Jesus Took My Friend Away

The BBQ Pit
1

Thirty years I have been friends with this dude. High School, University, raising our families, we went through it all together. Then a few years ago he started going to Church. Nothing radical just your run of the mill Presbyterian church where he established a relationship with the Lord. :rolleyes: I am an atheist which to his mind is nothing more than a Christian who hasn’t been convinced yet. I put up with the subtle prosletyzing because we have been friends forever then yesterday he forwards me this piece of dreck under the heading “finally, a not so stupid forward” It’s a little long but a beaut.

"Will we still be the country of choice and still be Canada if we continue to make the changes forced on us by people from other countries that came to live in Canada because it is the country of choice??? Think about it! All we have to say is, When will they do something about MY RIGHTS??? I celebrate Christmas but because it isn’t celebrated by everyone…we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it has to be Season’s Greetings. It’s not Christmas Vacation it’s Winter break. Isn’t it amazing how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas Holiday? We’ve gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend anyone that I am now offended. But it seems no one has a problem with that.

This says it all!! This is an editorial written by an Toronto newspaper. He did quite a job, read on please. IMMIGRANTS NOT Canadians MUST ADAPT.
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 we have experienced a surge of patriotism by the majority of Canadians. However…the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the politically “correct!” crowd began complaining about the possibilty that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Canada. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here need to understand. This idea of Canada being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity.

 As Canadians....we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle.  This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials,  and victories by millions of men and women who sought freedom.  We speak ENGLISH/FRENCH not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian or any other language.  Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society learn the language.  "We Stand On Guard For Thee" is our national motto.  This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan..We adopted this motto because Christian men and women...on Christian principles....founded this nation....and this is clearly documented.  It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools.

 If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home.....because God is part of our culture.  We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from.  This is OUR COUNTRY, our land and our lifestyle.  But once you are done complaining....whining....and griping....about our flag....our pledge.....our national motto...or our way of life ....I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other Great Canadian Freedom...THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.  It is time for Canada to Speak up."

I am then advised to either respond with an Amen if I agree or delete it if I don’t. Gotta love Christians, agree or fuck off. I chose a third option and responded with…

“Canada is a secular country with equal rights for all citizens, this means that no one God can take precedence over another. The government was quite right to rescind Christian and Jewish arbitration when it denied sharia. Equal rights means just that, equal rights for all. To me (and a vast number of Canadians) a Christian is a Muslim is a Hindu is a Sikh in that they all believe in complete claptrap. I’ll thank the Christians to keep their hooey in the private sector where it belongs and as a fourth generation Canadian I have no intention of leaving if I don’t like it. As for the Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas it only makes sense. It’s culturally insensitive and divisive to wish other faiths a Merry Christmas. Has anyone ever wished you Happy Rosh Hoshannah? Religion (all religion) is the problem not the solution and just because things used to be a certain way is no reason for them to be that way now. Blacks used to know their place too. Sorry but I must respectfully disagree in that the forward was indeed stupid, in fact it was one of the most bigoted and borderline fascist pieces of bile that I have read in a long time and it most certainly did not appear in a Toronto paper. (the grammar and punctuation should have made that obvious)”

Well things went downhill after that exchange with him accusing me of being intolerant and not believing in a higher power (I do, it’s just not Jesus’ daddy) and me accusing him of being dim. It’s not like I was asking him to give up his saviour, just shut the fuck up about it and keep your loony ideas to yourself. Thirty years of friendship gone because Jesus is just alright with him. Fucking sanctimonious self satisfied smug bigotted Christians. Into the pit with you.

2

First, you scared me with the title. I thought your friend had died. Whew. There is still hope, though, as he is still alive. He changed once, he can change again.

I must confess I loved singing Christian Christmas songs in school and miss it now I hear these songs about snow etc. that I’ve never heard before. But I am one of those who think instead of deleting Merry Christmas and such, we should include all. I would be honored to be wished Happy Hanukah or whatever Holiday someone is celebrating.

3

Does Canada have a law against wishing people Merry Christmas?

I didn’t know the Christian persecution complex extended north of the border.

4

I received this same excrement, sent to me from a co-worker to a work only e-mail address. I was flabbergasted, first because she sent it with such pride, and second because she thought I would sympathize. Haven’t looked at the woman the same since and it still pisses me off every time I read it.

Have worked in retail during the holidays, I’ve been accosted more than once for wishing someone a “good season” or “happy holiday” rather than Merry Xmas. They seem offended I wasn’t willing to celebrate their god with them whilst I rung up their purchases. :rolleyes:

Spare me the fundies, dear lord.

5

Allah kidnapped a friend of mine.

She came from a secular Muslim family, never took religion very seriously . . . Then she married a fundie Muslim, who would not allow his wife to associate with infidels. Haven’t seen hide nor hair of her in several years . . .

6

That piece of glurge sounds a lot like one that’s been making the rounds south of your border – just as sanctimoniously hateful, and with a full measure of “Love it or leave it.”

The saddest part is that so many people lap it up and ask for more.

7

I can sympathise. I’m an atheist, and Jesus keeps taking my girlfriends away. Lousy guy has enough females in his stupid harem, he shouldn’t be grabbing mine.

8

Satan took my friend away.

Well, actually I traded my friend away to Satan. Got this great MP3 player in exchange.

Still kinda miss him, but WOW, 2000 songs in the palm of my hand! Wee!

9

He forwards you stupidity, you respond by being a jerk. You might wish to ask if it’s his religion that has ended your friendship or your total lack of respect in your response. It’s like taking a machine gun to a fly instead of a flyswatter. He’s being annoying, so you write back with vitriol and utter disrespect.

At this point, the tone of your response is just fine. However…

You may think that all religion is ridiculous, but it would behoove you to use a bit more kindness when addressing the issue. You might want to say that in your opinion, their beliefs are all qualitatively the same and are not relevant in your views, but claptrap? That’s just deliberately offensive.

Substitute “religion” for “hooey” and it’s fine.

That’s fine.

All you have to do if someone wishes you a Merry Christmas or whatever is respond with “Happy Holidays.” You don’t have to take offense to it.

It rather seems disrespectful to suggest directly to a religious friend that religion is inherently disordered and should be eliminated. (I am also inclined to disagree with that statement, but that can be saved for later.)

Ah, the good old Fascist comment, meant only to inflame.

Sorry, I think you’re the one being more smug and sanctimonious here. Yes, his proselytizing can be annoying and within the bounds of friendship, you’re more than welcome to ask him politely to stop it, but in this case, sorry, you’ve gone way over the edge.

10

Is it because she no longer comes around or because she wears a burqa now?
I’ve received similar e-mails with USA substituted for Canada. I’ve asked if they would have expressed the same “our country, love it or leave it” mentality to Rosa Parks, MLK, Susan B. Anthony, victims of McCarthyism, etc., and have always of course received pat answers. I’ve lost friends to Fundieosis as well- sucks.

11

When I get emailed glurge like that, I usually just respond “If Jesus loved me, he’d swallow.”

I usually don’t get a response.

12

You make some valid points lel however it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. As I mentioned in the op my friend is the type of Christian who feels that an atheist is just an uncommited rube waiting for Jesus. I endured much subtle prosletyzing as he became more involved, I couldn’t make him understand that I wasn’t Christian for a very good reason- I think Christianity is ridiculous. I am a history buff and can tell him more about the historical origins of Christianity or the Protestant Reformation than he would ever care to know. I have a very firm grasp of Christianity and I reject it. He knows this. When I received the email I went from rolling my eyes at his schtick to anger. As Lili Marlene says it was the fact that this shit was sent to me in pride and as if I’d agree. My respect just plummeted. We both graduated with B.A.s in History and now he can’t even recognize a dreadfully written, factually incorrect, racist, bigotted piece of shite internet hoax that was clearly purloined from an American email and Canadianed up. He emailed that I was talking down to him and I admitted it. The creationism I let slide, the yearly trips to Nicaragua with his church group to build fucking churches! for the poor Nicaraguans I let slide, the email I just couldn’t do. I can no longer respect his intellect and was called intolerant. And there’s the great divide. The words exchanged weren’t harsh (well maybe mine were :rolleyes: ) he responded to my final missive with “I guess there’s nothing left to say” And there isn’t. He thinks I’m intolerant and I think he’s a dimwit.

13

Ding ding ding, we have a winner.

OP’s freind is an idiot.
OP is an intolerant dick.

14

There’s no law against it it’s just good old commonsense. Urban Canada is extremely multicultural. Business doesn’t want to offend. I too was unaware of a Christian persecution complex up here, and I still don’t really think there is one. The email however seemed tailor made to incite . Canada is nowhere near as religous as the U.S. but it scares me when the ones that are religious choose Southern fundies as their role model.

15

Since when does being tolerant mean we have to tolerate insulting, bigoted emails? If he had reveived an email extolling white supremacy would it have been “intolerant” to call it bigoted?

What’s the difference? If someone sends that kind of filth to my email, I’m not kind about it either.

16

I know, I was just kidding. The CPC is rampant in the US. For some reason they think they’re being victimized if someone tells them “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” They also going around spouting the same kind of falsehoods about “not being allowed” to talk about Christmas or to pray in school or whatever. Whatever they say, their free practice is not being abridged. They just have a mistaken notion that their free practice extends to some sort of right to have their religion catered to by everyone else.

17

Well, perhaps you could simply say, “I have stated my opinions on religion more than once. Please do not send me these emails. I do not agree with the opinions stated in them.”

To counter the hyper-evangelists, you have to take the high road. Any anger or frustration shown can often feed a martyr complex.

18

I’m with the OP on this one. If it had been a simple religious message that brought up his love of Jesus and ended there, then sure there’s no need to take offense, but this went beyond religion.

Is this in the spirit of Christmas? I mean, even if Christmas were a true Christian holiday, which I won’t even go into here.

devee was well within his/her rights to respond that way. I happen to agree with the overall sentiment, even though I disagree with the statement that religion is the problem. The friend is being an asshole, and devee was setting him straight.

19

LeAVe 20 tHouSanD d0LLarS AnD a NaiL PuLLer iN tHE OffeRIng Plate OR yOu w1LL NeVEr sEE yOur LiTtLE fRiEnD aGAIn.

No c0pS. IM noT KIdDiNG.
– jEsuS

20

I have always said “Happy Holidays” to encompass the whole celebratory/gift-giving season that kind of encompasses all the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. It never once occured to me that I was deliberately doing it to slight Xians. I am an atheist, but I might say “Merry Christmas” on, say, 25 December. I don’t go around saying “Happy New Year’s!” or “Happy Halloween!” or “Happy 4th of July!” two or three weeks before the actual day, either.

However, after all the crowing and fussing they have pulled over it the last couple of years, I am taking extra joy in sending out 200+ “Happy Holidays” cards this year.