Guest Victor Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 What are some of the most infuriating things Christians have said to you about your nonbelief? My personal favorites (these actually came up when I was debating with a few of my former youth group colleagues): "Well, you were never a Christian in the first place" "You're just angry with God." "Stop being so prideful" And my favorite of them all: "I'll be praying for you" Lol, as if I need praying for by a follower of a God I don't believe in. Why not ask a priest of Osiris to petition him for me? These idiots don't understand that: 1. I really don't believe in a deity. It's not an anger issue 2. I really was a Christian 3. I am not a monster If they would just understand those three concepts, they would be so much easier to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Hey there Victor, welcome to the forums. I think the worst of those is... "You were never a Christian." There was a time, many moons ago, when I genuinely believed. To have that doubted is to presume to know my heart and mind. I had integrity as a Christian, and now I have integrity as an ex-Christian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueGiant Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 My favorite was: "I pity you...whatever hurt you so badly you turned from god's love..." The hurt was that I got a better offer...and the last thing I need is pity. Don't be sorry, I'm not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonHorn Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 The "you must never have been a true Christian" is the most irritating to me, but it really has nothing to do with the religious part of it. It's the arrogance. It would be like somebody telling me that "no your favorite color isn't blue, it's green". They have no idea what's going on between my ears, or what was a few years ago, so how can they possibly know what I believed? I actually sort of like "I'll pray for you". It's used when they don't know what else to say and I see it as almost a victory in a conversation. It's like getting to the "we'll just have to agree to disagree" point. I got asked once "have you considered trying Christianity again?". It was hard not to laugh, although it was my wife so I pretty much had to come up with a serious answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShackledNoMore Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 And how about: "You hate god." What the idiots don't understand for this one is that I do not believe that their god exists in order to be able to hate him. I have to admit I'm not so keen on their mythology and the ills it has wrought, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 The arrogance, no matter how it's expressed. Sometimes it's the things that are not said more than the things that are said. Like the title of this thread says, Fighting Dirty. So long as they are talking at least there is something you can fight. When they make unspoken assumptions and treat me accordingly it gets really dirty. Because the assumptions are wrong and I haven't a clue what the accusations mean. The most sensible conclusion I can reach, based on some of the treatment, is that is some people's minds there is nothing between a Christian and a monster. And if I, as an atheist (read non-religious person) claim to have peace then it is Satan's peace--never mind that Satan doesn't exist, either, if God doesn't exist. I find these things really maddening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 The "You were never a TrueChristian" line is pretty damn annoying, I'll agree with that. I think what bugs me the most, though, is when a Xian will come up with any possible excuse or reason why I left the faith except the real reasons. It's like they'll try to assign my motivations, and refuse to listen to what really happened - why I left, why I remain out, why I will never return. It's as if the real reasons are just beyond their understanding, or maybe so frightening to them that they just can't deal with it. I always have to wonder, would a Xian's head actually explode if they could finally understand my reasons, and that I mean them? On a side note, another thing that gets on my fucking pecs is all the mischaracterizations of what atheism is or what atheists believe; most Xians seem to think, for instance, that all atheists are strong atheists, which isn't the case. I can't tell you how many times I've seen some asshat over on CF insist that all atheists are making a positive statement against the existence of god, so therefore the burden for proving god doesn't exist rests on atheists, rather than resting on theists for insisting that he does exist. They don't seem to get the whole "Ya can't prove a negative, asshole!" thing. Anyway. That's the kind of thing that bugs me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 I think what bugs me the most, though, is when a Xian will come up with any possible excuse or reason why I left the faith except the real reasons. It's like they'll try to assign my motivations, and refuse to listen to what really happened - why I left, why I remain out, why I will never return. It's as if the real reasons are just beyond their understanding, or maybe so frightening to them that they just can't deal with it. I always have to wonder, would a Xian's head actually explode if they could finally understand my reasons, and that I mean them? I haven't been out all that long but I've had that happen to me too. They will rephrase what I said and it's as though they will intentionally put words in my mouth to state the real reason I left, and of course the real reason (according to them) is that I've been hurt. And, as I will eventually find after I get over the hurt, not all churches are like the one I came from. That's the kind of thing "well-meaning" christians will say. I put well-meaning in quotes because exactly how "well-meaning" is it really when a person intentionally discounts what I just said??? What they are really doing is discounting my entire experience and understanding of life--a lifetime of deep and intense thinking, major sacrifices, and irreversible life decisions. What most automobile-driving, TV-watching evangelical Christians don't understand is that if I joined their church I might as well be atheist. What's the difference if I go to hell under their banner or under the atheist banner? It's all the same to me. I am convinced that only as a horse and buggy Mennonite can I go to heaven because that is what I was born to be. I am also convinced that when the horse and buggy Mennonites die and are buried they stay dead in the ground, just like all atheists and evangelicals, tv-watching or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piprus Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 I think the worst of those is... "You were never a Christian." That was the one that used to piss me off too. Imagine...an xian that presumes to know my mind and thoughts and my self-identity. Nowadays, however, I don't care...whether I was "really" a christian or not is irrelevant, so they can take their sorryass attitudes and shove 'em. I'm definitely not now, will never be again, and that's what matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Yes, just about anything the OP noted is enough to piss anyone off. The Xian attitude that they know everything that goes on in a person's mind is highly irritating. Then again, they think a powerful spook is guiding their every action, so it's par for the course, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 I think the worst one of this week was BuddyFerris' implication that only the religious have a 'backbone' to stand for what is 'right'... I am still angry about that, the self satisfied prick... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 I think the worst one of this week was BuddyFerris' implication that only the religious have a 'backbone' to stand for what is 'right'... I am still angry about that, the self satisfied prick... I took that one on last fall (about a year ago, I guess) with one of my sisters. I told her that the easiest thing to do is staying with the church and that the most difficult thing is to leave against all tradition. You know what she did? As I was speaking I heard her screaming over the phone--she couldn't tolerate me saying that staying with the church was easier than leaving. That scream haunts me to this day. I guess they can't tolerate hearing the truth. Real "backbone" is intolerable to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red_Pyramid Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 "You're a brainwashed idiot, what do you know?!?!?!", apparently enough for you to open up your idiotic defense mechanism ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrow Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 I think the worst one of this week was BuddyFerris' implication that only the religious have a 'backbone' to stand for what is 'right'... I am still angry about that, the self satisfied prick... Buddy Ferris is a fine one to make comments about "backbone", he's so bloody spineless he claims that answering questions is "entrapment"!! ... and of course we all know how "courageous" religious groups are when there's a dictator around. Spatz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Madam Religion, rather like Lady Justice, has a taste for men in uniform with a firm hand, and the smell of used banknotes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Sorry Gramps. Above where I responded to your post about Buddy Ferris I thought you were talking about a movie character and I don't watch movies. Now I "met" him in the Lions Den in exC. Maddening fella. Not worth your time o' day. You're the kind of person who wants to actually say something. He's afraid he will upset someone so he just hedges around and never actually says what he says he's going to say. Talk about broken promises....UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, that's my PET PEAVE about christianity--it makes all these promises it never keeps. Not THAT'S "fighting dirty" if anything is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike D Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 "You think you know better than god!" Well of course I know better than god.... it's kind of hard to know something when you don't exist! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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