Condescending Christians

[Silly Deity]

We've all come across them.

Those smug self-centred, self-satisfied Christians who will quote the Bible at the drop of a hat and proclaim that their understanding of what is meant by the Biblical passages is far superior to yours when you point out contradictions, immorality, implausible events, fantasy events, etc. Or when they try to justifiy the horrific behaviours of other Christians who have supposedly acted in the name of the god of the Bible. Or even when Christian leaders display casual hypocrisy, misogynism, racism, etc.  

But when pressed and their tap-dancing or plain denialism is exposed, they drop any pretence of a soundly reasoned defence and resort to condescending evasion.

• "I've studied the Bible for many years and you're not doing it right"
  
• "Aren't you ashamed of yourself for saying those things about God?"
  
• "Why do you hate God/Jesus?"
  
• "This is a Christian country"
  
• "Why are you being such a nerd?" (that was one from yesterday)
  
• "You're treading on dangerous ground! You'd better repent and believe before it's too late!"
  
• "Are you sure you're not being tempted by Lucifer/The Devil/Satan?"
  
• "Oh, so you want to sin!"
  
• "Has anyone told you Jesus loves you lately?”  
  
• "Maybe you're overthinking this."
  
• “You’re nothing without Jesus.”......and of course.....
  
• "I'll pray for you"
  

What's the most condescending thing a Christian has said to you?  

[Inkubus]

"I'll pray for you".

My reply: "I'll think for you". Only I've never had an opportunity to use it; Christianity is dead in the UK.

[SYZ]

I guess—probably because I live in a nominally
secular country? —that I haven't had to cope with
this sort of arrant bullshit for decades now.

The last asinine encounter I had with a couple of
Christian evangelists was, I recall, in the early 1980s
when knocking on my door.  I told them upfront
(as you do) that I was an atheist. As part of their
absurd spiel they then asked me how the sky could
be so perfectly blue without God's divine plan LOL.

Needless to say I didn't mention Rayleigh scattering!       

[Thumpalumpacus]

I get "I'll pray or you" every so often.

[jerry mcmasters]

I don't really get much overt stuff. I rarely have occasion to outright say "I'm an atheist" or "I don't go to church" it just never comes up much.

[Dānu]

I find screaming "don't touch me!" and walking in circles keeps them at bay.

[mordant]

My oldest living brother (15 years my senior, and the only remaining active fundamentalist in the immediate family) can be very condescending but it is more in his general nature and religion simply facilitates it. He disrespects what he sees / judges / assumes to be laziness or lack of initiative or industry as much as he disrespects "woke ideology" or cursing or some other religious or politico-religious Shibboleth.

I have learned how to navigate these things. Just recently I made the mistake of mentioning that I have a painter doing some work on my house trim and he said, well, you probably don't know much about home maintenance so you have to resort to that. I said, no, actually I could paint or do any number of things I've hired out but it's an issue of opportunity cost. I can spend 8 hours painting or 8 hours working at my going hourly rate and since painters are cheaper than software developers it's more cost effective that way. He immediately got it and brightened up (also I'm not sure he's heard the terms "opportunity cost" or "cost of money" before but it makes intuitive sense to him). So I redeemed myself as Not Actually a Wastrel but a Clever Businessman.

Another time he just blurted out that I should learn to manage my money more responsibly rather than pay $20K extra for an EV. I told him, truthfully, that with federal subsidies at the time it didn't cost me an extra penny, and since I have solar panels and charge at home, it's free "gas". That shut him up.

Oddly when he asked me a few years ago if I didn't believe in God anymore and I said no, he just said, "that's too bad" and didn't challenge it, although ever since he has dropped constant hints and, hilariously at one point, tried to witness to my wife, who has never been "saved". It bounced off her completely though, and he succeeded only in amusing her. She didn't even realize what he was trying to do until I explained it to her later.

[brewerb]

What's the most condescending thing? I don't know if you'd consider this condescending but: 'Why are you intentionally damning yourself to hell?'.

[mordant]

What's the most condescending thing? I don't know if you'd consider this  condescending but: 'Why are you intentionally damning yourself to hell?'.

Yeah that's an implicit "why are you so stupid". I used to think this way. When occasionally someone would express concern about hellthreat I would just shrug and say, there's such an easy way out of it that I have no moral issue with it. What I didn't understand was that my parents came to fundagelicalism in their early 40s, after they had already been socialized to be decent human beings. They inadvertently insulated me from the most unsavory aspects of authoritarian Christianity. I was basically invulnerable to doubting myself or feeling like I must be horribly guilty because my parents always loved me unconditionally -- they modeled something very unlike "love me or I'll abandon you to be tortured forever". The joined the cult too late to be "turned".

[brewerb]

What's the most condescending thing? I don't know if you'd consider this  condescending but: 'Why are you intentionally damning yourself to hell?'.

Yeah that's an implicit "why are you so stupid". I used to think this way. When occasionally someone would express concern about hellthreat I would just shrug and say, there's such an easy way out of it that I have no moral issue with it. What I didn't understand was that my parents came to fundagelicalism in their early 40s, after they had already been socialized to be decent human beings. They inadvertently insulated me from the most unsavory aspects of authoritarian Christianity. I was basically invulnerable to doubting myself or feeling like I must be horribly guilty because my parents always loved me unconditionally -- they modeled something very unlike "love me or I'll abandon you to be tortured forever". The joined the cult too late to be "turned".

Apparently I'm invincible to prayer.

[Edible crust]

I'm in the North West of England, I think I'd have to seek out a condescending Christian, most of them are Christian by name only (they don't really believe that shit) they just put it on the census.

[pattylt]

I'm in the North West of England, I think I'd have to seek out a condescending Christian, most of them are Christian by name only (they don't really believe that shit) they just put it on the census.

I’ve heard that among the younger generation those that still claim to be Christian do so because they want a church wedding…those Christian’s did build beautiful churches.  

I do envy you and others that live somewhere that they don’t even know who’s Christian and who isn’t because it’s just not important or a topic that comes up.  Those in the US south tend to get asked what church they go to within 20 minutes of moving in their furniture.  I’m in the mountain west and we tend to not discuss it until we’ve become good friends or acquaintances.  I worked with co workers that I didn’t know were Christian’s until after working there over five years and attended office parties and daily lunch.

[Edible crust]

I'm in the North West of England, I think I'd have to seek out a condescending Christian, most of them are Christian by name only (they don't really believe that shit) they just put it on the census.

I’ve heard that among the younger generation those that still claim to be Christian do so because they want a church wedding…those Christian’s did build beautiful churches.  

I do envy you and others that live somewhere that they don’t even know who’s Christian and who isn’t because it’s just not important or a topic that comes up.  Those in the US south tend to get asked what church they go to within 20 minutes of moving in their furniture.  I’m in the mountain west and we tend to not discuss it until we’ve become good friends or acquaintances.  I worked with co workers that I didn’t know were Christian’s until after working there over five years and attended office parties and daily lunch.

You do have to pretend to be Christian to get married at certain churches or to get your child a place at a certain school but it's not that difficult,  you don't have to recite verses from Deuteronomy or anything lol. Just saying that you're Christian and maybe going to the local church a couple of times usually does the trick.

[DsRed19]

As someone in the Southeast US I am jealous of those of you in the UK and miss my northeast home. Down south here you can’t get away from it.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I'm in the North West of England, I think I'd have to seek out a condescending Christian, most of them are Christian by name only (they don't really believe that shit) they just put it on the census.

I’ve heard that among the younger generation those that still claim to be Christian do so because they want a church wedding…those Christian’s did build beautiful churches.  

I do envy you and others that live somewhere that they don’t even know who’s Christian and who isn’t because it’s just not important or a topic that comes up.  Those in the US south tend to get asked what church they go to within 20 minutes of moving in their furniture.  I’m in the mountain west and we tend to not discuss it until we’ve become good friends or acquaintances.  I worked with co workers that I didn’t know were Christian’s until after working there over five years and attended office parties and daily lunch.

Down here in Central TX, most folk are religious but don't talk about it outside of church. It's regarded as something pretty private and rude to ask about. It only gets explicitly vocalized in church or by the occasional politician.

[Rhythmcs]

I have family whose church refused to marry them after a lifetime in the pews, donating, working events, and evangelical success because they were suddenly very engaged and very triggered and very purity party-ing while maga took over the fundysphere.  They were living in sin, you see. It gutted them, personally, and humiliated them publicly.  So much that they moved out of state and switched denominations. We've obviously fled the southeast ourselves recently.

[Minimalist]

I wonder if churches can afford to be so picky now?

They are hemorrhaging members.

[Rhythmcs]

They found a new grift. Trumpism. Used to be they competed over who had better ac - but covid pretty much nailed non trumpist christianity shut in the us. You either went all in with it, from the pulpit, regardless of any religious reservations you had - or you watched your church lose members to churches with pastors that did.

[LastPoet]

To be honest, i have been condescending towards theists many times. I just can' t understand the need religion has to get people into the fold. If it truly was, there was no need. There lies my anger.

Who in real life cares for god?

[pattylt]

To be honest, i have been condescending towards theists many times. I just can' t understand the need religion has to get people into the fold. If it truly was, there was no need. There lies my anger.

Who in real life cares for god?

 Well, not any of the regulars here!

[SYZ]

I note from watching US TV series here, YouTube, and live
shows even(!) that many Americans use the term "oh my God"
or even worse "O-M-G!" when something frightens or surprises
them, or makes them laugh  It's usually younger people, and
more likely with females.

Downunder it's far more likely to be "shit!", or "fuck me!" and its
variants.  From both genders.

BTW, how often do you hear "fuck" or even "cunt" on American TV?  
I don't think I ever have.  Why is that—considering how our younger
generations actually speak in the real world?

[mordant]

I note from watching US TV series here, YouTube, and live
shows even(!) that many Americans use the term "oh my God"
or even worse "O-M-G!" when something frightens or surprises
them, or makes them laugh  It's usually younger people, and
more likely with females.

Downunder it's far more likely to be "shit!", or "fuck me!" and its
variants.  From both genders.

BTW, how often do you hear "fuck" or even "cunt" on American TV?  
I don't think I ever have.  Why is that—considering how our younger
generations actually speak in the real world?

"Cunt" in US English is extremely vulgar and considered mysoginist, reducing a woman to a sex organ while implying that it's some filthy smelly thing. It has always been deployed as a direct insult, similar to "slut". In the former Empire it seems to just be a casual term for "asshole" and applied to both men and women AFAIK.

"Fucking" is frequently heard here, as in "that fucking idiot" and it shows up in movies that are R rated or more. It's a little too vulgar for G or PG rated films and anything but late night TV. "Fuck" as an exclamation is common in daily use but I agree I can't recall the last time I heard it in popular entertainments. However you have to consider the source, I probably watch an average of 30 minutes of general entertainment TV per week, as in, a Netflix movie every 3rd week or so.

[pattylt]

The US has standards for the three major networks and there’s a list of words not allowed. The rules don’t apply to Netflix or HBO types and you’ll often hear those words.

The OMG and its longer version is now just a general exclamation used by just about every American. It’s one of those language things that just happen just as Brits use cunt and bloody, etc. Our youth are much more likely to use fuck all the time. Us older folks remember getting our mouths washed with soap so just out of habit, don’t use it nearly as much.

At least we aren’t French where vegetables can be curse words!

[brewerb]

I’ve heard that among the younger generation those that still claim to be Christian do so because they want a church wedding…those Christian’s did build beautiful churches.  

I do envy you and others that live somewhere that they don’t even know who’s Christian and who isn’t because it’s just not important or a topic that comes up.  Those in the US south tend to get asked what church they go to within 20 minutes of moving in their furniture.  I’m in the mountain west and we tend to not discuss it until we’ve become good friends or acquaintances.  I worked with co workers that I didn’t know were Christian’s until after working there over five years and attended office parties and daily lunch.

Down here in Central TX, most folk are religious but don't talk about it outside of church. It's regarded as something pretty private and rude to ask about. It only gets explicitly vocalized in church or by the occasional politician.

About the same here. I'm convinced that a high percentage of the population simply assumes that everybody is christian so it never comes up in casual conversation.

[jerry mcmasters]

I note from watching US TV series here, YouTube, and live
shows even(!) that many Americans use the term "oh my God"
or even worse "O-M-G!" when something frightens or surprises
them, or makes them laugh  It's usually younger people, and
more likely with females.

Downunder it's far more likely to be "shit!", or "fuck me!" and its
variants.  From both genders.

BTW, how often do you hear "fuck" or even "cunt" on American TV?  
I don't think I ever have.  Why is that—considering how our younger
generations actually speak in the real world?

As Mordant said, Cunt in the US is practically fightin' words.  Fuck in all its various and wonderful variations and parts of speech, is fairly common except among the straight-laced among who no cursing is acceptable.