A discussion around family table.

[AtheistPhil]

They have never lived outside of Paris, never went anywhere outside of France for over a month. For them things are purely black and white. Immigrants are bad. Atheists are soulless. Priests are holy men.

You mean your bigoted parents live in Paris ??? It's know fact that religiousness is inversely proportional to the size of the city where one lives, so I expected them to live in some rural area or small town.
How can they be such bigot when they live in such a cosmopolitan city ?

[Rwandrall]

They have never lived outside of Paris, never went anywhere outside of France for over a month. For them things are purely black and white. Immigrants are bad. Atheists are soulless. Priests are holy men.

You mean your bigoted parents live in Paris ??? It's know fact that religiousness is inversely proportional to the size of the city where one lives, so I expected them to live in some rural area or small town.
How can they be such bigot when they live in such a cosmopolitan city ?

Paris is actually separated in clearly defined areas, just like most major cities and they live in a quite wealthy one. They never actually encounter people from other cultures except on the bus or the subway. They are in a very strict social group that shares the same values and ideas, so this doesn't come as much of a surprise. In France, actually, many really intelligent and educated people have strong religious ideas. My father, for example, went to our equivalent of Stanford and has a PHD in Maths, but he still is a religion nut. But they are other kinds of Christians, the ones that accomodate their faith to what's better for them...still better than creationists imo.

[AtheistPhil]

They have never lived outside of Paris, never went anywhere outside of France for over a month. For them things are purely black and white. Immigrants are bad. Atheists are soulless. Priests are holy men.

You mean your bigoted parents live in Paris ??? It's know fact that religiousness is inversely proportional to the size of the city where one lives, so I expected them to live in some rural area or small town.
How can they be such bigot when they live in such a cosmopolitan city ?

Paris is actually separated in clearly defined areas, just like most major cities and they live in a quite wealthy one. They never actually encounter people from other cultures except on the bus or the subway. They are in a very strict social group that shares the same values and ideas, so this doesn't come as much of a surprise. In France, actually, many really intelligent and educated people have strong religious ideas. My father, for example, went to our equivalent of Stanford and has a PHD in Maths, but he still is a religion nut. But they are other kinds of Christians, the ones that accomodate their faith to what's better for them...still better than creationists imo.

Let me guess: 16th arrondissement (or maybe 1,2,3,4,5,6,7th)
Is your father a normalien or from Polytechnique ? Either way it's really sad that he managed to put his scientific knowledge and his faith in two different brain compartments that never communicate...

[Rwandrall]

They have never lived outside of Paris, never went anywhere outside of France for over a month. For them things are purely black and white. Immigrants are bad. Atheists are soulless. Priests are holy men.

You mean your bigoted parents live in Paris ??? It's know fact that religiousness is inversely proportional to the size of the city where one lives, so I expected them to live in some rural area or small town.
How can they be such bigot when they live in such a cosmopolitan city ?

Paris is actually separated in clearly defined areas, just like most major cities and they live in a quite wealthy one. They never actually encounter people from other cultures except on the bus or the subway. They are in a very strict social group that shares the same values and ideas, so this doesn't come as much of a surprise. In France, actually, many really intelligent and educated people have strong religious ideas. My father, for example, went to our equivalent of Stanford and has a PHD in Maths, but he still is a religion nut. But they are other kinds of Christians, the ones that accomodate their faith to what's better for them...still better than creationists imo.

Let me guess: 16th arrondissement (or maybe 1,2,3,4,5,6,7th)
Is your father a normalien or from Polytechnique ? Either way it's really sad that he managed to put his scientific knowledge and his faith in two different brain compartments that never communicate...

6th, arrondissement :/ not the worse but still...and he's from Polytechnique. But yeah it seems he never even tried to question his faith.

[fr0d0]

I've seen this of course. People migrate socially when joining a church. Suddenly they're middle class and exhibit anti Christianity in their mistaken aim in betterment. It's highlighted in religion, but is of course a human disease.

[Godscreated]

Rwandrall, is it possible you might debate the issue with your parents? I'd be interested to hear their defence.

I would, but 1) i live abroad for my studies and 2) They do not know i am an atheist...of course i know that this isnt about being religious or not, its about common human decency, but still to them a priest is almost the highest authority they know. Critisizing a priest is blasphemy to them.

Seems to me that eventually a debate around both matters must happen..or it'll fester and breed resentment on your side.
Good luck however you tackle your problem.

Believe me i tried but some people just have their mind set on things. They have never lived outside of Paris, never went anywhere outside of France for over a month. For them things are purely black and white. Immigrants are bad. Atheists are soulless. Priests are holy men. People who work for the State are lazy. Muslims are evil terrorists... the list goes on. Just like Christians say about a "sinner", some people are just too far gone to be saved.

And i know how roughly i describe my parents, i know i should be more grateful to them than that, but i guess its just how i view things.

Bozo you do not have to like everything about your parents it's OK to disagree with them and sometimes it's better to discuss things like this with others. You seem to have a respect and love for them and that's good. To discuss something like bigotry with them would never be easy you will better understand that when you've raised a family.

I'm not going to say anything about your parents that's for you. However the priest was totally wrong in what he did if that had happened in my church well let's just say the roof would have come down. Jesus said that He came for the poor and destitute He was stating this as a spirital and physical matter and the church is suppose to follow His teachings. Unfortunately many churches have become social clubs instead of a worshipful body and that down fall begins with the leaders of a church body. I wish things like this would never happen but when there are humans envolved things like this are inevitable. Sorry such an example from a church had to come your way.

[Minimalist]

Rwandrall, is it possible you might debate the issue with your parents? I'd be interested to hear their defence.

I would, but 1) i live abroad for my studies and 2) They do not know i am an atheist...of course i know that this isnt about being religious or not, its about common human decency, but still to them a priest is almost the highest authority they know. Critisizing a priest is blasphemy to them.

Guess they are in deep denial about priests fucking altar boys in the ass, huh?

[Rwandrall]

Rwandrall, is it possible you might debate the issue with your parents? I'd be interested to hear their defence.

I would, but 1) i live abroad for my studies and 2) They do not know i am an atheist...of course i know that this isnt about being religious or not, its about common human decency, but still to them a priest is almost the highest authority they know. Critisizing a priest is blasphemy to them.

Guess they are in deep denial about priests fucking altar boys in the ass, huh?

Actually they say that the number of children being abused by the Church is nothing compared to the number of children abused in school or at home and that the Church is being martyrised....so yeah its pretty much denial.

[tackattack]

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My family is VERY catholic, to the point where they invite a priest to lunch at least once a week. They do not know im an atheist so i try to suffer through that. However last week an interaction caught my attention.

The priest was talking about a Romanian homeless guy who still came to his Church every week, apparently not for shelter but for belief. He did not even beg for money there. But the priest said he was troubling the rest of the people (smell, mostly) and ended up getting him thrown out by the police, and they were laughing about it with all the ever-present immigration jokes...

Isnt the Church the ONE place on Earth where this guy should not be persecuted, judged by what he looks like and should be helped ? To me this was not much, but it was enough to know that hypocrisy is the key word in Christianity. It disgusted me.

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Everyone's entitled to their opinions I guess; but, I'm more appaled by the amount of kudos this crap got.
We've had 2 or 3 homeless stop into our chuch. While the smell can be distracting, every time someone took them over to the associate pastors' house (right next to church) got him washed up, took him to the pantry for some food and sat with him in the pew for service. Rarely did they come back more than 3 times, but not for being rejected. The fact you attack all of Christianity saying that hypocrisy is it's main point disgusts me. I'm not naieve enough to think that people don't talk and hypocrisy, child molestation, and various other attrocities do happen in Christianity, but they happen to people regardless of religion. If Christianity was an extreme minority and Atheism was what 80% of the population was atheist do you think theese things would magically disappear? They'd probably be about the same, IMO. sorry if this comes off as a little harsh I'm on vicodin's and rally don't care

[Rwandrall]

Everyone's entitled to their opinions I guess; but, I'm more appaled by the amount of kudos this crap got.
We've had 2 or 3 homeless stop into our chuch. While the smell can be distracting, every time someone took them over to the associate pastors' house (right next to church) got him washed up, took him to the pantry for some food and sat with him in the pew for service. Rarely did they come back more than 3 times, but not for being rejected. The fact you attack all of Christianity saying that hypocrisy is it's main point disgusts me. I'm not naieve enough to think that people don't talk and hypocrisy, child molestation, and various other attrocities do happen in Christianity, but they happen to people regardless of religion. If Christianity was an extreme minority and Atheism was what 80% of the population was atheist do you think theese things would magically disappear? They'd probably be about the same, IMO. sorry if this comes off as a little harsh I'm on vicodin's and rally don't care

In the Bible, Jesus spent pretty much all his time with the poor, caring for them, helping them. If you are a Christian, going to church and praying is easy but actually doing what your religion tells you to do when it puts you out of your comfy comfort zone is something that apparently is too hard for many christians i know.

They are hypocrites. Like the people who want to "save the environment", say they are "ecologists" and insult people who don't recycle but do nothing about it except use less plastic bags, or the people who say they are for world peace by sticking a bumper sticker on their car. If you really believe in something, stopping at what is easy is not enough.