# Why do ultra-religious people feel they have a license to treat people like crap? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 25, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923 "2009-01-25T15:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/121 "2009-01-27T00:34:00Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > This thread has evolved into something I never intended. Conversations do have a way of taking on their own life. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/122 "2009-01-27T03:15:33Z")
> [@mischievous](#): > > I don’t think that this is because Judaism forces you to become an asshole, I think it’s because their religion leads them to live in isolated enclaves, and the rest of us start to seem less than human to them. I was never Hasidic, but this is the main reason I left the religion. (Well, other than the doubt and the rational upper brain thing, but that’s beside the point.) I started to feel like I was adopting a holier-than-thou attitude toward the majority of the world because they ate pork (or whatever) and I didn’t. That, and I really like pork. > [@SpazCat](#): > > It wasn’t just fundies who passed Prop 8. I know people who are fine upstanding citizens in every way except they think there’s nothing wrong with discriminating against The Gays. I do not stand with them. Sure, but the problem is that plenty of otherwise fair-minded people were convinced to vote Yes on 8 because of the ubiquitous outright lies funded by an organization with lots of out-of-state money and power. California didn’t pass Prop 8 because most people in California are mean or fundamentalist, despite my bitter raving earlier (in this thread?); California passed Prop 8 because, along with a minority population of fundies and haters who were going to vote Yes no matter what, a large enough portion of otherwise decent people were connived into believing that Prop 8 did things that it never had the power to do–change school curriculum, protect religious freedom, protect children from living in other than what they consider an ideal family unit, or whatever. > [@SpazCat](#): > > They are a very loud and annoying minority who are only getting attention because the Republican party decided to cater to them over mainstream Christians who are the majority in this country. Unfortunately, the result of that particular political decision has been to make fundamentalist thinking mainstream in the sphere of politics. I think that’s what **Der Trihs** is saying. (Actually, he probably does believe that most Christians are fundies. I don’t know.) > [@Anne Neville](#): > > In Judaism, most of us don’t believe in an eternal hell. We say the longest anybody spends in Gehenna is one year. It’s also in the Talmud that “the righteous of all nations have a share in the World to Come”, where the World to Come is the Jewish heaven. Christians may say that everybody who doesn’t believe as they do will go to hell forever, but Jews don’t say that. Judaism does have its faults, but that’s not one of them. I must admit that Gehenna is one aspect of the Talmud I never really got a solid grasp on. > [@Anne Neville](#): > > If you’re basically a good person, don’t worship idols (the consensus is that what Christians or Muslims do isn’t worshipping idols), and don’t eat limbs taken from living animals, you should be fine. See, you sum this up as “basically a good person”, and that works for laws 2, 3, 6, and 7: no murder, no theft, avoid one particular form of heinous animal cruelty, and the requirement to have just laws. These all sound pretty good. But with #1 and #5–no idols before the Judeo-Christian God/Allah, no blasphemy of the Judeo-Christian God/Allah–you’re probably cutting out a huge number of pretty good people. I mean, these rules are basically saying that you have to belong to one of three religions out of, what, thousands in world history? to be considered a decent gentile. That doesn’t sound like “the righteous of all nations”, that sounds like a very specific group of people hand-picked for their religious beliefs…which has pretty much exactly the opposite meaning of “all nations”. And then we have Rule #4. I’m queer. I can’t change that. Now, I happen to be screwed anyway because a number of the 613 Commandments that _I_ have to live up to are not exactly easy to follow\*, but basically I’m excluded for being born a fag. Unless, of course, I opt to live a life of sexual frustration and self-hatred, in which case I’m likely to just commit suicide anyway. And even when I get to somebody else’s heaven, I probably _still_ won’t get laid. It’s a pretty raw deal. - To put it mildly. Seriously, those of you who aren’t familiar with the list, check it out sometime. > [@kanicbird](#): > > If you can’t see the Love in that I would say you don’t know what Love is. If you can’t respect the love in my life, which sustains me and keeps me going through the worst times, I would say you should blow it out your ear. Hostile Dialect, Hostile Dialect, Narcissist ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/123 "2009-01-27T03:35:11Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > [I do!](http://www.dvorak.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/can_you_see_jesus.jpg) > > I am SO going to hell, if there is one. Now that’s funny right there…I don’t care who ya’r ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/124 "2009-01-27T03:37:13Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > This thread has evolved into something I never intended. foolishness? ---
**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:** [January 27, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/125 "2009-01-27T03:48:07Z")
> [@Uvula\_Donor](#): > > He’s a sore loser with a mean temper. > > \*“Let the Wookie win, R2.” \* Or else, y’know? Yeah, but all that means, is if God turns out to be Chewbacca, then everything is gonna kick some serious ass because Chewie really IS a great guy-remember the later movies? He’s not the asshole god **Kanicbird** worships. Seriously, **Kanicbird** , you need help. (And FWIW, I was raised Catholic, so I know quite a bit about the Bible and Christianity. Biblical Literalism is a very recent concept, as is “faith alone”. Most of the nuns and priests who taught me would have thought you were nuts as well.) And before anyone asks-I’m not an atheist, but I don’t belong to any particular religion-I believe in God, but that’s basically about it. > [@Clothahump](#): > > Oh, wow. > > Please post proof that demons exist. [I thought I already did](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10742147&postcount=55) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/126 "2009-01-27T12:12:24Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > My take on it is this verse: > My take on it is that we are created in a way that Jesus had to Love us to the max limit that Love can be. In order for His Love for us to reach this level we had to be made in a way that Jesus would have to die for us, which means we had to be made in a way that would afford Him the opportunity to. > > If we were not made in a way that we would need a redeemer his Love for us would be less then max, but the Father didn’t want that, He wanted His son to unconditionally Love, cherish totally completely adore us. We are the inheritance of Jesus and we reap the benefit of a blessed eternal life, not because of who we are but because of Who Jesus is. If this is true,what is the purpose of needing redemption,since God created man who he knew ahead of time was going to sin, and send mankind to Hell unless he killed His own son doesn’t make sense. Monavis ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/127 "2009-01-27T12:20:05Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > You never do read the links I give you on this subject, do you? Jesus never talked about the end of the Earth, He predicted the end of that Eon within that generation. > > That Eon was the Era of the Covenant through Moses that established the Priestly Sacrificial system- that came to a definitive end in 70 A.D, right on schedule. The books of David Chilton and Ken Gentry draw really interesting parallels of Jesus’ “end of the aion” message in Matt 24, Mark 13 & Luke 21, John’s Revelation, and the Roman Siege of Judea from 66-70 A.D. It would be pretty hard for the earth to last if the stars were falling the sun didn’t give it’s light, etc.. There is no proof of Moses even being a real human and so most of that one can take with a grain of salt. Apparently it is a matter of how one interprets it. Monavis ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/128 "2009-01-27T12:26:08Z")
> [@Hostile\_Dialect](#): > > I was never Hasidic, but this is the main reason I left the religion. (Well, other than the doubt and the rational upper brain thing, but that’s beside the point.) I started to feel like I was adopting a holier-than-thou attitude toward the majority of the world because they ate pork (or whatever) and I didn’t. So now you adopt a holier-than-thou attitude toward the majority of the world because they follow a religion? ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/129 "2009-01-27T12:58:09Z")
Take any religion. Look at its beliefs. If only one person started beliveing and acting on those ideas, they would be considered insane. If only 1000 people believe them its a cult. But when a signifigant portion of the population adopts those beliefs, it becomes a legitamate religion. This shows that 100, 000,000 people can be crazy together, and their actions are justified somehow as acceptable. This also holds true for politics… FML ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/130 "2009-01-27T13:43:16Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Seriously, **Kanicbird** , you need help. (And FWIW, I was raised Catholic, so I know quite a bit about the Bible and Christianity. I accept that you know quite a bit about the Bible and Christianity but do you know Jesus? > [@](#): > > Biblical Literalism is a very recent concept, as is “faith alone”. Recently, as in Abraham who lived by faith alone and it was credited to him as righteousness? Faith alone is what the Word teaches. As for biblical literalism, it is up to God to prove how literal His Word is, for the most part that comes after you know Jesus. > [@](#): > > Most of the nuns and priests who taught me would have thought you were nuts as well.) I have no doubt, as the pharisees though Jesus was nuts. It upsets their power if you can go direct to God and bypass them. [I thought I already did](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10742147&postcount=55) 😛 [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/131 "2009-01-27T13:48:15Z")
> [@monavis](#): > > If this is true,what is the purpose of needing redemption,since God created man who he knew ahead of time was going to sin, and send mankind to Hell unless he killed His own son doesn’t make sense. > > Monavis IMHO God can do anything that is not against His nature, which is Love. God is Love and God does not change. Love needs that sacrifice to reach the max level, since Love is God it can not be changed. People or entities such as demons suffering in Hell is a complex issue, involving among other things a change in the heart where they can no longer respond to Love at all. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/132 "2009-01-27T15:54:25Z")
The term is hypoChristian, pronounced like but not to be confused with, “hippo Christian”. Hippo Christians are just as annoying but much larger and more likely to trample or eat you. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/133 "2009-01-27T16:12:53Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > The term is hypoChristian, Or, to save time, Christian. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/134 "2009-01-27T16:24:19Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > IMHO God can do anything that is not against His nature, which is Love. God is Love and God does not change. Love needs that sacrifice to reach the max level, since Love is God it can not be changed. > > People or entities such as demons suffering in Hell is a complex issue, involving among other things a change in the heart where they can no longer respond to Love at all. Right wrist pass tone spoil deputizing superannuate unprotecting longer hugely genre tiger. [Random word generators](http://watchout4snakes.com/creativitytools/RandomWord/RandomWordPlus.aspx) are fun! ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/135 "2009-01-27T16:27:04Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > I’m as anti-religion as they come, but I’m not anti-religious people. I have noted over the years that no one will ass rape you more quickly than a vendor or service person with a Jesus fish in her/his yellow pages advertisement. Clearly, you have little experience with nanotech-enhanced mandrill clowns. Not only will they quickly assrape you, but when they are done there will be absolutely no question at all that you have been well and truly assraped. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/136 "2009-01-27T17:06:44Z")
> [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](#): > > Or, to save time, Christian. Why, thank you. Now excuse me but I have to run out and stone some homosexuals. Not even the end of January and I’m short on my quota already! ---
**Author:** ![Xan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@Xan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/137 "2009-01-27T17:10:07Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > IMHO God can do anything that is not against His nature, which is Love. God is Love and God does not change. Love needs that sacrifice to reach the max level, since Love is God it can not be changed. > > People or entities such as demons suffering in Hell is a complex issue, involving among other things a change in the heart where they can no longer respond to Love at all. Not much of a sacrifice if Jesus gets to come back to life 3 days later. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/138 "2009-01-27T17:45:51Z")
**Kanicbird** , da’hell? What part of “Roman Catholic” do you not understand? Unless you’re one of those assholes who claim that Catholics aren’t Christians, then, I can’t help you. And last time I checked, does not the Bible say, “Faith without works is as lifeless as a breath without body?” The whole “sheeps and the goats” story? What about, “whatsoever you do to the least of them, you do unto me?” He also didn’t teach it appropriate to scare small children with stories of going to hell and demons-instead he talked about comforting them and showing them love. And remember, the whole, “Judge not, lest you be judged?” I also think it’s insulting and incredibly holier than thou to say, “Well, everyone else thought JESUS was nuts,” when people tell you that demons walking the earth-LITERALLY is insane…but whatever. It’s called symbolism. I’m not a Biblical scholar, but again, I’m not an idiot when it comes to Christianity and the Bible. (You don’t spend 9 years in Catholic school and four in a Catholic college without learning at least a LITTLE, dammit! ;)) > [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Here’s a [photograph](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3a/Joseph_Stalin.jpg) of him. > > Got a photo of Jesus for me? [Ooh!!! Ooooh!!! Me!!! I do!](http://datejesus.com/multimedia/) 😃 (I’m surprised he’s still around) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/139 "2009-01-27T18:29:34Z")
> [@Xan](#): > > Not much of a sacrifice if Jesus gets to come back to life 3 days later. Reading the scriptures Jesus knew He had to die and was in anguish over it. He knew he would be falsely accused by people he loved, everyone would turn against Him, He asked the Father if it could be avoided, eventually even forsaken by the Father Himself. This was not something to take lightly. It is handing yourself to be tortured to death without hope of getting out for something you know you didn’t do. What is the difference how long He was in the grave, is 3 days dead not dead enough, you would prefer 2000 years? This way Christians could gather around His tomb and wait till He rises. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923/140 "2009-01-27T18:36:34Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > Ooo, we can request demons now? How do I go about getting one to inhabit/possess a motor vehicle? Boy, there ain’t nothin’ like the smell of a new car. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ultra-religious-people-feel-they-have-a-license-to-treat-people-like-crap/482923.md?page=8)