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The Dark Side: How Evangelical Teachings Corrupt Love and Truth



by Valerie Tarico

Description:
Most Evangelical Christians earnestly strive to worship the God of Love and Truth. But a belief that the Bible is literally perfect puts them in the odd position of defending falsehood, bigotry and even violence. What do Evangelicals teach? How are these teachings distorted? How do they contradict humanity's shared moral core, including the highest values of Christianity itself? Psychologist Valerie Tarico is an ex-fundamentalist and a graduate of Wheaton College, bastion of Evangelical education. As a young adult, secure in the confidence that "all truth is God's truth," Dr. Tarico committed to follow her questions wherever they might lead. Ultimately they led her out of Evangelicalism. Tarico's book, The Dark Side, examines the moral and rational contradictions that caused her to abandon those beliefs that once structured her life. In their place it offers perspectives that are compatible with love, logic, and the quest for truth.


Website here.

The Evangelicals aren't the greatest number of Christians out there, just the noisiest. I am no longer a Christian, but even when I was, I did not belong to any sect that taught the Bible as uncorrupt or literal truth. Most Evangelicals are good people who get around the problems of the bible by not reading it.

Barbara Fitzpatrick wrote:The Evangelicals aren't the greatest number of Christians out there, just the noisiest. I am no longer a Christian, but even when I was, I did not belong to any sect that taught the Bible as uncorrupt or literal truth. Most Evangelicals are good people who get around the problems of the bible by not reading it.

DOUG
I don't think they are good people in a very important respect. They believe in hell. This implies that they believe that infinite cruelty is compatible with love, which destroys their sense of both justice and compassion.

"If there is a God who will damn his children forever, I would rather go to hell than to go to heaven and keep the society of such an infamous tyrant. I make my choice now. I despise that doctrine. It has covered the cheeks of this world with tears. It has polluted the hearts of children, and poisoned the imaginations of men.... What right have you, sir, Mr. clergyman, you, minister of the gospel to stand at the portals of the tomb, at the vestibule of eternity, and fill the future with horror and with fear? I do not believe this doctrine, neither do you. If you did, you could not sleep one moment. Any man who believes it, and has within his breast a decent, throbbing heart, will go insane. A man who believes that doctrine and does not go insane has the heart of a snake and the conscience of a hyena."
-- Robert Green Ingersoll, "The Liberty Of All" (1877)

DAR
Saw a church sign today:

"The only gift God wants is you"

The only thing people really have, and this cult wants you to give it up. Talk about sell your soul to the devil!

D.

Hell is just an intricate version of the monster under the bed or in the closet that most little kids fear. What I see in most evangelicals is immaturity, not evil. The fear came first. God was just invented to conquer that feared evil. Maturity separates fears of imaginary threats and reals ones - and works appropriately to overcome both. Immaturity wants somebody more caring than the greatest Momma and stronger than the greatest Daddy to defeat the feared threat. Of course, when you get to the ones who derive power and make millions off others' fears - that's evil.

The fear of statelessness and/or diabolical enemies is just an intricate version of the monster under the bed or in the closet that most little kids fear. What I see in most statists is immaturity, not evil. The fear came first. The necessity of government was just invented to conquer that feared evil. Maturity separates fears of imaginary threats and reals ones - and works appropriately to overcome both. Immaturity wants somebody more caring than the greatest Momma and stronger than the greatest Daddy to defeat the feared threat. Of course, when you get to the ones who derive power and make millions off others' fears - that's evil.
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It's easy to see why early freethinkers were against the authority of both religion and state. The psychology behind both types of mind-submission is the same.

Hogeye's confusion of god and government (apparent belief that god and government are the same) explains a whole lot about him and his stands on both.

Both religion and State have been used to assert authority over people's minds. But you know that. Think for yourself - don't take the word of priests or rulers.

Barbara Fitzpatrick wrote:Hogeye's confusion of god and government (apparent belief that god and government are the same) explains a whole lot about him and his stands on both.

Hogeye wrote:Both religion and State have been used to assert authority over people's minds. But you know that. Think for yourself - don't take the word of priests or rulers.

Or propagandists...