sometimes I think religious hate is an act of the devil.

I know a lot of Christians like that, and they especially get weirded out if I say I'm dating an Agnostic or that I've been with chicks before. Not very accepting; I hate close-minded people in general.

Yes. Thank you for being brave enough to ask this question out loud. To be honest, the ugly christians, catholics, etc is what broke me away from Church and instead motivated me to have a personal relationship with God. For that, I've become a much, much much better, kinder person.

I feel that many people use religion as a crutch for their insecurities. Some churches and communities use it as a medium for whatever agendas they want to press, and will stoke the fires of a desperate, hurt mind in order to build a very strong army. Hatred is caused by hurt, and while a few churches will ask you to look inside yourself to become stronger and overcome, most churches will find ways to take that hurt and fan it into a fuel, funnel for rage. It's amazing.

I feel it's human nature to want to be the best at something, to be better than someone else. Churches allow you to take your weaknesses and hold them over others. It allows you to shut your mind furiously, because too many times, opening up your ears and heart to the reality of others cause you to feel inferior, or uncertain. And that's a slippery slope many, MANY are unwilling to go down. Religion, as a community, and the religious, as zealots, offer an incredible blanket of protection for your wounds.

It's always interesting to observe those who are the most extreme against something - e.g, extreme anti-gay actions/viewpoints (homophobia) - and realize that more often than not, these zealots are fighting against something inside THEMSELVES. Most dripping, venomous acts of hatred are bred and fueled from a hatred within themselves.

I can only tell you the amount of underground homosexuals I've encountered who are so purely, passionately, devotedly against the mere existence of homosexuality.

good post.

a catholic woman told my mom she was going to hell because my mom isn't catholic, she's methodist

@Roadkill_Spatula@xanga - yea, I guess they didn't want to put them in :/

agreed. that was one of the first things I was taught in church

@AngelBeast777@xanga - Grok? I read that book earlier this year. It was amazingly unprofound, but the writing was light enough not to be annoying.

The Heinlein book I enjoyed most was The Rolling Stones. Starbeast wasn't bad, nor was Podkayne, but his adult stuff was disturbing.

I think everyone here is already aware that Christ taught a different way to approach people. I'm not worried so much about being grouped together accidentally with such individuals. I have my own points of view that would make them less-than-accepting of myself, so I'm not really concerned with having them as company.

What was Christ's idea of good company? Among his disciples was a fisherman and his brother (a low class job at the time), a tax collector, a young man who spent a lot of time under a tree thinking about God, and other interesting individuals that were largely discarded by their society. Now, Jesus didn't dismiss them outright for their paths, but extended an opportunity for salvation to them, and later they became apostles. Those Christ took issue with were (surprise!) religious authorities who saw their self-imposed standards as reason to lord their self-righteous attitudes over those they governed.

Don't allow a dismissive few to discourage you from calling yourself a follower of Christ.