same treatment as a Y person who is also a something else person; those advantages aren't restricted to times when the only variables of types of people are X and Y.

And a big part of the idea of privilege is that people who have it do not ask for it and are usually unaware when it's working for them. So people who are interested in making the world a fairer place have to figure out and own their privilege, actively working to be conscious of stuff that's below the surface of society. It's all tied up with unlearning that stuff, and this summery is a bit all over the place since, while it's at it's heart a simple concept, it's so pervasive it's hard to sum up.



Anyhow, I originally meant to try explaining why people would react less than charitably to comparing a bad experience with a friend to institutionalized prejudice. And not just because one person who really was just a bad apple doesn't balance with a pattern of people who might be bad apples individually but collectively make up an oppressive force. Since Christianity is so dominant in the US, it's not possible for a Christian person to have an experience equivalent to what a non-Christian would face; you're just lucky enough to be a member of a faith of some significant privilege, which doesn't mean anything negative on it's own, just is one of your things you get to be aware of.

[The Great Deku]

Belonging To Night

People can be cruel. Christian, non-Christian. Everyone has an opinion, and when that opinion is expressed it leaves room for a counter-opinion to be put forth.

I am all for counter opinions my friend. I am not for generalizations which are unhelpful, and rudeness. People should learn to present their counter opinions in ways that build up and inform, not attack and tear down.!

[The Bruised Pharisee]

From one Christian to another, remember the words of Matthew 5:11.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."

[SilverCities]

I think its a hostility that may not be justifiable in all cases but certainly not completely unreasonable. A large portion of people feel that when you chose to fallow a religion and identify yourself with it you identify to agree with the often terrible and sadistic treatments in its literature of different kinds of people.

Not all people agree with all of the bible but it is not a persons fault if they don't know where you stand if you chose to define yourself with a simple label like christian. Its insane to think a person who by your beliefs should be punished forever would be nice to you.


Not to mention how pushy some religious groups can be, large ones have partaken in genocide and hate crimes for many many years. Still two wrongs don't make it right. Behavior like what you stated just makes you as bad. I think that being a race or a sexuality doesn't carry it with a system of systematic intolerance but religions do, thus should not be granted the same defense. But every person is difference and should be giving a chance.

[Shirabelle]

It sounds bad... but I cannot help but to see people as either extremely sheltered or lacking common sense/ basic intelligence when I find out that they are Christian. :/ I almost look at them as handicapped.. if not definitely. On one hand yes, I am angry at those who try activly to jam it down other's throats, but my experience with the majority has been pretty bad, I do not believe ALL are like this though.. I still cannot wrap my head around why anyone would believe or follow that stuff.

[The Great Deku]

Shirabelle

It sounds bad... but I cannot help but to see people as either extremely sheltered or lacking common sense/ basic intelligence when I find out that they are Christian. :/ I almost look at them as handicapped.. if not definitely. On one hand yes, I am angry at those who try activly to jam it down other's throats, but my experience with the majority has been pretty bad, I do not believe ALL are like this though.. I still cannot wrap my head around why anyone would believe or follow that stuff.

ans.

You have a right to believe what ever you want about Christians, however offensive or inaacurate it is.

But a wod of advice, You have not even come CLOSE to meeting the majority of Christians. The ones you have come in contact with sound like they suck, but in all realness, you can't judge all Christians off of that. Christians are 2 billion deep on this planet. Even if you have met 1000 Christians, you simply can't use them as a means of assesing the whole.

Heck, I AM a Christian, and I don't do that.

Your experience is valid, but very limited. It should not be used as criteria by which you judge 2 billion people, all over the world, from all different cultures and walks of life!

[Ameixah7]

Don't forget, Jesus himself was hated and rejected. 3nodding Don't be surprised if people hate you for your faith. "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." - John 15:18

God bless you. 3nodding

[Sm00thi3]

AllThingsNew101

I have been on Gaia for quite some time, and I have noticed one thing. Discrimination, and hate speech of any kind is usually openlly frowned upon...

...that is, unless it is directed at religion or religious people.

I am a Christian, and one day I was posting in a thead about how this one girl hated her parents because they would not let her wear tight clothing. I commented that the girl (who was 16) should probably just wait until got out of her parents house before wearing tight clothes, and that fighting her parents on such a trivial topic would cause more harm than good. I developed a following in the thread of people who agreed.

Then I got a PM from the OP of the thread, saying the worst things. Calling me a pig headed, backwards Christian legalist, and how she hates me for being Christian (I am not making this up). Needless to say, I was a little more than offended.

And this is one of many examples.

All across the forums, whenever Religion is being talked about, for the most part, it is in an offensive manner. People hate when Christians use hate speech concerning people of different life styles (homosexuals, pro-life supporters and the like) but its ok when the focus of the hate is religion. Is that not hypocritical?

I am one to respect those of different faiths, belifes and life styles, and to be honest, most of the people I know who do the same are religious people. I only begin to hear hate language when I am talking to a non religious person about religion. Now granted, I knwo thats biased and isolated, but the fact remains, religious people are not ALL hateful, and non-religious people are not ALL open and affirming...

Thoughts?

I think you're suffering from something I know to be called an availability-heuristic. This "Christian"-hating you think you see a lot of is actually really little, and probably done by the same users over and over.. If you really compare the amount of "Christian"-hating you see on Gaia to let's just say the number of Yaoi roleplays, it looks pretty pathetic in size… However, this is not to justify it occurring.. I'm just saying, you are blowing things out of proportion….

What do you say when you mean "non religious"?… I am also sure that you don't ALWAYS hear hate language when speaking to a non religious person… I haven't said a hateful thing to you yet. ^_^

[Shirabelle]

AllThingsNew101

Shirabelle

It sounds bad... but I cannot help but to see people as either extremely sheltered or lacking common sense/ basic intelligence when I find out that they are Christian. :/ I almost look at them as handicapped.. if not definitely. On one hand yes, I am angry at those who try activly to jam it down other's throats, but my experience with the majority has been pretty bad, I do not believe ALL are like this though.. I still cannot wrap my head around why anyone would believe or follow that stuff.

ans.

You have a right to believe what ever you want about Christians, however offensive or inaacurate it is.

But a wod of advice, You have not even come CLOSE to meeting the majority of Christians. The ones you have come in contact with sound like they suck, but in all realness, you can't judge all Christians off of that. Christians are 2 billion deep on this planet. Even if you have met 1000 Christians, you simply can't use them as a means of assesing the whole.

Heck, I AM a Christian, and I don't do that.

Your experience is vaid, but very limited. It should not be used as criteria by which you judge 2 billion people, all over the world, from all different cultures and walks of life!

My criteria for judging the rest is based on the religion itself, not just the actions of a few. My issues stem not only from their past massacres of free-thinking people, religions, and ideals, but that to this day it's a dominant religion and is still just a fairytale parents tell to children to spread ignorance, hate, and judgment on almost every group and ideal that differs from themselves. That religion was pretty much designed to keep people stupid, angry, and afraid. You people can interpret the books in whichever way you like. I don't understand why people still buy into it. I can't help but see them as mentally handicapped because of those reasons, but that's my opinion. Maybe if I could find a valid reason in believing ANY of it, or even for the judgmental s**t they activly try to SPREAD, but no. Look at the history of Christianity and tell me it's something you still want to put your 'dice' on. With all the greed and bloodshed that surrounds it, all the lies and coverups.. there's no way.

[The Great Deku]

Shirabelle

AllThingsNew101

Shirabelle

It sounds bad... but I cannot help but to see people as either extremely sheltered or lacking common sense/ basic intelligence when I find out that they are Christian. :/ I almost look at them as handicapped.. if not definitely. On one hand yes, I am angry at those who try activly to jam it down other's throats, but my experience with the majority has been pretty bad, I do not believe ALL are like this though.. I still cannot wrap my head around why anyone would believe or follow that stuff.

ans.

You have a right to believe what ever you want about Christians, however offensive or inaacurate it is.

But a wod of advice, You have not even come CLOSE to meeting the majority of Christians. The ones you have come in contact with sound like they suck, but in all realness, you can't judge all Christians off of that. Christians are 2 billion deep on this planet. Even if you have met 1000 Christians, you simply can't use them as a means of assesing the whole.

Heck, I AM a Christian, and I don't do that.

Your experience is vaid, but very limited. It should not be used as criteria by which you judge 2 billion people, all over the world, from all different cultures and walks of life!

My criteria for judging the rest is based on the religion itself, not just the actions of a few. My issues stem not only from their past massacres of free-thinking people, religions, and ideals, but that to this day it's a dominant religion and is still just a fairytale parents tell to children to spread ignorance, hate, and judgment on almost every group and ideal that differs from themselves. That religion was pretty much designed to keep people stupid, angry, and afraid. You people can interpret the books in whichever way you like. I don't understand why people still buy into it. I can't help but see them as mentally handicapped because of those reasons, but that's my opinion. Maybe if I could find a valid reason in believing ANY of it, or even for the judgmental s**t they activly try to SPREAD, but no. Look at the history of Christianity and tell me it's something you still want to put your 'dice' on. With all the greed and bloodshed that surrounds it, all the lies and coverups.. there's no way.

Hmmm...
So yes, the faith has a blood stained past. I agree. It also has tons of great things that Christians have done. But then, those things are not in the forefront.

Either way, There is really nothing about the teachings of Jesus that promote stupidity, anger or fear. Actually they actively against those things. Yes, Christians have done some f*cked up s*it in history. Thats undeniable. But the fact remains that Christianity (following the teachings of Jesus) teaches good things, like equality, selflessness, and loving others before yourself. People have chosen to pervert these teachings and use them for personal gain. That sucks, to be sure, but that does not mean the religion teaches those things, or that we can judge the religion based on what stupid people did. Wanna judge black people by all those in prison? Wanna judge all white people by the 300 years of slavery that opressed those black people? Both those wold be unhelpful. Judge Christianity off of what it ACTUALLY teaches (and that would mean spending some time looking into the teachings of Jesus), not by what stupid people did to pervert it for personal gain!

[Sm00thi3]

AllThingsNew101

Hmmm...
So yes, the faith has a blood stained past. I agree. It also has tons of great things that Christians have done. But then, those things are not in the forefront.

Either way, There is really nothing about the teachings of Jesus that promote stupidity, anger or fear. Actually they actively against those things. Yes, Christians have done some f*cked up s*it in history. Thats undeniable. But the fact remains that Christianity (following the teachings of Jesus) teaches good things, like equality, selflessness, and loving others before yourself. People have chosen to pervert these teachings and use them for personal gain. That sucks, to be sure, but that does not mean the religion teaches those things, or that we can judge the religion based on what stupid people did. Wanna judge black people by all those in prison? Wanna judge all white people by the 300 years of slavery that opressed those black people? Both those wold be unhelpful. Judge Christianity off of what it ACTUALLY teaches (and that would mean spending some time looking into the teachings of Jesus), not by what stupid people did to pervert it for personal gain!

In all seriousness, this would be something I'd LOVE to discuss with you… But I hesitate, because the things I could say will probably come off as offensive. emo

[The Great Deku]

Sm00thi3

AllThingsNew101

Hmmm...
So yes, the faith has a blood stained past. I agree. It also has tons of great things that Christians have done. But then, those things are not in the forefront.

Either way, There is really nothing about the teachings of Jesus that promote stupidity, anger or fear. Actually they actively against those things. Yes, Christians have done some f*cked up s*it in history. Thats undeniable. But the fact remains that Christianity (following the teachings of Jesus) teaches good things, like equality, selflessness, and loving others before yourself. People have chosen to pervert these teachings and use them for personal gain. That sucks, to be sure, but that does not mean the religion teaches those things, or that we can judge the religion based on what stupid people did. Wanna judge black people by all those in prison? Wanna judge all white people by the 300 years of slavery that opressed those black people? Both those wold be unhelpful. Judge Christianity off of what it ACTUALLY teaches (and that would mean spending some time looking into the teachings of Jesus), not by what stupid people did to pervert it for personal gain!

In all seriousness, this would be something I'd LOVE to discuss with you… But I hesitate, because the things I could say will probably come off as offensive. emo

Yo, on some realness...

I am all for discussing things with people. I mean that. Your disagreeing with me is not offensive, unless you do so in an offensive way. If you can speak, and communicate in a manner which is respectful, and yet opposed to my way of thinking, than I can respect that, and enjoy the conversation, even if you disagree. You wont offent me by saying you believe my faith is foolish. You will offend me by saying that in a rude or belittling manner. You don't HAVE to be rude, or belittling, and if you ARE, it is because you chose to be.

So yes, if you know you are going to be offensive (which is your choice) then we should not continue this conversation. But I knwo that I can talk to you in a respectful manner, and still disagre with you. You seem super inteligent, so I am thinking you can do the same for me...