Tolerating Intolerence

[Shiendar]

Should you... and what's the point?

I have to deal with intolerence everyday as a Pagan in the "Bible Belt" and south of the Mason-Dixon line. I fear for my life and well-being and cannot be open about my religion. The one woman who is around here is constantly harrassed and her home is defaced on a regular basis, yet nothing is ever done about it. I have to tolerate the ignorance and outright hatred everyday. Thankfully, I will not be in this town for long.

This is what it has come down to.

[Gorath Sodom]

I know exactly what you mean. I live in the south where malicious Fundamentalist bigots are free to do as they please whereas us good natured Pagans are persecuted, and in some cases, physically abused. They are too brainwashed to listen to reason, so there is only one way to deal with them: their own remedy; violence. If they strike at you, strike back harder. Strike back so hard that they will not be able to retaliate due to a few broken bones.

[Kyo-san]

I have no religion, really. I tend to expirement with different religions (atheist, satanist, buddist, pagan, hindu...) but I've never really been attrcted to religions like Baptism and catholicism. I get a LOT of shit about my doings being sacrelige, and i have been threatened with death quite a few times. i really think that there should be more tolerence with different religions. i hate how people act like they accept people for who they are, then say that the same person is going to hell when its just them by themselves!

[Gorath Sodom]

Damn right.

Christianity is supposed to be about tolerance and equalility, as Christian is to be Christ-like. However, Fundamentalists are anything but Christlike. They are nothing but hypocrits and judgemental fiends who thrive on the oppression of minorities.

[Blacksmith]

What do you expect, Gorath? We live in a world of misunderstandings. Which means the bible will be misunderstood because these people were taught it's teaching as children. The problem is that I personally believe most christians who were taught these ways as children never grow up. They live out their childhoods with believeing what their parents tell them, so once they come to of age at least...14 or 15, belief becomes ignorance and they cannot so easily accept other religions or beliefs. It is these people who call themselves christians and say they act in Christ's name, but yet do not even understand the morals of the bible at all. In fact it is why my theory for children is to only teach them morals itself, not beliefs.

We all know what being a child is like. You are care-free, you love to play, and you really are quite selfish even if you don't admit it. It's basically brainwashing by teaching children religion because they'll suck up anything if it's from someone they trust. And it only gets stronger as each year passes. We use our children as means to justify the ends.

[sarcasm]You really must wonder why parents are so ignorant and children are so ****ed up these days[/sarcasm]

[Akira]

Life sucks doesn't it sometimes? However, encounters with extremist religious hypocrites tend to be the worse experiences one has, especially if one is not of similar or same opinion and then voices that opinion. Even when trying to rationally deliver your point of view, alas you get verbally raped by religious nonsense and propaganda. And when one has truly come into contact with fanatic religious charletons, one can understand why I would refer to it as propaganda.

I'll admit, there are of course people that blend their religion more harmoniously than others but as I said, I'm referring to the extreme. I also, just like Bullship, try to keep my options open and actually try to blend some part of every religion into my lifestyle and standard of living. I also make sure to pick out the misconstruded information, or at least what I partake as such and flush it down the shitter. As I see it, the bible and other religious documents are all a matter of perspective and interpretation. It seems some people fucked those persepectives up a long time ago.

[TomStrife]

Originally Posted by Gorath

Damn right.

Christianity is supposed to be about tolerance and equalility, as Christian is to be Christ-like. However, Christians are anything but Christlike. They are nothing but hypocrits and judgemental fiends who thrive on the oppression of minorities.

Gorath, not to be rude but here is one word to descirbe your post:

Ignorant.

I`m assumming you have met a small amount of hyprocritical fools who CLAIM to be Christians. Do not classify a group based on a few people.

And don`t even bring up Christians that preach publicly such as on the television or such. The Media lies about everything, do you think that Christianity is an exception.

Some people that claim to be Christians are un-Christlike and hypocritical BUT Christians are far more persecuted than Pagans. Just tell me which "theory" is rejected more: Creation or Evolution?

EDIT: "Good natured Pagans?!" Oh, gag me with a spoon, you`re the one who`s being hypocritical.

just want to share a piece of my mind.


If you happen to play Final Fantasy Tactics, then you should know about the medling of the Church in the state affairs. Well, in the Phillipines, where I hail from, its been some question why the Church wants to interviene with the Government's action and they use the name of God often.

Mostly, people are misguided due to the fact that we are a Christian nation here in Asia[but we still have Muslims here, and believe me, the way some Christians treat them, its not good. A hell of discrimination within the confines of your own country.] and we do have some crises lately. When people protests, the Church backs them up and they say its for a cause. Yeah, sure. But for what? They do lead people blind with their Fate in God. Even though what they're doing, IMHO, is not right. It happens from time and time again and yet they haven't learned anything from it.

The Bible serves as a document about what happened in the past and to glorify thy saints and our God, but not as a tool to lead the people blindly.



sorry, but that's whats really happening here.

[Angantyr]

Typical a christian would come in, argue that not all christians are the same and at the same time make a stupid insult, oohhh the Irony!

Anyway from reading your post I feel for you, my mum is a strong christian and when I tell her I don't like it she starts crying but if she see's anything about Pagans she goes and makes stupid jokes. I never realised it would be that bad, I don't practise anything but I live my life sharing the same idealogies and beliefs of my ancestors. Christians have demonized everything that is not christian like the Celtic God know as Cernunnos who has horns and his legs are crossed is the same way that they depict the devil. Seriously it's so stupid that christianity has gotten this powerful in modern society.

Anyway if you are interested you should come and join my club, the LINK REMOVED if you are interested. I just started it so its not that active yet but I think you might enjoy yourself here

I thought christians were suposed to be nice an follow in jesus's foot steps. I never read about him starting a war. He told people about god, but he did not force it down there throats , nor did he hate them because they refused to believe.

I was out raged the other day when my sisters came home from school with a bible. A bible they handed out in school that explains how evil harry potter an things of that sort! Was there any line between churh an state...no! My sisters came home a few days later with a detention for wearing a shirt with a skull on it! A happy skull at that. They said it represented the devil an dying. An how death is not right, but then they let all the little catholic children walk around with a dead guy on a cross all day long an never say a word.

I personally am agnostic, and I believe in god, but where do these people get off? I am all for religion for betterment, but I have never seen religion do more than start an argument. The biggest thing they have succeeded at had been war, not love, war! An to push it on our children is wrong. Let them find out for themselves....geez.

They live in a tiny town...easily getting away with this stuff.

well, basically cheese, those who did that to your sisters are just being sh.t.


Those people blatantly use the word Cristianity and God as an excuse to do their own personal bidding. Evil or not, still they use it like an excuse if you forgot your homeowrok or so. Bastards they are.


and if someone starts flaming, go to the other thread, not here.

I don't know if I will get flamed for saying it. What they are doing is wrong. Whether you are christian or not people should think that it is wrong. The problem with that town it grouping. The poor kids get slander by these dumb teachers do evil. Claiming it is for god, but really they are just siding with the teenagers that are mean. An it is true that they are using religion for their own personal bidding. I could not have said it better myself. But it is not just the christains that do it. Almost every religion has a problem with the other religions. They all talk about their god is better because of being loving an he is so much better to follow, but at the same time they are slandering people an not doing what they say they are all about. That is why I am agnostic. No matter what you are, you are either gonna hate one religion or the other. Personally I just like to stay out of it, but it is hard with everyone at eachothers throats.

mainly because they lack faith. Sure they do have a religion or so, but then again, why flame another Religion for being different? Didn't the first thing in almost document which contains religion consists of loving thy Creator and fellowmen? I think they do lack those.

OKay I am only agnostic because I do not agree with most religions way of doing things, but I have plenty of knowledge about them. I guess it is all the hypocracy an condemnet that really burns me up about this subject. You should tolerate other's people's faiths an religions. If you segragate this country you are being no better than the evil you try to say you are following. Fact is, christians are easier to point out because they claim to be soo down in society an that they need to turn the world good again. Hate to break it to you guys, but most of the country is christian. If the majority is evil , then you can't point too many fingers away from yourselves.