[OFF TOPIC] General Chat

[heywoodu 16,004]

20 minutes ago, dcro said:

How about Great Britain? People who attended London 2012 (as well as many other events) have claimed that those Games have featured some of the most (if not the most) one-sided fans in history. And I can see why.

 

Just compare that to Brazilian fans chanting "Niger! Niger!" in 2016...

 

Oh Great Britain might be the world's number one in one-sided coverage. Just look at what BBC shits out on our TV's during things like Olympics or world championships.

 

That 'Niger! Niger!' moment was one of my all-time favourite Olympic moments  

[Olympian1010 8,230]

6 hours ago, dcro said:

How about Great Britain? People who attended London 2012 (as well as many other events) have claimed that those Games have featured some of the most (if not the most) one-sided fans in history. And I can see why.

 

Just compare that to Brazilian fans chanting "Niger! Niger!" in 2016...

At least the British didn’t spend the game booing in poor taste. Rio 2016 featured my least favorite fans overall.

[thiago_simoes 1,441]

On 22/05/2020 at 14:39, heywoodu said:

 

Reminds me of some dude in a strict church here in the Netherlands, saying in his letter (to children!) how this whole coronavirus thing was basically our own fault for making God angry. Right.

 

I'm still glad my only experiences with Brazilian Christians are positive: of course my own girlfriend, and when I was in Brazil and joined her for a church service there, it pretty much all sounded good and fine even for me as a firm non-Christian. It was mainly about how it's important to stay true to yourself and do good not because the Bible says you should, but because you actually want to do so. Like, don't go and help someone because then you get some heaven credits or something, but go and help someone because your honest intention is to help said someone.

 

Of course, that's only one service, but still it was a positive experience  

Good for you. Most of my family are evangelical Christians, and I have nothing but terrible experiences when I'm around them. I get into verbal conflict even my mom, who also practices this religion, more often than not, for some very questionable beliefs and behaviors (I mean borderline hate speech here, or blatant hate speech from some of my family members, while I firmly oppose to any form of hate towards people's freedom).

I've been to two or three services in big churches, because my mom tried to convince me that her religion is good, and all I could see was:

1) Ministers want money, lots of money, all the money you can give them, and then some more.
2) If something is wrong with your life, it's because the devil is causing it. One's bad choices, lack of commitment to work or study, laziness, nothing counts. Bad government? Nope. Corrupt politicians? Nope. It's the devil.
3) However, if you go to church every day, pay whatever the hell they want you to pay, pray, pay some more and things are still bad, then it's because God is testing you. Once again, it's not like you can do anything to change it other than pay and pray. Alternatively, if you are truly a pristine person, then the problem is that someone around you is causing the anger of God, and the problem is this person's lifestyle and behavior. Usually someone who smokes, drinks, has sex outside of marriage, dresses "provocatively", is gay or lesbian, or practices a different religion.

4) Anyone who practices African-derived religions is seen as a summoner of demons. Evangelical Christians pray that they are punished, and their temples close. And that they convert to Christianism, of course.
5) The more extreme branches will go as far as advise people to not even consider family bonds anymore if one is not evangelical Christian, or if one does something terribly wrong (like being gay). Former thieves and killers are immediately forgiven once they become evangelical Christians, but gays and lesbians are usually seen as the worst offenders, unless they get "cured". 

Oh, and most evangelical Christians support Bolsonaro. In fact, there's a strong theory he was mainly elected because of them.

Another crazy fact: all around Brazil, especially in Rio, there are several evangelical Christian drug dealers. They can go as far as invading temples of African-derived religions and destroying sacred sculptures and offerings, usually with a machine gun on their hands. Also, priests of African-derived religions are often expelled from the community once their temples are destroyed, and dealers invade their homes and take everything from them. They have to leave only with the clothes they are wearing at the moment and nothing else, and they lose their property and belongings forever. Of course these are extreme cases, but I've read about it at least two or three times.

[Olympian1010 8,230]

Yeah, I don’t think most evangelical Christians have read the Bible. As someone who has, even the boring ass books like Kings 2; it’s clear they missed its message. I’ve found most people involved in organization religion to be the most morally corrupt people.

[Vojthas 949]

Sounds a lot like radical version of Polish Roman Catholics, which are those, for whom the priest (bishop) is more important than Pope Francis and even God.

 

You know, it's like when God would come to Poland now and start critisizing the Polish Church, they'd say "we don't want such a God".

[Olympian1010 8,230]

Exactly, American evangelicals are more likely to deport Jesus than support him.

[Vojthas 949]

I just got confused - are Methodists, Reformed Church (Calvin-like) and Augsburg Confession (Luther-like) also called "Evangelical Churches" in English? Because these are what I consider (as born and raised Roman Catholic) for much closer to the Christ's teaching than Catholics.

[Griff88 2,009]

20 minutes ago, thiago_simoes said:

Good for you. Most of my family are evangelical Christians, and I have nothing but terrible experiences when I'm around them. I get into verbal conflict even my mom, who also practices this religion, more often than not, for some very questionable beliefs and behaviors (I mean borderline hate speech here, or blatant hate speech from some of my family members, while I firmly oppose to any form of hate towards people's freedom).

I've been to two or three services in big churches, because my mom tried to convince me that her religion is good, and all I could see was:

1) Ministers want money, lots of money, all the money you can give them, and then some more.
2) If something is wrong with your life, it's because the devil is causing it. One's bad choices, lack of commitment to work or study, laziness, nothing counts. Bad government? Nope. Corrupt politicians? Nope. It's the devil.
3) However, if you go to church every day, pay whatever the hell they want you to pay, pray, pay some more and things are still bad, then it's because God is testing you. Once again, it's not like you can do anything to change it other than pay and pray. Alternatively, if you are truly a pristine person, then the problem is that someone around you is causing the anger of God, and the problem is this person's lifestyle and behavior. Usually someone who smokes, drinks, has sex outside of marriage, dresses "provocatively", is gay or lesbian, or practices a different religion.

4) Anyone who practices African-derived religions is seen as a summoner of demons. Evangelical Christians pray that they are punished, and their temples close. And that they convert to Christianism, of course.
5) The more extreme branches will go as far as advise people to not even consider family bonds anymore if one is not evangelical Christian, or if one does something terribly wrong (like being gay). Former thieves and killers are immediately forgiven once they become evangelical Christians, but gays and lesbians are usually seen as the worst offenders, unless they get "cured". 

Oh, and most evangelical Christians support Bolsonaro. In fact, there's a strong theory he was mainly elected because of them.

Another crazy fact: all around Brazil, especially in Rio, there are several evangelical Christian drug dealers. They can go as far as invading temples of African-derived religions and destroying sacred sculptures and offerings, usually with a machine gun on their hands. Also, priests of African-derived religions are often expelled from the community once their temples are destroyed, and dealers invade their homes and take everything from them. They have to leave only with the clothes they are wearing at the moment and nothing else, and they lose their property and belongings forever. Of course these are extreme cases, but I've read about it at least two or three times.

Now I know....

 

I remembered when my workplace held an international sharing session between the branches (Brazil is one of them), one of the guy from Rio was kicked out from his house for being gay. His family telling other relatives to sever any relation with him, etc etc. This might be the possible cause.

[Olympian1010 8,230]

2 minutes ago, Vojthas said:

I just got confused - are Methodists, Reformed Church (Calvin-like) and Augsburg Confession (Luther-like) also called "Evangelical Churches" in English? Because these are what I consider (as born and raised Roman Catholic) for much closer to the Christ's teaching than Catholics.

Yes/no, it depends. One sect of American Lutherans is, the other (which my dad’s family is) isn’t. Methodists are highly evangelical, but many have more moderate and even progressive views (at least in California). We don’t really have any Calvinists in California. Baptists and Adventists are the other major Protestant sects I can think of in the U.S. Mormons label themselves as Christians, but every other Christian church does not. 
 

I’ve found Lutherans to be closest to the actual teachings of Jesus. 
 

The only other religions where I see people live up to good morals teachings is Judaism (non-Haredi), Hinduism (most are peaceful), and Buddhism (the religion I’d be most open to trying). I will say that we have some awesome Muslim communities in the U.S. too, but they also have bad sects like Christians.

[Vojthas 949]

6 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

Hinduism (most are peaceful)

Have you seen "Indiana Jones - The Temple of Doom"? (I know, they're no "most")
 

8 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

Buddhism (the religion I’d be most open to trying)

I know a few people, even Buddhists themselves, who don't really consider Buddhism as religion, rather the life philosophy as it doesn't connect with celebration of any god.