Horrifying Things That Are Viewed As Normal

[The Curmudgeon]

I brought this up in another thread, but the whole concept of free grace theology bothers me. It bothers me because I've known many Christians, mostly Evangelical Christians who tend to be Baptists or Pentecostals, who sincerely believe in this and also happen to be bad people. The gist of it, from my understanding, and in their own words, is that all you need to do is have faith in God and then anything you do, except for not believing, is easily forgivable. If you fuck up, then just beg God for forgiveness and everything is fine!

I find that particular theology horrifying because it seems to enable bad people. Then never have to feel any guilt, shame, or remorse for what they do because they believe God will forgive them no matter what. Thus, they never reflect on their behavior or how they treat people. God is supposed to be their conscience. However, at least in my observations, God either doesn't care or just simply fails at his job. His believers don't seem too concerned either. Yet they unironically believe they're a force of good in the world. This is despite them tending to be thugs, bullies, criminals, liars, and hypocrites.

I'm not saying all Christians are bad people or Christianity overall is like this. I know Christianity isn't the only religion to have this issue. All the same, this brand of Christianity always has and always will bother me because it clearly brings out the worst in people.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

I brought this up in another thread, but the whole concept of free grace theology bothers me. It bothers me because I've known many Christians, mostly Evangelical Christians who tend to be Baptists or Pentecostals, who sincerely believe in this and also happen to be bad people. The gist of it, from my understanding, and in their own words, is that all you need to do is have faith in God and then anything you do, except for not believing, is easily forgivable. If you fuck up, then just beg God for forgiveness and everything is fine!

I find that particular theology horrifying because it seems to enable bad people. Then never have to feel any guilt, shame, or remorse for what they do because they believe God will forgive them no matter what. Thus, they never reflect on their behavior or how they treat people. God is supposed to be their conscience. However, at least in my observations, God either doesn't care or just simply fails at his job. His believers don't seem too concerned either. Yet they unironically believe they're a force of good in the world. This is despite them tending to be thugs, bullies, criminals, liars, and hypocrites.

I'm not saying all Christians are bad people or Christianity overall is like this. I know Christianity isn't the only religion to have this issue. All the same, this brand of Christianity always has and always will bother me because it clearly brings out the worst in people.

There's generally a counterargument that cynically using it as a get out of jail free card indicates you're not genuinely saved and aren't going to pass the test, but if you countercounteragued that "that's just works with extra steps," you'd be right.

What bothers me about it is that it reduces all of the reward/punishment of religion down to adherence to dogma with no room for moral content, somebody like a Buddhist with the best works and a beautiful personality is screwed while a reprobate can still get into Heaven because they were fortunate to be born into a Christian society.

 

[EnemyStand]

I brought this up in another thread, but the whole concept of free grace theology bothers me. It bothers me because I've known many Christians, mostly Evangelical Christians who tend to be Baptists or Pentecostals, who sincerely believe in this and also happen to be bad people. The gist of it, from my understanding, and in their own words, is that all you need to do is have faith in God and then anything you do, except for not believing, is easily forgivable. If you fuck up, then just beg God for forgiveness and everything is fine!

I find that particular theology horrifying because it seems to enable bad people. Then never have to feel any guilt, shame, or remorse for what they do because they believe God will forgive them no matter what. Thus, they never reflect on their behavior or how they treat people. God is supposed to be their conscience. However, at least in my observations, God either doesn't care or just simply fails at his job. His believers don't seem too concerned either. Yet they unironically believe they're a force of good in the world. This is despite them tending to be thugs, bullies, criminals, liars, and hypocrites.

I'm not saying all Christians are bad people or Christianity overall is like this. I know Christianity isn't the only religion to have this issue. All the same, this brand of Christianity always has and always will bother me because it clearly brings out the worst in people.

Free Grace theology is wrong. It's like a Catholic saying "Oh, it's okay, I'll just go to Confession!" You're supposed to try to resist sin. Free Gracers don't believe their sins matter, despite what was written in the Bible. Therefore, how can they be forgiven if they aren't sorry?

 

[The Curmudgeon]

What bothers me about it is that it reduces all of the reward/punishment of religion down to adherence to dogma with no room for moral content, somebody like a Buddhist with the best works and a beautiful personality is screwed while a reprobate can still get into Heaven because they were fortunate to be born into a Christian society.

Free Grace theology is wrong. It's like a Catholic saying "Oh, it's okay, I'll just go to Confession!" You're supposed to try to resist sin. Free Gracers don't believe their sins matter, despite what was written in the Bible. Therefore, how can they be forgiven if they aren't sorry?

Exactly! The idea that God would reward bad people with eternal life in Heaven on such a flimsy premise is awful on so many levels. What's the point of any of the moral lessons in the Bible if God is going to turn around and reward people for being sinners anyway on the basis of faith alone? Doesn't that make God evil too if he's encouraging people to be evil? For that mattter, people who unironically believe in this type of theology really have no room to be outraged by anything because they're hypocrites. That type of religion sounds like an evil and misguided one. Of course it pisses me off! I've known too many scumbags who use religion as their catchall excuse for their shitty behavior.

 

[YachieKicchou]

Software.

We depend on computer software that law requires us not know the inner workings of. Our computers run software that we actively know works against us. Tech companies have zero oversight or any kind of accountability, and this is just accepted somehow.

 

[glass_houses]

I'm not saying all Christians are bad people or Christianity overall is like this. I know Christianity isn't the only religion to have this issue. All the same, this brand of Christianity always has and always will bother me because it clearly brings out the worst in people.

I've met some truly awful people who were Christians. It got to the point where if someone told me they were a Christian I'd automatically assume the worst of them. Unfortunately, it was a long time before someone would come along who could persuade me otherwise.

My current bff is a devout Catholic and she routinely gives me details about her church and the people she meets through it. She's at times seriously contemplated leaving the religion entirely because of some of the shit she's seen her fellow Christians pull.

 

[HumptiDouji]

The People's Republic Of China

 

[Car Won't Crank]

I've met some truly awful people who were Christians. It got to the point where if someone told me they were a Christian I'd automatically assume the worst of them. Unfortunately, it was a long time before someone would come along who could persuade me otherwise.

My current bff is a devout Catholic and she routinely gives me details about her church and the people she meets through it. She's at times seriously contemplated leaving the religion entirely because of some of the shit she's seen her fellow Christians pull.

That just shows what we know all all along regarding human nature. Regardless of one's affiliation and participation in some religious or moral type group that aims to promote and nurture some version of a good, sanctimonious human, the actual assholes with malevolent tendencies will still be those assholes. Modern day progressive movement is perhaps the biggest example of this, which might as well be a religion at this point.

 

[Haint]

Half of your front page news feed being composed of Game of Thrones clickbait. Look... I want my daily violence and world strife to be real, not fantasy dragon and incest fluff.

 

[glass_houses]

That just shows what we know all all along regarding human nature. Regardless of one's affiliation and participation in some religious or moral type group that aims to promote and nurture some version of a good, sanctimonious human, the actual assholes with malevolent tendencies will still be those assholes. Modern day progressive movement is perhaps the biggest example of this, which might as well be a religion at this point.

The progressive movement is absolutely a religion. It has holy texts, venerated saints, tells people that they're born sinners who must repent, controls what their adherants read, watch and think, and excommunicates and burns heretics at the stake.

 

[The Curmudgeon]

That just shows what we know all all along regarding human nature. Regardless of one's affiliation and participation in some religious or moral type group that aims to promote and nurture some version of a good, sanctimonious human, the actual assholes with malevolent tendencies will still be those assholes. Modern day progressive movement is perhaps the biggest example of this, which might as well be a religion at this point.

Good point. People will use any religion or ideology as a shield. Being a good believer becomes more important than being a good person. They conflate superficial acts of faith with good deeds. Using my own example, evangelical Christians who believe in free grace really think going to church and begging God for forgiveness absolves them of any responsibility. In reality, the problems they caused still exist and they're still bad people doing evil things. Nothing really changes.

The progressive movement is absolutely a religion. It has holy texts, venerated saints, tells people that they're born sinners who must repent, controls what their adherants read, watch and think, and excommunicates and burns heretics at the stake.

Yep. I like calling them regressives these days. These people have sullied the good name of progress. Nothing they do resembles progress. They want society to be a divided totalitarian dystopia. For all their talk of progress, they sure love dwelling in the past and using it as an excuse to destroy our quality of life.

 

[eDove]

Letting a dog lick you in the mouth.

 

[Treasure Champs]

The fact that we only have two political parties and absolutely no realistic way to make any other one viable.

That among the laptop classes, one word like 'nigger' or 'kike' has such immense power that uttering it even once will ruin your social and professional life forever.

The fact that we keep alive elderly people whose brains are so rotted that there is nothing left of the person that they were, no matter how blind, deaf, confused, scared or in pain they are.

 

[Cheerlead-in-Chief]

A mother and son screaming at a Chihuahua "SHUT UP!"....wind up having a dog and expecting the grandmother to take care of it automatically.

I don't know how to wrap my head around this autism.

 

[The Last Stand]

Who in God's green Earth thought that background was a good idea for a speech?

 

[Quantum Diabetes]

The massive entitlement of Doordash and gig drivers. Just read their forums, I will do everything in my power to never ever order delivery ever again. One dicklick said you’re receiving a “luxury service” and they pull up in a belching, shudddering piece of shit car and your Panda Express reeks of weed and they look like the beaner meth version of “Shaggy” from Scooby-Doo.

Eat my fuck, all of it.

 

[A Sentient Cloud]

For me it's homelessness, in particular street homelessness and urban camping. It's pretty much always a consequence of addiction and mental illness, and people just ignore it because the problem is just too big for any one person to solve.

I generally think that step one is to get these people off the street and into some sort of housing/treatment, but no one wants to spend the money on that, and most of the time the homeless are so beholden to their illness or addiction that they'll refuse it anyway.

 

[AnsemSoD1]

Troonism
Furfaggotry
Faggotry
Drag

 

[Cheerlead-in-Chief]

Grooming kids online.

 

[Captain Syrup]

lizzo

Lizzo.

The People's Republic Of China

They always beat us where it matters.