Why Do They Do It?

[Phatchick]

(08-03-2012 11:51 PM)Don Wrote:  The lack of accountability.
The abuse of power.

The first, IMO seems to be the biggest issue and leads into all the others. IME, unlike most mainline denominations, IFB preacher have absolutely no one to be accountable to. Oh, they might say they're accountable to the church or their congregation but in real life I can count on one hand the number of churches where this was a reality. For most, we'e been indoctrinated (I say we 'cause I was there once too) to not criticize the Mog or told because you're not a church officer, a kid, a woman... you have no business saying anything. Give someone that much control over a group of people, let him think he deserves it and keep anyone from telling him the truth, and you have situation ripe for any kind of abuse. I saw in my own church what a lack of accountability does and I'm convinced that if there had been church board we could've talked to, the problem (I won't go into details to spare the people involved but it was very similar to what happened here) might have been stopped before things got out of control and a family was hurt.

[Away-From-The-Umbrella]

How they devalue women is another important factor. Women are less than...and often blamed for the sins of men.

Women are dehumanized in this (Linda explained how her dad, Jack Hyles, hater her mom), which makes it easier in their minds to abuse them for their selfish reasons.

[Ricardo]

It is WAY more insidious than that. One thing is to say Fundamentalist MEN devalue women.

BUT, at least half of all Fundamentalists are women.

How does a woman, in this day and age, teach her daughters day after day that she should settle for being a second class citizen, that God wants this? Did anyone in church rejoice at the fact that this year America sent more women than men to the Olympics?

I am always amazed that church women are not in front of the Take Back the Night movement.

http://www.takebackthenight.org/TBTNshineyourlight.html

[Tiarali]

A woman who has lost her innate worth (or at least, cannot perceive it) tries to find worth in some imaginary role. A woman within the IFB will gain apparent worth if she keeps her place, doesn't buck the trend, obeys and honours her husband (whether he is abusive or not) and meekly follows the pastor.

A woman who goes against the grain doesn't automatically get healed or free of that mentality. It is a long, hard road to recover from that. So it is very hard for any IFB woman to speak out for other women.

[lucrezaborgia]

(08-10-2012 06:23 AM)Ricardo Wrote:  How does a woman, in this day and age, teach her daughters day after day that she should settle for being a second class citizen, that God wants this?

Women do teach this stuff to their daughters and other women. Look up "Titus 2 Women"

[Tiarali]

If a woman thinks the ONLY way to earn God's favour - when she thinks she is otherwise worthless - is to teach this to her daughters, then she will.

[dramaturge]

Yes. It definitely troubles me that so many women are complete participants in furthering a misogynist patriarchy. But when the ideas are coupled with relentless insistence that this is what God ordained and commands, it becomes so difficult for them to cast them off. To women in these circles, submission is seen as the true way to please God and maintain the God-ordained family order that brings personal, familial, and social blessing. Feminism is continually decried as undermining not only the family order, but God's ability to bless even the nation. A proper (oppressive) order is the means to blessing and success and spiritual benefit because that's the God-commanded way for things to be--anything else is heretical abomination. And once you've had that instilled through continual brow-beating, railing, brainwashing, and hypnotic-style oration, you wouldn't think of doing it any other way even though you might be miserable and depressed in said "God-ordained" situation. Never underestimate the power that religious fear has to coerce someone to actively work against their own and their children's own best interests.

[BASSENCO]

That's really why I wrote SCHIZOPHRENIC CHRISTIANITY, to explain the phenomenon. In a nutshell, genuine religious faith is made up of humility, a sense of community, a sense of a need for mercy and forgiveness. Christian Fundamentalism replaces all of that with a checklist: wear your hair this way, dress this way, be in church this many times per week, go soul winning, don't listen to rock music. etc.

Well, a person who is sociopathic, who does not possess the ability to feel humility, a need for mercy, gratitude, love, compassion, etc., will be drawn to a checklist-type religion because it's the only religion that makes sense to a sociopathic person. Christian Fundamentalism does make sense to sociopaths because even getting saved is a checklist type of performance: repeat the prayer, then get baptized, then join the church. All of that makes a lot more sense to a sociopath than talk of repentance and faith. Repentance and faith aren't real to a sociopath.

The competitive nature of Christian Fundamentalism that honors men who perform the best (ie, building the biggest churches) also attracts sociopaths. And they innately understand the drive to conquer, to get to the top and yet to play the game according to the code of Fundamentalism. And sociopaths suffer from a tremendous sense of entitlement, from thinking that other people have to follow the rules but I am better than other people, and I am above the rules. It's different for me. I am entitled. So pretty soon, once they feel established, they start abusing others, and the prize of choice is sex with church members, including children. It's the big taboo, and it's part of their power trip.

I explain it all in SCHIZOPHRENIC CHRISTIANITY, with a more in depth look at the mind of a sociopaths and the way Christian Fundamentalism really works, and case studies, etc. I also explain the culture of a sociopathic church (as opposed to just the preacher). But in a nutshell, that's why in my opinion.

[Bob M]

(08-03-2012 11:28 PM)Jason B Wrote:  After all the sexual scandals in fundamentalism I still can't figure out why. Why do they do it? Why does it seems so prevalent in the IFB movement? I know that other denominations have scandals but why are their so many in a movement that prides itself on doctrinal and moral purity?

I don't think there is just one reason. I would love to hear what all of you think.

The shallowness of their spiritual lives.

[ddandb]

Why?
Because he can and we allow it.
You want to figure out what the biggest sin or stumbling block for the Pastor is? It's whatever he preaches against the most.