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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/01/2019 in Posts

  1. But you can help the things written here by you! Trolls and Trolling. How do we define it and who is guilty of trolling? Many members here have been expressing frustration with these "trolling" posts aimed at irritating and insulting ex christian members of this community for no visible good reason, aside from trying to poke at people and get a reaction. It needs to stop now. Pointing at members here and calling them 'troll-ish' (refer to the guidelines above) doesn't justify the trolling that you've been doing. This is where it ends. @florduh @buffettphan
    4 points
  2. Yes, Poster LuthAMF, besides being a narcissistic and disingenuous little shit, it also a troll, at least on this forum. I choose to treat him exclusively in the third person and ignore most of what he bleats. He remains ever so slightly entertaining, but that quality is slowly disappearing. Putting him on forum ignore (where his posts are hidden) is likely in the near future, at least for me. Other posters choose to engage him, which is of course their choice, and that often generates some amusement, although that seems to be a lot of work. I suspect the lurkers have already figured out that poster LuthAMF is not worth any time and can be ignored.
    2 points
  3. Did you watch the video I posted? No you did not. I know you didn't because the presenter clearly stats that Neb never destroyed Tyre. He destroyed the mainland city of Ushu WHICH WAS NOT TYRE. It's doesn't matter how many Christians say that Ushu was Tyre, Ushu was not Tyre. The prophesy refers to Tyre in the sea - in other words the Island city of Tyre. Neb never destroyed it, and Ezekiel says as much a few chapters later. Rick, we've posted recourses showing why and how the prophesy was not fulfilled despite apologists claims. But if you keep running off to apologists to find counter arguments then ask us to repeat what we've already said I don't know what we can do. Watch the video. Watch it twice. It covers everything you need to know.
    1 point
  4. Surferdude must not be in a hurry to solve his problems. He hasn't come back to give any specifics about his situation.
    1 point
  5. You assume quite a lot of things, btw. 1) The existence of a god. 2) The bible as the revealed truth of that assumed god. 3) The historical existence of mythological characters in a supernatural fairy tale saga. 4) The validity of extremely biased christian theologians and apologist's through the years. 5) The assumption that you've correctly assumed all of the above and are among the only "true christians" in the world. This record of assumption (based on apriori belief and presupposition) is on display in the debate. WE very much want people to read through the back and fourth and see a real time example of the narcissistic oriented, "I'm right and everyone else is wrong," type of christian mentality that is very common the world over. If WE give you guys a long enough rope, you will hang yourselves over and over again. And for all intensive purposes, you guys are your own worst enemies as far as that goes. You destroy any potential credibility for yourselves in the process of intellectually dishonest discourse and claim making. You put on display for everyone how truly deluded you are in your own decision making and reasoning, based entirely on foundations of sand (presupposition). And that's where the debate currently sits. The damage is done. You've done it to yourself. And there is no escape for you in my opinion. You're welcome to try and prove me wrong and turn this thing around in your favor. As the debate is open. If you fail, and a new apologist comes along and wants to pick up the baton and go up against me, then I'll welcome their discourse as well. Good day!
    1 point
  6. 1 point
  7. This point needs to be taken seriously. Indoctrination can take some people many years to get over particularly the fear of hell. I many times wonder why it was so easy for me and I've concluded it's largely due to the fact I have an education in historical methods, and once I realized the Bible is no more or less than any other primary source document out there, I felt a total complete fool and the rest of the process was very easy, particularly with the help of Bart Ehrmans's books. I agree with this. They can be difficult to find, people with this specific training, but it would be helpful in this case. There's also online resources such as https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/#rfr-welcome
    1 point
  8. First. If you did not do so already, maybe you should read/ buy books by Besser van der Kolk, psychiatrist/ therapist working with trauma with full knowledge on the dsm and its history. Then books by Peter Levine, Franz Ruppert and therapists that work with their methods. Also people with experience and training in Craniosacral therapy, acupuncture and herbs, meditation, etc ( however disputed this might be by some members of this site) in mental disorder. Then books by Steve Hassan, Janja Lalich and others about cults and what phobia indoctrination and prophecy implantation is. Or interviews by them. They are ex members and trained therapists with decades of experience. There are many types of therapy and therapists out there, don't rely strictly on the words of one psychiatrist , especially one too dedicate dto their own Bible, the DSM. I think/ feel that knowing and researching these psychological aspects can be more beneficial for you than intellectual theology per say. About the fear of Hell. Bart Ehrman, renowned scholar, recommended here, said took even HIM years to get over it. Some get over it, or so it seems, very fast. But every serious cult has this idea, leave us and you'll end up vey bad. Please read up on that, those materials really helped me a lot in understanding. Second, on certainty. There is no such thing as absolute certainty in history, especially ancient history. Again , Ehrman will agree. Well, of course there are some pretty sure things, like Rome did exist. But many others not so much. Third. On interpreting Scripture. Fun fact, there are literally thousands of books interpreting Scripture. I have actually read a muslim interpretation that it prophesized the coming of Muhammed. Fourth and final. Maybe something about universalism might help ease your anxiety. Search Illaria Ramelli and David Bentley Hart. Modern scholars, one Eastern Orthodox, one catholic , I think, one trained in history and greek/ latin the other in theology/philosophy. So quite mainstream well documented scholars which the logical/ historical reasons, using the Bible and early church history. Add to them if you like Robin Parry. This the only, I think, that makes any kind of sense, however problematic, in Christianity. Short PS. Read Sam Harris, Susan Blackmore and Derk Perenboom on Free Will if the time permits. This enlightened me on the problem of moral responsability and its adequate form. If you are serious and real about what you said, then I hope my advice can help. Take care. It is possible that the type of help you need cannot be found here, at least not totally, but in the hands of a cult/ religious trauma informed mental health practitioner.
    1 point
  9. 1 point
  10. Listening isn't enough. Go out there and read some credible sources. Read and keep on reading. When I deconverted I suspended my own judgement and beliefs and preconceptions for months and decided I would just read several authors and a lot of books and absorb the information. After I did that, Christianity and fear of hell didn't stand a chance. In particular they don't stand a chance when you're able to peice together how the concept of hell evolved. And that was simply to control people and the flow of resources towards the church.
    1 point
  11. They're all tragic. Even success stories have to look back on years of wasted potential and private mental struggle and suffering.
    1 point
  12. Sure. They say having money is bad and what you need to do is send it to them. Wertbag has some excellent advice. You need to start NOW setting aside money for retirement. You have just under 20 years to take care of this. There are lots of misconceptions about Social Security. It is not and never was intended to be a retirement program. It exists only to keep retirees from starving. Social Security will not cover all your expenses in retirement. The key is to put aside a certain amount of money each month in an interest bearing vehicle of some sort. Do it with automatic payments so you don't forget. And never, never withdraw from this fund until you are retired. Increase your contributions as your income increases; if you get a raise, consider putting it all into this fund if you are living fine without it. As your fund grows to perhaps five figures, contact a certified financial planner who is independent and thus is less inclined to sell a specific product. He or she will help you create a diversified plan. You will not regret this. Some folks say that this is all good and fine but they just absolutely can't afford to do it. Well, if you can't pay your bills now, how will you pay them when you are retired and have no income? This is not to say you need to live like some sort of ascetic. But as Wertbag writes, many folks fritter away money in ways they don't realize. (Example — I have a friend who ate lunch out every work day for 40 years. A sack lunch for most of those days would have saved him tens of thousands of dollars. And what about paying money for a bottle of water — something that you can get for free? The list of examples is a long one.) And this does not mean that you are being selfish. To not take care of your own needs is a form of selfishness as those needs will eventually fall upon others.
    1 point
  13. First off I would say you need to be selfish to a degree. That is to prioritise your needs before giving anything away. Make sure the basics are covered, rent, food, expenses and cut anything like donations until you are in a good place. You need to consider your shopping habits from a need verse luxury view. Do you spend on anything you can do without? Movies, music, dvds, smoking, drinking etc. You don't have to cut it completely but that stuff is low priority and should be a rare treat rather than constant expense. What are your eating habits like? Do you eat out, eat junk or snack constantly? Easy to forget how much we spend on food and massive savings can be made with a bit of effort. Run a food diary for a week or two and make sure you have a clear idea of those costs and potential savings. Sit down and work out a really basic budget. Income on one side, rent, expenses, bills, average monthly costs on the other. Once you have a clear understanding of the amount you have to play with, you can figure out savings verse entertainment. One simplistic method is divide in thirds. One third for rent/mortgage, one third for expenses and one third for saving, spending and the unexpected. This method can work in certain places, but not so much in big cities or high cost areas. Another suggestion is to talk to your bank. Many have advisory services that will help structure your accounts, sort out debt repayments, and make sure what you have is working the best for you. Debt is the other big pitfall. If you have any ability to avoid debt (eg don't take international trips if you have to borrow to do so) then stay debt free. If you have to borrow then make sure you shop around to compare interest rates and fees, especially with the smaller dodgy loan companies, they will aim to ruin you. Make sure that if you are going to use a credit card that you pay it off in full before the interest period.
    1 point
  14. @Rickswordfish, I'm sorry to hear about your continued struggles, and I understand that these issues are rendered more challenging to you by your mental state. Still, a number of people here have posted resources which are intended to help you through this, and you seem inclined to reject them outright. Why is this? Clearly the way you are currently thinking is bothering you. Otherwise, you wouldn't be posting about these things here. Why not try to accept the help that is being offered? I really don't think it comes from a place of ill-intentions.
    1 point
  15. Christians get upset because their children deconvert...not because they think bible god is evil by the possibility of sending their adult child to hell, but because their child isn't kissing God's butt to avoid hell. How could you love something that ordered your child to burn forever? That is really a major mind twist.
    1 point
  16. Can you imagine enjoying paradise knowing your loved ones were sent to hell? Maybe god wipes away our human empathy to make sure we are guaranteed happiness? And why the hell would a loving god build a torture chamber at all?
    1 point
  17. No, you can't have it both ways. Either He punishes people for things outside of their control, for thought crimes and for where they were born, or He is just and merciful. You cannot punish people for an infinite time for finite crimes and claim it is justice in any way.
    1 point
  18. Everyone - Luth finally got something right! Yeeha! Tis true, I confess all my sins. I misspelt the title. I put an "a" where there should have been an "e". I have repented and corrected the thread title. Hallelujah I'm saved. I'm also overjoyed that Luth got one thing right in 25 pages!
    1 point
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