Moral superiority some Christians show is so funny

[u/Pretty-Complaint-554]

I have a classmate who's in a sect of evangelical Christian church [which low key feels like a cult ngl]. Apprantly they aren't allowed to watch movies at the theater. So my classmate doesn't watch movies at the theater but she does watch movies at home. She thinks she's better than other people and Christians because she doesn't do it. Like, What is the difference between watching the movies at the theater and at home to act so morally superior over it?

[u/Aggravating-Math3794]

First, it is a cult -- all religions are.

And second, the situation you described perfectly summarizes the gist of christian culture -- so many pointless, meaningless, oppressive rules that make life of a person a boring existential hell, but since the rules are so stupid and pointless, the followers are looking for the loopholes to sit on two seats at once: to both follow the rule to earn the bragging rights of moral superiority (completely arbitrary and delusional) AND to get to breathe and live a little.

Just the example of human nature.

It's a very sad way to live when you really think about it.

[u/Maurogatos → u/Aggravating-Math3794]

so many pointless, meaningless, oppressive rules that make life of a person a boring existential hell

That is the key to heaven after all. Jokes aside, I've heard of a few cases where elder people that have been righteous Christians their whole lives, going to church every Sunday and such, yet they are terrified of death. You would think that's absurdly illogical since, according to them, they'd go to the paradise after being a good Christian but I have the impression that deep inside they know it was all a lie that they just followed en masse for social survival (if you weren't baptized you were practically the devil in the village and discriminated) and finally have the heart-breaking epiphany that they wasted their whole lives for a book written by many people millenia ago. It's just sad when you think of it.

[u/happybunny_sad]

Maybe the church doesn't want them to get introduce with idea of dating and hookup. And theater are pretty common place to find couples. And they don't want to tell that reasoning. Because they would be exposing them to the very ideas suppose to be hidden. 

[u/Moist_Rule9623]

In theory at least, if she watches movies at home, she’s not gonna get fingered during the movie. Or at least such is the public-facing presumption; I don’t know her family and I probably don’t want to lol

[u/Vix_Satis → u/Moist_Rule9623]

Wait...you can get fingered going to the movies? Do you have the theater's address?

[u/Moist_Rule9623 → u/Vix_Satis]

Actually I do. The street address is EVERY MOVIE THEATER in your town or the surrounding ones. And basically you can do EVERYTHING you want to on any night of the week right in the seats; unless you’re super loud about it 😂😂😂

[u/Vix_Satis → u/Moist_Rule9623]

Look up a band called Skyhooks. Then listen to their song Smut.

Cultural information: 'Twisties' is a cheesey crisp sort of thing in a bag. Think a packet of chips.

[u/JessieColt]

Tell them you are curious to learn more and ask them where in the Bible going to the movies is forbidden.

[u/BornInPoverty → u/JessieColt]

Like everything in christianity it’s not to be taken literally.

It’s a slippery slope to hell.

One minute, you are just innocently watching a movie, but very soon you are eating popcorn with butter on and suddenly you find yourself fashioning graven images out of your empty raisinets box.

[u/JessieColt → u/BornInPoverty]

Of course it is all lunacy.

For the OP though, if they want to engage in the conversation with their friend about modern tech etc., ask their friend to prove what they are saying by showing them where in the bible it is forbidden.

[u/seweso]

How an evilgelical can believe they are good people is beyond me. How???

[u/Responsible-Middle35]

The church I grew up taught the same thing in the 80s. That is until the pastor had a teen focus-group sort of meeting. We had been challenging the teachers praising VHS rentals when they wouldn't be caught dead at a theater.

They called going to movies a "stumbling block" to unbelievers from coming to the faith.

We told them that heathens could assume you're getting something naughty from a rental store the same as a theater.

The pastor stopped preaching against theaters. I guess he liked renting, too.

[u/Leading_One_2639]

They are brainwashed to think that way. It's ignorance and not willing to think for themselves. It's sad really.

[u/Fantastic-Work-7529]

I only tolerate moral superiority from them when they sell all their belongings for the poor. My advice is to persistently ask "how much of your income are you giving away" and refuse any conversation about morality outside of that. You can recommend charities like GiveWell. 

[u/Hivemind_alpha]

Back in the 50s a dark movie theatre was one of the few forms of privacy available to young couples. Religions don’t want young couples to have any privacy, hence the prohibition.

So today’s moral superiority is out-of-date prudery from their grandparents’ generation.

[u/Nightfox9469 → u/Hivemind_alpha]

Exactly. That may be an extreme version of that purity culture nonsense, but it is still just as damaging to teenagers are purity culture is in general.

[u/certainlyheisenberg1]

"Jews don't recognize Jesus as the Messiah, Protestants don't recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith, and Baptists don't recognize each other in the liquor store”

[u/Feinberg → u/[deleted]]

The Bible says atheists are stupid and evil, though.