MOHO Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Fury, I have had pastors, one in particular, accuse me of not actually reading the Bible when I asked questions and opined that "Paul" was likely a scream'n control freak and maybe a ripoff artist. When he did allow me to point to a few sections of the Bible that bothered me he instantly degraded to the "You just need to have faith and rely on God, Jesus" etc etc etc. I realized at that point that this man's livelyhood is dependent on the $$ that is generated by fleecing peopel that believe this crap so there is no point in having such dialots with him - or other pastors like him. Members of my immediate family firmly believe that any deviation from scripture (as THEY interpret it) is the strictly the domain of those who... 1. Break the law 2. Take drugs 3. View porn on a regular basis 4. Love sin 5. Are not gun owners 6. Are Democrats 7. Do not have any survival skills 8. Are begin influenced by Satan So, again, little value in having debates with them. I suppose we could hope that others will over hear and be impacted. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Furball Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Fury, I have had pastors, one in particular, accuse me of not actually reading the Bible when I asked questions and opined that "Paul" was likely a scream'n control freak and maybe a ripoff artist. When he did allow me to point to a few sections of the Bible that bothered me he instantly degraded to the "You just need to have faith and rely on God, Jesus" etc etc etc. I realized at that point that this man's livelyhood is dependent on the $$ that is generated by fleecing peopel that believe this crap so there is no point in having such dialots with him - or other pastors like him. I've been there myself MOHO. Funny how when someone has questions about christianity or the bible, they never say, 'oh well just look at all the evidence that supports it, or look at the historical facts we have on record or even study the archeological finds that prove the bible/christianity to be true.' Nope, it's always the standard built in response that all cults use i.e. just have faith, don't ask questions, just believe and everything will be alright' There is a reason why pastors and deacons hate critical thinkers in their church; it's because it's all fake and they know that people like yourself will see through the illusions and delusions of christianity and the bible and leave. And that for them means a loss of $money$. Thanks for sharing your experiences. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insightful Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Thank you Furball. I really relate to your post. I completely, 1000% agree that, many times, it's those of us who were ALL IN that end up discovering all that is wrong with Christianity. I think it's because we are deep seekers of truth. We want to KNOW TRUTH and we are committed to pursuing truth at all costs. We are humble enough - at some point - to examine our beliefs critically - and unable to avoid painful realities. Our sense of integrity prevents us from creating endless rationalizations and lying to ourselves... Like you, I was very committed. OK, you a little more. But if you were a 99/100, then I was like a 90/100. Anytime I would stumble across something I couldn't understand but was told I must believe (e.g. young earth creationism), I would go to a super-conservative seminary bookstore and spend $200-$300 buying every book I could on YEC, until I could convince myself it was "true". Then on to the trinity. etc. Most of my former faith community doesn't know that I'm "out". Thankfully, after I left my indoctrinating church/cult, I changed churches 3 times in a span of a couple of years, each time more relaxed. Now I'm at a church (for my wife's sake) where I can blend without being interrogated... Anyway, when I do speak with the small number of Christian friends that know where I'm at, I've definitely been able to point out issues they'd never before considered. So often, they will say, "Wow, I wouldn't be able to explain that either!" (like why did God order Israel to kill even nursing babies? Why did Moses command the rape of the virgin girls in Num 31, etc). But they say that completely unwilling to let it challenge their thinking in the least. Somehow, even if a rationalization isn't forthcoming in their minds, their commitment is such that they can "file" that issue in the "No rationalization available yet" drawer and carry on with their robust faith, unfazed. I had a drawer in my mind for "No rationalization avaliable yet" issues... eventually that drawer filled to the point that the cabinet tipped over.... and here I am. Thanks again and I absolutely feel you in NOT BEING A CHOICE. Any more that someone chooses to not believe in Santa Claus. or Thor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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