# Why are Christians so full of hate? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 2, 2018, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670 "2018-04-02T21:16:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/61 "2018-04-03T05:58:47Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > It isn’t christians, it is people who score high on authoritarianism. Jimmy Carter is a Christian and he isn’t an asshole. > > People who score high on authoritarianism tend to be bigoted, entitled, hypocritical and abusive. They also tend to be drawn to religious fundamentalism. I think you’re confusing smoke for fire. Authoritarianism is the problem, religious fundamentalism is just a symptom. I like this answer too. Secular authoritarian societies are often built around a strong man. When that guy dies, the oppression often dies with him. The exception is Communism, which was build around an ideology, but even there when the predictions of Marx failed it failed also in Russia, and is looking more personal in China. Religion on the other hand has this great excuse that while all the leaders may be corrupt, good old God is up there and no matter how many children the Pope fathers or secretaries the pastor diddles it makes no matter, since flesh is weak. And if the predictions of the religion don’t come true, you need to wait longer/have faith/kill the infidel. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/62 "2018-04-03T06:06:06Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > [Right wing authoritarianism: you’ll probably recognise this personality trait – Another angry woman](https://anotherangrywoman.com/2011/09/22/rwa/) > > 1. Conventialism: high adherence to traditions and established social norms. This can manifest in a respect for “traditional family values”, for example And by going into shock when one such person is shown that the norms they are trying to apply are not, in fact, how they thought they were. Where someone who “doesn’t believe in Authority” would ask “cite?”, a RWA doesn’t require any proof: all it requires is the speaker to be able to use the Voice of Authority through an explanation with an appropriate level of detail\*. This also means that such a person can easily be swayed or converted by anyone who knows which psychological tools to use, and that the lack of a Guiding Figure in their lives produces extreme distress. - I had a boss who almost fainted when faced with not one but two subordinates explaining why and how was she wrong, alternating sentences as seamlessly as if we’d practiced for ages. We’d met barely ten days prior, but both of us knew the explanation and were quite used to delivering it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/63 "2018-04-03T06:50:16Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Agreed but I’d expand this to _most_ people who claim to be Christians are not Christians. Why do you believe this? I think it pretty likely most people who say they’re Christians are Christians. If that means an uncomfortable number of Christians are intolerant, well, that’s just how it is. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2018, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/64 "2018-04-03T07:09:29Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > It’s really, really simple. These people are not Christians. They have created a made-up cult that is more of a status symbol and political dogma than a religion; they have managed to brand this as Christianity, and in doing so they pulled off one of the most horrible frauds ever perpetrated. There is no population in America that’s more hypocritical and “do as I say, not as I do” when it comes to marital infidelity, alcohol and drug use, homosexuality (which isn’t itself inherently bad, but they condemn it while practicing it on the sly), gambling (not skill-based competitive games but horrible rigged casinos and lotteries that do nothing but suck money out of peoples’ pockets), and all the other things that they’ve all convinced themselves that THEY, as individual people, are forgiven for by God, but everyone ELSE is doomed. > > This is total insanity, and it is not Christianity. I think you could be right, but I believe these people consider themselves Christians, and have infiltrated many churches, and have been accepted by many churches - this isn’t a problem that is completely distinct from Christianity in its own container, it runs right through Christianity like an open sewer. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/65 "2018-04-03T08:17:40Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > Considering the number of cops that are shot dead by criminals it’s very much the time to pipe up with “yah, but cops matter too” > > It’s saying white lives, Hispanic lives, Asian lives matter too, not just black lives. "The number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty dropped sharply in 2017, marking the second-lowest toll in more than 50 years. As of Thursday, 128 officers have died in the line of duty this year, with 44 shot and killed. That’s down 10% from 2016, when 143 officers died, with 66 gunned down, according to data released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a nonprofit aimed at honoring officers and improving safety." [Number of officers killed hits 2nd-lowest in more than 50 years](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/12/28/number-officers-killed-2017-hits-nearly-50-year-low/984477001/) Be sure to read the entire article (short). We are seeing the fewest officer deaths from all causes. You can look up police deaths by year and it’s been dropping (not dramatically) for the past 50 years. [http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/year.html](http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/year.html) Note that this includes all causes; shootings (majority is responding to domestic complaints), traffic, and other. The headlines we are inundated with are a result of the oppressive 24-hour news cycle that demands constant input. Shootings, deaths, explosions, fires are all sexier than saving puppies or escorting us elderly across the street. It’s all sound bites, catchy phrases, and endless repeating talking points/labels. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/66 "2018-04-03T10:57:36Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Sounds like you’re arguing that people forget, or don;t know, or don;t believe, that “cops matter.” Gotta say, I’m really curious about where you live\* that you perceive that police lives (or white lives etc.) are widely believed not to matter. > > \*Geographical location, but also types of people you associate with. [This message board](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736919)is full of the attitude that cops don’t have a right to defend themselves, or a right to go home to their families, but criminals do. Black Lives Matter is a fucking joke, the “Only” at the start is silent. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/67 "2018-04-03T13:45:01Z")
“I certainly don’t want to go to wherever Mike Pence is going. Not only would it have Mike Pence, but every meal is probably Wonder Bread with [del]mayonnaise[/del] Miracle Whip.” I don’t know for a fact that Pence is a Miracle Whip guy, but I’d give odds that he is. the guy just reeks of it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/68 "2018-04-03T14:11:32Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > Considering the number of cops that are shot dead by criminals it’s very much the time to pipe up with “yah, but cops matter too” > > It’s saying white lives, Hispanic lives, Asian lives matter too, not just black lives. > [@Steophan](#): > > [This message board](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736919)is full of the attitude that cops don’t have a right to defend themselves, or a right to go home to their families, but criminals do. Black Lives Matter is a fucking joke, the “Only” at the start is silent. The point of Black Lives Matter is that, all too often, black lives are being treated as if they _don’t_ matter. Last year, 129 law enforcement officers [lost their lives on duty](http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/year.html), the second-lowest annual total since _1959_, when the U.S. population was just over half of what it is today, and presumably we needed way fewer cops as well. IOW, it’s probably safer to be a law enforcement officer today than at any time since probably sometime in the 19th century. This is what’s bogus about ‘blue lives matter,’ ‘all lives matter,’ and so forth. Nobody is claiming that _white_ lives, generally speaking, are being treated as if they don’t matter. While you may claim that blue lives are being treated as if they don’t matter, the numbers say blue lives seem to matter more now than they have in quite a while. There’s not a _problem_ with blue lives mattering. What ‘Black Lives Matter’ is saying, is that we’ve got a problem with black lives mattering, that we’ve got a lot of work still to do to get to a point where they are treated as if they matter just as much as white lives do, just as much as blue lives do. ‘All lives matter’ and ‘blue lives matter’ is a big fat “la-la-la-la-la, I can’t hear you” to that. ETA: Beaten to the stats by **smithsb**. Glad to know I’m not the only one looking up these numbers! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/69 "2018-04-03T14:13:38Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > [This message board](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736919)is full of the attitude that cops don’t have a right to defend themselves, or a right to go home to their families, but criminals do. Black Lives Matter is a fucking joke, the “Only” at the start is silent. Did you mean to link to another thread? The one you linked to says nothing of the sort. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/70 "2018-04-03T14:20:52Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Believing that Jesus existed/was the son of God/died for your sins doesn’t have much of a bearing on whether or not someone is an asshole. Now, an asshole probably isn’t a **good Christian** but the bar for that is higher than simple belief. Yes, this. I also think the OP is making a very broad generalization. You could really take any large group, religious or otherwise, and say the same. There are jerks in every facet of life. I think the thing is, we often hear more about the jerks than we do the others. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/71 "2018-04-03T14:28:11Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > Yes, this. I also think the OP is making a very broad generalization. You could really take any large group, religious or otherwise, and say the same. There are jerks in every facet of life. I think the thing is, we often hear more about the jerks than we do the others. When your group gives control of Mr. Mike to the jerks among you, then you’ve lost the right to bitch about the response. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/72 "2018-04-03T14:33:08Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > When your group gives control of Mr. Mike to the jerks among you, then you’ve lost the right to bitch about the response. Okay: From now on, if you mention Jesus in your profile, you are no longer allowed to post hateful comments on the Internet. There. Fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/73 "2018-04-03T14:40:41Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Okay: From now on, if you mention Jesus in your profile, you are no longer allowed to post hateful comments on the Internet. > > There. Fixed. Cute. The fact remains that, until someone with the authority to do so tells us who is/isn’t a _Real_ Christian, anyone who claims to be one _is_ one, and pleas to listen to “real Christians” instead are pretty much wasted. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/74 "2018-04-03T14:43:07Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > You know, I was kind of regretting starting this thread because I feel like what I was trying to get across was not coming through. But I’m so glad now that I did because I think this is the answer I was looking for. > > People who are RWA’s would naturally migrate towards a belief system that reinforced their preconceived notions. Fundamentalist Christianity would fill that need. > > Maybe it’s not Christianity that turns people into haters but rather it’s hater types that migrate towards certain Christian denominations. > > Thank you so much for posting. It’s been really eye-opening. I think this is correct. Take the relationship between Pope Francis and the more conservative Catholics. He is not very popular with conservative Catholics, and I think the ones who have the most trouble with him are the “hater” types that you mention. It’s as if those particular people have a need to look down on outside groups, and if the leader of the current group they are a part of deviates from that but the “haters” are not in a position to do anything about changing the leadership, they just find a different group. This article, although a few years old, is an example of that. > **[The war against Pope Francis](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/oct/27/the-war-against-pope-francis)** > > The long read: His modesty and humility have made him a popular figure around the world. But inside the church, his reforms have infuriated conservatives and sparked a revolt ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/75 "2018-04-03T14:53:38Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > I’m a Christian and I’ve known a great many Christians who are not full of hate. The hateful ones tend to be louder and get media exposure. The loving ones are among the meek who will inherit the earth. Of course, YMMV. Thank you ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/76 "2018-04-03T14:57:24Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > …until someone with the authority to do so tells us who is/isn’t a _Real_ Christian… According to some of the posts upthread on authoritarianism (which I think are on target), the desire for someone with the authority to tell us who is/isn’t a Real Christian is a big part of the problem. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/77 "2018-04-03T15:19:38Z")
Also there is the “doth protest too much” component to it – someone is an asshole in their attitude towards others, and knows it, but seeks solace and excuse in proclaiming very loudly how much they love Jesus and He loves them and how they are only standing up for righteousness. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/78 "2018-04-03T15:31:15Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > So it’s a “message of hate” to care about a police officer’s life? > > What makes you think someone talking about “fags” or “negros” or “obummer and sekrit mooslim” or “killery should shut up and make her man a sandwich” speaks for the majority of Christians, or is not a troll? None of the Christians I know talk like that. You’re lucky then. Pretty much every Christian in my family does talk like that, and sometimes worse. All the while posting prayer requests and PTL glurge. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/79 "2018-04-03T15:36:43Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > Considering the number of cops that are shot dead by criminals it’s very much the time to pipe up with “yah, but cops matter too” > > It’s saying white lives, Hispanic lives, Asian lives matter too, not just black lives. It was a reaction to BLM. When black people started speaking up about police brutality and discrimination in the justice system almost immediately BLM and ALM comments started popping up and BLM protesters were called racist for not considering all lives are worth saving. They were slammed for not thinking police lives mattered, because it’s totally equal right? Being born with dark skin and having to navigate through racist environments with local law enforcement who think it’s fine to profile people based on skin color because 'well black folks do commit a lot of crimes! Haven’t you seen the looting videos! Haven’t you seen them jumping on cars like monkeys!?!" is totally the same as choosing to work in a field you know will bring potential for harm. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670/80 "2018-04-03T15:39:49Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > That I should read the OP, to find out what it was really saying and how broad a brush was being used. 😉 Nah, too reasonable. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-christians-so-full-of-hate/811670.md?page=5)