h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Justin:

Again you've demonstrated your true colours. I pray for your poor, misguided soul. I'm saddened that you've chosen to slap a hand extended in true fellowship.

Perhaps one day you will realize. I'll be happy to hear from you then.

http://www.christian-witness.org/archives/cetf2000/yourletters62.html

"Can I however make a suggestion?" and if you don't like it, you are going to hell....

"I am a licensed minister you could say." Or you could say he wasn't....

"Sin and error is much less likely to enter in any substantial way where churches have a multiplicity of elders without pompous titles, (which I am entitled to use)." I see, Justin is allowed a pompous title and no one else is.... I was going to suggest "His Holiness Fathead of Bruton" but won't... cause that would be evil.

"The "pastor" inevitably ends up inserting himself between the LORD and His people." ... I seem to recall Justing calling himself a pastor recently..... I guess he means anyone else who is a pastor, not him.....

"it is not for me to tell you what to do in your organisation"... and yet, he does...

Anhaga,

I am very sorry that you think that I do not have any spiritual discernment, and that I cannot tell the difference between a nominal and a Christian. I know exactly what you and your master are up to.

". . . that I cannot tell the difference between a nominal and a Christian."

You can't.

Given that Justin's version of Christianity is one of many I am always amazed that he considers his own version to be The One And Only acceptable version.

My take is that he desperately needs his version to be the Only One for reasons best known to himself. But that does not make him right.

az

Aw! Come on people leave the troll with his big important bridge to guard against the heathen scum that must be kept from the gates of heaven lest god should be offended.You know what you should really do is up and leave this world i.e. the material world and do what the early christians did make your world outside of this cesspool that you think the rest of us inhabit .Leave all thi and set up your own little world where the nasty people can't hurt you anymore (because you have been hurt,i dont think you would be so dismissive of others credo Nothing is an absolute fact .if two people can't aggree about a rainbow then it all gets shaky from then on
If the hereafter is populated by people like you just send me to the place where they are a minority please

Becoming (or passing yourself off as) a Christian fundamentalist

(a)Learn to respond to everything said with the word 'Amen'. Learn to enlongate this, i.e., Ameeeeeen or Arrrrrmen. So if someone says 'The pastor's sermon was very spiritual wasn't it?', or 'The church congregation is becoming larger', you reply 'Aaaameeeen!', or 'Amennnnnnnn!'. The longer the better.

If you want to really appear as a truly spiritual fundy, just respond to absolutely everything said with an 'Amen', e.g., even if you are told 'My mother has just been violently murdered', you simply reply 'Ammmmmen!'. It doesn't matter in what context it is said, because virtually everything said by a fundy is meaningless anyway.

You should also learn to say this throughout the religious service, particularly at the end of each sentence uttered by the pastor. Some people may find it mildly annoying but that is because they are just unspiritual.

After some practice (six weeks is recommended), you can start using other words/phrases, e.g., 'Hallelujah' or 'Lordy, Lordy' or 'Sweet Jesus'. These allow a considerable amount of flexibility. For example 'Sweet Jeeeeeezuuuuusssss!' or 'Halleluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuujah'.

If you want to make youself look like a 'super-spiritual fundy', then wait for the quietest time during the whole service and then suddenly shriek at the top of your voice 'O yes, Lordy Lordy, How great is your name!' O Lordy, Lordy, Lordy, Yes! Yes! Yes!'; then continue to repeat 'O yes Lord! Jezuuuuusss!' over and over again but continually make this quieter until it is barely audible.

This makes it appear as if you've just been overpowered by the Spirit (who caused the loud shriek) and has now departed having made his presence known to the congregation through you personally because you are so spiritual; the barely-audible mumbling is the after-effect of God personally using you to declare his will to his elect.

(b)Also learn how to contort your face: when a preacher says 'The Spirit is here! He is moving amongst you', make yourself look as if you are suffering from severe chronic constipation. Screw up your face and twist your mouth up into your nose. If you really want to look as something is happening to you, bury your face in your hands and while covered from view, slap some black mascara on your eyes so you look as if your eyes are disappearing into your skull (this is caused by the Spirit's pressure).

Learn to move your arms about while prayer or singing; pretend you are 'treading water' in a swimming pool except that the leg movements are not required. However if you want to include the leg movements as well, then go ahead as this will make you look even stranger and therefore more 'spiritual' to your fellow-fundies.

(c)Learn certain parts of the Bible by heart; you will discover that many Christians who have Bibles the size of a large wall safe are actually very ignorant of the contents. Remember to ignore the many bits that do not fit in with fundamentalism and just concentrate on writings such as John or Romans. Under no circumstances, ever, read James with its emphasis on 'works'.

When you open your Bible during the pastor's rambling sermon, make sure everyone around you sees masses of coloured pen notations and underlining on the open pages of your Bible. You will then be deemed am eminent Bible scholar able to discuss anything related to the faith, no matter how little you actually know. Practice denouncing world-famous atheist philosophers/theologians; while they may have had decades of academic learning and you are barely able to read a comic, this should not deter you from arguing against them because after all, they are all demon-led hellfire-bound SOBs.

(d)Make sure you only ever read fundy books, i.e., the ones that insist that the Gospel of John was actually written by the apostle John, and that form criticism, source criticism and redaction criticism are all the devil's work in the last days. Go for those books that believe the world was created in 4004 BC; read up a few cheap fundy booklets on the subject and then speak on the subject as if you are a renowned scholar who has researched the subject all your life.

Remember: only buy books written by fundies with degrees or doctorates given by fundy Bible Colleges. Quote fundy writers as if they are academics respected by thinkers of all differing opinions even though outside fundamentalism no one has even heard of them.

(e)When your ignorance of the subject or theological error is revealed by an atheist or your argument is demolished by an unbeliever because you didn't both to scrutinise what you were claiming to know so much about, never - ever - admit that you are wrong. Just walk away and start arguing with someone else even though you have just been shown to be in error. Being wrong does not matter at all.

Learn to make fantastic sweeping statements even though there is no evidence whatsoever and/or they are clearly incorrect, e.g., 'there is irrefutable historical evidence for Jesus' existence', or 'all renowned scientists agree that Genesis 1 is absolutely accurate', or 'the Bible is consistent throughout'. Your fundy colleagues will of course be impressed as fundies always accept anything said by other fundies at face value without any verification whatsoever.

When non-fundies challenge you and ask for the source of these assertions, just ignore them. Anyone who disagrees with you is going to burn in hellfire for ever anyway so you need not be bothered when they show you that your faith is complete and utter nonsense.

(f)Learn the fundy language. Certain words and phrases are used repeatedly, e.g., 'Lord', 'Spirit', 'Praise the lord', 'Praise him', 'Bless his name', 'Glory', 'Glorify his name', 'witness', 'testimony', 'saved', 'redeemed', etc. Saying the term 'Praise him!' very quickly in one short breath, and repeatedly, after every sentence spoken by another fundy can make you look really very spiritual. This appearance will be further enhanced if while saying this, you always roll your head around as if your neck is broken, and make your eyes appear as if you have just downed four bottles of whisky or gin.

Use completely absurd statements such as 'The Lord is indeed winning lost souls in [state area]'. Learn to call all other male fundies 'Bro' (for 'Brother') and all female fundies 'Sister' (who are of course subject to you if you are a male). Remember you need to say 'Ammennnnnnn' at least one hundred times a day.

(g)Develop the 'fundy' look which is either serious and deep in thought (because you are directly communing with God), or with a silly half-smirk on your face (because you are so happy that Jesus died for you - yes, personally). Most important of all, develop the 'glazed' look in your eyes, most frequently found in charismatics and wall-climbers.

(h)Even though you believe the world is evil and in the grip of the devil, and the rapture and the final Judgement are only a few years away at most, don't let this affect the way you manage your finances and lifestyle.

Continue to have children, purchase large properties, long-term stocks and 30-year life insurance policies. As a fundy you need to learn how to be a complete and total hypocrite.

(i)Always be politically right-wing as leftwing politicians, liberals, pinkos, etc., are actually the devil's disciples. Always vote for the most right-wing politician who is standing for election. Even though the New Testament teaches the worthlessness of the physical world and material wealth, ignore this and become involved in the world.

Campaign for your local ultra-right wing candidate and defend your action by pointing out that if Jesus was here then he would vote for this candidate.

Stress the importance of 'the family life': ignore all the Biblical references that teach Christians should desert and/or hate their families, that Jesus was single, Paul taught celibacy, and the redeemed are said to be virgins. Ignore all of this and simply rewrite the Bible to suit your way of thinking: this is how it all works!

(j)Be arrogant! Be intolerant! Forget all the Biblical nonsense about humility - you are one of 'the little flock', one of the few who has been called; remember, you were handpicked ('elected') by God Almighty himself - yes, personally - before the world was even created!

Be pompous - be really vain. Moreover, because of this you are justified in talking about God as if he's personally living in your front room and constantly talking to you. Make frequent references to 'The Lord said to me...' and 'In prayer the Lord spake to me saying....'. Make it seem as if you are the only one that he ever speaks to.

As a sidenote, its much more convincing when relating what God has said to you if you have the Almighty speaking in 1611 King James English. Do not say 'God said to me 'I am talking to you in all genuineness...'', but 'God said: 'I speaketh unto you, yeah verily...''. Remember: the God of fundamentalism is caught in a time-warp and always speaks as if he is a demented 17th century Puritan.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnn! To that Mudhooks my brother/sister/transgendered sibling (delee as applicable).

Blessings,
Matholwch the still chortling /|\.

hi Math,

Sadly, Mudhooks has left us. She told me she unsubscribed after that last wonderful posting of hers. But I could still use your help with Member on the thread as he seems to think people who are vulnerable and uneducated 'deserve what they get' if they believe what Justin has to say. I disagree.

az