DANGEROUS "Holy Roller" mentality

Honestly, I haven't seen a holy roller in a long time; even the Jehovah Witnesses have stopped going around and knocking on doors and asking, "Have you been saved?" There's a growing trend where people aren't going to church and reportedly giving up on religion and it could be affecting the holy roller population that's probably hunkering down - who knows? In my opinion, it makes them even less dangerous, not that I thought they were to begin with.

 

Funny you brought up the Jehova's Witnesses.......

I haven't seen one (thankfully) in years; when I'd see a pack of them out and about in my area, trying to "save souls", I would be sure to not to answer my doorbell, unless I KNEW who was at the door beforehand.

Yeah, I can recall some of them being a bit on the "pushy" side; thankfully, my "encounters" with them were very few and very far between.

As I said, I have not seen any in my "nabe" for quite a long spell, now, and that's just fine with me.

So far as church attendance, given the state of the world today, and also, the many scandals involving priests, ministers, and other church officials, it really comes as no surprise why church attendance is down sharply in many areas these days.

Mom used to say:

"God can hear you out in a field or in a forest just as well as He can inside a church."

But, realistically, it is small wonder why so many these days have "thrown in the towel", regarding participating in an "organized" religion.............

 

If you're gay or bi, you already know that organized religion is a con job of the highest order and one that preys upon our fears while sticking their hands in our pockets and wallets. To be effective, religion needs people to take it on faith that what it says is the truth and, welp, more and more people aren't willing to do that and many more who, at one point, did take it on faith that it's the truth has found out otherwise. I think all that Old Testament fire and brimstone loses its "power" when it gets repeated over and over and across the generations and until it reaches a point where... people ain't buying into it any longer. And, if they're not going all OT on someone about something, it's the doom and gloom of the Book of Revelations and how all of the signs that the world is about to end has been foretold and is happening and...

It's not that hard to see why and how people are turning their backs on organized religion...

 

But they're not exactly disappearing. What we have to watch out for is the people who remain are the hardcore militant wackos. They are few but willing to do so much damage for their principles. They are dangerous motherfuckers. As if Westboro isn't enough.

 

I agree with you 100%, my friend.

 

They're all brainwashed and the washing comes from the pulpit. I remember as a child I was invited to go for an airplane ride. On a Sunday morning. I went and missed church. The teacher of my Sunday School class informed not only my parents, who had given me permission, but also the pastor. The next Wednesday I was called into the pastors study and reamed from top to bottom for engaging in such a pagan ritual. As I sat there I thought about being up in the air and much closer to God than he was. That began my search for the truth. Not from the Bible but if the Bible was true and real. Guess what, it isn't. It's a fabrication of stories used to control the Israelites and subsequent religions. The end result is there is no "God" or super power. The fabrication of such isn't any different than the Greek Gods, Roman Gods, Norse Gods, or any other "God" that is worshipped. Any belief, especially deep ritual belief, is dangerous. Wars have been fought over religious zealots and their twisted mind trying to push their zany belief system on others. If there is a God who is supposed to be loving and merciful then why all the lives lost over belief in his name and in him. It just doesn't add up.

 

Going for a ride in a plane is a pagan ritual? How did the Sunday School teacher find out? And you got reamed out by the pastor even though your parents had given you permission? What the fuck...

 

Well shit! I'm an absolute demon then!

 

That makes two of us...

 

That's what the pastor referred it to. His ideals were really fucked up. The teach found out by asking my mother where I was. And yes, it was totally wrong to miss the worship service regardless of allowances given. I might add that it wasn't long after the incident my parents found another church to attend. But not before it was disclosed the assistant pastor was having sex with a couple of wives in the membership. It was these experiences and more that caused me to look at what was behind all the hullabaloo over the Christian God.

 

At least the assistant pastor wasn't having sex with any of the kids...or was he?

 

An 'allergic reaction' to far-right 'Christian nationalism’ is fueling a major decline
Gallup shows a greater than 35% decline in church membership. "The Christian Right is largely to blame: Americans are turned off by far-right White evangelicals."
"Many Americans, especially young people, see religion as bound up with political conservatism, and the Republican Party specifically. Since that is not their party or their politics, they do not want to identify as being religious. Young people are especially allergic to the perception that many — but by no means all — American religions are hostile to LGBTQ rights. I see no sign that the Religious Right and Christian nationalism is fading — which in turn, suggests that the allergic reaction will continue to be seen. And thus, more and more Americans will turn away from religion."

 

And as I implied before, the only "voice of the Lord" will be the wackos who are anything but, if things keep going this way. I can't help but believe there will be a countermovement.

 

You might be right; at this stage of the game, a "countermovement" would indeed seem to be pretty much a given, what with the current state of "organized religions" and so much double-talk, double-standards, and thinly-disguised lies, not to mention just plain old bulls***t being spewed by those "Holier-Than-Thous"...........

 

I dunno; maybe I missed something but (a) at the stage of what game and (b) what countermovement could religion even come up with to put asses back in pews? Or am I misreading this? Unless there's some kind of political push to try to make people go to church, I'm pretty sure that organized religion cannot come up with anything to keep people from leaving churches. There's still that whole separation of church and state thing mentioned in the Constitution which, methinks, if certain Republicans have their way, will get ignored so they can roll the US back to the 1950s.

Correct me if I'm wrong... because I could be.

 

Referring to a spiritual or religious countermovement. I think people still crave a genuine connection with the Lord, but don't want the hypocrisy or the toxicity...or the entanglement with politics.

 

I'm in full agreement with this.

Religion and politics have an almost uncanny ability to poison each other's wells. There's a reason the Framers thought separation of Church and State was a peachy idea.

 

Many a person learned that you don't have to go to church to have that connection.

 

MAN, did you REALLY hit the nail on the head with this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RIGHT ON!!!!!!!

 

I didn't necessarily mean to imply you do. Just saying going to church doesn't necessarily mean far right politics either. Or something like that!