I grew up going to church twice every single Sunday - Sunday school, morning service, night serviceSeattleGriz wrote: ↑Tue Nov 07, 2023 4:31 pmI won't argue with you on that. I'm on record many times on this board stating that the worst thing for Christianity are Christians themselves.
I consider myself very fortunate to have come to Christ on my own terms. Met a lot of atheists, not saying you are, that were raised in the church and the shit they tell me spins my head.
A lot of Christians miss the main message that we all have our problems. Living in a glass house and throwing stones doesn't help.
I grew up going to church every single Wednesday night from September until May starting in kindergarten as part of A.W.A.N.A starting with Cubbies, then Sparks, then T&T and then moving into middle school youth group and then to "senior youth group" all through high school. I earned every single patch and award through AWANA, including the Timothy Award which means I finished every single work book of memorizing verses, completing assignments, etc. from the very start to the very end of AWANA.
In the various youth groups growing up I spent hundreds of hours volunteering at various shelters, food banks, missions, etc. I went on full-blown mission trips to Mexico for 3 weeks where I was part of building a church from the literal ground up (not to what we would consider standards, but for the insanely impoverished area I was working in) cinder block by actual cinder block and then running group for young children similar to the cubbies or sparks in Awana. I then went to Canada, so the poorest neighborhood in all of Canada in Vancouver. Spent 3 weeks there working in a kitchen serving meals to the homeless, working with a program that helped kids, actually living - sleeping, showering, eating, everything - in a church for that full period. I went to bible camp every single summer from 2nd grade through the summer after my 8th grade year, which is when I started going on mission trips instead.
My dad was a deacon and usher my entire life. My family volunteered to clean the church every week, twice a week, for years because we felt like it was us doing "god's will". I spent every single Tuesday night cleaning from the weekend and getting it ready for AWANA on Wednesday night and then going back on Thursday night to clean to get it ready for the weekend and set up for whatever was happening in the church for the weekend. It wasn't a small church. Not a small church either. It has 2 sermons every Sunday morning - each with 400-500+ at each one. Mind you I grew up in a town of 1000 people and all the towns around us were that size or smaller. The church had 3 levels, has 2 multipurpose rooms/gymnasiums. On top of that I would play in a pick up basketball league with my youth pastor 3 mornings a week at 5AM. We'd go have breakfast together multiple mornings a week during the school year. He was - and is - a fantasitc person. But he was the start of this new age cult of personality type ministry we are seeing to try grab on and keep the youth. He wasn't as flamboyant as the stereotype, but he fit that mold. I really liked, and still do, like him as a person. What I'm saying is church, religion, god, jesus, etc. was my life growing up.
I held my graduation party in the fucking church.
By the time I graduated from high school I had read, damn near memorized, every single verse in the bible. I knew, and know, more about that book and the idea of religion than 99.999% of the people that claim to be Christians - and that is exactly why I find religion (any and all) to be the actual worst fucking thing to ever happen to this planet. I know EXACTLY what the Christian playbook is. I was literally indoctrinated in it from birth. All these Christians scream about indoctrination in schools, which is complete bullshit. The truest indoctrination is religion, specifically Christianity in America. I know exactly who these people are. I know exactly what they are trying to do. The little games that get played to make sure they can stay tax-free, avoid getting in trouble for being political during sermons, to buy politicians to do their bidding. I know it all. It was who I was raised to be.
The reason I hate religion like I do is because I know EXACTLY what it is. I know exactly who the people in it are.
"NOT ALL CHRISTIANS!!!"
Sure, and "not all cops" is also true, but when you see the same exact pattern play out in every single police force in every single town, city, metro, municipality, etc. across the country you start to have a pretty good understanding who what the larger picture and majority of it all is.
So few Christians understand even the fucking most basic shit of the bible that I'm embarrassed for them. Trying to have a real theological discussion - not even debate - where you just ask them to actually explain why the believe what they do and think how they think without simply going "Because Jesus and the bible and my pastor tells me" is impossible. They instantly start getting angry and screaming about gays, they, and commie scum.
On top of that I grew up insanely Republican. In middle and high school I had posters for George Bush on my lockers. I listened to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck EVERY single day. Paid for their membership packages to their websites well into my sophomore year in college even. Just like the religious sect, there's a reason I am no longer a republican and despise what that party is and has become. I was one of them. I was in it deep. I know what it actually is.
To tie this back to the actual topic we are in
Mike Johnson is a young earth creationist who believes the earth is 6000 years old, maximum. He believes that humans and dinosaurs existed at the same time. He believes there were dinosaurs on the ark. He has funneled government funds in Kentucky to create museums dedicated to trying to prove that and pushing those crack pot ideas. He believes and pushes conversion therapy, ignoring literally every pieces of research that's ever been done and how dangerous that is. He was one of the key figures in spreading lies and conspiracies around the 2020 election and trying to overturn it and create the insurrection. In fact he was the lead on the amicus brief in Texas at that time.
People like Mike Johnson are an actual danger to the existence of the Constitution, actual democracy, and the US as a whole.