Christian Loved Ones Who Send You Religious Stuff
Offline How do you handle telling someone you don't want them to send you those cutesie, sweet and flowery messages that might be about friendship or love or family or soldiers or other things, that also include religious stuff? Specifically, Christian religious stuff? I have someone who sends me stuff like this, or even about issues I think are wrong (I once got a message talking about how everything's wrong because they took God out of the schools, gay people want equality, etc.), and I've told her many times, I'm not a Christian, and shared some of my views with her. Yet, she keeps sending me this stuff. Just last night, she sent me this religious message with the following text after the message:
When Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you! If you are one of the 7% who will stand up for Him, forward this with the Title 7%
93% of people won't forward this.
(I'm one of those 93%...however, they have no basis for their statistic.)
I don't want to hurt this person's feelings, but I feel like religion is being pushed on me, even when it's just a friendship or cutesie message, because I have been open that these aren't my beliefs.
Any advice?
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hehehe. I think I have it a little worse off because it's my mother-in-law that sends all that junk to me.
One time I actually responded back because her email was about how the ACLU should be sent to France since this is one nation under god. I wasn't mean about it I just gave her the position of the ACLU and the history of the pledge of allegiance. I don't think she's sent me another religious email.
If you've already told your friend to stop and they won't, then challenge them on the emails they send you. Ask questions like "why do you believe in this stuff?" Or if they insist on trying to convert you then remind them that you not believing must just be a part of their gods plan.
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan
I get some from family members. I'm often tempted to respond.
Send them back an email like this:
When I sent out this chain letter, I was thinking of you! If you are one of the 7% who are stupid or supersticious and will forward this, forward it with the Title 7%
93% of people are smart enough not to participate in chain letters and won't forward this.
Thanks in advance.
Jesus
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. - Seneca
I used to get those sorts of things on occasion. I simply emailed the person and requested that they not send me ANY chain emails or forwards because my inbox was being inundated with stuff like that.
If god takes life he's an indian giver
I would consider it an invitation to hit them with freethinking or atheist stuff. I'd probably send em links to sites like this and what not.
they'd also probably get their email flagged as spam.
I let my family do that stuff. I put them in a "bullshit" file. Then, when we come up on a family event, I review the file and memorize some of the information. So, the day of the event, I stand around and talk about the absurd crap I got in my e-mail a few weeks back. Generally, the person believes that you had forgotten who sent it and feels bad for being a moron. It is fun to watch their expression drop. Of course, you must hate yourfamily to do this to them.
"Tis better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." -Lucifer
My mother's best friend is like this. She is a hardcore fundie and sends me cards with religious themes, but she has to know I'm atheist, I'm friends with two of her sons on facebook and it says on there that i'm an atheist.... I wonder if she's doing it just because... As for what to do? I'd just ask them to stop, and if they don't, start sending them atheist e-mails until they do....
[MOD EDIT - duplicate post removed]
Sounds made up...
Agnostic Atheist
No, I am not angry at your imaginary friends or enemies.
Tell this person to stop sending you there religious propangenda, and you find it inappropiate. If they don't respect your wishes, then really why are you concerned with hurting the feelings of someone who cannot respect yours?
[Edit: Removed the quote from OP, it just took of space and I am not talking to any part of it directly]
Sounds made up...
Agnostic Atheist
No, I am not angry at your imaginary friends or enemies.
I have a freind who sends them just to annoy me. I critique it and send it back. She' xian and I'm hoping one day I hit the right chord.
The paper read yesterday, the earth exploded, nobody noticed the passing of this hapless planet.
I'd just return the compliment and send them something that they find offensive. Satanic material or gay porn should do the job
I'd also block their email until they learnt to be more civilised. And yes I'd do this to a family member too.
I did have my mother-in-laws emails automatically filed into junk mail for a while. Then I guess she sent a real email and was upset when I never responded.
She doesn't only send out religous emails either. Almost every one is some non-sence joke or tidbit so I take pride in replying with the article from www.snopes.com showing how her email was wrong.
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan
Well, the person who's been sending most of this stuff (not a lot of it, but I don't like getting it at all) is my sister, whom I'm very close to. I've considered sending some stuff that's general, but mentions how great it is that we don't have prayer in school and celebrating our freedom to not believe, but I'm not sure where to find ready-to-send emails like that. I could write my own, but I don't really have the time.
I use a tactic with evangelical approaches in general; you might be able to apply it some way with family.
My position is not to debate religion with evangelicals--my time has better uses.
When approached I firmly state that religious belief is a private matter. If questioned on the position I respond that the subject is private in the same way as my finances or love life: I wouldn't allow interrogation on those subjects either.
The appeal to privacy works suprisingly well for me. In some way it throws them off balance, perhaps by disrupting their prepared script.
_________________________________
references: I think it was Whitehead who said religion is what one does with their solitude. There's also a biblical warning about pharisees on street corners, from the founder.
I'm the exact opposite Lester. Mostly because many politicians in this country are using their religion in a not so private manner.
I encourage discusion about it. That's the only way that things can change.
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan
We may be on the same sheet--I think the only effective counter to religious toxicity is political action. Oppose them politically at every opportunity.
Being approached casually by vacant-minded evangelicals is an imposition to me. Hence the strategy I shared.
As it's your sister sending you these e-mails you're in a difficult position. You could start by explaining why you dislike receiving these messages from her. If she carries on then reply to individual e-mails saying "look, this is the kind of thing I was talking about".
Finally however, the fact is that our friends and families are the people we love despite their faults. If you can't stop her from sending christian e-mails to you then just hit delete and don't stress about it.
I don't give my family my email address.
I can go one better: I don't have any Christians in my family.
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
Yes. Back three generations, as far as I can trace, at least. Both parents, all four grandparents, great aunts/uncles, in-laws, all three aunts/uncles (and their spouses) and their children as well.
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
You probably also have a "bounce" function in your email application. This returns the email back to the sender, looking like the email address was incorrect and undeliverable.
If you've respectfully asked your sister to stop sending the xian emails, you can always bounce them right back to her.
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Thanks for all your suggestions! I should mention, because I don't think I was clear, not all the religious stuff she sends me is overtly religious. Some of it is about friendship or caring, with "The Lord" or "God" thrown in. Still annoys me.
Wow, a whole family and generations of atheists and agnostics. That's rare.
One thing about discussion--of any emotionally-charged topic--is, there's lots of discussion, but little of people doing anything about it. I'm guilty of that myself. But I see people complain about stuff, and nothing changes. They say, "What can I do about it?" and usually, if they can't do anything directly (like change a law), they can at least get in touch with those who can.
When i get that crap i either send the lyrics fromNine Inch Nails song Heresy,or a good one from Marilyn Manson.It usually either pisses them off so much i get email flamed,or i get taken off "the list"
"Faith does not give you the answers, it just stops you asking the questions."--Frater Ravus
I got an email like this from my dad, but he sent me it as a joke. He got it from other family members and I responded back ripping it apart. It was the "student proves god to the atheist professor" with the Einstein twist. He then sent to the family member.
Depending on the capability of your email client you could set up a filter that scans for religious words on incoming emails and replies with a pre-written response to the sender saying something like 'this email was automatically rejected by my inbox because it contained one or more of the following offensive words: god, jesus, bible, gospel, etc. Please remove any and all such offensive content in order to contact me.'
In America I guess, but not everywhere. My family is the same, with the exception of my Dad's very faintly religious mother. We give her a break though, she did lose her father at a young age, later a son, and then her husband - and she doesn't send anyone annoying emails.
"This is the real world, stupid." - Charlie Brooker
"It is necessary to be bold. Some people can be reasoned into sense, and others must be shocked into it. Say a bold thing that will stagger them, and they will begin to think." - Thomas Paine