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stopqueeringthebible · 2 years

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i am respectfully and desperately asking for every ex-christian and never-christian in the united states of america to not waste time arguing with christian bigots about what the bible really says (or god really thinks) about literally any social issue on earth, unless it's to point out HOW FUCKED UP the modern/regional and socially enforced interpretation is—or to ensure the immediate safety of yourself or someone else, if it's the only way to coexist in peace with someone who has power over you.

"the bible doesn't actually condemn gay people" and "god isn't actually against abortion or birth control or divorce" (etc) are not useful long-term sentiments anymore in the US. christians who will never de-convert, but who do care about their fellow humans' quality of life on earth, are going to come to these conclusions on their own. not because they're true, but because that's what you do when you've been brainwashed into a cult and you're starting to bump up against moral quandaries that contradict the brainwashing. you make it work.

the immorality inherent in christian doctrine is a push towards de-conversion for many people. the realization that the "absolute morality" you've been taught actually contradicts your own moral compass is a huge thing to grapple with. it is HARMFUL to give these christians the easy out of "people are just wrong about god's intentions."

point out the heinous things instead. the disproportionate punishments, the fucked up loyalty tests, the genocide, the slavery, the rape, all the unjustified murder and war.

a huge number of christians have never read the bible. it's fed to them in carefully curated bits and pieces. you cannot read the bible from start to finish and remain a "good christian" if you care about people—that is, if you care about them in "this" life enough to outweigh your concern for their afterlife.

it is very, very hard to out-compete the fear of Hell in someone who truly believes in it. maybe aunt debbie doesn't hate you for being gay, and maybe she doesn't personally see anything wrong with it, but in her mind you are going to suffer and burn for ETERNITY if you don't cut it the fuck out. if you believe in the popular concept of the christian afterlife, "sinning" on earth is an extreme version of ruining your appetite with a bunch of candy before dinner. and also the candy will kill you, excruciatingly slowly.

so there are christians who believe in human rights, who don't need your help reconciling those two things.

there are christians whose fear of hell outweighs their own sense of morality, and your arguments are very unlikely to tip that scale.

there are christians who would rather leave morality up to god and avoid thinking for themselves, who will never be convinced by humanist arguments because they think humans are unworthy of grappling with such concepts, and that the mere act of doing so is prideful and wrong.

and there are real and false christians who are using the doctrine to prop up their own hateful agendas. they don't care what the bible actually says. it says whatever they want it to say.

there will of course always be exceptions to these categories, but by and large it IS NOT WORTH IT unless you're personally close to the christian you're arguing with, and even that is often a lost cause.

please, please, please, if you are spending your time and energy arguing with christians about these things, stop and put your efforts into something more productive.

#exchristian #ex christian #progressive christianity #religious debate #humanism

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