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Hopetobe
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30 Sep 2012, 7:10 pm

I used to be a "born-again" evanglical christian. The incident what happened four years ago has opened my eyes. I told the pastors of my church about my stimming, about my playing with laces and fantasies. The pastor told me the playing with laces itself isn´t bad, but what´s behing it -the connection with fantasy -is evil. That the reason I can´t and don´t want to give it up is because the chains are so strong. That there´s "someone" inside me(the "someone" was a demon, of course). The way he was saying it was so convincing that I believed it. He asked me whether I want to be free, whether I want to be finally happy. And I said "yes". What else could I say? But I also said I was scared to change. And the pastor said "No, you are not scared. Someone else is scared of it." He told me I should "get free" right now(at that moment), otherwise the "someone" will know about this talking and then it will be worse with me. I remember how he was praying and casting the demon out while we sat in the car. I remember him saying "I forbid you in the name of Jesus" and "Leave her alone".

Although it was four years ago, I´m still a bit in a shock and confused.



TheBicyclingGuitarist
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30 Sep 2012, 7:48 pm

Some people apparently have experiences of some sort (being born again, having demons cast out, or the like) that are positive for them instead of negative. It does seem to me from my perspective based on whatever knowledge and personal experience of my lifetime that some churches may be more out of touch with reality than others. It seems a bit silly to blame a condition on demon possession when that condition is most likely from genetic predisposition that may be triggered by environmental factors.

A big part of going to church isn't just the spiritual teachings but the fellowship with others who believe or want to believe the same things you believe or want to believe. For anyone on the spectrum, interaction with others can be more difficult than it is for people not on the spectrum. I personally think the fundamentalist Biblical literalist strains of evangelical Christianity have serious flaws in their theology, that in effect many of these churches make an idol of the Bible, a form of idolatry, besides being out of touch with demonstrable reality on well-established scientific facts such as human evolution (and if you think it isn't well-established science, that just goes to show how much certain denominations spread LIES when they are supposed to be proclaiming truth).

Yeah, Christianity does seem out of touch with reality (as do most if not all religions). I personally think all religions teach a certain core message about an awareness at a higher level than usual, some sense of being connected with or identifying with all there is, and understanding deeply how right it is that everything is the way it is just so. When people have experienced that they sometimes try to share their experience with others using the language and concepts available to them from their culture. They explain things the best they can, but the map is not the territory.


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30 Sep 2012, 11:21 pm

All that smiting in Christianity makes me nervous.And of he's a God of love why would you want to smite someone?It's probably more relaxing to be a heathen.



30 Sep 2012, 11:32 pm

Isn't Christianity ostensibly supposed to be about God first and foremost and The Church second?



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01 Oct 2012, 2:27 pm

Hopetobe wrote:
I used to be a "born-again" evanglical christian. The incident what happened four years ago has opened my eyes. I told the pastors of my church about my stimming, about my playing with laces and fantasies. The pastor told me the playing with laces itself isn´t bad, but what´s behing it -the connection with fantasy -is evil. That the reason I can´t and don´t want to give it up is because the chains are so strong. That there´s "someone" inside me(the "someone" was a demon, of course). The way he was saying it was so convincing that I believed it. He asked me whether I want to be free, whether I want to be finally happy. And I said "yes". What else could I say? But I also said I was scared to change. And the pastor said "No, you are not scared. Someone else is scared of it." He told me I should "get free" right now(at that moment), otherwise the "someone" will know about this talking and then it will be worse with me. I remember how he was praying and casting the demon out while we sat in the car. I remember him saying "I forbid you in the name of Jesus" and "Leave her alone".

Although it was four years ago, I´m still a bit in a shock and confused.


So, I think what you are saying is that the incident made you realize how preposterous christianity is. Is that right? I think that many of the other tenents of christianity are equally absurd, but we don't notice due to the fact that we were indoctrinated with those ideas so early in life.


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01 Oct 2012, 2:48 pm

Anything the Christian Right can not control is a SIN or the result of sin.

This includes AIDS, birth defects, free speech, free press, the free exercise of religion (or not), the porn industry, gambling, alcohol use, learning disorders, personality disorders, perceptive disorders, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, public television, the free market, sexual impulses, secular education, poverty, and the right of every citizen to make up his or own mind when casting a vote for his or her favorite candidate.



Last edited by Fnord on 01 Oct 2012, 2:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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01 Oct 2012, 2:53 pm

"I admire the serene assurance of those who have religious faith.It is wonderful to observe the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces,"

Mark Twain



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01 Oct 2012, 3:03 pm

Playing with laces? you mean like shoelaces? How is that sinful?

Nowhere in the Bible does it say anything about fantasy being a sin. I wouldn't let this guy get to you: he doesn't seem to have any idea what he's talking about.



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01 Oct 2012, 3:15 pm

Maybe dressing in laces,such as chantilly ?Can't see how that's sinful.



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01 Oct 2012, 3:48 pm

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9uIv5sXx3M[/youtube] :D


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01 Oct 2012, 4:31 pm

The premise of Christianity is that there is a great and powerful wizard called God. He loves everyone. Unfortunately, this leads to a bit of a problem - there are lots of people with problems, and many go looking for the wizard, because he can use his powers to make everything better. And he loves everyone - why would he let them suffer?

As long as everyone is happy and follows the rules, Christianity works fine at this level. Otherwise, the logic is as follows. The wizard wants to help people, but he can't. Since a powerful wizard would be able to do anything, there must be some evil force preventing him from doing so. This force is a demon, and they cause suffering because they just wanna (Christianity is not good on character development). So the wizard is at war with the demons, and it's up to us to help out.

The beauty of this scam is that, if the demon IS cast out, we can say what a wonderful wizard he was. If not, it's because we didn't try hard enough to help him fight the demons. Heads he wins, tails you lose. It's much nicer to pretend there's some battle going on rather than simply being autistic, or schizophrenic, or alcoholic, or any of the other maladies that affect thousands of people every day because they weren't put together by a supposedly perfect being on what was clearly a bad day.



Hopetobe
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01 Oct 2012, 4:46 pm

Tensu wrote:
Playing with laces? you mean like shoelaces? How is that sinful?


No, not(just)shoe lace. Laces, ribbons etc. rubbing them against my fingers of both hands while reading or daydreaming. While doing it, I feel some kind of power and vibration in my hands and it helps me fantasizing and daydreaming. Maybe they thought it was occultic.



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01 Oct 2012, 4:51 pm

Hopetobe wrote:
Tensu wrote:
Playing with laces? you mean like shoelaces? How is that sinful?


No, not(just)shoe lace. Laces, ribbons etc. rubbing them against my fingers of both hands while reading or daydreaming. While doing it, I feel some kind of power and vibration in my hands and it helps me fantasizing and daydreaming. Maybe they thought it was occultic.


Speaking as someone who has read the entire Bible, there is nothing in there that condemns playing with ribbons. Occultism is probably what they assumed. *sigh* it really tears my heart in pieces that a pastor treated you that way. After all, it was probably just some psychosomatic sensation, like the "energy" I feel when I see something I like.



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01 Oct 2012, 5:19 pm

Both genres of fantasy and science-fiction (F&SF) have been condemned at one time or another by various Christian leaders...

"The decline in American pride, patiotism, and piety can be directly attributed to the extensive reading of so-called science fiction by our young people. This poisonous rot ... keeps our young people from realizing the true will of God." -- Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority

I believe that this is because F&SF present alternative mythologies that are not Bible-based, and that can not be used to brainwash young people into becoming easily-controlled, mindless, born-again zombies for Christ.



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02 Oct 2012, 3:38 am

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V_2r2n4b5c&feature=related[/youtube]Basicly this.


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muff
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02 Oct 2012, 9:39 pm

im sorry, the bible is poetry. jesus existed in history. aaand if whatever church you were going to ruined something that was peaceful and comforting to you? then i say they can go to hell and be like dust under our feet.