I've never understood this strange need Evangelicals, JWs, Mormons, and hardcore Christians have to advertise and promote Christianity. T-shirts, "chick tracts", bumper stickers, roadside signs, catchy phrases, Church advertisements, the list is endless, and laughble. But for sheer annoyance, nothing beats the one on one idiocy of the door to door Jesus PR man. "Have you heard the Good News...?" (Yeah, the good news is my Pitbull hates your polyester suit and your white socks!!!)
They are selling a product. They may as well be pushing lint brushes, promoting a soft drink, or selling cake frosting. Difference is, the cake frosting doesn’t dull your mind, nor does its label threaten you with eternal punishment by the great Betty Crocker in The Sky for buying Pilsbury’s, or for preferring your cake unfrosted
Sure, Fundys interpret the charge of Jesus to go forth and preach the good news as their duty. They wanna do his PR work, but they don’t want to do it on the client’s, Jesus’, terms. If they really want to play disciple /apostle / recruiter and ensure a heavenly reward for their efforts they should sell all their belongings, give the money to the poor, leave their family, then follow Jesus and shoot their mouths off to anyone wishing to tolerate it. After all, isn't that what the Bible said he said (Math. 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22)? Oh, no … that’ll never do!! Poverty may have been okay for Jesus and his crew, but the guy at the gate of the NASCAR track isn’t gonna let ole Holy Roller Jethro in for free.
So, here’s my advise to evangelical Fundys, et al : If you're not willing to "go all in", walk the walk, and do it like Jesus told ya, then practice your faith without shoving it at people, pray in private and not in public like a hypocrite (Jesus said that too), and leave everyone the hell alone. If you won’t follow that advise, then at least stay out of my way, or failing that, wear a protective cup.
Hump
7 comments:
It does tend to cheapen the message when it's splattered across a t-shirt, doesn't it? One of the reasons I prefered small churches, when I attended, was that they were always less commercial.
Hi again, we decided that your blog is so good we would include a link to it at http://debunkingcrap.blogspot.com/ (Ireverant websites list at the side)
Thanks, Anon, I'm honored and humbled. Ok...just honored. ;)
Hump
I wonder, why so much time is spent by you....on a subject matter that you don't believe exist. Is your message one of attempted conversion.....naw that would place you right next to all those Christians. Could it be that you are having a mid-life crisis and can't afford that BMW...lol I will stand next to you with my Bible and we can go door to door if you like.
Jon,
welcome. glad to see you got that computer working.
The answer to your question is quite simple: if i didnt have theists to expose for their absurd beliefs, I'd have to kick around space alien advocates,or people who believe in absurd conspiracy theories.
The very fact that I reject supernaturalism, space aliens, and Area 51 government coverups etc., as absurdities of Man's mind provides me with enough fodder to aire my views of just how ignorant and gullible Man can be. It's a hobby, not a vocation.
But, more importantly, where alien advocates. or conspiracy theorists don't represnt a threat to my freedoms, or to our educational system, or to scientific advance, etc... (some)theists do. Thus, all the more worthy of my attention, and debunking of their medieval thinking.
Unlike your door to door Xtian salesman zombie, I intrude on no one. You came to me, I didnt knock at your door. You are not being inconvenienced, nor am I selling you any bleeding statues, jesus on a grilled cheese sandwich, or the promise of disneyland in the sky when you die by and by, or pushing "belief" in some alternative unsubstantiated mind meme. I simply offer my perspective on one of the last great vestiges of human enslavement... blind theistic belief.
My guess is you find it either entertaining or informative or both. If not, your presence here is a mystery. If it provokes thought, something Xtians prefer NOT to have provoked, that's good too.
Fortunately for me, I not only can afford a BMW, I could afford to retire at 55 years old, and live quite comfortably off my investments and only think about money when my financial advisor tells me my annualized earnings, thank you.
I had my midlife crisis years ago... wife bought me a new dog, worked outgreat. Thanks for asking.
Now, I personally wouldn't be so rude as to propose one of your interests, or your religiosity, is due to mid-life crisis. I'll simply conclude it's reflective of what attacts so many Xtians: trading acceptence of reality for belief in supernaturalism, as a desperate grasp for something that promises a better "here after" given a less than prosperous and fulfilling life.
To paraphrase Dr. Phil: Hope thats workin for ya. :)
Glad to have you as a reader. Comment as often as the mood moves you.
Hump
Came upon your website for the first time. It's a very good blogsite.
I wanted to give you food for thought to add to your "Selling of a Deity" post.
I've always been suspect of those who go around preaching "the word". After all, "the word" is actually an interpretation of a translated text of another translated text of hearsay. If that's not bad enough, the interpretation is usually tweaked to conform to the ideological goal of the speaker.
I've come to the conclusion that Christians who proselytize by using "God's words" is in reality breaking one of "God's" most straight-forward commandments: No idolatry.
You see, when someone interprets and uses a copy or translated version of the original text that makes up the bible, in reality, they are replacing their thoughts for that of "God's". In effect, they are asking people to believe in their words. What's worse, they are coning people into thinking that their words are that of "God's", when in fact that is the furthest from the truth.
These people, supposedly spreading the word, are in fact spreading the Golden Calf. They are selling their version of God, which is not the god of the bible, but the god they created when they interpreted the bible. They are and always will be in "sin" from the most basic of commandments.
And let's not even mention the t-shirts, the crosses, the rosaries, the statues. Words don't seem much like a Golden Calf, even if they are, but actual toys. Come on. Who are they fooling? The varying Gods of organized religion sell idolatry. If they truly believe in the God of the Bible, they would stop selling their Golden Calf to people and simply hand people the actual first-hand accounts, in the original tongue, of God.
Atty,
thanks for the kind words and this good input.
certainly muchof what you propose makes perfect sense.
But there are no "original" manuscripts of scripture. All of the bibles we have come from translations of later codexs. The originals have never been discovered. Thus, everything we have is transcribed and subject to error.
I recommend "Who wrote the Bible" and "Misquoting Jesus" as a good material for what the political and socialintentions were of the Old and New testament authors, and their later scribes.
In the formewr...the varing accounts of many verses, i.e. Genisis 1 and q2, speak to the different factions (priestly class vs. Monarchy) and how they wanted to influence / cotrol the people and establish their respective power base. It's a fascinating read.
As for Idolitry, heheh... yeah. But then again, every religious painting, every secular painting or photo, that contain images of the earth, animals, man, the sky, the ocean are all in violation of "god's" word.
Youd think if a diety wrote the words, or inspired them, he/she would have not left so many of its words open to man's interpretation and confusion...much less fail to decry slavery and pedophilia. But, what else do theists have if not their book of fables to manipulate and mind-masturbate over?
as some one once said:
"The Bible: Because all the works of science cannot equal the wisdom of cattle sacrificing primitives who thought every animal species of the world lived within walking distance of Noah's house."
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