Sometimes I just hate humanity

[Hatsune Candy]

Soo the other day when I was waiting for my bus home, I was given a tiny little square flyer by some lady that was passing by.

And I thought, "Oh, okay, I'm not really a religious person, but that's nice," but then I turned it over and immediately saw this:

...And I was just utterly shocked.

Needless to say I am extremely upset by this. My very existence is being degraded as a means of persuasion, which is something you should never do to anybody, and I expected better treatment from a group that often sees themselves as having high morality. And for people like me, who have low self-esteem, this kind of degradation is not good for mental health; so really, I don't know what they were thinking with this. I mean, it's things like this that make me ashamed to even be human.

I can't be the only one, either. I'm sure a fair a lot of you have encountered moments like this where you feel slight disgust towards humanity in general.

 

[Brovo]

and I expected better treatment from a group that often sees themselves as having high morality.

And this is where the issue ultimately lies with crusaders* of righteous causes, religious or not. When they see themselves as wielding a superior morality, they must, in some way, see themselves as inherently superior to the inferiors, the savage, ignorant people they attempt to convert. It's one thing to spread your message, to wield humility and kindness, to try and help others out of a sense of selflessness. It's another to impose upon others your world view, to the level of zeal of placing faith before reason, ideology before empathy.

I try not to see such things as an indicator of all of humanity, but rather as a case of someone who sacrificed their capacity for intellectual thought for blind certainty. "The world is this", rather than "the world may be this". For every one of these religious nutbars wishing that you weren't born for not sharing the same views as they do, you have people working in food banks who do so because they feel their religion encourages humility and peace. Sometimes it's hard to remember that, even if their ideology may be odd to an outsider (such as atheists like myself), even wrong or morally detestable at certain points in the "Good Book", their actions as an individual determine who they are, first and foremost.

So, I suppose, take solace in knowing that this sack of meat and fluids is just one of seven billion like itself, of which many of that number just wish to live upon this world in peace. Just like you.

*Crusaders in this case is being used in the manner of zealots, not people who fight to see a more equal, tolerant, kind planet. Always judge on a case by case basis, lest you fall into the same trap the fundamentalists have.

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

Must have been Catholic. They're infamous for spewing out stuff like that. And yes, I was raised Catholic before people start to scream and shout. 10 years of Catholic school, and church every Sunday until I was 16..... After a while I got tired of hearing how God only loves those who follow the bible to the letter, and everyone else was going to burn in hell. (I do have to admit though, the new Pope is doing a hell of a job trying to turn the religion around!)

I wouldn't let it bother you too much, it's simply some misguided soul who believes that fear is a motivator to get people to live their lives the way someone else believes they should live them. Not many people can accept that everyone has their own different belief system place, and feel that if you're not doing what they think you should do, you're doing it wrong. It's not humanity, it's organized religion, although any church who authorizes the use of that sort of message really should rethink their strategy.

 

[Brovo]

although any church who authorizes the use of that sort of message really should rethink their strategy.

Who needs a strategy when you have an all powerful, omnipotent God to ensure your football team always wins, except when he feels like acting in mysterious ways?

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

Now I'm going to have that song stuck in my head all day...

 

[redblood]

Gosh, those fliers certainly fucked up o.O At first I wondered why it made you so angry, but then I read the other text and gosh I would have been pissed off too. That definitely doesn't make people feel alienated. Someone just reading "Smile! God loves you." Might think about converting, cause it's always nice being loved. It's not a biiig chance, but still they might feel like checking out the church. But then reading something like "You should not have been born" probably makes them change their mind. Why would they want to be loved by a God that hates most of humanity (which feels implied in the fliers 2nd part with the whole you shouldn't have been born thing.), or be part of a church that wishes most of humanity never had been born? I don't understand their logic.

By the way, doesn't Christians pretty much believe that everything that happens is in God's plan? Thus I was a part of his plan, even as an atheist. Thus I cannot not have been born. Somehow I'm a part of his plan, that's why Christians should like everyone because they're all part of the plan. Wishing that they never should have been born, or thinking it better, would go against the original plan... Right? I don't know, it feels like they're contradicting themselves there. But I can't be sure because they haven't written which part of Christianity they're part of. There's so freaking many branches and no branch thinks it's important to specify! Except Jehova's witnesses. And I'm just guessing they're Christian because of the sacrifice thing. I can't remember any other religion having that right now.

 

[Sylvinar Cross]

Soo the other day when I was waiting for my bus home, I was given a tiny little square flyer by some lady that was passing by.

And I thought, "Oh, okay, I'm not really a religious person, but that's nice," but then I turned it over and immediately saw this:

...And I was just utterly shocked.

Needless to say I am extremely upset by this. My very existence is being degraded as a means of persuasion, which is something you should never do to anybody, and I expected better treatment from a group that often sees themselves as having high morality. And for people like me, who have low self-esteem, this kind of degradation is not good for mental health; so really, I don't know what they were thinking with this. I mean, it's things like this that make me ashamed to even be human.

I can't be the only one, either. I'm sure a fair a lot of you have encountered moments like this where you feel slight disgust towards humanity in general.

Personally I think religious groups that do that are stupid.. and if I was handed the flyer I'd probably laugh in their face and be like. "Real brilliant force me to go away from YOUR religion."

 

[Brovo]

By the way, doesn't Christians pretty much believe that everything that happens is in God's plan? Thus I was a part of his plan, even as an atheist.

You'll get free will shoved in your face, and how it's your choice. It's like Bingo, only with accusations and judgement. Even though Jesus tells you not to judge people repeatedly, but, ah, well... It's all up to interpretation.

 

[TheGDeer]

Being a devout Roman Catholic and just seeing the back of that flyer pisses me off. The first part yeah sure that's nice, but why even have the second part. I understand wanting people to convert but this is just plain offensive even for someone who believes. Were not all assholes, just a lot of misinformed old people, but that flyer sure makes us look ones.

 

[Alexa Ray]

There is nothing to stop humanity from doing the most utterly outrageous things, especially with this person here. If you're supposed to have "high morals" why are you going around being biased like that? Telling people they shouldn't have been born because they reject "His" love, that's just stupid. In this situation, I don't feel "slight" disgust, but a lot of disgust.

 

[Asmodeus]

Christianity: offering shit toasties since 0 BC.

Whatever happened to implicit threats of damnation?

 

[Brovo]

Christianity: offering shit toasties since 0 BC.

Whatever happened to implicit threats of damnation?

The Council of Nicea and Dante's Inferno, each respectively. Damn Comedies.

 

[LogicfromLogic]

I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

Christianity: offering shit toasties since 0 BC.

Whatever happened to implicit threats of damnation?

Don't forget the crappy rice krispie cakes. They're important too.

We don't really get mad religious pamphlets over here aside from the Jevovee's. But they mostly just stand at Street corners and state judgementally at people these days.

 

[Razilin]

Soo the other day when I was waiting for my bus home, I was given a tiny little square flyer by some lady that was passing by.

And I thought, "Oh, okay, I'm not really a religious person, but that's nice," but then I turned it over and immediately saw this:

...And I was just utterly shocked.

Needless to say I am extremely upset by this. My very existence is being degraded as a means of persuasion, which is something you should never do to anybody, and I expected better treatment from a group that often sees themselves as having high morality. And for people like me, who have low self-esteem, this kind of degradation is not good for mental health; so really, I don't know what they were thinking with this. I mean, it's things like this that make me ashamed to even be human.

I can't be the only one, either. I'm sure a fair a lot of you have encountered moments like this where you feel slight disgust towards humanity in general.

Calvary should be capitalized

 

[Dervish]

Brovo beat me to the punch. Just because there's some particularly vile people out there is not indicative of all humanity. Just like the vast majority of priests aren't pedophiles, the vast majority of religious folk aren't condemning all non-believers to Hell for daring to not share their narrow-minded and hateful dogma.

I kind of get irked when I read somebody had a bad experience with a person or group and then immediately declare all of humanity awful, because it utterly ignores that most people are generally good and decent, as well as all the wonderful things people do.

Somebody reads about volunteers cleaning up animals after an oil spill, they don't say "oh! I love humanity!", but guess how it goes if say somebody was arrested for running a dog fighting ring. We are way too quick to dismiss good acts and focus on the bad. Humanity isn't good or evil, that's up to the individual, period.

 

[Hellis]

Must have been Catholic. They're infamous for spewing out stuff like that. And yes, I was raised Catholic before people start to scream and shout. 10 years of Catholic school, and church every Sunday until I was 16..... After a while I got tired of hearing how God only loves those who follow the bible to the letter, and everyone else was going to burn in hell. (I do have to admit though, the new Pope is doing a hell of a job trying to turn the religion around!)

I wouldn't let it bother you too much, it's simply some misguided soul who believes that fear is a motivator to get people to live their lives the way someone else believes they should live them. Not many people can accept that everyone has their own different belief system place, and feel that if you're not doing what they think you should do, you're doing it wrong. It's not humanity, it's organized religion, although any church who authorizes the use of that sort of message really should rethink their strategy.

American Angelican parishes have a history of crazy shit aswell. There are plenty different directions of christianity and their many little churches that act all crazy.

 

[Minibit]

Now I'm going to have that song stuck in my head all day...

SHE MOVES
IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

 

[Razilin]

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways, yeah, oh, ah

Lift my days, light up my nights, oh

 

[GhostJoker]

I was raised as a Christian, but i'm not really the type that rejects people for not believing and such. I accept all kinds of people. I don't live my life strict. I'm a person that just goes with the flow in life. However, someone who would write something like that is utterly ridiculous. It's stuff like that that pretty much asks for it and is the main reason religion is looked down upon by alot of people.

It's the strict nature of all religions that causes it. Whoever wrote that note behind it are not any better. What a dick.