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In reply to the discussion: Why does every religion on the planet [View all]Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)69. Thank you, kind fan. The Christians have no good answer for me on that.
They come back with, "Well you can be a Christian and believe anything you want."
And I say, "Wrong. No Christianity without original sin. If you weren't born with original sin you don't need substitutionary atonement through Jesus." I sat through enough church services saying The Apostles' Creed and feeling like a fool to know that. Sometimes they say, "What is substitutionary atonement? Never heard that word."
It took me many years of going through various Christian churches and realizing how soul-destroying that is to formulate what is wrong with Christianity. And reading "Healing the Shame That Binds You" by John Bradshaw, Ph.D. and former Jesuit priest.
Took me many years to condense the problem of Christianity in society, especially among the depressed and suicidal, and how it makes people feel worse, but you can't talk about that. It's socially sanctioned emotional abuse.
You're hurting, you're depressed, life is tough. You go to church seeking help to feel better. Do they tell you you're OK? No, they tell you you're a worthless sinner, "our righteousness is as filthy rags" etc.
They set you up as a worthless sinner, THEN tell you the only answer is to believe that Jesus is God and everything will get better if you pray hard enough and read your Bible (which doesn't have a lot of answers fitting for the modern world). If things don't get better they accuse you of being not spiritual enough and not praying hard enough, which is pretty insulting.
And they tell you you have free will, but if you don't love God, he'll send you to hell! For an eternity of suffering! Gee what a nice guy! That's not free will. That is what is legally called duress. Like holding a gun to someone's head to make them do something.
I was supposed to feel the presence of the lord, or feel some warmth or have some spiritual experience. I did everything I was supposed to do and felt nothing different.Prayers were not answered, not that I could tell, and nothing got better. I just felt worse from being put down as an affront to my human dignity, by a preacher that was preaching blanket doctrine. A preacher that didn't know me personally or anything about my life. I could not see anything directly attributable to praying. I had a real problem with causality because I saw nothing getting better and nothing connected to prayer.
Then I decided that the people I was with in the congregation were probably under a mass delusion. They were feeling the way they did spiritually because they were told and expected to feel a certain way. I never felt any of it. So I walked away.
I had to get the strength to walk away, or become completely immobile and numb.
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Well they said she was a virgin but since there was no artificial insemination back then
malaise
Jan 2016
#18
Not a single one of my friends stayed in the Church after they were old enough to leave.
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#30
Thank you, kind fan. The Christians have no good answer for me on that.
Manifestor_of_Light
Jan 2016
#69
Some break free, more than a few DUers were raised as fundamentalist Christians.
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#68
Nope, it's not but they've made it their modern day crusade and they have the numbers to wage it.
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#115
Yes, many do but the only one powerful enough here to affect laws is Christianity.
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#119
"The RCC was behind every law restricting access to birth control, women's health clinics and
rug
Jan 2016
#82
Every recent law, splitting hairs about how involved the RCC is in restricting my rights?
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#85
Knowing the facts is not splitting hairs. And the issue is far greater than "your" rights.
rug
Jan 2016
#93
Anyone who feels he needs to defend the Church from its victims is no ally.
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#94
Has someone ordained you to declaim who is or who is not an ally of whatever you think you're doing?
rug
Jan 2016
#99
Oops, missed one: Catholic dominance over hospitals endangers women
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#100
The Church frames it as a religious war, rug and they wage it every day.
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#104
There it is! The word "religious", thanks for admitting that religion is the source.
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#106
Another uppity woman speaks: Beatriz Case Reveals Catholic Hierarchy’s War on Women
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#111
Your disregard of Pelosi suggests yorur real target here is not women's rights at all.
rug
Jan 2016
#112
My focus is the Church's war on women and guess who's leading the charge?:
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#114
You asked and I answered, my opinion is just as valid as Nancy's and counts for more than yours.
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#121
More: "Thank the Catholic church for terrifying abortion restrictions in Latin America"
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#107
Rightwing Watch: The Personhood Movement: Internal Battles Go Public
beam me up scottie
Jan 2016
#96
Yes there are female bodhisattvas (enlightened beings) in Buddhism.
Manifestor_of_Light
Jan 2016
#81
Until this year, The Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal church was Katharine Jefferts Schori...
Journeyman
Jan 2016
#24
Funny thing. Look up the origins of the goddess Columbia and her importance
Promethean
Jan 2016
#128
I think that's true for most institutions - the views of the dominant class prevail
malaise
Jan 2016
#49
And they are codified in texts considered to be hand made by God, backward norms made sacred
Bluenorthwest
Jan 2016
#76
The dictionary definition of the word squaw is "an American Indian Women". Had no idea
doc03
Jan 2016
#133
Movies? Of course one must base all one knows about First Nations people on movies.
Cleita
Jan 2016
#103
TPTB are also killing the planet AKA "Mother" Nature. They really hate women. nt
valerief
Jan 2016
#102
It's easier to justify injustice if you are guided by an invisible being whose will only you know
DFW
Jan 2016
#134
Because almost every religion codifies the existing power structure. eom.
Bad Thoughts
Jan 2016
#144
I think it's more like the power structure adopting and adapting what suits them
malaise
Jan 2016
#148
Yes. It's the outward show of the crux. The crux can be ferreted out. One theory is Marilyn French's
ancianita
Jan 2016
#149
Most of the ones that have gained and retained power were made up for that very reason.
Arugula Latte
Feb 2016
#165