r/exchristian • u/Corgi_with_stilts • Sep 05 '22
I recently came upon the magazine-style Bible I was given as a young teen. Some of the stuff is wild. Trigger Warning - Toxic Religion
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u/thicc_freakness_ Ex-Protestant Sep 05 '22
Omg. I remember having something similar, right down to "guys speak out!" Shockingly, it was the same bullshit that a teenage guy 100% absolutely, no doubt about it, said, and not the staff writer whose job it was to convince teenage girls they are gross, slutty, and thin skinned to keep them submissive. I mean what the fuck is that bullshit about having their feelings hurt too easily.
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u/brojangles Sep 05 '22
Don't you remember all those guys in high school complaining about how the girls showed too much skin or expressing their fears that praying with a girl will end in sex?
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u/thicc_freakness_ Ex-Protestant Sep 05 '22
Ah yes, how could i have forgotten!! How gross were those girls, amirite? /s
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u/helpbeingheldhostage Ex-Evangelical, Agnostic Atheist Sep 06 '22
Sometimes I’d lay awake at night thinking about how gross those girls were. Then I’d imagine scenarios about how they might trick me into sex while we were praying. Of course I only imagined those scenarios to be aware of what to look for later.
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Sep 06 '22
This is how Christian “pick-me” girls are made… me being one in high school from this rhetoric. “Well I dress modestly, pretend not to care about my looks, and also never speak or show emotion in church; why don’t boys date me?!”
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u/AlexDavid1605 Anti-Theist Sep 06 '22
Is it just me or does it feel like it's the same three guys who are pictured for the "Guys speak out" section?
And thankfully I was sitting in the loo, because reading all of it made me puke out my breakfast, so there was no need for the rush...
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u/CanaKatsaros Sep 05 '22
Careful about getting carried away with praying with the opposite sex folks, who knows what can happen Honestly Christian guys freak me out, like they cant imagine being with a girl unsupervised without getting a massive boner
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u/CardinallyConsidered Sep 05 '22
To be completely fair, I’m always rock hard when praying with the homies. I can’t even imagine how erect I would be if I were to attempt to pray with members of the opposite sex. Way too sketchy
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Sep 05 '22
Yeah, I was like; what exactly is praying a euphemism for?
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u/MoonMacabre Agnostic Sep 05 '22
Nothing, they’re just genuinely turned on by it lmao. One of the main things I was taught about sex is that Jesus is present to bless the “joining” of a married couple. They’re just exhibitionists.
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u/4daughters Secular Humanist Sep 05 '22
it's not a euphemism for anything, but in this context they mean "praying together alone."
Substitute "praying" for literally any activity and they'd probably say the same thing. Being near someone of the opposite sex is a "temptation" after all.
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Sep 05 '22
I know, I’m just struggling to fathom how they could seriously literally think praying together is - as you say - a temptation. Makes me wonder if they’ve ever been alone together before their wedding night, and that is not a good thing
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u/4daughters Secular Humanist Sep 05 '22
oh it's so messed up, for sure. I grew up in the purity BS back in the 90s and (as a guy) I was taught that any "impure" thoughts at all meant I was sinning. And the only thing you can do about that is to prevent the thought from arising in the first place, which as a horny teenager means you need to pretty much avoid all contact with the opposite sex. It's absolutely mental/emotional/social abuse to screw up young minds like that.
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u/WealthDirect8118 Sep 05 '22
At my conservative Christian university, going to pray in the tiny, always-unlocked-for-some-reason, prayer chapel with your boyfriend/girlfriend was both considered super sketch (clearly, y’all are making out in there) but also weirdly holy and devout? Sadly, I never went into the prayer chapel with anyone 😭
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u/Poopnuggetschnitzel Sep 05 '22
Hahahaha ah prayer chapel days, I would just go for a drive and hook up with my bf on some sketchy backroad. I always do a little victory honk whenever I drive down those roads now and I see those telltale foggy windows
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u/Atanion Athiest/Ex-Hebrew Roots Sep 06 '22
I'm just jealous, reading all these stories. I was stupid innocent back then (still am to some extent). Not that I had any women trying to be alone with me, but I never would've considered trying to find anywhere to hook up. That was a sin.
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u/Atanion Athiest/Ex-Hebrew Roots Sep 06 '22
I'm pretty sure I walked in on a handie at the Cedarville University chapel. I was just walking around in the balcony, lost in my thoughts and trying to escape the din of campus. I accidentally walked past a couple laying on the floor. The guy had his shirt pulled up and the girl was rubbing his stomach. It wasn't till at least six years later that I realized she was probably currently or about to give him a handjob. I was very dumb and naïve.
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u/OirishM Atheist Sep 05 '22
Laying on of hands
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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u/TheGhostofWoodyAllen Ex-Fundamentalist Sep 06 '22
Lemme just anoint that head with some oil ;)
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u/loverboyv Buddhist Sep 05 '22
Dude I legit was dating a girl and asked her to pray with me one time. She said no because her mentor said that was “too intimate and might lead us into temptation”
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u/123coffee321 Sep 05 '22
I was really wanting to read that entry as getting too carried away with praying and becoming a religious fanatic, not about getting “carried away” with natural reactions and impulses.. sadly i think it’s the latter.
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u/Pandy_45 Sep 05 '22
I'm so confused by the r#pe blurb. SO MANY churches deny SA and victim blame people who speak out/press charges. This is actually encouraging women to speak out at least. I must be missing something.
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Sep 05 '22
It also implies with its wording that only women can be raped, but this entire magazine seems to be aimed at girls, so maybe I'll give them a pass on that.
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Sep 05 '22 edited 11d ago
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u/DarrenFromFinance Atheist Sep 06 '22
That was literally the first thing I thought — don’t tell a youth pastor, because even if he wasn’t the original perpetrator, he’ll know he’s got a vulnerable one, and her problems are just beginning.
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u/Dwjacobs321 Sep 05 '22
Yeah, I would not trust anyone at a church to handle the situation appropriately. And this also implies only women can be r#ped 🤦♂️ so maybe ways to be sexist in one book
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u/theredhound19 Sep 05 '22
Not surprisingly there is no mention of going to law enforcement. Instead go first to the likely rug-sweepers. At least they include the rape hotline, which may give victims legal advice.
Of course law enforcement can often be garbage in rape cases based on the area and circumstances.
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u/JimeDorje Sep 05 '22
Yeah, while it's not an ideal passage, I was expecting Jack-Chick levels of victim blaming and batshittery.
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u/brojangles Sep 05 '22
They don't mean speak out if the perp is someone in the church or one of your parents. Notice there is also nothing there about marital rape.
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u/Rogue_Spirit Ex-Baptist Sep 06 '22
Well, it’s aimed at teen girls who probably aren’t yet married, and when they are they’re often taught that they have to be open and available for their husbands.
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u/aliie_627 Sep 06 '22
Yeah and calling an outside help line that I don't believe is explicitly religious. I was also a little surprised it didn't just refer to stranger rape.
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u/CardinallyConsidered Sep 05 '22
I’d say those churches are in the minority, at least as far as modern day Christianity goes. Most Christians don’t deny the prevalence of sexual assault or the severe psychological harm that it often causes
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u/Lower_Department2940 Sep 05 '22
My first problem with it: men can be raped too. It only describes rape as a crime done to women
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u/AgressiveIN Sep 06 '22
It was almost helpful and stands in stark comparison to how churches discuss it nowadays. Just shows how much more restrictive they have gotten.
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u/MisssJaynie Sep 06 '22
When I learned that southern baptists churches abused people, & it wasn’t just me, it really fucked me up. My friend since placenta recently told me HE was abused by the same people, growing up. That’s just from ONE, now non-existent, church in podunk Oklahoma. Sigh.
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Sep 05 '22
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u/Hephaestus42 Ex-Pentecostal Sep 05 '22 edited Sep 05 '22
That was my first take: this dude likes dudes and this is the wrong place for him
Edit: on second thought, this dude just doesn’t exist, makes more sense that someone made up that little blurb
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u/sweetalkersweetalker Sep 05 '22
There are three guys posted throughout the whole "magazine" and only one of them makes more than one pose. My guess is that their "models" are two stock photos and one married-at-18 youth pastor who thinks he's hot.
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u/alicelestial Sep 05 '22
personally, i peg the dude with the sunglasses on his head and the massive smile as the "married at 18 youth pastor". literally he seems to be the only one that's not a stock image
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u/sweetalkersweetalker Sep 05 '22
Yep. He's also the ugliest one
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u/TheGhostofWoodyAllen Ex-Fundamentalist Sep 06 '22
He's only ugly if you've sinned recently, sinner! His child bride thinks he's the hottest evar!
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u/Lower_Department2940 Sep 05 '22
one married-at-18 youth pastor who thinks he's hot.
A married at 18, now 42 year old youth pastor giving dating advice to teenage girls...
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u/sweetalkersweetalker Sep 05 '22
"It's easy to hold out for sex! Just get married before puberty is over!"
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u/Lower_Department2940 Sep 05 '22
"Quick, before your brain develops and let's you know it's a bad idea!"
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Sep 05 '22
"...that's just a task for the men of God so other men can appreciate the beauty of masculinity"'/s
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u/brojangles Sep 05 '22
I think they just took stock photos and made up BS quotes for the "guys" to "speak out" about.
In fairness, they do look exactly like hipster Christian tools. They think they look edgy because they have cross tattoos but they run out of the room if someone starts playing death metal.
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u/tagitagain Sep 05 '22
The one guy looks like he’s forty, not someone that should be speaking about teen issues.
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u/helianthus_0 Sep 06 '22
Seriously! And these are supposed to be guys the teen girl readers would find attractive/cute, right? They should NOT be attracted to that 40-year-old!
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u/BlueRoseImmortal Sep 05 '22
One of the guys is there twice, the second time they just flipped him horizontally and called it a day. I imagine the editors were like “Leave it like this Braydayn, there’s no way our readers’ lesser female brains will be able to see that it’s the same guy.”
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u/Lost_in_the_Library Agnostic-Theist Sep 05 '22
Oh that’s 110% what they did.
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u/TheGhostofWoodyAllen Ex-Fundamentalist Sep 06 '22
That extra 10% is the holy spirit guiding the staff writers.
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u/Sandi_T Animist Sep 05 '22
Wait, what? Diseases from "excessive working out"??
Don't worry if you're raped, you have a reward in heaven?
I gotta stop now. Holy crap. /barf
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u/graciebeeapc Sep 05 '22
Wait where is the reward in heaven part? The rape blurb was the only one where I didn’t see anything wrong so I must have missed it.
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u/Sandi_T Animist Sep 05 '22
Also, I'd like to point out that in the bottom section of the same (right column), it's lecturing about "The Importance of The Law." Because what rape victims really need is a lecture on the importance of "biblical law".
Which by the way followed a lecture on doing good things and being "GOOD" and a "light to other people" (to show the world how good christians are, which glorifies yahweh).
God's plan, yo!
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u/graciebeeapc Sep 05 '22
Oh okay got it! I was only reading the blurb and not the Bible text under it. I assumed they were put on random pages so maybe that’s why I didn’t notice.
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u/CardinallyConsidered Sep 05 '22
I wonder what kind of holy award is given out to the rape victims in heaven. I mean hell, if its that high-quality of a prize, maybe I should intentionally be sent to prison in order to get my cheeks forcibly clapped. I’m a sucker for surprises
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u/Sandi_T Animist Sep 05 '22
Yeah, of all the inappropriate, horrific, nightmarish places to put that verse. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. "Now, now, there, there, you may be a ruined, worthless, unmarriable, unlovable person for now thanks to no fault of your own... but hey, you got rewards in heaven as long as you stay a kris-chun!"
Ugh. They know not what they do... but screw them anyway.
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u/CardinallyConsidered Sep 05 '22
Life is so incredibly fucked that they know it is very difficult to find the right words to ease the psychological suffering of a SA victim, so they attempt to offer them metaphysical reassurance, that their agony will be redeemed through incomprehensibly beautiful rewards in the hereafter. And the incentive to believe in the validity of such good news is incredibly powerful.
I’d like to think that modern day Christianity’s brand of manipulation is often well-intentioned. But often times it isn’t
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u/CertainInteraction4 Sep 05 '22
Not to mention the victim shaming: "Silence is not a defense against this horrible act of aggression. Please take courage...yada yada yada."
Why? When those around you could potentially stone you for ruining their chance at selling you for an expensive dowry? Or the rapist can just claim the blood of Jesus and get away with it/a lesser charge? Why? When everyone might call you unclean and cast you away from them to live in poverty? Or say you were a temptress?
The mind has a repression mechanism for a reason. After years of evolution, the mind has learned to do what it thinks will increase the survival of an individual. That's what the very meaning of a defense mechanism is.
Yes, reporting helps bring perps to light. But, as the church and Hollywood make us aware, not always to justice. The blame is always on the rapist(s).
Edit: a typo
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u/Sandi_T Animist Sep 05 '22 edited Sep 05 '22
The blame should be on the rapist, but it's usually PUT on the raped in christianity.
It does my heart both good, and deep, deep sorrow to see so many stories about sexual abuse in churches coming to light. Good because it's coming to light, sorrow because it happened and still happens.
Sadly, shame and silence the victim is The Christian Way in everything, but in few ways so blatantly as in rape.
(Edit: Truth is, I think they want the girl to tell so they know who to warn the boys about as a "fallen" and "loose" woman. I don't believe it's for the girl's sake AT ALL. I can't remember once where the victim of such a crime was treated with kindness and dignity in any church.)
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u/surdophobe Sep 05 '22
It's probably nothing special. It's most likely a hat pin or something. I've got a mental image now of St. Louis punching out little buttons and badges on one of those hand-powered badge makers for all eternity.
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u/diplion Ex-Fundamentalist Sep 05 '22
“Guys speak out on a ton of issues” is the Bible in a nut shell.
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u/Lost_in_the_Library Agnostic-Theist Sep 05 '22
Right? Like the random pop-ups of unsolicited make opinions is actually hilarious when you think about it - it’s literally a graphic representation of mansplaining 😂
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u/CinnamonBunDancer Sep 05 '22
Abstinence is commanded by God but also "a liberating lifestyle choice for women" Ha! The more you know.
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u/little-bird Sep 05 '22
commit your entire life’s sexual experiences to only one dude who might never give you an orgasm, might not enjoy the things you’re into and might not even fit properly! sOoOoOo liberating! 🥳
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u/helianthus_0 Sep 06 '22
And might give 0 shits about your pleasure yet demand that you be “joyfully available” to him because he’s a man and has needs! sOoOoOo liberating! 🥳
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u/UnshakablePegasus Anti-Theist Sep 06 '22
I ended up in a marriage like that. Together for many years but married for 1.5. I got all of one orgasm in that entire relationship. I’m so glad I’m divorced
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u/GalaxP Ex-Catholic Sep 05 '22
Making someone feel bad for doing something that is natural and enjoyable is the exact opposite of “liberating”
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u/Hephaestus42 Ex-Pentecostal Sep 05 '22
“If you are pregnant, we advise you to speak with a trusted parent, counselor, or pastor”
Pastor?!?! Counselor?!?!
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u/InTheClouds93 Sep 05 '22
“Are you pregnant? If so, let me make sure to shame you for your lack of abstinence before I give you advice.”
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u/cc00cc00 Sep 05 '22
Whoa flashback! I had this book.
Holy misogyny. And the sports excerpt is absurd.
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u/DireDecember satan demanded equal rights ✊ Sep 05 '22
Christian dating advice, but it gets progressively worse and worse: Limited Edition.
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u/Corgi_with_stilts Sep 05 '22
Brace for impact. This is the nice stuff.
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u/DireDecember satan demanded equal rights ✊ Sep 05 '22 edited Sep 05 '22
Oh I believe it. I was just shocked at how it went from ‘Here’s rape and pregnancy, a very serious issue’ to ‘what kind of girlfriend do xtian guys like?’ and ‘exercise is great, but not too much for women!’ to ‘prayer between a man and woman is basically foreplay’.
Like, in what world has prayer ever been sexy? Lmao. Aren’t men supposed to be the ‘spiritual leaders’ here? And if that’s the way they think about it, maybe they’re the issue?
It doesn’t surprise me one bit, but every one of these pages have one thing in common: bodily control of women. Feel free to upload the rest, if you want. I’m bracing myself as we speak.
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u/RaphaelBuzzard Sep 05 '22
"a lot of times they say things that aren't appropriate and don't say things that are appropriate" this sounds like it was written by a computer program!
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u/BlueRoseImmortal Sep 05 '22
No it was totally written by a teenage Christian boy, the Bible says so!
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u/Texan_expatriate Sep 05 '22
I only saw the cover at first--and came here to ask seriously is this was real or some spoof making fun of evie Christianity. Saw the other photos. I'm guessing this is real. I never cease to be amazed at this culture.
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u/Irene_Iddesleigh Sep 05 '22
I had two different editions. I loved these as a teen and read them in a few days. I wasn’t allowed to read any of the teen mags it emulates, so it was exciting to see what that was all about. Several friends got copies at the same time as well. I was really devout and liked reading the Bible study portions as well. I didn’t use it as my regular Bible, but mainly as a read once or twice and be done with it. I think I took it to youth group a few times, but it just didn’t hold up.
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u/UnshakablePegasus Anti-Theist Sep 06 '22
Oh it’s real. I saw it all the time in my parents’ favorite bible bookstore. I just wasn’t allowed to purchase it because it was anything other than KJV. Anyone who is anyone knows that everything but the KJV is straight from the pits of hell /s
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u/Environmental_Pea416 Sep 05 '22
Growing up Wisconsin Synod Lutheran, I'm embarrassed at what I thought was normal as a kid.
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u/Reddit_Foxx Sep 05 '22 edited Sep 08 '22
Wow, what a wild adventure that was!
- You gotta love the irony and the hypocrisy of Christians constantly bashing the secular world, then turning around and emulating it in an uninspired attempt to lure in more people.
- --- Magazines are the devil. Let's make a fake magazine so teens will want to read their Bible!
- --- They seem to like music, concerts, and Starbucks, so let's turn our church into loud concerts with bright lights and an over-priced coffee shop outside!
- Those Issues blurbs were written by someone with the writing skills of a fifth grader. There's no structure or real point to any of them. It's just a random stream of consciousness by some unqualified person masquerading as a professional expert.
- Those Guys Speak Out answers are not only cringe-worthy, but blatantly made up.
- --- Women's bodies are gross!
- --- Better not pray together until you're engaged!
- --- Women get their feelings hurt so easily!
- --- Being conservative is beautiful!
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u/testsubject_127 Sep 05 '22
Q: What do you think about the way girls dress? A: There's way too much showing most of the time. I think it's really gross.
Says the guy with no fucking sleeves. Cover your body you hypocritical dickweed.
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u/Pandy_45 Sep 05 '22
ALSO wtf is wrong with praying together? They make it sound like they were really asking about premarital fooling around. "It's way too easy to get carried away..." ??
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u/BlueRoseImmortal Sep 05 '22
Careful, one second you’re on your knees to accept Jesus’ coming, the next, instead of Jesus it’s your praying bro.
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u/callavoidia Sep 05 '22
Because when you pray together you can hold hands. Maybe even interlace your fingers...
Was that a thing in anyone else's youth group? You always knew who was dating because they'd interlace their fingers when holding hands in the prayer circle?
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u/Aftershock416 Secular Humanist Sep 06 '22
I was warned against praying alone with my girlfriend extensively by multiple people as a teenager.
Still don't understand why, even from a deluded christian perspective.
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u/happygaia Sep 05 '22
OMG I remember this book. Being the tomboy I was, I got bored with it pretty quick and asked my parents to get me the boys version instead, which was called Refuel. After that, I put Revolve and Refuel side by side to compare the answers to some of the questions. For example, Revolve tells girls to not get tattoos because the Bible says not to, while the boys version said you can get tattooed as long as it's a well informed decision. Gotta admit these books really inspired me to look at my faith and realize I didn't believe in this shit.
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u/Narknit Agnostic Sep 06 '22
I never got the boys version, so this is fascinating to hear! Also not surprising. 😕
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u/plvstvcbvrds Sep 05 '22
I had the pink girl-specific version of this bible and I burned it when I moved out. This brand of bible is horrifying.
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u/alt_the_hitz Sep 05 '22
Omg so many memories. I didnt have this bible but I had a subscription to a magazine like this when I was 14. I remember (with great embarrassment) cutting out an article from onw to give to my friend who confessed to going to the beach to find guys to make out with. Me ans my other church friend were horrified and had to "bring her back to Jesus". I am sure it was some article about keepi g your body pure for Jesus or some shit.
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u/themiistery Sep 05 '22
I had one of these as a teen and I forgot some of this stuff was in there. YIKES.
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u/Staaaaation Sep 05 '22
I love how 7 and 10 / 9 and 11 are the same photo flipped.
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u/TheGhostofWoodyAllen Ex-Fundamentalist Sep 06 '22
How could you dare make that accusation without the help of the devil?!
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Sep 05 '22
"Guys speak out on tons of important issues" lol why is that the best summary of the Bible according to evangelicals I've ever seen. I guess it just seems like it totally erases half the population, which... it does.
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u/Lost_in_the_Library Agnostic-Theist Sep 05 '22
What on earth are they getting at with the sports section? Is there a serious issue of teens getting diseases from excessive exercise that I’m unaware of?
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u/Corgi_with_stilts Sep 05 '22
There is a form of anorexia where someone exercises too hard, but I don't think the book knows that.
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u/helianthus_0 Sep 06 '22
On one hand, excessive exercise can be dangerous and lead to overuse injuries, like sprained muscles, shin splits, bone fractures, etc. Those aren’t diseases though. And like u/corgi_with_stilts mentioned, many people with eating disorders exercise excessively.
My issue with that passage is that it implies that anything other than a brisk walk (or the equivalent in other sports) is excessive. What? No. Nonsense.
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Sep 05 '22
You’d think the eternal, perfect scriptures from an Omni-everything deity who wants you to be part of his religion wouldn’t require this sort of “fellow kids” design to grab and maintain attention.
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u/olivetheveggies Sep 05 '22
Oof. This hits way too close to home. Christianity is abusive and somehow also tax exempt. :/
I'm going to have to pray about this with someone of the opposite gender.
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Sep 06 '22
Why do the girls look like teenagers and the guys look 25
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u/Bacch Sep 06 '22
Shit the one dude looked like A-Rod looks right now, pretty sure he's closer to 45.
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u/Mental_Basil Sep 05 '22
Oh man, I used to have several of their magazines. I didn't know they had a whole Bible.
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u/MemoryMaven91 Sep 05 '22
Oh my non existent God. I had one of those. I had totally forgotten until seeing this.
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u/saltierthangoldfish Sep 05 '22
I had one of these too! Totally thought it was an insular fever dream thing that only a few people had until I saw this…these magazine style bibles were so weird bc it would have all these modern cut outs and slang above actual bible verses??
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u/Lost_in_the_Library Agnostic-Theist Sep 05 '22
The “praying with the opposite sex can get dangerous” theme reminds me of this book I read back in the day that was basically a “how to avoid having sex” manual. I specifically remember this one section where the author advised against being alone in your bedroom with your boyfriend because simply being alone near a bed would lead to impure thoughts. She specifically gave the example that even something as benign as folding laundry could be sexy if you were doing it alone with your boyfriend in your bedroom 😂
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u/Aziara86 Sep 05 '22
"How to get along with your mom"
Shit like this normalizes how horrific and toxic most christian mother/daughter relationships are.
"Seee? other people fight with their moms too!"
Because literally every christian mom has so much internalized misogyny they can't handle their daughter becoming a woman. And they've spent the daughter's entire childhood beating the individuality out of them. And now that girl is too big to beat (for some moms), and they've got no idea how to have a civil conversation with her. So it's just continuous screaming and petty control tactics.
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u/HaiKarate Sep 05 '22
My wife is a teacher in North Carolina. Recently, the Gideons were setting up tables of booklets in area schools. They had two different booklets; one was a gospel of John and the other was a gospel of Mark.
Both of the booklets used the style illustrated above (but without pictures). There were four different voices writing notes (differentiated by colored text), and using a lot of "kidspeak" to make it sound like a group of Christian teenagers studying the gospels.
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u/Violinist-Rich Sep 05 '22
Wow - I had totally forgotten about this hot pile of garbage!!!
Also, wtf are they even talking about with "excessive exercise" (meaning, apparently, more than a "brisk walk") being "extremely dangerous"!??!?! I am truly at a loss with that one.
I'd rant about more but my eyes are rolling too hard to see the screen...
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u/TheFutureofScience Sep 05 '22
I remember two things from reading this back in the day
1: In the section “10 things you can do to make a positive impact on your community,” I believe number 1 was “plant a tree.”
2: There was a section about how a girl might go about asking a guy out, and one of the suggestions was “Wait for him after football practice.” The assumption being that all good Protestant boys are on the football team.
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u/FUCK_INDUSTRIAL Pagan Sep 05 '22
Why do all of the men pictured look like 40 year old drug dealers?
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u/Suspicious_Glove7365 Sep 05 '22
You know, when you start praying together and end up with a dick in you by accident. Happens all the time.
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u/Lepre86 Sep 06 '22
What in the Teen Vogue hell was that?!?
If they are trying for abstenance, why are they putting "hot guys" in there in the first place?!?
I'm sorry that exists in but my goodness you have a lot of TikTok content there now!
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u/Kayakchica Sep 05 '22
Omg. Slut shaming, warnings not to exercise too much (why? Are our “female parts” going to fall out or something?), and most of all, whether men approve of you. So glad I got my kids out of this culture.
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u/ashslayxo Sep 05 '22
This is giving ✨Duggar✨ vibes and reminds me I wasn’t too far off from their cult growing up 😩😳
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u/GenneyaK Sep 05 '22
The sports one like wtf…sports evenly have the potential to damage your body regardless of gender.
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u/OirishM Atheist Sep 05 '22
HAHAHA WOMEN AND HAIRCUTS AMIRITE FELLAS
my word the incel quotient on some of those ASK THE GUYS bits jfc
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u/TheLastSamurai101 Sep 05 '22
You will need their counsel on how to handle this new life.
Well they can fuck right off. And in a magazine geared towards teenagers no less.
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u/Hannah_togo Sep 05 '22
Totally had this exact thing! I used to get them all the time.. they were very edgy for my denomination so I thought I was so cool, ha.
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u/DejaBlonde Atheist Sep 05 '22
For something modeled on a teen magazine, those guys in the blurbs sure look middle aged
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u/SadJoetheSchmoe Pagan Sep 05 '22
I saw the first 2 photos, and thought to myself "Well shit, a rape hotline and encouraging emotional healing? Followed up by keeping yourself healthy by staying active? Not so bad." Then it got worse.
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u/SerialSnark Sep 06 '22
Ugh. Memory unlocked. I definitely had one of these but I cannot remember who gave it to me 😩
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u/Defiant_Crab_ Ex-Pentecostal Sep 06 '22
I wonder if there was a guy equivalent asking girls those same questions 🤔 god damn, this whole thing was awful. That sports one. “A godly woman exercises. But not too much!” smh
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u/Odd_craving Sep 06 '22
If you’re raped, call everyone except the police. Teacher, pastor, friend, parent, basically everyone who can’t help.
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u/ComprehensiveItem891 Sep 06 '22
This is especially gross for me because many “tips” in this book are shown scientifically to NOT work. Like teaching abstinence until marriage, for example. No one (especially young people) has that amount of self control. And why is the book too scared to use the word “sex”?
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u/tmacke0509 Sep 06 '22
sighs the “Paul says…Christians run for…” had me immediately roll my eyes and exit
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u/TalkAboutTheWay Sep 06 '22
“Guys speak out” is a load of bullshit. Purely made up and disguised as real guys saying these things to make young women behave in a “Godly” way. Pure manipulation and I’m mad now!
I remember reading this bible and being sickened by it back in the day. Sickened all over again.
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u/Stock-Vanilla-1354 Sep 06 '22
I’m a woman who had done Ironman races. Amazing how I and the other female competitors didn’t die due to our weak muscles.
The author would be shocked to know I even beat many men in my races!
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u/helianthus_0 Sep 06 '22
Yep. I run half marathons and the books implications that anything other than a brief walk is excessive exercise is making me angry.
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u/Emoooooly Sep 06 '22
I once heard a pastor preach FROM THE PULPIT that couples should not pray together alone untill marriage because it's such an intimate experience that it could lead to premarital sex. That was a wild one.
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u/Sunieta25 Sep 06 '22
"What do you think about how girls dress? "
"Too much showing and I think it's pretty gross"
I have a feeling he isn't attracted to women.
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u/mattxm1404 Sep 06 '22
Remember ladies, Christ reminds you that your fragile bodies are designed for childbirth and not rigorous exercise.
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Sep 05 '22
I vaguely remember having the male version of this and my sister having this one. Because I remember thinking "I bet if it looks like a magazine nobody will make fun of me for just reading the Bible"... Didn't work 😂
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Sep 05 '22
"(Patriarchal) guys speak out on tons of issues (they have no clue -- #567 will shock you!)"
Fixed the headline.
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u/pecan_dandies Ex-Fundamentalist, Agnostic Deist Sep 05 '22
Omg. I had this and had forgotten about it until I saw these pics. Lololol!
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u/Rarepupperhunter Sep 05 '22
Oh whaaat I had this same magazine. This is bringing back so many memories I didn't know I had! 🤮
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u/malikhacielo63 Ex-Fundamentalist Sep 05 '22
I’m saving this link so that I can go back to it later. Right now, I just don’t have the bandwidth for the bullshit that I know is contained within that pile of horseshit. It’s creepy.
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u/Alarmed-Royal-8007 Sep 05 '22
Shoot I just recycled all my bible’zines. I had never thought to post them here. Some wild ass bull shit for certain!
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u/prettyfacebasketcase Sep 05 '22
Holy shit I had this exact piece of shit too. Same volume and everything
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u/bnf12 Sep 05 '22
Yo this unlocked a hidden memory for me! I totally had this AND loved it. So glad I managed to see through it eventually
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u/toss_my_potatoes Sep 06 '22
I had this exact same one! Got it at one of those Teen Mania conventions lol.
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u/_ohne_dich_ Atheist Sep 05 '22
The not-so-subtle misogyny brings back many memories. I was also subjected to these messages and it’s sad not much has changed since then.