I am sincerely ashamed to be a christian right now. No, I'm not ashamed because I'm afraid others will mock or make fun of me, they do that regardless. I've found that people that are atheist or agnostic are some of the best I've ever met and am great friends with some of them and they usually don't care that I'm christian, just as I don't care what their beliefs are; they're people and that's what matters to me. Rather, I'm ashamed because of the nonsense that others calling themselves christians (they usually say Christians) are saying and doing. I grew up in an extremely conservative society and held many of those views until I was in my early 20s when I started to gain exposure to a world larger than the narrow corridor in which many people I grew up with still find themselves, unfortunately. Some call it luck, coincidence, or the grace of god. I like to think it was a combination of all three. But that's a story for another time. Right now there is a more pressing matter. I'll explain below the fold.
I understand that many of the attributes I will discuss are not unique to christians or even the religious by any stretch of the imagination, but I will be discussing christians specifically, so please keep in mind that I know there are many wonderful, and even not so wonderful people, who are of other religions, spiritual, or not even religious at all and try not to use reductio ad absurdum showing that I'm a moron (and it's spelled mormon; also, I think Mitt Romney is one of the most despicable people on the face of the planet, which isn't very christian of me).
I've come to categorize christians into two groups which I call Jesus christians and Paul christians. The former are usually the people you meet that are willing to help you at the drop of a hat with anything you need. They respect their fellow human beings and follow what the bible tells us that Jesus said, "Love one another." They don't throw in your face that they have a belief in Christ. They're happy to talk with you about their beliefs if you ask, but rather try to just be a good human being and treat others as they would like to be treated. Scary, sounds almost like a humanist or just a good person rather than a "christian." Historically, religion has been one of the greatest blights on humanity than any other thing, retarding progress and growth, justifying genocide and war time and time again. These are usually caused by the second group. What follows applies to them, at least from my own limited experience.
The Paul christians, on the other hand, feel the need to throw in your face every chance they get what they believe and why those who don't believe along the same lines are idiots and if they don't change they should be killed off for their own good, eternally speaking, because the f-ing good book says so! They often work against equal rights for others because, in their minds, that's not what god had intended. If he (it's definitely not a she) had wanted there to be equal rights he would have given them to us in the constitution! Uhm..the f-ing good book doesn't say so! The earth is 6,000 years old, global warming is a myth, and there were too many dinosaurs-which came from another planet, not this one-which make up oil now for us to ever run out or for our dependence on oil to be a problem, damn the science! It's not in the good book! Everything that a being that is omnipotent knows is contained in this tiny little two volume book. There's no such thing as evolution! I'm a brow-beating, chest thumping (ooh ooh, aah aah!!! swinging from a vine), red blooded man and the good book says god (the good book also talks about multiple gods explicitly, not just one) created it. It doesn't talk about evolution, no sir, not in the f-ing good book!!
"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." Genesis 1:20
Hmm, maybe you should read the "f-ing good book" sometime my friend (spoiler alert: everyone dies in the end). When, and if, you do read it, try to read it with an open mind rather than reading it with your own interpretation already in hand and try to twist and contort it to your own belief. I understand this probably seems silly to some since it's not fact based, but that's what makes religion religion and science science, and I'm talking specifically about being consistent in ones beliefs.
Also, if you want to take the good book literally, you have to take all of it literally, not just pieces here and there that fit into your world view. So, if you want to take it literally, perhaps you should learn a little about how Jews wrote historically and what the different numbers and words they use actually meant at the times during which they were written (e.g., a "third of the hosts of heaven" doesn't mean an actual third, just a really large portion of them, could have been even more than half). If they did take the bible literally there would be, for example, someone at the door checking the junk of each male before allowing him to enter the church, though it's nothing homosexual, no sir, just getting a little fondling to help me hit those high notes:
"He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord." Deut. 23:1
What, we don't get to check the women?! "wounded in the stones" is polite language for "bruised testicles" and I think you can figure out the second part without explanation. Need to keep those damn eunuchs out! Sex is only for procreation and those that can't have sex aren't worthy to worship (tangentially related: hysterectomy comes from the same latin root as hysterical. They used to believe it was the woman parts that made females "crazy,", e.g., thinking for themselves, and so in an attempt to "cure" them they would remove their woman bits. Sometimes when I meet a particularly special misogynist (present day definition) I wish that women had been in charge and behaved in a similar fashion just for these types). But we're not going to talk about sex, oh no, that would put naughty thoughts in your heads and lead to things like masturburation and intercrural sex, and the f-ing good book does not talk about f-ing, other than to tell us that it's bad.
"Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies." Song of Sol. 4:5
"This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes. I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples" Song of Sol. 7:7-8
Again, maybe you need to actually read the good book. Plus, I'm sure it's much nicer knowing that on your wedding night, when you consummate your relationship, which will painfully last all of about three seconds, the female/male will be so traumatized, emotionally and physically because sex education is not allowed and talking to a doctor before you're pregnant will only lead to pregnancy before you get married (again, sex is only for making babies after you're married), for having committed the thing that should-not-be that she/he will spend the entire night crying and sobbing, feeling that she/he has sinned in a most wretched way and in spite of what the good book says, there will be no redemption for her/him (enter the sex therapist, for those that can actually go to one without being shamed by other christians). Forget it being the start of a beautiful new chapter in your life-which we will only allow for heterosexual couples-oh no, it's more fun to start out in tears and pain. Why not start it out the way that it will usually end? It's more fun that way.
While we're on the topic of marriage, to those that stand up and proclaim that they are standing up for marriage and defending this time honored and sacred institution (which the government wasn't really involved with until after the French revolution when women realized they didn't have to put up with asshole husbands and began filing for divorce, and the courts had to get involved to split up property), you make me want to puke.
While I lived in Utah, I volunteered at a women's shelter. The place was packed beyond capacity at all times, with them turning away many many other women and children each day, many seeking to escape abusive relationships and partners. This is still typical and is not unique to Utah, that's just where I grew up, though religious regions tend to have higher rates of spousal abuse. One night in July of 2005 a friend and I had gone to a concert and went to get some cheep food at a local diner after. In the parking lot we were approached by a lady with a teenage girl, who both looked shaken and a bit scared. They asked if we knew of any cheap hotels nearby. They had $25 and no place to go. They had waited till the husband/father had passed out from drinking and then they packed the little they could and ran, literally. We started calling women's shelters trying to find some place safe for them to stay. They were all full. No one had room. The police couldn't do anything either, there was no history because she was too scared to ever file a report. We gave them the money we had on us and offered to take them somewhere nicer than the meager amount they had would get them. They politely declined and then went their way. They still haunt me to this day. There was nothing we could do to help them. They were stuck in a situation that would leave emotional and probably physical scars for the rest of their lives, assuming they escaped with their lives.
Don't talk to me about protecting the sanctity of marriage.
You don't do a damn thing about those that truly defile and make a mockery of it by beating and abusing (mentally, emotionally, sexually, physically) those they are supposed to love and cherish and using it as a reason to be a terrible human being. It has nothing to do with "protecting" marriage.
These, and more, are what makes me ashamed to be a christian.
Science, sex education, equality, diversity, etc. are not the enemy. The enemy is within. I don't care what color Jesus's skin was. What he taught remains the same either way, being a good, kind human being, even if he was a purple gelatinous blob. Well other than him telling us we need to be like him...maybe he was a purple gelatinous blob, that would explain some supporters of Walmart. Again, unchristian thoughts. I will have to spend an entire day auto fellatiating flagellating to show penance for this post.