When did so many (not all) "christians" become hateful psychopaths?

[ladym55]

91. It's been a long-term process

I first noticed it in the 1970s when I left the progressive east coast for a small college in Ohio. I met my first fundies, a Christian college group who knew their bible better than theology faculty (in their own minds, anyway) and pressed all to accept Jesus and take the bible literally. They have spread like a cancer across the country. They take the teachings of the New Testament and gloss over the "socialist parts" and focus on personal redemption, which is a few specific verses they take out of context that justify THEM at the expense of others.

I expect this version of "Christianity" has polluted the South for generations and has spread north.

Fundamentalism in all faiths is a fear response to rapid change. The latter part of the 20th century saw rapid change in American society. People felt threatened and ran to the images sold by the fundies. Their big thing is "traditional family," which is white, blonde, and highly patriarchal. There is a good book by Karen Armstrong, The Battle for God, that looks at the growth of fundamentalism in the three major monotheistic religions.

And if you want to hear about the teachings of Jesus? I highly recommend the comedian John Fugelsang, who knows his bible inside and out and takes on all fundies. And if you want to see a modern-day Christian in action, check out Michael Moore. He took the "do unto others" and "whatever you do for the least of these" to heart. (Those are a few of those troublesome verses fundies tend to ignore.)