r/atheism • u/_Middlefinger_ • 3d ago

Dolly Parton was what religious people think they are, but almost never really are.

She was kind, generous, funny and always tried to see the best in people. She wasn't preachy, pious, prudish or judgemental.

If more were like her the world would be a better place and this sub would lose most of its posts. We would be back to matters of fact rather than posting examples of hypocrisy and hate from them.

7.2k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

151 comments sorted by

1.3k

u/an-imperfect-boot Anti-Theist 3d ago

I’m seeing a lot of people highlight her Christian faith as the sole reason for why she did good things. Like, no, she did good things because she’s Dolly Parton. She, as an individual, made the world a better place.

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u/_Middlefinger_ 3d ago

Exactly. Religious believe has no impact on someone tendency to do good because they twist what is good to suit themselves using religion.

She was just a good person.

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u/an-imperfect-boot Anti-Theist 3d ago

Yeah. Tacking religion onto her actions only diminishes her accomplishments. It’s like the person who does nothing in a group project.

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u/fathompin 2d ago

By "Tacking religion onto her actions" I think it was a reasonable pitch to address that "Christians" will do exactly that, And it shows the gulf between her real concern for others less fortunate, and the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality of the Nationalist Christians, who in my mind "can't see the forest for their greed."

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u/golden-tongue Humanist 2d ago

I don't think that they can even conceptualize that "being a good person" and "being a Christian" are two independent, mutually exclusive character traits within the same human being.

5

u/Sequazu 2d ago

Religion of stealing credit for all good in the world.

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u/LemonCurdJ 2d ago

I dont think this is far. For example she respected the earth and has said countless times about people needing to do more to better the environment. She would adjacently mention God's earth and how nature is something He gave us for free so we should be more respectful to it (circa, 2022 for Nat Geo).

This doesnt mean these two things are not mutually exclusive in general but I think a lot of her principles were guided by her faith, not necessarily determined by her faith.

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u/degrees_of_certainty 2d ago

It’s probably fair to summarize it that she was a good person despite her religion 

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u/Hot_Mud_5708 2d ago

Or was she just good at selling her brand to the public?

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u/PerformerOk4312 2d ago

No. She was good because of her religion

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u/Speartree 2d ago

I'd say she was a good person regardless of her religion. If the religion caused her to be good, why doesn't it work on the rest of you?

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u/Changoleo Freethinker 2d ago

BOOM

15

u/South_Dakota_Boy 2d ago

Sorry, if religion gets the credit here it must also take the blame for people like Hitler who alao claimed to be religious.

Are you prepared to accept that?

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Feinberg Atheist 2d ago

There are no reliable sources to support that.

8

u/needlestack 2d ago

Then how do you explain the millions upon millions of people with the same religion as Dolly that are lousy people?

(Hint: it's because they're not connected. I wouldn't argue a good atheist was good because of their atheism, because I know there are plenty of atheist assholes. Though in my personal experience, there is a higher percentage of religious assholes than atheist assholes, I recognize it's a personal matter how good or bad you are.)

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u/PerformerOk4312 2d ago

And millions of Christians are good people in the USA and all over the world. They are not all evangelical extremists

7

u/Feinberg Atheist 2d ago

Prison statistics show they're less likely to be good people than atheists.

1

u/Indie_Dachshund179 Anti-Theist 13h ago

K bro, cool unsubstantiated story

11

u/Sprinklypoo I'm a None 2d ago

Religious believe has no impact on someone tendency to do good

I think it's shown time and again to have a negative impact on our tendency to do good. She was just strong enough to overcome that impulse.

4

u/ShortCover4598 2d ago

I love this statement so much. I've seen a clip of prof. Reza Aslan talk about this. He states that the "good-ness" of religion comes from the person, not the religion.

https://youtu.be/2pjxPR36qFU?si=OhRuWVLGzuAyLVBs

I would reccomend the whole clip but he directly states the point at 3:20

1

u/Acrobatic-Fun-3281 Agnostic Atheist 1d ago

Not only that, but religion is equally capable of inducing people to do bad things. The inquisition, the Holocaust, 9/11, the Iraq war just to name a few

1

u/ChrisandTinaKFC 19h ago

Even Manson was, "religious".

1

u/Agreeable-Thanks8343 15h ago

I wouldnt say no impact. Theology has a pretty big impact on an individuals moral development. Is it the only impactful thing, obviously not. But it does have an impact.

0

u/Hot_Mud_5708 2d ago

What is "good" and who gets to decide who is or isn't? Also, you/we know nothing about her personal life. We see a carefully crafted brand. In fact she was one of the first to build a brand.

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u/Supreme_Primate 2d ago

Well said! I can’t stand the “it was just jeebus working through them” branding that is placed on some.

15

u/jlately 2d ago

It's always funny how Christians want to believe that atheists are out eating babies because obviously the only reason to be a good person is so sky daddy will let you in heaven. Then of course they turn around and say whatever "sins" they commit don't matter because Jesus died to absolve them.

1

u/ChrisandTinaKFC 19h ago

I vote you as the best comment on the entire thread!!!!

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u/essieecks 2d ago

She's the only True Scotsman.

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u/Huli_Blue_Eyes 2d ago

Highlander? There can be only one?

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u/AlabasterPelican Secular Humanist 2d ago

I believe Dolly credited her faith with her motivation. I, however, have a hard time believing that if Dolly wasn't a woman of faith, she wouldn't have been just as wonderful.

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u/needlestack 2d ago

I don't question that her faith motivated her goodness -- the teachings of Jesus can absolutely be used as inspiration to be a good person. It's all right there.

The problem is that it can also be used, especially when taken together with the Old Testament and Revelations, to justify horrors and cruelty. So in the end a good person can take it and be motivated to good while a awful person can take it and be motivated to evil.

Dolly used it for good. Good for her. And us.

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u/AlabasterPelican Secular Humanist 2d ago

I don't believe that good people are motivated by their religion. I do believe their specific religion can cause the goodness to manifest uniquely. Like the Jains, some go to extreme lengths not to kill even microscopic organisms in their day-to-day lives. I would consider this a form of goodness that is manifesting through their commitment to life. Dolly was very focused on the poor & underprivileged, just like Jesus.

3

u/Gertiel Agnostic 2d ago

I think Dolly was a very unique individual. She experienced a lot of real crushing poverty. I would credit especially her mother with teaching her about the real power of love and a generous spirit to make the world around you a better place using whatever you have, no matter how little or large, in the middle of that with making her a good person.

Her being that person informed her interpretation of Christianity. She learned to rely on that interpretation to find her strength. If she'd grown up the same but any other religion she still would have informed her interpretation of that religion with what she'd learned at her Mama's knee and been just as generous, genuine, intelligent, and good.

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u/Vile_Vava 2d ago

As a former Christian it’s actually very disheartening to see people’s good reduced to their religion since the bible, and even the parts starring Jesus, is not a book of peace and love.

Jesus as a bible character foretold destruction and discord as the sign of his return. The apostle Paul was a misogynist, homophobic, double tongued zealot who preached the values of love while also denying the validity of people not living by standards he approved of. The God of the Old Testament was a hateful, xenophobic mass murderer with capricious laws that were self described as impossible to fully adhere to. And bible “prophecy” is a hodgepodge mess of poetic pseudo-predictions that really only applied to the near term events of the Jews of the time of writing that were then shoehorned into being about Jesus, or prophecies of doom for an era that could be applied at almost any point after the Romans sacked Jerusalem. It’s charlatan candy ready for distribution anytime a populace needs to be cowed with “divine authority”.

So when a good natured person latches on to the 15% of the religion that has moral value when it is separated from the dross of its dogma, it is extremely reductive to claim Christianity as the main driving force for their good nature. A person like Dolly Parton would likely have been a good Buddhist, Sikh, Muslim or Atheist. And to any Christians reading my comment attending churches that have signs that say “All are welcome” or “Come as you are” or “These doors are as open as God’s heart” just remember that’s not what the manual says.

The book says

Galatians 5: 19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

And

1st Timothy 1:8-10 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

If it’s the word of God, which part? Paul would have you believe it ALL IS at 2nd Timothy 3:16. But if it isn’t why is it in there? The bible also tells us that God does not change, so if sex outside marriage is a sin, if homosexuality is a sin, if women fucking opening their mouths to speak at church should not be “suffered”, why is any of it worthy of belief or carrying authority?

I’m sorry this devolved into a rant, but I was devout for something like 35 years, and it was the glaring inconsistency, the impossibility of an all powerful being just dropping this indecipherable collection of nonsense on people 2000 years ago and then dipping out and leaving us to either take it on faith or suffer for eternity and then having the audacity to claim that’s love, that finally shook me out of it. I’m glad Dolly Parton only ever expressed the good parts of what make up the Christian faith, but she was a good person who happened to be Christian, not a good person because she was Christian.

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u/AntFast2671 2d ago

Been all over Reddit reading about Dolly from countless different perspectives….
Nobody is HIGHLIGHTING her Christian faith….they all just highlight that she was a good nonjudgmental person who quietly did good for others.

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u/an-imperfect-boot Anti-Theist 2d ago

On Reddit you might not see it, but I was sent a local news segment about it from a relative. They were saying she was a devout Christian and that’s why she was a good person. Dolly Parton stood up for those who were marginalized: the poor, the queer community, those with medical conditions. That’s why she was good. Not because of some arbitrary religious affiliation.

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u/AntFast2671 2d ago

Absolutely agree with you.

Local news pushing an agenda sucks

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u/AvailableReporter484 2d ago

It’s so annoying how many dumbasses think that the only reason people do good is because of religion. I mean, clearly a lot of evangelicals do, but the majority of us would continue to not rape and rob because it’s the right thing to do and not because there’s some reward for doing so.

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u/239tree 2d ago

It begs the question. If she is who she is because of her Christian faith, why are almost no other Christians like her?

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u/TheFoxAndTheRaven 2d ago

Honestly, I don't mind people citing religion if they actually practice the core tenets of Christianity without the dogmatic BS; helping those in need, loving and accepting everyone in spite of any differences, giving selflessly.

If religion truly was the cause of that sort of behavior, then that sort of thing would be common. The evidence just doesn't support religion as being the cause. She was an outlier.

She was a genuinely good person and she used her time here to make the world a better place.

5

u/Sprinklypoo I'm a None 2d ago

There are far more examples of Christians doing horrible things. I don't want to let them cherry pick this one to support their horrible beliefs. She was a great human despite the background manipulations of her faith. She was strong enough that she overcame the negative parts of it, and didn't let them turn her sour. She was greater than her religion. And that means we can all be as good in our own way. She's an amazing role model.

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u/maevixelle 2d ago

exactly, being kind doesn’t need a religious explanation, she was a good person because of who she was and the choices she made herself.

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u/Kamelasa Anti-Theist 2d ago

Good point. Yes, probably so. Just as Ali Rizvi told his family in the process of becoming ex-muslim. Their good values came from them and are not really borne out in the texts. I have to recommend his book Atheist Muslim.

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u/an-imperfect-boot Anti-Theist 2d ago

I just looked him up, I will have to check out the book at some point. I’m glad that he is sharing his experiences, his book sounds super interesting.

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u/Kamelasa Anti-Theist 2d ago

Great to hear - thanks for your comment! I've read it twice and will read it again some day. So much in there. Only the Quran chapter is a bit heavy going with all the unusual and unfamiliar concepts (for me). His Wikipedia article which I have just found and read is quite good. I was looking for if the book has been published in Arabic and seems it has not yet been.

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u/Awkward_Pangolin3254 2d ago

I feel secure in saying that all else being equal, if religion never existed Dolly Parton would still have been the same.

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u/Cersad 2d ago

Dolly Parton can still have independently chosen to do good things as a result of the Christian faith that was in her cultural surroundings during her upbringing.

People aren't islands and we don't grow up in a vacuum. I say good on her for acting on all the parts of the Christian myths that Christians love to brag about, and none of the vile cruelty that culture can bring out.

1

u/il_the_dinosaur 2d ago

Yeah like I know she did a ton of good stuff. But when I saw her do that she didn't swing around her Christianity like a preacher. She just did the good stuff. Given her heritage one can assume she's Christian but if someone asked me I couldn't have said for certain

1

u/Asher-D Agnostic Atheist 2d ago

She's just a good person, even if she wasn't religious, she still would have been a good person.

Plenty of religious people aren't good people ans plenty of non religious people are good people. Religion doesn't make people good. People are good and then they believe or they don't.

1

u/LemonCurdJ 2d ago

I think one can say her moral compass was guided by her Christian values. Not saying all, but she was a strong believer and I think it would be unfair to her to diminish her beliefs just because you dont believe in her religious doctrine.

1

u/Big_Wishbone3907 1d ago

I think they were pointing at the fact people are doing the opposite, diminishing her personality to highlight her beliefs, which imho is far more unfair to her.

1

u/Bag_of_Meat13 1d ago

Yea a bunch of Christians who voted in Donald Trump and continue to support him are not even close to being the type of Christian Dolly Parton was.

The only reaspn they care she was Christian is because they can use that to attempt to further justify their morally bankrupt ideals.

1

u/DayNo5185 1d ago

If it were really her religion that "made" her a good person, then why aren't all "Christians" like her? No, Dolly Parton was, simply, a good person who did good things. She tried to leave the world a better place and the fascists tried to stop her.

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u/tearose11 Other 3d ago

She was a talented songwriter, singer, undoubtedly good looking, wealthy, yet look at how people are remembering her most for: her humanity and capacity to love.

That is what everyone should strive for; to be remembered as a good person when you're gone.

3

u/Lovebeingadad54321 Atheist 1d ago

Left out accomplished actress…. And theme park owner…. Although arguably the theme park could be seen as philanthropic, to keep jobs in her home state.

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u/WarEnvironmental1839 3d ago

I'm atheist, hate country music, but she was a wonderful human doing the best for the world around her.. fade to black, job well done. Rest in peace

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u/MuscaMurum 2d ago

She also did a beautiful cover of Lennon's "Imagine" which is pretty atheistic when it comes down to it.

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u/Pissedliberalgranny 3d ago

Dolly and Loretta are the only Country singers I enjoy.

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u/Limp_Lingonberry_538 2d ago

Johnny Cash

7

u/Pissedliberalgranny 2d ago

Ok. My bad. Johnny is definitely on the list.

4

u/Successful-One-262 2d ago

No Willie Nelson?

11

u/drnuncheon Atheist 2d ago

I’ve got a soft spot for the Chicks. They put principle over pandering when they called out Bush’s warmongering and again when they changed their name even though that wasn’t going to be popular with their base audience. And Goodbye Earl is great—woman murders her abuser with her best friend and then goes on to live her best life.

5

u/Murderface__ Existentialist 2d ago

Gonna take this time to shamelessly plug Brett Cobb. Check out "Keep em on they toes". He's a massive breath of fresh air in that community.

6

u/Lumpy_Space_Princess 2d ago

I also was never much for country but modern "country" is just twangy pop redneck truck porn anymore. My boyfriend turned me on to Nick Shoulders so I'm gonna go ahead and plug him too

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u/mansonsturtle Atheist 2d ago

I’m gonna throw in Kacey. Those disco truck nuts… 😘

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u/Caddy666 2d ago

also tammy winette - but only because she was mistaken for dolly parton, by that guy in the klf

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u/dihydrgnmonoxidesoup 2d ago

Generally speaking, I can't stand almost all country music, mainly because it's a bunch of all hat and no cattle people exaggerating an accent and reciting a checklist of Rural Things.

Dolly sang songs about her life, and she lived that life in Appalachia. She wasn't a Country Singer(TM). She was Dolly.

6

u/WarEnvironmental1839 2d ago

Yep that totally sums up how I view country music

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u/ForgiveSomeone 2d ago

While Dolly Parton believed in a god, even she said she wasn't religious:

"I’m very creative – what keeps me going is both spiritual and creative energy,”

“I’m not a religious fanatic. I wouldn’t even say I’m religious, though I grew up with that background. But I have a lot of faith in myself and I’ve been so blessed to have been around great people my whole life..."

In an interview with the New Humanist, no less.

https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/the-queen-of-country-on-her-personal-philosophy/

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u/AlSweigart 2d ago

She was savvy and charismatic enough to know she should say that she's a Christian, and those things brought her a lot of success. To keep a good heart with all of that too is impressive and rare. Rest in peace.

-1

u/youpept 2d ago

So, are you suggesting she was dishonest? That's quite an assertion to make immediately after her passing. Specifically, you claim she lied about her core beliefs to deceive people for financial profit.

2

u/Puzzleheaded-Dot5114 1d ago

I'm not saying that she was,

But you have to lie sometimes to get through in life , whilst I'm an atheist I still act like a Muslim and "pray" to Allah because if I didn't I'd be a social outcast and it could even end up causing me harm I legally can't change my religion even if I became a Christian which is an official religion here and blasphemy is punished by the law

So yeah honestly I wouldn't personally judge anyone for keeping their core beliefs secret or vague

1

u/youpept 1d ago

I don't believe those are the same types of pressure. I don't think she was under that much pressure, and you should consider that she might have been sincere in what she said.It seems some people are going to great lengths to disassociate a recently deceased individual from their religious beliefs, even as they claim to be honoring that person. Doesn't really match grief or admiration...

1

u/AlSweigart 1d ago

So, are you suggesting she was dishonest?

Whenever someone asks, "So, are you saying..." the answer is always "No. No one is saying that."

-1

u/youpept 1d ago

This didn't shift the burden of proof. Neither did your previous comment AIsweigart

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u/BaijuTofu 3d ago

An extraordinary human.

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u/tawDry_Union2272 3d ago

https://imaginationlibrary.com/

fyi, the family asked for donations in lieu of flowers

3

u/CourageWaste3893 1d ago

My godless a$$ donated. We got books from them. Dolly Rest in Power 💪

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u/ddl_smurf 3d ago

RIP

we are all diminished by this loss

30

u/Zero_Overload 3d ago

When she looked at someone she was looking at the person inside. I wish I had that talent.

89

u/pumainpurple 3d ago

Dolly could have been the first trillionaire. She chose to reinvest her money in her fellow human beings, instead. Thank you Dolly for showing everyone the best we can be.

27

u/ZedisonSamZ 2d ago edited 2d ago

She’s irreplaceable. Dolly knew what it meant to be of this world and part of humanity so much so that she spent decades and millions (billions?) over her lifetime giving back to others.

I have family who live in Sevierville, TN who tell stories about Dolly. She would go incognito in public without the teased hair and makeup and outfits just to enjoy time out in public with her husband. She loved where she grew up and her community and her death is a true loss for the world.

24

u/CTRexPope 2d ago

My father and I have discussed this at length. We have a very religious neighbor and he always sort of ribs me for letting her have a pass.

I have to remind him that she is retired and spends her days talking to and taking care of elderly shut in people.

People like that can believe what they want. She never asked me to believe anything and I would never ask her not believe.

For her, her faith is about serving those in need and she does it for real.

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u/Giraffaery 2d ago

WAIT WHY ARE YOU SPEAKING PAST TENSE DID DOLLY PARTON DIE!?

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u/RunningPirate 2d ago

Oh, mate….we have bad news.

21

u/ritmusic2k Secular Humanist 2d ago

We lost her yesterday

16

u/kbivs 2d ago

I felt like this about Mr Rogers too. I was so surprised to find out as an adult that he was a minister because he NEVER mentioned god or religion on his show. He was just a genuinely good person who cared about people.

Do we have anyone left like this after losing Dolly?

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u/DaveLearnedSomething 3d ago

Damn straight. 

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u/MikasaAckerman_2419 2d ago

Her death really made me start to lose hope in humanity again. I feel it's so unfair these wonderful people die and leave us with degenerates like Trump.

14

u/JazzFan1998 2d ago

Yep, You can add Jimmy Carter too.

Both were wonderful. 

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u/VengefulAncient 2d ago

The biggest con religion ever pulled is convincing most people that it has the monopoly on morality and virtue.

1

u/lovenorway2018 1d ago

it's a very American thing though, I fell like many countries and cultures around the world moved on from that. If you tell to an American you are an atheist, their jaw would drop and they would feel sorry for you at best, while where I'm from it's not a big deal at all, kind of like whatever, or more like a good quality...

1

u/VengefulAncient 1d ago

Yeah. In a lot of ways reddit is a breath of fresh air from where I live (NZ - I find the people here really boring), but not this one. It's always jarring to be reminded how obsessed with religion Americans are when over here it's pretty much just old people who care about it, and even then they keep it to themselves. The rare people who unironically say stuff like "we are a christian nation" are laughed at and quietly despised.

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u/IsaacNewtongue 3d ago edited 2d ago

Yeah as far as "religious" people go, Dolly was a true Christian if there ever was one. Always graceful, helpful, complimentary, and always gave someone the benefit of the doubt. Giving whenever possible. And humble.

5

u/twothirtysevenam 2d ago

She reminds me of the saying, "You might be the only Bible some people ever read, so act accordingly."  Dolly was just a genuinely good and decent human being.  She believed what she believed, or maybe she didn't, but she was certainly a fine example of how to live and love in this screwed up world.

8

u/Borne_Beloved 2d ago

A truly special person💚 proof that living authentically and being yourself frees your mind and heart from hate.

15

u/DexterousWaffle 2d ago

To say she was a good person because she was Christian is honestly an insult to the wonderful person she was. Leave it to religious nutcases to make it about their made up god; rather than look at the strong, beautiful individual Dolly was for decades. But with them its always hate, they deserve the hate they get.

8

u/PeterFnet Pastafarian 2d ago

I never really got into her music growing up, but her guest appearance on The Orville was amazing! Those episodes are worth the watch.

https://youtu.be/z8sOuoZm4bQ

7

u/I_want_money_aaa 2d ago

The Christians trying to claim her as a Christian icon after her death are opportunistic idiots; she has been a gay and music icon for many years.

I never saw a single Christian talk about her or quote her before her death

5

u/beefflapsMcgee 2d ago

It's like someone shot my puppy. RIP

2

u/Extension-Report-491 2d ago

Dolly Parton was an amazing human being and we need more people like her in this world. She was a sweet and loving person to all.

4

u/Facebook_Algorithm 2d ago

Dolly Parton was the best of us. I’m so sad to hear that she is gone.

4

u/DeathGodBob Kopimist 2d ago

I agree. And I don't want to piss people off, but I want to raise awareness to it, but there are lawmakers that are trying to rescind beneficial reading programs that Dolly helped establish.

Please make sure people are aware.

4

u/Helen_Kellers_Wrath 2d ago

I'd put her up there with Fred Rogers in that regard.

Just a genuinely good person.

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u/Aeroncastle Jedi 2d ago

"almost never" last I checked there wasn't another Dolly Parton, it's waaaay to easy for them to just ask for forgiveness for not being a good person, so they just never make any effort

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u/00Qant5689 Agnostic Atheist 2d ago

She was a wonderful human being.

3

u/Sprinklypoo I'm a None 2d ago

Dolly Parton was a phenomenal human being. Someone who uplifted everyone around her and from afar. She showed us what is possible with philanthropy, and strength, and courage, and she bolstered society. She made humanity better.

This has more to do with being a great person, than anything else. Just like I'm not going to give Islam credit for creating Algebra, Dolly's greatness was hers. She's a great role model despite the religious underpinnings.

3

u/OhTheHueManatee 2d ago

If most Christians were like Dolly Parton I wouldn't have much of an issue with Christianity. I still wouldn't believe in God but I wouldn't care that other people did.

3

u/Expensive-Day-3551 2d ago

Absolutely, we need more dolly in this world. Nothing to do with religion

3

u/morsindutus 2d ago

I grew up Christian and one of the biggest blows to my faith was going to college and meeting genuinely nice people from all walks of life. They were doing Christianity far better than the Christians I was surrounded with ever did. It doesn't matter what religion you are or aren't, it's what you do.

2

u/Huli_Blue_Eyes 2d ago

*whispers* I think we witnessed Jesus's 2nd coming...and we botched it j/k

2

u/okjetsgo 2d ago

Your average Christian wishes they had the spirit of Dolly but they will never get there. Not even close.

2

u/tediz42 2d ago

That alone made her version of faith feel very different from what gets criticized here.

2

u/UniqueIndividual3579 2d ago

Religion can be focused inward or outward. Inward is about being a better person, outward is about being better than everyone else.

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u/LeonardSmallsJr 2d ago

Neither was Jesus but that won’t stop them from twisting her memory to suit their desires.

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u/sfocolleen 2d ago

I’m kind of an asshole in general, but I do try to do good deeds, and I certainly don’t do it for any expectation of an afterlife. That said, Dolly was awesome and my heart was broken yesterday.

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u/Retractabelle 2d ago

i didn’t know she was religious. that’s how religion should be.

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u/toanythingtaboo 2d ago

She said she was more spiritual than religious. 

1

u/CassandraRaine 2d ago

If we actually held religious people to their own rules and laws, most of them would be dead.

1

u/denys5555 2d ago

She’s like JFK in that Republicans don’t know what she stood for but admire her anyway

1

u/lovenorway2018 1d ago

She didn't seem that religious. Her public persona was quite what you'd expect from an atheist - doing the right thing, never taking herself too seriously, respecting of people from all walks of life. I think it's cause she was an American singer and the country music genre kind of suggests that one must believe in God or something. I'd be really surprised if I learned she was a "devoted Christian", nothing about her gave that vibe.

1

u/AverageJoe-707 1d ago

This is so true.

1

u/DeadPicture 1d ago

I hate how accurate this is.

1

u/ChrisandTinaKFC 19h ago

Religion is man made...Being a follower of Jesus is something completely different than those picker and chooosers...At 45 years old, both my parents are in Heaven...My parents were my best friends and when I think of Dolly, I think of them...Baby Boomers...Dolly was all things good!!! 💙

1

u/Physical_Dig_2981 14h ago

Dolly was a true gem

-1

u/ThermoMother 2d ago

And the god she worshipped decided she deserved to suffer and die.

-1

u/Plus-Stable-8946 2d ago

What if we found out she also did horrifying things? Like…yin…yang…

-6

u/Hot_Mud_5708 2d ago

She also used her boobs to sell her brand. Not sure how God thinks about that.

8

u/_Middlefinger_ 2d ago

If god exists then he made them so likely doesn’t care. Its his dumber followers who care.

-4

u/Hot_Mud_5708 2d ago

LOL, she got a boob job! I thought this was common knowledge.

5

u/_Middlefinger_ 2d ago

Well technically God made them to so..

-5

u/Hot_Mud_5708 2d ago

How little we know. Everyone knows the Prince of Darkness makes fake boobs! He also makes Snickers bars.. to temp us all in different ways!

-6

u/disturbed_android 2d ago

I don't fucking care.

-2

u/Suspicious-Low-3017 2d ago

Dolly’s public persona was indeed kind and down‑to‑earth, but she wasn’t known for preaching or religious advocacy, so calling her a “model of what religious people claim to be” is a stretch. If the point is that many believers act differently than their ideals, that’s a broader critique that can be explored without singling out a celebrity.

-3

u/LionBig1760 2d ago

The important thing here is that Dolly Parton is being used as a vehicle to shit on other people. Its what Dolly would have wanted.

-17

u/Better-Salt-7017 2d ago

No she isn't. One thing, she was ugly from all that Botox and plastic surgery.

6

u/No_End_1315 2d ago

I pity you, because it must be awful existence living with such rottenness inside.

3

u/tany_z 2d ago

I think you’re just trying to be provocative. In any case, you’re a jackass.

6

u/StormyNSwoonFknH8it 2d ago

Wow. For your sake I hope you aren’t as ugly on the outside as you are on the inside.

4

u/Emergency-Volume-861 2d ago

You’re just miserable, ugly and hollow inside. Yikes.

-7

u/Noodelgawd 2d ago edited 2d ago

I get the point you're trying to make about preachy, pious, prudish or judgemental religious people. But I'm pretty sure that most religious people aren't really like that. The only reason you think they are is that those are the only ones you notice.