Not all Christians are horrible people, but you´d never know it by reading sciforums.
I grew up in an American Christian family, attended a small house church and Quaker meeting, attended a Christian high school and am attending a Christian university. It was my own decision to attend those schools, even though I had stopped (if I had ever started) believing in a Christian God years ago.
Granted, one individual´s personal experience doesn´t prove much to strangers, but I consider myself exposed enough to draw some conclusions from my experience.
Yes, I get frustrated by Christian truth statements and beliefs, but since my best friends and relatives are Christian(Mennonite specifically) I´ve learned to appreciate the valuable aspects of the religion and its community. They are good people, and live in a way that shows me they value people just as much as anyone else.
It´s wrong to call them crazy. Mental illness is a heavy charge, and on behalf of those who suffer from it I would ask that the term not be taken so lightly.
It is also wrong to expect people to change their beliefs quickly, especially when tradition and peer acceptance provide such an integral part of people´s lives. Christianity has a history, and the elderly make up an integral part of their congregations. It is unreasonable to expect them to see our generation´s evidence against their belief in the same way we do.
Even if their beliefs are flawed or inconcievable to many, the emphasis on love and experiences I´ve had make me find their company much more helpful than the isolationist and agressive claims I find on this board.
Of course I´m biased by my background. Mennonitism is my home and so of course I find it comfortable. Perhaps your experiences with Christians have been very different than mine, but I think we could all do well to remember that not all bugs are stink beetles.
I grew up in an American Christian family, attended a small house church and Quaker meeting, attended a Christian high school and am attending a Christian university. It was my own decision to attend those schools, even though I had stopped (if I had ever started) believing in a Christian God years ago.
Granted, one individual´s personal experience doesn´t prove much to strangers, but I consider myself exposed enough to draw some conclusions from my experience.
Yes, I get frustrated by Christian truth statements and beliefs, but since my best friends and relatives are Christian(Mennonite specifically) I´ve learned to appreciate the valuable aspects of the religion and its community. They are good people, and live in a way that shows me they value people just as much as anyone else.
It´s wrong to call them crazy. Mental illness is a heavy charge, and on behalf of those who suffer from it I would ask that the term not be taken so lightly.
It is also wrong to expect people to change their beliefs quickly, especially when tradition and peer acceptance provide such an integral part of people´s lives. Christianity has a history, and the elderly make up an integral part of their congregations. It is unreasonable to expect them to see our generation´s evidence against their belief in the same way we do.
Even if their beliefs are flawed or inconcievable to many, the emphasis on love and experiences I´ve had make me find their company much more helpful than the isolationist and agressive claims I find on this board.
Of course I´m biased by my background. Mennonitism is my home and so of course I find it comfortable. Perhaps your experiences with Christians have been very different than mine, but I think we could all do well to remember that not all bugs are stink beetles.