It’s finally happened. I’ve finally gotten real live hate mail!
Let me bring you all into the fray…
Do you remember this post? This was the post where I tried to elaborate on MY beliefs - emphasis on MY (in case the capitalization didn’t give it away).
Well… after all the intelligent conversation had pretty much subsided, I received this comment:
Actually, I was quite embarrassed for you in this response.
Your beliefs are indeed your beliefs, but to broadcast them as if they have any rationality is quite pathetic, and I am sorry for you.
If you claimed to follow Catholic rituals because they make you feel good, that’s one thing.
Broadcasting nonsensicalities like “Jesus was nailed to a two by four to absolve me of my sins” and other silliness just makes you look atavistic and superstitious.
My response was simply:
Scott, I appreciate your concern for my dignity.
You should really search for the word “vagina” on this blog. I’m most certain the entries you find related to that will reassure you.
And then, the emails started….
On 7/23/07, Scott wrote:
I was more worried about your rationality, actually. God knows, there are enough loonies in this world trying to tell the rest of us what God is and what he wants…
Someone(s) pens a story two thousand years ago, it gets coopted and ritualized, and silly people who won’t think for themselves repeat the nonsense over and over until it becomes gospel, literally…
The next thing you know, they’re dragging kids into a candle lit auditorium, and making him/her stare at an effigy of a mostly naked man violently nailed up on two by fours with thorns gouging his forehead… That’s Sadistic porn in any other context…
Science tells you the Bible got it wrong, yet there you all are, ignoring facts to worship fiction…
I’m embarrassed for you the way one gets embarrassed for a teen ager still holding high hopes Santa is real…
Tell me you’re too smart to be part of the problem…
Scott–
(And I linked to one of your V stories already, because I thought it was funny…)
*sigh*
Because this person took the time to email me personally, I took the time to respond…
Scott,
You know, I’m OK with the idea that other people don’t believe what I believe. That post was in no way an attempt to “convert” anyone. I’m not trying to tell anyone what God is and what he wants, or what is “rational” for anyone else. It was merely to make clear what it is that I believe because I’ve been “misquoted” over and over again and THAT pisses me off.
Tell you I’m too smart not to be part of the problem?
Well, Scott, I consider myself a fairly intelligent person. Test scores and what-not will categorize me as a very intelligent person with an uncommonly high “aptitude for learning”.
I suppose the real question here is, what is the problem?
I see a problem with people - be they atheists, christians, pagans, or whatever - running around with an ignorant arrogance proclaiming that They Know The Truth, and insisting that others follow suit. I see a problem with people denying others a right to their own path, their own journey, their own discovery of what “the truth” is for them.
I can tell you that because of my respect for my fellow man (stupid people aside, of course), I make a conscious effort not to be part of THAT problem.
I do, of course, take my own children to Church. As their parent, it is both my right and responsibility to raise them in a way that I feel is best for them. Obviously at some point, they will make their own decisions about faith and “truth” and God and probably what kind of music they listen to as well (although God help me if they choose techno or some shit).
Scott, you are not the first person to be surprised and even a bit disillusioned to hear me talk about my faith. I have been told I’m too smart to be a Christian, definitely too smart to be a Catholic, and CERTAINLY too smart to be a Democrat. I also laugh at cheesy sitcoms and swear. A lot. Which I have also been told is a contradiction to my apparent “intelligence”.
Here’s the thing. I AM smart enough to realize that I don’t “know” anymore than you do how this world started, what happens to us when we die, or who is pulling the strings in the mean time. I wasn’t there in the beginning and haven’t made it to the other side of death.
I have faith. And that is enough for me. Usually.
You have science. And in your “rational” mind, you believe fiercely in the science you choose to acknowledge. I’m not going to argue with you about the science I have read that holds up the Bible, or explain to you how I see Science as confirming my beliefs, because in the end, we’re all guessing. Even you.
And ultimately, I don’t need you to condone my faith. My faith is for ME. Quite frankly, whether or not you believe in the Bible or carbon dating or the Yankees makes absolutely no difference to me (Unless it’s the Vikings, I may actually fight you on the Vikings). The fact that I lean on my faith to get me through the ups and downs of MY life is for ME. If you can count on your own intellect and reasoning to get you through yours - yay for you! My hope for everyone I meet is that they have SOMETHING to get them through, whatever that may be for them.
I would expect it would be the same for you. I can see no reason at all why what I believe should have an impression on you one way or the other.
So, the teenager believes in Santa. As far as I’m concerned, if it keeps the teenager happy and she’s not putting plastic reindeer on YOUR lawn in September - what’s the harm?
Of course… I believed in Santa until I was 16. :-)
Britt
I pretty much figured that would be the end of it. I mean shit, surely no one is losing sleep over whether or not I’m spending my weekends in a church or not. Right? (And, maybe a small part of me thought that my obvious wit and charm would be the last word.)
If only. This morning I received Scott’s carefully thought out reply…
So…. to be clear, here…. You take the Bible as “truth” for you, but get all warm and fuzzy (and rational) when you allow that others may have other views on the subject. And then you go to church on Sundays and within the context of your “faith”, damn people like me to all of eternity…
So which is it? You can’t have it both ways unless you want to split inside your mind and live either one or the other falsehood?
Either you are cool with the idea that people can come up with an infinite amount of ways to settle themselves within the framework of life, or you follow the tenet of your faith and damn all of us for eternity (that’s pretty mean, don’t ya think?)…
How can someone live inside their own skin with THAT kind of contradiction? It just plain ain’t healthy. In fact, some would call it insanity.
And no, science cannot be used to prove that Jesus was the son of God and that he was nailed up on two by fours to atone for the sins of man and that if you just believe all that crap, you’ll go to a better place when you die than everybody else- which is Christianity at its most simplest… Sorry. That’s just not rational either.
Anyway, I’ve got some disk sucking to do (though I hardly see how that’s gonna help me, in any way) so I’ll leave you to your feel good faith. I just wish y’all would let those fairy tales die the death of the dinasaurs. Humankind would be so much better off if we all grew up and stopped trying to manufacture reasons to differentiate…
Scott–
Alright Dude, listen. I am not going to rehash this “argument” over and over again with you. I made myself as clear as possible in my first post about that whole “damning all of us for eternity” bit - and you’re obviously choosing not to pay attention. Convincing you otherwise is simply not worth the mental energy it takes to form a coherent sentence (and clearly you are of the same mind, what with all that pesky punctuation and sentence structure).
Quite frankly - I don’t care if you agree with me. I don’t even really care if you understand. Fuck, I don’t know you from Adam. Or Eve. Or Nostradamus, if you prefer.
I’ve joked for a long time that I never get hate mail. And I’m not sure if this technically qualifies since at worst I think I’m being called stupid. Maybe some kind of cultist, but it’s difficult to make heads or tails of the logic here so who knows. But whatever… this is the closest I’ve come to it so I am announcing it officially. I got hate mail!!
And now that I’ve received it? All I can muster up as far as a reaction or response is, “why the fuck do you CARE?”
I know in my own little head the world revolves around me. I spend hours thinking about how I think and feel about various subjects and how other people might perceive me. I guess I always just assumed that was because I was a little narcissistic and self absorbed.
I never would have guessed that my illusions of grandeur were based more in reality than illusions after all. Apparently, I DO matter. At least, I matter to Scott. And Scott is a total and complete stranger who has never met me, likely never will, and whose day to day life I would assume is in no way affected by me.
And yet poor Scott is embarrassed for me! Concerned even I might presume! And now I find myself thinking… am I supposed to return the favor?!? Should I be sending Scott tutorials on good etiquette and proper sentence structure?!?! I mean REALLY, I should probably be spending time being concerned for Scott and his potential embarrassment too, right?!!
Let me try. Let me dig down real deep. Let me see if somewhere in here there is room for me to spend more than the time it takes to write one email and one post on this Scott fellow…
Come on Britt… care, damn it! CARE! If you would just try hard enough you could find yourself embroiled in a real life blog drama here!
*pop* I think I may have just popped a blood vessel.
And still… nothing.
Sorry Scott. May I suggest you go out and find yourself a, um, what’s that called… a, um.. oh yes - a fucking LIFE.
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What exactly does disk sucking entail?
July 24th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Well, since his blog consists of posting exclusively about his dog, I think a life is something he’ll be hard pressed to find.
July 24th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Poor Scott. He was evidently worshipping in the House of Miss Britt and became disillusioned.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Here’s hoping I never get on your bad side
July 24th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Awesome. Hate mail rocks!
…off to read the e-mails now. Please tell me you hit him with a verbal two-by-four.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Alright, read the e-mails. You rock, Scott sucks, and from one Catholic to another (who has also been told repeatedly that she is Too Smart To Be Religious) I completely agree with you and definitely feel your pain.
Now go read some Chesterton and get your warm and fuzzy aura back. ;)
July 24th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
So did Scott mean he had some dick sucking to do??? Because disk sucking looks a little too much like a typo!
July 24th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Well, Britt, I hope you can still be my friend even though I am not Catholic.
Sheeeet.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I’m so jealous!! I want hate mail. Not religious hate mail but something… Anything.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
EricaAP I think Avi has a hate mail option at http://www.postcardhell.com - wait… actually, if you ask him, he’ll send you hate mail for free.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Hmm…You got Hate Mail!!
Woo Hoo…and what do you mean no Santa…he still delivers gifts to my house, as does the Easter Bunny, Great Pumpkin is living at Amy’s house..
July 24th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
If “Humankind would be so much better off if we all grew up and stopped trying to manufacture reasons to differentiate” why doesn’t he take his own advice and stop inventing reasons to differentiate? Or are “reasons to differentiate” (by which I assume he means “segregate” because, after all, the ability to differentiate is a hallmark of sanity and actually not… like… a bad thing) only wrong when done by anyone but him?
The responsible position in all this is for people to grant each other the autonomy to decide these kinds of things for themselves. And if you look closely the only one who has made a judgment call upon another here is the atheist, who then builds a strawman in assuming what the concluding thought in Britt’s faith must me (his damnation) - according to his conditions.
Scott is very condescending (I was embarrassed for you), and he’s not even a very good atheist. Most people I know who do not choose to develop any religious sensibility in themselves or have concluded that the use of faith is not something they require, and have decided that religion is the wrong idea for them, nevertheless respect other people enough to allow them the capacity to make their own decisions without being “embarrassed for their choices” or deriding them as fable-loving loonies. And the opinions surrounding atheism are often viable and persuasive.
The end phenomenon of having a rational mind is the ability to grant humanity to others. A closed mind refuses to see the reasons some other person may feel the way they do. A bigot is certain their ideas and outlooks and nature are superior to others’. If nothing else Scott is ultimately so human there’s nothing to be upset with.
But some people believe one thing and some people believe another and - in America - that’s supposed to be OK.
I am glad that my Christianity checks me from calling down ill on someone else for faults I myself possess.
That said, he’s still a turd.
July 24th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Right on sister! It’s too bad it had to go back and forth so many times though…a simple fuck-off-loser wouldn’t have been very Christian but would have probably sunken in better than logic and free will did on the dumbshit.
July 24th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
July 24th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
AmyD: I don’t know, but I will tell you that licking my DVDs was not near as rewarding as I had hoped.
avitable: yes, but, even THAT is surely more interesting than worrying about me. Besides, you and Amy already have that job covered pretty well.
Lin: well, if he would have paid more attention to the lecture on boobies he would have been fine.
Kelly: that wasn’t my bad side.
I don’t even think I used the word “fucking”.
QofD: I’d be honored to be as “dumb” as you any day of the week. ;-)
debkitty: yes, and it was in response to Avitable telling him to go suck a cock - in the poor guy’s defense.
themuttprincess: as long as you keep inviting me to Prince, we shouldn’t have a problem.
You know, the irony is I have almost NO Catholic friends! LOL
Erica AP: apparently you gotta pay your dues, or something.
AmyD: yeah, just tell him Avril is a lesbian bitch and he’ll send you hate mail.
Trish K: i wish the tooth fairy was as resilient as Santa.
RW: my intent in all this really was to say “you’re not like me? that’s OK - it doesn’t change who I am!”
If it didn’t come off that way, I apologize.
I hate it when my compassionate tolerance isn’t taken with the proper dose of humility!!
Jasmine: yeah, I know, but I really do try to be “civil” whenever I can.
No. Really. I do.
ADW: :-D
July 24th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
I didn’t think you said or did one thing wrong there, Rue Brittania.
July 24th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
I agree with you in that he’s put forth a lot of effort and time and energy into someone he doesn’t even know.
Did he actually expect you to be swayed into atheism because of his email?
Honestly, who are we all to each other except words on a screen? I mean I adore all my fellow bloggies, but I think most of them would be hard pressed to change one of my core belief systems.
I think he needs to get some sense of proportion and actually look at religion for what it is.
He’s blindly criticizing something that at the centre is simply a set of guidelines for people to live their lives in the best way possible.
That entire situation was a bit ridiculous.
July 24th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Look at it this way. If he does send you worms, I will be more than happy to take them off of your hands so that they can become friends with their 5000 squiggly buddies out on my carport.
Your beliefs are yours. To be a Christian means to not judge anyone else. It is a lot like belonging to the Masonic Lodge. You influence people by the way you live your life, and if they are interested in why you do what you do, you tell them. You don’t force it down their throats.
Namaste.
July 24th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Manolo Brittanik - I posted the pics of my new shoesies that I got when I went to see ManHo Cho. I hope they make you droooooollllll! Recognize my evil.
:tongue:
July 24th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Nicely handled. Why the hell someone would argue with someone else on what they believe is beyond me. Not that you asked, just a point. :twitchy:
July 24th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
I am kinda scared to keep going up against you in the whole best looking baby deal…
July 24th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
RW: Whew!
Princess of the Universe: there are some people in the bloggy world that i would take this more personally from. But ultimately, even if some of my close friends said “your Catholic? that’s stupid” - I’d be like “um.. OK, thanks fucker”
But it’s sure not going to change my beliefs.
wormdude: and a Namaste to you and your squiggly friends!
ADW: Oh My GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!
geek: yeah, whatever happened to live and let live?
Mr. Fabulous: that sounds like a forfeit to me buddy!!!
July 24th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
I’m always surprised by people who think 2000 years ago was such a long time. In the grand scheme of things, it just was yesterday.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
:thumbsup: I think once you start receiving hate mail it means you “made it.”
July 25th, 2007 at 5:49 am
what a douche. I think he had to have that big discussion with you because his mom “accidentally” locked him in the basement again and he didn’t have anything else to do but try to sound important.
July 25th, 2007 at 6:12 am
I am pretty sure he, and anyone, for that matter will think twice about trying to convince you with hate mail! LOL
Which is a shame because it’s fun to reply to and makes great posting material (not that you need that, of course, not meant as “hate mail” whew!)
July 25th, 2007 at 6:12 am
It amuses me when atheists that don’t want religion shoved down their throats insist on shoving atheism down our throats.
Contradiction indeed.
July 25th, 2007 at 8:07 am
You really have to wonder about people who take the time to email crap like that.
Obviously you struck a nerve.
But that’s kind of cool too, no?
Aside from the asshat stuff. LOL …
July 25th, 2007 at 9:22 am
welcome to the blog drama that is encompassing damn near every blog I’ve been reading lately! I think people are going crazy from the heat. I makes me long for September. Oy.
July 25th, 2007 at 11:51 am
I’m with Tim. It’s funny, I won’t date Christians or Catholics because I believe that it is unfair to put that sort of discomfort on them. (As I am Pagan to the core) It’s because I respect thier beliefs and understand that although they are different than mine, they are still valid. Since many of them belive that I am going to hell because I have not been “saved”, I like to think that I am saving them from a certain level of discomfort-from believeing that the person they are dating will have an uncomfortable afterlife.
I won’t date an athiest because they like to question my faith. I say, that as long as what you believe is not hurting anyone and you are respecting others for their beliefs, then you’re doing pretty ok. But don’t try to tell me I’m stupid or illogical because I have faith in something I can’t see or touch. I can’t see or touch emotions, but I know they are there.
July 25th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
July 25th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Not everyone can argue as rationally a Avitable and myself.
:-)
Actually, you just reminded me to post about that experience… I learned a valuable lesson.
July 26th, 2007 at 5:01 am
I think there’s nothing wrong with questioning someone’s beliefs to ascertain what makes them tick, but it’s a little dull when the issue is done to death while everyone knows that an email between you and a random guy called Scott isn’t going to end the eternal debate on religion.
I think that Scott should have realised he was barking up the wrong tree with this argument before he even barked (that being said, I do agree with what he says but go figure, I’m also a fan of your blog).
Also, you’re lucky! if that was “hate mail” then I think that was pretty mild stuff
I think it could have been a lot more harsh, crude and derogatory. You should call it a mail of “reasonably thought out disagreement”
“Life should mean a whole lot less than this”
July 28th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Bridget, I’m not sure that I would say insinuating someone is stupid because they don’t agree with you is “reasonably thought out disagreement”.
It’s not the discussion or the disagreement that annoyed or surprised me. And sometimes it’s fun to discuss something with someone even though you know neither of you will end up changing your mind at the end of it.
But too suggest that I am “too smart” to have the opinions that I do is a little… well… dumb.
July 28th, 2007 at 11:18 am
I thoroughly enjoy discussing religion - all types. But I really hate when people are so sure of themselves that they call others stupid for their beliefs. Scott has faith, too, just not in the same things you do.
And I kinda feel sorry for Ginamonster in that she refuses to date anyone with different beliefs. I don’t believe in god, but I’m getting ready to marry the man of my dreams - a devout christian. There’s more to someone than what they believe in…you just have to give them a chance to show you.
And I even go to church with my guy…I often roll my eyes, but in there are great messages that everyone can hear if they just listen.
Good for you - stand up for yourself and your beliefs, girl. :)
July 30th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Chase - have you thought about what you guys will do when you have babies? That always intrigues me - I know it can be done, I’m just curious as to how.
July 30th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Chase,
Please do not feel sorry for me. It isn’t that I won’t date a man with different beliefs. My all time favorite boy was Buddist. Would have married him in a second. It’s that I tend to avoid men who are into the Catholic and Christian faiths. It’s because I not only respect thier faith, but the integrity of mine too. As for the athiest, if I were to meet one who didn’t spend his time trying to discount my faith, I would consider him. I’m not an elitist, I’m actually quite open minded, but I think faith is an important issue and certainly something to consider in a life partner. I applaud you for finding happiness with a Christian man. I have to agree with Miss Britt though. What about the kids? (if any) The last man I dated was Catholic, and it was a point of contention between us.
July 30th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
“It’s not the discussion or the disagreement that annoyed or surprised me. And sometimes it’s fun to discuss something with someone even though you know neither of you will end up changing your mind at the end of it.”
I knew we would get along great from your reply at jestertunes. With that said, it doesn’t matter if I agree OR disagree with your beliefs. The key word to that sentence is “your”. They are just that and nothing I or anyone else can say is going to change them. All I can do is choose to listen to them, or not. If I agree, great, if not, I will respect them and go on. He took it a little further than needed but I applaud you with sticking to your guns.
:violent018: :violent018:
August 5th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Actually, Miss Britt left out her first response, which was “Why don’t you go suck some dick.” Then, she emailed me again with a lighter tone, suggesting she wanted the conversation.
My views haven’t changed. Any religion that damns me or my family or my ancestory to “eternal damnation and torture” has, at its roots, some serious issues. I take isue with people who think my soul is to be burned for eternity.
You either believe that, or you are not a Catholic, yet none of you Catholics have the nuts to stand up and say that to a person’s face…
Which one of you is OK with that idea?
Go on. Stand your ground.
I’m also not an athiest.
Silly argument put forth by silly people. “With us or against us type of mentality”. How is that “live or let live”?
To recap– you think my family will burn for all of eternity because I don’t follow your silly tenets, yet find my objection to this puzzling… You want to call my opinions “hate mail” but your blog host is the one stating “go suck some dick.” Ummm…
Yes. I DO have a problem with people broadcasting sick and distorted ideologies across the internet. I mean, how sick is the idea of limbo? Oh wait, the infallable church renounced that a few weeks ago. Now they are infallable once again…
My word, people. Wake up. The world needs tht from you.
August 5th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Actually, moron, I’m the one who said you should go suck a dick. I guess literacy and comprehension aren’t high on your list of priorities.
August 5th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
There a bunch of factual errors in that last post by Scott.
He clearly misinterprets the concept of infallibility, and should certainly brush up on his wildly offbase comment about damnation, etc.
He would also, indeed, be well served to go suck some dick.
August 5th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Yeah, uh, no. I didn’t tell you go to suck a dick. If you’ll reread your original comment, Avitable told you to suck a “cock” I believe.
I know we look similar, but I’m the one without the hairy balls, if that helps.
As for the rest of your comment? Been there, tried to explain that, blah blah blah blah blah.
Seriously. Dude. GO somewhere.
August 6th, 2007 at 8:27 am