# Well, what are you waiting for? Get the hell outta here! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 15, 2004, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839 "2004-11-15T10:52:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/41 "2004-11-15T16:41:36Z")
Ship 'em to Iraq to clean out the terrorists (or vice versa). Provide just enough aid to insure mutual destruction, and you have two problems solved at once. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/42 "2004-11-15T16:42:04Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Do fundies come from Guam? Couldn’t tell you that. But I can tell you that Dopers who call people fundies come from the same place as Stormfronters who call people kikes. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/43 "2004-11-15T16:42:09Z")
> [@Roseworm](#): > > Has anyone on this board actually _met_ a Middle/Evangelical American? Or _any_ ordinary church-going American? To hear you people talk, one would assume that, as soon as you leave the suburbs, you are deep in the heart of Deliverance country, with snake-handlers, sodomizers and inbred banjo-pickers everywhere. Unbelievable. Uh, hello, live in North Carolina here, in the heart of Appalachia. Saturday night, my sweetie and I went to hear some friends of ours play music at the ice cream shop; one of the friends played his homemade banjos, including an electric banjo he’d build and supplemented with a wa-wa pedal carved from another bandmember’s bedpost. I got me some banjo-cred. Have I ever met an Evangelical American? Sure. I’ve got a co-worker who has an office way in back, and when I go back to work on her computer, she’s often got this crazy homophobic Christian talk radio playing. Drives me crazy, but it’s not my place to start a religious argument at the office. Other than her horrific radio choices, she seems like a genuinely nice person. That said, no way do I want to be on the border of a theocracy, like these fools are proposing; they can get the hell away from my beloved North Carolina. It’s bad enough the amount of theocracy already here; we don’t need any more. If they want to pull a Bhagwan Shree Rajneeshi, they’re gonna have to do it in someone else’s backyard. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/44 "2004-11-15T16:43:51Z")
Well, Christian fundamentalism is pretty looney in its own right, but trying to secede from the Union to establish a _Handmaid’s Tale_-type society takes the Gold Medal for Excellence in the field of religious nutjobbery. Christian Exodus makes run-of-the-mill creationism look like common sense itself by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/45 "2004-11-15T16:46:15Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Couldn’t tell you that. But I can tell you that Dopers who call people fundies come from the same place as Stormfronters who call people kikes. No, they don’t. “Fundie” is shorthand for “Christian fundamentalist,” like “Dem” is for Democrat"–to compare it with “kike” is not only historically illiterate, but just plain vile. And BTW, I can see that the minute you get disagreed with, you jettison your so-called peace agreement. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/46 "2004-11-15T17:05:01Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > No, they don’t. “Fundie” is shorthand for “Christian fundamentalist,” like “Dem” is for Democrat"–to compare it with “kike” is not only historically illiterate, but just plain vile. > > And BTW, I can see that the minute you get disagreed with, you jettison your so-called peace agreement. I didn’t realize that peace meant that I had to walk in lockstep with you. Fundie may be short for fundamentalist just as homo is short for homosexual, but all manner of offense could be generated using the term homo in a given context, such as “Let’s round up all the homos and ship them to Haiti”. Can you point to an instance in which you have used “fundie” in a positive sense? ---
**Author:** ![NotMrKnowItAll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6bbea6/32.png) [@NotMrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotMrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/47 "2004-11-15T17:06:36Z")
Of course there’s the small matter of the National Debt. If South Carolina wishes to secede, they will have to settle up on their portion of the Debt. The population of South Carolina was estimated to be 4,147,152 in 2003. The total US population was estimated at 290,809,777, so 1.43% of US citizens are South Carolinians ([cite](http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/45000.html)). Now, the total federal debt is [$7,429,634,897,166.91](http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdpenny.htm) (as of 11/10/2004). So, SC needs to pony up $105,951,820,261.72 first, and then we can talk about their seceding. Render unto Cesar what is Cesar’s and all that, right? ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/48 "2004-11-15T17:10:47Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I didn’t realize that peace meant that I had to walk in lockstep with you. Fundie may be short for fundamentalist just as homo is short for homosexual, but all manner of offense could be generated using the term homo in a given context, such as “Let’s round up all the homos and ship them to Haiti”. Can you point to an instance in which you have used “fundie” in a positive sense? Given that fundies don’t accomplish anything positive, that’s hard to do. When fundies support religious tolerance, the teaching of science in schools and creationism in churches, and the application of Christ’s teachings to the poor and the downtrodden, then I shall post something to the effect of “Well done, fundies!” ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/49 "2004-11-15T17:17:41Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Perhaps these few extremist nutcases do not even represent the entirety of Christian fundamentalism any more than jihadists praying for a cardiff represent the entirety of Islamic fundamentalism. Maybe they’re just plain old nutjobs, like **American Atheists or any other group of shrill, violence-prone people** who demonize others with the reckless abandon of sixteenth-century witch hunters. Hello? Earth to **Lib**? Since when are atheists violence-prone? How many packs of roving atheists are out there burning churches and stoning Christians? Just where, other than your excretory orifice, did you extract this gem from? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/50 "2004-11-15T17:20:48Z")
What I really got a kick out of was the next reasons: > [@](#): > > 1. South Carolinians are mammals. > 11.The purpose of South Carolinians is to flip out and convert people. ---
**Author:** ![bannerrefugee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@bannerrefugee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bannerrefugee)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/51 "2004-11-15T17:21:07Z")
South Carolina is to nice of state for the Fundies to take over. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/52 "2004-11-15T17:23:38Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Hello? Earth to **Lib**? Since when are atheists violence-prone? How many packs of roving atheists are out there burning churches and stoning Christians? Just where, other than your excretory orifice, did you extract this gem from? One time, I tried to talk reasonably to this one athiest in my office – he was a real nutjob, always reading about evolution on his lunch hour and wearing hemp clothing. I tried to debate with him to convince him to convert to agnosticism, but the motherfuck took out his cross pen and stabbed me in the hand! _ALL_ atheists do this. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/53 "2004-11-15T17:23:45Z")
Yeah, let Bob Jones go back to, um, where was that again? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/54 "2004-11-15T17:35:39Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Given that fundies don’t accomplish anything positive, that’s hard to do. When fundies support religious tolerance, the teaching of science in schools and creationism in churches, and the application of Christ’s teachings to the poor and the downtrodden, then I shall post something to the effect of “Well done, fundies!” And you honestly believe that among some 30 million Americans — assuming that you don’t use “fundie” for Muslims, Sikhs, and Orthodox Jews — there are _zero_ who fall outside your pigeon hole? Speaking of religious tolerance, according to [ReligiousTolerance.org](http://www.religioustolerance.org/reac_ter9.htm), “fundamentalist” is one of the most controversial religious terms. It cites three usages: > [@](#): > > Within academic circles, the term is generally used in a precise manner. For example, Author Karen Armstrong defines fundamentalist movements as “embattled forms of spirituality, which have emerged as a response to a perceived crisis” - namely the fear that modernity will erode or even eradicate their faith and morality. That concern is shared by Fundamentalist Christians, Jews, and Muslims, Sikhs, and others. > > Within Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other faiths, the media generally use the term to refer to the most conservative wing of the religion. For example, fundamentalist Christianity is often described as the most conservative wing of Evangelicalism. > > However, sometimes the term is used as a general-purpose “snarl” word which is intended to denigrate a religious group, implying that they are intolerant or prone to violence. What is your usage? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/55 "2004-11-15T17:43:59Z")
Anyone else think some of the people on the message board are making stuff up? One was talking about her daughter being into rock and roll and condoms and having sex and boyfriends…and I’m thinking, c’mon, if this woman is THAT fucking conservative, I think daughter would have been way more discreet about her hiding places. I also don’t think she’d be able to sneak a boy into her room. There’s just something about it that sounds phony. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/56 "2004-11-15T17:49:30Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Hello? Earth to **Lib**? Since when are atheists violence-prone? How many packs of roving atheists are out there burning churches and stoning Christians? Just where, other than your excretory orifice, did you extract this gem from? American Atheists, not atheists. It is an organization, founded by Madalyn Murray O’Hair, a fire-breathing communist who taught that, among other things, the US is a fascist slave labor camp controlled by Jewish bankers, and that capitalism must be destroyed by separating people from their religious heritage. Before calling people shit-mouth, maybe you should catch up. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/57 "2004-11-15T18:25:35Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > And you honestly believe that among some 30 million Americans — assuming that you don’t use “fundie” for Muslims, Sikhs, and Orthodox Jews — there are _zero_ who fall outside your pigeon hole? Speaking of religious tolerance, according to [ReligiousTolerance.org](http://www.religioustolerance.org/reac_ter9.htm), “fundamentalist” is one of the most controversial religious terms. It cites three usages: > What is your usage? Easy; fundies are conservative Christians who subscribe to the Five Fundamentals, including Biblical inerrancy. It’s a definition of a term, not a derogatory slur. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/58 "2004-11-15T18:38:44Z")
> [@Roseworm](#): > > Has anyone on this board actually _met_ a Middle/Evangelical American? Or _any_ ordinary church-going American? To hear you people talk, one would assume that, as soon as you leave the suburbs, you are deep in the heart of Deliverance country, with snake-handlers, sodomizers and inbred banjo-pickers everywhere. Unbelievable. Well, it’s true-these types are probably in the minority. However, you never really HEAR about the average, everday, nice, ordinary church-going Christian. Why? Because they’re boring! They aren’t making a scene about Satanic messages in pop-tart commercials. They’re just going about their business, not disturbing anyone. So while the majority of Christians aren’t wackjobs, it’s always the wackjobs in the spotlight. It’s the same with anything else. When you cover say, an NRA political rally, who’s going to make the news-the nice, unassuming law-abiding gun owner, or the ex Green Beret with the bullet holders slung over his shoulders, waving a big rifle with the confederate flag emblazoned on his back screaming, “YEEEHAAA!!!” Or, to put an example on the left, a pride parade. It’s always the Village People impersonators riding the giant pink plaid dildo float that makes the front page. Or the angry feminists screaming about how she hates all men. Extreme is what sells, baby. More importantly, it’s what you remember. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/59 "2004-11-15T18:40:21Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. > Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. > Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? > Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?-_Epicurus_ > > Ponder that while you’re whining on the banks of a river in the afterlife. Oh my! I’ve seen the light! I can no longer believe in God. I’m atheist now. And not just a _little_ atheist, but full-on Ayn Rand atheist! I like hand stabbing! Wait a minute, what about [Pascal’s Wager](http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/)? Both sides present a coherent, if out of context, sound byte of an argument. Man alive, am I so confused. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839/60 "2004-11-15T18:46:51Z")
That explains a lot. The familes of my niece and nephew simultaneously decided to move to South Carolina. Both families are deeply devoted to Christianity; they don’t go to brick-and-mortar churches, they have prayer meetings at someone’s house. They home-school their kids. They’re all very smart folks. Nephew is a doctor, and Niece is a nurse married to a doctor. Their understanding of the will of Jesus is different from mine. They believe Catholics are evil, dishonest, and hellbound, for example. During a 3-minute grace before dinner, the word “Lord” is inserted in every sentence, as if He would forget who we were praying to. I love them, and I miss them. Now that I know what’s up, the likelihood of me visiting them in SC has fallen off. I’m sad about that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-what-are-you-waiting-for-get-the-hell-outta-here/274839.md?page=4)