Conservative Christians vs Liberals

[SmileyRose]

There's another post on the DU that made me really think about this.

Bondwooley's post is here http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=355040&mesg_id=355040

Conservative Christians really think God is on their side. They wear him like a sword to vanquish their enemies. Outside of them, something they use when then need it and then put it away. God to a Conservative Christian is this weird combination of weapon and crutch. Church is something they do, not something they are. None of it ever seems to internalize and all the teachings of Christianity get boiled down into snappy catch phrases, like "name it and claim it", and "God Bless America".

Liberals are generally the polar opposite. Not all of us are religious of any sort, but all of us have internalized the teachings of Christianity. Compassion, kindness, community, inclusiveness, service. For those of us who are religious, our god is not some external thing to be brandished - he/she/it is part of us. Church isn't something we do, it's something we are regardless of where we might be on any given religious day. It's highly likely you'll find us helping the widow lady down the street with chores on Sunday morning or putting cash into feed the needy fund instead of tossing it to the local mega church. Quite frankly, atheist liberals are more likely to have internalized the teachings of Christianity than a conservative christian.



edit to fix typos

[Swede]

1. They are Sunday Christians.

The rest of the week they screw over everybody they can.

[Populist_Prole]

9. I know people who are just like this, some of them are my friends

They never seem to be able to connect the dots as to the mismatch between their supposed piousness and some of the often downright nasty behavior they exhibit in most of daily life.

Mostly I bite my tongue but I did say to judgmental acquaintance that I had an idea. How about eliminating the ability to go to confession, and maybe think twice about maybe not being such a prick in the first place. To my pleasant surprised, he chuckled and sheepishly said "yeah, you're probably right".

[AC_Mem]

2. Very well written!

And it rings my bell of truth. The older I get, the more I see the differences in this black and white, you against me type of thinking of the conservative personality versus the liberal, colorful and inclusive, let's work together viewpoint.

There is such a difference in perspectives, it's really quite amazing.

The conservative viewpoint is something that will NEVER make sense to me. I really think we are hard-wired differently.

Annette

Liberal, progressive, tree-hugging, people loving democrat. Which makes me a communist terrorist according to conservative republicans.

[msongs]

3. fear based religions like christianity attract fearful people who do hateful things based on fear nt

[madrchsod]

4. so here`s my

to you on this fine sunday afternoon for an excellent post on christianity

[brooklynite]

5. I would disagree...

...with the statement that "all of us have internalized the teachings of Christianity". I would argue (as an atheist), that Christianity internalized common-sense principles that allowed civilizations to develop from nomadic tribes long before the days of Jesus.

[mzteris]

7. +10000! n/t

[Arugula Latte]

8. Yes, the emphasis on the last 2,000 year is utterly laughable.

Behold:

If the history of the universe were compressed into one Earth calendar year ... Jesus is a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a blip (and so are we):

[provis99]

13. but the earth is only 6,000 years old!

you gotta think with the mindset of a fundamentalist.

[Arugula Latte]

14. Well, I know what you're saying, but

I just don't get why anybody, fundie or not, would place so much emphasis on one dude out of billions. Why would anybody think that there was somehow a guy born on Earth who had magical powers and he was apparently the only one in the history of the planet or something. Even non-fundy Xtians believe that. Also, what about the billions upon billions of other planets out there? Odds are many of them probably have intelligent life.

I guess what I'm saying is that the complete focus on the last 2,000 years and one little planet among billions in a universe that is billions of years old just seems nuts to me.

[SmileyRose]

17. A well taken point.

I am forced to agree with you. I did start in with the middle............

[mzteris]

6. Conservative Christians

and other fundamentalists

helped me to finally admit that I didn't really "believe in God". I'd had "doubts" all of my life (ever since I was 6 years old), but forced myself to "buhlieve" because I thought I had to.

It was my realization that I wanted nothing whatsoever to do with anything in any way shape or form that those sick puppies buhlieved that finally freed me to reject the whole fairytale.

[hfojvt]

10. I have found the opposite to be true

Having gone to liberal and conservative churches. At the liberal churches it seems more like people just get into their nice cars once a week and drive to church and then go out to eat and go home, and that is their Christianity. At conservative churches, for all their mis-guided focus, they at least seem to be trying to take it more seriously.

That's liberal church-goers. Now, as for the atheists, it is hard to tell, since I do not regularly attend atheist meetings. I am sure there are some very decent atheists, such as my idol Isaac Asimov, and I myself spent ten years as an atheist before I back-slid into Christianity again.

But if you were to just look at DU, unfortunately "compassion, kindness, community, and inclusiveness" are often in short supply - and that's in a moderated board. Without moderators, this place would probably be as kind as a demolition derby.

Not that everybody here is necessarily either liberal or atheist.

[Shagbark Hickory]

11. One bunch has solutions, the other bunch has faith the problems will be sorted out by the spaghetti

monster.

[Curmudgeoness]

12. I have at times called myself an atheist christian,

because I see few problems with the teachings of Christ as a philosophy. I still have to deal with the references to his "father" and that "son of god" thingie.

[RandomThoughts]

15. Son is a concept used in many thoughts on that topic

even without knowing for sure it is easy to see that as a descriptor of feeling

son
worker
slave


Those are three ways something can emotionally feel about someone else. And that is part of many conceptual ideas.

pet is another version of that form but errors on superiority

[NuclearDem]

16. Conservatism and Christianity have no business being together

They're completely polar opposite philosophies.

[Enthusiast]

18. I have RW Christian

relatives that hate me for being a liberal. Just saying.