Spoomonkey Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 It has been a while since I posted here. I have a MySpace. And I am pretty much addicted to it. It has proven to be a great way to keep in touch with my family - but it has also proven to be a quick way to get into a lot of trouble with them. Mostly, it is my blogging. A lot of what I write is off the wall humor, but - of course - some of it deals with the changes in my spirituality and my "exit thoughts" about Christianity. Needless to say, I get accused of constantly attacking Christians. I always point out that it is "MySpace" with an emphasis on "MY". I should be able to write what I want. I am not picketing or wearing t-shirts. I don't have an "evolve fish" on my car. But in my blogs, I do write what I think. While we butt heads, in the end they have all agreed that it is my page and I should be allowed to express myself as I wish. They recognize (when I point it out) that my expressions of "belief" are no different than the gospel music on their pages, the pictures of crosses, the diatribes about their great and loving god, etc. They do the same things, they just don't see how it could possibly be similarly offensive to me. All in all, though, we have agreed to disagree and not allow issues of faith to destroy our closeness as a family. But I find myself having to bite my tongue over one probably insignificant issue. I don't know why it irritates me like it does, but I think it is really the shallow pop-theology that has always rubbed me wrong, even when I was a Christian myself. My little sister puts up this long disclaimer that shows up on my page every morning about how she is proud to be a "holy rolling, scripture quoting, bible toting, sin slaying... etc... etc... etc... god fearing woman." A bit of back ground. My little sister is a former junkie who is currently in a Christian rehab/non-accredited "college". I have an older sister who went through the same thing and is a beautiful woman who is so much stronger than she was before, so while I have a lot of issues with the program itself, I can't say that it is completely useless. But my little sister is a different story... I know she is a fake. Her greatest gift is manipulation by parroting what others want to hear. My dad (a fundamentalist) is footing the bill for her school - which is basically just one more way for her to avoid the responsibilities of life - so she proudly spouts the garbage that she is supposed to. I know what it is and see it for the bull shit... BUT... Here is what bugs me... It is one phrase in her daily rant that proves to me that she has no clue about this religion she now espouses (again, to perpetuate my father's paying her way through life). She is a "sin slayer". What the hell does that mean? I want to ask her what it means to be a "sin slayer" and just how exactly does she slay a sin? Are some sins easier to knock off than others? Do some need silver bullets and garlic? If you can't drown them are they witches? Do they fall for the old "cheese in the trap" trick? "Sin" for the sake of argument, is one of the least understood things in Christianity. It is not an act a person does, but a state of the human soul. The term is an archery term that means simply to "fall short of the target". So - an arrow in the grass... That is what she is out there pummeling with whatever weapon she uses. Bottom line, sin is not a thing to be slain. And every morning it makes me want to pull my hair out as I force myself to bite my tongue. I am more and more convinced that the greatest strength of a Christian is their ignorance... So, I wanted to come here and rant about it, since there is no where else I can express this. How would you folks handle it, if you were in my shoes? Spoomonkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted April 4, 2008 Super Moderator Share Posted April 4, 2008 Why not blog about the true meaning of sin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonolithTMA Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Hmmmmm...no idea what a sin slayer is, but I found this: http://sinslayer.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 This is why I don't tell my relatives where my live journal is. I don't want them dictating to me what I can or cannot write. My stepmom tried that once already, so I had to move my blog and change my username. I also post 99% of my stuff friends-only. BTW I have a Myspace myself but don't use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_raven23 Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 How would you folks handle it, if you were in my shoes? Spoomonkey Ignore her. You sister is clamoring for attention. She wants to get into it with you. Don't give her what she wants. As for her being a hypocrite....they are ALL hypocrites, it's just more personally annoying when they are in our own families. If you are concerned about her taking advantage of your father's finances, remember your dad is a grown man with the right to fritter away his money if he so wishes. Though you might want to occasionally remind him about the rising costs of senior care, and that YOU are planning ahead for your own retirement because you know that no one is obligated to care for you. Make it about YOU, and it might get HIM thinking. Doesn't matter how young you are either. Only a moron would say you are "too young" to worry about retirement (I was 15 when I started mine). Remind such fools that's exactly the kind of thinking that catches people unprepared when the time comes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eponymic Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 She is a "sin slayer". What the hell does that mean? Well a sin slayer is a level 9 Paladin who has managed to acquire to sword of gospels. Now a little history, in order to acquire the sword of gospels you have to hunt down the green troll of golgotha (cousin to the golgothan shit monster). Once found, you must sing him a song by the 80's Christian Rock band Stryper. If you can manage to get out all of the lyrics without breaking into a smile or wretching, the troll will give you the sword of gospels. Personally, I was only able to become a sin fileter. I could only make it through one verse of Stryper before cracking up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Very strange thing "sin slayer"... Usually we hear "sin" explained on this website from well-meaning Christians that it's the absence of God or that someone is disconnected with God. But how can you slay a "lack" of something? Can you destroy the hole in a donut? Can you "kill" a vacuum? It just doesn't fit. It sounds like a "sin slayer" actually do believe that sin is a thing that was then "created" by the Devil, and not just something that is missing! If they don't even know what they're talking about, how can they expect people to believe them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthOkkata Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I dunno. Maybe she's confused Jesus with Buffy? I'd be on the lookout for a fifty chapter fanfiction with a Buffy/Christ pairing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendredie Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Very strange thing "sin slayer"... Usually we hear "sin" explained on this website from well-meaning Christians that it's the absence of God or that someone is disconnected with God. But how can you slay a "lack" of something? Create the something first, then slay it. Genius! Can you destroy the hole in a donut? Just eat enough of the donut that it looks more like a U. Can't have any holes if the object is open-ended.... or something. Can you "kill" a vacuum? Sure you can! Only unplugging it temporarily "kills" it. In order to properly "kill" a vacuum you have you unplug it and then throw it out of the window. It just doesn't fit. It sounds like a "sin slayer" actually do believe that sin is a thing that was then "created" by the Devil, and not just something that is missing! If they don't even know what they're talking about, how can they expect people to believe them? All kidding aside, I heard it several different ways. First I was taught that sin was simply something that led you away from god-- a certain deed, if you will, such as drug use or cursing. Second I was taught that sin was an absence of good, or God. Then I was taught that sin is any word, deed, or even thought that displeases God. Then I was taught that sin was a work of the Devil, rather than free will. (Funny how when somebody not in the "in crowd" at church screws up, everyone says "He gave in to sin, he deserves what he gets" but when the preacher or someone else part of the in crowd screws up it's always "The Devil took hold of him and caused this" ) So the "sin slayer" in question may be prescribing to the fourth teachings or possibly the third. Still a silly thing to "slay" though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Usually we hear "sin" explained on this website from well-meaning Christians that it's the absence of God or that someone is disconnected with God. I once heard a woman say that sin was anything that disrupted or destroyed community. If so, then maybe a "sin slayer" is one who heals community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankStranger Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Maybe you could ask your sister. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I dunno. Maybe she's confused Jesus with Buffy? That's right! Duffy, the Sin Slayer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Still a silly thing to "slay" though. And it suggests that "sin" is alive. Maybe we can kill it by just not feeding it Christian dogma and idiocy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I once heard a woman say that sin was anything that disrupted or destroyed community. If so, then maybe a "sin slayer" is one who heals community. Then it's sounds like "sin" is anything that's abnormal or inappropriate by society. That's what happens when they invent a word without a clear definition. And it makes it even more confusing then how Jesus can "save" us from "sin". Which is better? To be saved from the imaginary word or to kill this imaginary word? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twincats Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Still a silly thing to "slay" though. And it suggests that "sin" is alive. Maybe we can kill it by just not feeding it Christian dogma and idiocy? Nice idea, but every xtian is a crazy cat lady when it comes to sin, dogma and idiocy; not a one of them can pass up a pitiful, hungry, mewling sin without feeding it! Plus, they don't believe in spaying/neutering the little suckers, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthOkkata Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 That's right! Duffy, the Sin Slayer. Heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 There's a lot at stake, when Duffy is around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Duffy. Ain't that a derivation of David in some languages? As for "sin slaying" it just sounds neat. Need there be a better reason? And if it gets dad to pay your bills...hey that's tops. I'm like Amethyst. I no longer share my personal thoughts with relatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosonator Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Maybe you could ask your sister. Smart advice. When language (such as "sin slaying") gets thrown around like that, I think it's often being used more for show rather than having any real meaning. People trying to come across strong and forceful in their convictions, as if the louder and more obtrusively they say it, the more devoted they are in their religion. When someone like your sister has that attitude, approaching them confrontationally risks giving them the chance to feel like martyrs (and oh, how they love that...). But asking her an honest question leaves it to her to come up with an honest answer. If your sister is really just blowing hot air, then maybe she'll back off? But if you don't feel like going through all that trouble, doesn't MySpace let you block certain people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aosoth Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I am so glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that, especially the paladin thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Well a sin slayer is a level 9 Paladin who has managed to acquire to sword of gospels. Now a little history, in order to acquire the sword of gospels you have to hunt down the green troll of golgotha (cousin to the golgothan shit monster). Once found, you must sing him a song by the 80's Christian Rock band Stryper. If you can manage to get out all of the lyrics without breaking into a smile or wretching, the troll will give you the sword of gospels. Personally, I was only able to become a sin fileter. I could only make it through one verse of Stryper before cracking up. This remins me of an ongoing WoW joke often posted in the forums. Jesus to Disciples: "Here, have Blessing of Salvation!" Disciples: "Can we get Might or Wisdom instead?" (Paladin blessings in WoW buff alter your characters' stats. Salvation decreases their chance of pulling threat from the main fighter tank in a party, which is good for some classes but not for others. Anyway -- thought the level 9 paladin thing was funny.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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