Are Fundamentalists Really Concerned About Your Eternal Soul?

[jrmarlin]

Just a thought to ponder and reflect on:

Are Fundamentalists more concerned with our eternal souls or are they just trying to dominate others with their belief systems?

 

Don't vote until I get the poll answers fixed! Thanks.

 

I would like to hear everyone's opinions and debates. Feel free to be as descriptive and forthright as humanly possible.

 

 

 

>Edited at posters request, please take time to re-vote, questions changed, poll reset. kL<

[☆ TexasFreethinker ☆]

Some are genuinely concerned (but for a wide variety of reasons including love, or that they think their god wants them to be concerned). But some obviously get great satisfaction from informing the rest of us that we're going to hell.

[Lycorth]

I think it's sometimes also a little of both - genuine concern for where another human is going, plus a desire to have some power or at least be pushy about something they believe in. But the big reason is that they are afraid for their souls; the evangelist is wound up obsessively with the Great Commission™ and is obedient to this commandment of Jesus™ above all others. He or she has to save the world for Jesus™ and live entirely for him, and this Great Commission is the driving thrust behind Xian expansionism. Were it not for Jesus's™ instructions to go out unto all nations and so forth, Xianity would've remained an obscure Jewish sect, an offshoot of Judaism, and only a tiny handful of people, if that, would still follow it today. Unless the evangelical is "on fire for the Lard" and not "lukewarm", his or her god will not reject him, and unless they wear their faith on their sleeves, they fear they'll be found guilty of "denying Jesus™" before men, which will cause Jesus™ to deny them before the Holy Farter upon their deaths.

 

The evangelist is likely worried about souls in all cases, since their cult teaches them to be obsessively worried about that. Some want power, I'm sure, and many others are fakes and only doing it for the influence. But those who are real, which I believe is the majority of them, it's not just concern for our future spiritual welfare, but obedience to the Great Commission™ and the fear of failing their god and getting their own souls damned if they don't live to spread their cult.

 

In the final analysis, it's all about them and their own souls, not ours.

[Thurisaz]

The vast majority of fundies doesn't care a rat's arse about your soul. They don't have enough active brain cells anymore to really care about anyone or anything except for their dogma.

[jrmarlin]

The poll is now fixed. If you voted (one of the four) you need to revote. If you haven't let me know what you think!

[NotBlinded]

I also think that it is both, but for the most part, I think they are geniunely concerned. The attitudes of arrogance, false pride and condescension is just a natural side-effect of their belief (the fundamental flavor). I have found that the ones I confront are actually surprised to find out that what they believe has these types of effects. They don't see it. Any religion that is taken to such extremes as to promote exclusiveness in the eyes of its followers will have this effect no matter how well their intent.

 

My daughter stays with some relatives while I'm working and they have a Christian CD that her son likes to listen to. My daughter likes it too. While us adults were talking, I heard a song come on that had kids singing to a song (I can't remember what it is) that says something like, we are soldiers for Jesus fighting against the enemy and so forth. I looked at this boys mom and said, "That's not a very good thing." She knows how I believe and think and understands some things, so she looked at me and I noticed a flash of realization of what that song was promoting run accross her face for an instant. She then said, well it's an old song. I didn't want to start anything so I said, yeah like the song Ring-around-the-rosies. The horrible things these types of songs point to are usually unknown. And we had fun with that. It passed, but I think she understood.

 

I talked to my daughter on the way home and I said, Amber, about that CD and before I could say anything else, she said, I know mommy but they're fun to listen to. Later, she was singing some of the songs and I started to say something again and she said, I just like the way they sound and I said, okay but as long as you know there are other beliefs and you don't believe in this one alone, or something like that. She said, I know mommy.

 

Anyhoo.... I don't think it is intentional for many of them to come across like that and they don't recognize it in themselves. They just see it as trying to save everyone and in their eyes, it is good. They don't see that they are actually saying that anyone that doesn't believe like they do is evil.

[Anakin]

I think fundies are only out for more feathers in their caps, jewels in their crowns, holy

brownie points, or whatever else it can be called. The only xtians I think really care

about our souls are not what I would call fundamentalist. For example: since my deconversion

I have only had two people at work express true concern about my eternal destination.

I was shocked about who they were. It was two people who I would have never guessed

would. Both are christian but neither are fundies.

[Toxic]

I think they get a kick out of feeling superior to other people.

[white_raven23]

Anytime you influence the actions of another person.....you feel a thrill. What makes you a good or bad person to me is weather or not you want to influence someone positively or negatively. Are you inspiring them to higher levels of their own selves? That's a positive. Or are you manipulating for your own personal gain? That is a negative.

 

But then there is actually something WORSE than having positive or negative intent. And this is where a lot of fundies fall. Most of their intent would fall in the negative for me, as their interferance is selfishly meant (if I "save" this guy...god will smile on ME). But the part that is really so much worse is the zombie influence, or the viral influence. No thought or consideration goes into the influence......really no different from viral infection in a lot of ways.

 

And you can tell when this is going on...because a few pointed questions make these people disengage from the act of influencing. The questions challenge thought, and this type of influence can't stand up to thought. You'll notice their answers are the "stock" christian answers....stuff that pours out of the mouth thanks to rote memorization....and no real contemplation of what the words mean.

 

Basically they are influencing YOU as a side effect of someone else having influenced THEM....hence the viral comparison.

 

I'd prefer someone at least attempt to manipulate me for selfish gain. Weather they succeed or not, you've got to respect them a little bit for having thought it out.

 

The zombie parrot method is just purely insulting because not only is no real thought involved on their end....they make it pretty clear they don't want you to think either. They just want you to accept blindly just like they did.

[Antlerman]

The key word to the question is "really". I take that word to mean genuinely. Are fundi's concerned, well sure but most because there supposed to be. I always come back to sincerity. People can sense genuine heart felt sincerity, and the can smell a salesmen who loves you for something they want to gain for themselves.

 

My biggest test lately is watching how a fundi responds after they have offended you by something they have done and you ask for an apology. Yet to see it happen. What does that tell you? Are the "really" concerned about me? No.

[spamandham]

Even for those that are genuinely concerned, which I think is most, it's still a mindfuck, but it's thier mind that's been inseminated.

[Fweethawt]

To really get down to the nitty-gritty of why they,

or anyone else does what they do,

take a little time to read Mark Twains, What Is Man?.

 

CLICK HERE, if you're interested.

It's the first story in that huge text file.

[nightflight]

Most don't care (imo) but there are some, I'm really convinced that fear for our souls. I have no hate for these, I appreciate their honesty and concern.

[Ziggy]

In my experience it starts off as a genuine feeling of wanting to save and to do the right thing but when people start to reply with genuine questions about their message they have no answers .. and at that point it becomes a them and us situation nad they don't really care.

 

Also who on earth can imagine eternal life or death? The life in heaven is not physical and you would have to have no memory of family who ended up in hell so what do you do / think? Its too abstract to have a real feeling for

[jrmarlin]

In my experience it starts off as a genuine feeling of wanting to save and to do the right thing but when people start to reply with genuine questions about their message they have no answers .. and at that point it becomes a them and us situation nad they don't really care.

 

Also who on earth can imagine eternal life or death? The life in heaven is not physical and you would have to have no memory of family who ended up in hell so what do you do / think? Its too abstract to have a real feeling for

Personally, I think it's no one else's business regarding my soul or where it goes. If these people looked after themselves as much as they pryed into other people's lives, they might have a shot at having a decent life. But they are such pot-stirring, nosy bodies that they short-change themselves.

 

Perhaps if they are able to sway others to their way of "believing" then it somehow validates their personal beliefs to themselves. I am not here to placate egos. I am here to live my own life.

 

Abstract as it is, somehow Xians think they'll be conscious of it.... It's the ultimate mind-fuck!

[All Gods Fail]

Hell no! They don't give a shit about you or your miserable soul. Most of them would kill anyone who looks at them cross-eyed, if they thought they could get away with it.

 

There are some genuinely lovely, sweet xtians who really might be worried for your eternal soul, but I doubt if any of them are evangelical fundies. Those type of folks generally show their compassion through their actions, tho.

 

The draw to evangelical fundy-ism is a combination of self-righteousness and fire insurance, mixed in with a liberal dose of hatred. They're junkies for Jeeziz - nothing so satisfies them as shouting down a sinner. And as countless threads on this very site prove, they are much more comfortable pointing the finger, hurling insults and condemning the sinners than showing the compassion of Christ.

 

Your average fundy would be much happier beating up a homo than helping the poor.

[Jedah]

I would say no. If they truly cared then they would realize the hypocrisy within the doctrine of hell and deconvert themselves.

[Astreja]

There's a reason it's called the "Great Commission" -- They're getting 15% on all salvation transactions.

 

Every time someone's tried to preach to me, I pick up either a sense of panic or a distinct "I know something that you don't" vibe. In a nutshell, they're scared of hell or they're trying to bully me into their way of thinking, or both. Not a good advert for a belief system.

[Guest Shiva H. Vishnu]

I'll be totally honest, when I first converted I was primarily motivated by my elation and my desire to share "salvation" with the world. However, given the militaristic evangelisation methods and rigorous gathering of stats of the cult I was involved with, and the way they propped up the people who could make the most disciples, I eventually became motivated by the game of it. Sure, I told myself that it was an entirely altruistic endeavor, but I delighted in manipulating the scriptures and the emotions of my victims. In retrospect, I was just racking up a body count of baptisms to prove to myself and everyone else that I was worth a shit. I'm pretty fucking ashamed of myself. But, that was what was encouraged and I was just trying to excel like a good little nazi.

 

I'd like to say that I really loved God, and that was my motivation for everything. I've learned a bit about myself since then. I'm not willing to sugarcoat my religious past with euphemisms. I was a shitheel.

[All Gods Fail]

I'd like to say that I really loved God, and that was my motivation for everything. I've learned a bit about myself since then. I'm not willing to sugarcoat my religious past with euphemisms. I was a shitheel.

 

Amen, bro. A lot of us were; myself included.

 

Thank "Bob" I wised up.

[Amethyst]

I think some of them are, but most of them are just doing it for appearances. Really, they secretly would love to watch us be tortured for all of eternity.

[godlessgrrl]

Mindfuck, all the way, baby.

 

Pity it doesn't end after only two minutes...

 

I don't think that all fundies lack caring or aren't concerned with the souls of humanity. I just think that the method(s) of conversion are a mindfuck in and of themselves, so the place where they're coming from really doesn't matter in the end.