• rustydrd@sh.itjust.works
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    2 days ago

    I grew up Christian in a place where most people were atheist, went to a Christian school, where about half the students were Christian and the other was atheist, then moved to different places all over. My experience through all of that was always: Regular people in either group mostly don’t give a shit and just want to live their own lives. The “Christians” you see on TV are not normal people.

    • Flax@feddit.uk
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      1 day ago

      I am a Christian and figured that out as well. I just see it as an American problem. But it’s concerning seeing churches perform Bethel/Hillsong/Elevation music not realising how sketchy those places are. I worry it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, that people will maybe see some Hillsong or bethel teaching and think “they must be reputable, as we sing their music in Church!”

    • crunchy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 days ago

      I grew up agnostic/atheist in the Bible Belt. There was a lot of casual discrimination, ostracism, and judgement if you weren’t Christian. Even among different churches. I’d have loved for there have been more Christians like you, but unfortunately the TV/Fox News Christians are all over the place down there.

      • Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net
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        2 days ago

        Yea. Those types don’t just exist on TV, they are everyday people in our communities for some of us. To just say they aren’t “normal” erases the lived experiences of those who live where these mentalities are still very much the norm for that locality.

        • qarbone@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          How does saying that such hostile treatment is abnormal “erase” anyone’s lived experiences?

          If you tell someone who lived only eating one meal a day during elementary school that they did not have a normal childhood, you are directly commenting ON their “lived experience”, not erasing it.

          You seem to be conflating “that’s not normal” with “that never happens”, which is not reasonable.

            • Flax@feddit.uk
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              1 day ago

              I still think it’s proportionally right to say “that’s not normal”. Maybe it’s normal in the Southern United States, but it’s definitely not normal compared with the rest of Christendom.

                • Flax@feddit.uk
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                  20 hours ago

                  Not the fringest of beliefs. I find the whole ken ham “science is wrong” thing bizarre. But I think the “it was created old” view holds more water

                  • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
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                    15 hours ago

                    Neither holds any water because it’s unfalsifiable. You could as logically argue it was created just now and our memories of the prior post history is part of the creation.

      • rustydrd@sh.itjust.works
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        2 days ago

        I’ve never been to the US, but from what I’ve heard, I don’t doubt for a second that the climate is a bit more aggressive over there.

    • binarytobis@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      One of my best friends is christian and I didn’t even know for years because it wasn’t relevant and they are a reasonable person.

    • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Like 40% of the US are. It may not be their primary focus or how they actually live their lives but their views align and they will absolutely sell your children out to the Nazis or see you murdered if it aligns with what tv tells them.

      Why do you care if they are the kind of folks who would start the lynching if they are the folks who would hang out and drink lemonade while you choke your life away?