Is THIS Ethical and Representing Religion Well?

[BluePhantom]

I just got back from taking my daughter to see her grandmother for Mother's Day. She lives in Lewiston, Idaho where I grew up...a town of roughly 30,000 with a strong conservative and religious identity. My daughter is 21, sweet as honey, always has a smile on her face, loves to make people laugh, and goes out of her way to help random strangers. She is a strong Republican and has a deep understanding of God and scripture. She is working on her bachelor's degree and plans to pursue a career in medicine because she has a true need to help people. She is a really awesome girl. She is also bi-sexual.

She has an app on her phone where you fill out a profile to meet friends or love interests. You tell about yourself and state what your are looking for (friendship/love...male/female/either....etc). Hers says friendship and either. The app tracks the GPS in your phone and when you go to a new town it lets people in that town know you are there in case anyone wants to meet you. If they do they can send a text to your phone to say hello or whatever.

In two days my daughter got no fewer than 30 texts from people in Lewiston. I want to give you some of the highlights that are fit to post.

"Faggots are not welcome in this town"

"Go back to Portland where dykes are accepted"

"Enjoy hell, dyke c**t"

"Gods hates fags so God hates you too"

"Women don't lick pussy here without getting thrown in the bottom of a lake"

"Queers deserve to die"

"Get out of my town, you dyke bitch"

Those are the mild ones. I know about this because I found her crying in the middle of the night and she showed me the texts and sobbed "they have never even met me". I know 30 assholes do not represent the entire community of 30,000 people but I have to say. It is shit like this that justifies the accusations that liberals make against Republicans and people of faith.

I have never been so humiliated and appalled to call myself a Republican and a Christian and I have never in my life been so ashamed to call that place my hometown. If THAT is Christian and Republican ethics you can call me a spiritual Independent from now on.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Good christians, no doubt.

I'm sorry your daughter is harassed like that. Its shameful and indefensible.

Disturbing too is that she got that many hate messages in a town of that size. Is the town mostly Repub?

About the app ... is it only for bi-sexuals or LGBT? Reason I ask is, why are there so many christian "straights" getting messages meant for bi's?

Don't let her believe that most people are like this. Let her know that most people will accept her for who and what she really is. NOT for the hate they carry in their own hearts.

 

[BluePhantom]

Good christians, no doubt.

I'm sorry your daughter is harassed like that. Its shameful and indefensible.

Disturbing too is that she got that many hate messages in a town of that size. Is the town mostly Repub?

About the app ... is it only for bi-sexuals or LGBT? Reason I ask is, why are there so many christian "straights" getting messages meant for bi's?

Don't let her believe that most people are like this. Let her know that most people will accept her for who and what she really is. NOT for the hate they carry in their own hearts.

The town is strongly Republican yes. Maybe these 30 jerks were not Republicans, but Lewiston, Idaho is to the Republican party what Portland, Oregon is to the Democratic party.Chances are they were of MY party and members of MY religion. Gee.....lucky me to be counted among them.

The app is for anyone. It's not just LGBT. I guess it's a very popular app for people of her generation and all people use it whether straight or gay. I think the only good thing that came from it was that my mother, who is a very conservative Republican and devout Christian, saw the text and wen't completely ballistic. I don't think she understood just how much BS, hate, and vitriol, the gay community experiences. I WAS very proud of my Mom 'cause she was ready to start taking heads.

 

[Disir]

Not all Christians do that. I'm so sorry that this happened to her. I have a niece that is a lesbian and it's tough.

 

[Sherry]

I'm not surprised that social media bullies would take advantage of an anonymous format to spread their hate...but I sure as fuck wouldn't give them the consideration to assume that they in any way represent the majority of Christians, any more than I would consider Westboro Baptists to be typical Baptists (and I don't tend to think super highly of Baptists in general based on personal experience.)

 

[turzovka]

I just got back from taking my daughter to see her grandmother for Mother's Day. She lives in Lewiston, Idaho where I grew up...a town of roughly 30,000 with a strong conservative and religious identity. My daughter is 21, sweet as honey, always has a smile on her face, loves to make people laugh, and goes out of her way to help random strangers. She is a strong Republican and has a deep understanding of God and scripture. She is working on her bachelor's degree and plans to pursue a career in medicine because she has a true need to help people. She is a really awesome girl. She is also bi-sexual.

She has an app on her phone where you fill out a profile to meet friends or love interests. You tell about yourself and state what your are looking for (friendship/love...male/female/either....etc). Hers says friendship and either. The app tracks the GPS in your phone and when you go to a new town it lets people in that town know you are there in case anyone wants to meet you. If they do they can send a text to your phone to say hello or whatever.

In two days my daughter got no fewer than 30 texts from people in Lewiston. I want to give you some of the highlights that are fit to post.

"Faggots are not welcome in this town"

"Go back to Portland where dykes are accepted"

"Enjoy hell, dyke c**t"

"Gods hates fags so God hates you too"

"Women don't lick pussy here without getting thrown in the bottom of a lake"

"Queers deserve to die"

"Get out of my town, you dyke bitch"

Those are the mild ones. I know about this because I found her crying in the middle of the night and she showed me the texts and sobbed "they have never even met me". I know 30 assholes do not represent the entire community of 30,000 people but I have to say. It is shit like this that justifies the accusations that liberals make against Republicans and people of faith.

I have never been so humiliated and appalled to call myself a Republican and a Christian and I have never in my life been so ashamed to call that place my hometown. If THAT is Christian and Republican ethics you can call me a spiritual Independent from now on.

I think that account is more fair to impugn “bad christians” than it is to point to republicans. After all, the first 30 states in these past 10 years voted against gay marriage in referendums including California and Oregon. Hardly just republicans in all those cases.

Now, such hate speech is not Christian even if Christians do it. Sounds pretty sinful to me. I am not about to defend it at all. But neither would I personally stop being a Christian because of them. Lots of horrible sinners in the church, along with the saints. On that we cannot disagree. But what does it mean? It does not mean that the religion is fake.

 

[BluePhantom]

I'm not surprised that social media bullies would take advantage of an anonymous format to spread their hate...but I sure as fuck wouldn't give them the consideration to assume that they in any way represent the majority of Christians, any more than I would consider Westboro Baptists to be typical Baptists (and I don't tend to think super highly of Baptists in general based on personal experience.)

Intellectually I am aware that 30 people do not represent an entire community. But my baby got attacked and I am mad.

 

[BluePhantom]

I just got back from taking my daughter to see her grandmother for Mother's Day. She lives in Lewiston, Idaho where I grew up...a town of roughly 30,000 with a strong conservative and religious identity. My daughter is 21, sweet as honey, always has a smile on her face, loves to make people laugh, and goes out of her way to help random strangers. She is a strong Republican and has a deep understanding of God and scripture. She is working on her bachelor's degree and plans to pursue a career in medicine because she has a true need to help people. She is a really awesome girl. She is also bi-sexual.

She has an app on her phone where you fill out a profile to meet friends or love interests. You tell about yourself and state what your are looking for (friendship/love...male/female/either....etc). Hers says friendship and either. The app tracks the GPS in your phone and when you go to a new town it lets people in that town know you are there in case anyone wants to meet you. If they do they can send a text to your phone to say hello or whatever.

In two days my daughter got no fewer than 30 texts from people in Lewiston. I want to give you some of the highlights that are fit to post.

"Faggots are not welcome in this town"

"Go back to Portland where dykes are accepted"

"Enjoy hell, dyke c**t"

"Gods hates fags so God hates you too"

"Women don't lick pussy here without getting thrown in the bottom of a lake"

"Queers deserve to die"

"Get out of my town, you dyke bitch"

Those are the mild ones. I know about this because I found her crying in the middle of the night and she showed me the texts and sobbed "they have never even met me". I know 30 assholes do not represent the entire community of 30,000 people but I have to say. It is shit like this that justifies the accusations that liberals make against Republicans and people of faith.

I have never been so humiliated and appalled to call myself a Republican and a Christian and I have never in my life been so ashamed to call that place my hometown. If THAT is Christian and Republican ethics you can call me a spiritual Independent from now on.

I think that account is more fair to impugn “bad christians” than it is to point to republicans. After all, the first 30 states in these past 10 years voted against gay marriage in referendums including California and Oregon. Hardly just republicans in all those cases.

Now, such hate speech is not Christian even if Christians do it. Sounds pretty sinful to me. I am not about to defend it at all. But neither would I personally stop being a Christian because of them. Lots of horrible sinners in the church, along with the saints. On that we cannot disagree. But what does it mean? It does not mean that the religion is fake.

I am not saying the religion is fake. What I am saying is that if the definition of Christianity is THAT, then you can count me out. The God and Jesus I believe in would be irate over that kind of behavior.

 

[Avatar4321]

How do you even know they are from that community? With the anonymity of the internet couldn't they have been anywhere?

Also are you sure it wasn't the same person doing them all? I can't imagine finding that many people with no life.

I understand why you are mad. I would be too.

 

[S.J.]

Why assume they are Republicans? Did they say they were? In case you haven't noticed, the biggest gay bashers on USMB are liberals and I've found that to be the case everywhere else as well.

 

[BluePhantom]

How do you even know they are from that community? With the anonymity of the internet couldn't they have been anywhere?

Also are you sure it wasn't the same person doing them all? I can't imagine finding that many people with no life.

I understand why you are mad. I would be too.

The way the app works...yes they were all from that community. And no it was not the same person. It links to profiles so unless one person has 30 profiles we can be confident that they were all different people.

 

[BluePhantom]

Why assume they are Republicans? Did they say they were? In case you haven't noticed, the biggest gay bashers on USMB are liberals and I've found that to be the case everywhere else as well.

I grew up in that town. Democrats are very rare in that community. They could have been another party but it would be unlikely.

 

[Avatar4321]

That's sad. I'm sorry there are that many mean people in a community. I'm sorry there are any mean people at all.

 

[MeBelle]

I'm not surprised that social media bullies would take advantage of an anonymous format to spread their hate...but I sure as fuck wouldn't give them the consideration to assume that they in any way represent the majority of Christians, any more than I would consider Westboro Baptists to be typical Baptists (and I don't tend to think super highly of Baptists in general based on personal experience.)

Intellectually I am aware that 30 people do not represent an entire community. But my baby got attacked and I am mad.

I'd be mad too! She's a lovey, give her a hug for me please.

 

[featherlite]

You have every right to be mad phantom. Your daughter sounds like a really great person.
Unfortunately there are hateful people everywhere and honestly somewhere along the line we have all felt hateful toward someone for some reason.
Only pathetic internet cowards harass like that. They were just projecting their miserable lives on someone who didn't deserve it.

 

[turzovka]

I just got back from taking my daughter to see her grandmother for Mother's Day. She lives in Lewiston, Idaho where I grew up...a town of roughly 30,000 with a strong conservative and religious identity. My daughter is 21, sweet as honey, always has a smile on her face, loves to make people laugh, and goes out of her way to help random strangers. She is a strong Republican and has a deep understanding of God and scripture. She is working on her bachelor's degree and plans to pursue a career in medicine because she has a true need to help people. She is a really awesome girl. She is also bi-sexual.

She has an app on her phone where you fill out a profile to meet friends or love interests. You tell about yourself and state what your are looking for (friendship/love...male/female/either....etc). Hers says friendship and either. The app tracks the GPS in your phone and when you go to a new town it lets people in that town know you are there in case anyone wants to meet you. If they do they can send a text to your phone to say hello or whatever.

In two days my daughter got no fewer than 30 texts from people in Lewiston. I want to give you some of the highlights that are fit to post.

"Faggots are not welcome in this town"

"Go back to Portland where dykes are accepted"

"Enjoy hell, dyke c**t"

"Gods hates fags so God hates you too"

"Women don't lick pussy here without getting thrown in the bottom of a lake"

"Queers deserve to die"

"Get out of my town, you dyke bitch"

Those are the mild ones. I know about this because I found her crying in the middle of the night and she showed me the texts and sobbed "they have never even met me". I know 30 assholes do not represent the entire community of 30,000 people but I have to say. It is shit like this that justifies the accusations that liberals make against Republicans and people of faith.

I have never been so humiliated and appalled to call myself a Republican and a Christian and I have never in my life been so ashamed to call that place my hometown. If THAT is Christian and Republican ethics you can call me a spiritual Independent from now on.

I think that account is more fair to impugn “bad christians” than it is to point to republicans. After all, the first 30 states in these past 10 years voted against gay marriage in referendums including California and Oregon. Hardly just republicans in all those cases.

Now, such hate speech is not Christian even if Christians do it. Sounds pretty sinful to me. I am not about to defend it at all. But neither would I personally stop being a Christian because of them. Lots of horrible sinners in the church, along with the saints. On that we cannot disagree. But what does it mean? It does not mean that the religion is fake.

I am not saying the religion is fake. What I am saying is that if the definition of Christianity is THAT, then you can count me out. The God and Jesus I believe in would be irate over that kind of behavior.

Here is what I think you are saying.

Your daughter got anonymously mocked and denigrated by a bunch of ugly bigots who also might refer to themselves as Christian and/or republican.

Your top post was fine to point this out. But to suggest this is the definition of Christianity does not make sense. We know some hide behind the Bible. But we also know who Jesus was, what He stood for, and what millions of his followers try to emulate.

I do not have a problem with others pointing out the folly or hypocrisy of some preachers and many followers. But to use that as a reason to say the Christian faith is phony or of little value would be quite an egregious error. IMO

Also, this has nothing to do with what a republican value is either (but I already said why earlier)

 

[Steven_R]

When the "God Hates Faggots" crowd start picketing people working on the Sabbath, I'll start taking them seriously. When they hold rallies against thieves and coveting stuff, then maybe I'll pay attention to them. When adultery is a reason for running someone out of town, then I might listen. Until then they are just picking and choosing which sins they want to rally against.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

I just got back from taking my daughter to see her grandmother for Mother's Day. She lives in Lewiston, Idaho where I grew up...a town of roughly 30,000 with a strong conservative and religious identity. My daughter is 21, sweet as honey, always has a smile on her face, loves to make people laugh, and goes out of her way to help random strangers. She is a strong Republican and has a deep understanding of God and scripture. She is working on her bachelor's degree and plans to pursue a career in medicine because she has a true need to help people. She is a really awesome girl. She is also bi-sexual.

She has an app on her phone where you fill out a profile to meet friends or love interests. You tell about yourself and state what your are looking for (friendship/love...male/female/either....etc). Hers says friendship and either. The app tracks the GPS in your phone and when you go to a new town it lets people in that town know you are there in case anyone wants to meet you. If they do they can send a text to your phone to say hello or whatever.

In two days my daughter got no fewer than 30 texts from people in Lewiston. I want to give you some of the highlights that are fit to post.

"Faggots are not welcome in this town"

"Go back to Portland where dykes are accepted"

"Enjoy hell, dyke c**t"

"Gods hates fags so God hates you too"

"Women don't lick pussy here without getting thrown in the bottom of a lake"

"Queers deserve to die"

"Get out of my town, you dyke bitch"

Those are the mild ones. I know about this because I found her crying in the middle of the night and she showed me the texts and sobbed "they have never even met me". I know 30 assholes do not represent the entire community of 30,000 people but I have to say. It is shit like this that justifies the accusations that liberals make against Republicans and people of faith.

I have never been so humiliated and appalled to call myself a Republican and a Christian and I have never in my life been so ashamed to call that place my hometown. If THAT is Christian and Republican ethics you can call me a spiritual Independent from now on.

I maintain everyone's naturally bisexual. But not everyone understands sex, relationships, and psychology enough to recognize this. Sex is simply about sharing some pleasant physical sensations no more meaningful that a pat on the back until we bring other things into the equation like religion. But being human beings, we profoundly overcomplicate things to the point of making something straight-foward and simple into something hideously complicated.

Sex feels good. Friends are friends because we like being with them and seeing them happy. Thus why wouldn't you have sex with your friends regardless of their sex? This is the simplicity of it. The reality is usually made convoluted and complicated though oweing to various human constructs like religious ideas of monogamy, marriage, and what relationships are about.

We have to remember that how Americans think about things like sexuality isn't normal, nor even the majority consensus. Most of the world got over the junior highschool lockerroom mentality of sex centuries ago. The USA hasn't yet and still has a problem with the 'giggle factor' when it comes to sex.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I just got back from taking my daughter to see her grandmother for Mother's Day. She lives in Lewiston, Idaho where I grew up...a town of roughly 30,000 with a strong conservative and religious identity. My daughter is 21, sweet as honey, always has a smile on her face, loves to make people laugh, and goes out of her way to help random strangers. She is a strong Republican and has a deep understanding of God and scripture. She is working on her bachelor's degree and plans to pursue a career in medicine because she has a true need to help people. She is a really awesome girl. She is also bi-sexual.

She has an app on her phone where you fill out a profile to meet friends or love interests. You tell about yourself and state what your are looking for (friendship/love...male/female/either....etc). Hers says friendship and either. The app tracks the GPS in your phone and when you go to a new town it lets people in that town know you are there in case anyone wants to meet you. If they do they can send a text to your phone to say hello or whatever.

In two days my daughter got no fewer than 30 texts from people in Lewiston. I want to give you some of the highlights that are fit to post.

"Faggots are not welcome in this town"

"Go back to Portland where dykes are accepted"

"Enjoy hell, dyke c**t"

"Gods hates fags so God hates you too"

"Women don't lick pussy here without getting thrown in the bottom of a lake"

"Queers deserve to die"

"Get out of my town, you dyke bitch"

Those are the mild ones. I know about this because I found her crying in the middle of the night and she showed me the texts and sobbed "they have never even met me". I know 30 assholes do not represent the entire community of 30,000 people but I have to say. It is shit like this that justifies the accusations that liberals make against Republicans and people of faith.

I have never been so humiliated and appalled to call myself a Republican and a Christian and I have never in my life been so ashamed to call that place my hometown. If THAT is Christian and Republican ethics you can call me a spiritual Independent from now on.

I think that account is more fair to impugn “bad christians” than it is to point to republicans. After all, the first 30 states in these past 10 years voted against gay marriage in referendums including California and Oregon. Hardly just republicans in all those cases.

Now, such hate speech is not Christian even if Christians do it. Sounds pretty sinful to me. I am not about to defend it at all. But neither would I personally stop being a Christian because of them. Lots of horrible sinners in the church, along with the saints. On that we cannot disagree. But what does it mean? It does not mean that the religion is fake.

I am not saying the religion is fake. What I am saying is that if the definition of Christianity is THAT, then you can count me out. The God and Jesus I believe in would be irate over that kind of behavior.

Here is what I think you are saying.

Your daughter got anonymously mocked and denigrated by a bunch of ugly bigots who also might refer to themselves as Christian and/or republican.

Your top post was fine to point this out. But to suggest this is the definition of Christianity does not make sense. We know some hide behind the Bible. But we also know who Jesus was, what He stood for, and what millions of his followers try to emulate.

I do not have a problem with others pointing out the folly or hypocrisy of some preachers and many followers. But to use that as a reason to say the Christian faith is phony or of little value would be quite an egregious error. IMO

Also, this has nothing to do with what a republican value is either (but I already said why earlier)

Actually, it IS a Repub/christian value.

Its Repubs and "christians" who harass and demonize LGBT. And its Repubs, in the name of their god who are now passing laws making discrimination legal.

This is not the Jesus/god I learned about as a child but its very much the Jesus/god that many RWs worship.

 

[turzovka]

I just got back from taking my daughter to see her grandmother for Mother's Day. She lives in Lewiston, Idaho where I grew up...a town of roughly 30,000 with a strong conservative and religious identity. My daughter is 21, sweet as honey, always has a smile on her face, loves to make people laugh, and goes out of her way to help random strangers. She is a strong Republican and has a deep understanding of God and scripture. She is working on her bachelor's degree and plans to pursue a career in medicine because she has a true need to help people. She is a really awesome girl. She is also bi-sexual.

She has an app on her phone where you fill out a profile to meet friends or love interests. You tell about yourself and state what your are looking for (friendship/love...male/female/either....etc). Hers says friendship and either. The app tracks the GPS in your phone and when you go to a new town it lets people in that town know you are there in case anyone wants to meet you. If they do they can send a text to your phone to say hello or whatever.

In two days my daughter got no fewer than 30 texts from people in Lewiston. I want to give you some of the highlights that are fit to post.

"Faggots are not welcome in this town"

"Go back to Portland where dykes are accepted"

"Enjoy hell, dyke c**t"

"Gods hates fags so God hates you too"

"Women don't lick pussy here without getting thrown in the bottom of a lake"

"Queers deserve to die"

"Get out of my town, you dyke bitch"

Those are the mild ones. I know about this because I found her crying in the middle of the night and she showed me the texts and sobbed "they have never even met me". I know 30 assholes do not represent the entire community of 30,000 people but I have to say. It is shit like this that justifies the accusations that liberals make against Republicans and people of faith.

I have never been so humiliated and appalled to call myself a Republican and a Christian and I have never in my life been so ashamed to call that place my hometown. If THAT is Christian and Republican ethics you can call me a spiritual Independent from now on.

I think that account is more fair to impugn “bad christians” than it is to point to republicans. After all, the first 30 states in these past 10 years voted against gay marriage in referendums including California and Oregon. Hardly just republicans in all those cases.

Now, such hate speech is not Christian even if Christians do it. Sounds pretty sinful to me. I am not about to defend it at all. But neither would I personally stop being a Christian because of them. Lots of horrible sinners in the church, along with the saints. On that we cannot disagree. But what does it mean? It does not mean that the religion is fake.

I am not saying the religion is fake. What I am saying is that if the definition of Christianity is THAT, then you can count me out. The God and Jesus I believe in would be irate over that kind of behavior.

Here is what I think you are saying.

Your daughter got anonymously mocked and denigrated by a bunch of ugly bigots who also might refer to themselves as Christian and/or republican.

Your top post was fine to point this out. But to suggest this is the definition of Christianity does not make sense. We know some hide behind the Bible. But we also know who Jesus was, what He stood for, and what millions of his followers try to emulate.

I do not have a problem with others pointing out the folly or hypocrisy of some preachers and many followers. But to use that as a reason to say the Christian faith is phony or of little value would be quite an egregious error. IMO

Also, this has nothing to do with what a republican value is either (but I already said why earlier)

Actually, it IS a Repub/christian value.

Its Repubs and "christians" who harass and demonize LGBT. And its Repubs, in the name of their god who are now passing laws making discrimination legal.

This is not the Jesus/god I learned about as a child but its very much the Jesus/god that many RWs worship.

No, it is not a republican issue, it is a moral issue, and a religious issue, and a recent change in culture issue.

As I pointed out, state referendums began about 10 years ago to vote on if they wanted gay marriage. The first 30 states all voted it down and rather convincingly, including California and Oregon -- liberal states. Look it up. Even your "beloved" president was against gay marriage during his first presidency, wasn't he?

So it was hardly a "republican point of view" only until the most recent years. It was a society point of view, and a religious point of view. No one was coming down hard on gays or gay rights, they thought gay marriage was taking it too far. And the implications of that would be palpable for this nation. Of which I agree.

I do not know what "Jesus/God" you learned about as a kid, but I doubt they were talking about the moral responsibility of Christians to allow gays to marry. If you want to take it further and show the world there are sinners, hypocrites and bigots and mean people who go to church every Sunday, well we sure cannot win that battle. You win.