I know what you mean! Part of the reason why I'm not freaked out is that my own church runs a coffee shop during the week (in the church hall, not the actual church), essentially as a community service, so that people who have nowhere else to go can go there, read a few magazines, have a very cheap scone and while away an afternoon - maybe meet people and find friends etc. It's not seen as anything more than just doing something for the community because that's what we're supposed to do. (And I quickly add that I'm far from being a fundementalist - my church is Church of England, the famously wishy washy liberal one.)
But on the other hand, when I wrote my essay on why slash was not anti-Christian, and began to get involved with various GBLT Christian groups, I encountered some of America's rabid fundementalists myself, and I had had no idea before this of what scary people they were! One of them (while calling me 'my dear friend' went so far as to claim I must be possessed - simply because she could not wrap her mind around the idea that passages in the Bible ought to be interpreted in the light of the culture they came from and preferably in context and in their original language, oh, and that human reason could also be involved in the process.)
Since I got involved with the fight for gay Christians to be affirmed in Church, I've had my eyes opened to the level of religious hatred and hypocracy out there. We fortunately do not have that level of fundementalism over here as yet, but yes, my God! It is terrifying, and it's very very worrying that there are signs that our churches might be moving that way.
But of course, as you say, it doesn't mean that they're *all* completely barmy. Some of them must surely be actually listening to the call to love ones neighbours and not to judge them. It's just unfortunate that they're not standing up and opposing the others.
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Date: 2006-11-03 09:35 pm (UTC)But on the other hand, when I wrote my essay on why slash was not anti-Christian, and began to get involved with various GBLT Christian groups, I encountered some of America's rabid fundementalists myself, and I had had no idea before this of what scary people they were! One of them (while calling me 'my dear friend' went so far as to claim I must be possessed - simply because she could not wrap her mind around the idea that passages in the Bible ought to be interpreted in the light of the culture they came from and preferably in context and in their original language, oh, and that human reason could also be involved in the process.)
Since I got involved with the fight for gay Christians to be affirmed in Church, I've had my eyes opened to the level of religious hatred and hypocracy out there. We fortunately do not have that level of fundementalism over here as yet, but yes, my God! It is terrifying, and it's very very worrying that there are signs that our churches might be moving that way.
But of course, as you say, it doesn't mean that they're *all* completely barmy. Some of them must surely be actually listening to the call to love ones neighbours and not to judge them. It's just unfortunate that they're not standing up and opposing the others.