Why are many extreme Christians so nasty?

[Vinayaka]

I work with a Christian who believes in the literal story of creation along with all the other OT stories, believes only Christians can be saved, and is waiting for Jesus to come again on clouds that can be seen by everyone to name a few. Regardless she is a happy friendly person. She can imply that I'm going to hell with a smile on her face and just wants to guide me from the error of my ways. She's sincere. Why take offence?

Just maybe we're thinking of two differing versions of 'nasty'. The guy I knew was a borderline pedophile, definitely a thief, and used other people as if he was entitled to slaves serving him. Just being self-righteous and smug, and a literalist isn't quite the same kind of nasty.

 

[Dawnofhope]

Just maybe we're thinking of two differing versions of 'nasty'. The guy I knew was a borderline pedophile, definitely a thief, and used other people as if he was entitled to slaves serving him. Just being self-righteous and smug, and a literalist isn't quite the same kind of nasty.

Then that is nasty! Maybe someone best avoided rather than tolerated?

 

[Vinayaka]

Then that is nasty! Maybe someone best avoided rather than tolerated?

The OP hinted at my description of 'nasty', yes, but most people if they haven't actually met someone like that wouldn't even think about it. In my case, the chap did not have his one year contract renewed, as you may have guessed. He was pretty much avoided by all. Still, guilt may have got the best of him, as the stolen money was 'anonymously' returned, but we all knew.

 

[pearl]

It's still a strawman argument

Literalism, fundamentalism is a form of intellectual suicide.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Just maybe we're thinking of two differing versions of 'nasty'. The guy I knew was a borderline pedophile, definitely a thief, and used other people as if he was entitled to slaves serving him. Just being self-righteous and smug, and a literalist isn't quite the same kind of nasty.

A man may be a Christian in name only.

If he is a Christian in reality, his deeds and actions will be decisive proofs of it. A true Christian loves all people and tries to serve mankind, performs philanthropic deeds and strives to be of good and upright character.

 

[dianaiad]

First, define the term "extreme Christian." If by that term you include "nasty," then your OP is a bit on the circular side.

However, if you define "extreme Christian" in a manner that doesn't include 'nasty," then I don't know what to tell you, except that extreme views of any type can engender strict, outspoken lack of acceptance of any dissenting belief or opinion. Personally, I HAVE found that theists can be 'nasty,' ...but so can atheists.

In fact, in my own experience, after many years of dealing with people who differ from my beliefs and make a point of saying so, I don't see a whole lot of difference between the theist and the atheist. People in general can be very nasty, indeed.

they can also be warm, giving, gentle and kind.

 

[Shad]

Many moderate Christians are thoroughly decent people, like my own children, who aren't Biblical literalists, thank goodness. However, I have encountered, throughout my life, many of those who believe you have to be 'saved' in order to go skywards, who are not nice at all. I can only think because they believe in the 'once saved always saved' dogma, they will get waved through the pearly gates, however bad they are. I have known quite a few of the 'saved' who were dishonest, and sexually abusive! The bigots who use the Bible as an excuse for condemning homosexuality are also very unpleasant too. Being gay is normal, not perverted!

I believe this based on a distortion of Calvinism; those that are saved are saved and those that are not are damned in the form of predestination. The distortion is that people that are saved need not act in a Christian manner. I find such manners more common to Protestants with their dismissal of acts and reliance upon faith alone. Combined with a prosperity viewpoint results in people acting poorly but with the belief that they are just telling people God's views as they see it and favored by God thus privilege. So these axioms can and do modify how a person acts, how they perceive their acts and those of others. Likewise there are axioms that reduce or minimize mannerism such as being humble. However religious axioms are very powerful as these are not merely human axioms but God based axioms. Combined with religious certainty shifts this axioms into dogmatic axioms. Extremism is the result of dogmatism regardless if from a religion or not.

Keep in mine people do look at being rude differently. A viewpoint or dialogue may seem rude to you but not to others and vice-versa.

 

[Dawnofhope]

This all raises some other key questions:

Does religion or our belief system make us better people?

Does it enable us to get on better with others?

Does it make the world a better place?

If our faith or worldview does not meet these criteria why bother?

“Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and disputes to vanish from the face of the earth; it should give birth to spirituality, and bring light and life to every soul. If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it would be better to be without it... Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion.” Abdu'l-Baha

 

[columbus]

ie

the thread premise is arbitrary/nonsense.

Where I live it isn't.
Around here many of the nastiest people are overtly Christian and they make sure you know it. Christianity helps people justify nasty behavior and so attracts people like that.
I know the same is true of the dominant ideology anywhere, Communists in China, Muslims in Iran, but around here it's Christians.
Tom

 

[columbus]

This forum is all over the place. The original poster should know that, frankly.

I have found some of the nastiest posters here to be very Christian. I think that they get taken by surprise when "ReligiousForums" doesn't cater to their flavor of religion like the rest of the world they live in does.
Tom

 

[Dawnofhope]

Check out Krishnamurthi

Krishna who? What about him?

Ehmm... because not every faith is humanism of some sort?

Who said it was?

 

[Dawnofhope]

The OP hinted at my description of 'nasty', yes, but most people if they haven't actually met someone like that wouldn't even think about it. In my case, the chap did not have his one year contract renewed, as you may have guessed. He was pretty much avoided by all. Still, guilt may have got the best of him, as the stolen money was 'anonymously' returned, but we all knew.

I think its a great difficulty when those we open up and allow to become close to us betray our trust

 

[Timothy Bryce]

Many moderate Christians are thoroughly decent people, like my own children, who aren't Biblical literalists, thank goodness. However, I have encountered, throughout my life, many of those who believe you have to be 'saved' in order to go skywards, who are not nice at all. I can only think because they believe in the 'once saved always saved' dogma, they will get waved through the pearly gates, however bad they are. I have known quite a few of the 'saved' who were dishonest, and sexually abusive! The bigots who use the Bible as an excuse for condemning homosexuality are also very unpleasant too. Being gay is normal, not perverted!

It is no wonder many people are put off religion when they encounter people like that.

IMO:

First of all, I think, deep down, they know that their entire belief system is a hoax (except for the really, really retarded ones who literally believe their own bull****).

I also think that it's a sadistic side of human nature to demonize certain people for no apparent reason whatsoever.

For what it's worth: Jesus sounded like a pretty gay dude himself; no record of him ever having sex, he got friendzoned by a ****ing prostitute for christ's sake and he went around flamboyantly preaching unconditional love and forgiveness for everyone.

Sounds like Jesus was a total queermo to me.

Ultimately it all just boils down to an ego thing - the spite-filled Christians that is.

 

[12jtartar]

Many moderate Christians are thoroughly decent people, like my own children, who aren't Biblical literalists, thank goodness. However, I have encountered, throughout my life, many of those who believe you have to be 'saved' in order to go skywards, who are not nice at all. I can only think because they believe in the 'once saved always saved' dogma, they will get waved through the pearly gates, however bad they are. I have known quite a few of the 'saved' who were dishonest, and sexually abusive! The bigots who use the Bible as an excuse for condemning homosexuality are also very unpleasant too. Being gay is normal, not perverted!

It is no wonder many people are put off religion when they encounter people like that.

JJ50,
Please allow me to give one reason, but I could be wrong.
Do you remember the several times that Jesus spoke rather harshly to hid hearers???
Jesus was the greatest teacher that ever lived, and he wanted all to listen to him, because believing in Jesus is the ONLY way to attain to salvation.
Let me point out a few Scriptures where Jesus said some harsh things to people, John 8:44, Matthew 23:13-33, where Jesus said that their father was Satan, and he said that they were Hypocrits, and offspring of vipers. Jesus even asked how were they going to escape from the judgment of Gehenna, which was a symbol of Everlasting death.
I have thought about these Scriptures and wondered, because Most people never think that Jesus said anything bad to people.
Then I came to the conclusion that, Jesus understood people so well that he knew that saying anything nice would not shake them out of their complacency. Jesus said harsh words to use the very last effort to shake them into understanding just how VITAL it is to actually LISTEN carefully to the Christian message.
Perhaps the Christians you have spoken with loved you so much that they were trying to say something to get YOU to listen, because all the conditions we see today are fulfilling all the things that Jesus said would be happening just before he comes back to earth. When Jesus returns to earth, it will be to judge every person on earth, Matthew 25:31-46, 2Thessalonians 1:6-10, Acts 17:31.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

Many moderate Christians are thoroughly decent people, like my own children, who aren't Biblical literalists, thank goodness. However, I have encountered, throughout my life, many of those who believe you have to be 'saved' in order to go skywards, who are not nice at all. I can only think because they believe in the 'once saved always saved' dogma, they will get waved through the pearly gates, however bad they are. I have known quite a few of the 'saved' who were dishonest, and sexually abusive! The bigots who use the Bible as an excuse for condemning homosexuality are also very unpleasant too. Being gay is normal, not perverted!

It is no wonder many people are put off religion when they encounter people like that.

You post is a generalization; I know many people that could be described as "extreme Christians" that are perfectly polite and pleasant people. They certainly have strong views, and are vocal about them, but nonetheless great people to be around.

Studies show that people tend to stereotype perceived groups by the few people of that group they encounter. My guess is that perhaps you have had some bad experiences with a number of people and you have categorized them into a perceived faction. Which would be a natural human reaction, but you are still generalizing and stereotyping people based on how you perceive their religious attitudes. Which is a badly framed model that could lead to many misjudgments.

 

[metis]

Jesus was the greatest teacher that ever lived, and he wanted all to listen to him, because believing in Jesus is the ONLY way to attain to salvation.

Frankly, I doubt that Jesus ever said such a thing because it seems out of character when it comes to what appears to be to be his general sense of direction, plus it really doesn't make theological sense nor logical sense. It is this kind of teaching that has done so much damage historically, leading to the persecution and death of millions, and I simply do not believe that Jesus would have any of that.

To me, that doctrine was likely added after he was crucified, and Paul may have possibly been the originator of that concept since followers of the Way began to be excluded from synagogues and quite possibly the Temple itself (except possibly on the outside). .

 

[YmirGF]

Generally speaking, I do tend to agree with you as many of the nicest people that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing are Christian.

Heck, even this old grizzled "strong" atheist agrees on this point. I guess it boils down to which Christians play with the cool kids.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Almost a century ago, Gandhi noted the same thing, saying "I love your Christ but not your Christians". However, he was not blaming all or even most Christians but was referring to fundamentalist Christians in that quote. He said they strutted around pretty much bragging on how they supposedly are already "saved", thus apparently feeling no necessity of being worried about their own morality. Also, he hated the "my way or the highway" approach that they push.

And a century before that (give or take), Robert Burns expressed a similar sentiment in Holy Willie's Prayer:

Robert Burns Country: Holy Willie's Prayer: "And send the godly in a pet to pray." - Pope.

 

[David T]

Many moderate Christians are thoroughly decent people, like my own children, who aren't Biblical literalists, thank goodness. However, I have encountered, throughout my life, many of those who believe you have to be 'saved' in order to go skywards, who are not nice at all. I can only think because they believe in the 'once saved always saved' dogma, they will get waved through the pearly gates, however bad they are. I have known quite a few of the 'saved' who were dishonest, and sexually abusive! The bigots who use the Bible as an excuse for condemning homosexuality are also very unpleasant too. Being gay is normal, not perverted!

It is no wonder many people are put off religion when they encounter people like that.

Because their narrcisism is divinely approved as opposed to not divine!!! Look at isis they are divinely self approved in their heads to be the worst of the worst. Religion can be just as narrcisistic as anything else. Sort of like Darth Vader tapped into the force but bent on destruction while he is convinced he is bringing peace. Star wars and Harry potter series have both explored this duality in religion. Atheists sometimes have been atheists directly because of they see the bs. That self deluded tendency religion can generate.

 

[metis]

And a century before that (give or take), Robert Burns expressed a similar sentiment in Holy Willie's Prayer:

Robert Burns Country: Holy Willie's Prayer: "And send the godly in a pet to pray." - Pope.

Thanks for this as I've never seen that before.