Rachel Held Evans, Liars and Babies for Brains

It seems seldom to me that someone says something so stupid so clearly that you can quote them in one sentence. Let me give you some background.

Rachel Held Evans wrote a post “If My Son or Daughter Were Gay”. I found the post moving and fair. Rachel has a strict comment policy:

“Please stay positive with your comments. If your comment is rude, it gets deleted. If it is critical, please make it constructive. If you are constantly negative or a general ass, troll, or hater, you will get banned. The definition of terms is left solely up to us.”

So reading the comments was interesting and sad. Some have been deleted, suggesting that they attacked her post or attacked gay commenters… that they were rude. Sad.

The Director of Research for American Vision, Dr. Joel McDurmon wrote a response, “To Rachel Held Evans, RE: ‘If My Son or Daughter Were Gay…”. I read the disturbing article and the ensuing comments and remembered that the fundamentalist mindset is alive and well. Sad. McDurmon said he cried when he read Evans’ post:

“I am weeping over the disgrace to God, the neutered theology, the tortured application of ‘unconditional love'”

Just because you cried doesn’t make you right.

Then Elizabeth Prata wrote a post, “Rachel Held Evans asks, ‘What if my son or daughter were gay…” and gets a response from Dr. Joel McDurmon”. She attacks Evans’ post and supports McDurmon’s. The last line of Prata’s post is:

“Satan is coming on like a flood.”

She is firmly against homosexuality, quotes the bible to support herself, and warns everyone that this agenda is Satan inspired and driven and that people like Evans have “caved to the culture”.

But of all the things Prata wrote, this one is the most telling:

“To continue to ask questions about a subject once you have learned what the bible says on it is blasphemy because by then you’re not genuinely wondering about your understanding of the topic, you are directly questioning God.”

Bingo! This is the sentence that inspired my cartoon. Prata says when she was first saved she had questions about hell. But then when she studied the bible and found the answer, that was it. She stopped questioning. How old was she? Ten? I don’t know. How old is she now? Forty? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter because in any case that’s when she stopped thinking… she stopped thinking about hell for 30 years… or whatever. That can’t be good.

This is what is required to belong to many Christian groups or churches. You’re allowed to question as long as you arrive at the prescribed answer and then stop asking questions once you get there. To ask questions is “blasphemy” and “directly questioning God”. Prata goes on to compare it to lying like Satan lies with his questions. Questioners are liars. To ask questions the bible has clear answers to is Satanic.

Babies for brains.

No wonder so many believers are afraid to change their minds with these kinds of threats hanging over their heads.

The Lasting Supper