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Goodbye Jesus

"God works in mysterious ways..."


pandora

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Ok, I don't really want to reveal all this about myself, but I have to for the story to make sense.

 

My mother attempted suicide a few years ago, had to go on disability because of a terminal illness, and got in trouble with the law. All that happened in the span of a year, so needless to say it was hard on me. To make a long story short, my academics had to take a back seat to taking care of and making money for my mom. All the pressure made some mental health issues surface in me as well... and the fact that this was the time of my deconversion didn't help either; it was during those critical few months before and after the big decision, and you guys all know what that is like.

 

So anyways, I got myself into academic trouble and I failed a class I needed to graduate. Pharmacy school is very very strict, and the academic standards are very very high. Anyways, so I didn't meet the stipulations and I set myself back a year in school. (You all should know that I got a 7-something percent each time, but you need a B in this particular pharmacology course to move on-- it isn't uncommon to "fail" it, it just was for me since I had always been a really good student).

 

Then it happened again this past semester, and today I had to present my case to the Dean as to why I should be allowed to finish out my last two semesters.

 

As you may know if you read my testimony, I am getting a religion and philosophy minor as well, but I can't get the major because of the language requirements. Pharmacy school is too vigorous to allow time to take language courses. I have more than enough religion and philosophy hours to get a major except for the two more semesters of foreign language I would have to take.

 

So the dean (a woman) talks to me today. I don't think they are going to kick me out, but it looks like I may have to set myself another year back to take all the courses I need to take. The dean suggests that I take that extra time to finish my language requirements and get the religion/phil degree. This is fine, and if ti works out that I am going to have a lot of free time next semester (because the class I need to retake may conflict with the spring semester schedule, which means that I can't take the fall semester courses because in pharmacy school, classes really are semesters long and build on one another) then I will probaby do it.

 

The only clincher is that this dean was like, "God works in mysterious ways. You know that. Maybe God wants you to pursue a career in academics and religion." I just nodded a smiled, but stressed that pharmacy is really where I want to go. I assume that she said this because she saw my religion classes and assumed I was Christian. If she knew what the religion department was like, she would not have assumed I was a believer. LOL The pharmacy school is a lot more conservative than the rest of the university mainly because we are Indiana and we are the only ones that get practically involved in medical ethics issues.

 

I wish I could tell people like that "I am not a Christian and I don't really believe in God. I take religious courses for other reasons." But I can't do that in the pharmacy school, because "professionalism" and sucking up to the dean and faculty is essential to graduation. But maybe my playing along helps their image of me, and if so, then I am willing to fake it a little. :vent::vent::vent:

 

I had to come and vent here because I am about to go nuts with the way the pharmacy school works.

 

So-- about you guys in the "real" world--- how do you handle people that make comments like that to you? Do you guage the situation and suck up as needed for your own personal advancement, or do you make your beliefs known no matter the situation?

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when someone hits me with that line, i usually reply with "Yeah, like starting wars and killing babies".. something blatantly offensive. that line always angers me to no end.

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If that gawd really works in such mysterious ways, I wonder how they know that he's true... after all, imagine that the wholly babble really was written by satan to condemn people to youknowwhat...

 

...how does the self-proclaimed True Christian™ know that he's really following the light side of the force? :fdevil:

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Guest JP1283

Whenever I talk to my friend Jennifer about my problems, she always says "Everything happens for a reason." That gets to me too.

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Whenever I talk to my friend Jennifer about my problems, she always says "Everything happens for a reason."  That gets to me too.

 

 

Yep. But it doesn't make me start twitching my eyelid like the mention of "god works in mysterious ways" does. It doesn't make me completely not see the person in front of me, my mind is in a totally different place. I guess it gets me because the god saying assumes that you are a believer or they think you are a believer, and is meant as encouragement. It irks me so much because I am NOT a believer and I wonder what in heck I have done to make people think such. The saying you mentioned is meant to be more tactful, I guess, for those where the commentator is unsure of the "status" of the other person, or sure but still wants to put a little jab in for god.

 

Grrr... oh well. Thanks for letting me rant, guys... I may have been deconverted for two years nows, but I find new things everyday that annoy me like hell. Ha. :Wendywhatever:

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Grrr... oh well.  Thanks for letting me rant, guys... I may have been deconverted for two years nows, but I find new things everyday that annoy me like hell.  Ha.  :Wendywhatever:

 

I understand where you're coming from here.

 

I also understand your reaction when someone says something like that. I do the same thing!

 

I zone-out!

 

I think the zoning out feature is a protective device that works in favor of the person making the comments. :Duivel7:

 

:vent: If I didn't zone-out, I'd probably explode in their face with a bunch of ExChristian information! :vent:

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Saying that "God works in mysteroious ways" is a cute way of saying "I have no fucking idea what the purpose is, but I still want you to thank GOD for your pain--err, I mean blessings!"

 

Shit happens. Deal with it. I'm willing to help, but if you think it's all part of God's plan you aren't fighting it... and it's going to heappen again.

 

Merlin

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I understand where you're coming from here.

 

I also understand your reaction when someone says something like that. I do the same thing!

 

I zone-out!

 

I think the zoning out feature is a protective device that works in favor of the person making the comments.  :Duivel7:

 

:vent: If I didn't zone-out, I'd probably explode in their face with a bunch of ExChristian information! :vent:

 

 

Definitely. You nailed it. LOL

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Saying that "God works in mysteroious ways" is a cute way of saying "I have no fucking idea what the purpose is, but I still want you to thank GOD for your pain--err, I mean blessings!"

 

Shit happens. Deal with it. I'm willing to help, but if you think it's all part of God's plan you aren't fighting it... and it's going to heappen again.

 

Merlin

 

 

LOL That too. I think the dean was trying to comfort me. If I don't finish pharmacy school, I can always finish my religion/philosophy degree with a few credits more. Ha. Tell me how I can pay off my loans with a religion degree!! Scholarships only go so far!!! I would end up flipping burgers at the Golden Arches.

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Hi Pandora,

 

Great topic...I think what annoys me about "GWIMW" ("God Works In Mysterious Ways") is that it assumes the circular logic that drives apostates crazy. If a situation works out well, christians "thank god for his blessing." If it's a disaster, then "god is teaching you a lesson" or some BS like that. Either way they can say, "God is in control" without ever ascribing to the deity any sin, such as causing someone to die, or commit suicide, etc. It requires no thought or analysis at all. A rather lazy philosophy, IMHO.

 

Curtdude

San Francisco

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Actually, I developed a cure for the all-encompassing rage I felt after some dimbulb spills that line years ago. As soon as the words "mysterious ways" come out of their mouths I sing the U2 song inside my head, then I boogie out of there yelling "on your knees boy" while dimbulb looks on in astonishment at the crazy singing lady.

 

:woohoo:

 

it's alright

it's alright

it's alright

she moves in mysterious ways...

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That comment is such a cheap-shot excuse because the religion can’t define what God actually want or will do. Basically the statement means “God acts randomly, and I know shit about what he will do next.”

 

So isn’t this a way of making “The Almighty God, Intelligent Creator of the Universe and all” to become a god for fatalists? “What happens, happens, the fuck I know what!” That’s what they’re saying.

 

It’s so stupid. Plus, why did the Dean have any reason to say anything “religious” at that moment?

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The great god line. I think it's a lazy cop-out way of saying "we can't control everything in our lives" With a dab of "May as well give up on your goal and try something else while waiting for god to specifically guide you" just for flavor.

 

Grrrrrrr.

 

Heck I'm sorry you're in Indiana. I've got family there. When I visit, I keep my trap shut about politics, religion, and all opinions.

 

The flat land be full of fundies. Be careful, and get out when you can!

 

As for a response to that tired old line: "God works in mysterious ways." you can always come back with: "Unless you have the secret decoder ring." Be serious. Look at them as if you've just given them info you might have to kill them for having heard. Walk away looking thoughtful and suspicious.

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And besides, why do Christians protect God? God can do whatever he wants, and the Christians have an excuse why God did it that way.

 

A kid is hurt, he survives or dies, or totally get whole again, all was Gods plan. Roll the dice, the answer was Gods answer. It's like the friggin 8-ball thingy. Shake it, look at the answer, wow, God spoke to me through and 8-ball prophesy!

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Man, i really hate that mysterious ways shit just as much as you guys. It's a goddamn cop-out.

 

Murdering children and promoting slavery is not mysterious, its pretty fucking direct, if you ask me.

 

But then again, its gods will.

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Of course, if any of us worked in mysterious ways, we'd get our asses fired.

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"Why yes She sure does!!!

 

 

Or similar, depending on how many fundies ya want to piss off at one time..

 

:fdevil::pureevil::ukliam2::ukliam2::Duivel:

 

:bounce:

 

n

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Not in government you wouldn't.

That's it! You've solved it!

 

From now on I'll just think of God as The Great Eternal Bureaucrat.

 

God is GEB.

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My first reaction to "God works in mysterious ways" is to say "only because you can't explain why He would something so stupid"...

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Not in government you wouldn't.

 

:lmao:

 

Comedy at it's best ... when it's true!

 

So, the name of God is actually Gov.

 

---

 

The Mysterious God works mysteriously in mysterious ways.

And he's mysteriously absent most of the time too.

 

I think most people drive in mysterious ways on the freeways.

So, are they godly people then?

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