r/atheism • u/kaylabedumb • 23h ago
christianity vocabulary is fucking scary
new to the subreddit so I don’t know if this has been established before but why is Christianity literally a textbook cult in the way their lingo goes. their vocab scares the shit out of me and Christian’s use it like its nothing. Like for example I’d see a post regarding a person doing something and the comments would be like REPENT TO GOD. Like what the fuck do you mean repent? that word sounds so superficial and scary like theres no way they’re serious. it’s like the equivalent of saying BEHOLD in a more cultist manner which im sure they use unironically too. they are literally acting like those fictional cultists like what the hell. how do they think what they’re saying is normal and believable? “turn to god and he will save you” and shit like “he is coming” “confess your sins and be saved” im sorry are we in a fucking thriller psychological horror movie i am always so astounded at how these people expect us to take them seriously when they say batshit ridiculous stuff like that
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u/dnjprod 23h ago
The entirety of Christianity is an abusive paradigm: you are no good, evil, and were born bad. You deserve punishment. You're lucky, though, because your abuser loves you, and he's the only one who ever would, and he'll give you the opportunity to escape hell as long as you're a sycophant to his jealous, narcissistic whims.
It's a combination between an abusive relationship and a mafia protection racket
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u/goodstorydan2 23h ago
Christianity is old and their in-group lingo is also, quite old. It’s takes a lot from the bible (obviously?) and some of the translations they use (a widely used one is the king james version) are old and use older language. So, it makes sense they’d have some saying that use that same older, often harsher language. A lot of these cults you reference are themselves influenced by christianity (particularly from catholicism) and the language these christians have used throughout history. Satanic cults in particular could not exist except in defiance of christianity because the idea of satan itself comes from a misunderstanding or mistranslation of the bible as it is anyway.
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u/Infinite-Hamster-741 23h ago
They get it from that god damn book the buybull, there's all kinds of scary shit in there for people who are gullible enough to believe that primitive superstition.
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u/twilightmoons Strong Atheist 23h ago
All religious cults have their own phrases that mean something specific in their group, but sound strange to anyone outside of it. But that the same time, every subgroup humans create for themselves has it's own internal language, something insiders understand that is taught to new initiates. Nothing new, nothing "weird", because all humans do it.
Look at Dungeons and Dragons. I admit, the last time I played was in the 1990s (AD&D Second Edition, still have all of my books), but I remember the lingo. Anyone remember "THAC0"? It meant something to all of us, but nothing to anyone outside of the game. "Roll for initiative", "natural 20", "I cast magic missile". and a lot of other phrases that make sense in-game, but not outside of it.
Militaries use this as well - using words for letters and numbers so that there isn't a miscommunications, specific phrases that replace words because it's faster or more easily understood over radio. We didn't use "alpha, bravo, etc." until after the radio was invented, because writing things down in a message, or saying it verbally to a subordinate was enough. Radios weren't clear, so we had to invent a new way of communication to be understood.
Same with religious groups, in that this internal language is meant to streamline communications. Each phrase is shorthand for a larger concept, so you assume that a fellow believer understands that big idea, and you can just not waste time. "Born again" - "I got baptized into this particular sect". "God's Word" - the idea that not only is the bible the way that their god communicates with the world, but that it is infallible and the ultimate authority for everything. "Sinner" - everyone is evil, but I'm not as evil as those guys over there."
Then there are the phrases that mask ideas, but everyone knows what they really mean without having to say it. "I am having trouble with my walk" is a shorthand for "I have problems in my life that are making me question my faith", but put in a way that lets the other person understand without you needing to be explicit about it. After all, questioning your beliefs is basically a sin to them. "Guard your heart" - don't listen to anyone but us. "I'll pray for you" - we all know that means "go fuck yourself".
It's annoying for outsiders to have to hear and deal with this language, especially when the insiders like to use it out in the wild and assume everyone know what nonsense they mean. Long time ago, I had a lot of Christian coworkers who loved to talk like this at work with each other. I was the only one not from their church (small company), and definitely the only heathen for a while. So I had to learn their little saying and phrases just to keep up.
Just remember that the people who write the "BEHOLD" and "REPENT" stuff are doing it because they are mentally ill and in the clutches of a cult. They deserve some pity, but really need a lot of therapy. They won't get it, but they do need it.
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u/skydaddy8585 20h ago
That's because it is a cult so of course it has cult lingo. If your cult becomes so big, you get called a religion instead.
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u/Dangerous_Midnight91 21h ago
The vocabulary is part of the indoctrination. You can’t get otherwise decent people to do the worst things imaginable without that vocabulary. It purposely desensitizes people to talking about committing atrocities as though it’s a normal part of everyday life. They’ve literally been talking about murdering people as a means to a political end for 25 years and you should absolutely believe them!
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u/Mosscanopy 19h ago
Yeah i was raised in it and you really don’t hear it for what it is when you are in it. Now that I’m out I find it incredibly creepy and disturbing.
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u/iamrubberyouareglue9 23h ago
That sounds like something an Apostate Blasphemer would say. Don't you want to be an evangelical martyr for the son of God? What's wrong with you? Are you Demon possessed? Do you need an Exorcism?
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u/Vendidurt Atheist 22h ago
"i shall not want" - my mom had me believing that meant "wanting things is a sin".
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u/clangan524 19h ago
I remember going through Confirmation and the bishop said something about us all being "being a solider for Christ" at the end of it.
That phrasing was pretty formative for my turn towards atheism.
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u/RefuseWilling9581 16h ago
Absolutely scary. Only thing scarier is how many people are so blind and gullible and how many of “them” are in powerful local, city, state and national positions.
Voting makes a difference. The reason so many Christians are in politically powerful positions is that there is a remarkable number of people in America (yes, in America of all places) who don’t vote.
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u/conqr787 4h ago
Lol, doesn't get freakier than a non denominational congregation in "high worship" yammering away in 'tongues'. Fun times 🤮🍑💩
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u/Outrageous-You-4634 23h ago
You haven't even touched on the scary and really weird stuff such as
1) They have a ritual that is about eating the literal flesh of their dead savior
2) All the reference to being "washed in the blood of Jesus"
3) Militarism. A very famous hymn states "Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war...."
4) The "Salvation Army"
They obviously don't hear themselves. If they heard any language like this from a Muslim (or god forbid a Satanist) - they would absolutely condemn it unequivocally.