okay, QC, just so you won't be bored:
Yeah, but to be fair that goes ashy-pale in comparison. There's hurting peoples feelings and then there's that BTK stuff thing they've even been doing to their own in Iraq these days (aside from blowing up 'heathens') - hard thing to really put that on equal ground. Yeah, I definitely don't believe in the generalities a certain someone was spouting off but still, I really don't think christianity has nearly as many fangs left as people in the media or in activist groups really try to espouse at times.
not so, techstep. okay, so christian fundies might not strap explosives to their backs and charge into pagan circles screaming "all things bright and beautiful", but you really think that the way the Exclusive Brethren treat women and kids is okay? or the way that the Catholic church outlaws condoms so that people can't protect themselves against HIV infection, and women exhaust themselves by having to be baby factories? or the "you're born with original sin, and therefore you're already shit before you start" mentality - great for self esteem, i don't think. just because the hatred is more insidious doesn't make the results any the less appalling - you should see some of the psychological wrecks i've worked with, kids and adults. some of the so-called christian ideas should be investigated by Amnesty, to be honest, and not just the fundamentalists, either.
however, i will say one thing to other people who've replied, here and on the other thread: i won't defend any religion/culture/whatever in any sort of blanket way (unless someone is attacking it in a blanket way, of course), because it's completely idiotic to homogenise such huge swathes of people. fundamentalists of whatever flavour are dangerous, christian, muslim, jewish, hindu, pagan or any other, cos they will not allow anyone else to have an opinion which differs from theirs, and go to extreme measures to ensure this doesn't happen. there are the examples i cite above, and then there's the caste system in hinduism; the inferior position of women in many religions and spiritual paths (i hesitate to say "the majority", although i suspect that may be the case); the anti-christian sentiment of pagan fundies; the exploitation of certain pagan "customs" to allow for irresponsible and abusive behaviour; blah, blah, blah.
my point is that it's just daft to bang on about who's worse than who. as i've said somewhere else, the fashionable people to bash at the moment are muslims. it's been christians, jews, muslims, gay people, lepers, witches, etc., etc., before, so it's just the merry-go-round turning. some people need a scapegoat, and they ain't going to listen to reason, so why bother wasting energy trying to convince them? one may as well just have fun at their expense - at least they're serving a useful purpose, then. (nearly a joke, but not completely). let him/her babble on to themselves, until they develop an internal locus of control and start wanting to think for themselves.
then i'll support them in any way i can - it's a bit like "de-brainwashing", or whatever it's called, and i'm quite good at that.
so, i don't know for absolute sure if
I have AS, so that's this thread buggered for the second (or is it third?) time.
