I'm following up mainly because people who shared the blog seemed to take a hit from their "friends" for sharing it, and some even lost friends or were thrown out of groups because they did. I'm sorry that happened to you, if you were one of them. I'm not sorry for what I wrote, however.
I fully expected when I hit the "Publish" button that I'd receive name-calling, disparaging comments, etc... I braced myself for the fodder and hit the button anyway.
So far, I've been called a rude, intolerant bitch (and in the same paragraph this person "feels sorry for me" lol), a bully, angry, coming from a place of hurt, etc.. and have had my writing critiqued with words like "too much hyperbole" (although, honestly, that person really needs to understand the meaning of the word) "painting with too broad a brush", "too focused" (lol yes, I'm either too broad or too focused) and several other choice adjectives. I've also received an overwhelming number of emails and Facebook messages sending me kudos and thank-you's for speaking up and out about this issue. And, I take all of it with a grain or two of salt.
What you think of me is none of my business.
I don't take it back, I'm not angry (although, I will say I'm frustrated and a little more than fed up with the political and "moral" statements coming from right-wing Christianity), and I didn't write that out of anger or being hurt somehow. Christianity didn't hurt me, personally. I was a Christian once. I was in it for a long time. I saw things I didn't like and overlooked them because I didn't want to address them. When I finally came face-to-face with the fact that there was no historical evidence that Jesus ever existed, I really couldn't ignore it or the things I'd seen any longer. So, I left. My choice, and no one forced it on me. I chose to leave because I could no longer adhere to the tenets of an evil god or an evil tome. Blinders came off, and I saw "the light". And, once you know a thing, you can't "unknow" it.
I painted broadly yesterday because I was addressing Christianity as a whole, and not any specific individuals. It is the religion and its effects on its adherents, society and the world that I wanted to talk about. If I really have to put out a disclaimer that not EVERY Christian is like this or not EVERY person behaves this way, then I'm insulting your intelligence and my own, and I just wasn't going to do that. Of course, that gives the critics (who, let's face it, will look for something to attack me for regardless of disclaimers) the fodder that they wanted, and that's okay too.
I could have gone for the "it's human nature" angle, but I didn't because it isn't necessarily this way in all religions or in all groups of people, or even in a majority. While some of the symptoms I noted for Christianity could apply to other groups, the same can be said for any disease. Some diseases have similar symptoms. For example, you could be experiencing a fever, cough, chills, vomiting.. those could apply to any number of diseases. I specifically addressed Christianity, because of the constant bombardment of their message that the rest of us are evil and going to eternal punishment because of our evilness.
Let's not forget one of the biggest messages perpetuated by them: Being Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transsexual is a disease that one can be cured from. How many times have we seen it? Run an internet search for it. Look at how many "treatment" centers these people have set up to "cure the gay away". They de-humanize a demographic and call it evil, but they "love the sinner, hate the sin". They generalize, they demonize, they attack, they dominate. But, let's not forget, I'm the bully intolerant bitch because I pointed that finger right back at them.
Another symptom I forgot to mention yesterday is this whole "I'm being persecuted" complex as well. Christians are notorious for whining that they've been persecuted for their beliefs because they were doing the attacking and someone fought back.
This is what I was addressing yesterday. They didn't like it when they threw stones from their glass houses and I threw some back; gave them a taste of their own medicine; put some light on their own beliefs and let them see how it felt to be called "diseased". Maybe I should set up a treatment center for them and let's put that shoe on their foot for awhile.
I was careful yesterday to only lightly address homosexuality in my post, because I intended to bring this out today. The glass houses these people live in now have a few shattered windows. I'm not sorry for throwing them back.
What I wrote was true. I didn't misquote their bible, didn't exaggerate the effects of their beliefs on society. Things like the Inquisition, The Crusades, The Holocaust, etc.. ALL HAPPENED.
Things like the WBC, abortion clinic bombings, etc.. ALL HAPPENED.
Slavery? That happened too.
Legislation against women's rights (and the continual rhetoric in regard to rape)? Happening now.
Anti-gay rhetoric, legislation, murders, et al.. happening now.
Racism? Do I really have to say it's still happening? You don't think that the whole "illegal immigration" thing is simply about jobs being taken, do you? Seriously?
You don't think that all of this anti-Obama rhetoric, birtherism, etc.. is about the man so much as the color of his skin, do you? REALLY?
This all stems from a particular group who all call themselves Christian. And, no, they aren't fringe elements; this is what their religion teaches. Hate is rife within that bible. Hate is infectious, and you only have to look at things like the Holocaust, the Crusades, the Inquisition, Misogyny, Slavery and Racism to see the truth of that statement. I even shared a link in which Christians stated that "Hate is a Virtue" (and they quote their bible to justify it). Westboro Baptist, anyone? One Million Moms? Should I go on?
So, if you shared my post yesterday and lost friends over it, you have my sympathy, but not an apology. If you agreed with it, then you know why you did, and you know why I threw the stones back. It wasn't out of my own personal hurt or anger, it was the right thing to do.
If these people really want to show us how wonderful their lives are with Jesus, then they need to clean up the mess in those glass houses and stop throwing stones at the rest of us. Let them prove me wrong by ceasing and desisting from "calling good evil and evil good" (Isaiah 5:20) and living a life worth watching through the glass.
Otherwise, well, I've got some boulders. All I need is a trebuchet ;)