[Non-findie poster shares her favorite passage from a religious tract she got while trick-or-treating.]
It's full of good stuff, but here's the best.
From a Q&A column
Q: I really like fantasy books, but I don't know if I should read them. (not really a question, but here we go. -c-)
A:There's a true story about a teenager who became very interested in romance novels. It started with just occasional reading, but soon that wasn't enough. Before long she was spending every spare minute reading romance novels. She was hooked. The more she read, the the more she began to live ina a fantasy world. Real life became boring, she lost interest in sports, and her grades began to drop. Her friends noticed the changes in her, but she wouldn't listen to them anymore. They all seemed so immature to her now.
Eventually this young woman dropped out of school and got married, looking for the dream husband she had read about in the novles. Unfortunatley, the marriage didn't last. Since then she as remarried and divorced two times. She never could find the man of her dreams. Why are we telling you this? (Indeed, why? -c-) Because this is an example of what reading fantasy books can do. Aside from being untrue, theyse books can "program" our brains to think that life is supposed to be a certain way. But it really isn't. Fantasy stories are only figment of somebody's imagination. The "somebody" who wrote them is probably not a Christian, and most of the story lines don't promote Christian values. Proverbs 14:7 has some good advice: "Stay way from a foolish amn, for you will not find knowledge on his lips." That applies to the people we associate with as well as what we read.
So all fiction is bad.
52 comments
Aside from being untrue, these books can "program" our brains to think that life is supposed to be a certain way.
Correlation doesn't prove cause. And an anecdote about correlation sure as hell doesn't.
It's like...it's like, these bible junkies see what has happened to themselves, but do not dare to express it; instead, they project with a vengeance.
Quite frustrating.
I know when I was a kid I became incredibly paranoid and opened up my own detective agency after reading Nancy Drew.
No really, it happened. For serious.
@solomongrundy
In Ammurica people go 'trick or treating' in their twenties?
I'm of the belief that if you're old enough to be out on your own after dark then you're too old to be 'trick or treating'.
And the answer...
@mouse goddess
I was actually taking my toddler trick or treating, (but yeah, she can't eat most candy, so it's for me.) The guy gave her some candy, and the pamphlet saying something like "and make sure your mommy reads this."
I couldn't WAIT to get home.
"All fiction are bad"..........that's why the most intelligent people on earth are those who read novels and write them. Ah yes, because they do know how to differentiate fact from fiction. The story you meant happens more often with non-readers than with readers. Check why divorce is more frequent in the Biblical Belt.
There's a true story about a teenager who became very interested in baseball. It started with just Little League, but soon that wasn't enough. Before long he was spending every spare minute in the batting cage. He was hooked. The more he played, the the more he began to live in a fantasy world. Real life became boring, he lost interest in school, and his grades began to drop. His friends noticed the changes in him, but he wouldn't listen to them anymore. They all seemed so immature to him now.
Eventually this young man dropped out of school and got a tryout with the LA Dodgers, looking for the dream job he had read about in the sports magazines. Unfortunately, the job didn't last. Since then he has signed with triple-A teams two times. He never could find the job of his dreams. Why are we telling you this? (Indeed, why? -c-) Because this is an example of what playing Little League baseball can do.
This isn't nearly so bad as a similar Fundie warning I read once.
There was one a girl who got hooked on romance novels- then started to masturbate while reading them. Eventually, she started masturbating, in secret, several times a week! =O
Her 'addiction' nearly ruined her life. Only the grace of God, and a christian help-group, saved her.
So everyone who reads fiction becomes hopelessly addicted, confuses it with reality, is brainwashed by it, and will never find truth in their lives?
Actually, if you apply that to the Bible, it sort of makes sense...
There's a true story about a teenager who became very interested in the bible and all the biblical stories
The more she read, the the more she began to live in a fantasy world .
. Real life became boring, she lost interest in sports.
Sho she started to make a up stories about seeing the devil demons and possession and even claimed to see angles and said she felt her sky daddy's touch and love. ,
Her friends noticed the changes in her,and tried to get her to come back to reality but but she wouldn't listen to them. she was lost with her Bible friends and her make believe world of a loving sky daddy fantasies . .
Her new bible friend told her she was smart ot leave them and told her never to talk ot them any more cause they were all evil and workers for Satan and demons so she isolated her self and got lost in a pretend world of Satan .Jesus demons angles and her loving sky daddy's .Who alway came to her rescue when she fantasized about it .She had silly dreams like happy she be if everyone on earth died a fiery painful death except her and she was carried off to heaven on her sky daddies loving arms .
Then one day she was real sad and lonely and decide to see if her sky daddy love was real so she tried to walk on water but he he wast real and he didn't save her like in her stores and fantasizes so she drowned.
The end .
Dun dun dun, don't buy detergent, kids, it's all lies! YOU'LL FALL INTO A WORLD OF CLEAN SHEETS AND EXPLODING GERMS! LOTS OF 'EM!
The irony! All fiction is bad, because it says so in my big book of Bronze Age fiction.
Besides, if you enjoy reading fiction, it must be bad, because anything pleasurable must be a sin!
I'm reading a Discworld novel at the moment, now I believe that the earth is a disc being carried by a giant turtle.
Or not.
...I'm gonna go read some Richard Dawkins instead of this "infidel" fiction.
"The more she read, the more she began to live in a fantasy world. Real life became boring...this is an example of what reading fantasy books can do. Aside from being untrue, these books can "program" our brains to think that life is supposed to be a certain way."
Am I nuts or are they describing religious books?
"this is an example of what reading fantasy books can do. Aside from being untrue, theyse books can "program" our brains to think that life is supposed to be a certain way. But it really isn't. Fantasy stories are only figment of somebody's imagination."
And I just got that thing, too.
Fantasy stories are only figment of somebody's imagination.
Wow. Just wow. The simple fact that you need to say this says more about you than anything else. Hint: that's why it's called fantasy, you moron!
The "somebody" who wrote them is probably not a Christian, and most of the story lines don't promote Christian values.
Because C.S. Lewis was totally not Christian and his books never ever had any Christian themes. Same goes for the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling (amongst many others). And Orson Scott Card? Totally not a Christian at all, especially not a homophobic Mormon!
Proverbs 14:7 has some good advice
See! You're willing to quote from the Bible. Even you don't think all fiction is bad, because if the Bible doesn't contain works of fantasy, I don't know what does.
So all fiction is bad.
What? But you just quoted from the Bible! And you really expect me to believe that this "true story" you just told about a teenager obsessed with romance novels isn't fictional? Oh, please.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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