they saw the bumper sticker on the back of a goldwing to their liking. it read "I would rather vote for a Mormon than a Moron".

They looked for my approval. With a big smile I replied, "he voted for both!" There was no more laughter that day.

The few Liberal Christian leaders we can name are often muzzled by church authorities. If there was ever a hint of a leftward bent in our churches, it has been nearly extinguished in my lifetime. I may remember a time when that was not so, or it may be that my own experience clouds my perception.

The fact is, the most well publicized preachers aren't talking about feeding the poor or clothing the naked. Their general hatred is palpable. If churches hope to stop bleeding membership, maybe they should engage in some self reflection.

If one subjects oneself to right wing indoctrination every week, what should we expect?

for the believers, there's no better motivation than burning in hell.

I no longer attend organize church services because you are pressured into group think.

If you don't attend this many services a week or don't belong to this many different groups within the church, you are not a good Christian. I have even had them tell me that you need to be a republican if your a Christian.

They have played the wedge social issues to gain control of the clergy and church goers alike.

These stats don't sit well with some, so you'll likely get a lot of "well, the data is all over the place" hemming and hawing were you to post this in some of the more toxic groups on DU.

Word is, someone took 40 days off to become more pious and closer to their god. Seems like when a lot of Christians do that, they get more assholely and judgmental. So much for the Christian god being one of love and acceptance.

...

I suppose that giving up all their friends and admirers is a sacrifice, along with not being able to be nasty to people who don't agree with them. That is the sole purpose of some lives.

That, may friend, is true sacrifice.

...

Piety only counts when you can show it off to others, ya know.

judge me by this one action and not by all the other things I do and say?

Very christian.

One can be as much of a complete and utter asshole as one wants - just give up posting to a website for a few weeks and you too can be a PERFECT CHRISTIAN!

Caustic as ever.

It was almost civil in there for a while.

That is my personal hell.

Can you imagine??

so they don't go crazy and start thinking for themselves.

It is in the best interest of the church, in what ever form it takes, to continuously hammer the message or the followers might actually think for themselves.

And we just can't have that, now can we?

In my seven years of parochial school, I had to go to church EVERY day. I was given a pass on Saturday, but I had to go to confession on that day so that I could recieve Communion on Sunday. That is child abuse, plain and simple.

if I went to church multiple times per week.

since religious attendance is dropping.

attack you if you suggest people find churches more in keeping with their values.

Because that's... bad. Or something.

Naw, they just close their eyes and pretend it's not happening. Folks leaving religion TOTES STILL BELIEVE IN GAWD YOU GUIZE. I, a poster on an anonymous Internet message board, give them my official approval and stamp of support which of course means a lot because the pope reads DU for my guidance as you all know.

religion is only one indicator in a laundry list of why right wingers are idiots....

Or something like that.

Privilege

It's a word all right

Next thing you know, someone will conduct a study that says that Fox viewers tend to vote Republican.