A preacher shares:
I would be very careful with the “If I haven’t seen it, it doesn’t exist” argument if I were a Christian pastor.
The preacher is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, one of my favorite places in this country. It sucks that the town doesn’t get less dumb preachers. Of course, I’ve never seen less dumb preachers (I’ve never seen any, to be honest). This must mean they don’t exist.
It’s not even about who your friends are but about the fact that we see what we expect to see,rather than what is there, unless we actually gain training and discipline in seeing — for instance by doing courses in the humanities. Seeing accurately is certainly not an automatic act. That’s why most people’s ‘perceptions’ are actually only ideological constructs of the world.
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Here’s a good article: http://www.madinamerica.com/2013/07/western-psychiatry-in-crisis-uk-psychiatry-re-positions-itself/
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Western psychiatry has been in crisis for over 100 years and they are just noticing now. Well, better late than ever. 🙂 🙂
Thank you for the great link!
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Yeah, I never met anybody who speaks Ukrainian, but I understand millions of people do it.
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I wonder how this preacher managed to convince himself that God exists. It isn’t like he saw or heard God.
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Hey Clarissa,
Came here hoping to get your take on travyon case and more importantly obama’s speech yesterday (which i actually found about 90% productive.. althought would have been great if he had just done a few more things to make it even more relevant!)
Figured I’d comment on one of the less controversial topics (I think!). Haven’t gone to church much since i was 16 or so, but growing up went weekly, did confirmation classes etc, and the pastor in the methodist church when i was 10-14 or so (who also was a family friend) was pretty normal. I frankly think a good majority of christians for sure (everyday non-clergy persons) are much more rational about religion, and even a decent number of clergy (perhaps more non-catcholic are a little more secular and more “modern”.. aka less hard-line). Just seems to me to be honest that when they say non-controversial things you (along with all the other blogs).. don’t comment. Not saying you should, because frankly its not that interesting when something is just “normal”, but I think it does everyone some harm when these extremist examples aren’t given appropriate context.
There are many (still certainly a minority i think) of churhces who support or at least don’t condemn gay marriage, SOME who are more flexible on pre-marital sex, etc. The more I write the more I am realizing that what I talk about is the minority, and that many churhces are obvviously “strict” and “out there” on their rules. However, my example of a pastor who is normal does hold 🙂
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Of course, you are absolutely right. There are crowds of normal, rational, intelligent religious people. Like me, for example. And weirdos give us all a bad reputation. This is why people like this pastor annoy me: they make everybody think that all Christians are freaky.
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This is why people like this pastor annoy me: they make everybody think that all Christians are freaky(Clarissa)
Just read the bible(I did), you don’t need the pastor, it does a good enough job on its own. As far as religion and rational in the same sentence, well, not so much.
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The bible is an account of history. Yes, the history of humanity is rarely about fears of intelligence and more often about barbarity and violence. So?
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If you identify as a Christian then obviously you believe Jesus to be the son of God or the spirit of God or God himself. Look at the account of what that God commands. Pretty ugly God if you ask me.
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“Look at the account of what that God commands.”
– As a literary critic, I can assure you that what people SAY they were told is always very very different from what they were actually told. This is why we call the 1st person narrator “an unreliable narrator.” The Bible is an account o an account of an account that is plagued with inaccuracies, exaggerations, inventions, etc. It has a basis in history, of course, but as any history textbook, it contains more fiction than any novel.
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Ah I see, the good rational Christian rationalizing their belief system. You religious people are a dime a dozen.
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Why does it make you so angry that there are people who have a system of beliefs different from yours?
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Im not angry at all. Im actually incredulous with your ability to have certain belief systems and others that directly contradict them. For someone who cries Patriarchy so often and then identifies with two belief systems that are the epitomy of patriarchal belief systems is quite comical. I think they have a term for that, something like, cognitive dissonance. Though Im sure you will correct me on that one. 🙂
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I’m sorry, but you do not have the intellectual preparation needed to discuss these subjects with me.
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I know, lol.
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Here is some rational for ya.
Numbers 31, 15-18
15 “Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. 16 “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. 17 Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, 18 but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.
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What, like there was a more civilized, cultured tribe anywhere else in the world thousands of years ago? Only in the 20th century , Europeans built a shitload of concentration camps. So we hardly can blame Ancient tribes for being barbaric.
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The minister at my mother’s funeral led off with, “She does not deserve to go to heaven…”. While I understand the point he was trying ineffectively (and very hurtfully) to make, all it did was make everyone there ANGRY.
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Wow, that was extremely mean!!
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A conservative literary critic and college professor
Clarissa's Blog 
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