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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

It is unreasonable to expect a friend not to send me this in an email?

102 replies

delphinedownunder · 07/09/2010 04:18

I have been sent this in an email by a christian friend. I am not religious at all (and she knows it) and I work fulltime. It feels like a personal dig and I am deeply offended by its content - especially the stuff about headaches, music (Christian music - yikes - spare me) and good causes. Who reads and believes this nonsense? AIBU to think this is absolute crap? Does it have any merit? Bombard me with opinions and comments please!

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.
In his opening address he said,
"We can't keep Christians from going to church."
"We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth."
"We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior."
"Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken."

"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.."

"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:

"Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.

"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."
"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."
"Keep them from spending time with their children."
"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice."
"Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive." "To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly."
"This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."
"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."
"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."
"Invade their driving moments with billboards."
"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes."
"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives."

"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night."
Give them headaches too!
"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere."
"That will fragment their families quickly!"

"Give them Santa Clause to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas."
"Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death."

"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive."
"Have them return from their recreation exhausted."
"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. "Keep them busy, busy, busy!"

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."
"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus."
"Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."
"It will work!" "It will work!"

It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there.
Having little time for their God or their families.
Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.
I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?

You be the judge!!!!!
Does "BUSY" mean: Being Under Satan's Yoke?

OP posts:
Species8472 · 07/09/2010 08:30

Bloody hell. Delete it and then spam her inbox with crap, see how she likes it. As others have said this is in no way representative of most Christians. My parents are pretty full-on born-againers and they wouldn't dream of sending anything like this excrement.

InWithTheITCrowd · 07/09/2010 08:31

I?d like to thank the devil for Santa Claus, though - I love Santa!

DuelingFanjo · 07/09/2010 08:32

I would reply to all and in particular I would mention the following passage

"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes."

and point out that you don't appreciate your in-box being flooded woth this kind of junk mail and would prefer it if they remove you from the mailing list.

BalloonSlayer · 07/09/2010 08:35

I am a Christian and we often get sermons saying that you are more likely to hear the voice of God if you slow it all down a bit. But nothing like this (we are members of the Church of England Wink )

It's utter shite and shows total ignorance of history, or of everything really. Does the writer sincerely think that the worker of 150 years ago had plenty of time on their hands for leisure and prayer? They worked from dawn till dusk 6 days a week, men AND women!

Oh I could go on. But LOL at the idea of non-Christian music being played all day on radios being dreadful. Can you imagine Christian music being played all day? Yikes!

Mowiol · 07/09/2010 08:36

Delphinedownunder - Do not worry about the content of this e-mail. If I understand you correctly are you concerned there is something truthful in it?
It's rubbish but as someone suggested above - go and have a word with a minister/priest {a "proper" traditional one).
Then e-mail your friend back and ask her why she sent it to you. Call her on it, make her explain.
I'm atheist but I have friends with faith and they would no more believe this sort of tripe than I would.

BalloonSlayer · 07/09/2010 08:38

In fact I might be tempted to email back with:

"Did you see the line about 'Flood their inboxes with junk mail.'

"In accordance with your offensive message, I am therefore blocking you as you are clearly doing the work of the devil."

puddlepuss · 07/09/2010 08:43

What a load of bollocks! I hate this kind of crap. I'm Christian and I get so pissed off that this kind of drivel is what people may think I think. I was taught that God is by your side throughout everything and I can't really picture him getting narked off and tapping his foot while he waits for me to finish the hoovering.

pigletmania · 07/09/2010 08:45

I am a Christian but find that e mail a bit Hmm

loopyloops · 07/09/2010 08:53

Someone on here used a brilliant phrase the other day, perhaps you could send it back to her?:

Religion is like a penis.
It's ok to have one.
It's good to be proud of it.
It's great to have fun with it.
But please don't whip it out in public and start waving it around,
And PLEASE don't try to shove it down my children's throats.

Or more seriously, you could email her with your objections. I would.

Bumpsadaisie · 07/09/2010 09:11

I'm a christian and regular churchgoer (not very fervent though, more of the ever-doubting C of E type).

I think the basic premise of the message is corret, ie that the busyness of modern life and the drive to earn enough to buy our very expensive houses etc is not necessarily great for our mental, physical, emotional or spiritual health.

(Although lets not forget too the great things about the modern world - technology, science, ability to fight disease, the fact that we are civilised - no one is locked up arbitrarily any more, justice at least attempts to be objective and not arbitrary, and there is a general ethos in our society of trying to be tolerant and understanding).

However I don't believe in Satan, and I would never send a message such as this, particularly not to a friend who was not a churchgoer. I don't see it as my business to try and convert people. If people are going to get something out of Christianity, I think it needs to be something they discover for themselves.

But take away the Satan element, and I do think there are some truths in the message sent. Relationships do suffer if people are constantly stressed by working long hours and trying to scrape enough money to pay huge mortgages. We do sometimes miss the refreshing things in life which are free becuase we are too fixated on spending money etc etc. Mind you I don't think this is a ploy by Satan!

NewbeeMummy · 07/09/2010 09:20

What BalloonSlayer said...

She's obvious working for the devil as she is doing exactly what her email warns of,

"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail"

I'm a church goer - although since the birth of my dd I haven't been as much as I would like, but intend to start going again, when life settles done and we're not inundated with guests every weekend.

I think this is way OTT, I'm very much of the mind set of let people believe what they want as long as they keep it to themselves and they're not harming anyone.

lisad123isgoingcrazy · 07/09/2010 09:21

Im religious but would never send this out and dont agree with it either.

puddlepuss · 07/09/2010 09:29

Fab post Bumpsadaisie

bubbleymummy · 07/09/2010 09:31

I think you're over reacting a bit. I find it much less offensive than some forwards I get. If it wasn't to do with Christianity would you be on here ranting about it?Delete it and email her to say you don't like receiving forwards and then get on with your day :) I actually agree with some posters that there is an important message in there. I find it a bit sad that so many posters seem to take any opportunity to Christian bash. Would you post similar things about other religions? Probably not.

boiledegg1 · 07/09/2010 09:32

YANBU, I hate spam and chain email type messages with a passion, but I am going to go against the flow and tell you that you are being oversensitive. I very much doubt it was a personal dig at your lifestyle. Your friend probably sent it because she related to it and thought you might as well. I say this as a busy mum that sometimes puts in a fifty hour week, so I know what it's like.

Ignore, or ask the friend to stop sending them.

boiledegg1 · 07/09/2010 09:33

x posts bubbleymummy

Riddo · 07/09/2010 09:35

I am a christian but I can't stand this type of stuff. I get loads of this sort of thing from another christian friend which always have the same tag line - " send this to X people you love including me". I never send them and always delete them but she hasn't got the message.

If it really has upset you, wheich it clearly has, then I would email her and let her know.

My solution to the ones from my friend (who is incredibly easily offended) is just to delete them without reading them first.

sanielle · 07/09/2010 09:38

VCR and cassettes?! Bit retro.

GooseyLoosey · 07/09/2010 09:42

I don't think the OP is being over sensitive - this is different from Spam in that it has been sent to her by a friend who knows her views on religion. That makes an e-mail that would otherwise be mildly irritating into one that is offensive and rude.

I too would e-mail back and ask whether this was intended as a criticism of your life style and was it indended as such? If she replies with anything along the lines of yes, there is really no further point in you being freinds.

neuroticrobotic · 07/09/2010 10:00

Tell her you just got rid of a headache and you're feeling very perky and awake and that your husband wants some love.

You'll read it once you've had a good, hard shag!

boiledegg1 · 07/09/2010 10:03

No sorry, she's being oversensitive. I'm not religious either but if a genuine friend sent this to me then I wouldn't assume the worst of them. I'd just delete it and get on with my life like I do with all the other emails that come into my inbox that I'm not interested in. I am not sure we are getting the whole story here.

boiledegg1 · 07/09/2010 10:04

neurotic Grin

pluperfect · 07/09/2010 10:07

I'm with moondog, bumpsadaisie, puddlepuss and puddlemummy. There are some important points in the e-mail. We do spend too much time surrounded by noise (in recognition of how dangerous it can be to be distracted while on the road, I never have R4 on while driving, as too hard to tune out); we don't see enough of one another; we do often work long hours either to afford things we don't need or work too long in order to afford what we do need.

I do strongly object to the bit about the sex, though. What about women's need for sex? And neither men nor women are justified in cheating if this need is not met.

UnquietDad · 07/09/2010 10:11

"Non-biblical music." FFS, has this person ever tried to listen to Stryper? Or that bunch of twats De-fucking-lirious? Now that's the music of the devil! :)

Seriously, that email betrays a deep level of insecurity on the part of the sender, as well as a great deal of smugness - and, it has to be said, an awful lot of childishness.

sallyseton · 07/09/2010 10:12

Boiledegg- it's prophaganda. I would react in the same way to any other religion being shoved down my throat.

I don't think anyone here has indulged in any Christian-bashing at all? In fact it has been very respectful.

The op is NOT over-reacting, this chain letter is condescending and passive-agressive and she should seriously be considering evaluating the friendship.

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