Have you ever seen someone so holier than thou

[mtnsnake]

running about, doing their thing, only to find out that years ago they were anything BUT holy?

Have you ever seen anyone so morality conscious, only to find out that they were anything BUT moral in their younger days? (Dr Laura is one example.)

Have you ever seen anyone so outwardly anti-abortion, only to find out that they or their daughter had a secret abortion or two in their life when they were young?

I find that so many of these right wing fundamentalist neocon assholes, who run around preaching the Gospel, are just advocating their goody-two-shoes agendas for the sake of covering up their own past skeletons...or for the sake of making the sheep think they've changed and could never act like that again. They always go to the extreme just to make sure that no one would ever suspect them of being guilty of the very things they denounce. Ever notice that? I don't know how many times I've run across some extremist right winger morality freak...be it a preacher, a politician, a neighbor, a co-worker, or just a local acquaintance...only to find out later that they were no angel themselves at one time.

I'm sure there are some sincere advocates out there, but I suspect that people like Bush, Frist, Delay, and thousands just like them, fall into this category. They're covering their own skeletons by hiding under the cloak. Fucking hypocrites.

[sui generis]

spaz double post delete

[sui generis]

1. we see that a lot in homophobes for sure

there's something they hate about themselves, so they direct that hatred at everyone else.

[ixion]

2. As Mark Twain said:

"Never trust a man without a vice."

Which means, in essence: "don't trust people who claim to be holier than you are." ;-)

[Az]

3. There is an interesting aspect of zealotry

Often times people are drawn to a zealous religious belief system due to their own inner demons. If a person has a trait or habit that is a social taboo or worse they will often try to find a way to deny that aspect of themself. The promise of strong religious belief contains an aspect of redemption for these people that is very attractive.

Thus they turn to the religion in hopes that it will purge their "evil" tendencies. But of course it is seldom equipped to deal with such matters. Instead it masks it for a while or covers it up. Or worse on occaisions it provides a platform to ensnare others if their particular problem is predatory in nature.

[Straight Shooter]

4. Speaking of secret abortions, someone please correct my memory ...

I would almost swear that years ago I read an article which discussed that Pat Robertson's wife, with his agreement, had an abortion. They were very young at the time not "filled with the spirit of God" or some such phraseology.

I haven't been able to find confirmation on the 'Net about this. Like I said, it was years ago, probably 10 years ago. Does anyone know more info about whether this is true or not?

Incidentally, you're right. You would think that having strayed at one time in their lives from the straight and narrow path, that people would have more compassion and/or understanding of those who live a different lifestyle. But it seems to only make their hearts harder in many cases, like a reformed smoker is often the one who most berates those who smoke around them.

[Fridays Child]

5. I still think that, when Jenna Bush had her "emergency appendectomy..."

...back in December of 2000, it actually might have been an emergency fetusectomy. Rather tinfoil hattish of me, I know, because I don't have a damned thing to support such a contention. I just wonder and always have.

[Surya Gayatri]

6. Probably a lot of

"cognitive dissonance" generated by underlying and unresolved conflicts. Basically they're f'ed up for one reason or another, and then dump their emotional trash cans over the rest of us. I've often thought that most of them need long-term, deep therapy; but, strangely enough,
:sarcasm:

you rarely find these kind of people in any sort of serious individual or group therapy (unless you count "Scientology" or "Est" in that category. SG

[MsTryska]

7. As my dad used to say.....

Holyrollers usually have something they need to repent.

I've always thought of extreme jesusfreaks as generally corrupt.

people who don't sin on a regular basis usually don't feel so guilty.

[mtnsnake]

9. My dad was also the first one who taught me this

just like what your dad taught you.

[seabeyond]

8. that is what is so f*in funny. no kidding. highschool catholic friends

would tell me i was going to hell, because i was not confessing my sins to a priest. i was pretty good, didnt hurt others, kind, didnt do much wrong in highschool. i didnt rebel agianst pareants, no drugs, no alcohol, hung out on weekends with parents. you know not sinnin

my catholic friends were drinking playing and playing. inside out underwear and all. lol lol . telling me i was going to hell. adn since that hypocrisy i consistantly see those that tell me i am going to go to hell are the everyones breaking all the christian rules as they excuse it with we are all sinners. but i....... am going to hell.

yes

that is what makes it so easy to chalenge these people. i hae just bottomline reduced it to "i will take on walking the walk anytime of the day with you. never are they talking about me, it is when they say, dems arent family value. k,.... bring it on. i am a dem. dems arent christian, again bring it on.....

oh they take it back so quick, bt i also tell them, when tthey say these things, the are talking about me. maybe they ought to think twice on the judging

[Kierkegaard]

10. Oh yes. They are out there.

I remember a fitting anecdote that occurred a number of years ago. A Baptist minister was raising holy hell in the local media about an outdoor theater that used to run adult films on weekends after midnight. The complaint was that if you parked your car along the main thoroughfare in just the right spot, you could see a small portion of the screen over the fence. Nevermind that it was illegal to park there. The pressure was enough to make the owners stop showing the films.

One Saturday night not long afterward, this minister, along with members of the city council, the mayor and some other cronies were discovered watching 8mm porn flicks in the basement of the courthouse. In the dead of night. Off duty. Unannounced.

They tried to explain it away as an 'educational' meeting to help them shape future ordinances on porn (the sheriff was there, too.) Mmm hmm. Sure.

As a footnote, this minister later locked his wife and son out of the house, in the dead of winter, after administering a sound thrashing. The wife and son walked to the nearest telephone and called the police. The guy was arrested for spousal battery and possession of illegal substances. Never appeared on radio, TV or in the newspaper(welcome to the bible belt.) I was a jock at the time and tried to push the story past the manager of the station where I worked, but was threatened with unemployment if I tried it. Can't allow anything sharp to get near that balloon of false reality.

[distantearlywarning]

11. My grandmother

Very religious, always in everyone else's business. Bitched and bitched and bitched for years about the fact that my parents didn't take me to church, was mad that I lived with my (now) husband for years prior to marriage. Never fails to mention Jesus and sinning in every single letter she sends me. 100% moralizing, busybody fundie through and through.

What she doesn't know is that my mother and I found out that she changed her wedding date by one year in all the family albums and records. She put it back by one year. Guess why? Because my dad was born, oh, about 2.5 months "early" according to the real date. They had a very rushed wedding too, at a justice of the peace.

Funny how the biggest judgers of other people's motes always have such gigantic logs themselves.

The saddest thing about all of this is that if she had just admitted that she made a "mistake" (for that day and age) and let it be known openly in the family, none of us would have criticized her or thought badly of her. Finding out about it after years of her preaching and bitching made me sincerely hate her and think she was a total hypocrite. And she's a very lonely old woman now because she drove all the family members away with her fundie "holier-than-thou" attitudes.