Lame Things Christians Say & Do in the Name of Christianity

Richard Crawford: Take away money from the poor.

Jay Hughes: Murder.

Jason M Dye: fight the poor.

Emily Expat-Wannabe: They tell people the reason they don't have what they've prayed for is a result of their lack of faith or disobedience to God. That can make people feel VERY bad!

Jason M Dye: Christian book/supply stores.

Michaela Whitton: ‎'covertly' try to control other people’s behavior by quoting scripture..

Patrick McGranahan: This reminds me of those unsolicited "Prayer Requests" amongst the gossip circles as a method of cattily disbursing rumors and hearsay about others. "I want to pray for Bill...I heard he's back on the bottle!"

Don Richardson: Vote Republican.

Patrick McGranahan: Here's another one which occurred in a children's ministry meeting: A: "I have a friend who is a professional actor and he'd love to come speak with the kids' drama group!" B: "That sounds great! Just make sure he's not gay." (un-embellished I assure you)

Robin McQueen Mattingly: Shun a family member who isn't Christian.

Don Richardson: Listen to really bad "Christian" music.

The Christian Left from Roger Wolsey:

*Purchase Precious Moments figurines.

*Spend lots of money in Branson, MO.

*Enable the addictions of televangelists to expensive suits and cars.

*Tell homosexuals that they aren't okay the way they are.

...*Condone wars - unjust ones even.

.. not necessarily, in that order.

Carlos Thorne: The things Republicans do, because of it, although it must be some other Christianity they follow. A religion of theirs that probably Hitler followed too.

Don Richardson: Read those God-awful "Left Behind" novels.

Side note from The Christian Left: “The Rapture” is made-up hogwash and isn’t in the Bible. Jesus is coming back once. No encores.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-r-coats/whats-real-about-the-rapt_b_716688.html

Don Richardson: Stop thinking.

The Christian Left: ‎"Yes, regarding (your sin here), God will not be mocked! ... and never mind about my sins. That's not the point."

Rick Seelhoff: Think Christians are better than others.

Lorraine Verdieck: My favorite is how Bush became know as the 'family values' candidate in the 2004 election, because he was against abortion. ( A Catholic priest where I worked said "A vote for John Kerry is a vote for the devil")... Then he goes and starts a war and bombs the Iraqis, killing millions of innocent people! And STILL has conservative Christian approval!!!

Leslie Saverino: Form a committee to form a committee???!! (Technically, this is organized church lameness, but it has always been one of the most comical & frustrating aspects of Christian living for me.)

Tim Wilkins: Defend pagan holidays like Christmas and Easter by insisting they are Christian holy days.

The Christian Left: ‎"(Your sin here) is AN ABOMINATION! (My sin here), isn't so bad."

Don Richardson: Somehow manage to convince themselves that the world is 6000 years old and humans co-existed with dinosaurs, as seen on the Flintstones. (O.k., I'll stop now).

Andrew Carter: Burn witches.

The Christian Left: ‎@Don, no need to stop. Bring it all on Brother!

Tim Wilkins: Practice hatred toward GLBT while proclaiming love for them.

Valerie Bock: Pray publicly, for people (not God) to see them; pass judgment on all who come before them.

Don Richardson: ‎"And what do we burn, apart from witches?" "MORE WITCHES!!"

Jason M Dye: ‎*sigh* the whole pagan/christian holiday shtick is old (it can be both), but what really gets me going is the "War on Christmas" and "Jesus is THE reason for the season"

Diane Flath: Do whatever they want to others and then claim it's ok for them to do it because "Jesus forgives me!"

Len Flett: Avoid the red letter verses of the Bible like the plague...

Valerie Bock: And my personal favorite ... Cite Old Testament lessons as excuses, any time that the New Law interferes with their immediate desire to have what they want, to hate who they want, or to harbor ill will toward others.

Jason M Dye: Create museums that celebrate inanity of their "science" (i know. i was just there a couple weekends ago), and theme parks that parade such events as The Passion.

Don Richardson: Put fish decals on their SUVs.

Don Richardson: Ask, "WWJD?" - and then do everything but.

Michaela Whitton: Sigh and use 'The Fall' as an excuse not to do anything

Tim Williamson: Build mega churches while people starve around the world.

The Christian Left: Make excuses for their own sin (or that of a friend or family member), but refuse to do the same (forgive) for people they don't know.

Don Richardson: On a similar note to Michaela's, use Jesus' statement that "the poor are with you always" as an excuse not to do anything about it.

Don Richardson: Hate Muslims.

Jason M Dye: also backpacking on Michaela's statement, using, "Nothing will be fixed until Jesus comes back and destroys everything," as an excuse to not fix anything.

JenniferBaggerplease Woodroff: Demonize progressive Christians. Crap on the social Gospel. Push gays and lesbians out of their congregations. Stage power plays, saying it's for the good of the parish. Place security on the front steps of the Church to keep the poor out.

Jocelyn Eudy Bankos: Kick people out of church because they are sinners.

Danelle: Aw Pro-Life and Pro Death Penalty...doesn't compute for me.

Keith Goss: Ask people if they are saved. Because when someone asks me that I know they are coming from the worst kind of hollow Christianity.

Michaela Whitton: Question mother Teresa’s salvation

Robert Slaven: Blame the poor for being poor, and then use that as an excuse to avoid helping the poor.

Tracy Clifton: Ban the "Twilight" books. No, wait, I'm on board for that one.

How about, "Cherry-pick random, out-of-context verses from Leviticus, which is in the Old Testament and therefore not Christian anyways, to justify homophobia and xenophobia, but... ignore all the other verses from Leviticus that aren't convenient to quote because they're too damn weird."

Heather Puffer: Read the Bible. Buy guns. Watch NASCAR.

Side Note from The Christian Left: We have nothing against NASCAR

Joanne Kirschner: Um... they obsess about homosexuality, claiming the Bible says it's a sin. Then, because they apparently have nothing better to do, they go around "outing" anyone whom they "perceive" to be a homosexual. If you're not a manly-manly or a fem-bot, well gee you must be gay.

Stan Colenso: Think services are only on Christmas and Easter, and save their money for more important things than the collection plate.

Len Flett: Think they're fulfilling Matthew 25 by giving a gift basket to a needy family during the Christmas season, but support politicians and policies which hurt millions of the " Least of These."

Jason M Dye: i agree with most of your statement Tracy, but to say that something which is in the OT is therefore *not* Christian is a dangerous statement to make. i think i know where you're coming from, though.

Jennifer Avalon Redmond: Deny gay and lesbian people the right to marry.

The Christian Left: ‎"You can't be a Liberal and a Christian."

Peter J Foster: When dining out, leave religious tracts entitled "A Tip for You" (about salvation) instead of cash.

Lorraine Verdieck: Another one: The Rapture is coming anyway-- so why inhibit increasing prosperity by wasting money to save the environment???

Kim Harrah Petty: ‎"Pray the gay away."

Joanne Kirschner: They say, "Your church doesn't count because it's not really Christian (read: fundamentalist)."

Michaela Whitton: facilitate a recovery course for people to get well from addictions and then not let one of the participants lead a further course due to their sexuality!

Jonathon Edwards: “… and now all of you go and sin no more.”

The Christian Left: ‎"Utopia isn't possible on Earth, so we're not even going to try, on anything."

Tracy Clifton: Jason - you're correct, I over generalized. Some of the OT, such as the Ten Commandments, the prophets, etc are definitely an important part of Christianity. I get more frustrated with verses that directly contradict Jesus' teachings of love and peace, i.e. "An eye for an eye" being used to justify Christian behavior, when Jesus clearly said "turn the other cheek." Make sense?

Len Flett: Political leaders who publicly proclaim their Christianity, but their Foreign Policy and actions overseas set true Christianity back at least a century.

Don Richardson: Send money to TV "preachers".

Jason M Dye: yes, Tracy. fb comment sections don't leave much room for nuance. which is why i started blogging again. lol.

Tracy Clifton: lol yeah, I hear ya. It's all blurbs now, isn't it. Sigh.

Don Richardson: You know, we're touching on a lot of the reasons I lost my faith. My brothers and sisters in this group are helping me to find it again. :-)

Pamela Kemp: Where do I begin? Start wars, kill abortion doctors, kick people out of churches, burn books, disown children, judge people by their clothing, make-up, friends, etc.

Linda Chandler LaFever: convince children with unsaved parents that it is THEIR job to convert the parents or they will be responsible for their parents going to hell.

Alexander Hart-Smith: ‎1. 'there is no use on recycling considering the rapture is coming soon' 2.The anti snacking bill here in NZ had thousands of Christians protesting against it for one bible verse and ignoring the 3000 odd to help the poor.

Side note from The Christian Left: “The Rapture” is made-up hogwash and isn’t in the Bible. Jesus is coming back once. No encores.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-r-coats/whats-real-about-the-rapt_b_716688.html

Loren Parmley: Tell people that children that die and aren't baptized go to hell. They didn't read this verse: "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD; and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Psalm 127:3

Don Richardson: Expanding on Linda's comment, *assuming* that anyone else is "unsaved", whatever that means. That is not for us to judge.

Dave Smartt: Oppress women, LGBT people & place the pursuit of money above all else.

Dave Hopkins: Jesus is a Republican. If we vote for Republicans, we go to Heaven! Praise Jesus and pass me my ballot! And remember to NOT vote for those Commie, Pinko Democrats! Help us to remember all this, in Jesus Name! <with eyes="" rolling=""></with>

Sheila Parker Stone: Progressive Christians will be left behind....and the big.....OBAMA IS THE ANTICHRIST

Side note from The Christian Left: “The Rapture” is made-up hogwash and isn’t in the Bible. Jesus is coming back once. No encores.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-r-coats/whats-real-about-the-rapt_b_716688.html

The Christian Left: Think that they're blessed by God if they have a lot of money, and poor people are poor because they are not blessed by God (and therefore something must be wrong with them).

Bob Iltis: Build huge crosses and light them up all night long.

Alexandre Michel Templet: Vote Republican ;)

The Christian Left: ‎ 1 --- Mistake Unregulated, free-market capitalism (which leads to the robber-baron kind of capitalist feudalism we're seeing now) for a "responsible, Protestant work ethic".

2 --- Then think that the "Protestant work ethic" is God's work ethic, even though he measures responsibility by our love and giving to others ("Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ", Gal 6.2).

3 --- Then, because the GOP supports (big) business, mistake that for a support of the "Protestant work ethic = God's work ethic", and therefore GOP = God's Own Party. Also, because America has long worshiped the "Protestant work ethic", then that means America = God's country. ("America" here meaning, "capitalist feudal state America".)

4 --- So if you oppose any of the above, you are both un-American AND un-Christian, which in this case become the same thing. Therefore, America = God. So defending one means defending the other: see earlier comments about "guns".

Janie Toy Powell: Over-emphasizing sex

Kristyn Reid: Judge people. Think they/we know the mind of God. Assume they sufficiently understand the intent of every verse of the Bible when no one does...just for starters.

Nina Erickson: Judge others as they would NOT have themselves be judged.

Cynthia Almy Savage: Excusing every atrocity committed by Israel because the Jews are God's chosen people...

Nicole Conard Walters: Gossip, but call it group prayer.

Anthony Andrew George: Censorship and justifying hate crimes

Sarah Faust: Go on international mission trips to spread the word, but treat the immigrants in their own communities like lesser human beings and tell them to go back to Mexico, or India, or China or wherever.

Megan Rue: Have television shows where they ask their audience for money.

Jennifer Harris: I actually had a lady on my friends list deleting any friend she saw putting x-mas instead of Christmas because she said they had to keep Christ in Christmas...she deleted 5 people before I saw it and deleted myself

Jennifer Harris: I know some people who's children only get 3 gifts for Christmas, not because they can't afford to buy them more but because that is how many gifts Jesus got - then they try to justify cheating their own rules by combining gifts (i.e. getting a Wii and 6 games would go together and be one gift)

Jennifer Harris: And of course there is the ever present go to a restaurant and bark orders at your waitress who is working on Christmas to feed her kids and you leave her a buck cause your steak was medium and not medium rare or better yet you say you left all your cash for Jesus in the collection plate

John Merullo: Preach a gospel of prosperity.

Logan Judd: Vote for Republicans.

Celeste Peck: Gossip. Point out all the "bad" things other people do, in scandalized whispers, to make themselves feel sooo righteous in comparison.

Snoop. Pretend to be best friends with someone just to get the dirt, to go gossip about.

Meddle. Impose themselves, uninvited, right into the middle of another's personal affairs and justify it in the name of "Christian business". They offer generic advice while generating group hysteria on the side, with a plan to mob the victim of their "concern" with some type of group attack.

Outrage. Seems they’re always outraged at something.

David Koch: Being obsessed with censoring your swear words online, whilst having no problem with Torturing enemies of the US Imperial State.

Side Note from The Christian Left: You can’t be a Christian and be pro-torture in our opinion.  One of the few things we say that on.

Derek Wright: I hate it when fellow Christians fawn over establishment figures after listening to a hundred of homilies telling them otherwise ....

The Christian Left: Thinking they're somehow better than other people.

Linda Opella: Believe that Republicans are the 'Party of God"

Andrew Carter: Oh, yeah, I forgot "GET THE FAGS"

Side Note from The Christian Left: Hitler burned homosexuals in ovens too, and the disabled, and Gypsies (the Roma people). Nuff said.

Barbara Gordon: Post the following "Five Truths Liberals Hate" on your Facebook page while still calling yourself a "Christian":

"1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.

5. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

Side Note from The Christian Left: We’re debunking these 5 things in another note.

Wendy Harrington: Refuse to participate in the political process because we'll all be raptured away (fill in date here) anyway.

Side Note from The Christian Left: “The Rapture” is made-up hogwash and isn’t in the Bible. Jesus is coming back once. No encores.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-r-coats/whats-real-about-the-rapt_b_716688.html

Roxanne VanBokkelen: ‎"Pray, don't reason" - on a church in Ft. Myers

Grantly Scott: Oh man, where do I begin...the exercise of judgment vs. accountability (see the likes of Ted Haggard, Eddie Long, etc.); Preaching and teaching or referencing parts of the Bible while neglecting other areas...preaching a gospel of inclusion while being exclusionary in behavior and attitude...need I say more?

Pamela Smith: ‎"God helps those that help themselves", actually a Benjamin Franklin quote, I believe.

Side Note from The Christian Left: ... and not anywhere to be found in the Bible.

Pamela Smith: Oh, and going along that same line, they say the poor should "pull themselves up by their boot straps", but what if they don't have boots?!?!?

Pamela Smith: My sister actually told my mom, dad, me and my other sister we were not Christians and we were going to hell because we were voting for John Kerry. So much for 'honor thy mother and father'!!

Lori Ratcliff: @Barbara: Also, those "truths" assume that the wealthy "earned" their wealth fairly and ethically and many times they haven't. "Taking" from the wealthy, as it is called, is merely making them shoulder their fair share of responsibility for the services of a civilized society RATHER than leaning on the middle class. Is it fair for the unemployed people who desperately want a job but can't find one because they've been sent overseas? There are so many other things wrong with that reasoning, that I can't address them all here.

Joanna Wallace: Assume that scientific knowledge and religion can't coexist in the interpretation of scriptures.

Laurie Arends: Using the bible as a weapon, instead of seeing it as the best motivational tool... :)

Kathy Mullins: I loved your sarcastic humor, Barbara! Rest assured I knew that it was sarcastic. Well, I can tell you of one "Christian" I saw driving by with bumper stickers with anti gay epithets all over her car and with various "Christian" slogans excusing her bigotry. NASTY NASTY NASTY!! Now that woman does not fit my definition of a Christian.

Kathy Mullins: PS My pastor is a lesbian married woman with a beautiful daughter. They are a lovely family and to hate them is NOT family values! Proud to be Episcopalian and an Ally!!!

Celia R. Javadi: Like praying for a divorced woman to meet more women?

Sam Mayer: Praying to God to win a war.

Jeffrey Huppert: They shun their relatives and friends.