An interesting article on Christianity and boundaries

[AngryDem001]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/excommunications/2015/05/christianity-has-a-major-boundary-problem/

The article describes how the concept of personal boundaries is completely foreign to the Christian religion, esp. in regards to sex.

[beam me up scottie]

1. A good read, very personal.

I have to agree with their assessment re christianity teaching people that they're broken:

Most versions of Christianity show little to no respect for personal or relational boundaries. Keep in mind, these are belief systems that say you are so very bad that you deserve to be punished forever, and in order to make amends for that, Jesus had to be tortured and killed for it instead of you. That’s how despicable you are. Entire nations have been destroyed just to provide an object lesson in what God will do to those who don’t get right with him.

I know, right? That’s awful. And yes, I know there are other versions of this religion which have discarded the penal substitutionary view of the atonement (because who cares how the Bible actually interprets itself, right?), but even those kinder gentler versions can’t seem to shake the dogmatic belief that people are fundamentally broken. If we weren’t fundamentally messed up then why would we need saving in the first place? And saved from what, ourselves?

The brilliance of modern Christianity lies in its ability to sugar coat this message, reframing it in entirely positive sounding terms. “We want you to have the best life possible! We’re offering you a priceless gift! If you turn it down you’ll be missing out!” That’s good marketing, honestly, and it sells well. People and institutions have made millions from it. But underneath the saccharine, smiley surface lies a profoundly disturbing message: You are so incomplete and insufficient as a human being that you will never be okay without what we have to offer you. Happiness and fulfillment are impossible apart from what we are trying to sell you. You must have this or your life will have been wasted.

Not being the product of religious upbringing I can only give an outsider's version of what it's like to look in.

This person has a very different and interesting perspective

Rec.

[mr blur]

2. Great article, but to those of us not living in the US culture,

it seems unbelievable that someone would have to plan with his wife whom they could tell that he didn't believe in God. I just can't imagine a culture where anyone really cares.

Sure, there are people here who are believers and who would possibly think you were doomed, but on the whole they're seen as the sad, weird ones.

[Novara]

3. "I just can't imagine a culture where anyone really cares. "

Here in America they do. Why? Because it's a way to judge if you're worthy of the tribe or not. You are judged on what you believe or what you don't believe. Mostly I keep my mouth shut unless someone else lets it slip that they don't believe in god.

It's not something you offer up for general perusal, because the vast majority of people say they do believe and they will judge you.