Last month, a reader asked this question in response to my post Sorry.

How do they not see it, the terrible harm they inflict in the name of their higher power?

I was momentarily confident enough to say that I think I can answer the question. I spent decades in the world of unapologetic Christianity. I read Christian apologists regularly. I majored in not being sorry for what I believed.

Going down the path of why evangelicals and fundamentalists can’t see the harm they cause can be dizzying, so hang in there as I try to explain the mind games evangelicals play to get to the point where they can honestly believe that their judgement and hatred are loving.

First, and perhaps most importantly, the evangelical fundamentalist god is not a higher power. In the minds of evangelicals and fundamentalists their god is a living personality. A person. Their god is not one among many. Their god is the only one. But beyond that, their god and whatever their god does, is love (I John 4:7-8). Their god, and whatever their god says, is truth (John 17:17, 1 John 5:20). Their god is the only god and there is no other god. All other claims of godhood are false. Some would say other claims are satanic imitations. How strongly these beliefs are worded depends on the denomination or church belief system, but even the most gracious churches I have attended hold this as fact. It is binding. It is a covenant.

Second, when evangelicals and fundamentalists (in all their denominational forms) say, “god says” what they mean is “the Bible says” and, when they say, “the Bible says” what they really mean is “my pastor says”. And so, the pastor’s words are god’s words and vice a versa. But the real point is, IT IS GOD’S WORDS and not theirs. Whatever they say, they say only because their god says it and if you disagree with them, you are really disagreeing with God. The Bible is God’s word because it says it is. Their preacher tells them God’s word because he teaches the Bible, and the Bible is God’s word because it says it is. 

It’s GOD, you see. It’s not them. It’s GOD.

The one and only GOD. Their GOD.

If you don’t like what GOD says, then you’ll have to take it up with him at the judgement.

Third, evangelical fundamentalists (in all their denominational forms) regularly teach that the rest of us are deceived. They may be a bit gentler with their wording, but they all mean the same thing. You see, in the evangelical and fundamentalist worldview, unbelievers only imagine that they experience happiness or peace or know truth or have good relationships. According to the Bible, those things only come to those who know and obey the truth. And the truth is God. Their God. They believe that the rest of the world is being continuously deceived by Satan and they are responsible to save all of us from that deception. This requires serious action on their part. Through evangelism and political activism, they are responsible to make sure that unbelievers know how to escape deception and find salvation. If they don’t act, then their god will judge us all. If that means they must hurt your feelings (and that is often how casually they view it), then it is worth it.

Therefore, in their minds, they are not causing harm no matter how awful they behave or how questionable their methods. They can’t be causing harm because they are the only people who have truth, and their intentions are good. They just want to save the rest of us, and we must remember that their god is the very definition of love.

Former evangelical homeschool mom and one-time missionary and pastor’s wife, Stephanie Logan, aka Snicklefritz, writes from her life story and four decades of experience in the evangelical movement. Her views and stories are her own.

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