My New Approach To Fundamentalists

[Guest Leigh]

so, as those of you who know me know, i am not a religious person. i am however highly spiritual and (i hope) very open minded.

basically, i take what i think is good and true from any religious, philosophical, etc.. teaching.

recently i have been very angry toward people who i will call fundamentalist "christians" (the quotation marks are there cuz i don't think that they are real Christians, since they're clearly oblivious to the teachings of Christ).

but i have felt inspired to try and educate these people as much as i can. for example, if someone condemns me in the name of Jesus, instead of telling them off, i will quote Bible verses to them (some of my favorites are "judge not lest ye be judged" from Mathew chapter 7, "let him who is without sin cast the first stone" from John chapter 8, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" also in Mathew chapt. 7 as well as Luke chapt. 6, and "love thy neighbor as thyself" which is one of the ten commandments, and as Jesus says in Mathew 22 it is one of the two most important).

i have yet to see it have any real affect, but all i can do is keep trying and hope that they will open their minds to love.

i encourage all of you, not just the Christians here to do the same. after all, if we stand silent, who will fight for us?

peace&love

Leigh

[Sally]

Excellent Leigh,

Way to turn the other check!

I like this idea and it is the way all Christians should act.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest Leigh]

Excellent Leigh,

Way to turn the other check!

I like this idea and it is the way all Christians should act.

Love ya,

Sally

thanks Sally...i was really wondering what had become of this topic...lol...and here it is with a nice little reply

peace&love

Leigh

[Guest 1charlotte1]

I have always felt these people are what is refered to as the fake Christians. The ones who lead others away from Christ. I practice Wicca. I am ,however, quite educated in other faiths. With maybe one exeption, all my christian friends act as I would expect Christ to. This is great! They r the best!!

Hugz, charlotte

[Guest Leigh]

I have always felt these people are what is refered to as the fake Christians. The ones who lead others away from Christ. I practice Wicca. I am ,however, quite educated in other faiths. With maybe one exeption, all my christian friends act as I would expect Christ to. This is great! They r the best!!

Hugz, charlotte

i would have to agree that these ppl aren't real Christians and just lead ppl away from christ (and any life of love). unfortunately i don't have many Christian friends (most of them are on this site..) but my mom is a Christian (we have our disagreements, but i think a lot of her ideas that i disagree with are culturaly/generational).

i have just recently begun to be very interested in Christianity again because i have noticed that there is a lot of discrepency in Biblical teachings and how (many of) those who call themselves Christian act.

i'm always fighting for truth and equality, so i have been wanting to correct these people, and while i'm at it spread love.

i'm glad to know that there are true Christians still....if only they were the ones with all the money..lol..

peace&love

leigh

[Guest April63]

"love thy neighbor as thyself" which is one of the ten commandments, and as Jesus says in Mathew 22 it is one of the two most important).

Love thy neighbor as thyself is not one of the ten commandments. It is a commandment, but not one of the ten.

It's an interesting world out there. I don't think they lead people away from Christ, but instead, they focus on a minor part of the doctrine and use that as a selling point. True Christians sell (well, that's not really the right word) the major points. They still believe the minor points, but they don't stick them in your face all the time. Just time to time.

[Guest Leigh]

Love thy neighbor as thyself is not one of the ten commandments. It is a commandment, but not one of the ten.

It's an interesting world out there. I don't think they lead people away from Christ, but instead, they focus on a minor part of the doctrine and use that as a selling point. True Christians sell (well, that's not really the right word) the major points. They still believe the minor points, but they don't stick them in your face all the time. Just time to time.

oh, you're right, my mistake (like i said not religious...lol...)

but i think in a lot of ways those false christians who spread hate do lead ppl away from Christ. or push them away...

i mean, they teach hate instead of love. that isn't the teaching of Christ.

that was what led me to leave the church when i was in high school. i didn't want to belong to a body of hate. and i rejected all religion for several years afterward because of it. i believed that Christians were like those people who hated me, and i hated them because of it.

it wasn't until i realized that it was just some more messed up people that i could move on and take a second look at what the bible actually teaches.

so in that way, they definitely lead ppl away from Christ.

peace&love

leigh

[Guest ~Brenda~]

My Dearest Leigh,

Your growth has been so wonderful to witness. Rising above the hate and responding with love is not only mature of you, it is truely spiritual.

I am always in awe of your honest being.

Love

bernii

[Guest Leigh]

My Dearest Leigh,

Your growth has been so wonderful to witness. Rising above the hate and responding with love is not only mature of you, it is truely spiritual.

I am always in awe of your honest being.

Love

bernii

thank you darling,

all i can do is try to be a good person..i just hope that i can.

peace&love

leigh

[Guest Marissa Anastasia]

so, as those of you who know me know, i am not a religious person. i am however highly spiritual and (i hope) very open minded.

basically, i take what i think is good and true from any religious, philosophical, etc.. teaching.

recently i have been very angry toward people who i will call fundamentalist "christians" (the quotation marks are there cuz i don't think that they are real Christians, since they're clearly oblivious to the teachings of Christ).

but i have felt inspired to try and educate these people as much as i can. for example, if someone condemns me in the name of Jesus, instead of telling them off, i will quote Bible verses to them (some of my favorites are "judge not lest ye be judged" from Mathew chapter 7, "let him who is without sin cast the first stone" from John chapter 8, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" also in Mathew chapt. 7 as well as Luke chapt. 6, and "love thy neighbor as thyself" which is one of the ten commandments, and as Jesus says in Mathew 22 it is one of the two most important).

i have yet to see it have any real affect, but all i can do is keep trying and hope that they will open their minds to love.

i encourage all of you, not just the Christians here to do the same. after all, if we stand silent, who will fight for us?

peace&love

Leigh

Hi Leigh,

Being a former fundamentalist Preacher (20 years), I can relate to everything you've said. Some of the worst experiences I had during my life in this movement was at the hands of so-called Christ followers. The majority of fundamentalist preachers are in it for the money...they are businessmen. Most don't work a real job and live like royalty. For what it's worth, I didn't take a penny from my church. I worked a real job in the machine shop. I never met a Baptist preacher who didn't teach tithing is for today. It's not. I was somewhat of a renegade. I withstood a few of them to their face and excoriated them for their underhanded power tripping. Finally, I became so disgusted with the whole organized religion thing I bailed...haven't set foot in a church in 7 years.

Some folks are sincere, but sincerely wrong. They have cloistered themselves so much, they have no clue what the real world is like. Oh, I could tell you stories. Anyway, that's all behind me...I've gone 180 degrees...I no longer judge people...the truth has made me free. Just thought I'd share a little with you. I don't mean to offend anyone who disagrees with me...at the end of the day, our relationship with Christ (if we have one, and I don't), is personal and nobody's business. Good post Leigh. Take care,

Marissa

[Guest]

Some folks are sincere, but sincerely wrong. They have cloistered themselves so much, they have no clue what the real world is like. Oh, I could tell you stories. Anyway, that's all behind me...I've gone 180 degrees...I no longer judge people...the truth has made me free. Just thought I'd share a little with you. I don't mean to offend anyone who disagrees with me...at the end of the day, our relationship with Christ (if we have one, and I don't), is personal and nobody's business. Good post Leigh. Take care,

You are so right that the relationship with God is personal. Many times here I've seen people loose their faith from the bad acts of others who say they are Christians. Then they hate the religion denying themselves. In a sense they let those people destroy their beliefs and empower them to do so. No one has the power to affect your personal relationship unless you let them. Personal spirituality can be a comfort to many and you don't need a church or priest for that. Chist's basic message is awesome. Focus on that. Forget those who interpret it in distatsetful ways.

I'm not very religious myself but do have a personal relationship but I've seen what personal faith can do once you make peace with it. It makes sense that people transitioning in mind body and soul often question or reshape their faith in whatever they believe. Eventually they find a solution they are happy with.

Laura

[Sally]

I have always admired Laura and her way of hadeling difficult subjects with such ease and clarity.

I have always tried to live my life according to the teachings of Jesus and to be the best person that I can be, I fall short on occasions but not because I didn't try!

I used to go to church every Sunday but I feel no different in my relationship with God if I attend or not.

Church has become a Sunday routine for me like putting on my clothes before I leave the house - I was going to please my family and then my wife - they have fires the minister that I like so much and I have stopped going all together.

My therapist suggested a trans friendly church in my area that I might give a try - it could be a good source of support but my faith remains my faith no matter where I may attend.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest Leigh]

Hi Leigh,

Being a former fundamentalist Preacher (20 years), I can relate to everything you've said. Some of the worst experiences I had during my life in this movement was at the hands of so-called Christ followers. The majority of fundamentalist preachers are in it for the money...they are businessmen. Most don't work a real job and live like royalty. For what it's worth, I didn't take a penny from my church. I worked a real job in the machine shop. I never met a Baptist preacher who didn't teach tithing is for today. It's not. I was somewhat of a renegade. I withstood a few of them to their face and excoriated them for their underhanded power tripping. Finally, I became so disgusted with the whole organized religion thing I bailed...haven't set foot in a church in 7 years.

Some folks are sincere, but sincerely wrong. They have cloistered themselves so much, they have no clue what the real world is like. Oh, I could tell you stories. Anyway, that's all behind me...I've gone 180 degrees...I no longer judge people...the truth has made me free. Just thought I'd share a little with you. I don't mean to offend anyone who disagrees with me...at the end of the day, our relationship with Christ (if we have one, and I don't), is personal and nobody's business. Good post Leigh. Take care,

Marissa

it is unfortunate that so many are in it for the money, but i draw comfort from the fact that if Jesus were around today, he would do the same to them that he did to the money lenders in the temple (Mathew chapt. 21)

the way i look at it is these people are the same as those who were the religious heads in Jesus' day. they're just there for the money and power (or most of them).

and Jesus would say the same to them that he did to the Pharisees countless times...

i know what you mean about the sincere but wrong people too (i think my mom falls into that category) and those who cloister themselves away (i was home-schooled for religious reasons...so that's the most personal part of organized "christianity" that i have a problem with).

i just hope that you have been able to heal enough that it doesn't hurt you.

peace&love

leigh

[Guest]

This site is a learning experience. It's like picking thousands of brains for similar experiences. There is a lot of wisdom in the stories told here and the solutions found.

With all of the mail I get a few are from hateful fundementalists not a lot but enough to be irritating. My intial reaction was anger and I'd fire off letters and bible quotes as good as I got. Did it do any good? No. I lost my faith and blamed it on religion. I let them take away my personal relationship. It took years to get it back once i put the blame where it lies. Now such letters don't phase me at all. I write polite fact based rebuttals. I treat them in a Christlike way which actually takes the wind out of their sails. I was in a Seminary myself for a couple of years so that helps my arguements.

Laura

[Guest Marissa Anastasia]

This site is a learning experience. It's like picking thousands of brains for similar experiences. There is a lot of wisdom in the stories told here and the solutions found.

With all of the mail I get a few are from hateful fundementalists not a lot but enough to be irritating. My intial reaction was anger and I'd fire off letters and bible quotes as good as I got. Did it do any good? No. I lost my faith and blamed it on religion. I let them take away my personal relationship. It took years to get it back once i put the blame where it lies. Now such letters don't phase me at all. I write polite fact based rebuttals. I treat them in a Christlike way which actually takes the wind out of their sails. I was in a Seminary myself for a couple of years so that helps my arguements.

Laura

Laura,

Your experiences mirror mine very closely. I lost my faith as well, but I blamed it on God/a god...I went through the furnace and he/she was nowhere to be found. My issue was prayer...when they weren't answered after a long protracted period of time I concluded God wasn't listening so He doesn't exist...when prayer goes on answered, a million 'reasons' are given as to why they weren't answered. To me, prayer in Scripture is presented in a very uncomplicated manner...it's not rocket science, and I'm of the opinion that you can attribute or not attribute just about anything to all the caveats and nuances of prayer...if you don't hold your mouth just right, your prayers won't be answered...I bought into that for a long time, even preached it myself...I've been looking for something, anything that cannot be attributed to human agency...in other words, something I can sink my teeth into...it just isn't happening...I don't mean to ramble about my own negative experiences...the death knell for me was the whole man made denominational scheme and the lack of honesty and integrity by my former preacher brethren...it got to the point where I felt revulsion over the shenanigans of men of God so-called, and the abundance of very mean spirited people who piously sit in their pews in their Sunday's best.

[Guest Sarinah]

Most of you would probably have called me a fundamentalist Christian a few years ago. I believed that homosexuality and transexuality came from lust. I was so blinded by what I had been taught that I couldnt even see myself. One of the things that I try to remember in dealing with other people is that we are all decieved by our experiences in life. We believe based on what we have been taught and what we have seen that our way is the right way. Although our way might be the right way for ourselves we cannot expect it to be the right way for anyone else. It doesnt matter if your conservative or liberal. If our differences create a conflict there is no call for blame or anger. We must say "this is who I am, I dont ask that you agree with me, but if this creates a conflict between us then we must take the time to understand and accept the differences between us." Of course there will always be some who will be abrasive or condeming or unwilling to even hear you, but if you make the effort to make amends and they deny you then it is on their heads.

[Guest Leigh]

Most of you would probably have called me a fundamentalist Christian a few years ago. I believed that homosexuality and transexuality came from lust. I was so blinded by what I had been taught that I couldnt even see myself. One of the things that I try to remember in dealing with other people is that we are all decieved by our experiences in life. We believe based on what we have been taught and what we have seen that our way is the right way. Although our way might be the right way for ourselves we cannot expect it to be the right way for anyone else. It doesnt matter if your conservative or liberal. If our differences create a conflict there is no call for blame or anger. We must say "this is who I am, I dont ask that you agree with me, but if this creates a conflict between us then we must take the time to understand and accept the differences between us." Of course there will always be some who will be abrasive or condeming or unwilling to even hear you, but if you make the effort to make amends and they deny you then it is on their heads.

very true, Sarinah.

all we can do is try, and be patient, and love.

if others live differently, and don't want to change, we can't do anything about it.

and if we all live in love, we can still disagree, but we can agree to do so.

peace&love

Leigh