The wall of Christian stereotype

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05 Jun 2007, 10:01 am

I am frustrated when I'm talking about something I believe with someone and the person I'm talking to assumes that I also believe a whole host of other things that I do not believe because of a stereotype and then proceeds to attack me based on those things that I don't believe. My beliefs fit into the wide genera of beliefs all called Christian, but when I tell someone that my beliefs are Christian, I feel that they assume that I must be an idiot with no intellectual, historical, or scientific background, bigoted, conservative, and closed minded. I have come to HATE the Christian stereotype. I hate that people like George Bush and Tedd Haggard are all that people think of when they hear the word Christian rather than someone like Martin Luther King Jr.. It is illogical to assume that if you know what one Christian is like, you know what all Christians are like because "Christian" is a word used to label so many different belief systems.

So please, If someone makes a reference to the Bible or outrightly says that their beliefs are Christian, don't assume the stereotype especially since I think most aspies are not likely to fit it. Also, I think it is ridiculous to hide behind the words "religious" or "religion" when you are obviously talking about the Christian stereotype.

Who is the first person you think of when you hear the word "Christian"?

Ragtime
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05 Jun 2007, 10:16 am

spdjeanne wrote:

I am frustrated when I'm talking about something I believe with someone and the person I'm talking to assumes that I also believe a whole host of other things that I do not believe because of a stereotype and then proceeds to attack me based on those things that I don't believe. My beliefs fit into the wide genera of beliefs all called Christian, but when I tell someone that my beliefs are Christian, I feel that they assume that I must be an idiot with no intellectual, historical, or scientific background, bigoted, conservative, and closed minded. I have come to HATE the Christian stereotype. I hate that people like George Bush and Tedd Haggard are all that people think of when they hear the word Christian rather than someone like Martin Luther King Jr.. It is illogical to assume that if you know what one Christian is like, you know what all Christians are like because "Christian" is a word used to label so many different belief systems.

So please, If someone makes a reference to the Bible or outrightly says that their beliefs are Christian, don't assume the stereotype especially since I think most aspies are not likely to fit it.

Who is the first person you think of when you hear the word "Christian"?

QFT. I find I have to dismantle that wall, brick by brick, by defining my specific beliefs, one by one. It's a long process before they seem to see me as I really am. (Sigh.)

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Mitch8817
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05 Jun 2007, 10:20 am

That's what you get when you attach a label to yourself. They tend to carry the meanings and perceptions of all the others who have donned the same. Usually the negative one's stick out the most.

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spdjeanne
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05 Jun 2007, 10:32 am

Mitch8817 wrote:

That's what you get when you attach a label to yourself. They tend to carry the meanings and perceptions of all the others who have donned the same. Usually the negative one's stick out the most.

I am brining it up in this thread overtly because I usually don't and I'm sick of running into the wall.

You see, the thing is, I DON'T F&*KING ATTACH THE LABEL TO MYSELF!! ! All I have to say is "Eve" or say "Bible" or any number of other words and *POOF* I'm one of those CHRISTIANS! The Bible is a work of literature that is impossible to refer to without being labeled.

I'm sure, from some of the things he has said, that Ragtime and I have very different beliefs, although we can both be categorized by the word "Christian" and therefore supposedly ignored.

I am not defending my beliefs specifically here just my right to be able to express them without someone telling me I believe something I don't.

Last edited by spdjeanne on 05 Jun 2007, 5:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

TheMachine1
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05 Jun 2007, 10:39 am

One of my roommates in college was hyper religious. He and his friends were very nice people. The nicest people I know/knew were all very religious grand mother, aunt , and half-sister. I have bought Christian books for my half-sister even though I'm an atheist.

I think there is a big difference in those who really live a Christian lifestyle and who simply consider themselves Christians because they recited one prayer. Such those people are Christian in name only.

My problem with alot of Christians in the US is they are trying to break down the separation in church and state. I do not want to live in a theocracy were creationism is taught along side or in replace of evolution to make the Christian majority happy. Were
homosexual are not given equal rights. We tend to forgot all the dumb religious inspired
laws but when I was a kid we had "blue laws" and you were only permitted to buy a limited number of things on Sunday.

spdjeanne
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05 Jun 2007, 10:47 am

TheMachine1 wrote:

My problem with alot of Christians in the US are are exactly the same as yours. I don't want to live in a theocracy, I absolutely don't think creationism should be taught anywhere because its a load of sh*t, and I think homosexuals didn't choose their orientation and should be able to marry not only in civil but in religious services. I am also a Christian!

I don't know what "blue laws" are, but I know that my parents were not allowed to go to movies, dance, or play cards not to mention drink or smoke.

Mitch8817
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05 Jun 2007, 10:47 am

spdjeanne wrote:

Mitch8817 wrote:

That's what you get when you attach a label to yourself. They tend to carry the meanings and perceptions of all the others who have donned the same. Usually the negative one's stick out the most.

Ah I understand, sorry if I offended you. Blame it on my black and white perception. The problem with labels is that they become too convenient and that they lead to ignorant stereotypes. Humans like categorising.

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spdjeanne
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05 Jun 2007, 10:58 am

Mitch8817 wrote:

spdjeanne wrote:

Mitch8817 wrote:

That's what you get when you attach a label to yourself. They tend to carry the meanings and perceptions of all the others who have donned the same. Usually the negative one's stick out the most.

Thanks. I think it is good for everybody to think about the labels they use because no one is immune to prejudice.

Phssthpok
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05 Jun 2007, 12:12 pm

spdjeanne wrote:

Why are you going through the bible picking an choosing what parts to follow? It seems arbitrary to follow one statement of morality from it and reject another.

TheMachine1
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05 Jun 2007, 12:29 pm

Phssthpok wrote:

spdjeanne wrote:

Why are you going through the bible picking an choosing what parts to follow? It seems arbitrary to follow one statement of morality from it and reject another.

I thought Jesus rejected parts of the Bible. He said "what a man puts into his mouth does not make him unclean but what he says out his mouth does" Not a precise quote but his point was rejecting the dietary laws and most Christian do not follow the dietary laws in the Bible. The problem is confusing suggestions with commandments.

Sopho
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05 Jun 2007, 12:30 pm

Stereotypes will always exist for any group in society.

Ragtime
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05 Jun 2007, 12:49 pm

TheMachine1 wrote:

Phssthpok wrote:

spdjeanne wrote:

Why are you going through the bible picking an choosing what parts to follow? It seems arbitrary to follow one statement of morality from it and reject another.

I think Jesus was speaking in a different sense: moral cleanliness, as opposed to legal cleanliness. The Bible's dietary laws in the Old Testament don't apply to Christians. Laws of ritual cleansing were necessary in Old Testament times, because man had to make himself righteous.

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Sopho
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05 Jun 2007, 12:51 pm

Why are some Christians homophobic and others aren't?

Ragtime
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05 Jun 2007, 1:02 pm

Sopho wrote:

Why are some Christians homophobic and others aren't?

I'm Sophophobic.

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Christianity is different than Judaism only in people's minds -- not in the Bible.

Mitch8817
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05 Jun 2007, 1:03 pm

Ragtime wrote:

Sopho wrote:

Why are some Christians homophobic and others aren't?

I'm Sophophobic.

Do you have a real answer?

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TheMachine1
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05 Jun 2007, 1:04 pm

Ragtime wrote:

The same case can be made against a whole host of "sins" that are not in violation of the ten commandments. And since by some interpretation the notion of worship of Jesus amounts to a violation of the commandment to worship only one god it might even open the ten commandments up for interpretation. I remember as a kid worrying in each prayer that I added The Father, The Son and Holy Ghost to make sure I was not leaving any god out.

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