Not written by me, but worth reading.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

An Open Letter to East Texas Christians

The constitution was written with tyrants in mind. Tyranny is not exclusive to the solitary. Tyranny can exist in any number of manners. The constitution echoes the sentiments of men who knew and understood that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The constitution was written for days such as these.

I am an atheist. A secular humanist existentialist who does not subscribe to the belief in any god, but who strives to lead a moral, kind, compassionate life full of wisdom and love, and who endeavors to bring up my children in like manner. I believe religion to be a tool designed to control minds, make an evil of knowledge, and subvert our natural world.

I have been on both sides of this debate. I have served my Sundays in church pews and choir lofts, had my head sufficiently bathed in the symbolic waters of baptism, and bled my eyes to the orbs of deserts while skinning my knees on vain orisons comprised of ludicrous promises. I have seen the good that masquerades as Christianity. I have had beautiful, loving disciples of the Nazarene follow me to my lowest places and hold my hand as I drank of life’s bitter draught. They were there again on sunnier days with happier climes and during better times.

These far too precious few are like salve and my world is infinitely broader for having known them. And yet, with these is a common purpose beyond ancient tomes and decrees—a shared thirst for love that can exist beyond printed instruction.

And I have seen the darker side.

And I am here to level the bold charges: you, Christian, you are all to blame.

There is a brutal side of Christianity either condemned or justified; either ignored or triumphed as holy. This vile, reprehensible loathing toward “the other.”

To be certain, this is not all Christianity.

This is bible belt Christianity.

Bible belt Christianity, where the n-word is acceptable on Sunday morning in the church parking lot and racism is propagated in our schools. Where one of the largest cities in East Texas is still segregated North by South and everyone knows that one skin color goes here and the other skin color goes there with just enough overlap so as to appease the law.

An East Texas where a megachurch or a bank sits on every other corner, but a gay man is just as likely to be roughed up as he is to be saved.

An East Texas where “the other” is tolerated only insofar as “the other” knows how to keep his or her mouth shut.

I am here. I am an “other.” And I am saying that I will no longer be silent.

When the county can establish a religion on courthouse lawns while simultaneously prohibiting the free exercise of another worldview, this is un-American. When schools can have government employees push religious observations and indoctrinations, this is un-American. When we deny people constitutionally guaranteed rights to health and happiness, this is un-American. When we deny history or science in the classrooms, or worse—attempt to reinvent both—this is un-American.

But I am un-American for saying so.

Dear Christian, you live in a small culture with fanciful privileges. You have the luxury of wearing your faith on your sleeve. You can carry your bible, preach your gospel, pray without ceasing—openly, publicly, loudly (never mind the fact that your Savior instructed you to do the exact opposite).

You can do all of this without fear of governmental reprisal.

Until you cross a line.

Until your freedom of religion encroaches upon my right to autonomy.

You sit in your comfortable, East Texas homes after having just left an uplifting church service where you and scores of friends, family, and acquaintances engaged in worship, to turn on your Fox New pundit who screeches through your television set that you are being unjustly persecuted as a Christian in America.

I have good news for you, Dear Christian: you are not being persecuted in America. You aren’t even being asked to take a backseat.

You do not lose rights when those of us simply stand up and, after centuries of silence, finally demand the same rights you have—rights already afforded us by the constitution of the United States.

Contrary to popular opinion, the constitution was not written for Christians alone.

The oft’-repeated refrain is “if you don’t like it, leave.” What a petty, puerile sentiment!

To meet that with measured juvenility: I don’t have to—for the constitution tells me so.
This is my country.
This is my community.
I am East Texas, too.

I have been told I am just rebellious, just going through a phase, and that my heart has been hardened to god. I have been told that I cannot possibly have suffered any hardships in this life because, in moments of tragedy, the only true recourse is to turn to god. I have been told that my daughter’s birth defect and health issues are god’s attempt to get my attention, or that my son died so that I might see and know god. In the depths of a mother’s grief, I have been told that if I would have but prayed, my son would have survived, that my rebellion and sin caused his death. I have been told that my grief is unceasing and perpetually worse, and that I will never know peace because I do not know Jesus. And I have been told that my grief is diseased and invalid—that, because god is love and I do not know god I, therefore, cannot know love, and because I cannot know love, I could not have loved my son and have no business grieving over his death.

This is your Christianity, Dear East Texas Christian. This is the Christianity seen by the East Texas atheist.

In the short time I have been active and public with my atheism, I have been threatened with physical violence, told that I looked like an abused woman, shouted at that I can burn in hell if I choose, and that I should be stoned.

All of this in front of my young children. All of this falling on impressionable ears and little shoulders.

On this day, my children were granted their first real gift of Jesus the Nazarene. They watched as their mother received the curse of hellfire and brimstone.

They met Jesus today.

And the Jesus they met was a monster.

And, contrary to what some might imagine, I did not tell them this. His ambassadors did.

This is East Texas for “the other.” An East Texas where a judge can deny the constitution in favor of his own preferred religion. An East Texas where the same judge can go on record as saying, “If they want to fight, we will fight.”

No atheist said anything about fighting.

The problem is that an atheist said something and, in this East Texas, that is unacceptable.

You weep from your pews because you fear for our eternal souls and because you cannot fathom how we can muddle through the task of life without Christ. But you do not get it. You moan from your high horse about the anti-Christian sentiment in this country, but when was the last time your rights were denied? When was the last time a Satanist statue was erected at the courthouse without permission to a Christian monument? When as the last time you genuinely feared for your physical well-being, the safety of your friends and family, even your own life…just for being a Christian in East Texas? When was the last time you feared losing your job, your friends and family, even custody of your own children over your faith? When was the last time your phone rang with an unknown number and you feared that the wrong people might have access to your private life and property? When was the last time you engaged in a Christian event and were stalked by the police or terrified of every car that drove by or every unseen hand?
When was the last time that you sat down with your spouse and had the most troublesome conversation: that speaking openly about your faith might bring harm or death upon you or your family?

Because, Dear Christian, this is the reality in East Texas for an atheist.

Every day we must make the conscious decision that being atheist in this culture could have the most devastating of consequences.
And in your belief-system, the man who might kill me in the name of god would wake up in paradise while I would spend eternity in torment.

Is this your god?
If you worship a vile, jealous, murderous god, then, by all means, continue—you have that right.
If you believe, or know, your god to be loving, compassionate, the friend of sinners, long-suffering, kind, then you need to stop being silent. Your silence is consent. You might not be directly complicit, but you stand guilty by association.

It is a small, fragile faith that can be troubled by the mere presence of an atheist. It is a corrupt faith that seeks to silence an alternative voice. It is a deplorable, verging on evil faith that endeavors to drive away anyone who does not abide by the rules you have set up and how you have interpreted them. I am unsatisfied with the shadows. I am tired with the chains. I have left the cave and I will not allow a backward, spoiled, small-town system to enslave my children as I have been held captive.

If this charge feels an attack, welcome to reality.

If it seems unfairly leveled against your faith, prove me wrong and do something about it.

Encourage dialogue. Seek wisdom through coexistence. Challenge, both publicly and privately, those with whom you associate who make evil of “the other.”

This is your faith, too, whether or not you want to acknowledge it or claim it. You no longer get to say, “Well…they aren’t ‘real’ Christians.” You no longer get to swipe under the rug your brothers and sisters whose rotten theology has tainted yours.

Do something right today.

For, in the end, none of us know and we are all the same. Comprised of bone and marrow all strung together by meat and covered with a bow of flesh, we are all just doing the best we can. Let me not believe as I might and bring up my children as I will. I have never attempted to deny you that, nor would I ever conceive of such a thing.

I am a woman. I love documentaries and British literature and everything Viktor Frankl. Music is salve. Cold weather sucks. I love my husband, but I don’t always like him. I have birthed three children and held one in my arms as he took his last breath. I have laughed to the point of tears and wept unto laughter.

And I have done all of this without god.
I am no different than you.

Abandoning a faith in a god that I never truly possessed did not change my DNA and make me sprout horns and start craving fetus stew, Contrary to some understanding, I do not hate god and find the story of the Nazarene to be utterly fascinating as allegory. I also still enjoy southern gospel hymns—but don’t tell my atheist friends because I might be defrocked of my scarlet letter.

I have made mistakes. I worry about my children. I am a walking insecurity. I battle daily with a debilitating disease. I miss my son to the point of feeling as if my chest cavity might implode for lack of oxygen. I have dreams and aspirations. I desire to know others, to help others, and to attain knowledge and wisdom to the end of my days and to leave this world and my very infinitesimal spot in it a little brighter for my having been there.

If you really allowed yourself to go there, you would find these things largely similar to your own life.

It is time for change, East Texas. It is time for reason and compassion and coexistence. We can have these things without diminishing your faith or your god.

After all, is not your god the same yesterday, today, and forever?

I ask you to come with me and let us do this human experience together.


The ball is in your court, Dear East Texas Christian. What Jesus will you show us today?

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Written by Jennah Rose of the Secular Humanist Society of East Texas.

[deucemagnet]

1. K&R

This is worth the read. It's admirable that the author can be so eloquent after the tragedy she's suffered and and the kind of treatment she got from her community. Thanks for posting this.

[defacto7]

2. Excellent post, and moving.

Is there a link? It's not necessary but it would be nice to see where it leads. Possibly a site for the Secular Humanist Society of East Texas? Just wondering.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

3. They have a private Facebook page.

I live in that part of the state but am too far away to go to any of their events. And this lady's description of the Christian mindset is all too real.

[defacto7]

4. Yes, it's very realistic.

Considering the climate of the issue and the area, I understand the privacy. Thanks for bringing it to us here.

on edit: Since this is a private message, would it be OK if I posted this on my own site in the exact form you gave us here including siltation? I'll wait for your input.

[cantbeserious]

5. Thank You For Sharing

eom

[mr blur]

6. I can't imagine having to live in such conditions.

We are fortunate over here to have nothing like this. What the fuck is wrong with these people?

OK, I know, it's their self-righteous belief in supernatural drivel.

[niyad]

7. k and r for a most insightful, truthful piece. thank you for bringing this to our attention.

[Curmudgeoness]

8. Wow. That was one of the most moving essays I have ever read.

Well worth the read. I wish that all the Christians who do not get it that atheists can survive without Jesus would read this. All those who do not see how much privilege they have because of their belief and their church need to see this. I know about East Texas. But I also know about a lot of other places that are just as hostile. It is pervasive in this country.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. Yes, this is what East Texas is like.

And the people in that group live in bigger cities or college towns like Nacogdoches, where Stephen F. Austin State University is located. I'm in a tiny little town and live over an hour's drive from anyplace that would have these people. I live here because i inherited the family manse on two acres.

I've put an "Axial Tilt is The Reason for the Season" poster on my fence, with a beautiful sun and earth I painted on it. And the 23 degree axis clearly drawn.

I also put up next to it a painting of Isaac Newton, with below it "Sir Isaac Newton - Dec. 25, 1642" and the 3 equations of Newton's Laws of Motion (thanks to hubby the physics major) and the frontispiece of Principia Mathematica on it. I have also put up a couple of other posters that do not fit the dominant paradigm.

We don't go to church, so people make shit up about us. We painted our house blue and redid the outside and put up colorful crown moldings. They go with the house which was built in the 19th century. The gossip at the hardware store was "a buncha Mezzkins musta moved in" because boring normal white people would never paint their house a non-neutral color. We also put up a fence with brick columns to keep the con artists and panhandlers out.

These people will invite us to their church to be friendly, and we say we're not interested, and they don't understand why I don't want to go to their church. We explain to them that we are Unitarians and believe in drawing from many religious traditions but they don't understand it. They are so brainwashed they think about Jesus 24/7 instead of indulging in critical thinking.
They are taught to be obedient little sheep. They don't read the bible for themselves. They only believe what their uneducated preacher tells them. If it's not Jesus it's bad.

One reason we stopped going to the book club meetings in the county seat was that they were all politically conservative and talked about God a lot and Christianity. I thought that was what church was for. I had to bring my own food because of my allergies. And modern fiction can be pretty bad. So I thought why am I doing this if I don't agree with them politically or religiously, and I even have to bring my own food? I gave up. And stopped going. And these are supposedly educated people. The city librarian ranted at me about how upset she is that they have an Hispanic food aisle at Wal-Mart. She hates everybody that's not white. I did not remind her that where we live used to be called "Mexico".

Country people have no boundaries and we put up the fence with the electric gate to stop them from bothering us at any time. Somebody always wants to borrow money to buy cigs and a 40 oz. malt liquor, and then they promise to come do yard work but can't read a calendar and tell time, so they don't show up. The economy is dead here. The downtowns have been destroyed due to Wallyworld, and people are desperate so they steal and sell meth and try to con you out of money if you "have two nickels to rub together" as I told hubby. We have to drive 20 miles to buy groceries at Wallyworld. We don't have choices.


People around here make shit up constantly and give us excuses that are total bullshit in businesses. They alienate us by getting mad at us when they are the ones that can't give us a day and time for an appointment, and then call us up and yell at us about going out of town. Yes, an air conditioning place actually had a witch call us up and yell at us, so we went else where after they ordered a new coil for us.

Can't find a competent plumber that will do what we tell him to do. Lots of so called "handymen" that don't know anything about construction. One ignored what my husband said about putting up struts when this guy put up an overhang over the front door and hubby told him, "I learned that you need to do it this way, put a strut under it to compress the force and transfer it to the wall, when I took Statics and Strength of Materials course in Engineering school." That didn't matter. This asshole thinks he knows everything--the typical angry white guy gun nut Fox viewer. Now he has no friends and his kids and wife do not respect him at all. And he doesn't know why. He basically jails his wife who is a nice lady and won't give her money, so she will come help me with house work. She is the only reliable person in town that will show up and work for me.

And we have a couple of large, ornate porch lights. And we have Tibetan prayer flags flying. So we must be different and therefore, bad.

My next door neighbor told me that "Buddhism is like Voodoo" and crossed her forearms to protect herself from that evil paganism. She also insulted me in my own house when I opened the piano and ripped through some Chopin from memory. She called me a "SHOWOFF!!". That tells me she doesn't like people who study hard and learn things and are interested in the outside world.

[OriginalGeek]

10. Your post was like a trip back home

lol - I grew up in Dallas and right after I left home my mother and step-father moved back to his home in Corsicana. I never had to live there but I visited a few times.

But the main reason is that I wanted to thank you - I saw your Axial Tilt fence pic last year (or maybe two years ago?) and had never seen that sentiment expressed before. This year I was "brave" enough to post a graphic of the axial tilt meme on my facebook wall and, even though a large portion of my facebook friends are people I went to fundamentalist baptist high school with, I only caught a smidgen of grief - and that was from a friend here lol. So I wonder if they didn't want to start a public FB fight or if some may secretly agree with me now lol.

Anyway, thanks for bringing me that meme - it's my favorite thing about christmas. And my new xbox1.

[Delmette]

11. East Texas must be

An accumulation of every part of this country. I recognized my state here and there, probably more often than I realize. Thank you for the blunt yet elequent description of life as an athiest.