Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Pastor Mark Driscoll

Home
Evangelical
“…the Christian Church … Breeds Hate and Intolerance and Fear”

“…the Christian Church … Breeds Hate and Intolerance and Fear”

Last updated on: March 7, 2018 at 3:58 pm by Mark Driscoll

“…the Christian Church … Breeds Hate and Intolerance and Fear” 2018-03-07T15:58:53-05:00 Mark Driscoll

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Christians Are Brainwash Idiots

And a common assumption emerged everywhere that Christianity is intellectually inferior to other beliefs. As Daniel in San Francisco said:

“Where are these people coming from? Where are we drawing these Christians from? Is it from here? Is it from Missouri? I guess what I’m saying is that the label itself is almost meaningless. Unless we were talking about the average American Christian, which I see as…they’re white people. They’re from the middle of the country. They have not very progressive views. They have probably very regressive views about social and cultural issues. I’d say they’re probably less intellectual, less curious, less affluent. Those are all the things that I think about when I think about the average American Christian.”

Others had similar thoughts:

A female in Boston: The Christians she had “encountered don’t have any education. They’ve gone to high school. They haven’t done any college, so conversion for me is very negative. It means uneducated. It means somebody who is not a deep thinker…. Just a sheep.”

A male in Phoenix: Christians were “Uninformed, uneducated…and not thinking for themselves. They’re just following organized religion instead of thinking for themselves. Going back to the mega churches, all these people can’t think for themselves.”

A female in Austin: “They’re just very brainwashed by it and hypnotized by it, and they don’t necessarily mean to be hateful or intolerant….They’re not as smart as me. I don’t think their religion is. That’s bad and I think a lot of it is just how they were raised and it is a cult thing.”

When it came to making decisions, participants argued that Christians are unable to think for themselves:

A male in San Francisco: “What do you feel internally? I don’t care what this book is telling you to do. What do you actually believe and then go with that. Be true to yourself. Screw this whole other higher power that you think is telling you to do something. I want you to do what you feel is right.”

A female in Phoenix: “They’re [Christians] saying that this is the authority, this is the one in charge. How can that be when ultimately it’s my decision and I’m in charge of my own self, my own choices?”

Another female in Phoenix: “Your conscience is important.”

A male in Phoenix: “A lot of people lean on religion, or Christianity to say, ‘Christianity told me that I can’t commit sins, I shouldn’t adulterize, I shouldn’t murder and I shouldn’t steal,’ and that kind of thing. I don’t feel, for me personally that I need that to tell me, the religion or Christianity to tell me, that I shouldn’t be doing these things.”

A female in Austin: “In Christianity you’re essentially closing off your common sense and closing down your ability to think and you’re worshiping an idea or a book or a thought. Christianity itself is based on the idea that you can’t trust yourself because you are bad. Common sense, your primal feelings, your primal actions, your primal desires can’t be trusted.”

The conversations occasionally dripped academic snobbery, including a male in Boston who said:

“I bet we’re all college educated. I don’t want to say all of us, but some of us have beyond college educations. The average American is not college educated. College education equates to 25 percent of the population. Seventy-five percent have not gone to college. The vast majority are idiots.”

Go back Continue Reading

perceptions of Christians

unchurched

Previous Post

March 2, 2018

Christians Might Be Crazy

Next Post

March 14, 2018 “I had a friend that…got born again and evangelical, and it broke my heart.”

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Ask Pastor Mark Blog Daily Devotions Sermons Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 December 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In Hebrews, what did Moses consider more valuable than the treasures of Egypt?

Select your answer to see how you score.

God's covenant The promised land Eternal life Disgrace for the sake of Christ