For one thing those are conservatives for the most part. Have you ever even known someone personally or are you just being prejudice?
Those are mostly conservatives for the most part? Uh-huh...and? Are they Christian?
But, am I prejudiced?
When I was about 17, my best friend (whom I had known since around birth), was outed as being gay by our pastor. He was ordered to leave our church because he was "evil," and a church was no place for evil people. His parents (who were also serious members of said church) kicked him out of their house. He disappeared for a couple of weeks, until he was found in Edmonton (closest major town) where he had jumped off of the top of an 8-storey parking garage.
Our church celebrated the death of an evil person, rather than mourn a friend, or family member. Parishoners danced on his grave, including our pastor, and his father. That I wouldn't dance on his grave, and left the funeral/party before it was finished was remembered by the church as a sign of weakness.
Skip ahead about 4 years and a bit, I had fallen in love with my high-school sweetheart and announced that I was getting married, and moving to Calgary for school. Parishoners got suspicious (as apparently they will), and started spying on me. Not too long later, my fiancee was outed as being Jewish (yeah I was aware of that, apparently I was supposed to care about such things). I was told they actually remembered Scott's funeral, and that I was weak in front of evil, and they would kick me out. They actually, literally told me to choose between the church, and my fiancee--Jesus or Satan. I guess Satan won out in a pretty easy battle. Those still within the church were told not to associate with me, and my mother was soon kicked out as well.
Then the bank foreclosed on my mortgage on a house in Calgary, which was to quell our living costs through school, even though we hadn't even moved in yet. We lost more than $7000 because the guy who handled our mortgage went to my former church, and was no longer allowed to associate with me. Rather then allow it to sit as it is supposed to, he vindictively decided to foreclose on it. We sued the bank to get it back, but we didn't receive our money until after I had completed my bachelors which is when we needed it.
Then move on to our wedding. During the ceremony, my brother-n-law (at the time) called my wife a harlot, and a money-worshipping golddigger (which was ironic as at that moment, I was actually quite poor having lost all of my money in that house) because she was a Jew. During the reception, my drunken Grandfather called for a toast to "Jesus Christ who was brutally murdered at the hands of the Jews" as he lifted his glass to my (Jewish) father-in-law.
After my wife died some years ago, I received letters of congratulations. Now I don't have to get a divorce, and I can raise my son as a Christian. As if that's going to happen.
My sisters don't talk to me, and didn't even visit our mother before she died because we were no longer Christian. Although, I suppose I don't have any desire to talk to them either, I imagine my mother did.
Throw into the mix being punched in the face two years ago by a pro-life Christian who was outraged by my being a pro-choice atheist, and then the subsequent lies, and harrassment that went with that church. Throw in the frequent prosletyzer who screams at me in the subway.
Now this is just how I have been affected personally. I should also include that my neighbour growing up, who is a devoted Christian was convicted of murdering her husband about 3 years ago. An influencial man at my church, who was instrumental in getting me removed, was convicted of assault, and attempted murder of a Police Officer whom he thought was gay, and tried to stab him with a broken bottle (to be fair, he didn't know he was a police officer).
Then add the outspoken public persona of Christianity today.
Yeah, I imagine I'm a bit prejudiced. Honestly, I'm really see no reason to apologize for that at this point.
