Based on the web source
How to Fight the Religious Right
A guide to defending yourself against Fundamentalist Christians
By Brian Elroy McKinley
found at:
http://elroy.net/ehr/fighttheright.html#jesus
Far Right Protestant:
"You're going to Hell!"
"Satan has blinded you!"
Fundamental JW:
"You'll Die At Armageddon!"
"We want to see you in paradise"
"Have you been assaulted with statements such of these? Have your political views, your religious beliefs or your behaviors been targeted by such verbal abuse? Have you found yourself defending your choices against individuals so bent on their own agenda that nothing you say makes a difference? Chances are you are being attacked by Fundamentalist Christians."
Or a fundamental JW
Often called the "Religious Right," these people come from an extreme wing of the Christian Faith. Because of their growing number, many of them - as well as many non-Christians - believe they represent all of Christianity. Not true. These people represent a far-right position in a much larger spectrum of Christian believers. They are Fundamentalists. And by that definition, which they use, [JW's do NOT reject the term based purely on their political neutrality..but they STILL ARE fundamentalist in nature] they have set themselves up as defenders of the "fundamentals" of the faith, as the guardians of righteousness, as soldiers of the truth.
"Fundamentalists are nothing new however. They can be abrasive, angry, judgmental and downright mean, but they are not true representatives of any of the faiths for which they claim to speak. I say that because every major religion has had its share. Fundamentalist Muslims have made many non-Muslims fear that religion, and yet the Muslim faith, at its core, remains a peace-loving faith. Fundamentalist Jews have made many non-Jews fear that religion, and yet the Jewish faith, at its core, remains a peace-loving faith. And Fundamentalist Christians have made many non-Christians fear that religion, and yet the Christian faith, at its core, remains a peace-loving faith. It's only when Fundamentalists are allowed to gain political power that their existence is a threat to mankind."
But even withOUT political involvement...religion that is fundamental in nature can be emotionally unhealthy and harmful.
"The Islamic Revolution that took over Iran in 1979, killing thousands of nonbelievers, was lead by Muslim Fundamentalists. The bullets that killed Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandi were shot by Sikh Fundamentalists. The bullet that killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was shot by a Jewish Fundamentalist. The Crusades against the Moors, killing hundreds of thousands of "heretics" in the process, was mounted by Catholic Fundamentalists. Terrorism against American targets around the world is launched by Islamic Fundamentalists. Terrorism against the minority Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland is launched by British Protestant Fundamentalists. And now, in the United States, there is a growing fear of legislative and physical abuse against our human rights, led, of course, by American Protestant Fundamentalists."
"The real issue with these people is not their specific faiths."
Like whether they embrace the trinity doctrine or reject.
"It's their addiction to thinking they are right. It's an addiction to believing they have a corner on the market of truth. In other words, it's an addiction to a "made-truth," that is, to a belief that the truths they've created in their minds are indeed absolute truths and that everyone else must be made to believe in the same truths lest they perish."
They are addicts. And like other addicts, they do not respond to logic or sound arguments. Like other addicts, in order to feel good, they must believe that their made-truth is the only reality, and they must, therefore, defend that truth against any outside influence. Like other addicts, anyone who threatens to keep them from believing their made-truths is seen as a threat to their own good feelings - or in other words, to be opposed to their brand of made-truth is to be a threat to their personal value as humans, and thus they will attack with ferocity anyone who even questions their veracity. If you don't believe as they do, you are considered "lost." If you oppose their positions, you are considered "blinded by the Devil." And if you have the gall to argue against their made-truths, you will be called nothing short of "demon possessed" or a "tool of Satan." "
Or labeled an "Apostate", or "Worldly", or "Rebellious."
"But, as with any other addict, you should not take their attacks personally. These people are not to be feared; they are to be rebuffed. They are not to be taken seriously; they are to be pitied. They are not to be counter-attacked with anger; they are to be helped out of their addiction by replacing their need for made-truth with the healing touch of human love and kindness."
This is easier said than done.
"Yes. It's true. Fundamentalists can escape their addiction to made-truth the same way an alcoholic can escape the appeal of a stiff drink. Just as there is Alcoholics Anonymous, there is also Fundamentalists Anonymous. But two things must happen in order to break a Fundamentalist's addiction"
"The first, and most important, is they must have an alternate source of personal value. These people feel valuable as humans because they have found the "truth." Even if you successfully break down that made-truth with the suggestions that follow, Fundamentalists will cling to the "rightness" of their beliefs at all costs unless you offer them an alternative way to feel good about themselves. Be their friends, even if they don't want you to be. Treat them with respect, even if they condemn you. Show them through your actions that you value them as human beings, even if they don't return the favor."
"The second is to break down their made-truths using the suggestions below. Rational arguments with history or science won't work. Your only weapon is to use their made-truths against them. They won't like it very much, and you can be assured that even as you crack their defenses, they will seldom admit you've made them question their faith. Admission of being wrong is tantamount to condemning oneself to hell."
Or in the case of JW's Armageddon/loosing out on paradise.
"It won't happen. What will happen, however, is your counter attacks will plague their private thoughts until one of two things happens: either they will kill their own rational thoughts altogether, or they will begin to question the validity of their made-truths."
"It won't be easy for them. They will be afraid. They will be lonely (particularly as their Fundamentalist family and friends reject them). And they will desperately need an alternative source of personal value. This is where your relationship becomes important. Though they rebuked you in the beginning, they will need you now. If you were the only one who gave them value as a person outside of their made-truth, they will suddenly want, even need, your friendship while they learn to create a value for themselves. Remember, in order to escape Fundamentalism, these people must replace the framework in which they once consider themselves valuable."
How To Defend Yourself Against Fundamentalists And begin breaking down their made-truths in the process.
"Fundamentalist Christians use the Bible as their sole authority. Anything else is suspect at best - satanic at worst. If you wish to mount a good defense, you must use their own "authoritative" book against them. You might think such a defense would be impossible, but it's not. Remember, Fundamentalists use a made-truth, one of their own creation, and despite their claims to the contrary, the Bible often contradicts their point of view. The Bible, therefore, becomes the perfect weapon to use against them."
"For each of the following "arguments" put forth by Fundamentalists, you'll find a biblical argument that can be used to defend yourself against their attacks. Use them liberally. Enjoy the results. But remember to offer your friendship when the walls begin to fall. If you use these tactics to destroy someone, you should be there to help them rise from the ruins."
"GOD SAID IT. I BELIEVE IT. THAT SETTLES IT."
In the world of bumper sticker theology, this is certainly one of the more provocative statements. It was popularized in the 70's, and though fewer bumper stickers actually use it these days, it's often quoted by Fundamentalists who have had their beliefs challenged. It certainly sounds ominous. If God said it, it must be true, right?"
Uh, well, no. It's only true if indeed God really said it. And, as we've seen in the other examples, what Fundamentalists believe is often not what's in the Bible - the very book they believe God wrote. If someone gives you this argument, ask him or her to show you where God said it. You'll be surprised how many times they won't be able to show you. They may have heard it from a preacher, or on some Christian radio program and just assumed it was in the Bible. But the truth is, it often isn't. As we have seen, many so-called sins are never mentioned in the Bible at all. And if they do give you a verse, don't be afraid to look it up. More often than not they'll be misquoting it, as we've seen in many issues."
When someone says "God said it," they're really saying they assume God said it. But much of the time they've chosen to believe it without ever looking it up themselves."
"JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO SALVATION"
"True, according to the Bible. However, contrary to what Fundamentalists preach, this does not mean everyone who is "saved" calls Jesus by that same name. In John 3:16 we read that God sent his son, whom most Fundamentalists call "Jesus," to save the world, and that anyone who simply believes in him will be saved. It does not say that we must call him "Jesus" in order to believe in him. In fact, the Bible gives many names to Christ - meaning many people very well might believe in the savior without believing his name is Jesus."
And the same can be said of Jehovah God also called Jah, Jahweh, Yahweh.
"Jesus is called the "Son of God" (Hebrews 4:14), the "Son of Man" (Luke 6:5), the "King of Kings" (Revelation 17:14), the "Savoir" (1 Timothy 4:10), the "High Priest" (Hebrews 4:14), the "Teacher" (John 3:2), the "Word" (John 1:1), the "Rabbi" (John 1:38), the "Master" (John 1:38), "Emmanuel" (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23), "Creator" (Isaiah 40:28; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16), "Adam" (1Corinthians 15:45), "Angel" (Genesis 48:16), "Counselor" (Isaiah 9:6), "Ensign" (Isaiah 11:10), "Fountain" (Zechariah 13:1), "Light" (John 8:12), "Morning Star" (Revelation 22:16), "Wisdom" (Proverbs 8:12), even "Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:6). And these are just a few. Throughout the Old Testament, before he was given an earthly name, Christ was referred to by hundreds of different names."
"And even if we call him "Jesus," that's not his real name. In Greek it's "Iesous." in Hebrew it's "Joshua" or "Hoshea," and in Latin it's "Jesu." If his name is important, by which name should we call him? Indeed, if using his correct name is necessary, then no English-speaking Christian could be saved since we don't call him by his real name."
"LOVE THE SINNER; HATE THE SIN."
"This is a cop out. And, though often quoted, it's not in the Bible. It's true that God tells us to love one another as he loved us. It's also true that God says he hates sin. But Fundamentalists have taken these two diverse statements and made them into a defense for mistreating homosexuals, and, heaven forbid, women who want equal rights. When attacked for their judgmental attitudes against gays, for instance, this phrase becomes the catch-all defense as to why their actions are okay in "God's eyes." By denying a gay man a right to equal and fair treatment under the law, Fundamentalists aren't "hating" the sinner - they're merely showing their displeasure with the sin. By using the national media to claim that gays are sick and need healing, they aren't showing "hate" - they're merely trying to "love" them by showing they need to be "healed." "
"Fundamentalists forget that we're not told to "hate the sin." We're told to forgive the sin. In Matthew 18:23-35 Christ tells of a slave who was forgiven his debts (just as Christians are forgiven their sins). This slave, however, refused to forgive the debt of a fellow slave (just as Christ asks us to forgive our fellow sinners). Christ called that slave "Evil." All who call themselves "Christian" absolutely must forgive the sins of any other sinner - even the homosexual. The moment they don't, the moment they start brandishing the "love the sinner but hate the sin" argument, they are themselves condemned by the very God they say they serve."
"THE BIBLE IS ERROR FREE"
"Even if it is error free,[Still, all our modern day copies are NOT the same as the orginal manuscripts] it doesn't support Fundamentalists. In fact, if the Bible is absolutely infallible, it only serves to prove them wrong."
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE RIGHT CAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT"
"Another cop out. When people challenge Fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible, their first counter-attack is this claim. Be prepared to hear it. The moment you defend yourself against their beliefs, Fundamentalists will claim you can't understand the Bible correctly unless God, through the Holy Spirit, directs your understanding. Basically they are claiming that God has revealed his truths to them but not to you. They are claiming that God has given them a better understanding of the Bible than you."
"However, in Psalm 119:130 we read that the Bible, called the Word of God, is understandable even to the "simple." And we read in Revelation 22:18 that anyone who adds to the Bible will be condemned. If you get hit with this phrase by Fundamentalist attackers, remind them that if their so-called doctrine is not explicitly supported in the Bible - as much of it is not - that they are breaking God's commandment not to add anything to God's Word, and, therefore, what they believe cannot be truth."
"SPEAKING IN TONGUES IS A SIGN OF TRUE FAITH"
This porition realtes to chrasimatic Protestants rather than JW's..ovbiously
"Most Fundamentalists won't actually say this. In fact only a few of the far-right extremists will. However, those types are more vocal than the rest, so your chances of hearing it are high. (And, by the way, this is a good example of how the Religious Right's made-truths are not universally accepted within their own ranks - if two different Fundamentalist groups disagree, and both claim to have absolute truth, which one is right?)"
"Speaking in "tongues," that is, the uttering of so-called angelic languages by normal human beings is seen by Pentecostal Fundamentalists as a sign from God that a new convert has been "baptized by the Holy Spirit." They claim that without the outward sign of speaking in tongues you are not guaranteed that God has made you a true Christian. And indeed, there are a number of places in the New Testament where new converts broke out speaking in tongues."
"However, in Acts 8:14-17 we see a man receiving the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, but he does not speak in tongues. Likewise, in Acts 9:17-22, when Saul (now Paul) is given the Holy Spirit, he does not speak in tongues. And in Acts 11:11-17 we see the Holy Spirit fill another man, and yet speaking in tongues does not happen. When faced with these facts, some of these extremists will argue that just because it's not written about in the Bible doesn't mean it didn't happen. At this point you need only remind them of Revelation 22:18 again, where God says not to add to his Word lest you be condemned. If it's not in the Bible, they can't use it for their doctrines. And if they do, as in this case, then they are heretics."
"CATHOLICS ARE PAGANS - THEY PRAY TO MARY AND SAINTS"
"Actually they don't. They ask Mary, or saints, - even though in spirit and no longer walking the earth, to pray on their behalf. Fundamentalists think this is praying to spirits other than God, and therefore condemn it. Catholics, however, see it as calling on a woman of God to pray for them, just as Fundamentalists will ask their pastor to pray for them. The difference is that Catholics see the veil between the living and the dead as much thinner than Protestants do. In other words, a Godly woman who has died is still living in the afterlife, is still active in the life of the church, is still a part of the body of believers, and can, therefore, be called on to submit prayers on behalf of those of us struggling in this world."
"LIBERALS [Or Progressive Christians] ARE ANTI-GOD"
"Not true. The Bible doesn't support multi-national capitalist companies. Rather it says greed is a sin (1 Corinthians 6:10). The Bible doesn't support the notion that we all deserve to have big cars, big houses, and even bigger churches in which to worship. In fact, gluttony is a sin (Proverbs 28:7). The Bible doesn't even say we should oppose taxes. Christ told his followers to pay them (Mark 12:17). "
"And, in a part of the Bible that most donation-driven Fundamentalists seem to ignore, in the very first Christian church, conservative Capitalism was not the rule of the day. In Acts 2:44-45 we read "All who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need." In the beginning, the Christian Church stood for equality and the redistribution of wealth, not for huge churches and even bigger so-called Christian broadcasting networks that spend millions of dollars in donated funds on five-star-hotel-quality buildings and even fancier satellite networks."
"CHRISTIANS ARE BEING PERSECUTED"
"Ever hear the phrase, "You can dish it out, but you can't take it"? That's what's happening when Fundamentalists use this statement. They have been on the attack for years now, trying to deny rights to homosexuals, trying to keep women from obtaining equal rights, and trying to impose their own morals - many of them non-biblical - on the rest of society. Non-Fundamentalists are finally fighting back by speaking out against their campaigns, their media onslaughts, and their mistaken notions of truth, and the Fundamentalists don't like it very much. They can dish it out, but they can't take it. So when people of good conscience stand up for their rights, Fundamentalists cry foul - they claim they are being persecuted."
"Fundamentalists see this "persecution" as biblical proof of being on God's side. It's not. Their so-called persecution is merely the rest of society defending itself from their attacks. Their so-called persecution is merely being called to the carpet for their actions [and acting like self-righteous asses]. Their so-called persecution comes in the form of editorials that don't paint them in a glowing light or legislation that goes against their made-truths. If they can't get their schools to allow them to pray to their God during class time, they claim they are being attacked. What would happen if Buddhists and Muslims tried to get the same special rights? Fundamentalists would be beside themselves in anger."
"This is not the persecution mentioned in the Bible. The leaders of the Christian Coalition are not being hung on crosses (Philippians 2:8). The leaders of the Family Research Council are not being stoned to death (Acts 7:59). The leaders of Focus on the Family are not being thrown to the lions (Daniel 6:16). And yet these people have the gall to claim they are being persecuted in God's name. They are not. All they have to worry about is someone calling them bad names and denying them their request for favoritism."
"THE MEDIA IS A TOOL OF SATAN"
Really? If it is, then the Bible, which is a media too, must be the worst offender. Fundamentalists are fond of saying the Media is a tool of Satan because it broadcasts "sinful" material or "liberal" points of view. They say there's too much sex. There's too much violence. There are too many moral degenerates. As for Liberal, check out Mark 10:21, where Jesus tells a rich man that if he wants to follow God he must sell everything he owns and give it to the poor.
"The real issue is not that the Media is a tool of Satan. It's not that the media is against the Bible. The real issue is that most Media outlets won't publish Fundamentalist made-truth as fact. Fundamentalists believe it's absolute truth. The rest of the world sees it as simply the extreme ramblings of one sect within the Protestant Christian church and basically ignores it. Thus, you'll hear these Fundamentalists say things like, "Here is the truth you won't hear in the secular liberal media...." Of course you won't hear it in the real world's media. Just because an extremist group believes something, it doesn't make it a fact."
"SATAN HAS BLINDED YOU FROM THE TRUTH"
"This is another cop-out defense by the Religious Right. Just as Fundamentalists will claim the Devil has blinded you if you take up positions counter to theirs. The sad part is, however, that they really believe it. They are so addicted to their own made-truth that anyone who doesn't agree with them must, in their view, be blinded by the forces of evil."
"Your best defense? Remind them of their own "blindness" when it comes to the Bible. In 1 John 3:8 we're told not to judge others. As soon as Fundamentalists claim Satan has blinded you, they are judging you. They are turning a blind eye to their own sin and their own failure to follow the Bible."
"THE END IS NEAR"
"This is meant to frighten you. It's a scare tactic designed to push you into a choice you don't want to make. Don't let it. The Bible does not say when the end of this present age will be. But that doesn't stop the Fundamentalists from making a guess and then claiming it as truth. When Jerusalem was destroyed in 73 AD, Fundamentalists said it was the end of the world. When the clock struck midnight in the year 1000 AD they said it was the end of the world. When World War I broke out they said it was the end of the world. When World War II broke out they said it again. Now, coming up on the next Millenium they are saying it even louder."
"WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? (W.W.J.D.?)
"Indeed, what would Jesus do? Would he support Fundamentalist extremism or would he spread love and forgiveness? You be the judge. In John 8:4 Jesus was brought a woman caught in adultery. Rather than condemn her, he forgave her and said the only people allowed to condemn her were the ones who had never sinned. No one condemned her that day. In John 4:7 Jesus encounters a prostitute at a watering well. Rather than judge her harshly for her sins, he asked her for a cup of water and gave her comfort for the mistakes in her life. And in Matthew 11:19 Jesus was called a drunkard for drinking wine in the homes of local crooks and thieves."
"Jesus was not the uptight, judgmental founder of Fundamentalis versions of Christianity. He was compassionate. And he was forgiving. Rather than thumping people over the head with the Old Testament (the New Testament hadn't been written yet), he spent much of his time standing up to the Fundamentalists of his day. In Matthew 23:27 he said they were nothing more than "whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." And isn't that so true. These are people who claim their made-truths come straight from the Bible, and yet they don't even know what's in it. They wear a facade of righteousness, and yet they sin by adding their unfounded doctrines to the Bible."
"They like to condemn others for living in sin, and yet they are blind to all the sins they simply ignore or write off as irrelevant."
"You don't have to let them get away with it. The next time they launch an attack, stand up for your beliefs, stand up for your rights, and fight back with their own words. Or rather, fight back with God's own words."
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Also See..When Religion Turns Far Right By Unte Magazine
