Another in the ongoing saga of religiosity makes people stupid.

[KentuckyWoman]

I am a person of faith. Not a particular one, just have a basic belief that there is something bigger than me out there somewhere running things. I can't tell you he or she or it or none of the above and although I mostly go to Christian churches I certainly don't think Christianity is the end to be all.

I am 80. I've met a lot of people. I know wingnut Christians, some who are private but devout in some religion, some casual, some don't care, some atheist, some even what I'd call evangelical atheists. Even in my own family we have quite a mix.

Once in a while I run across someone whose religiosity matters to them more than their faith. The "Pharisee" types. All show and no sense. They love to go all Foghorn Leghorn when they see someone else not living up to the facade they think whatever religion should be.

So today, we had the funeral for a 36 yr old man with 3 younger kids. He had one of those heart attacks that you have a great day, go to bed, and wake up dead. Wife laying right next to him didn't hear a thing. I drove his grandma and sat with her. We are pretty good friends. The dead grandson wasn't much for church but seemed to be a top notch kind of guy to me.

I never ever have been riled enough in a church to want slap the preacher in the head with a chair. Today was the day. First off, the pomposity. Then he got up there and ripped the dead man apart for all his faults. Then he looked the grieving family in the face and told them grieving proved they are not real Christians and hopefully the dead guy and the surviving family will get right with God.

Then they held an alter call.

I post this here because this is exactly the kind of people we are dealing with in Maga /Q world. These maniacs live their delusions and there is no talking to them. They hate. They take pride in hurting other people (in the name of Jesus). When the inevitable backlash comes they think it is the devil trying to derail them from the light of God. Delusional.

They are making some headway in forcing their brand of crazy on America. The only way we'll save the basics of democracy is to push them back under a rock.

And maybe smack a few in the head with a chair ... I dunno.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Wow. What an evil pastor. . . . nt

[leftieNanner]

2. That is Hideous!

I don't know what else to say.

That "pastor" pretends to be a man of Jesus's teachings, but oh no! He's not!

What is an altar call? I've never heard that term.

I'm voting for the chair BTW.

[KentuckyWoman]

6. An Altar call

When someone decides to "get saved". They sing a lot, then the preacher tells you that without their brand of Jesus you gonna live crappy and then burn in hell. For those struggling, he then invites them to come up and give their life to Christ.

[RussBLib]

12. how about going up to the alter.....

and unloading on the asshole priest so that all can hear.

"YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE!" could feel pretty good, but I realize the timing, in this case, is probably not the best.

[dhol82]

29. I will assume that that "call to Jesus" involves money

Especially to the “church”

[mcar]

5. What a terrible thing to say to the OP

[Hekate]

9. I was about to say the same but was informed the thread was hidden

You got in before the hide, as we used to say.

[mcar]

14. Glad that happened

it was way out of line.

[Bev54]

4. Would the family not have consulted with this pastor before the services

as to what they expect him to say in reference to the deceased love one? Who asked this Pastor to speak? I am not sure how it works there but here, we would be in contact with him/her and provided information we want said about our loved one.

[KentuckyWoman]

11. It was at the church the wife's Mom went to.

Grandson's mother in law apparently is a wingnut. She was kind enough to work out all the arrangements on behalf of her grieving daughter.

I'd quite frankly like to wave a chair at that one too.

[Bev54]

13. I gather she did not approve of her s-i-l

[MustLoveBeagles]

23. I'm curious about the reaction of the mourners to this BS

If I was the daughter I'd be furious with mom. What she did to her daughter, grandkids, and her SIL's other family members and friends was unforgivable. She behaved just as badly if not worse than the preacher.

[Hekate]

7. I am so sorry you and the bereaved family had to sit thru that evil heartless display...

Last edited Sat Dec 11, 2021, 07:56 PM - Edit history (1)

I’ve been to a few funerals where it was pretty clear the deceased hadn’t been well-known, or known at all, to the officiant. But there are ways of dealing with that, such as asking someone who does know.

But most of all, there are words available in every religion — words of compassion for the departed, words of compassion for the bereaved.

I have been to mainstream Christian funerals, Buddhist, Unitarian Universalist, Jewish (my late father in law had at least two rabbis at his graveside) — a mixed bag, to say the least. Some died of sudden illness, protracted illness, old age, even suicide. Some were devout, some less so. One was a SIDS baby, my only granddaughter. But never, ever, did the officiant use the occasion to rip the hearts of the bereaved.

I hope no member of that grieving family ever sets foot in that church again. That preacher is possessed by cruelty and evil. Shame on him — and shame in the congregation that keeps him.

[bluestarone]

8. I feel something very sick and evil has invaded

Our churches. Because they have chosen a false prophet! They (most of them) have turned away from God!

[BComplex]

39. I'm pretty sure you're absolutely on target.

I get the creeps when I go into a church anymore.

[bluestarone]

40. Yea i hear ya!

Church is definitely NOT the same! ( I fear it NEVER will be anymore)

[Hekate]

10. KentuckyWoman

[JohnnyLib2]

15. Horrible, abusive.

I'm in KY and afraid this isn't an exception, though maybe extreme. Some people are accepting of it.
Similar stories come in about LGBTQ church-goers and their families. Sick, cruel, evil indeed.

[slightlv]

16. Experienced something similar at my Dad's funeral

We got a sermon built around good works alone will not save you, and then followed up by what a shame Daddy wasn't "saved." My father was the kindest, most gentle man you could ever meet. Would give you the shirt off his back, if you needed it, even if it was his last. Grew up during the Great Depression; no one he knew ever went without food, be it man or beast. And would you believe this "preacher" was our cousin? Yeah, I'd lay odds he voted for Trump, too. All I knew I sat there and cried tears of anger. My girlfriend came up and held me, as I held my Mother. I couldn't believe our cousin was doing this to us. He knew my Dad; accepted his help whenever he needed it. I rode to the cemetery with my friends. They were all so mad. So was I. I went in to the funeral knowing I wouldn't agree with a lot, 'cause I'm Pagan, but I went with an open mind and open heart... but I didn't expect to hear my Dad, who opened my whole world to me, abased in such a way. To this day, I won't have anything to do with that side of the family. They call themselves charismatic evangelicals; I just call them RWNJs!

Sorry, this just hit a chord with me today. I've been missing my Dad a lot lately, yet so glad he's not here to see what's happening to the country. Your message just opened the door to one more memory.

BTW... I vote for the chair, too!

[KentuckyWoman]

22. Hey.

[MustLoveBeagles]

24. I'm sorry you and your family had to go through that

[Wounded Bear]

17. Chair is kinda heavy and difficult to wield. I suggest a Bible...

[KentuckyWoman]

31. Good option.

Reading it certainly is not doing them any good. Maybe one of those large print hard cover ones will make a dent.

Honestly, we've pretty much all of us had it up to our whatzit with this bunch.

[SCantiGOP]

18. I had a very similar thing happen years ago

A very good friend got sick, was misdiagnosed and died within a month in his early 50s. He was very popular and the Presbyterian church was packed.
At one point in the service the preacher says, “I asked Jim if he was saved, and he said that wasn’t a simple question.” Then he looked his widowed wife right in the eye and said, “I certainly hope he found that simple answer before he died so he will be waiting for you in Paradise.”
After the service, people I knew were outraged that he had done that. In fact, several went inside to confront the preacher about it but he wasn’t available.
I left a message for him later on his voicemail, and told him that he probably turned dozens of people away from church attendance that day, and that I would prefer damnation rather than support his church.

[boston bean]

19. I was worried for you. Nice to see you are safe from the tornadoes.

[PurgedVoter]

20. I have seen this happen twice.

I went with a close friend who's father died, and the Catholic priest had apparently differed in view with my friends father.
It became clear why my friends father had differed with the priest. The priest was clearly thinking about himself and unable to think about the congregation, or the basic teachings of the faith he represented.

I went to my brother in laws funeral. I miss him dearly. My mother in law insisted we hold the service in a J. Witness Kingdom Hall. I have met some amazingly caring and thoughtful witnesses. The leaders that spoke at the event were not individuals that I would call caring and thoughtful. These are the sort that predicted the end times in the seventies and had a date for it. Now they deny it.

I have become convinced over time that faith can be real, but religion is questionable.

[Aussie105]

21. It's the other way around.

The stupidity comes first, the religiosity is adopted later to legitimize and cover the stupidity.

The subculture of Stupid and Insensitive probably know their character is missing some essential human characteristics.
They also know that a thin veneer of religiosity makes it difficult to challenge the Stupid without also attacking the religiosity.

It seems to work for some people. But don't accept it as normal, or true Christianity.

[sheshe2]

25. I am sorry.

[Jon King]

26. I do not mind being worm food someday.

It frankly does not bother me to know we are no different than a poor squirrel who gets hit by a car, we die, we decompose, the life cycle continues. Guess thats why our family packs as much enjoyment into every day, we have no delusion of grandeur that we will meet on a puffy cloud someday. But to each their own, whatever gets them through the day.

[Butterflylady]

27. Whatever happened to:

Never say anything bad about the dead. I have heard that all my 75 years. Evidently that has changed now in churches.

The part about "when the inevitable backlash comes," and it will, is the best.

[FakeNoose]

28. I'm sorry this happened, however I'm not surprised

Maybe someday the grieving widow will get over this. One hopes that will be the case. What the preacher did was unconscionable AND inconsiderate to say the least.

When the young widow gets her feet on the ground, some day in the future - perhaps she can write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper and let others know how awful this poor young man was treated by the pastor in question. He deserves to be publicly outed, and maybe it will give her peace of mind.

[ymetca]

30. "Well ain't he all ate up with it"

is what my farm-boy friend used to say, way back when, in my High School days, whenever we ran across such "evangelical" types.

"Nature's God don't cotton to idiots", is what his father used to say, tough old farmer that he was, and a man who knew the Declaration of Independence by heart.

These modern day Pharisees are long overdue their comeuppance, IMHO.

[KentuckyWoman]

33. Oh I thank you.

One of my sister's favorite insults was "That is ate up" Although in some cases it was a compliment.

Thanks for giving me a chance to hear her voice and see her wry smile and dancing eyes for a moment.

[ymetca]

35. Aw shucks!

'taint nuttin' Glad could give you a smile!

[brer cat]

32. It's hard to believe that a pastor would treat a grieving family so cruely,

but I've known a few of them also. They are so full of themselves that they have no empathy or compassion for others.

I'm sorry you had to endure that horrible funeral.

[iemanja]

34. I'm sorry your family had to endure that.

[GoodRaisin]

36. You are right. A funeral is not the place to preach salvation warnings.

“See the man in the box. Do you think he went to heaven or hell? You better change your ways before you end up like him….etc.”

The preacher is a fake. Smacking him in the head would do no good. He is a grifter using religion to make a living. Hopefully your friend will leave that church after such an experience.

[DFW]

37. In this preacher's case, I think a brick would be more appropriate

A chair might be unwieldy and not cause enough damsge.

[Sogo]

38. I've heard it said that those who have been abused

end up being abusers. It's what they know.

All I can say is there must be and have been a LOT of abusing going on in this country. It seems the evidence of that and its by-products are coming out more and more these days....

[marie999]

41. Our daughter died 10 months ago of cancer. We didn't have a rabbi or religious service,

just family and friends. Anyone could get up and talk.