Ever lost a friend or relative to religion or politics, or both?

[mopaul]

I have

[mwb970]

1. I have a buddy who lost his wife.

She "got with God", as he puts it, and that was it. They split up within 6 months.

[SteppingRazor]

2. Never

Friendships matter more to me than either religion or politics. I've had some yelling matches with a few friends and with most of my family, but I've never lost anyone over either subject.

[murielm99]

3. Yes.

My parents. They were good Democrats and moderate Christians at one time. I think these talibornagains prey on the elderly.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

8. They do

Remember, they are selling eternal life and triumph over death, a topic of more than passing interest to the elderly. That's the reason they fail with so many of us: we are not afraid of death and find eternal life a truly horrible proposition.
And, yes, I've lost friends to both, though the break-off was never initiated by me. but, I guess my apostasy and impiety sullied them or something. To tell the truth, I'm not sorry to lose people who would allow idiotic fears and downright disgusting ambitions (what's wrong with the life God has given them? Why do they need to have it all?) destroy a friendship. Good riddance.

[vi5]

4. I've had it happen with the same friend several times....

A girl I was friends with since college and who I connected with as a friend on so many levels has a pretty solid conservative streak. Actually it's not as much flat out conservativism as it is dislking of liberals and the whole politically correct thing. She's pretty artsy and definitely a feminist and pro-life and anti-religion, etc. But she really had an anti-affirmative action thing due to some things that happened to her dad.

Over the course of 10 years or so we would talk or e-mail every day and about 3 times over that period a political discussion ended with me not talking to her for 6 months or so. Then we would start talking again, be fine and then down the road...politics...argument...not talking.

[Pathwalker]

5. Just my entire family.

n/t

[loveable liberal]

6. An uncle that turned into a Nazi warmonger.

He was a marine in the early 60's and now that seems its all he has in life. Started calling the nephews cowards for not joining the military, and moved 'ted Kaczinski'-like to the hinterland of Minnesota.... Oh well.

[ClintonTyree]

7. Yep...

lost is not the right word. We just stopped communicating. I won't get into the details other than he turned into a rabid rightie over the course of a decade or so. No great loss really, he always was a pushy, know-it-all type.

[Cleita]

9. Some Catholic friends who dumped me when

I stopped practicing. I have always tried not to let politics get in the way of friendship and I do have conservative friends and associates, but I let them know that I don't want our relationship to be about politics.

However, by default, conservatives as a whole are not my kind of people, nor am I their's, so in a Darwinian sort of way, they get sorted out of my life.

[Gildor Inglorion]

10. Not yet...we just don't ever mention certain subjects

in my family. There is NO common ground; none. Some of the people I love most in the world are rabid Christofascist George W. Bushit Republicans. *sigh* It's as if they've added 2+2 and come up with "nine" for an answer and they'll defend it to the death.

[Cuban_Liberal]

11. Not yet.

There are a few friends with whom we have an unspoken agreement not to discuss certain subjects.

[beam me up scottie]

12. Yep.

Lost a good friend who would not stop proselytizing.
One night, I heard him use the phrase "but they (his relatives) are fake catholics" and I knew he was too far gone.
I had been able to put aside a lot of his reichwing talking points until I realized that this man supported a president who in turn was actually harming several of my other friends, I pulled the plug.

[mcscajun]

13. Yup...I had a friend join Scientology many years ago...

...I couldn't make a dent in her mindset, so I had to cut her loose.

[peace frog]

14. Sadly, yes

My father became more conservative as he grew older, eventually becoming a rabid fundie repug. I mean, he had a framed photo of Jr in his "presidential package" flight suit hanging on his living room wall, UGH. Basically, my dad was a goodhearted man who innocently drank the liberals-are-the-embodiment-of-all-that-is-evil koolaid (yes, he truly believed his church leaders would never lie to him). We didn't fight over religion/politics but it was a delicate subject best not broached when we were together.... he was absolutely sure that his beliefs were correct regardless of evidence to the contrary. I'm grateful our differences were not a source of friction between us because he passed away last year and it would be too painful to live with if we had been on the outs because of religion/politics. I forgive him for being stubborn and resistant in his waning years, he was ill a good deal of the time and not in his right mind at the end of his life.

I do not let my father-in-law off the hook so easily, however, and not because he's an in-law rather than blood kin. FIL is in perfect mental and physical health and fully admits the Bush presidency is the worst in a century. He lives in S Carolina and was a McCain supporter in 2000... he was fully aware of the repugnant Rove "push-polling" that dashed McCain's presidential aspirations, yet he still voted for Bush. The reason: why, because he's a republican, of course, and good republicans never, ever vote for a Democrat. Period, end of story. Even worse, he voted for Dubya again in 2004, same reason (although he knew by then that Dubya's is the worst presidency in his lifetime). I'm still having difficulty wrapping my mind around that one.

[HarrietBrown]

15. My dad turned from alcohol to God and dumped all his kids for Jesus--

except the ditto head. He's a total nut case--it's really sad. He just does not get the whole god thing.

[kcwayne]

16. Lost a friend to booze and then to Jesus

He was less obnoxious when he was a drunk. As a Jesusoholic he is at least responsible enough to hold down a job, but is completely uninteresting as a human being.

[Name removed]

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[thecai]

18. Lost Family To Religion AND Politics...

..."extreme rw conchrist, Rush and Laura fans". Those family members have turned nearly ALL the family, and their own friends away from them. I don't even want to go into detail...

[warrens]

19. Yup

He's way up there with the Moonies now.

[Zynx]

20. Nope.

As a matter of fact most of my friends are Republicans.