jiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022
1/10🧵
I wish #Christians believed that circled bit of that song. #Christmas was always a time for the #CoC - especially if it fell on Sun - to Godsplain to ppl that "well actually we don't know when jesus was born, maybe it was summer" - so churches that decorate their building are WRONG & certainly going to HELL but it's fine if you want to celebrate at home.
#exchristian #deconstruction #freedomfromreligion #excoc #deconversion #family #holiday #humanist
Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022
2/10 🧵
Which most did! They celebrated the fuck out of those explicitly stated non-religious #holidays. And they wore #Christmas stuff and talked about gifts, the holiday, holiday plans, etc *in* the building. Then they'd balk at the whole Dec 25=jesus' birthday thing baptists and other #denominations did as though you were worshiping the devil. How dare you do as the denominations* do!
Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022
3/10 🧵
*A #denomination in their estimation is anything that is not #churchofchrist, the "one, true" #newtestament church in Acts 2 - these other people, though well-meaning, will go to hell, they say. They have a saying about people "sincerely believing but being sincerely wrong" that they think is beyond clever that is often stated as a reflex to the word or concept of "denomination."
Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022
4/10 🧵
I haven't been around #church the last ten years so i wonder, as my parents have gotten more familiar with and incorporated more #rightwing #foxnews talking points, if they are still as ardent in that belief or has the war on #Christmas rhetoric made them want to sing happy birthday to jesus yet? How would they square that? I should've asked while i had the chance.
(#disfellowship #apostate #hell #condemned #blacksheep)
Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022
5/10🧵
I mean you can - I do - say that about human rights, how do they square calling ppl on welfare lazy or a black person standing in front of a store a criminal, but you see i tried to get them to listen once to a black #Christian they know personally talk on a podcast about #racism they experienced and my mom flat refused. Said "she couldn't." They turn off their ears like when someone says a cuss word. The content they may agree with after no longer exists. #Cognitivedissonance averted.
Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022
6/10🧵
Similarly, in our last discussion of substance, I tried to explain to her that Plan B is not #abortion, it's #birthcontrol - with a full explanation and diagrams - and that hobby lobby guy was restricting birth control - you #believe in birth control, right? Why is she fighting against birth control if she used it and is still in favor? Oh she does think bc is ok, but "just believes Plan B causes abortion." ... ... what?? 😤
Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022

7/10 🧵
When I try to talk about #racism or #science (there was also an #essentialoils vs chemo discussion when her mom had #cancer too, but with the grief, i didn't push as hard as i wanted to) she just shuts down, like an on/off switch, changes the subject like they do when someone says crap or fuck.

"Politics" includes human rights, science or any subject they think the bible differs from common sense/ decency on. Another code word. Jargon. Lingo.

Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022
8/10 🧵
So back to my original thought - I should've asked this question - "How do they square the denominational war on #Christmas with their #bible interpretation?" before they stopped listening to me - because I feel less invested in the Christmas thing, unlike their disdain for others' rights and basic scientific facts, which always depresses/infuriates me. But maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe it would make as little sense as their "I vote this way because bible" and "I believe [x]."
Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022

9/10 🧵
It doesn't have to make sense. What a worldview.

Ironic that they taught me to love #truth so much that I couldn't sustain a #lie to myself for so long... and the result was leaving the #church.

I guess I was supposed to operate within the coded language where truth means only their interpretation of the bible, not truth as in factual.

That, combined with the whole emphasis on being like Bereans studying to see if these things were true, caused the leaving.

Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022

10/10 🧵
I don't know at what point i was confusing the two meanings of #truth - or dev a meaning sep from the church but it was a lot earlier than I realized that maybe I believed differently than those around me - that human rights/equality/other ppl were more important than maintaining that God wants us to deny people #humanrights in order to practice the #religion & spread the gospel of...white #heterosexual #patriarchy (i mean love).

#deconstruction #exvangelical #deconversion #family

Show threadMJ (they/them)

@jiujensu thanks for sharing, that seems like such a tough experience to have had. It is sad that people will deny others rights and humanities through a very selective and specific interpretation of scripture. I am non-religious myself but I find it incredible that people can say they believe the stories about Jesus and yet hold such oppressive views.

I feel your interpretation is much closer to the messages of the stories as I understand them.

Dec 25, 2022 at 12:51pmWeb
Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022
@CounsellorMJ
I even tried to discuss it a bit, get them to entertain the possibility that faith could be informing ones vote whether they voted Democrat or Republican- i gave examples and made a great case i thought. But they basically told me, wow, you think about things, good job on that, but we disagree, bye.
Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 25, 2022
@CounsellorMJ
In my 20s i saw the difference. In my 30s i left. But i think even in my teens maybe i started thinking about truth as bible truth and factual truth - but i was able to live with the dissonance - the cost of disobedience then would've been devastating.
Show threadjiujensu🇵🇸Dec 28, 2022

@CounsellorMJ

And thank you for your kind words❤