Forcing religion, your thoughts.

[skyrow]

Ok, Just an hour ago my boyfriends mother came to my house, got in my face, & yelled that I am going to hell. Her reasoning behind it is that I do not follow the bible. That she is just doing her job to save me. I have NOTHING against Christians, but I feel she is the kind that gives them a bad name. What are your guys' thoughts and have you ever experienced anything like this?

[SusanNorton]

Can you imagine Jesus getting in someone's face and yelling?? It's laughable. I sometimes think that 90% of people who call themselves Christians are truly ignorant of Christ's message of love.

[Sundrop]

People who act like this are what gives "Christianity" a bad name..... No where in my Bible does it tell me that I have any right to judge another person, nor does it say that I have any duty to scream into anyone's face that they have to follow my belief or be doomed to hell.

I'm so sorry that you were treated that way, Skyrow

[jchanic]

Anyone who tries to force their brand of religion, no matter Christian, Muslim or Jewish, on another person is just plain wrong. Religion is intensely personal, and it is not up to anyone else to determine what you should believe. Her "faith" may decide that you are destined for Hell, but to confront you in a hostile manner is wrong. She may be trying to "save" you, but she is no better than those Islamic fundamentalists who put non-believers to death.

John

[PatInTheHat]

More times than I could possibly count.
I've spent quite a bit of time in & around the flat wacky worlds of fundamentalist, primitive Baptist and Pentecostal thinking, hell, my own family has a quite few branches on them particular twisted trees, and they just don't seem to dig my sense of humor..yeah well ok, or pert near anything else Pat The Hatish.
Honestly I mostly find them nice friendly folks, and occasionally entertaining, that is until the very second that I don't, which is often right at the time they get the stones to get real up close and personal.

Now I don't mind a friendly lifestyle suggestion now & again, though it's probably best to gauge the current state of my mind first, and definitely after I've had coffee..and pie, pie is good for ones mental processes before ones going to be judged even moderately harshly.
Unfortunately these nuts seem to have a penchant for stepping into my own Garden of Gethsemane and insisting I have an soul saving epiphany at exactly the wrong time, and so as not to be ungracious, I do.

Hey now, it's not like I tell 'em to stick the entire "good book" up their tabernacles, could be just the old testament will do, though I leave the choice to them which is way more than they seem willing to do.
Blessed is me, 'cause I'm a true believer that I'm actually good for their deep unwielding faith...and boot scootin' (not to mention that kick azzz goovy walkin' on water thang), while mumbling (often quite loudly..how do they do that?) incoherent invectives skills.
I'm sure they ask for forgiveness 'cause I'm fairly sure spittin' invectives may require it...or maybe that's just meant for me and mine..hmm, well then, guess I'm potentially seriously screwed.

I think I fully expect to be stoned (hmm...ohhhhh..nope, not always a good thing) or burned at the stake one day, maybe both (possibly if not highly probable by my own kin), if I don't learn to stay the hell away from the serious Bible thumpers, I mean obviously I don't have a right to be anywhere in the vicinity of some of their power & glory filled little worlds.
(hope they bring the kiddies and have a big festival (with a pie table of course..I will say this, they sure do seem to excel in pie), 'cause gee whiz, as good fun fun fun for the whole(y) family entertainment is so hard to come by, they might as well make a weekend of it..could call it Fire & Flintstoned Days)

[Bryan James]

Tell her to "turn the other cheek" and then kick both sides of her ass for good measure.

Nutjob extremists (the two are mutually conclusive) can give anything a bad name. Religion, pizza cooks, actors, rappers.....

~BJS

[Srbo]

Actually, Susan, Jesus did yell and even had a whip with him to throw the bunch of people out of the temple that made it a market.

Skyrow, tell your boyfriend

JUDGE NOT LEST YE BE JUDGED and to not CAST THE FIRST STONE, for I don`t think he is without sin.
Or anyone for that matter.

I believe in God, but religious fanatics are really a major PITA.

[vslayer]

Wow! Where to start on this one! I could write a book! I too have NOTHING against Christians, but the fundamentalists sure seem to have something against anyone who doesn’t see the world the way they do. As an atheist who works with a couple of fundamentalist Baptists I can sympathize. I have a one way ticket to the hot place, I could save you a seat on the bus if you would like?!!! The moral superiority comes of these people in waves and they do love to judge, even though I think the Bible says something about that!
I work in a Dermatologist office and the Doctor is one of the fundamentalists, she sometimes prays over patients with warts!!! Luckily the area is pretty religious, so far there have been no complaints! She gave me a book one time “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis. I didn’t read it because I’m very comfortable with my status of unbelief. But it felt kinda awkward, I just said thanks, and luckily she has never brought the subject up again. I did think about returning the favor by leaving a copy of Bertrand Russell’s ‘Why I am not a Christian’ on her desk. But naturally that would be considered as rude.
I also work alongside regular Christians who have no problem with what I don’t believe and we get along just fine. I think the world would be a better place if religion was like sex, it’s something you enjoy in the privacy of your own home, if you like to share with others you go to church or in the case of sex, an orgy, where you can share with like minded people!!!! You Boyfriend’s mother certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable broaching the subject of your sexual position preference!!!
Try some reverse tactics on your boyfriend’s mother - see how closely she follows her own book. Start with the 10 commandments, I’m sure she’s broke at least a couple. How about taking the Lord’s name in vain? Quoting from Sam Harris’s book ‘The End of Faith’ “What, after all is the punishment for taking the Lord’s name in vain? It happens to be death (Leviticus 24:16). What is the punishment for working on the Sabbath? Also death (Exodus 31:15). What is the punishment for cursing one’s father or mother? Death again (Exodus 21:17)” So next time she exclaims, “oh my God” or says something bad about her folks, tell her it’s a good job we don’t follow the bible or you’d be on death row. And it’ll be stones for you, no relaxing lethal injection!
You could also take a higher road, and be thankful that she cares enough about you to worry about your immortal soul!!!
Faith is a very emotional subject you have my eternal support in dealing with this.

[hossenpepper]

I grew up in Oklahoma. Do I know this? Oh man, folks I could educate most of you on religious nuts. Remember that Tulsa is the home of Oral Roberts; THE original televangelist. Most of the real nutty ones on TV are all products of Oral Roberts. Pat Robertson, Richard Roberts, TD Jakes, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Etc etc all are products of the Oral Roberts influence and blueprint.

Oral Roberts University is in Tulsa. In the entrance of the college is this:



They are 40 feet tall or so. THAT is the kind of crap I grew up with. The lack of acceptance of anything human. Creativity is oppressed, free thinking, all of it. Why? Because you can't be close to God otherwise. Being judged and told I was going to hell and people spitting in my face for wearing a tie-dyed shirt or listening to rock or playing my guitar too loud and on and on and on was a DAILY occurrence for me growing up. I have HUNDREDs and HUNDREDs of times I can remember this happening. The local baptist church protested our prom every year.. with picket signs... in front of the school... during the school day... yeah. It really happened.

There was a great joke about those hands when O.R. made his famous plea that he needed 10 million dollars or whatever in 30 days or God said he would die. The right sculpture hand laid down, palm up, for donations....

[Demeter]

If she was trying to save you she went at it the wrong way, but you already know that. It's funny sometimes how the most passionate Christians are also the least tolerant when it comes to other people's beliefs.
I'm curious, but why did she say you don't follow the Bible? Did you do something that got on her nerves or she just made a general statement like that out of the blue? What prompted the outburst?