stop trying to give me an ultimatum, saying i’ll go to hell or that we can’t be friends if i don’t pray.

if i’m uncertain that god exists because there’s NO PROOF EITHER WAY for me.

i’m not a “perfect” straight christian woman like you are, i’m not going to change myself because my looks “tempt” men. i dress for me, not for men.

i don’t CARE if same-gender relationships are “sins” and you’ll go to hell. there are some pro-lgbt churches. i don’t care if “all women are for is to complement men and they’re inferior and they should only be with other men for that reason”.

this shit makes me so mad. i don’t have to be religious if i don’t want to be. there’s this one straight christian woman i know and she hates other women it’s so annoying, and she claims to support the lgbt but “doesn’t care about gay/trans rights”.

omfg shut up, there’s some actual kind christians despite me not being one myself, but these people obviously aren’t.

if you’re genuinely curious as to whether i pray, am christian/religious, or go to church, then that’s fine, but DON’T TRY TO FORCE ME. i thought christianity preached acceptance??

  • Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe
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    10 hours ago

    “We can’t be friends if you don’t pray”

    OK.

    Walk away.

    This is my response to any kind of ultimatum. And I say “OK” as dispassionately as possible, as if someone said they prefer vanilla over chocolate ice cream.

  • Limonene@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    If a religion doesn’t allow its members to be friends with non-members, that religion is a cult.

    You probably don’t want to engage with cult members anyway, unless it is to help them leave the cult.

  • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    we can’t be friends if i don’t pray.

    “Bye then.”

    “all women are for is to complement men and they’re inferior and they should only be with other men for that reason”.

    She’s in deep. You don’t have to save her if you don’t want to.

  • molten@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    Religion exists by virtue of being forced on people. Many gently reject it and many are battered and beaten mentally until they don’t. People born into religious families will very very often share their family religion and other beliefs no matter what they are. People who have nothing else to turn to will often choose religion because it gives them hope and a group to belong to. Anybody who likes you will try to get you to do their things with them whether it’s praying or playing a specific tabletop RPG. It’s a pain in the ass and the people who don’t understand “No” aren’t worth your time.

  • Arghblarg@lemmy.ca
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    15 hours ago

    Stay true to your principles. There are many, many others out there who agree with you. One’s religion should NEVER motivate one to force it upon others.

    In fact I think there is no true “freedom of religion” without “freedom FROM religion” (as in, every individual is free to practice their religion of choice, so long as such practices harm no one else, or to practice NO religion). If only our governments would codify this explicitly into law.

    • Arcka@midwest.social
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      5 hours ago

      OP - If you don’t give thanks and praise FSM, you’ll find all your vermicelli will break into short pieces, and your macaroni will be mushy. Who would want to dine at your home then?

  • over_clox@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    My thoughts on religion are about the same as having an invisible friend. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with that, up until age 3 or 4 or so when you’re supposed to realize the invisible friend doesn’t exist.

  • Maple Engineer@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    The people you are talking about are not Christians. They do not follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. They are at best cafeteria Christians and at worst Christians in name only.

    • kabi@lemm.ee
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      13 hours ago
      • A: “No Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge.”
      • B: “But my uncle Angus is a Scotsman and he puts sugar on his porridge.”
      • A: “But no true Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge.”

      I wonder if we’ll ever find a true Scotsman.

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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      15 hours ago

      Ok, but a “Christian” is anyone who claims to be a Christian. There are no other unifying features of Christianity that make one a “True” Christian. Of course, all Christians claim to be the “True” Christians, and claim that any Christians who do not meet some arbitrary requirement aren’t really Christians. All Christians have equal claim to the ideology, and this equally validates their claim to be Christians and invalidates their claims that others are not real Christians.

      • Maple Engineer@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        Christians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. If you don’t follow the teachings of Jesus Christ but call yourself a Christian you are a Christian in name only.

        • NicoleFromToronto@lemmy.ca
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          11 hours ago

          Hate Your Father and Mother

          “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26

          Calls people hypocrites and fools and then says not to call people fools or they'll go to hell. Matthew 5:22, Matthew 23:17
          
          Tells people not to wash their hands (especially important now) and why aren't they killing disobedient children. Mark 7
          
          Kills a fig tree because it's got no fruit, even though it's not in season. Mark 11:12-25
          
          Tells his disciples to steal a donkey because god said it's ok and they do it. Matthew 21:2
          
          Gets anointed with expensive oil and fed by his disciples and people despite not working he's just walking around preaching. When someone suggests that they sell the oil to the poor he says the poor will be there forever you've only got me today. Matthew 26:6–13, Mark 14:3–9, Luke 7:36–50, John 12:1–8 (has this woman kissing his feet and crying on them to cleanse her sins, this is very reminiscent of egotistical cult leaders like Jim Jones and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh who would have people pampering them)
          
          Sends a herd of pigs over a cliff to their deaths by casting out demons. Mark 5:13
          
          Calls a non Jewish woman a dog when she wants him to heal her sick daughter, says he's only been sent here to help the Jews, only when she begs and calls herself a dog does he help (does the miracle anyway but is still is a dick about it) Matthew 15:21-28
          
          Gets mad when a leper wants to be healed. Mark 1:41
          

          9.Throws tables up and trashes a temple being used by money changers and people selling their merchandise, though it’s not a building owned by him, calls them robbers (if this story had any credibility he would have met some resistance and been killed) Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-18

          Tells people to hate their mothers fathers etc. and hate themselves in order to follow him and he's not here to bring peace but a sword. Luke 14:26
          
          All the verses he preaches about hell and that people that don't believe in him are going to hell. John 3:36, Revelation 21:8
          
          Ignoring his mother and brothers when they come to see him. Luke 8:19-21
          
          Speaks in parables to confuse people. Mark 4:12
          
          The whole end of the world speeches, they are just pure evil, e.g. pregnant women may not escape, and hope the end of the world isn't on a sabbath day. Mark 13:17
          
          To the man burying his father tells him to follow him and leave his father behind and let the dead bury the dead,not very loving and compassionate Matthew 8:21-22
          
          Says I've come not to change the law of the prophets, this included slavery being ok, rape victims marrying their raper, stoned to death for homosexuality and working on the sabbath he didn't condemn any of it (there's the famous verse from John where he says he who is without sin cast the first stone but this wasn't added until several hundreds of years later so most likely wasn't a teaching of his) Matthew 5:17
          
          Lies to people saying if they pray they can move mountains yet prayer is shown to be ineffective, to add to this at the end of Mark jesus says people who believe can habdle snakes, drink poison without dying and cure sick people with their hands. (Ending of Mark wasn't added for hundreds of years) Matthew 17:20-21, Mark 16:17
          
        • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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          12 hours ago

          Jesus Christ had a lot of teachings, one of which is that all humans are imperfect. All fall short, and let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Does that mean you aren’t a Christian, since you’re expecting perfection of Christians?

          • Maple Engineer@lemmy.world
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            11 hours ago

            Perfection, no. An effort, yes. I am an atheist and live in a country with actual religious freedom.

            • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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              10 hours ago

              I’d argue that anyone claiming to be a Christian believes they are making an effort to follow the teachings of Christ as they understand them.

              I’m not sure why you think where you live is relevant, but OK.

              • Maple Engineer@lemmy.world
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                6 hours ago

                If “Christians” had read and understood the Bible instead of just accepting what bad faith actors told them I bet they would probably be better Christians.

                Where I live is relevant since as an atheist I have actual religious freedom which means that the Christian prohibition against judging others does not apply to me. I am free to judge that false Christians are horrible people.

                • AoxoMoxoA@lemmy.world
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                  4 hours ago

                  The problem is in understanding the bible. Christianity is an esoteric religion. A quick read is not going to get someone there. It is beyond most peoples range of knowledge. Eastern religions ( Buddhism, Hindu, etc ) make it clear that a teacher is needed to understand. In the west Christianity is a perverted false religion at this point and has been for a very long time. This has allowed for many “false Prophets” (which the same religion clearly warned against) to lead masses of people down a wrong path.

    • SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz
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      9 hours ago

      Might want to change the name of your religion then, because it’s been mainly overtaken by evil hateful people, and you’re not going to get it back.

        • SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz
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          8 hours ago

          I’m aware of what atheism is, thanks, sweetie.

          Maybe don’t talk like you know what a “”“real Christian”“” is. I know what it is because I lived that life and am now stuck in a town where it’s the majority. Fuck your pussyfooting.

          Sit down.

          • Maple Engineer@lemmy.world
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            7 hours ago

            Does that ever work? It isn’t going to work with me.

            It’s obvious that the loudest modern “”“”“”““Christians””“”“”“” (I’m not sure what the point of all those quotation marks is but I’m just going with it) pick and choose the most hateful passages of the Old Testament to justify their own fear, hate, and self loathing.

            You may not like it but it is the truth.

    • Meltdown@lemmy.world
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      15 hours ago

      You have a rose-tinted picture of Christianity. Christians are Christians are Christians are Christians. You don’t get to be the arbiter of “real” Christianity.

      • Maple Engineer@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        Christians are the followers of the teachings of Jusus Christ. If you don’t follow the teachings of Jesus Christ you may call yourself a Christian but you are not a Christian.

    • Lemmist@lemm.ee
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      15 hours ago

      Cafeteria sounds good. How could something cafeteria-related be bad?

      • Maple Engineer@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        They pick and choose.

        They follow Leviticus 20:13 but not Matthew 7:1-3 or Luke 6:37.

        They chose which teachings to follow based on their own fear, hate, and self-loathing.