Were you ever "hurt" by the people of a fundamental religion of which you were a part?

Question

Did it make you decide to take your luck with "the sinners?" There are many people who crave to go to a place to worship their 'Higher Power', but have been so traumatized they don't go anywhere. Anyone?
And, if you are going to berate the little sheeps already hurt, please don't.

I am asking an honest question, because I know that people are driven out and away from their place of worship and it sends them out and alone.
Is it ok for people to be mean and abuse others and then just expect the harmed to "get over it"?
People in religous places are notorious for turning on their own members at the first sign of trouble....okay with you?

I am not speaking of losing Faith in ones Higher Power.....that can never happen to me, I am talking about the damage done to innocents.....imho

Answer 1

the christian army is the only one I know of who shoots their wounded. They stone their prophets and not in a nice way, and they terminate preacher swho tell them such things as gossips are not going to inherit the kingdom. Still there are good churches you must search a little.

Answer 2

Let's see, I've been hurt several times by people in my religion.

When I was wiccan, the girlfriend of my best friend (also a girl) started a fight between us after hacking her email so she and I wouldn't talk any more and the girlfriend would have my friend all to herself.

As a Catholic, one lady in my church insulted my sister for living with her boyfriend. I take insults to my family more seriously then those to me, for some reason.

And no, neither incident made me run crying away from my religion. There were more, but those two stick out. I don't feel like writing about the rest of what happened as a wiccan (the physical abuse, the verbal abuse, the theft). Unlike some, I know that not everyone is perfect and just avoid the people who I don't like. Tossing out a religion because someone was mean is a stupid excuse.

Answer 3

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus has already come (he's come into the start of his rulership) a second time (the same way that he left which became invisibly, yet only those following him ought to tell). Luke 17:26-30 even as the Son of guy comes, issues will be only as they were even as Noah lived. people were eating, eating, and getting married precise as a lot because the day even as Noah went into the tremendous boat. Then the flood got here and drowned all and sundry on earth. even as Lot lived, people were also eating and eating. They were procuring, promoting, planting, and progression. yet on the very day Lot left Sodom, fiery flames poured down from the sky and killed all and sundry. the same will take position on the day even as the Son of guy looks. in accordance to bible prophesy and Jesus' warnings, the presence of the son of guy (Jesus), ought to bypass omitted through maximum individuals (except for those being attentive to the signs and indicators which "seem" invisible to maximum individuals (Matthew 24:7-9; Luke 21:10-12) Jehovah's Witnesses believe that those are the stunning days the position Jesus presence is, culminating to a grand climax.

Answer 4

Great question, and yes I have been hurt by people at my church...primarily the youth group when I was part of it. I've always been shy, and they knew that. We went up to a youth event with other churches and I was sitting by the wall while they passed by in a line. I heard them say "one, two, three...HI BOBBY!" and start waving and making a big deal about it. I was embarassed. I even heard one of them say "look, he's turning red" and they kept making a scene. Then later that night we were going to a concert as part of the youth event. All of a sudden I hear, once again, "one, two, three...HI BOBBY!" This time I was pissed because even though they knew I was shy to begin with and did it the first time, they acknowledged that they embarassed me...and yet they deliberately did it again. I walked out and didn't want to have anything to do with them at that point (I have since waved it aside and I don't hold it against them, but that doesn't take away the fact that they hurt me. I wrote a poem and emailed it to the youth leader to read to them at the next youth meeting (which I had stopped going to). He didn't read it during the meeting, as there were new people there, but he did pull aside the core people in the group and read it to them afterwards. It made an impact and they realized that they had done something bad. I know one of the guys was really upset by what he had done and was just crying. I felt bad for him because I don't want others to hurt, but I know he really was sorry.

Answer 5

I think it's almost inevitable that you're going to get hurt if you belong to any group -- be it a church or the Elks Club. I once sat in a fundamentalist church on Mother's Day, only to be told from the pulpit that women without children aren't as sensitive as mothers.

I'm childless and miscarried the only time that I was pregnant. But I have spent a lot of time, tears, and hard work in taking care of other people who needed me. Sometimes I joke and say that I've been "Mama" to half the planet.

I took care of a cantankerous father in law for 11 years. I was able to spend three weeks away from home to drive a blind friend to the hospital and help her while her husband was recuperating from open heart surgery. I've had the time to help friends and family, and I've done my best to respond when I'm needed.

Needless to say, being told that I wasn't as sensitive as the woman next to me who was snarling and cussing at her three kids was pretty painful. But it didn't make me give up on church or God. I stopped going to that church and went back to the Catholic faith.

I know plenty of other horror stories about people who've had their emotions crushed by unthinking members of fundamentalist churches. I just hope and pray that their stories turn out as well as mine did.

Answer 6

Oh Boy.
I have been there, and I continue to get knocked around by people who claim to be Christlike. We all do. As long as people are still alive the body of Christ is a hospital for sinners not a museum for saints. I almost lashed out at a question on here that stated that the Bible was full of metaphors and I would of been harsh but then I remembered why I was so upset about it. Because I used to believe that lie too. So what right did I have to be negative to someone who believed exactly like I used to? I love Jesus and I love my brothers and sisters. But I was within seconds of calling someone a fool. It's real easy to hurt our family. The good news is that Jesus wont let you or me down. As soon as we are perfect we will not need to be here on earth any more.

Answer 7

I wasn't hurt by a religion, but I WAS hurt by a church.

I was accompanying my cousin to her baptist church. It's one of those tiny 30-member churches out in the country where everyone's known everyone for 20-odd years. She had told a couple people ahead of time who I was and what I stood for. They had in turn told everyone else.

When I walked in the front doors, it was like the Wild West movies where the outlaw walks into the saloon. Every eye turned and gawked. The place went silent. Everyone was still, just watching the heretic in their midst....

I quietly took my seat near the back and people eventually turned their attention to the front as the service began. It went uneventfully enough. Afterwards a 20-something-year-old dude and his girlfriend approached and asked if I enjoyed the service. Since I did, I said "Yes".

He said "That's great, we love it when new people come in and see a chance for a better life."

Now waitasec!!! A better life??? WTF? Does he suddenly know so much about me and my life, that he can make such a snap judgement as to assume my life is in shambles because I don't think HIS way? Suddenly, it seems looking down on people is okay, as long as you do it politely and you have the moral superiority of christianity on your side. And suddenly attending a single service means I'm ready and willing to climb up to his lofty plateau. *voice positively drips with sarcasm*

I smiled politely and thanked him for his concern, then left. I never went back.

This is exactly the kind of condescending attitude that keeps me away from churches. Sure, you seem like a great guy, but my life is SO much better than yours, I'm positive of it. Why don't you be more like me? You don't want to be a Witch anyway. Witches are evil. Your brothers are evil. Your mother is evil. Your ancestors were evil spirits and satan's demons.

Whatever. My immediate family is purely Wiccan and ten times more accepting and loving than any ten churches combined. Sorry so long.

Answer 8

I am a believer in christ and have been hurt by fellow believers many times, the fact is what did i do about it did i isolate myself or did i move on with life, if you go on thinking no one will come across your path and rub you the wrong way that is crazy you will have to move to a mountain in tibet. if you go to a place of worship for people then its only a matter of time before they let you down, but if you go to worship god it wont really matter much if someone wrongs you. i wonder what people thinking like that do in life everyone that comes along and they dont like something they just shun them forever, you act like the only people that will come along and hurt you are religious people, friends family, people you just meet, hey thats life, the real question is what type of character do you have when someone does you wrong.

Answer 9

I have lost close friendships over "fundamentalist" issues. It hurt quite a bit, but my friend would not let certain things go and realize I have my own mind and reasons for what I believe. I don't think it was because of his beliefs as much as his psychological need to dominate the discussion and be right all the time.

Answer 10

I suppose so, but that's only one of the many reasons I left Christianity. I just have too many problems with the concept of monotheism to ever accept it. It wasn't the Christians that drove me away, it was the religion itself.

And just because I'm an Ex-Christian doesn't mean I don't have a religion, it's just not Christianity. I found a religion that suits me much better, one that I don't have all the problems I had with Christianity.