Evangelical Christians superiority complex???

[headache]

Let me try to explain this, I work with a few young Christians which is fine, great I have absolutely no problem with religion (FWIW I am an atheist married to a RC, my DC raised RC) I am happy for anyone who finds comfort in religion the work is a hard enough place and if religion brings you peace great.

What I do find strange is that they seem to have this superiority complex that unless you are a Christian you are a lesser person. Jim wouldn’t do that he’s a Christian, Sues a lovely person she’s a Christian etc. In addition, their whole personality/life is based around being a Christian, attending lots of events etc and they will only socialise with other Christians. They have said they won’t marry someone who is not a Christian and they don’t agree with gay/trans people. They also seem very intolerant of other religions which I found very surprising as I thought Christianity was about peace and love. With it being Eid recently I was talking about it and was immediately shut down yet they talk constantly about Christianity.

I was brought up culturally Christian, went to Sunday school etc and it wasn’t never like this so is it evangelical churches or just these few or a new thing?

Ultimately, though, I don’t think it would be unjust for anyone to go to hell because everyone deserves it if that makes sense.

But surely an omnipotent and all-loving God could have handled that far better in the first place? It’s very hard to believe that what happened to Jesus was in the original plan (assuming there was a plan) because that would have been masochism / sadism for the sake of it.

Assuming you don’t believe that the Garden of Eden is literally true, there must still have been some kind of huge cock-up because it’s really difficult to believe that a God of Love wanted to fill the world with people who deserved to go to hell.

I'll follow the religion that can unequivocally guarantee with absolute proof that I will see my deceased loved ones again after my own death. That's not too much to ask is it? I don't have faith that there is anything when my life is over. So I don't have any religion.

I have a moral compass though, and hope that'll do while I'm here.

Feeling like someone’s “project” is a horrible experience. I can’t imagine where the idea came from about crafting. Sounds most peculiar.

Over the years I've come to realise my in laws are evangelical Christians, I knew they were Christian church goers but hadn't quite understood what kind of church. One day they told me about their pastor's amazing sermon, he was advocating beating children 😲😡 They thought he was wonderful 🙄 That was when I realised this was some strange kind of church! And for some strange reason they don't like charity workers or volunteers, they sneer at them.

Fil delights in saying nasty things about people less fortunate in life than himself, he's also a racist. I was brought up Catholic and I couldn't understand how they are so smug about their religion, and how they are definitely going to heaven. Fil still tells dh and I we will go to hell if we don't join a church like his.

My late DH was an atheist and I am a Christian. We had spirited debates and disagreements over the many years we were together but he was a good, kind man who would do anything to help anyone out and if he's rejected by God because of that and going to Extreme Evangelical Hell, well I don't want any part of the alternative. I don't believe it works that way though, because I have more faith in God as a loving Father than that.

@EmpressaurusKittyJesus’ Passion was the plan all along because God knew humans would sin + I do believe in a literal Garden of Eden. I appreciate that I won’t convince anyone here as the rationale is so alien to our human minds (which is why it requires faith!) but was just explaining so others could understand & I could understand them better.

people often bring up “all loving”. I entirely believe God is all loving because He is God, but He defines “love”. I don’t think it’s our modern understanding of being nice if that makes sense? I think it’s a deeper, biblically defined love.

This couple had very clear, stereotyped ideas about the roles of men and women and what girls should be trained to do would include domestic chores and activities like knitting - that's where the crafting came in.

I don't think these stereotyped views are representative of evangelical Christians, just of a couple of oddballs with strange ideas.
I worship at and work for an evangelical Anglican church and I don't recognise those views at all. Our church has more women in leadership roles than men, men and women, single or married, are completely equal.

Well, I'm not sure they are odd balls in their world. I would think they are into the "trad wife" movement, which is very popular atm, more so in the US than here, but pretty popular with conservatives.

I think it’s always easy to fixate on random acquaintances who are a bit odd and extrapolate from their attitudes and behaviours that the totality of their co-religionists must be somewhat the same. A general antipathy towards religious beliefs only adds fuel to that particular fire.

i remember watching an episode of Midsomer Murders many years ago in which a really strange “Christian” couple played a large part. I couldn’t recognise their attitudes or behaviours as in any way resembling my lived reality as a Christian. That was fine; I was watching a rather daft TV programme . However, tonight I’m getting much the same feeling from reading this thread.

And I can’t help wondering how acceptable it would be if instead of “Evangelical Christians superiority complex ??? ” the thread named and excoriated another religion? Just a thought.

Elderberry went to church, she never missed a Sunday
Elderberry went to hell, for what she did on Monday . . . .

Christians who get smug aren't concentrating.

btw, I have met that attitude in Evangelical Christians - something about being 'saved' and an insistence that that is enough. James 2.26 Faith without works is dead . . .

people often bring up “all loving”. I entirely believe God is all loving because He is God, but He defines “love”. I don’t think it’s our modern understanding of being nice if that makes sense? I think it’s a deeper, biblically defined love.

It might not be about being "nice" but I think in a Christian sense it was defined by Jesus who certainly expected His followers to behave in a loving and non judgemental way towards each other.

I think the people of no religion, no belief who are decent and good and behave self sacrificially (and they do, many of them) with no hope in their minds of any afterlife are actually following Christ's teaching in a more real way than those who wag their fingers and say "you won't be there unless..." when Heaven is discussed. They also exist, we know they do.

Always thought this, nothing to do with my late DH in case anyone thinks I'm looking for a pass for him. I also know I'm far from being the only Christian who has this belief.

I was brought up evangelical. I'm not any more. Left that one a long time ago and can't go back. The church I go to now has far more room for doubts / questions / wonder about God.
I'm not sure it's so much a superiority complex that some evangelicals have, it's more the sense that they're 'right' and their interpretation of the bible is the 'right' one (with the implication that everyone else isn't up to to the mark). I find that often to be quite a narrow view though... it puts God in boxes and neatly tied up theology and answers, and doesn't always allow for the huge grace, love, mercy and 'unknowable-ness' of God.
Great is the mystery of faith, and all that.....

I’m not religious at all but this resonates with me.

I can’t deal with people who think they are 100% correct in anything: it seems so utterly narcissistic and self-righteous.

This is really interesting - so do you believe that God created Eve from Adam’s rib because he wanted company? I want to be clear that I’m not taking the piss. I’m genuinely curious & thinking aloud.

I wonder what God’s plans were for perpetuating the human race before having that idea, because presumably Adam had viable sperm when he was created.

Incidentally, the idea of putting barbs on cat penises was pretty vicious.

For me the whole Old Testament cycle of God telling people what to do, people saying 'oh good, glad you're on our side God, whatever you say', then going on an doing whatever they wanted to do regardless of offered covenants, commandments, prophetic insights and so one, was only resolved when God became flesh.

Then God experienced what living in an aching, hungry, human body is like, what the total dependence of the young or ill or frail actually feels like from the inside, knew emotions like love and fear and anger. Our imagination is limited, and God is so different from the 'dust of the earth' part of our being.

Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Like so much else in St John's Gospel, that is reflexive. The Father could only come to us through Jesus' experience, his life and his death and his continuing life. Which is why it was and is uniquely transformative. God is outside time, but we are locked in it.

I’ve always wondered at the idea that God didn’t experience love or anger or any other emotions until He experienced them in the Person of Christ. That seems to be an image of God very much at odds with His revelation of Himself in scripture.

Didn’t the Old Testament God lose his temper sometimes & then feel sorry afterwards?

That doesn’t ring any bells with me. Have you a reference?

It’s been a long time since I’ve read the bible but I think I’m thinking of Noah’s Ark & the rainbow.

I don’t see anything in that event that fits the description you gave, no.

Ok.

Exodus 32:10-14 will do @LeaningOnTheEverlastingArms

And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

@Undruggedit’s not that I feel superior or am narcissistic for thinking I’m right about everything. I think God is right about everything & He wrote the Bible, so I think the Bible is right about everything. It’s not that I think I’m so amazing so I know it all! I have to change a lot of what I think to fit with the Bible. But when people have ideas that are unbiblical, it’s not that I think less of them, but I can’t really engage with the “unknowableness” because I think it is known because God lays it out in the Bible. Others are totally entitled to their views & I’ll always be respectful & not challenge them but at the end of the day, I try not to cherry pick the Bible because it’s the Word of God