Did you watch 20/20 last night?

[chickenone]

This is exactly why I am afraid of church people and stay as far away from them as I can.

Thankfully, this accounts for a small fraction of church goers.

true, but I never know which type I am dealing with. Most of them seem pretty .... intense.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

This is exactly why I am afraid of church people and stay as far away from them as I can.

Thankfully, this accounts for a small fraction of church goers.

true, but I never know which type I am dealing with. Most of them seem pretty .... intense.

Don't be afraid to ask them. You can figure things out pretty easily with a few well directed questions.

 

[Neko-chan]

...

 

[chickenone]

Frightening, and terrible. That religion can mislead people enough to have their *babies* beaten...

No offense to any who may check the religious box, but common sense and the sense of right and wrong can become so warped and diluted under religion...

yes- that is why I find it scary.

They can justify anything.

You can ask them questions but they can just lie.

 

[k0xxx]

Frightening, and terrible. That religion can mislead people enough to have their *babies* beaten...

No offense to any who may check the religious box, but common sense and the sense of right and wrong can become so warped and diluted under religion...

I agree. However, look at the atrocities perpetrated in the name of nothing but evil, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, etc.

The human race is full of evil persons and those that would follow them, no matter what the "cause". All we can do is confront evil when we see it, and do what we can to relieve the suffering caused by it.

 

[Wifezilla]

 

[Denim Deb]

For the record, I attend an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church. We are NOT associated w/any other church in the way this is presented. My church is NOTHING like the ones shown. I would not attend it if it was. Just because there are a few churches that are NOT practicing what they're supposed to be preaching, don't paint all of them w/the same brush.

 

[mlynd]

I believe that that one's friendship with God/Goddess/Buddha and etc. is a personal one and not all are bad or good, because humans are both bad and good there must be both for balance . but children no matter the belief should never be victims of this kind of crime it breaks my heart to see this happening I don't believe any true deity condones this, only sick people ,

Like Denim said don't lump them all together

and for the record I do not attend any church, I 'm a spiritual person not a religious one and I try to respect all no matter the belief, I take people as they are

I'll go hide now

 

[Kala]

Unfortunately, stupid people are everywhere. They inhabit every walk of life and cover almost every belief system imagined to date. I think things like this just seem worse because we have all been raised to believe (at least where I'm from) that religious=good people with high moral standards so you can trust them. I've learned to not really trust anyone until I get to know them personally and see their morals in action, irregardless of their spiritual beliefs (including if they have none).

Plus there are just some very manipulative people out there who will use anything to get what they want. And it seems religion is a big one because as I mentioned above, to most religious=person or group I can trust. Which is not always the case. Person by person, group by group basis.

But don't ever write off an entire group of people just because you've had a bad experience with one that claims to have certain belief systems (I know, easier said than done). You'll likely miss some very awesome people. I for one don't attend church as most define it. My spiritual awakening happens every time I walk through the woods, pick a fresh food from our garden or watch our goat play in the yard. But I've managed to meet some awesome (and not so awesome) people from EVERY walk of life.

Just my two cents anyway...

 

[chickenone]

I don't expect religious people to be more trustworthy than other folks because that has not been my experience.

I think the truly "good" religious people keep it to themselves and just live their beliefs instead of talking about them.

But whenever I hear someone talking about how religious they are or bragging about how much time they spend in church or how close they are to God, I give them a wide berth.