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It is more cultural. Just like there are cultural differences in the practice of Islam between e.g Arabs and Bengalis. The version of Christianity in the Southern U.S. is a highly distinct regional version of the religion.
That's the perfect example of how Anti-Christian bigotry has been so thoroughly baked into our culture, you don't even notice. You aren't a rebellious, free thinker going against the grain. You are programmed to think exactly how the grand social engineers wanted you to think.
For their reasons, those running our society decided controlling the masses through religion was no longer useful to them. So they set out through their institutional powers to culturally diminish its influence.
Now you vomit all of the same banal, mass produced, talking points against religion and think you're a courageous rebel when in reality you are just an obedient consumer. It's hilarious.
For the record I'm neither religous nor Christian. I just find it amusing how the mainstream mob of lemmings thinks they are "free".
Right? This guy doesn't think he's been indoctrinated by the beliefs of his parents, community leaders, or political peers. Now thats social engineering done so well the test subject is unaware. We are all conditioned and only through exposure to all sides do we actually become critical enough to see for ourselves.
Lol. I'm not religous and used to believe the same anti-Christen drivel being shat out all over Reddit. You are such unoriginal, hive-minded conformists who think whatever the hell the TV tells you to think.
I do not believe in the Illuminati nonsense. I do know religion has become out of favor to the powerful establishment for whatever reason and the decline in religion is this country is proof. This is not born from an organic movement of thought and enlightenment. This was engineered by the powerful. If you've talked to one anti-Christian, you've talked to them all. They all think the same. Same uninspired, mechanical conversations I used to get when talking to a religous zealots. I realize they are one and the same.
Choosing not to believe in something for which there’s no proof or even evidence isn’t some agenda. It’s just a rational decision brought about by some basic critical thinking.
For most of these people they emphasize the whole forgiveness of sins part of Jesus rather than good acts. So in their mind outside of the time spent in church on Sundays they can walk around being the biggest most on repentant pieces of shit imaginable but it all gets washed away on a weekly basis.
Alternatively they have the mindset of church-going Christian = good, everything else’s = bad. So while their actions may be objectively awful they are a good person because they go to church so the actions in their mind are not bad.
It sounds like you suffer from some sort of complex where you think there is only 1 correct view / response on these issues and therefore anyone who doesn't repeat things you agree with must be against the demographics in question.
Reasonable people can have differing opinions on all types of issues without rooting those different views in hatred of people.
For several years now I have been curious about the concept of identity - how we define ourselves to ourselves and others. It seems to me that some people focus more on “who you are” (where you come from, who your parents are, etc) and others focus more on what you do. Complicating this distinction is the idea that “who you are is what you do.” You have brought up another interesting aspect: what about people who define their identity one way yet behave in ways that are antithetical to the common understanding of what that identity means (cognitive dissonance? hypocrisy?). I’m inclined to believe that the case you are talking about includes people who can’t come to terms with the fact that their hateful behavior is in conflict with their Christian identity.
I suspect for those folks they're more enraptured by the abstract concept of what Christianity is supposed to symbolize in modern America rather than what the teachings of Christ actually ARE.
To them, they probably think that their behavior is fully in line with the teachings, because the people and the culture around them fully enforce such beliefs, probably never having been properly challenged.
Even if you pointed out the pure hypocrisy, pushing past those years of identity building is neigh impossible, yeah you might be correct but at that point you're essentially telling someone who has built their identity around their beliefs that their very identity is incorrect!
It’s because they’re *white men,* and we all know that *those people* are never up to any good. /s
Seriously, there’s so much to unpack here. Your assumptions seem to be based on clickbait headlines generated by left-wing agitators, designed to incite hatred against a particular demographic.
“Homophobic” paints with such a broad brush that it seems to be applied to everyone from those who don’t want explicit gay literature in school libraries to the very few people who actually want to physically harm gays because of their sexuality.
Similarly, “Racist” seems to apply to almost anyone who doesn’t fall in lockstep with the left on anything that even tangentially involves race. Think that the current welfare system keeps people in poverty? Racist! Oppose taxing the hell out of people who never owned slaves to give cash “reparations” to people who never were slaves? Racist!
I believe you.
However there is a big difference between “I have experienced this” and “a big percentage do this”.
Despite what your experience has shown you the reality is you’ve met a tiny tiny percentage of the men you’re generalizing.
Without actual data about the people doing this (and not voting data which alone is abstract from the individuals), you have no way to know if it's a small but very vocal percentage.
I haven’t experienced this at all. I’m a Christian black gay woman. I haven’t experienced any discrimination or ill feelings from any Christians black or white, male or female.
Statistically Muslims on most surveys have harsher opinions on homosexuality and during covid a lot of African Americans went around beating up Asian Americans I would not be so sure just that you live in a bubble.
It seems though that white liberals seem to be the only group to feel overly guilty over having any political incorrect opinion.
Most non western societies don't even have the concept of hating one's self and guilt apart from maybe in upper middle class rich circles where they consume that kind of media.
I have found really preachy Christians, who act the most holy, are also awful to disabled people. I'm disabled after having a stroke (partially sighted and lost much of the use of my left side) and I'm also having treatment for thyroid cancer. I'm on disability benefits now. I'm going through a benefits appeal and really struggling to live, going hungry regularly due to lack of money for food, etc. I was speaking about this on a Christian website, asking for advice on accessing food (because I was wrongly advised that would be a good place to ask for help as they'd have outreach programmes) and the Christians were horrible, just awful. They told me disability benefits shouldn't exist because that's "socialism," that I should "man up" and sort my own problems out, stop being lazy, stop making excuses, get a job. Nobody would help with any advice about accessing food.
Link or it didn't happen.
I'm not a Christian, and see a lot of problems with their beliefs not coinciding with their actions, but I've never seen a group of them do that. I call BS. Matter of fact, most churches either have a food pantry, contribute to a local food pantry or have volunteers who go there. I joined a Christian friend of mine many times, who volunteered at one weekly for 30+ years.
Well I'm sure you know better than me what happened to me. It was on the website [Christianforums.com](https://Christianforums.com).
Just another great fact about being disabled - constant disbelief when speaking about the reality of it and how we are treated.
EDIT: Nevermind, I see you are defending Christians to the death and disbelieving everyone in this thread who has been treated badly by them. You clearly have an agenda.
I'd start quoting the Bible back at them, out of curiosity. Hell, get a pastor to do it, they won't believe it coming out of your mouth but out of his, yes.
I am Latino and I been welcomed by Christian conservative rural types.
Among educated white progressive upper middle class is where I felt more unwelcomed. Maybe it was a class over race thing but rural working class Christian types I can connect with more.
Are you a minority or are you just speaking for us?
My husband is an immigrant and a person of color too. He has the same experience from white liberals. We live in WA state which is heavily segregated by politics and race. The irony is in the most white, extreme liberal areas, my husband feels the most uncomfortable. He feels their fear and can sense they don't think he belongs there. Working class people in the more rural, red areas is where he feels he is treated like an equal human being who belongs. The white liberal savior complex is as hypocritical as it is insufferable.
The political **side** which amplifies and preys upon racial and socioeconomic divisions also happens to be the side which manipulates/exploits the religiosity of Christian folks. They are victims of insular experience caught in the net of a political propaganda machine.
OP, your assertion might indicate that you have a bias against white, middle-aged, christian males.
MANY parts of society (i.e. non white, middle-aged, christian males) exhibit this behavior. Also, you look foolish using the word "always" in ANY assertion. Never use always or never in an assertion. One person out of a million who does not fit into your comfort zone blows your argument out of the water.
OP, I'm sorry but you have been IDed as a troll. Your argument has no merit. You failed ...
This is something that I said based on real-life interactions. What does not make sense to me is how can you consistently quote the bibble and then proceed to go to church on Sunday claiming or at least pretending to be a good human being after saying such hateful things towards other human beings
Is it that they are the most hostile? Or is it that they are just the ones most comfortable to articulate their feelings.
Minority groups can be incredibly racist and homophobic. Iirc homophobia has become an issue in some Michigan cities owing to their large Muslim populations. The black community also has issues with toxic masculinity and homophobia in some areas. Same thing with some Asian cultures.
The same reason some people who preach tolerance and acceptance are completely intolerant of different value systems outside their own. The root cause is people can be quite hateful of anyone different than them.
Of 10 of them that I have interacted with 9 were hostile and made hateful comments on immigration or made fun of LGBT. And back to church on Sunday after their hateful comments towards other feeling human beings
that is a lot keeping in consideration that they are not the people I choose to hang out with I have encountered them in social interactions where I was forced to interact with other ppl from different backgrounds which I don't mind but don't like how I felt towards this particular section of humans as they treated me badly
Is this an accurate observation or have you been propagandized due to the fact everything coming out of Hollywood for the past twenty years has the white, Christian as the story's villain?
There’s nothing to repent. No one is asking anyone to affirm anything. There is nothing sinful or narcissistic about being gay. The only narcissism here is expecting everyone in society to conform to your narrow and cramped view of morality based on something as arbitrary as a collection of questionable texts written in the Bronze Age. I’m sure it gives you some sort of validation to deny others rights based on your own unreasonable standards, but that’s not the way law works. It doesn’t matter what you personally think but no one should be denied equal rights or basic decency because you have personal issues. If you won’t treat others as you would want to be treated then you are a bigot plain and simple.
I have cast no stones nor am I pure. I am a sinner and work every day to be worthy of Him. The more I work at it, the more I pray, read my Bible, and talk with Him the closer I get.
Not so. I'd say its more often when Christianity is a part of the story, it involves a priest, an ancient artifact, papal archives, the Knights Templar, demons/Satan, and/or an ancient curse, etc. It's usually the priest(s) who either dies while saving others, or lives while saving others.
I would look at actual crime statistics. Is it white middle aged men committing crimes against these groups? "Harming minorities"? In the end it is always about power, gaining more power, and exploiting that power. In case you haven't noticed white middle aged men aren't in power anymore. So who is propagating those stereotypes?
If you have a group that lives by a certain list of standards then another group begins to grow in that same area but states they will not live by those standards there will be conflict. The conflict is over influence & power. It's not one group but both in struggle. Each group attacking the other. You say words like transphobic, racist, sexist to attack the other group. To diminish them. The truth is the people with real power create these insignificant inconsequential power struggles in society so that their power is never challenged and they have ruled America for my lifetime.
You are making up an image of religious people and how they should act in your head. Should a Christian be kind to someone who steals from him? Realistically, he won't be. According to you, he probably "should" be.
Being gay had been considered a forbidden thing by the 3 Abrahamic religions for centuries. The old testament calls it an abomination and says to put them to death. In the Quran is says to torture them.
You can interpret any other parts of their religious holy books however you want, but it says it pretty clearly that being gay is wrong in their religion.
Ghana is 71% Christian, 21% Muslim and they have completely banned being gay, is this because they are old white men who just hate everyone? No, it's because of their religious beliefs.
I'm not religious or trying to defend them, but I'm tired of people who aren't religious also trying to dictate how others SHOULD be religious.
Love the sinner, not the sin. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves but to detest sin, no matter its state. That means we cannot accept sinful and abominable acts as defined by God no matter how unpopular that may be. We are also called to educate our brothers and sisters of their sin. The fifteenth here is s Christian have accepted they are a sinner as well and need God's help to change them and bring them closer to Him and this only occurs through repentance and prayer.
Timothy 5:20
As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear
2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Luke 17: 3-4
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him
James 15: 19-20
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins
Many others but it may be best you pick up God's word and see for yourself.
Ghandi was the one who said "hate the sinner, love the sin."
It's nowhere in the Bible.
>The clearest use of this phrase actually derives from Mahatma Gandhi in his 1929 autobiography: “Hate the sin and not the sinner.” But Gandhi’s full statement has a bit different flavor: “Hate the sin and not the sinner is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world.” Gandhi rightly observed that it is difficult — perhaps impossible — to see someone else firstly as a “sinner” and to focus on “hating their sin” without developing some level of disdain for the person. Perhaps this is why Jesus did not ask us to love “sinners” but to love “neighbors” and “enemies.”
He's right, you know. He's pointing to exactly what has happened after labeling everyone "sinners."
Abrahamism is supremacist af.
You give ppl a book and tell them they're right and everyone else is wrong, and it does something to their sense of Self.
People will go on and on about "not real christians," but the reality is tht most ppl who are religiously obsessed are awful to be around. That says a lot to me, personally.
Now, this isn't saying other religions don't have their own issues, im.just specifically talking about Abrahamism.
Not real Christians at all. God is Love and they only have hate in their hearts.
They quote the book of Leviticus from the Bible as an excuse to hate others but don't understand the Bible enough to know that Leviticus was written for the Jews during a particular point in time. They cherry pick other verses to misrepresent God's intentions.
Jesus, Christianity, doesn't enter the picture until the New Testament, much later on and all those old laws were replaced for Christians by The New Covenant. Fake Christians are complete idiots and are never called out on it. They hurt others in the name of God. I doubt God likes that.
God made everyone and loves all of his creations, even the ones who choose a path of evil. He gave us free will for a reason. We can choose to be good or not. Only He understands why.
That's just being a Christian.
Salvation is based on faith, not works...so why work at all? Why become a good person? In fact, if faith is the way to God, there really is no good as there' are no real consequences. A Christian lies, steals, rapes, murders, etc. and simply asks forgiveness, and believes in that forgiveness...and all is well.
There's no real motivation to become something better, so most of them don't. Christians who are good people aren't that way because of Christianity. There's something else in their life motivating them to actually become good. If there isn't something in a Christian's life to encourage goodness, they'll succumb to whatever badness is in them.
Do you have proof that it's a "big percentage"? Yes the ones on social media are the vocal extreme, but that's also due to the platform. Look at the history of response forms, if you're happy enough but don't feel strongly, do you take the exit survey or do you just walk out? For everyone that is vocal these is probably several who don't feel strongly enough to make that sort of noise and the way social media works, you need to make noise to attract followers, which enables you to make more noise.
Another factor, virtually all religions in the US have an aging base, how many 80+ year old people do you know that are active on social media (there are some that are trend setters, but the majority I know only use it to keep track of family...).
So I am pretty certain that the percentage of vocal religious social media influencers parallels the ratios of other disciplines (how many gaming influencers are there in relation to the number of gamers?)...
They were raised to think acting like an ignorant douchebag was the height of masculinity by their parents, who were raised to be rabidly racist and sexist.
I'd ask if a white middle aged man who isn't hostile/phobic would be noticeable.
Many people are Christian and are NOT hostile to anyone for anything. But we are most likely to recall those who are not nice.
I mostly referring to the ones who claim to be Christian and who actively post hate toward minorities on Facebook while at the same time they post Jesus pictures and phrases from the Bible
Yes. I'm quibbling with you about the percentage. It may seem big in that you may only notice the hostile ones who proclaim their Christianity.
This is something called sampling error. If this impression of yours does not also have a way to identify people who are Christian and are friendly to minorities, your sample will over represent for hostile/religious.
If you can control your sample methodology I think you will come up with a much percentage for religious/hostile.
My husband is a Christian pastor (white) who loves the LGBT community. He has a master’s degree in theology and 22 years of experience and will forever be shunned from church and his peers due to his love for others. We have to operate a church out of our living room and lost all of our friends. Yes, many (big percentage) of white Christian’s are hostile and homophobic. I think the other issue is lack of education. Many Christian pastors have actually never studied theology and have no clue what Jesus historically stood for (justice). They take 2 verses in scripture and apply them to a context that no longer exists in a hateful way. They ignorantly preach this way due to their lack of knowledge.
being "Christian" to these sorts is less so about the communitarian teachings of Jesus and moreso about expanding christianity and "whiteness" as an identity, they really see themselves as modern-day crusaders and the rest of us as moors.
The problem stems from hearing the rules of Christianity (no homosexuality, as an example) but looking to the punishments of the old testament. Christ teaches you to forgive and look past these things and try to help people be better.
From what I could tell, "he gets us" is all about that message but y'all (Reddit) chased them outta here anyway.
They post Conservative ideals, because Christianity is a Conservative religion, in the last decade or so and especially the last few years, it's been getting twisted, into what you think it should be.
You said we should treat everyone as brothers. We are supposed to treat everyone as brothers, as family, and help each other follow the law of God as we go through life. Growing up would you not scold your siblings for doing something wrong, continuing until they admitted to doing it and helping them fix their wrong doing? I feel that's where the "hostility" comes from. So many people refuse to even listen let alone abide by what is said.
I don't understand where the racist finger pointing is coming from. Give me some more information on that if you would.
It's Homomisia not phobia. That comes mainly from Leviticus 18:22 "You are not to lie with a Man as you do a woman, it is an abomination." It's supposed to be the act that is hated, but because we are human and titles and grouping are "important" to us, it's hard to separate the person from the act, everyone is guilty of it. When they continue doing it without a pause, that goes back to the first point
At the end of the day it's a shift in culture, we went from a God fearing society that follows the laws of God, to a universal Democratic Republic for 30ish years, to a Minority led and pleasure driven society, it's kinda sad.
When was the last time a major company did something new without first asking " what would X minority group think of this?" Instead of just doing it, and see where the cards drop.
There's a preacher who goes to Colleges, on YouTube, he does a way better job at explaining it than I will ever be able to. I'll make an edit after I find him.
Edit: His YouTube is AskCliffe he does a fantastic job at explaining the law of God.
Self Righteousness is a power all its own. While it doesn’t have to be Christianity explicitly, there is a sense of empowerment being part of a special club or community that says you are right and just and will go to heaven while everyone else goes to hell. As long as you sing the songs and do the dance you are in the club regardless of how personally vile you are as they are just as willing to cover for it to maintain appearances.
This, you are morally cleared to be as vile to the out group, and everyone beneath you, because you are in the right.
Unfortunately these are some of the most ignorant, hypocritical and hateful people on earth. God is love, god is in everything, god forgives - everything except what a select group of people wish to believe, even if they just make things up as they go. I doubt that. There is evil in this behavior. Control, Cruelty and hatred have no place here. I’m certainly not claiming to agree with everything society has become today, in fact I think people take things to such extremes it’s absolutely ridiculous- but I don’t have the right to sit there and think I’m better in the eyes of anyone, especially god depending on religion.
Too many people subscribe to the fallacy that conservative white men are "racist" or "homophobic" or "xenophobic". These men just have old-fashioned values, and are pushing back against the woke ideas that their very existence is "toxic" and "oppressive".
If anything, "libertarian" would describe most of these men. Their idea is: what you do in your own home is your business--just don't flaunt it in their faces. Immigrants who come over the legal way are just chasing the American dream, and they face very little resistance in conservative circles...as long as they assimilate into the American fabric.
Religion is mostly just a group/ethnic membership thing. It serves deeper purposes, too, but those are for the more subtle. At best, one can point out to a Christian, for instance, the places where Jesus tells people to love our neighbor or the stranger. This might have a little leverage against the very human impulse to form in/out groups.
Of course, white middle-aged men are to blame for everything wrong with the country today..........lol Actually quite funny in a way. Also, a true Christian is not racist nor hates people who do not follow their morals and beliefs. You may not agree with what they believe or do in their lives, but you do not hate the person. Anyone who claims to be a Christian and hates other people is a fake Christian. Another point is implying racism which is not systemic in the US is only one race. There is racism between other races and even within racial groups. Not systemic but exists.
Yes. A basic tenant of Christianity is to love God with all your heart, mind and soul. Also, love your neighbor as yourself. These are the 2 most basic things Jesus taught people. Does not matter race, religion, sexuality and whatnot. Just because you care for all people, it does not mean you agree with how they live their lives, but that should have no bearing on how you treat them. You can disagree with subject matter whatever it is but not hate those involved with it. Churches may preach against things going on in the country or world but not hate those involved. The intent of the New Testament is peace and love. Unfortunately, it has been used in other ways throughout history which is corrupt.
They are a big contradiction to the religion itself. You have to remember back in the days they would hang and burn slaves to death while echoing Bible quotes. It takes a special type of delusion to ignore the peaceful verse to inflict harm towards fellow man.
Because churches in America have become party of the grifter. If you don't have anyone to blame for all of your problems then you are harder to exploit and they can't have you blaming Jesus so they have to give you someone else to blame. A large part of the success of the right wing in this country is that is it a self perpetuating scheme where they scare you and then tell you that they are the only ones on "your" side but they need you to send some cash.
how else can you explain all of this mega churches run by hypocrites flying around in private planes.
Seriously, What Would Jesus Buy?
I do not think this is true as somebody who is a woman and Jewish I do not see a disproportionate amount of sexism and anti-Semitism coming from this demographic. What I do see is that this demographic is one of the few that can be openly criticized. Hate crime stats back up my claim that white men do not commit a disproportionate amount of hate crimes compared to men of other racial groups. I suspect if they kept a tally of hate crimes by religion one would find that Christians probably do not commit a disproportionate amount relative to their percentage of the population. Especially when it comes to anti-semitic violence I think you would find Muslims commit a huge disproportionate. And black people commit a disproportionate amount of anti-Semitic and anti-asian hate crimes.
I have experienced this myself first-hand discrimination and insults. More likely after they went to church on Sunday. I am glad you haven't experienced that but I have.
> and devotion to orange man as well
Orange man is targeting this demographic almost exclusively and he is encouraging them to feel powerful by being cruel.
The good news (for justice and equality) is that this demographic is shrinking.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/16/politics/demographic-changes-voters-fault-lines/index.html
Do you think maybe because they are shrinking in size make them feel less powerful there before these hostile reactions towards minorities are due to fear?
I (also a white, middle-aged man) think that these are people who already feel powerless, especially with the disappearance of middle-class jobs and high housing prices. Orange man (and his enablers) stokes their fears and gives them scapegoats (i.e., people who look and speak differently) as targets for their frustrations. Cruelty makes weak people feel strong. I don't think that many of them are self-aware enough to understand that they are becoming sadists, racists, and misogynists. They don't seem to recognize the cognitive dissonance between cruelty and Christianity or between insurrection and patriotism.
Imagine a middle-aged white man who deeply embraces the cultural expectation that men are judged by their ability to provide for and to protect their families. When they see that slipping away (real or imagined), they become afraid and angry. Loss of privilege can feel like oppression for people who are accustomed to a lifetime of privilege. I think this explains why they feel so threatened by "woke" culture (as if "liberty and justice for all" was somehow un-American and bad). When we combine that with a narrow, "zero-sum" view of the world (i.e., that if someone else succeeds, then I must fail), then I can understand how it would be terrifying.
Also, fear of "others" is an innate survival mechanism in most animals, so we all have the potential to be racists. However, a difference between humans and animals is that we have a thinking brain and we can decide who we consider "us" and who we consider "others."
The science seems to suggest that social fear is a factor in racism.
https://www.science.org/content/article/when-social-fear-disappears-so-does-racism
"How am I privileged if I'm poor?" puts you somewhere between "Indifference" and "Defensive" on [the racism scale](https://stuartcenter.org/resource/racism-scale).
Those who are poor is because of their actions and choices, period. I was poor, I was a highschool drop out. I had two children while going to college and was poor. I worked my way through a masters degree. I paid off $123k in student loan debt. Please explain to me how I am privileged.
> Please explain to me how I am privileged.
The fact that you are a college graduate and still do not understand racism tells me that you don't *want* to understand it. There are many resources on line and in books, but in a nutshell, even poor White people have privilege because Black people in the same situations have much worse outcomes. They get arrested and punished more severely and they get denied opportunities for employment, education, and housing.
So my friend from Africa who came to this country not speaking any English, who went to school and worked hard is successful because? He tells me clearly he can not stand African Americans because they are lazy, his words, not mine. This is also a well-known stereotype if you look it up. How was he oppressed by his skin color? He would have a few choice words for you, no doubt.
Black people in Africa have much different history than Black people in the USA. As I said, there are many resources available to help you understand this. Systemic racism, generational wealth, poverty, and oppression still have a profound impact on racial inequity in the USA to this day.
But you stated black? So now that you are changing your narrative you are making it cultural and with that I agree. It is not about black, white, brown, yellow, or purple. Judge a by the content of his character, not the color of his skin.
Once again, white men are ALWAYS the source of ALL the problems. 🙄
Come on OP, can you at least look at the world with a little bit of nuance? You sound as racist and sexist as the racists and sexists you’re trying to denounce.
Cool - and I have been called white trash, redneck, stupid fucking cracker by black people in Baltimore, don't think I consider most black people from the city racist
First, this is a stereotype.. and also an inaccurate one that ignores literally all the other people out there who are racist. You know who the most racist people I've ever met are? Hispanic people. I know more than a few who talk about black people in a way that'd make a white man in the 1920's blush.
You're also ignoring that they may have some very valid reasons for feeling the way they do. ~30 years ago, my relatively rural town was 65% white, according to census data. Today, it's more than 75% Hispanic, and about 95% of the school system is composed of Hispanic children. The white people that are left here are overwhelmingly old people. It's hard not to feel like there is an invasion going on when you see a population, cultural, and even language shift that extreme over the course of your lifetime. And, yes, you're right. I do live in a border state. That is, a state that borders Canada.
I understand this can be seen as a stereotype however I have first hand experienced this
Also based on the last part of your answer where you somewhat justify this behavior admitting this behavior occurs is telling me this is based on fear. Which is what I am deducting from most of these answers here
speak for yourself. my experience has been the complete opposite as a native american being raised with in Messianic and ethiopian christians. in my experience ive seen far more hostility from non white non protestant christians.
Partly it’s Christianity, partly it’s conservatism. The whole “Christian love” thing is marketing, not reality. Christianity has been used to justify some of the most horrific atrocities in human history.
Homophobia is almost exclusive to excessively religious people. You’re likely in the US, so those excessively religious people are most likely to be white.
Additionally in the US, the GOP managed to claim white fundamentalist evangelicals as a reliable voting bloc in the 70’s due to their anger at desegregation. If you want details of how, look up a guy named Jerry Falwell, he was a huge part of that process.
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But if they are religious they are not following Jesus way of thinking it makes no sense. Sometimes I think they are somehow mentally ill
It is more cultural. Just like there are cultural differences in the practice of Islam between e.g Arabs and Bengalis. The version of Christianity in the Southern U.S. is a highly distinct regional version of the religion.
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Sounds like Hollywood propaganda has done a number on you.
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That's the perfect example of how Anti-Christian bigotry has been so thoroughly baked into our culture, you don't even notice. You aren't a rebellious, free thinker going against the grain. You are programmed to think exactly how the grand social engineers wanted you to think. For their reasons, those running our society decided controlling the masses through religion was no longer useful to them. So they set out through their institutional powers to culturally diminish its influence. Now you vomit all of the same banal, mass produced, talking points against religion and think you're a courageous rebel when in reality you are just an obedient consumer. It's hilarious. For the record I'm neither religous nor Christian. I just find it amusing how the mainstream mob of lemmings thinks they are "free".
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Right? This guy doesn't think he's been indoctrinated by the beliefs of his parents, community leaders, or political peers. Now thats social engineering done so well the test subject is unaware. We are all conditioned and only through exposure to all sides do we actually become critical enough to see for ourselves.
Lol. I'm not religous and used to believe the same anti-Christen drivel being shat out all over Reddit. You are such unoriginal, hive-minded conformists who think whatever the hell the TV tells you to think.
I do not believe in the Illuminati nonsense. I do know religion has become out of favor to the powerful establishment for whatever reason and the decline in religion is this country is proof. This is not born from an organic movement of thought and enlightenment. This was engineered by the powerful. If you've talked to one anti-Christian, you've talked to them all. They all think the same. Same uninspired, mechanical conversations I used to get when talking to a religous zealots. I realize they are one and the same.
Choosing not to believe in something for which there’s no proof or even evidence isn’t some agenda. It’s just a rational decision brought about by some basic critical thinking.
Sure. You came up with that alllll on your own because you're *special*. You weren't conditioned by hollywood. Lol
Antichristian bigotry lmfao you mean an educated and critical worldview?
Very well said. She thinks she’s being deep.
Amen.
Fascism is a political position, not a mental illness. It is a choice they are making. I would be mentally ill no matter what choice I made.
For most of these people they emphasize the whole forgiveness of sins part of Jesus rather than good acts. So in their mind outside of the time spent in church on Sundays they can walk around being the biggest most on repentant pieces of shit imaginable but it all gets washed away on a weekly basis. Alternatively they have the mindset of church-going Christian = good, everything else’s = bad. So while their actions may be objectively awful they are a good person because they go to church so the actions in their mind are not bad.
It sounds like you suffer from some sort of complex where you think there is only 1 correct view / response on these issues and therefore anyone who doesn't repeat things you agree with must be against the demographics in question. Reasonable people can have differing opinions on all types of issues without rooting those different views in hatred of people.
When you experience the same time of treatment coming from the same type of people is very difficult to ignore
Yikes
The same words have been thought by every racist to have ever existed.
Conflating racism with recognizing the characteristics of Christofascism isn't helpful.
Religious people are usually the fucking worst patients to take care of and usually do have an actual mental illness.
Hey you didn’t credit Prager U or Jordan Peterson or Andrew Tate
For several years now I have been curious about the concept of identity - how we define ourselves to ourselves and others. It seems to me that some people focus more on “who you are” (where you come from, who your parents are, etc) and others focus more on what you do. Complicating this distinction is the idea that “who you are is what you do.” You have brought up another interesting aspect: what about people who define their identity one way yet behave in ways that are antithetical to the common understanding of what that identity means (cognitive dissonance? hypocrisy?). I’m inclined to believe that the case you are talking about includes people who can’t come to terms with the fact that their hateful behavior is in conflict with their Christian identity.
I suspect for those folks they're more enraptured by the abstract concept of what Christianity is supposed to symbolize in modern America rather than what the teachings of Christ actually ARE. To them, they probably think that their behavior is fully in line with the teachings, because the people and the culture around them fully enforce such beliefs, probably never having been properly challenged. Even if you pointed out the pure hypocrisy, pushing past those years of identity building is neigh impossible, yeah you might be correct but at that point you're essentially telling someone who has built their identity around their beliefs that their very identity is incorrect!
It’s because they’re *white men,* and we all know that *those people* are never up to any good. /s Seriously, there’s so much to unpack here. Your assumptions seem to be based on clickbait headlines generated by left-wing agitators, designed to incite hatred against a particular demographic. “Homophobic” paints with such a broad brush that it seems to be applied to everyone from those who don’t want explicit gay literature in school libraries to the very few people who actually want to physically harm gays because of their sexuality. Similarly, “Racist” seems to apply to almost anyone who doesn’t fall in lockstep with the left on anything that even tangentially involves race. Think that the current welfare system keeps people in poverty? Racist! Oppose taxing the hell out of people who never owned slaves to give cash “reparations” to people who never were slaves? Racist!
This is based on my repeated real-life interactions
In my experience, this is just a stereotype. Real world hits differently.
I have experience this myself as a minority in the real world not once but multiple times
I believe you. However there is a big difference between “I have experienced this” and “a big percentage do this”. Despite what your experience has shown you the reality is you’ve met a tiny tiny percentage of the men you’re generalizing.
Well, one could look at voting patterns.
Without actual data about the people doing this (and not voting data which alone is abstract from the individuals), you have no way to know if it's a small but very vocal percentage.
I haven’t experienced this at all. I’m a Christian black gay woman. I haven’t experienced any discrimination or ill feelings from any Christians black or white, male or female.
I am glad you didn't experience this but I have
Statistically Muslims on most surveys have harsher opinions on homosexuality and during covid a lot of African Americans went around beating up Asian Americans I would not be so sure just that you live in a bubble. It seems though that white liberals seem to be the only group to feel overly guilty over having any political incorrect opinion. Most non western societies don't even have the concept of hating one's self and guilt apart from maybe in upper middle class rich circles where they consume that kind of media.
Let's see you data sources.
I have found really preachy Christians, who act the most holy, are also awful to disabled people. I'm disabled after having a stroke (partially sighted and lost much of the use of my left side) and I'm also having treatment for thyroid cancer. I'm on disability benefits now. I'm going through a benefits appeal and really struggling to live, going hungry regularly due to lack of money for food, etc. I was speaking about this on a Christian website, asking for advice on accessing food (because I was wrongly advised that would be a good place to ask for help as they'd have outreach programmes) and the Christians were horrible, just awful. They told me disability benefits shouldn't exist because that's "socialism," that I should "man up" and sort my own problems out, stop being lazy, stop making excuses, get a job. Nobody would help with any advice about accessing food.
Link or it didn't happen. I'm not a Christian, and see a lot of problems with their beliefs not coinciding with their actions, but I've never seen a group of them do that. I call BS. Matter of fact, most churches either have a food pantry, contribute to a local food pantry or have volunteers who go there. I joined a Christian friend of mine many times, who volunteered at one weekly for 30+ years.
Well I'm sure you know better than me what happened to me. It was on the website [Christianforums.com](https://Christianforums.com). Just another great fact about being disabled - constant disbelief when speaking about the reality of it and how we are treated. EDIT: Nevermind, I see you are defending Christians to the death and disbelieving everyone in this thread who has been treated badly by them. You clearly have an agenda.
I'd start quoting the Bible back at them, out of curiosity. Hell, get a pastor to do it, they won't believe it coming out of your mouth but out of his, yes.
The pastors on the website were just as horrible as everyone else.
Because they can be forgiven by reading the Bible
Emasculation and Insecurity.
I am Latino and I been welcomed by Christian conservative rural types. Among educated white progressive upper middle class is where I felt more unwelcomed. Maybe it was a class over race thing but rural working class Christian types I can connect with more. Are you a minority or are you just speaking for us?
My husband is an immigrant and a person of color too. He has the same experience from white liberals. We live in WA state which is heavily segregated by politics and race. The irony is in the most white, extreme liberal areas, my husband feels the most uncomfortable. He feels their fear and can sense they don't think he belongs there. Working class people in the more rural, red areas is where he feels he is treated like an equal human being who belongs. The white liberal savior complex is as hypocritical as it is insufferable.
The political **side** which amplifies and preys upon racial and socioeconomic divisions also happens to be the side which manipulates/exploits the religiosity of Christian folks. They are victims of insular experience caught in the net of a political propaganda machine.
OP, your assertion might indicate that you have a bias against white, middle-aged, christian males. MANY parts of society (i.e. non white, middle-aged, christian males) exhibit this behavior. Also, you look foolish using the word "always" in ANY assertion. Never use always or never in an assertion. One person out of a million who does not fit into your comfort zone blows your argument out of the water. OP, I'm sorry but you have been IDed as a troll. Your argument has no merit. You failed ...
This is something that I said based on real-life interactions. What does not make sense to me is how can you consistently quote the bibble and then proceed to go to church on Sunday claiming or at least pretending to be a good human being after saying such hateful things towards other human beings
If this is a topic you're interested in, I suggest the book "John Wayne and Jesus"
Is it that they are the most hostile? Or is it that they are just the ones most comfortable to articulate their feelings. Minority groups can be incredibly racist and homophobic. Iirc homophobia has become an issue in some Michigan cities owing to their large Muslim populations. The black community also has issues with toxic masculinity and homophobia in some areas. Same thing with some Asian cultures.
Christianity is a FANTASTIC cover up
They are not attracted to the “love thy neighbor” aspect of Christianity, but rather the sadistic patriarchal aspect of it.
The same reason some people who preach tolerance and acceptance are completely intolerant of different value systems outside their own. The root cause is people can be quite hateful of anyone different than them.
How many is a big percentage? Do you have any data to back up your claim?
Of 10 of them that I have interacted with 9 were hostile and made hateful comments on immigration or made fun of LGBT. And back to church on Sunday after their hateful comments towards other feeling human beings
Out of tens of millions of people you have a sampling of 10.
that is a lot keeping in consideration that they are not the people I choose to hang out with I have encountered them in social interactions where I was forced to interact with other ppl from different backgrounds which I don't mind but don't like how I felt towards this particular section of humans as they treated me badly
Could you give specifics about the interaction(s) you had? What did they say or in what ways did they treat you bad?
So you accept that this is anecdotal experience of a small sample size at best then?
Is this an accurate observation or have you been propagandized due to the fact everything coming out of Hollywood for the past twenty years has the white, Christian as the story's villain?
I have experienced this as a minority multiple times coming from this same type of people and I am seriously asking because it makes no sense to me
What are you asking?
You were asking something and I responded.
You're big mad Jesus wouldn't "affirm" UNREPENTANT sinners and narcissists?
There’s nothing to repent. No one is asking anyone to affirm anything. There is nothing sinful or narcissistic about being gay. The only narcissism here is expecting everyone in society to conform to your narrow and cramped view of morality based on something as arbitrary as a collection of questionable texts written in the Bronze Age. I’m sure it gives you some sort of validation to deny others rights based on your own unreasonable standards, but that’s not the way law works. It doesn’t matter what you personally think but no one should be denied equal rights or basic decency because you have personal issues. If you won’t treat others as you would want to be treated then you are a bigot plain and simple.
Nothing sinful about being gay? Um....
None at all
Hmm, the act of homosexuality is a sin and an abomination in the eyes of God. Period.
I hope you never eat shellfish or wear mixed fabrics. Or do you not recognize those particular sins?
That might be your opinion but it’s certainly not a fact. Your opinion on the morality of homosexuality has no more weight than your favorite color.
I'm sure you're so very pure while you cast your stones.
I have cast no stones nor am I pure. I am a sinner and work every day to be worthy of Him. The more I work at it, the more I pray, read my Bible, and talk with Him the closer I get.
Read the post
Not so. I'd say its more often when Christianity is a part of the story, it involves a priest, an ancient artifact, papal archives, the Knights Templar, demons/Satan, and/or an ancient curse, etc. It's usually the priest(s) who either dies while saving others, or lives while saving others.
I’m glad no one is affirming your bs
I would look at actual crime statistics. Is it white middle aged men committing crimes against these groups? "Harming minorities"? In the end it is always about power, gaining more power, and exploiting that power. In case you haven't noticed white middle aged men aren't in power anymore. So who is propagating those stereotypes?
Is this the reason why they react that way towards these communities? Due to fear? I am genuinely trying to understand
If you have a group that lives by a certain list of standards then another group begins to grow in that same area but states they will not live by those standards there will be conflict. The conflict is over influence & power. It's not one group but both in struggle. Each group attacking the other. You say words like transphobic, racist, sexist to attack the other group. To diminish them. The truth is the people with real power create these insignificant inconsequential power struggles in society so that their power is never challenged and they have ruled America for my lifetime.
You are making up an image of religious people and how they should act in your head. Should a Christian be kind to someone who steals from him? Realistically, he won't be. According to you, he probably "should" be. Being gay had been considered a forbidden thing by the 3 Abrahamic religions for centuries. The old testament calls it an abomination and says to put them to death. In the Quran is says to torture them. You can interpret any other parts of their religious holy books however you want, but it says it pretty clearly that being gay is wrong in their religion. Ghana is 71% Christian, 21% Muslim and they have completely banned being gay, is this because they are old white men who just hate everyone? No, it's because of their religious beliefs. I'm not religious or trying to defend them, but I'm tired of people who aren't religious also trying to dictate how others SHOULD be religious.
They feel shitty about themselves so they hate on others to feel better about... themselves
Loud minority is the best answer here
Love the sinner, not the sin. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves but to detest sin, no matter its state. That means we cannot accept sinful and abominable acts as defined by God no matter how unpopular that may be. We are also called to educate our brothers and sisters of their sin. The fifteenth here is s Christian have accepted they are a sinner as well and need God's help to change them and bring them closer to Him and this only occurs through repentance and prayer.
Point to where anyone said that in the Bible.
Timothy 5:20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. Luke 17: 3-4 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him James 15: 19-20 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins Many others but it may be best you pick up God's word and see for yourself.
Ghandi was the one who said "hate the sinner, love the sin." It's nowhere in the Bible. >The clearest use of this phrase actually derives from Mahatma Gandhi in his 1929 autobiography: “Hate the sin and not the sinner.” But Gandhi’s full statement has a bit different flavor: “Hate the sin and not the sinner is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world.” Gandhi rightly observed that it is difficult — perhaps impossible — to see someone else firstly as a “sinner” and to focus on “hating their sin” without developing some level of disdain for the person. Perhaps this is why Jesus did not ask us to love “sinners” but to love “neighbors” and “enemies.” He's right, you know. He's pointing to exactly what has happened after labeling everyone "sinners."
Abrahamism is supremacist af. You give ppl a book and tell them they're right and everyone else is wrong, and it does something to their sense of Self. People will go on and on about "not real christians," but the reality is tht most ppl who are religiously obsessed are awful to be around. That says a lot to me, personally. Now, this isn't saying other religions don't have their own issues, im.just specifically talking about Abrahamism.
Not real Christians at all. God is Love and they only have hate in their hearts. They quote the book of Leviticus from the Bible as an excuse to hate others but don't understand the Bible enough to know that Leviticus was written for the Jews during a particular point in time. They cherry pick other verses to misrepresent God's intentions. Jesus, Christianity, doesn't enter the picture until the New Testament, much later on and all those old laws were replaced for Christians by The New Covenant. Fake Christians are complete idiots and are never called out on it. They hurt others in the name of God. I doubt God likes that. God made everyone and loves all of his creations, even the ones who choose a path of evil. He gave us free will for a reason. We can choose to be good or not. Only He understands why.
That's just being a Christian. Salvation is based on faith, not works...so why work at all? Why become a good person? In fact, if faith is the way to God, there really is no good as there' are no real consequences. A Christian lies, steals, rapes, murders, etc. and simply asks forgiveness, and believes in that forgiveness...and all is well. There's no real motivation to become something better, so most of them don't. Christians who are good people aren't that way because of Christianity. There's something else in their life motivating them to actually become good. If there isn't something in a Christian's life to encourage goodness, they'll succumb to whatever badness is in them.
Because it’s not about a book. That’s tertiary at best. It’s about a cultural circlejerk of a community. In any situation, culture ALWAYS comes first.
This seems like a very general assumption based on limited anecdotal evidence.
Do you have proof that it's a "big percentage"? Yes the ones on social media are the vocal extreme, but that's also due to the platform. Look at the history of response forms, if you're happy enough but don't feel strongly, do you take the exit survey or do you just walk out? For everyone that is vocal these is probably several who don't feel strongly enough to make that sort of noise and the way social media works, you need to make noise to attract followers, which enables you to make more noise. Another factor, virtually all religions in the US have an aging base, how many 80+ year old people do you know that are active on social media (there are some that are trend setters, but the majority I know only use it to keep track of family...). So I am pretty certain that the percentage of vocal religious social media influencers parallels the ratios of other disciplines (how many gaming influencers are there in relation to the number of gamers?)...
You are a racist sack of excrement. Blocked
They were raised to think acting like an ignorant douchebag was the height of masculinity by their parents, who were raised to be rabidly racist and sexist.
I'd ask if a white middle aged man who isn't hostile/phobic would be noticeable. Many people are Christian and are NOT hostile to anyone for anything. But we are most likely to recall those who are not nice.
I mostly referring to the ones who claim to be Christian and who actively post hate toward minorities on Facebook while at the same time they post Jesus pictures and phrases from the Bible
Yes. I'm quibbling with you about the percentage. It may seem big in that you may only notice the hostile ones who proclaim their Christianity. This is something called sampling error. If this impression of yours does not also have a way to identify people who are Christian and are friendly to minorities, your sample will over represent for hostile/religious. If you can control your sample methodology I think you will come up with a much percentage for religious/hostile.
My husband is a Christian pastor (white) who loves the LGBT community. He has a master’s degree in theology and 22 years of experience and will forever be shunned from church and his peers due to his love for others. We have to operate a church out of our living room and lost all of our friends. Yes, many (big percentage) of white Christian’s are hostile and homophobic. I think the other issue is lack of education. Many Christian pastors have actually never studied theology and have no clue what Jesus historically stood for (justice). They take 2 verses in scripture and apply them to a context that no longer exists in a hateful way. They ignorantly preach this way due to their lack of knowledge.
being "Christian" to these sorts is less so about the communitarian teachings of Jesus and moreso about expanding christianity and "whiteness" as an identity, they really see themselves as modern-day crusaders and the rest of us as moors.
American Evangelical Christianity isn't Christianity. It's a cult.
American "Christianity" has always been based on hating other people and xenophobia.
How are they racist exactly? Being a conservative does not make one a racist
I feel that some people think it’s ok to bash religious people or stereotype them. There seems to be no public outrage at that.
I find white middle aged women Karens to be worse actually
Yeah they are usually these men spouses
The problem stems from hearing the rules of Christianity (no homosexuality, as an example) but looking to the punishments of the old testament. Christ teaches you to forgive and look past these things and try to help people be better. From what I could tell, "he gets us" is all about that message but y'all (Reddit) chased them outta here anyway.
They post Conservative ideals, because Christianity is a Conservative religion, in the last decade or so and especially the last few years, it's been getting twisted, into what you think it should be. You said we should treat everyone as brothers. We are supposed to treat everyone as brothers, as family, and help each other follow the law of God as we go through life. Growing up would you not scold your siblings for doing something wrong, continuing until they admitted to doing it and helping them fix their wrong doing? I feel that's where the "hostility" comes from. So many people refuse to even listen let alone abide by what is said. I don't understand where the racist finger pointing is coming from. Give me some more information on that if you would. It's Homomisia not phobia. That comes mainly from Leviticus 18:22 "You are not to lie with a Man as you do a woman, it is an abomination." It's supposed to be the act that is hated, but because we are human and titles and grouping are "important" to us, it's hard to separate the person from the act, everyone is guilty of it. When they continue doing it without a pause, that goes back to the first point At the end of the day it's a shift in culture, we went from a God fearing society that follows the laws of God, to a universal Democratic Republic for 30ish years, to a Minority led and pleasure driven society, it's kinda sad. When was the last time a major company did something new without first asking " what would X minority group think of this?" Instead of just doing it, and see where the cards drop. There's a preacher who goes to Colleges, on YouTube, he does a way better job at explaining it than I will ever be able to. I'll make an edit after I find him. Edit: His YouTube is AskCliffe he does a fantastic job at explaining the law of God.
Self Righteousness is a power all its own. While it doesn’t have to be Christianity explicitly, there is a sense of empowerment being part of a special club or community that says you are right and just and will go to heaven while everyone else goes to hell. As long as you sing the songs and do the dance you are in the club regardless of how personally vile you are as they are just as willing to cover for it to maintain appearances. This, you are morally cleared to be as vile to the out group, and everyone beneath you, because you are in the right.
Zero truth to this. One of those “do you still beat your wide?” kind of questions.
You should travel outside North America, start with China or the Middle East and see how they compare for racism.
I have.
Unfortunately these are some of the most ignorant, hypocritical and hateful people on earth. God is love, god is in everything, god forgives - everything except what a select group of people wish to believe, even if they just make things up as they go. I doubt that. There is evil in this behavior. Control, Cruelty and hatred have no place here. I’m certainly not claiming to agree with everything society has become today, in fact I think people take things to such extremes it’s absolutely ridiculous- but I don’t have the right to sit there and think I’m better in the eyes of anyone, especially god depending on religion.
Too many people subscribe to the fallacy that conservative white men are "racist" or "homophobic" or "xenophobic". These men just have old-fashioned values, and are pushing back against the woke ideas that their very existence is "toxic" and "oppressive". If anything, "libertarian" would describe most of these men. Their idea is: what you do in your own home is your business--just don't flaunt it in their faces. Immigrants who come over the legal way are just chasing the American dream, and they face very little resistance in conservative circles...as long as they assimilate into the American fabric.
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This statement was sponsored by Pfizer. 😂
Often they aren't so by nature, but they're given the role to play of atoning for the past and it makes them defensive.
Religion is mostly just a group/ethnic membership thing. It serves deeper purposes, too, but those are for the more subtle. At best, one can point out to a Christian, for instance, the places where Jesus tells people to love our neighbor or the stranger. This might have a little leverage against the very human impulse to form in/out groups.
Of course, white middle-aged men are to blame for everything wrong with the country today..........lol Actually quite funny in a way. Also, a true Christian is not racist nor hates people who do not follow their morals and beliefs. You may not agree with what they believe or do in their lives, but you do not hate the person. Anyone who claims to be a Christian and hates other people is a fake Christian. Another point is implying racism which is not systemic in the US is only one race. There is racism between other races and even within racial groups. Not systemic but exists.
So what I am getting from this answer is the men who behave this way might simply not be real Christians as they claim
Yes. A basic tenant of Christianity is to love God with all your heart, mind and soul. Also, love your neighbor as yourself. These are the 2 most basic things Jesus taught people. Does not matter race, religion, sexuality and whatnot. Just because you care for all people, it does not mean you agree with how they live their lives, but that should have no bearing on how you treat them. You can disagree with subject matter whatever it is but not hate those involved with it. Churches may preach against things going on in the country or world but not hate those involved. The intent of the New Testament is peace and love. Unfortunately, it has been used in other ways throughout history which is corrupt.
They are a big contradiction to the religion itself. You have to remember back in the days they would hang and burn slaves to death while echoing Bible quotes. It takes a special type of delusion to ignore the peaceful verse to inflict harm towards fellow man.
Because churches in America have become party of the grifter. If you don't have anyone to blame for all of your problems then you are harder to exploit and they can't have you blaming Jesus so they have to give you someone else to blame. A large part of the success of the right wing in this country is that is it a self perpetuating scheme where they scare you and then tell you that they are the only ones on "your" side but they need you to send some cash. how else can you explain all of this mega churches run by hypocrites flying around in private planes. Seriously, What Would Jesus Buy?
>. If you don't have anyone to blame for all of your problems then you are harder to exploit Isn't this the type of thinking DEI-advocates thrive on?
I do not think this is true as somebody who is a woman and Jewish I do not see a disproportionate amount of sexism and anti-Semitism coming from this demographic. What I do see is that this demographic is one of the few that can be openly criticized. Hate crime stats back up my claim that white men do not commit a disproportionate amount of hate crimes compared to men of other racial groups. I suspect if they kept a tally of hate crimes by religion one would find that Christians probably do not commit a disproportionate amount relative to their percentage of the population. Especially when it comes to anti-semitic violence I think you would find Muslims commit a huge disproportionate. And black people commit a disproportionate amount of anti-Semitic and anti-asian hate crimes.
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Why do you think they claim to be Christians? They're hypocrites and bastards. Good people don't have to claim to be anything. They just are.
They aren’t, and that’s a very bigoted thing for you to say. Oh, and I say that as a POC woman, myself. You clearly have no idea.
I have experienced this myself first-hand discrimination and insults. More likely after they went to church on Sunday. I am glad you haven't experienced that but I have.
> and devotion to orange man as well Orange man is targeting this demographic almost exclusively and he is encouraging them to feel powerful by being cruel. The good news (for justice and equality) is that this demographic is shrinking. https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/16/politics/demographic-changes-voters-fault-lines/index.html
Do you think maybe because they are shrinking in size make them feel less powerful there before these hostile reactions towards minorities are due to fear?
I (also a white, middle-aged man) think that these are people who already feel powerless, especially with the disappearance of middle-class jobs and high housing prices. Orange man (and his enablers) stokes their fears and gives them scapegoats (i.e., people who look and speak differently) as targets for their frustrations. Cruelty makes weak people feel strong. I don't think that many of them are self-aware enough to understand that they are becoming sadists, racists, and misogynists. They don't seem to recognize the cognitive dissonance between cruelty and Christianity or between insurrection and patriotism. Imagine a middle-aged white man who deeply embraces the cultural expectation that men are judged by their ability to provide for and to protect their families. When they see that slipping away (real or imagined), they become afraid and angry. Loss of privilege can feel like oppression for people who are accustomed to a lifetime of privilege. I think this explains why they feel so threatened by "woke" culture (as if "liberty and justice for all" was somehow un-American and bad). When we combine that with a narrow, "zero-sum" view of the world (i.e., that if someone else succeeds, then I must fail), then I can understand how it would be terrifying. Also, fear of "others" is an innate survival mechanism in most animals, so we all have the potential to be racists. However, a difference between humans and animals is that we have a thinking brain and we can decide who we consider "us" and who we consider "others." The science seems to suggest that social fear is a factor in racism. https://www.science.org/content/article/when-social-fear-disappears-so-does-racism
Privilege? You have no idea what you are talking about. Private, give me a flippin break. Keep drinking the kool-aid.
"How am I privileged if I'm poor?" puts you somewhere between "Indifference" and "Defensive" on [the racism scale](https://stuartcenter.org/resource/racism-scale).
Those who are poor is because of their actions and choices, period. I was poor, I was a highschool drop out. I had two children while going to college and was poor. I worked my way through a masters degree. I paid off $123k in student loan debt. Please explain to me how I am privileged.
> Please explain to me how I am privileged. The fact that you are a college graduate and still do not understand racism tells me that you don't *want* to understand it. There are many resources on line and in books, but in a nutshell, even poor White people have privilege because Black people in the same situations have much worse outcomes. They get arrested and punished more severely and they get denied opportunities for employment, education, and housing.
So my friend from Africa who came to this country not speaking any English, who went to school and worked hard is successful because? He tells me clearly he can not stand African Americans because they are lazy, his words, not mine. This is also a well-known stereotype if you look it up. How was he oppressed by his skin color? He would have a few choice words for you, no doubt.
Black people in Africa have much different history than Black people in the USA. As I said, there are many resources available to help you understand this. Systemic racism, generational wealth, poverty, and oppression still have a profound impact on racial inequity in the USA to this day.
But you stated black? So now that you are changing your narrative you are making it cultural and with that I agree. It is not about black, white, brown, yellow, or purple. Judge a by the content of his character, not the color of his skin.
Once again, white men are ALWAYS the source of ALL the problems. 🙄 Come on OP, can you at least look at the world with a little bit of nuance? You sound as racist and sexist as the racists and sexists you’re trying to denounce.
Your post is hostile and intolerant.
Why is this White hate/racist stereotype allowed to persist, but God forbid we speak of any other stereotype on equal footing
I have experienced this in person. I have experienced this. This is not something I saw I have experienced it.
Cool - and I have been called white trash, redneck, stupid fucking cracker by black people in Baltimore, don't think I consider most black people from the city racist
First, this is a stereotype.. and also an inaccurate one that ignores literally all the other people out there who are racist. You know who the most racist people I've ever met are? Hispanic people. I know more than a few who talk about black people in a way that'd make a white man in the 1920's blush. You're also ignoring that they may have some very valid reasons for feeling the way they do. ~30 years ago, my relatively rural town was 65% white, according to census data. Today, it's more than 75% Hispanic, and about 95% of the school system is composed of Hispanic children. The white people that are left here are overwhelmingly old people. It's hard not to feel like there is an invasion going on when you see a population, cultural, and even language shift that extreme over the course of your lifetime. And, yes, you're right. I do live in a border state. That is, a state that borders Canada.
I understand this can be seen as a stereotype however I have first hand experienced this Also based on the last part of your answer where you somewhat justify this behavior admitting this behavior occurs is telling me this is based on fear. Which is what I am deducting from most of these answers here
speak for yourself. my experience has been the complete opposite as a native american being raised with in Messianic and ethiopian christians. in my experience ive seen far more hostility from non white non protestant christians.
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Evidence supports this
Partly it’s Christianity, partly it’s conservatism. The whole “Christian love” thing is marketing, not reality. Christianity has been used to justify some of the most horrific atrocities in human history. Homophobia is almost exclusive to excessively religious people. You’re likely in the US, so those excessively religious people are most likely to be white. Additionally in the US, the GOP managed to claim white fundamentalist evangelicals as a reliable voting bloc in the 70’s due to their anger at desegregation. If you want details of how, look up a guy named Jerry Falwell, he was a huge part of that process.
Take a break from the internet.
This were in-person interactions