Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

My New Approach To Fundamentalists


Guest Leigh

Recommended Posts

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

Link to comment

Excellent Leigh,

Way to turn the other check!

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

Love ya,

Sally

Link to comment
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

Link to comment
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

Link to comment
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

Link to comment
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.

Link to comment
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

Link to comment
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

Link to comment
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

Link to comment
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

Link to comment
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

Link to comment

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

Link to comment
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

Link to comment

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

Link to comment
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.

Link to comment
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.

Link to comment
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

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 152 Guests (See full list)

    • Abigail Genevieve
    • VickySGV
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.7k
    • Total Posts
      768.4k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,029
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Selkimur
    Newest Member
    Selkimur
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. BraxtonLee
      BraxtonLee
      (26 years old)
    2. Bryanna
      Bryanna
      (45 years old)
    3. Jayde1
      Jayde1
    4. Mireya
      Mireya
      (66 years old)
    5. Shellianne_Kay83
      Shellianne_Kay83
      (41 years old)
  • Posts

    • Abigail Genevieve
      I have read numerous accounts of trans folk no longer being welcome among evangelicals.   I am here for help and fellowship not to rebuke anyone.  I can take a pretty high degree of insult, etc., and you haven't insulted me, to my recollection anyway :) and I usually let it go.  But I thought I would let it all out there.   I am sure I disagree with you on numerous issues.  I appreciate other people's viewpoints, including those who radically disagree with me.  Intellectual challenge is good. One thing I appreciate about @MaeBe.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Congrats!
    • Sally Stone
      Post 8 “The Ohio Years” We moved to Pittsburgh because of the job with US Airways.  The job involved classroom instruction and simulator training, but no actual flying, so I kept looking for an actual pilot position.  A year after signing on with US Airways I got hired to fly business jets.  The company was located in Cleveland, Ohio, but I was flown commercially from my home in Pittsburgh to where my aircraft was located, making it unnecessary to live near company headquarters.    My flight scheduled consisted of eight days on duty with seven days off.  Having seven days off in a row was great but being gone from home eight days in a row was difficult.  For the first few years the flying was fun, but after a while the eight flying days in a row, were taking their toll on me.  Those days were brutal, consisting of very long hours and a lot of flying time.  Usually, I came home exhausted and need three days just to recover from the work week.  Flying for a living is glamorous until you actually do it.  Quickly, it became just a job.    After five years as a line captain, I became a flight department manager, which required we live near company headquarters.  That meant a move to Cleveland.  Working in the office meant I was home every night but as a manager, the schedule was still challenging.  I would work in the office all week and then be expected to go out and fly the line on weekends.  I referred to it as my “5 on 2 on” schedule, because it felt as though I had no time off at all.   About the same time, we moved to Cleveland, my wife and I became “empty nesters,” with one son in the military and the other away at college.  Sadly, my work schedule didn’t leave much time for Sally.  Add to the fact that while Cleveland is an awesome city, I just never felt comfortable expressing my feminine side.  Most of my outings, and believe me there weren’t enough, occurred while I was on vacation and away from home.   One of the most memorable outings occurred over a long weekend.  I had stumbled across an online notice for a spring formal being held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, hosted by a local trans group there.  I reached out to Willa to see if she was up for an excellent adventure.  She was, so I picked her up and we drove to Harrisburg together.    The formal was held on Saturday evening and we had the absolute best time.  It turned out that organizers were a group named TransCentralPA.  Everyone was wonderful and I made a lot of new friends that evening.  We learned the spring formal was one of the group’s annual events but for the following year, instead of a spring formal, the group wanted to do a local transgender conference.  That local conference would become the Keystone Conference, and I would attend every year for the next 12.  My move to the west coast was the only reason I stopped attending annually.  I went to the first annual Keystone Conference as an attendee, but in subsequent years I served as a volunteer and as a workshop presenter; more about those in the next installment.   For my Cleveland years, the Keystone Conference would be my major outlet for feminine self-expression.  Yes, I did get out on other occasions, but they were too infrequent.  The managerial job just didn’t allow me the freedom I needed to adequately live my feminine life, and my frustration level was slowly, but steadily on the rise.  It amazed me how adversely not being able to express the feminine half of my personality was affecting my happiness.   However, a major life change was upcoming, and while it would prove to be a significant challenge in many ways, the events would ultimately benefit my female persona.  First, my mom and dad got sick.  They were in and out of the hospital and required personal care.  My wife and I did our best but living in Cleveland, we were too far from them to give them the support they both needed.  Second, I was experiencing serious job burn out.  I decided I need to find another job and I needed to be closer to my parents.    Things changed for the better when I got hired by an aviation training company as a flight simulator instructor.  I would be training business jet pilots.  The training facility was located in New Jersey, which put us much closer to my parents, and the work schedule was much better for quality of life.  Most importantly, this life change would help Sally re-emerge and once again flower.    Hugs,   Sally       
    • Mmindy
      I made a living talking about bulk liquids in cargo tanks transportation as a driver and mechanic. Safe loading/unloading, cleaning and inspecting, as well as emergency response scenarios.   Hazmat and fire behavior in the fire service as well as emergency vehicle operations and safe driving. "It was on fire when they called you. It will be on fire when you get there." Arrive ready to work. I could also talk about firefighter behavioral  heath and the grieving process.   The real fun thing is I can do this for people who are not Truck Drivers or Fire Fighters. Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Citizen Tax payers about Public Safety Education.   I love public speaking,   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋
    • Mmindy
      Congratulations to the mom and family @Ivy on the addition of another child.   Hugs,   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋
    • MaeBe
      Congrats to you and yours!
    • Ashley0616
      YAY! Congratulations on a granddaughter!
    • Ashley0616
      I recommend CarComplaints.com | Car Problems, Car Complaints, & Repair/Recall Information. A lot of good information
    • LucyF
      I've got Spironolactone ___mg and Evorel ___mcg Patches (2 a week) going up to ___mg after 4 weeks 
    • Ivy
      Got a new Granddaughter this morning.  Mother and child (and father) are doing fine. This makes 7 granddaughters and one grandson.  I have 2 sons and 6 daughters myself.  And then I  switched teams.  I think this stuff runs in the family. Another hard day for the patriarchy.
    • Ivy
      Like @MaeBe pointed out, Trump won't do these things personally.  I doubt that he actually gives a rat's a$$ himself.  But he is the foot in the door for the others.   I don't really see this.  Personally, I am all in favor of "traditional" families.  I raised my own kids this way and it can work fine.  But I think we need to allow for other variations as well.   One thing working against this now is how hard it is for a single breadwinner to support a family.  Many people (I know some) would prefer "traditional" if they could actually afford it.  Like I mentioned, we raised our family with this model, but we were always right at the poverty level.   I was a "conservative evangelical" for most of my life, actually.  So I do understand this.  Admittedly, I no longer consider myself one. I have family members still in this camp.  Some tolerate me, one actually rejects me.  I assure you the rejection is on her side, not mine.  But, I understand she believes what she is doing is right - 'sa pity though. I mean no insult toward anyone on this forum.  You're free to disagree with me.  Many people do.   This is a pretty complex one.  Socialism takes many forms, many of which we accept without even realizing it.  "Classism" does exist, for what it's worth.  Always has, probably always will.  But I don't feel like that is a subject for this forum.   As for the election, it's shaping up to be another one of those "hold your nose" deals.
    • Ivy
      Just some exerts regarding subjects of interest to me.
    • Ivy
      Yeah.  In my early teens I trained myself out of a few things that I now wish I hadn't.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      I was thinking in particular of BLM, who years ago had a 'What We Believe' section that sounded like they were at war with the nuclear family.   I tried to find it. Nope.  Of interest https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/aug/28/ask-politifact-does-black-lives-matter-aim-destroy/   My time is limited and I will try to answer as I can.
    • Ivy
      Well, I suppose it is possible that they don't actually plan on doing what they say.  I'm not too sure I want to take that chance.  But I kinda expect to find out.  Yet, perhaps you're right and it's all just talk.  And anyway, my state GOP is giving me enough to worry about anyway. I remember a time when being "woke" just meant you were paying attention.  Now it means you are the antichrist. I just don't want the government "protecting" me from my personal "delusions."
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...