#southernbaptists — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

@bloodravenlib The #SouthernBaptists are among the worst. When I was a small child my mother let an acquaintence take me to one of their evening services, mind you I had not asked to go but I guess she thought it would be good for me, and this was before I had even started kindergarten.

Well, the preacher gave what I guess is a typical Southern Baptist fire and brimstone sermon with a VERY graphic and horrifying description of #Hell and all the tortures that would be experienced there (all entirely made up, of course). I don't remember if there were any other small children there but I know it absolutely terrified me and I could not get out of that place fast enough. Cried all the way home, had nightmares for months, and I don't think my mother had anything to do with that church or that acquaintence ever again, but the damage had been done.

The kicker, of course is that even IF you believe the #Bible is more than just a book of fables, if you know anything about the original languages you know that there are three or four very different word with completely different meanings that were all translated into the single English word hell (this is one reason the #KingJamesBible only types hate other versions of the bible - some of them have the temerity to actually use different words in place of "Hell" that more closely match the original meanings of the words in the original languages). Anyway, human beings do not go to the fire-and-brimstone hell of the Southern Baptist theology (well, maybe Southern Baptists do, but not the rest of us 😆). There is a very dated (especially the cultural references, there are Coors trucks everywhere in the USA now!) and somewhat comical treatment of this at https://web.archive.org/web/20010516175107/http://www.godstruthfortoday.org/Library/priddy/ibi_4_2.htm - remember this was written by a Christian, but apparently one that wasn't afraid to expose one of the biggest lies taught by #fundamentalists. But the fear of Hell is one of the ways lying preachers exert control over the sheep, even if they terrify little kids (and probably a few adults) with their lies.

I imagine they don't like women pastors in part because many women would not be able to terrify little kids like that and still sleep at night! But despicable #UNholy men seem to have no problem doing that!