Yes!! I felt the same way watching the Hillsong documentary. While I’m glad that people are telling their stories and this abuse is being exposed, this sensationalism of certain groups makes it seem like this theology/attitude is the exception. It isn’t. It just often looks more mainstream.
Hi Alice! I'm sure you have heard of Dr Steven Hassan. I've been listening to his podcast The Influence Continuum, and he often talks about how cults twist the true message of religion from one of love to one of anger, hate, and judgement. It's been bothering me for a while, and this newsletter perfectly sums up why. In my opinion, the people who say that Christianity is loving are just as guilty of cherry-picking as the people who use specific passages for nefarious purposes. I really wish people could recognize the major religious books for what they are...collections of man-made stories that should be in museums rather than having any relevance in the modern world. It is unfortunate to me that people continue to want to worship these books even when they know they are choosing the parts they want to believe. It makes so much more sense to me to recognize that the books are flawed, man-made creations rather than divine spiritual guidance and just stop using them all together.
Yes!! I felt the same way watching the Hillsong documentary. While I’m glad that people are telling their stories and this abuse is being exposed, this sensationalism of certain groups makes it seem like this theology/attitude is the exception. It isn’t. It just often looks more mainstream.
Hi Alice! I'm sure you have heard of Dr Steven Hassan. I've been listening to his podcast The Influence Continuum, and he often talks about how cults twist the true message of religion from one of love to one of anger, hate, and judgement. It's been bothering me for a while, and this newsletter perfectly sums up why. In my opinion, the people who say that Christianity is loving are just as guilty of cherry-picking as the people who use specific passages for nefarious purposes. I really wish people could recognize the major religious books for what they are...collections of man-made stories that should be in museums rather than having any relevance in the modern world. It is unfortunate to me that people continue to want to worship these books even when they know they are choosing the parts they want to believe. It makes so much more sense to me to recognize that the books are flawed, man-made creations rather than divine spiritual guidance and just stop using them all together.