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kellinatorDear Everyone Who's Whining About What a Terrible Man St. Patrick Was and How Pagans Are So Oppressed,
I was looking forward to an evening of St. Patrick's Day fun with friends, so forgive me for being a little bit cranky about all the vitriol being launched on here today.
Are we Christians supposed to spend the day apologizing for St. Patrick converting Ireland fifteen hundred years ago? I'm no expert in Druidic practices, but how do we really know that the Druids were happy-love-everybody people and St. Patrick was a jerk determined to make sure no one was having a good time? It's not as simple as pagans good/Patrick bad (nor, I suppose, as simple as Patrick good/pagans bad). Imagine you're the person who got picked for the human sacrifice and see if you still think so.
Christianity is not all about hate and oppression, no matter what Jerry Falwell tells you. It's got some good ideas about kindness to one's fellow man. Many terrible sins have been committed in the name of Christ, but much good has been done too.
A lot of people out there seem to demand toleration for everyone but Christians. I almost didn't make this post because I knew it would piss people off, but that would be denying what I feel and what I believe. If it's okay for you to express your faith, then it's okay for me to express mine. I may be a lousy excuse for a Christian, but I still am one. If you want religious toleration, I think that's terrific, but you ought to have some for the Christians too. We progressive Christians have got enough to worry about with retaking our faith from the Pharisees currently in charge without having to constantly apologize for being Christian.
And I'm fucking terrified of snakes, so St. Patrick, you're okay in my book.
I was looking forward to an evening of St. Patrick's Day fun with friends, so forgive me for being a little bit cranky about all the vitriol being launched on here today.
Are we Christians supposed to spend the day apologizing for St. Patrick converting Ireland fifteen hundred years ago? I'm no expert in Druidic practices, but how do we really know that the Druids were happy-love-everybody people and St. Patrick was a jerk determined to make sure no one was having a good time? It's not as simple as pagans good/Patrick bad (nor, I suppose, as simple as Patrick good/pagans bad). Imagine you're the person who got picked for the human sacrifice and see if you still think so.
Christianity is not all about hate and oppression, no matter what Jerry Falwell tells you. It's got some good ideas about kindness to one's fellow man. Many terrible sins have been committed in the name of Christ, but much good has been done too.
A lot of people out there seem to demand toleration for everyone but Christians. I almost didn't make this post because I knew it would piss people off, but that would be denying what I feel and what I believe. If it's okay for you to express your faith, then it's okay for me to express mine. I may be a lousy excuse for a Christian, but I still am one. If you want religious toleration, I think that's terrific, but you ought to have some for the Christians too. We progressive Christians have got enough to worry about with retaking our faith from the Pharisees currently in charge without having to constantly apologize for being Christian.
And I'm fucking terrified of snakes, so St. Patrick, you're okay in my book.
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Date: 2005-03-17 08:29 pm (UTC)Exactly. The religious right is not all that Christianity is about. One of my pet peeves are groups who sit back and say, "Oh but Christians oppress everyone," when there are groups in their own area of religion that do the same thing. It has more to do with people than relgion anyway. And we all know how people can be, don't we?
Christianity has a wonderfully rich history that has both good and bad elements. Oh. Wait a minute. What group doesn't have that?! The argument that people have been killing the name of God for 2000 years is true, of course. But most any soldier, invader, raider, butcher, baker, and candlestickmaker walks into their field of battle with some form of deity on their tongue. So doesn't that mean they are all killing in the name of god?
You absolutely should not have to apologize for being Christian, Kelly. It's ridiculous. Now, the fuckheads who are bastardizing the religion and continuing these issues, well, maybe they have something to apologize for, but you know what? There's this little thing in this country called freedom of religion. And while it is easier to be some religions as opposed to others, it's a lot better than it was say during the Reformation, when people were being burned as heretics although they were all supposedly worshipping the same god. Last time I checked, Jane down the street wasn't being put on a stake and burned because she was a nice fluffbunny pagan, and Joe, just around the block, wasn't being dragged off to the city square because he prays to Allah. Yes, we have religious persecution in this country, but it comes from all sides, not just from Christians, and it sure is a lot better than even America's past history has been.
And this came out a lot longer and more annoyed than I meant.