# The stupidest thing you ever heard a Christian say **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 20, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757 "2003-03-20T06:56:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/1 "2003-03-20T06:56:56Z")
Tonight when the bombs started dropping, I flipped through the channels to see how many had broken into their programming to report the news. (Total = 18, not counting the basketball game with a “Turn to Fox News Channel Now!” crawl.) What I found very interesting was the two Christian networks that weren’t covering the news per se, so I don’t know if it was live or not, but they were excitedly discussing how this war is a sign of the “last days” and the battle of Armageddon and Christ’s impending return and all that. Unfortunately, one of the speakers went into a monologue that had to be the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard any Christian say, or any PERSON for that matter. Here’s what he said (somewhat paraphrased): > [@](#): > > “I live in a small town 30 miles west of Denver, just a few miles away from a place called The Great Divide. This is a place which literally divides one part of the country from the other. If a rain drop falls on one side, it drains into the Atlantic Ocean. If the drop falls a few inches to the west, it drains into the Pacific Ocean. This is analogous to what Jesus Christ did when he came to the world. He created his own Great Divide, except he divided History. Before he was born, every date, every document, every piece of paper was marked **B.C.** , which stands for **Before Christ**. After his death and resurrection, the date was changed to **A.D.** which stands for **After Death** …” At which point I had to switch channels to keep my brain cells from shrivelling up in pain!!! Ok, it’s a common misconception that A.D. stands for “After Death”, but most people with reasonable common knowledge – especially one who appears on a Christian talk show – knows that it means “Anno Domini”, Latin for “In the Year of our Lord”. (And it wasn’t even used [until the 12th century](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a940930.html), but I can forgive him for that.) BUT…can he seriously believe that “B.C.” was in use BEFORE Christ was even born??? Were the Greeks and Romans gifted with enough prescience to date their coins and documents “B.C.”?? Are those ancient Roman coins stamped “176 B.C.” on ebay actually genuine? Yeesh…I’ve heard a lot of ignorance and ridiculous bending of facts come from the mouths of Christians, but this one takes the cake. At least he got the part about the Continental Divide right. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/2 "2003-03-20T07:08:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KGS \* > **…a monologue that had to be the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard any Christian say, or any PERSON for that matter.** So why single out Christians? What’s the point? ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/3 "2003-03-20T07:18:48Z")
> [@](#): > > KGS wrote: > > Yeesh…I’ve heard a lot of ignorance and ridiculous bending of facts come from the mouths of Christians, but this one takes the cake. And of course, no other group of people, not Jewish people, or atheists, or agnostics—nope, none of them say ignorant things. Just Christians. And aren’t you the big smarty-pants because _you_ aren’t one of those big dumb Christians! Aren’t _you_ so superior! Oh yes, we all get it. You go pat yourself on the back now. However, I’m sure if some of us put in a little effort, we could copy and paste all sorts of ignorant comments from _you._ Even though you obviously think you are a big ol’ smarty-pants, certainly much smarter than any of those ignorant Christians. It must be a fabulous feeling for you, to be so smug and superior. ---
**Author:** ![skaterboarder87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/4 "2003-03-20T07:18:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Troy McClure SF \* > \*\*So why single out Christians? What’s the point? \*\* Why not? ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/5 "2003-03-20T07:21:34Z")
You wouldn’t have a transcript of that conversation would you? I’d like to read the exact words, not that I doubt what you say. Ignorance comes in all beliefs…etc. I guess the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean count as the Atlantic? ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/6 "2003-03-20T08:19:24Z")
With all due respect, the OP strikes me as one of the lamest things I ever heard a Christian-basher say. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/7 "2003-03-20T10:52:19Z")
Speaking to a fundie friend: Me: So you beleive anything supernatural that is in accordance with Christian scripture is from god. Him: yes Me: and anything supernatural that is not in accordance is from the devil Him: yes Me: So that means there can be no way for you to ever accept another god other than the Christian one as any concievable demonstration of power by said god would be interpreted as evil Him: yes Me: so your close minded about religion Him: Im not close minded! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/8 "2003-03-20T11:04:35Z")
That’s the dumbest thing you’ve heard a Christian say? You should get out more. ---
**Author:** ![Tal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/54ee81/32.png) [@Tal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/9 "2003-03-20T12:11:20Z")
funny…there are dumb christians just like there are dumb NON christians in the world…so what’s new? ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/10 "2003-03-20T12:31:52Z")
I saw something like this on one of those “test your intelligence” quizzes some time ago. There were several objects (either coins or documents, I don’t remember) and you had to figure out which one was fake. One of the objects had a date of something like ‘123 BC’ on it. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/11 "2003-03-20T12:40:39Z")
I **have** heard people pass on the same erroneous information (about BC/AD), but I never really considered blaming it on their religion. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/12 "2003-03-20T13:56:59Z")
> [@](#): > > And of course, no other group of people, not Jewish people, or atheists, or agnostics—nope, none of them say ignorant things. Just Christians. Defensive much? Whiole there are certainly dumb non-Christians, the fact remains that a greater percentage of Christians, at least in America, tend to be more gullible than is the general population. Among the idiocies I have heard from the Twice-Born: Parroting the Edgar Whisenant book that the Bible said that Jesus would return in 1988. Passing on the lie that Proctor & Gamble was owned by Satanists Creationism Jesus spoke English Nasa scientists discovered a “missing day.” Blacks are inferior to whites because they are the sons of Ham and therefore cursed by God. A large segment of Christians tend to be uncritical thinkers who blindly swallow whatever bit of gossip or urban legend is fed them by their pastor or fellow congregants. Sure, there are many intelligent, thoughtful Christians, but they are a minority in the American Christian population. Who do you think has been keeping Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and the Crouches on the air all these years? Atheists? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/13 "2003-03-20T14:26:31Z")
Offhand, I think I encountered the worst I have heard just last Sunday (I even started a pit thread on it); the (visiting)preacher at our Church said: “I’ve decided to utterly believe the whole of this [waving a Bible] until such time as someone can prove it wrong in any way, people have tried to prove it wrong to me and I’ll admit I didn’t always have the answers; there are a million things I don’t understand and in any case, these critics are mostly not worth listening to… anyway, it can only either be entirely true or entirely false” [sub](NB: this is a quote from memory and may be a little amiss on a word here and there, but nothing of substance has been added, removed or altered)[/sub] It is probably the most concise and invulnerable fortress of crooked thinking I have ever personally witnessed. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/14 "2003-03-20T14:34:10Z")
Geeze, I figured you people would really go for this. Instead you’re gettin’ al flustered that because Some Christians are dense, all of 'em must be too. On Topic: When you masterbate, God kills a kitten. (I’d love to cite where I heard that, but it escapes me at the moment.) ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/15 "2003-03-20T14:42:48Z")
"The stupidest thing you ever heard a Christian say " or The stupidest thing you ever heard a Jew say ? or… The stupidest thing you ever heard a pagan say ? or… these are IMHO topics? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/16 "2003-03-20T15:00:33Z")
I think the OP’s title is a little off, but it’s a perfectly valid question: what’s the dumbest statement ostensibly made in support of the Christian faith that you’ve ever heard? might be a better (though less concise) phrasing. You could ask the same question about the Jewish Faith (and maybe answer it with talking gefiltefish), about the Pagan Faith (and maybe mention Crystal Jaguar Woman in your answer), about the “atheist faith” (I don’t know famous examples, but I had an atheist college roommate who believed that there was no significant knowledge that humans didn’t already know). You could ask similar questions about Republicans, Democrats, Greens, Libertarians, pacifists, war hawks, Yoga practitioners, homeopathists, traditional medicine doctors, and so forth. And you gotta admit, the comments described in the OP are pretty freakin stupid. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/17 "2003-03-20T15:04:56Z")
Where are the missing 32 years? ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/18 "2003-03-20T15:19:40Z")
“Jesus wasn’t a Jew! My Baptist minister told me so!” Rangely, Colorado, circa 1991 (middle of North America’s 5th largest oil field…College town with 5 bars, 1 convienience store and 1 market. You had to go to Vernal, Utah for fun…) ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/19 "2003-03-20T15:20:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > \*\*A large segment of Christians tend to be uncritical thinkers who blindly swallow whatever bit of gossip or urban legend is fed them by their pastor or fellow congregants. Sure, there are many intelligent, thoughtful Christians, but they are a minority in the American Christian population. Who do you think has been keeping Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and the Crouches on the air all these years? Atheists? \*\* Are you _really_ posting this on the Straight Dope Messge Board? You have just described the majority of the human race, using Christian terms.Try these phrases out: “Sure, there are many intelligent, thoughtful construction workers, but they are a minority in the population.” “Who do you think has been keeping Miss Cleo, “Crossing Over,” and Jean Dixon on the air all these years? Atheists?” And these statements are every bit as true as yours about Christians, meaning your “point” is really no point at all. Who do you think keeps [snopes.com](http://snopes.com) in business? The Moral Majority alone? I am just so tired of anti-Christian bigotry. ---
**Author:** ![Janie\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/13edae/32.png) [@Janie\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janie_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757/20 "2003-03-20T15:26:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by E-Sabbath \* > \*\*Where are the missing 32 years? \*\* I think the missing years were the years the speaker in the OP _should_ have spent paying attention in school. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-stupidest-thing-you-ever-heard-a-christian-say/162757.md?page=2)