Anyone else traumatized by the evangelicals as a kid???

[skooooo]

I think back to some of the things they tried to teach me in a Baptist church I had to go to, and I can't believe some of it. Anyone else here know what I'm talking about, or have similar experiences? All that stuff really turned me off of religion.

Conformity to authority -- was a big one.
Anyone remember apocolyptic forcasts? That stuff really scared me!

[Must_B_Free]

1. I gave them a chance

I entertained the Josh McDowell series in 9th grade - my history teacher was offering what was billed as a discussion group.

I went with my best friend. Now, we're very analytical, which is why a discussion group was appealing to us. The Josh McDowell stuff didn't stand up to our scrutiny.

I developed an idea from Joshs story that the majority of the people who become born again were once church members at an early age, left and wento out and lost control of their lives and then found salvation thereafter as a way to put it all back together. I think it is more difficult to come into this stuff from a previously unvarnished experience.

Interestingly, the teacher went deeper and deeper in to this evangelical life and it basically destroyed his regular life. He became a pariah to the other teachers and eventually left the school. He participated in some attempt to rename the football team from the Blue Devils, because he didn't like the idea of Devils. Then another teacher wrote an editorial to the paper saying if we did that we'd have to stop using Red Devil Sandpaper and stop serving Deviled Eggs.

[skooooo]

3. Not familiar with it....

general pattern sounds very familiar....

[kimchi]

2. They coerced me into burning my Shawn Cassidy poster.

I will never forgive them for that. False idol, you know.

This was also a Baptist church. The idea to have a big bonfire to burn those things not "of God" was the new pastor's idea. Much later, after I rejected all the hypocrisy, I found out he lost his job for having relations with a minor. She was a poor girl; and he obviously misjudged her self-esteem because she had enough to make sure his ass went to jail.

I distinctly remember singing "I'm no kin to the monkey, the monkey's no kin to me, I don't know much about your ancestors, but mine didn't swing from a tree" when I was in grade school. I had no idea what the song was about, but thought it was cute.

I always thought I wanted to be a missionary; it sounded so exotic and cool. Then I grew up and became an anthropologist. Threw quite a monkey wrench in their plans for my future, I'm sure.

[skooooo]

4. Bizarre stuff, isn't it??

Yeah, I can remember them making teenagers get rid of stuff. Usually it was coerced, but somehow framed that those kind of actions were 'voluntary'. I learned early on to keep your mouth shut!!! Never let on that you don't believe exactly like them, or your life would be complete hell.

There's a lot of unhealthy attitudes in it,to say the least.

Yuck...I kind of hate even thinking about it.

[nonconformist]

14. Oh no, not the Shawn Cassidy poster! Anything but that!

I had one too. :thumbsup: As well as a pillowcase with a huge Shawn head iron-on.

I rule! /kevin spacey

[skooooo]

42. Their goal --

...kill any joy you might obtain from non-religous pleasures. Just too worldly, you know.

[napi21]

5. No not as a kid, but 3 years ago 3 showed up at my door

just after we moved here from the North (to Ga.). They started their pitch, and I said thank you, but I'm Catholic. WELL! I was told I was a member of a cult, and I would pay for that in the afterlife.

Gee, welcome to Georgia and all that, huh?

[Walt Starr]

33. I always tell 'em, "Come on in, bring your book and you had

BETTER DAMN WELL KNOW IT, because I DO!"

Some times the flies actually dare to enter the spider's den. I've had some leave in tears.

[JHB]

50. Yep, the Christian Coalition ran aground there too...

"Good Samaritan" parables be damned, the nutballs just can't deal with Catholics.

[mitchum]

6. Oddly enough, I never despised them until I was an adult

My parents were never religous nuts, so I just was never exposed to that garbage as a kid. I hate evangelicals for their attempts at establishing a theocracy (and their money grubbing)

[mmonk]

7. As an outsider, somewhat

because I think I was around 8 years old when I was told I was going to hell because I was Catholic (by an adult). Whether this person was an evangelical or not I don't know. Protestants have too many sects or divisions for an outsider to have a clue who's what and who believes what. I need a roadmap to answer correctly. This isn't a knock, its just you can't assume everybody knows (though I do see the difference between mailine Protestants and the others. Mainline Protestants haven't told me I was going to hell). So what's the real difference between evangelicals and fundamentalists?

[skooooo]

8. ...here are the kinds of churches..

...that i find very troubling -- the Southern Baptists, the regular Baptists, and probably more than either of those, the kind of "independent" evangelical, fundamental churches.

Other protestant groups such as the Methodists, Presbaterian (sp), and other groups I'm leaving out, are a bit more sophisticated and liberal, or at least are much more often than the others.

That's my experience.

[bobbieinok]

48. American Baptists ('northern Baptists') are NOT fundie

[pop goes the weasel]

9. the difference

evangelicals can't shut up about their beliefs, no matter what they are.

fundies are hard-lines who base their beliefs on a historical document.

there are fundies and jellies in all sorts of religions and ideologies. And the 2 groups overlap.

[mmonk]

12. I'm assuming

the adult that told me that I was damned was a fundamentalist. I'm assuming anyone trying to get me converted or coaxing me to a bible study is evangelical. Is that pretty close?

[NuttyFluffers]

18. look at the root of the word.

Evangelicals believe that they must *evangelize.* they *must* tell other people the "Good News" (for evangelical christians it's about Christ), to do so is not an option. Christianity at its heart is an evangelical religion, just like Islam, and Mahayana Buddhism, they *must* spread the faith, it is against their nature to hold it in. Judaism, Hinduism, Theravada Buddhism, etc. hold their faith, but are not interested, let alone required, to evangelize it. Active conversions were not inherent to the core of these religious traditions. Generally you're born into it, and allowed to convert, if reluctantly, into some of the more friendlier communities. If evangelism from them occurs today it's due to strange times.

Fundamentalists are believers in returning to the *fundamentals.* How they determine this is usually from a very *literal* reading/understanding of the sacred teachings. They tend to be reactionary (hyper-conservative), incredibly repressive, and demand conformity, especially of those of the out-group. It is the refuge of those who feel they are losing control in a rapidly changing world. They don't like these changes so they want to go *back to the fundamentals.* Also known as an orthodox understanding of the teachings. Greek Orthodox (and such) doesn't necessarily mean blanket of reactionary hyper-conservatives, it's just the name it picked up around the Christian empire split. There are notably some tolerant expressions of the Eastern Orthodox denomination of Christianity. There are also those that aren't.

As said previously these two definitions can overlap. Hassidism is a fundamentalist version (or as some say, orthodox) version of Judaism. They do not evangelize, they pretty much want to be left alone. But they darn well expect others to work around their prohibitions, as seen in many of their disruptions of Israeli life. Then there are liberal evangelicals, i believe the Unitarian church is such an offshoot (but i'm probably wrong). But the most common one in news today is evangelical fundamentalists. They want a bridge to the past, and dammit, they are taking you with them! Easy to figure these from the crowd. Interestingly enough almost all religions are facing an unknown rise in fundamentalism in the past 2 centuries, such as judaism, hinduism, some buddhists sects, etc. It's truly bizarre, probably has something to do with the industrial revolution and the rapid changes it brought.

Then there's Pentecostal and Charismatic Christian movements. Now those are SCARY! Oh dear god, run! Run fast! They are for another time.

[leesa]

54. Nope. Never had Muslims or Buddhists in my face about religion

Never had them coming to my door. Never had them tell me I was going to "hell" or some other bit of nastiness to scare me to their ways. This is a very peculiar thing of particular brands of "christianity" (and Hari Krishnas, I guess) and I think it has faaaar more to do with bigotry and personal control issues than Christ.

[sangh0]

56. Do you live in a Islamic or Buddhist area?

If not, that might explain why they're not knocking on your door.

Try Thailand or Indonesia.

[GirlinContempt]

62. Sorry to interject..

When I was visiting in Thailand, I had no problems...
The area I live in, in Canada, is very Buddhist, but they don't really approach people, unless they're having a gathering or something at the temple... Then, I've been invited in, or just been smiled at or said hello to when passing by.

I'm sure there must be pushy Buddhists... somewhere

[NuttyFluffers]

64. This points out forms of evangelicalism

in your face antagonistic evangelism is very prevalent in chritian fundamentalist groups in america. the muslims here are nowhere near as antagonistic. but when i lived in saudi arabia... i can tell you there were mullahs who were pretty damn antagonistic. and notice the madrasas in pakistan? that's evangelism.

mahayana buddhists, though, are a good example of friendly evangelists. and most mahayana buddhists are not fundamentalists, their level of flexibility shows that, which is a very good example of a evangelicalism not overlapping in fundamentalism.

and there seems to be a mental block going on. let's end this once and for all. evangelism *only* means to evangelize. they *must* spread the faith. whether they do it through kindness or through cruelty they *must* spread the religion. evangelism =! (does not equal) pushy. it does not equal antagonism. it does not mean ringing your doorbell. if that's all you can think of when you hear the word evangelism you are wrong. let that go and start again. evangelism means the goal is to spread the faith, spreading the faith through sharing the message. *HOW* you spread the message does not matter; be it hospitality, polite discussion, patience, belligerance, tenacity, or at the point of a sword. all that matters is that you *DO* spread the faith.

[truthspeaker]

40. there's no set definition because lots of people with different beliefs

call themselves evangelicals and/or fundamentalists. "Bible-believing" is another thing Biblican literalists call themselves.

[NuttyFluffers]

65. there is a set definition, by the way

i know you mean well, but really there is a set definition. please tel others to take a world religions class, it will provide them a strong scholastic basis with accurate usage of terminology.

it's just like Wiccans saying they are witches, when in anthropological truth their actions in their faith defines them as priests of their faith (with a name for the priest called 'witch'). Witch has a very specific definition in scholastic terminology and is *not* a good thing to be called. If a culture believes in witches, and you say you are a witch, they will consider you so inhuman and evil that they'd feel morally justified to kill you.

Blurring definitions does no one any good. It is good to return to correct usage of terminology.

[RoyGBiv]

10. God yes...

Uh...er, something.

My freak cousins were convinced I had had a "vision" when I was about 6. What actually happened is that I had fallen asleep in church, started dreaming, was reacting in my dream to all the noise around me, and was apparently talking in my sleep about Jesus. (I've a sleep talker.) They made me believe I had spoken with God personally, which, to them, meant I had a special place, and if I did anything to disappoint Him, I would be sent to a special place in Hell reserved for fallen angels.

BizzaroWorld.

I mentioned this in another thread. When my daughter was born, I got a letter from one of my cousins pleading with me to get my daughter to a church and not condemn her soul to Hell along with mine.

When I was a child, one of my cousin would make it her mission to give me graphic, horror-film like descriptions of Hell. She'd take my arm, pinch my skin extremely hard, twist it until it in her hands until I was crying, and then tell me Hell would feel like that, only a billion times worse and never ending.

I could go on and on and on and on...

[skooooo]

20. So what did you end up doing...?

Condemning your daughter to hell, or what?

lol (joke) Geezus, sounds like you had a sadistic cousin.

[RoyGBiv]

46. Sadistic cousin

Yup. She needs help. Lots of it. Expensive help. With padded rooms.

As for my daughter, we're going to a peace rally tomorrow. She is surely doomed. :-)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

57. Yes! DOOMED OF THE WORLD UNITE! (nt)

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

11. I remember being subjected to watching "A Thief in the Night"

about the Rapture and people disappearing. Scared the crap out of me. The minister (Baptist) came to my house when I was 12 and sat on the porch and talked to me until I "asked Jesus to come into my heart." The full body baptism dunk in a tank of water at church was freaky, too.

My late sister was a Southern Baptist and tried to force her religion down my throat. She was 18 years older than I, which made things difficult enough as far as seeing eye to eye, but I couldn't take her constant proselytizing and giving me "assignments" to do (such as acting like Timothy the Scribe and writing a bunch of stuff about I can't even remember what now).

Funny - I never really put all this together before now and realized just what a load of crap it was. (I know people believe in this, and I don't mean to offend anyone; it just wasn't right for me.) No wonder I became a Muslim!

[Southpaw Bookworm]

26. Saw that movie too

As my sperm donor tended to use guilt as a parenting tool, it wasn't hard to convince me that everything I did was going to send me straight to hell (Yeah, I was a straight-A student who didn't drink until college, was a virgin until 22, and was a fairly nice human being). That combined with a family tendency toward anxiety had me convinced that no matter how sincerely I accepted Christ as my savior, I still hadn't done it right and would go to hell.

During my high school years, I had panic attacks about the rapture occurring and being left behind. :grr:

[skooooo]

35. I was able to avoid that trainwreck...

....I had ample opportunity to watch that movie at church, but somehow always was able to avoid it some how -- thank god.

[clyrc]

13. yup

18 years after rejecting the Southern Baptist religion, I still have problems because of it. It gets better year by year, so maybe when I'm 60 I'll be free of all influence.

[HuskerDem]

15. yes and no and yes................................

There are many denominations who teach that the bible is mostly an illistrative narative or they leave that decision to you.

As a photograpehr I was stunned at my first Baptist ceremony. It was the first time I had ever heard the "dangers of hell" speech during a wedding. I thought it may be a strange incident, but it was not. Yikes.

[ClintonTyree]

16. My Grandmother.............

was a flaming Jehovah's Witness. My Mom and Dad both worked so my Grandmaother (who lived next door) took care of us a lot when we were children.
She tried her darndest to indoctrinate us, but in the end she managed to turn me off on religion altogether. My sister still believes, somewhat, but she was never the type to question much that was told her anyway. I was more the type that questioned EVERYTHING I was told and although it made my path through life more difficult, I wouldn't have it any other way.

[skooooo]

21. Oh yeah, questioning is a "no no".

In a church school I went to, I remember one day they went to great lengths to tell us that it was ALWAYS wrong to question authority. Then they asked if anyone had problems with that to raise their hand -- like anyone actually would!!! I remember sitting their stewing in anger at their manipulativeness (I was about 13 years old). All I could think about were the Founding Fathers and what would have happened if they hadn't "challenged authority".

I think that was one of the final straws for me -- I lost all respect for church and their teachings after that. Of course, I had to keep such ThoughtCrimes in my head and not let on.

Very frustrating for an adolescent.

[GirlinContempt]

17. Just Mennonite trauma

I was raised atheist, but my mother sent my younger sister an I to Mennonite school for two years... The two things I recall most vividly:
1.Being told I was possessed by the Devil, and having the guidance counselor call my parents in for a meeting about exorcising me.
2.My sister, in the third grade, coming home sobbing at least once a week because her teacher told her my parents were going to hell for not believing in god, and graphically describing what their torments would be. She tried to convert my parents for almost two years, not out of faith, but childish fear.

[drfemoe]

19. Recovery Group

http://www.aimoo.com/forum/freeboard.cfm?id=319472&NoCaches=Yes
Walk Away from Fundamentalism
(someone please verify link is working?)

I think the ones who stay are more traumatized than those of us who escape. I don't know why anyone would want to live that way.

[Lars39]

44. Yes, link still works.

I highly recommend this forum. Helped a lot. :)

[drfemoe]

61. kewl .. n/t

[Loonman]

22. No, just the effing Catholics

When they spread their abortion propaganda in CCD class, I decided then and there that Catholicism and the Church in general was a highly politicized den of corruption and lies.

[Triana]

23. yes...

...while i have nothing against 'christianity' and evangelism in general, i had it rammed down my throat to such an extent when i was growing up - from several sides and factions - that i avoid it now.

not that i don't believe in 'God' or a higher power, but i just refuse to go along with or tolerate the 'fundies' or the extremeists or any organized religion.

my spirituality has evolved into an individual thing of my own and i don't subscribe to anyone else's...

I AM APPALLED at the lack of seperation of church and state right now and in the past, in this country, and THAT scares me - lest we end up being run by an American Taliban, and in some ways, we already ARE (see latest posts about women's march, reproductive freedom, late-term abortion ban, removal of women's info from gov't websites, etc. etc....). THAT bugs me - it's very disturbing.

[GreenPartyVoter]

24. Yes, which is why

I have created this website:

Would Jesus love a liberal? You bet!
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/liberalchristians.htm

[skooooo]

30. Thanks for posting that...

...I don't have much time today or tomorrow to look at it, but hope to later this weekend. I've been looking for sites of this nature.

[GreenPartyVoter]

31. Hope you find it helpful. :)

[drfemoe]

25. Why is it so 'powerful'?

They plan it that way. Mass hypnosis. During my brainwashed years, no matter how many times I "repented" and "dedicated my life", I always still felt the "need" at any revival meetings (we went to a lot of them). Now I know why >>

The Birth of Conversion:
Brainwashing in Christian Revivalism in 1735.
Conversion is a "nice" word for brainwashing...and any study of brainwashing has to begin with a study of Christian revivalism in eighteenth century America. Apparently, Jonathan Edwards accidentally discovered the techniques during a religious crusade in 1735 in Northampton, Massachusetts. By inducing guilt and acute apprehension and by increasing the tension, the "sinners" attending his revival meetings would break down and completely submit. Technically, what Edwards was doing was creating conditions that wipe the brain slate clean so that the mind accepts new programming. The problem was that the new input was negative. He would tell them, "You're a sinner! You're destined for hell!"

As a result, one person committed suicide and another attempted suicide. And the neighbors of the suicidal converts related that they, too, were affected so deeply that, although they had found "eternal salvation," they were obsessed with a diabolical temptation to end their own lives.

Once a preacher, cult leader, manipulator or authority figure creates the brain phase to wipe the brain-slate clean, his subjects are wide open. New input, in the form of suggestion, can be substituted for their previous ideas. Because Edwards didn't turn his message positive until the end of the revival, many accepted the negative suggestions and acted, or desired to act, upon them.

Charles J. Finney was another Christian revivalist who used the same techniques four years later in mass religious conversions in New York. The techniques are still being used today by Christian revivalists, cults, human-potential trainings, some business rallies, and the United States Armed services...to name just a few.
...
http://www.ctyme.com/bwash/bwash.htm#b

[King Coal]

27. Not to brag

But I was smart enough as a kid to laugh at that magic show.

[skooooo]

32. I'm glad you COULD laugh...

...some of us were put in positions where laughing at it would be a ticket to non-stop harrassment. I know you said in your post that you weren't trying to brag...believe me...there are a lot of kids and people in general, I guess who are made to go along even though they don't buy into it.

[DemLikr]

28. I was traumatized by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

...during eight years of parochial school, church and sunday school every fucking week.

Perhaps more subtle, and way less emotionally demonstrative than the Evangelicals, but over time, believe me, the damage is done.

Especially to a little gay kid who learned very well the lesson of how to hate himself...still unlearning, BUT DOING WELL!

[Iris]

29. When I was in 6th grade,

one of my schoolmates who went to such a church told me the world was going to end the next week.

I had one or two sleepless nights, but by the next week, I forgot about it and nothing happened, so that was that.

Later, when I moved to GA, I had some classmates who went to a "pizza party" at a Baptist church and saw a movie about the Rapture in which a whole family was whisked off to heaven EXCEPT for the father, who would never go go church. One girl in particular was really upset because her father never went to church.

Of course, I was immune, because I knew the world hadn't ended when it was supposed to a few years before this, so I just went on about my merry way.

[skooooo]

34. oh yeah..

I had cousins who swore the world was going to end in 2002 or some such date. This was back in the 70s when I was a kid, and it worried me to no end that they could be so flippant and sure about this. It's one of the things that made me turn the corner in how I viewed their stupid kool-aid beliefs.

[Iris]

36. If we can figure that out, why can't they?

I mean, how many times does your preacher have to be wrong about the end of the world before you catch on?

[skooooo]

37. Well, in this case the date..

..was so far into the future that it wasn't an issue. And they always qualified it with, "Well, no one knows for sure, but we have a lot of reason to think that...blah blah blah." So they cover their ass to some extent. And of course, when the end doesn't come, there are always reasons why....

[leesa]

58. Not only that, but the bible is very clear that these "predictions" piss

God off. 'Woe onto them that try to determine the time of my coming' (I'm paraphrasing from 6th grade memory, I don't have a bible to check)

[alfredo]

38. Had a 4th grade teacher who was a religious fanatic

She made us pray then recite verses from the bible. I repeated the same verse one too many times and she went off on me. She took me out into the hall. She started shaking me and saying things like, "woe unto you." My head hit the wall and it knocked me unconscious.

this teacher was scary. She had some type of injury or physical defect. She walked like the mummy, one arm crooked, one leg dragging behind. Probably damage from a stroke. She had one long eyebrow, and a low forehead. To a fourth grader, she was the monster under the bed.

She completely humiliated one kid that had committed the unforgivable sin by being Jewish. One day she stuffed him into the trash can because he wouldn't join in the prayers. His screams are still with me. Now I see he regressed back to an infant. He cried like a young baby.

this was public school in Kentucky.

[skooooo]

41. OMFG!

She knocked you unconscious?! I would have sued her ass off, BIG TIME.

[alfredo]

43. I was already branded a trouble maker,

so my protests would have fallen on deaf ears.

My parents had given up on me anyway.

[callous taoboy]

45. Whoa! That's evil.

I think back to my third grade math teacher (who was posessed) and conduct my business as a teacher in exactly the opposite manner.

[Ladyhawk]

39. Oh definitely!

Growing up fundy really messed with my mind. If you're having a really hard time, read Leaving the Fold by Marlene Winell. It is so validating.

I have trouble with her "inner child" psychological exercises. It just seems silly to me, but I might try it someday to see if it lessens my pain and anger.

Even though I'm sure the movies would seem silly to me now, I was forced to watch "Like a Thief in the Night" and "A Distant Thunder." Those movies scared me to death. The apocolypic crap, mixed with "you're a no-good sinner without Jesus" crap really gave me a mind-fuck.

[callous taoboy]

47. Nope-

Went to episcopal church as a lad. Just a lot of up and down, kneeling then standing and singing etc. No fundie stuff. We did have a religious nut in our neighborhood, but I always ran the other way when I saw him.

[democratreformed]

49. Many, many Pentecostals in my family, including my paternal

grandparents whom we went with alot. So....... what do you think my answer to your question is?? LOL!

[thecrow]

51. Yes

I grew up in a fundamentalist household.
When I was 11 I questioned how could a loving God send to Hell all the people who were believing Hindus, Islamist, Buddhist, etc. and who practiced their faiths without blame.... I was whacked across the face by my mother so hard that my ears rang and my jaw was thrown out of joint. My ears still ring and my jaw still clicks to this day. My loving mother!!!

That was the day that I figured that her way couldn't possibly be THE way, and I rejected her "religion" but somehow, through reading the Bible, was able to hang onto my FAITH.

I consider myself "born-again" but I am more of a universalist now.
All religions teach us there is a higher power than ourselves, and to practice the best codes of human living.
Jesus is my primary example of a peace activist.
My mom still tries to tell me I'm hell bound even though I've discussed this many times.
They just don't give up, even after you're "saved!

The fundamentalists believe you are saved when you believe that Jesus is the son of God (I believe we all are the sons of God..) but that if you sin, you can always pray for forgiveness and start over.
This is a very forgiving aspect of their theology, but it leaves the door wide open for you to commit terrible sins, and still be saved.
For instance: The preacher (married with children) at my hometown church was caught in a sex scandal with a woman in the church. This, after years of preaching to us about the dangers of sex and lies.... and he's still preaching today!

Most of the fundamentalist preachings/beliefs have to do with words other than were recorded first hand as uttered by Christ anyway. They just believe EVERYTHING is God-inspired. I don't think Paul, for instance, in spite of his inspirational teachings and letters, was working toward the peace and forgiveness that Jesus spoke of. He was trying to establish The Rules for Christians. Maybe he didn't have a red-highlighted "words of Jesus" Bible like I did.

I don't presume to know the "will of God" for another human being.
I wouldn't be that brazen to assume I knew the mind of the Almighty, my creator.

[leesa]

59. That's exactly right....they can declare themselves saved and then go

out and commit whatever atrocities, crimes or immoral acts they want to, repent and start all over again. Witness GW Bush and apparently the majority of conservatives.

[drfemoe]

60. wow . just the opposite

my mother refuses to believe that I am NOT a christian .. because she "was there" when I made that decision .. as a CHILD .. in a very religious home .. church 3-4x per week. She claims when the "rapture" occurs, I will be right there beside them, floating up to heaven. haha .. I don't argue with her. I know how painful it is to believe in a *god* who would send people you love to burn in hell forever. That's one reason I don't.

[catzies]

52. No, but I'm in my 40s and they traumatize me NOW

:scared:

[corporatewhore]

53. Yes crazy babtist youth minister told me i should be afraid of buddhists

because they are indirect satanists

[kaitykaity]

55. Yeah, we watched lots of "Rapture" movies.

My mom still apologizes for making us go through that. "It's like we were a part of a cult or something."

Probably one of the reasons I'm an agnostic to this day.

[powergirl]

63. My Father, as a child, in the 1930's saw his preacher beating a Black

voter at a polling place in East Texas. The preacher grabbed this man by the shirt and literally threw him out of the school (where the voting was taking place) and told the man to get the F---- out of here. So, as an adult, my dad made sure our family was never subjected to those kind of lunatics again. My dad was a Republican but recently converted because Bush's evangelical presidency reminds him of the incident I described. He also thinks Bush is a dumbass. :(

[arwalden]

66. I Was TERRORIZED.

[Taverner]

67. I was

went to Valley Christian Junior High...man I can tell you some stories about those sick fucks.

Lemme just say I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to pop them all in a fucking camp for the rest of their known lives...

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

68. Valley Christian - is that in Dublin, CA??

If so - my niece went there and was the ONLY Democrat among a class of Freepers!

EDIT: I just checked your profile - it must have been in Dublin! She graduated in 1995 - what about you?