How Did Your Church View Liberal Christians?

[Vomit Comet]

What did you think before?

 

And what do you think now?

[Neon Genesis]

My church was a standard fundie church. They believed in the inerrancy of the bible, creationism, and hell as a literal place of eternal torture, but they weren't as insane as the speaking in tongues type. Most of them had a decent education and they were intelligent in the fields they were familiar with, but they were ignorant about other subjects like evolution and the age of the Earth and church history. My church despised liberal Christians. I think most of them preferred an atheist over a liberal. They saw liberal Christians as being ignorant cherry pickers and lukewarm Christians that the bible said Jesus wanted to spit out of his mouth. They wouldn't rant about liberals all the time, but whenever something about gay rights or evolution came up in the news, they would rant about how the liberals are destroying our nation's "Judea-Christian values," the gays are destroying the "sanctity" of marriage, and evolution is wrong because they didn't come from no monkeys and they ain't never seen a monkey turn into a human. I looked at the liberal's arguments before deconverting, but I wasn't able to reconcile my faith with my sexuality and there were still questions that they still couldn't answer, like why does God allow suffering in the world. As a Christian, I considered liberal Christians to be false Christians that were going to hell, but then I thought everyone who wasn't a member of the COC was going to hell. Now I'm pretty much indifferent to them. I'd prefer it if there was less religion in the world, but as long as they aren't blowing up buildings with airplanes or forcing their beliefs on others, I don't care as much and now I think all Christians cherry pick the bible, whether liberal or fundamentalist.

[Deva]

The Baptist view was that the liberal Christians were in error, just like the Pentecostals. Come to think of it, everyone was in error except themselves. They didn't go so far as to say these people were not Christians. The only church that this was said of was the Catholic Church.

 

I tried the liberal Christianity route but was irritated by the fact that they would disregard passages that were in the Bible as if they did not exist or as if common people couldn't understand the true interpretation. Give me a break, those things are either in it or not it it, and if its the word of God in any sense it ought to be addressed. If its only partially the word of God then it is impossible to believe any of it.

 

In the end I dismissed liberal Christianity as being dishonest because of this issue.

 

I have since then learned how even fundamentalists disregard verses they don't like or dismiss them by saying something like "that was the Old Testament now we have the new covenant so we don't have to do those things."

 

Now I know its all bullshit.

[highvoltage]

I have since then learned how even fundamentalists disregard verses they don't like or dismiss them by saying something like "that was the Old Testament now we have the new covenant so we don't have to do those things."

 

Haha, I love that one. It's all by the god, old and new testament both.

 

I used to tell them to read Matt. 5:18 when they said that, where jeebus himself said "For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

[highvoltage]

As far as my church was about liberal christians, well, they weren't true christians. They were apostate. It's sad, really, that they weren't fortunate enough to be born into the One True Church, and now they were going to hell as a result. I wouldn't say my church disliked them - more like pitied them.

 

When I left, I dismissed the liberal churches as well as the fundamentalists. I pretty much rejected the idea of god and concluded that Jesus probably never really existed, and even the liberals still believe in those things.

[Raul]

People who do not obey kosher are not living up to God's standarts. No bullshit,that's basically what my ex-pastor said.

[R. S. Martin]

Long story short, unfortunately, anyone who believed in TV and cut hair on women was basically risking hell. The only hope was that they didn't know better so many God was going to "wink at their ignorance" (Acts 17:30). At least, that is what my sister and I thought. I'm not sure if the church as a whole gave it that much thought. It was busy enforcing the rules and keeping the fences fixed to keep people inside where it was safe. Spiritual well-being could basically be measured by the humility a person demonstrated via dress and lifestyle. Obviously, store-bought clothing, coloured cars, TV, etc. were definite signs of worldly pride.

 

In answer to charges that we tried earning our salvation by works--NO! this was not the case in any way, shape or form. The evangelical churches preached that all that mattered was that the heart was right. Well, we believed that what was in the heart would show on the outside. After all, a tree is known by its fruits, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, etc.

 

Be that as it may, I'm discovering that I never knew liberal Christians until the last few years. My people wouldn't know the difference between a fundamentalist evangelical or a progressive CINO. They all wear store-bought clothing, drive coloured cars, and have TVs. In fact, the exist in the background and don't count as people in the real sense of the word. Very seriously ethnocentric, I know, but so their thinking goes.

 

PS I didn't vote because it would be mostly "other," since my people are so far off the map in comparison to everyone else here.

 

QUESTION: VC, are you using these polls for your studies? Just curious.

[Guest QuidEstCaritas?]

Liberals were just "could be" false Christians in need of some good reeducation or torture even, after all rotting in Hell for all eternity just wouldn't do (it's an awfully long time and every soul deserves a chance).

 

So torture seemed to be an appropriate solution. Come to think of it we were taught that Thomas de Torquemada wasn't such a bad guy after all. It's hard work saving people from eternal hellfire, trying to convince them...

 

Essentially there were Heretics, Apostates, and Infidels in my "belief system".

 

Heretics would cover liberals or any deviation of Orthodoxy, Apostates would cover what I now am, and Infidels would cover Muslims.

[Vomit Comet]

QUESTION: VC, are you using these polls for your studies? Just curious.

 

Just burningly curious. If I was up to anything like that, I'd disclose as much. I don't actually specialize in questionnaire research anyways.

[Thurisaz]

Wow most of these questions become damn easy if you were a liberal cultist

[Vendredie]

My church was Baptist but at the same time it was a "community" church. So there were plenty of liberal Christians, but Those In Power were pretty hardcore Baptist.

 

I was a liberal Christian myself and didn't consider myself Baptist at all, just Christian. My family is liberal Christian, but they say we're kindasorta Baptist. They're BINO/CINOs.

 

I was becoming an increasingly liberal Xtian, until I deconverted.

[Amethyst]

I was raised conservative and gradually became more of a liberal Christian until I deconverted, because I realized I wasn't being intellectually honest.

[R. S. Martin]

QUESTION: VC, are you using these polls for your studies? Just curious.

 

Just burningly curious. If I was up to anything like that, I'd disclose as much. I don't actually specialize in questionnaire research anyways.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I most certainly understand burning curiosity.

[Mriana]

I did this poll based on what I chose as an adult- it was very liberal, highly educated group of professionals and professors, and very progressive. Now my mother's church is the total opposite and they look down their noses at liberals, considering them "not Xian", but that is not what I chose as an adult. Now that I've deconverted, I still feel the same way about Fundamgelicals as I did before- an uneducated, superstitious lot, stuck in the Dark ages, who do more harm than good, needing to be feared because of what they can do to others. Liberals, though, meh... I don't see them as doing too much harm to others, IF they are truly liberal. Truth is, you can't get very much liberal than the Episcopal Church (not the conservative branch though) unless you go to the U.U. I don't see them as much of a threat. Hell, Bishop Robinson is an ordain openly gay bishop who is married to a man. How much liberal can you get? However, the new conservative branch of the Episcopal Church, that recently split off from the liberal branch really angers me and I see them doing as much as Fundamgelicals. The thing is, I have become leery of Episcopalians, until I know whether or not they are liberal or conservative. The conservatives see the liberals of having at least one demon. IF I were to go back or even speak to a minister who is not a Humanist one, it would be one of the liberal ones of the Episcopal Church. I don't have any issues with them, I just don't agree with their views concerning God, the crucifixion, and alike. However, I have a problem with going back though- part of it is disagreement and part of it is my own mental health, for even in the Episcopal Church, I can't say I was mentally healthy.

[chefranden]

My job as and evangelist/church planter was to convert the heathen Lutherans, Catholics, and Methodists in Northern Wisconsin to the OneTrueChurch™, Church of Christ (Christian)

[Vomit Comet]

My job as and evangelist/church planter was to convert the heathen Lutherans, Catholics, and Methodists in Northern Wisconsin to the OneTrueChurch, Church of Christ (Christian)

 

And how much success did the Lard bless you with?

[chefranden]

My job as and evangelist/church planter was to convert the heathen Lutherans, Catholics, and Methodists in Northern Wisconsin to the OneTrueChurch™, Church of Christ (Christian)

 

And how much success did the Lard bless you with?

 

 

I got 11 of them immersed for the forgiveness of their sins. There were several more coming to the TrueChurch™ of Christ, but they hadn't been washed in the blood of the Lamb yet when I got fired. The rest of the Church was CoCers from Illinois and Ohio that had retired up here.

[Mriana]

You know, it truly amazing me how many different churches have the idea that they are the "OneTrueChurch™ of Christ". That just goes to show that even within Xianity there are different concepts of God and not one of them are the same.

[rocksandstuff]

I was very surprised by the results because I was in the majority choice for every question but the last (what do you think of liberal Christianity?). It is nice to be reminded I'm not along in my experiences.

 

For the last question by the way, I put "I like them," but then that is a funny answer to the question. I like the liberal Christians I know very much, but don't think highly joining their religion.

[Neon Genesis]

I got 11 of them immersed for the forgiveness of their sins. There were several more coming to the TrueChurch of Christ, but they hadn't been washed in the blood of the Lamb yet when I got fired. The rest of the Church was CoCers from Illinois and Ohio that had retired up here.

How were you able to convince them that the bible was inerrant and not symbolic metaphors?

[chefranden]

I got 11 of them immersed for the forgiveness of their sins. There were several more coming to the TrueChurch™ of Christ, but they hadn't been washed in the blood of the Lamb yet when I got fired. The rest of the Church was CoCers from Illinois and Ohio that had retired up here.

How were you able to convince them that the bible was inerrant and not symbolic metaphors?

 

I never had to convince anyone of that. I only had to convince them that baptism means immersion, and therefore they were in danger of hell fire because they'd only been sprinkled. The folks from the Northwoods of Wisconsin aren't anymore sophisticated than your average hillbilly. In fact they would be hillbillies save for the lack of appreciable hills and an accent.

 

[Mriana]

I never had to convince anyone of that. I only had to convince them that baptism means immersion, and therefore they were in danger of hell fire because they'd only been sprinkled. The folks from the Northwoods of Wisconsin aren't anymore sophisticated than your average hillbilly. In fact they would be hillbillies save for the lack of appreciable hills and an accent.

 

I noticed you did not list Episcopalians. Guess they are too good to convert, even though they believe in infant baptism via sprinkling. Of course, you might be hard pressed to find one who believes in hell fire, esp when it was actually a garbage dump. (see Geenna/Gehinnom/Gehenna/Gehennah). Of course sheol was the place of the dead (aka grave), also considered hell.

[Vomit Comet]

and an accent.

 

"Oh gee by golly dontcha know you betcha!" ain't an accent?

 

Or am I thinking of somewhere else?

[chefranden]

I noticed you did not list Episcopalians. Guess they are too good to convert, even though they believe in infant baptism via sprinkling. Of course, you might be hard pressed to find one who believes in hell fire, esp when it was actually a garbage dump. (see Geenna/Gehinnom/Gehenna/Gehennah). Of course sheol was the place of the dead (aka grave), also considered hell.

 

That's because there aren't very many. Lutherans and Catholics mostly in these parts. Churches of Christ are all but non-existent. There is the one I started in Trego, one in Ladysmith, and one in Duluth. The CoC in Duluth is non-instrumental so it's doubtful that they are TrueChristians™.

[godlessgrrl]

I generally voted "too complicated", because I went to two churches during my xian years, and their attitude towards liberal xianity varied.

 

The AoG church I went to was fundie and took a conservative, literalist view of xianity. They thought of liberal xians as being misguided at best, guided by Satan at worst, and not TrueChristians™ in any case. They tended to pity liberal xians rather than vilify or hate them, regarding them as part of the unsaved. Level of education at the AoG varied a great deal, but tended towards lack of it rather than abundance of it.

 

The Presbyterian church I went to later was much more moderate. They did not look down on liberal churches or consider liberal xians to be unsaved or not Christian, they simply considered it another way of expressing and interpreting xianity. Education level there was very high, with most people holding college degrees (quite a few advanced ones).

 

I generally adopted the attitudes towards liberal xianity that were shared by whatever church community I was immersed in at the time. Currently I don't consider either conservative or liberal treatments of xianity to be particularly convincing.