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Why do I find Evangelical Christians irritating?


Ser Scot A Ellison

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I'm Christian.  I don't wear my faith on my sleeve but I'm in church every sunday and not infrequently there for vespers on Wednesday and Saturday nights.  I have a child involved with a Christian Debate league that is largely made up of evangelical Christians.  Many of the are Young Earth Creationists as I discovered last year when the subject of the age of the universe came up in the course of a normal conversation (I didn't raise the issue). 

Why do I find Evangelicals so irriatating?  They're like fingers down a chalkboard.  My child really enjoys debate and this group in particular so I'm gritting my teeth and volunteering as a judge. 

What is wrong with me that I want to scream everytime I hear someone recommending that we "pray" before we finalize a debate ballot or invoking Christ's name at every opportunity in normal coversation.  Why, given that I am also Christian, is this so irritating to me?  I think it's easier for me to hang out with atheists who think I'm a religous nutjob than it is to spend time with Evangelicals.  Why is this?

Thanks.

 

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8 minutes ago, MisterOJ said:

You know I'm right there with you, Scot.

I think the short answer is because, by and large, these are the folks that give good, thoughtful Christians like you (and hopefully me) a bad reputation.

Mr. OJ,

Here's the hard part.  I'm siting her stewing over this realizing that I'm judging them for judging others.  Which is prideful on my part. 

:shocked:

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8 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

I'm Christian.  I don't wear my faith on my sleeve but I'm in church every sunday and not infrequently there for vespers on Wednesday and Saturday nights.  I have a child involved with a Christian Debate league that is largely made up of evangelical Christians.  Many of the are Young Earth Creationists as I discovered last year when the subject of the age of the universe came up in the course of a normal conversation (I didn't raise the issue).  Why do I find Evangelicals so irriatating?  They're like fingers down a chalkboard.  My child really enjoys debate and this group in particular so I'm gritting my teeth and volunteer as a judge. 

What is wrong with me that I want to scream everytime I hear someone recommending that we "pray" before we finalize a debate ballot or invoking Christ's name at every opportunity in normal coversation.  Why, given that I am also Christian, is this so irritating to me?  I think it's easier for me to hang out with atheists who think I'm a religous nutjob than it is to spend time with Evangelicals.  Why is this?

Thanks.

 

For the same reason that other groups, paleo dieters, vegans, cleansers, anti vaxxers are annoying....

Dogma is never anything but irritating unless it's dogma you also happen to believe in.

What you find irritating is not evangilical christians per se, it's the subset of evenagelical christians who, if not for their evangelical christianity, would find some other way to be really annoying.

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7 minutes ago, Swordfish said:

For the same reason that other groups, paleo dieters, vegans, cleansers, anti vaxxers are annoying....

Dogma is never anything but irritating unless it's dogma you also happen to believe in.

What you find irritating is not evangilical christians per se, it's the subset of evenagelical christians who, if not for their evangelical christianity, would find some other way to be really annoying.

No, I find people who are aggresively Orthodox irritating too. 

My wife and I, shortly after we got married, attended a conference at the University of South Carolina compairing the Orthodox monastic tradition of Hesychastic monasticism and Sufi mysticism.  The professor who organized the conference is a former Orthodox who has embraced "Pantheism".  A couple of parishners at another Orthodox church in town who were also at the conference took it upon themselves to yell "HERETIC!!!" when the professor came to the podium to speak.  I was beyond embarassed.

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Quote

What is wrong with me that I want to scream everytime I hear someone recommending that we "pray" before we finalize a debate ballot or invoking Christ's name at every opportunity in normal conversation.

the reason is biblical:

Quote

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

 

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I lived in Lynchburg, Virginia for a long time which for those who do not know is the capital of Jerry Falwell's branch of Southern Baptists as well as Liberty University.  Actually, I love the area overall and most of my best friends are from there,  I just bring it up to say that I've had a lot of experience around Evangelicals growing up.  The other day, I'm sitting here on my couch in Texas watching CNN and I see Jerry Jr. get up there and argue with the news anchor that Donald Trump's sinful past simply doesn't matter.  Coming from the moral majority Falwell clan, my mouth about hit the floor.  These guys are the first in line with torch and pitchfork to go all fire and brimstone on any opponent who the fundamentally disagree with politically - but a thrice married, foul-mouthed, adulterer is a-OK?  The same group of people that skewered the purple teletubby for possibly being gay have no problem with Trump's - a man who is running for POTUS - well documented immorality?  Seriously, GTFO Jerry.  You need a time-out to reflect.

I know all of them aren't like that, and to their credit I saw that many Liberty students went against Jerry Jr. and haveopenly opposed Trump.  But it's just an example of the mental gymnastics that I find all too common in Evangelical circles.  

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3 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

No, I find people who are aggresively Orthodox irritating too. 

My wife and I, shortly after we got married, attended a conference at the University of South Carolina compairing the Orthodox monastic tradition of Hesychastic monasticism and Sufi mysticism.  The professor who organized the conference is a former Orthodox who has embraced "Pantheism".  A couple of parishners at another Orthodox church in town who were also at the conference took it upon themselves to yell "HERETIC!!!" when the professor came to the podium to speak.  I was beyond embarassed.

It sounds as if the intolerance and exclusionary nature of many evangelicals is what has you riled up. If that's the case, I concur wholeheartedly.

I'm not religious but since I live in the Bible Belt the majority of my friends are professed Christians. To a person, they are all secure enough in their faith to respect my (lack of) beliefs and I respect theirs in turn. It also happens that they are more open-minded and rational than what you're describing; I don't think that's coincidental.

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12 minutes ago, Swordfish said:

For the same reason that other groups, paleo dieters, vegans, cleansers, anti vaxxers are annoying....

vegans by contrast are of course awesome, but not so awesome as raw food fruitarians, who sit at the apex of the food pyramid.

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Look, I'm an atheist and even I think you might be portraying evangelicals with too broad of a brush. What you have found is a subset of evangelicals who are probably 'warriors for Christ' and are by nature more extreme in their positions. The vast number of evangelicals (who I presume form if not a majority at least a plurality in this country) are able to compartmentalize the teachings of their church with their day to day interactions with non-Christians/evangelicals. At least, this is what I've observed living in a fairly conservative and religious town.

Also, it might be that you (and many of us) are by nature argumentative and prone to correcting others. However, in this case it might be better for your sake and your son's to let some things wash over you. Trust me, as a physicist I know. If I were to run around being annoyed at everything I hear on a day-to-day basis that I consider unscientific or superstitious I would be like the Hulk. 

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Scot, you've invited a massive pile-on here.  It's like chum for sharks.

Ideologues of any type are annoying to anyone who does not share their dogma, and even more so when they seek to extend their narrow dogma to cover everything, no matter how tenuous.  Even worse, modern evangelicals have consciously ignored the Enlightenment and reverted to pre-Enlightenment modes of belief > thought because they find it more emotionally satisfying, demanding that reality and everyone in it conform to their preferred fantasy.  It's fundamentally very selfish and demanding, hence annoying.

Most people don't get too annoyed when religion stays in its philosophical box of the comforting the existential crisis of anticipating our own mortality.  We even cut it some slack as a basis for mutual community/identity/ethnicity.  It's the aggressive and unjustified over-reach combined with self-righteous assurance that really grates.

The problem cannot really be escaped.  Revealed religions claim divine, inarguable authority for every word in their holy book.  Most religions now allow or actively encourage widespread reading of the revealed truth, which further allows for subjective and selective interpretation.  It's a recipe for disaster: these revealed truths are mutually incompatible, but by definition leave no room for flexibility, compromise or accepting others.  Not all religions/denominations/sects are equally aggressive in staking universal, exclusive dominion but there are enough to be a huge pain in the ass for everyone.

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Because you know in your heart of hearts that what they do is what you should be doing, and the frission of their outward faith bothers your supposed respectability.

You long to proselytize, to tell everyone the real truth and wear your faith openly.

You wish desperately to say to everyone:

  • States rights are more important than federal rights
  • Eminent domain is NEVER acceptable
  • The South should have legally been able to secede
  • The Penumbra is bullshit, TOTAL BULLSHIT 
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2 minutes ago, Kalbear said:

Because you know in your heart of hearts that what they do is what you should be doing, and the frission of their outward faith bothers your supposed respectability.

You long to proselytize, to tell everyone the real truth and wear your faith openly.

You wish desperately to say to everyone:

  • States rights are more important than federal rights
  • Eminent domain is NEVER acceptable
  • The South should have legally been able to secede
  • The Penumbra is bullshit, TOTAL BULLSHIT 

Not really.

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2 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Not really.

Search your feelings, Scot. You know you that in your heart, before every dinner, every contest, every display of gratitude and happiness that you desperately wish to tell people how wrong it is for a housing authority to dictate who can garden or own animals on their own land.

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