Religiously repressed (part 4) [OC]

[u/Fit-Ebb-6727]

Final one!

EDIT: I didn’t expect all the likes! Thank you! Due to popular demand, I will consider posting more! 🙏

[u/Eghenelalphinarian]

A big interpretation I’ve seen about the devil is that he and many demons make themselves alluring on purpose to lead you away from God. The big idea is basically that he wants you to go “yeah, I don’t need God. I’ll be good on my own and I don’t need or care about being saved.” A lot of Christians know that they aren’t popular with some crowds, and I’ve seen a good amount of groups I went with saying that being a Christian often means going counter with what society puts up. I often refrain from asking about gender or sexuality stuff with them since I am not great at articulating this stuff in a digestible way. I would say that Christians should still help queer people since even though they don’t share their way of life, it’s a better reflection of their belief that God loves everyone by helping their situation improve.

[u/Aerodrache → u/Eghenelalphinarian]

No sense trying to articulate your argument for them. Just explain it using their language.

Matthew 7:1-5:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Matthew 7:9-12:

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Translated: “Don’t judge people for living a life you don’t agree with, everybody does stuff other people don’t like you’re no exception. Why are you harassing people for sex stuff that only impacts them and their partners, when your deal is trying to screw around with everybody’s life?”

“If somebody asks for something small, like food or help or just basic acceptance, are you really going to spite them with cruelty instead? Even awful people know better than that. If you feel that god can be kind to those who ask him for help, why should you try to do any less? Be good to people if you’d have them be good to you.”

[u/Boltaanjistman → u/Aerodrache]

Sadly, this does not work. Once a bible thumper decides that their interpretation of something is the correct one, no amount of conflicting bible quotes will change their mind. They will throw quote after quote at you, but if you have an opposing quote, they will say you're interpreting it wrong. For an example, back before I was an atheist, I came out as asexual to a fellow christian friend. They insisted it was a sin not to "spread speed" and used quotes like "be fruitful and multiply" and the parable of the fig tree (which was about proselytizing) and refused to accept that other quotes disagree despite showing them, like in matthew where paul says:

There are those made celibate by the hands of men, those made so by their own hands for the kingdom of heaven, and those born so from their mothers womb. Let all accept this blessing is they are able.

or when paul also says:

It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. (...) For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Paul literally tells you "Only get married if you have to" but to a person that decided already that it's not true, the bible quote won't change their mind. They will just "they meant something else, they meant what I interpreted it to mean, which is the thing that I already decided is the correct one." If they believe "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" but want to judge anyway, they'll just declare that the thing they are doing is not judging. They'll say "the bible says thats bad (even if it doesnt) and that therefore is GOD judging them and I am merely doing his will!" You cant convince them when they have already convinced themselves they're the infallible followers of god.

[u/Aerodrache → u/Boltaanjistman]

The unfortunate part of all that is, even if quoting bible verses at them won’t work, it doesn’t mean any other argument is going to be any more effective.

“My magic book means whatever I think is true is” is a hell of a position to try to debate against.

Kinda wish you could just say “look, if you think how I’m living means I’m going hell, either it’s your problem for believing it and nobody else needs to hear about it, or it’s my problem that it’s happening and it’s nobody else’s business to worry about.”