Christian tropers, join together!

What's weird is that I read on Yahoo some horrible comments by Gene Simmons today, and even reading the comments by the ignorant comments box (who believed his appeal worse problems fallacy - it is common), I actually felt more "Meh" than a murder-happy little puppy. It's like, the last couple of days, I've had the image of myself as a dog, wagging its tail and panting, going "Oh Lord, may I kill them all? Please, please please?" That's right when Jesus comes to my brainscape in the form of Vash the Stampede and reminds me that such an attitude will solve nothing.

Yes, it's pretty interesting here inside my skull. Want to take a ride? I used the farts of assoles as fuel for my creative drive and wrote a science fiction short story about a world that takes "seeing lives as commodities" up to eleven. http://shadsie.deviantart.com/art/Commodities-475474741 It's not religious in any way - no mention of "God," it's just a straight sci-fi, concise and to the point.

I am... actually sort of glad that my personal damage (which is probably genetic and very physical given my diagnosis and genetics sharing in my family. I expect to get diabetes later in life, too, but I bet I won't have to hear the words of idiots on THAT) — is bipolar disorder rather than straight depression. You see, it took me a long time for a proper diagnosis to be handed down. Firstly, my brother had it and I didn't want to be like him. He used it as an excuse for every bad thing he did, which made me think it was the "asshole disease." Second, my "uplifts" - the manic periods... I didn't get *happy.* I was asked by therapists if I ever got periods of ridiculous happiness and I was all "No." Then, after I did something somewhat violent in public (surprise, surprse), I had a doctor tell me that manias can be characterized by irritation and anger, too. I was all "Bingo. When I'm not sad, I'm angry all the time."

Since then, I've actually been getting the happy manic states more than the angry ones when my brain is in "energy mode." And of course, always, creative states. But, you know... It's actually kind of cool to have my creativity warmed by the farts of assholes on occasion rather than just to wall up in my shell. The fact that it can happen at least half the time gives me some hope.

Even if it leaves me with an edge of danger to me.

I think the world respects an edge of danger, though, just a little.

In my utter humanity, however, I must remember Vash and Jesus, to keep it from going off the rails.

Don't worry about having an "overage of emotion." I don't think it means that you're less than godly, I think it just means that God gave you an extra sensitive heart and eyes more able to see the ugly truths of the world than most. Being depressed, or manic, or anything else off-kilter doesn't mean that you're a sinner, it means that you're AWAKE... it means that you SEE in a world of the FRIGGIN' BLIND. It means that you might even be brave enough to argue with God and come out of the argument with answers.

God made us sensitives for a reason. The rest of the world needs us more than it can know.

...There are good reasons not to trust emotions, though. Because the things that you feel can lie to you. Sometimes, they just aren't real, and it's pretty hard to figure out what reality actually is.

I find that all the time with my ADHD. I lose focus, and suddenly what I think is, isn't. Or I've lost track where everyone else is five steps ahead, and I'm scrambling to catch up. and sometimes I overreact because it's all changed on me so quickly. I'm thinking about meds, but I don't have any experience with them.

There are some things that I really appreciate about it - like how it's easy to jump from thought to thought - but there are some side effects I definitely could do without. I work on strategies to counteract them, tho.

...wow. has this gone off-topic or what?

Okay, to bring things back on topic, maybe we should say:

"People who say Christians shouldn't seek psychiatric help are like those who think you should never see a doctor and should 'pray away' a broken bone."

I take the attitude that God gave us brains and we are to use those brains to help each other.

Walking Billboards.

Agreed. and it's not like there aren't Christian psychologists out there. Dr. James Dobson tends to be pretty respected, I think. Anyone else ever listen to Adventures in Odyssey?

Sometimes it feels awkward to testify. I guess I've always felt that Christ can be shown through our actions as well as our words, tho. Words without actions to back it up are meaningless. Practically, I guess I think that ambassadorship has to be twofold. Service and testimony. You can't do one without the other.

You'd be the first person I've ever seen on this site to call Dobson "respected". Though, I don't have much to add about psychology in general. Through most of my life the christian communities I grew up in thought any sort of mental disorder or illness was "demon possession" and as such was prayed/tortured out of the subject in question.

Different communities, I'd guess. I mostly know his work through his creative output - like Adventures in Odyssey, or the radio dramas. Mostly, I know that he's considered safe by most of the communities I grew up in...which were mostly homophobic and conservative. So I'd guess your view of Dr. Dobson would depend on your view of that.

I'm fortunate not to have encountered what you did, though. I just got my ADHD blamed as not trying hard enough.

Maybe it's the crash after the anger.... but I'm worried that I'm stupid again. After something I've seen today, I feel like "Maybe we are just all f*ckin' stupid."

Cracked... ugh. It's like their in a "let's pick on Christianity" thing lately in their secondary articles. I linked the one above because I thought it was actually funny, written from someone who grew up with bizarre kitch. However, today, Mc Kinney, who has a far different tone, does an article about a really bad Creationist homeschool science textbook he found from 1995. Granted, it was pretty funny, in a sad, sad way. "Electricity! How does it work? Only God knows!"

But just the tone in which it was written... (though he did throw out a nod to "moderate religious people who like not dying of the plauge") and the comments (I still haven't learned).... just brought up things.

On one hand, I really do like to think the Jesus really does love "The least of these," which is why we HAVE so many "leasts" on "our side." Something about God or "God" or Christian philosophy in particular seems to attract all the losers, crazies and idiots it seems like. Not that I'm calling any of you losers - though I definitely think of myself as a defective human-unit. But, you know... people who seem like they have no brains, no imagination, are made of fear and judgement... It makes me think there must be something horrible about me to *not be able* to shake my brain free of a "God" that some people believe wants them to teach their kids that electricity is magic and that planets cannot form in space because baby powder falls to the ground under earth-gravity.

And, of course, some of the comments had "saner religious types" defending... and then there's the comment by the guy talking about watching people die from cancer in agony. I understand why people turn away from any notion of "god" because of that, but I find myself, desperate for a meaning in it all, turning toward that very thing, which in these people's eyes, would make me freakish and stupid. Or cute and quaint, at best. Especially if I were dying of cancer.

Are we all really just... stupid? Might the world be better off without us?

Or is it that people's stupidity on the "other sides" of things just never get reported, or laughed at on comedy sites? It seems to me like a lot of people have the attitude that "extremism for my side cannot exist" and will tend to make No True Scottsman excuses when it does exist.

Maybe I sometimes wish a more elite squad of people were attracted to the whole "Jesus" thing - in order to make us look less like we're trying to make Film/Idiocracy happen.

Eh, the article was really wasted potential. I had a very similar "science" textbook written by the same institution as a child (BJU material) as well as their "history" books; there's so much one can find to snark about in their stuff alone, I was kinda surprised that the author didn't do any more digging into them.

See I don't think it's so much, "dumb people" are drawn to religion, as much as "smart people" want to alienate themselves from it. It's not that intelligent people can't be religious it's because they don't want to.

Now I might be completely of base here, but hear me out. We've reached a point in western society where science has been able to explain pretty much everything. So in most peoples view religion is an outdated concept that we don't need any more. This is untrue, but most of these people don't see religion as a way for people to live. They see a series of implausible events involving an invisible sky man and write the whole thing off as fiction. You don't believe the Lord Of The Rings really happened do you? Of course not! You'd have to be an idiot to think that. So clearly anyone who believes in these stories involving invisible sky man, are idiots. Right? And since I don't believe in those things I am clearly a smart person. And everyone will know I'm a smart person because I refuse to believe such silly suppositions nonsense...

It's kind of like an emperors new clothes thing. Only here the emperor is a disbelief in God and his clothing is made out of smug superiority. The emperor struts down the street, a big smirk across his face, showing of his new duds proclaiming how smart and awesome his is. Oblivious to the fact that his harry, unkempt genitals are swing in the air for all to see. And nobody in the crowed wants to call him out on this because they don't want to be called a fool. Only here when the kid says the emperor is naked, they call him a retard. Because otherwise they would have to acknowledged that there probably naked too.

edited 17th Aug '14 1:11:17 AM by chaosconsortium

It goes the same way for The Fundamentalist just like it does for the "Belief Makes You Stupid" guy.

Which is why we need a word for theological bigotry of any kind like we have the words "racism" and "sexism"

Is Somebody Singing.

Well, last night, I did coin a term for taking the most extreme / worst examples of a group you have no part of and acting like the worst speaks for the whole so you can feel superior (and or just going for the soft targets for cheap comedy when the comedy-mill is slow that week):

"Pretending you're a big game hunter because you shot a rabbit in a cage."

I think that belief can be really helpful as an aspect of one's life. As long as it's not blind belief.

Like, "i'm facing a really difficult situation. I'll try my best to overcome it while I also put my faith in God and his support."

If one decides to go all "Welp, this are really tough times. Better sit on my ass all day and pray 'till they go away." then, yes, this is a case of Belief Makes You Stupid.

edited 17th Aug '14 10:40:24 AM by LogoP

Decided to delete this post. I do not wish to be gutted. Thanks. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Note to self: Don't post anything when I've been working with art ink fumes.

edited 18th Aug '14 1:51:06 PM by Shadsie

Hello Christian tropes.

As some tries to keep up to date with the current education 'reforms' i've noticed a popular target of contention from the more politically vocal circles is Christian (particularly catholic) schools especially in regards to allocations of public funds and perceived social inequities.

So wondering if any one here would be happy to tell their education experiences. Particularly if they've been to both a state State and religious school.

Thanks.

Believing in Advance.

from the US. homeschool, three private schools, and one year of public. no Catholic schools, tho. what are your questions?

Oh nothing in particular really just interested.

Did you go to private school in primary and then go to public senior year? Because a lot of people here in oz seem to do that myself included.

Following the Master.

I went to Public school in grades K-6 and private Catholic school from grades 6-7 (I moved part way through grade 6, there was no Catholic school in my old town I just went to Catechism), and Public school again grades 8-12. Their was less kids in my class in the Catholic school and we got our own bus, also we occasionally went to Mass and had religion class, also the Bishop of our diocese occasionally came he put on those word puzzles you know the ones like knee on top of the word lights is neon lights, I liked him, I guess. Oh and we had a dress code navy blue pants (or skirts if you're a girl, and only if you're a girl) not jeans (kids usually went with carpenter pants), and a white or navy blue top, that can't show your shoulders (kids usually went with a navy blue hoodie).

my dad was a private Christian school teacher, so it ended up being a lot more fluid? homeschool through first grade, three years of nondenominational elementary, a year of homeschool, a year back at that school, transferral to a Baptist school states away for three years, a year of public school when they decided not to ask him back to work at that school, and then I finished off at a completely different Wesleyan school even further states away.

so much of my schooling depended on the area and what the schools were competing against, tho. each school was very distinctly formed by the cultures of the places I was in, I think.

edited 19th Aug '14 10:59:52 AM by Maridee

Our Foudation.

My aunt went to a monastic school. To study alongside the nuns. She returned a more disciplined, serious and well-mannered -if not somewhat snobbish- young lady.

She ''still' remained a hardcore atheistic leftist though.

I personally have no issue with religious/church sponsored shcools. As long as the students go there by choice.

edited 20th Aug '14 7:30:48 AM by LogoP

@Logo Oh wow that would be strange in a way. Do you mean rather then going to public school? because I remember at the time not liking the 2 hours of homework (for the whole day that doesn't seem as bad now) every night