BO to Forum, Alcohol, Drugs, and Born Again Christianity

[Beyond_Ideologies]

Alcohol, Drugs, and Born Again Christianity

I reflect on the recent outreach efforts of a Born Again Church. I
also reflect on a BBQ put on the next day in exactly the same spot by
a group of alcoholic derelicts which turned into a drunken melee.
About the first, they had everyone holding hands and calling out the
name of the idol on cue. About the second, there was a huge quantity
of both beer and hard liquor, and it turned violent. It was the same
people at both events.

With the Born Again Church a very high percentage of their
congregation have serious histories with drugs, alcohol, and domestic
violence. To listen to them talk it sounds like such things are never
far behind, but that was until they got Saved. They talk about how
"Jesus is coming for his own, but there is still time for more people
to get Saved". "Jesus says we're supposed to talk about it. I
wouldn't want to be waiting in the line for heaven with all of my
friends in the *other* line saying, 'Why didn't you tell us?'" They
explain how, "God has placed dinosaur bones on this earth in order to
test our faith." They have weekly classes on Biblical Prophecy,
meaning that they look to the Bible for predictions of the future.

One woman was visiting her daughter in the hospital due to respiratory
complications resulting from decades of drug use. Some were saying,
"Write her off, she's a drug addict, she's as old as I am." I was
angered by this and so I sent to the mother, "I commend you for
standing with your daughter." What came back was, "If I didn't, Satan
would have his way with her." Where as I had felt good about this
mother being at her daughter's bedside, now I did not. Later the
mother explained to me of the whole episode, "Well she really didn't
get the help she needed." I learned that by this she meant a
psychiatric hospital.

Every one of their families seems to have its Black Sheep, someone
designated from an early age as the scape goat. Usually this means
alcohol and drugs. If the Black Sheep is female, then it also means
sex. Its whatever it takes to justify the idea that the Black Sheep
is other. Then when the Black Sheep gets their throat cut and dies in
a back alley somewhere they say, "He/she had stepped forwards many
times in order to be cured of his/her addictions. At this point I
have to wonder whether he/she was really Saved or not."

With the alcoholics most of the women are kept hoped up with
psychiatric medication. It makes it easier for the authorities to
deal with them. If they didn't do this, then our society would have
to deal with what is under the surface, which most likely is going to
be familial sexual abuse. Besides, the women accept the medication so
that they can get disability money. Medication, plus Born Again
Christianity, makes them easier to handle and it keeps ugly truths
hidden.

The BBQ quickly turned into a taunting of parks workers and police.
Police found the huge cash of beer cans, but they couldn't do anything
about it because none of the cans were opened. This only egged them
on. Soon strangers were being knocked off of bicycles. The woman who
had shelled out for most of the food and all of the beer got punched
in the face with a closed fist and fell to the ground.

At the Born Again Church they want prayer in the public schools, lower
taxes, smaller government, school vouchers, and the end of social
programs.

The alcoholics all profess belief in the self-reliance ethic and a
harsh criminal justice system. They say, "If you can't do the time,
don't do the crime." They cite individual choice as the source of all
problems.

I'm not seeing much difference between alcohol and drugs, and Born
Again Christianity. Its the same people who subscribe to both. Its
just that they play different roles with regards to them. They serve
as two poles for people to oscillate back and forth between. So you
cannot get people to stop drinking by preaching Born Again
Christianity. Its not that much different from drinking.

What we should instead be doing is getting people to renounce Born
Again Christianity. When someone can make an informed and
conscientious rejection of Born Again Christianity this means that
they have already rejected alcohol and drugs, because they have
rejected the group identity, approval seeking, fatalism, and escapism
which underlie them.

Jesus Camp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHh_ZYw_YxI

--
Becoming Other
Exploited Children United, new portal page:
http://theexploitedunited.onlinewebshop.net

Layla
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPu3wtPKehY