Why I love Charlie.

[scyllacat]

I read this comment he made in slacktivist's blog and was about to post it to him when I realized he was the one who wrote it:

Wakboth: "That "everybody is a RTC in their heart, but they're ignoring God because they're EEEEVIL" thing is something I've never, ever been able to comprehend. How can anyone with any genuine experience with other people - especially people who aren't like you - believe that, even for a moment?"

Even having grown up among them, as one of them, this always struck me as some blind-spot of mine, until, I finally got it:

In their minds, these are not beliefs, these are facts, as concrete as phi, pi, and the speed at which falling objects accellerate; and there are only 3 kinds of people in the world, these being the Innocent, God's People, and the Unconverted. "Those Who Knowingly Embrace Evil" are not people to them, they are demons in the mask of humans, humans who have willingly invited their possession - they are The Enemy, every bit as much as "Satan himself". It is the burden of God's People that they must continually hammer away at The Unconverted until they convert & join God's People. This effort only stops in the event that an Unconverted convinces one of God's People that they will NOT convert, and are NOT interested in revisiting the conversation in the future, so keep it to yourself, thanks.

In their world, they have just shown themselves to be - admitted themselves to be in "Satan's" service, and God's People (or, at least, *that* one) will avoid that person and pray for their destruction.

Posted by: chmood | Apr 04, 2008 at 02:56 PM

Comments

Wakboth: "That "everybody is a RTC in their heart, but they're ignoring God because they're EEEEVIL" thing is something I've never, ever been able to comprehend. How can anyone with any genuine experience with other people - especially people who aren't like you - believe that, even for a moment?"

Even having grown up among them, as one of them, this always struck me as some blind-spot of mine, until, I finally got it:

In their minds, these are not beliefs, these are facts, as concrete as phi, pi, and the speed at which falling objects accellerate; and there are only 3 kinds of people in the world, these being the Innocent, God's People, and the Unconverted. "Those Who Knowingly Embrace Evil" are not people to them, they are demons in the mask of humans, humans who have willingly invited their possession - they are The Enemy, every bit as much as "Satan himself". It is the burden of God's People that they must continually hammer away at The Unconverted until they convert & join God's People. This effort only stops in the event that an Unconverted convinces one of God's People that they will NOT convert, and are NOT interested in revisiting the conversation in the future, so keep it to yourself, thanks.

In their world, they have just shown themselves to be - admitted themselves to be in "Satan's" service, and God's People (or, at least, *that* one) will avoid that person and pray for their destruction.

[lihan161051.livejournal.com]

Extraordinarily well put, and a frighteningly accurate assessment of how such people think (for want of a better word) and perceive their world.

[bluedeer.livejournal.com]

This kind of thinking scares me. This is where true evil lies, in my opinion. That anybody can be so arrogant as to claim that anybody who doesn't think or feel like them are therefore evil and deserve being treated like animals or have death wished upon them. This is why we have war, strife, and death. I would like to think that if God really had a hand in things, that he'd be severely disappointed in these people.

[scyllacat.livejournal.com]

Oh, totally. Me, too. It's one of those things, though. Most people don't actually live with that. Charlie and I did, and he knows how to 'splain it.

[heofmanynames.livejournal.com]

I love you, too, babycakes

[happi-feet.livejournal.com]

*shudder*

Are we discussing Christians here? No "good Christian" would ever pray for the downfall or destruction of another human being, unconverted or not. I will not believe otherwise, and I will actively rebuke any fellow Christian that I find to be doing so.

[scyllacat.livejournal.com]

Good. Charlie and I, I think, both fell victim to the idea, on the part of our parents and communities, that everything with the label "Christian" on it was good for you, but meeting some people like those described in this post,when you're young and impressionable, can really twist up your head.

[happi-feet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, because forced conversion has always been such an effective tactic. Did the Inquisition teach us nothing? Religious fanatics never accomplish anything more effective than turning people off towards their chosen faith.

[doctor-frog.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeh. Notwithstanding my immediate family's totally solid values, you can't run in the religious circles that we did in those days without having at least a few of these people get to you ... or at you. Did me a world of damage.

[scyllacat.livejournal.com]

Hey, are you busy? Can we chat? (You have skype or something?) I really would love a chance to talk to you in real time.

[doctor-frog.livejournal.com]

Hugely busy, I'm afraid. Been doing my motherf*ckin' US taxes -- you cannot even move 5000 bloody miles away and escape them -- and putting together an app for a new job that's recently come open and that I rrrreeeeally really want.

Don't do Skype (yet), I'm afraid. But I'll see what I can manage. Gimme a couple of days for things to slow down, though.

Anything in particular you wanna chat about ... or is this just a desire to catch up in general?

[scyllacat.livejournal.com]

Ah, it's time for me to do something about that, too. I know, I know, I'm filing an extension.

I am bulking up my work as of today, don't know how tough this is going to be.

Well, yes, Catch up in general. I seem to remember that there was some theological point... like, how we ended up being so different. :)