Susanne Atanus says Autism is god's punishment

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But for the record, i too am frustrated with political figures making right wing-ers and Christians look stupid. I would be considered a conservative on many issues but the comment the OP cited was ignorant and in poor taste, IMO. I am ashamed of all the idiots that claim to represent me or my position in the political arena. Many times they do not. I guess i too, being an aspie, am part of the judgment. ???? so skewed.

I totally agree!

Christians don't need any help from politicians and right-wingers in looking stupid!

One so hates to think such an unloving, slobbering idiot might actually speak for God.

No wonder young people don't want to identify as Christian, and I won't step foot in church.

Um, thanks? While i may disagree with someone politically or theologically, i will not call them stupid or attack personally. That is beside the point and gets us nowhere. And probably not true. I know very intelligent atheists--one of whom i would consider a good friend--who are not stupid just because i disagree with them theologically.

The Bible & AC/DC comment was meant tongue-in-cheek (i happen to like AC/DC myself).

There is a difference between calling out a particular comment, which was what was being done on this thread originally with intelligent debate on both right and left wings; and lumping an entire group of people into the "stupid" category by virtue of their theology.

I like this quote: Matthew 25:44
"I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'…"

I don't see autistics as being sick like people with dementia, but I do think we present an opportunity for people to show compassion.

There is also another major flaw like Ms. Atanus' statement besides the fact that autism, tornadoes, etc. have always been around. Her suggestion that these things are punishing gay rights and gay marriage would suggest that places that had these rights FIRST, would have MORE disasters, and EARLIER than in the US, where these rights were very recently granted. By her argument, the Netherlands and the UK should have been demolished by all kinds of plagues long ago (especially the Netherlands--they probably would have gotten a giant meteorite for the gay rights, prostitution, and pot). But wait! Where is the greatest incidence of tornadoes? In the United States' conservative "Bible Belt." And with the exception of Joplin, all of them occurred when homosexuality was illegal. Of course, a rational person might surmise that they also mostly occurred before the invention of weather radar to warn people. Duh.

It's all the same Revelation-speak ("plagues, wars and rumors of wars, blah blah blah") trying to make out like the world's ills are on the increase as a sign of God's impending wrath, when bad weather, disease, and war is more likely to be the sign of overpopulation and the resulting disease, famine, and political instability, and climate change. Autism is probably only diagnosed at a higher rate rather than increasing, and increased dementia and cancer is the by-product of longer life spans.

I respect my Christian friends, but too many denominations require such unquestioning faith that it appears to have permanently atrophied any capacity for critical thinking.

Well said Godzillawoman--i would beg to differ slightly on the last sentence though. There are a few of us who do our best to be an exception to the permanent atrophy of critical thinking.

My husband and i were both raised in Christian homes but with parents who thought more critically than the average, i believe--looking at it as an adult. We were taught to examine the things we were taught. We now raise our children in the same faith but find an increasing disconnect with what we see in churches around us. Less actual living out of faith and in-depth thinking; more "drinking of the kool-aid." At times we just shake our heads.

We have found a lot of good critical thinking on various Christian topics in the works of C.S. Lewis and Ravi Zacharias. (there are more in-depth Christian thinkers out there but these are our 2 favorites) We have also found a small circle of friends who enjoy study of the Bible and how it relates to "how now shall we live?" We do attend church but also teach our children to read, study, and live what they learn about loving God and their fellow man--rather than their religion being to show up at church, sway in worship, and put tracts on car windows, which we see far too much of.

All this to say that there are intelligent Christians out there who actually know what they believe and live it...and then there are the rest of them. I am far from perfect, but i do my best to be one of the ones who knows what she believes and lives it.

But i wish the ones who don't think it through would stop opening their mouths in public. Then people think we are all like that.

Well, nice seeing ya here!

Yeah, the church I was attending was really big on thinking and reasoning, and especially living out the Scriptures in accordance with the Holy Spirits' leading.

A lot of people out there really need to take this scripture to heart.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless ?
James 2:19-20 NIV
http://bible.com/111/jas.2.19-20.NIV

There are too many foolish people out there masquerading as Christians, but they are fakers who give Christianity a bad name. But ignorance is great amongst both religious and non religious these days and seems to be getting worse.

I agree with your consensus on C.S. Lewis books. I especially liked the Screwtape Letters. It almost seems like your getting a behind the scenes exposé on the enemy, so as to better understand how to resist the snares he throws in our paths. Pretty insightful author.

There's another book he wrote called "The Great Divorce" I highly recommend!

Hey yourself, Marcb0t. Guess we'll try this again, for now.

i have never read the Great Divorce.

I agree with you on Screwtape--i enjoyed the book but found it hit home a little too closely at times. I find the question of evil in the human heart intriguing in the light of aspergers. I have often been misunderstood or my intentions looked at through a foggy lens, by NTs. At those times, the person often attributed selfish, manipulative, deceitful, or malicious intent to something that i did not mean in any of those ways--rather my own social ineptitude. I have a hard time lying, couldn't manipulate someone to save my life, and my husband says i wear my heart on my sleeve. But just because i have an innocence about me does not mean my heart is pure through and through. i too have my failures and shortcomings. But it frustrates me when i have malicious or deceitful intent attributed to my actions when such was not my intention. Many pastors' do not speak sermons that i can identify with because they seem to be primarily focused on an NT way of looking at life and the human heart. I find in Lewis's writings such a kindred spirit that i have thought at times that he too must have been an aspie.

Lewis himself said that Screwtape was not enjoyable to write--he had to look too closely at evil and all the ways it can sneak up on one. He said the whole writing process of Screwtape was very uncomfortable. (I believe that came from the short biography "The Shadow Lands.")

But i am a bit off topic so i will quit hijacking the thread.

But--back to topic-- the stuff of deep thought and true living out of a Christian world view is not the pithy stuff of politics. This stuff doesn't win polls or make sound bites for political commercials. This is stuff that is seen in writings, deep conversations, and lengthy discourses on a topic. i think this is why so many political candidates are so disconnected from those they claim to represent. They are trying to put into soundbites something that needs to come from the depths of the heart and mind. It is not the stuff of soundbites. Those who think in soundbites often do not have the depth of character to do justice to it. It is not something you can fake for the sake of your poll results.

I facepalmed when I read the title of this thread. I have no words.

Fnord says Susanne Atanus is God's punishment.

Cat says in response to Fnord's post.

Okay, if autism is God's punishment then, what is God's reward? What a cure for Autism. Nope! rather the continual notion that autistic people will not become relegated to being seen as a disease or some strange anomaly. Honestly, I have had a great many difficulties and still have some as well will continue to do so, yet I'm not in the mode to be given some sort of treatment to so-called humanize me..