Llwellyn Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 We know that the idea of "divine vengeance" and "atonement" are brain contamination and stray cognitions without any referant in reality, but I was wondering to what degree we, as recovering ex-Christians, still suffer under the OCD affliction of Christianity. How often do you think about this punishment? How often does the idea of Yahweh's wrath cross your mind? You may think on it either because you fear it, or because you ruminate about how the Bible's presentation of it is false. The idea of God's punishment crosses my mind ... At least once an hour. At least once a day. At least once a week. At least once a month. At least once a year. As for me, I must admit that the thought of divine vengeance crosses my mind at least once every waking hour. Sometimes I think about it because I fear it, but most of the time, I engage by brain with it in an effort to think on how it is impossible. The gears of my mental processes continue to be gummed up with the sand and the grit of the Christian cognitive system. It will take a long time for me to get an efficiently operating mind which doesn't morbidly ruminate about blood sacrifices and divine brutality. Please let me know about how you are affected. Also, make any other comments that you think might be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest roman Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 The idea of God's punishment crosses my mind ... Please let me know about how you are affected. Also, make any other comments that you think might be interesting. The idea of a god's punishment never crosses my mind, because I transcended this children's fairytale many years ago. If you still suffer from the dualistic thrall of Xianity, you shouldn't imagine that others do, also. Anyone who worries about the Xian God's punishment is still a Xian. Be patient; it will go away. When it goes away, you will know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 .....The idea of God's punishment crosses my mind ...Never. Since the god doesn't exist the idea of it punishing me doesn't either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverbank Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 We know that the idea of "divine vengeance" and "atonement" are brain contamination and stray cognitions without any referant in reality, but I was wondering to what degree we, as recovering ex-Christians, still suffer under the OCD affliction of Christianity. How often do you think about this punishment? How often does the idea of Yahweh's wrath cross your mind? You may think on it either because you fear it, or because you ruminate about how the Bible's presentation of it is false. The idea of God's punishment crosses my mind ... At least once an hour. At least once a day. At least once a week. At least once a month. At least once a year. Please let me know about how you are affected. Also, make any other comments that you think might be interesting. Yeah, I still think about it, thought about it today and how i was going to hell and all that But probably don't think about it as much as you do. I would say maybe in between once a day and once a week. But I can't stop thinking about Jeezus and Gawd. After being a christian for 15 years it's difficult to push them away from my mind Wish I could stop thinking about these horrible things so often but it'll probably take time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurari Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I only really shudder over it when I see artwork of Hell, or hear something that really stirs my imagination over it. But mostly my thoughts are "How can people put UP with this savage and barbaric idea, let alone believe it?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I seldom, if ever, think about it. I don’t think about it as a reality; just as something a lot of people believe. I think my life experience had a major impact on this. I was forced to choose between leaving the church and living an intolerable life. Leaving my horse and buggy Mennonite community for a more liberal Christian church automatically made me a prime candidate for condemnation to hell by the people closest to me. Ironically, they labelled the rigorous discipline of higher education as “fleshly lusts and desires.” However, I had no choice in the matter. It was the lesser of two evils. It made no sense to believe that God would cast me to hell for it. All the same, I ruminated on it for quite a few years. I used it for at least one major paper. I’ve been reading alternative ideas to religion for about twenty-five years. Humanism is a great alternative, in my opinion. It focuses on living a morally ethical life without religion. Many liberal Christians operate by humanist values. You can find a few sources to humanist websites on The Humanist Truth, listed in my signature. Most conservative Christians shy away from any term with the word “humanism” or derivatives in it. They mistakenly believe it exalts the Self inappropriately. In my experience, even when given literature that proves otherwise, they will fasten attention on the parts that can be twisted to support their wrong views. I am not completely sure, but I think humanism was perhaps developed to its present stage of thought and applicability by people in need of a religiously neutral value system, such as the social work field. It is my observation that Christianity as lived by most conservative Christians places far more unhealthy and inappropriate attention on the self than does humanism. Here are some examples: Make sure of your salvation. No matter how much good you do or how smart you are, unless you have enough faith or the right beliefs you will go to hell. You can pray all you want, but unless you also trust deeply enough in the shed blood of Christ all your praying and good works are of no value. If your heart is right, then it will show in the rest of your life. Unless you confess your sins and accept Jesus as your saviour you can’t expect God to let you into heaven. The only way a person can ever be sure they measure up on all these--and many other--points is by focusing major amounts of attention on the self and its thoughts, actions, deeds, and emotions. To be really controversial, I suggest that for this reason Christianity can be seen as an immoral belief system. Divine vengeance can be seen as Christianity’s version of an archaic god’s expression of displeasure. All the primitive gods expressed displeasure in their own ways. The Christian bible god is one of the very few that survived into the present day. This is how I see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I generally only think about it if I'm framing an argument against it. Otherwise, I don't worry about it. I used to, early in my deconversion, but I've learned that refreshing myself with the facts (about the non-evidence for Jebus' existence, how Xianity was borrowed wholesale from other religions of the time, how Hell and Satan are not just borrowings, but also fabrications, etc) goes a long way. Yes, the truth shall set you free, indeed - free from Hell and Jebus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. XC Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I had my doubts when I first started to leave Christianity, but I have had no doubts since I have settled the debate of "did Jesus really exist" for myself. I recommend reading a good book to comfort your thoughts on this. One of those books that I recommend is: The Jesus Puzzle: Did Christianity Begin with a Mythical Christ? Challenging the Existence of an Historical Jesus 096892591X http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Puzzle-Christi...5930021-1170447 Llwellyn, if you have an Amazon wish list, add this book and let me know. I may still feel a little generous for dies solis invicti nati! By the way, I also slightly recommend The God Who Wasn't There for when TV feels better than reading. The content is no where near as detailed as most books, but I enjoyed watching it and it inspired me to do other research. Sam Harris and a few other people how have wrote books about this stuff are in there. There are three bonus tracks (I think about an hour each, not sure) of extra footage and interviews that make it interesting as well. Its indented audience is for people who are not religious. A Christian would not enjoy watching it since it has a non Christian slant. Anyway, it not for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qadeshet Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 If you were raised in Christianity, you have a lot of programming to eliminate. Replace it with new knowledge and understanding. "Is it God's Word?" "Forgery in Christianity" "The Jesus Puzzle" A good grounding in Evolution is also helpful. Talkorigins No answers in Genesis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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