Hands rhymer a cricket bat . 
Ordinarily she would have told him off. But because of her Wellbutrin no longer being effective, and the new meds not doing a goddamn thing about her goddamn depression she’s a lot more vulnerable than normal. Can you understand that? Because evidently the fucking asshole uncle can’t. no, no, no, she can’t be sick. She has to be bad, sinful, she has to have brought this on herself. This must be god’s will, he thinks, because he and the imaginary god he worships and both fucking assholes.
Having been through Depression, having had a mentally ill wife, having friends and family go through Depression, this to me is The Unforgivable Sin.
The very last thing a depressed person ever needs to hear is that it is their fault and they brought it on themselves, that it is “God’s Will”. That’s a recipe for turning depression into suicide. It’s fucking evil.
People who do this deserve nothing but contempt and a few well placed blows to the head with large, heavy objects.
Whereupon you can tell them that their newly acquired brain injury must be “God’s Will”.
It’s too bad that your wife doesn’t see the humor in the situation since she was once involved with his church.
If I had a nutty realtive talking like that to me or my wife I think he would get laughed right out of our house. I’d be too busy telling him to his face how utterly ridiculous he sounds that I wouldn’t have time to get mad.
I think our reaction would be :eek: “OMG, can you believe how batshit insane he is!” while we laugh and laugh.
[head goes splodey]
Skald, I’ll send you a nice, small forge so you can heat up the pointed pieces of iron I’ll send along with the forge. Poke asshole with them repeatedly and with my blessing.
Goddess, I HATE PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
Well, hello! Pentecostal! I get that her fighting spirit is down. I understand perfectly that she’s not up to the whole pathetic argument with her uncle. It is also a given that someone in Crazy Uncle’s position is going to bludgeon people with threats of Mr. Mean God when they’re down.
It was unpleasant, I’m sure. I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise. But in the end, he’s still a religious fanatic whose attitude is his own problem and not hers. (He didn’t pull her back over to the dark side, did he??? 
)
I realize you’re angry and venting here. It’s a natural response. However, I’m just a bit bothered by others who really think that someone should get their ass kicked because this fool upset Mrs. Rhymer. You didn’t kick his ass because he doesn’t deserve it (otherwise, I’m sure you would have).
I’m as anti-god as anyone you’ll ever meet, precisely because of the way it’s used as a weapon by so many. But once you choose rational thought over religion, you’ve taken the weapon away from the bully. I imagine it’s painful when someone who used to love you turns on you, but she, more than anyone, understands the hold religion has over this guy.
I hope your wife is feeling better. Please accept my apology…I didn’t mean to minimize your feelings…it was more of a response to other people’s reactions.
Sometimes the only proper response is to break the mouth that spewed the poison.
Been there, got the trophy.
I left the church and the belief in God behind a little younger than your wife did, and my family is full of zealots. I’ve been given ‘the lecture’. I’ve been prayed over. I’ve been rejected and ignored for being away from God, yada yada yada.
I think your brother in law’s behaviour was despicable, but may I suggest that this would be an opportunity to be a little bigger than he is, and most especially to make him realize that the non-Christian is being a better ‘Christian’ than he is?
Forgive him. Tell him you understand that he thought he was acting on his faith and doing the work of God, but that what he said was extremely hurtful to your wife at a time when she was not emotionally prepared to be hurt. Tell him he did a grave injustice, and that you’re sure that if he reflected on it he’d realize what he had done.
Tell him that you don’t expect or need an apology, but if he’s the kind of man you think he is, he would want to offer one to your wife.
Don’t do this because it’s good and right - do it because it’s good tactics. If you fly off the handle and scream and threaten him, it’s going to reinforce everything he believes - Satan has you in his grip, you’re turning evil, he tried his best to do God’s work but to no avail. He’ll pat himself on the back for doing the hard thing for God, tell himself that the problem is yours, and get on with being a pushy prick to others.
But if you act like a real Christian in terms of the teachings of Jesus (turn the other cheek, forgive), you’ll shine a very bright light on his behaviour, and make it very hard to paint your actions as the work of Satan.
However, also tell him in plain words that while you forgive his last outburst, you will not accept another one like it from him, and any attempt to proselytize to your wife in the future will be met with excommunication from your family.
Sam Stone has one of the best responses made so far, and that includes my own. As I said, I’m a Christian, but sometimes I just get so mad, like when I see the WBC outside my church, like they were last Sunday.
But I have to remind myself that if I believe a self righteous bigot like Saul of Tarsus could become Paul, then Fred Phelps, could, just possibly, maaaaaybe, turn a new leaf. Although if he showed up at my door blinded and said God had told him I was supposed to care for him for three days, I’d probably need my own divine revelation, as Ananias did.
Skald should not let Uncle near his wife unless he promises not to proselytize. You simply can’t scare or force someone into faith.
Unfortunately, when you’re in the middle of an episode, you don’t handle stuff very well. Your perceptions are all off. You’ll cry and become overwhelmed at stuff you normally wouldn’t. You feel excessively guilty and excessively anxious. She may not be eating or sleeping, that can make it harder to deal with this kind of verbally abusive behavior. An episode can turn you into someone you’re really not. It robs you of your tools and your equalibrium. It’s not that she doesn’t buy into it, it’s that in this state of mind the attack is effective in ways it wouldn’t otherwise be.
Man, I wanna have that handy “Satan’s Lies!” excuse to deny everything that goes against what I believe. Damn, that’s handy.
That’s an excellent tactic, Sam. It has the added benefit of possibly making the Skalds feel better - you don’t forgive for the other person, you forgive for yourself.
This sure sounds likely to me.
I’m sorry to hear that this happened to Kim while she’s so down already.
And another vote, here, for never letting this guy, or his fuckwittery, into your house ever again.
ETA: I just finished the rest of the thread. Sam Stone’s response is even better than mine.
Depressive here:
Dead on. The worst of depression is that during an episode, you believe it is all your fault/in your head/self-indulgence. We are talking about a problem where suicidal ideation is an improvement. It’s nasty.
I have a suggestion. Get your wife a speed bag. I have never found a better short term “cure” for depression that vigorous exercise.
And paint the Preacher’s face on it.
If that doesn’t work, try a weight bag.
And then go to dinner at Auntie’s.
I’m not sure that I agree with Kalhoun (that this isn’t a pummel worthy offense) but I’ll agree to disagree. Personally, I’m just glad it was Skald, who is much more level-headed than I am. I’d probably sink to his level and tell him (as he writhed on the floor) that God had told me that Pentecostals testicles should break into 5 exactly even pieces each. And that if they didn’t, then God saw him as an unrepentant sinner and that until he repented sufficiently to God, I should keep boot-stamping his satano-christian nads…
Maybe I’d stop at ‘best out of 57’, maybe I wouldn’t…
I agree with a combination of Chimera’s and Sam Stone’s reactions. Forgive him, ask him to apologize, don’t let him in your house again if he doesn’t, but if he DOES, don’t let Mrs. Skald be alone with him without you until she’s less vulnerable.
Someone here stated that the problem with forbidding Mr. Asshattery from entering the house was that Mrs. Skald might therefore see less of her aunt. From the OP, the aunt was saying NOTHING to her husband to stop his tirade, and it took the mother-in-law and Skald to tell the jerk to get out. Although I’m sure that not seeing her aunt for a while would be difficult, I’m not sure that being around someone who could sit silently by (and tacitly provide support for) such a rant is a good influence right now.
I read that as speed ball. 
Actually, the uncle wasn’t even invited for dinner. Skald said the guests dropped in unannounced, yet he welcomed them into the house because his wife is close to her mother and aunt, and he thought the visit might do her some good. Skald mentioned he had to return to the kitchen to make dinner because he wasn’t expecting guests.
Which makes the uncle’s behavior even more heinous, IMO, as heinous as it already was in the first place. Skald had every right to throw the uncle out and has every right to shun him in the future.
Another Christian (who kinda believes in Evolutionary Creation, and definitely believes in what Psalm 137 & Elisha & the She-Bears really are about) apologizing for Uncle Pastor A$$hole. My best wishes to the wife (are my covert prayers OK?) & you.
Sums it up nicely, I think. Sounds like if the guy suddenly woke up tomorrow not believing in God, he would be insufferable about it. That’s the nature of zealots.
Don’t give him the attention he craves. Politely tell him he is not welcome in your house the next time he shows his face and leave it at that. A little physical blocking of the door to make the point wouldn’t hurt though
I think I might find some satisfaction in looking that guy square in the face and telling him that what he did was reprehensible and cruel and in no way representative of anything Jesus taught.
Sam Stone’s idea is a good one, so after telling him what you think add, " I forgive you, but before you’re welcome in my home again you need to apologize to my wife"
Then let it go. Being a pious misguided ass is it’s own reward.