xandermac Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 I seem to look for every opportunity to confront Christian's. Its almost like I want to see that shocked look on their face like they're looking at Satan. I've just recently admitted to myself that its all not true. It is like grieving a death in the sense that you go through stages. Like denial, anger, acceptance. I'm in an anger stage. Christianity surrounds me and it really pisses me off. A woman I work with told me I shouldn't give up on god, that she knew it was true. I ask her had she ever read the bible and she said she never had. I asked "then how do you know?" " Because I just know." How can you argue with that? It's just useless. But that's the kind of people I have to live around and work with and do business with everyday and I'm really seeing how stupid people are and its kind of spooky. I feel like I'm watching some kind of Pod People. Am I just getting paranoid? When will I stop feeling the need to stop saying bullshit everytime someone says something about Jesus or church? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renfield Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 I feel like I'm watching some kind of Pod People. Am I just getting paranoid? When will I stop feeling the need to stop saying bullshit everytime someone says something about Jesus or church? You're not paranoid, they are kind of like Pod people. Before I became, what my ex wrote in a posting, "a raging atheist", I was talking to a zombie of christ when she told me she was circumcised in her heart. I kept running that through my head and ended up with a headache. Today I tell them that as much as they know in their heart there's a god I know in my brain there is no god. I can not speak for anyone else, but as an atheist for 31yrs. it still makes me say bullshit when I hear god stuff and even more so when it's a government official that is supposed represent ALL people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 I seem to look for every opportunity to confront Christian's. Like denial, anger, acceptance. I'm in an anger stage. When will I stop feeling the need to stop saying bullshit everytime someone says something about Jesus or church? I went through this for some time after my deconversion. As you have suggested though xandermac, I think in time you will come to accept that people are free to believe any nonsense that they choose. Please don't get me wrong though. There are still the occasional Christians that piss me off. I am especially wary of Christians that ask me things such as, "How is your spiritual walk?" That kind of thing still sets me off. I don't know how long you've been free of Christianity, but I think if you give yourself some time then it will become easier to deal with. That is, you will come closer to a state of acceptance. Hang in there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeydid Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 I left the Christian faith about 17 years ago, and they still annoy me. Still, they annoy me for a completely different reason these days. They annoy me because so many of them are content with not knowing things. They think "God did it" is a real answer to the mysteries of the world. To be fair it's not just the Christians that do it. I can't stand anyone who is content to remain ignorant regardless of what beliefs they hold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NobleSavage Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 A woman I work with told me I shouldn't give up on god, that she knew it was true. I ask her had she ever read the bible and she said she never had. Slightly off-topic but I find it amazing that so few Christians seem to have read the Bible cover-to-cover. If I believed a book was written by God, reading that book would be my top priority to the exclusion of all else. What could possibly be more important in your life than reading a book written by your Creator? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checkmate Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 Well, I can't say that I relate to the desire to seek conflict with Christians, but I DO relate with the frustration and the desire to slap some sense into them. The reason why I don't seek out Christians (in fact I seek to avoid them) is because it IS frustrating to try and reason with them. I refuse to bang my head against a wall of ignorance. It's not profitable nor healthy. Plus which, we non-believers MUST be careful not to become like our opponents. Don't be dogmatic, even FUNDY and evangelical with your beliefs. Don't become like them, pushing your atheism, agnosticsim, deism, paganism, witchcraft, or whatever in THEIR faces. That's rude. Don't shy away from the conflict, but also don't instigate the conflict. You may not see the wisdom in this today, (I didn't when I first de-converted) but after a few months of head bashing, you'll wear yourself out and quit looking for a fight. It's so much easier to just mock and deride them on the sly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostOrFound Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 I seem to look for every opportunity to confront Christian's. Its almost like I want to see that shocked look on their face like they're looking at Satan. I've just recently admitted to myself that its all not true. It is like grieving a death in the sense that you go through stages. Like denial, anger, acceptance. I'm in an anger stage. Christianity surrounds me and it really pisses me off. A woman I work with told me I shouldn't give up on god, that she knew it was true. I ask her had she ever read the bible and she said she never had. I asked "then how do you know?" " Because I just know." How can you argue with that? It's just useless. But that's the kind of people I have to live around and work with and do business with everyday and I'm really seeing how stupid people are and its kind of spooky. I feel like I'm watching some kind of Pod People. Am I just getting paranoid? When will I stop feeling the need to stop saying bullshit everytime someone says something about Jesus or church? Try Prozac Seriously though; you are right about the stages... and the stages seem to repeat themselves from time to time - especially if you live in the Bible belt and deal with the truly ignorant answers almost daily. You really will learn to ignore most of it, most of the time... that's when it gets fun because you are in control of your mind AND EMOTIONS. It becomes so much easier to answer their lunacy with logic. You ask them poignant questions with a perfectly calm expression, truly wanting to know what they think and they buckle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sage Nabooru Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 For me, any kind of seeking confrontation is wrong. One should seek peace, not war. At any rate I simply remind myself that for the most part, It's Not My Problem. If they're manipulating tsunami victims for converts or trying to deny my right to marry whom I choose, that's when I draw the line. But the ultimate maxim to live by is live and let live, for both sides. I view all of us as on the great journey called Life or Experience or whatever you wish. Some are more behind than others. Well, whatever. Their loss. I don't go out to everyone I know and proclaim my ex-Christianhood. In fact I doubt that most of the people I know are aware of it or of most of my spiritual beliefs. That's because it's none of their business. They haven't given me a reason to tell them, and until they do, why should I? My spiritual beliefs aren't some declaration that needs to be shared with everybody. It's not like I'm in any more of a position than I was before to tell other people that I know how to live their lives better than they do. If I do seek out others to argue with, doesn't that just make me one of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandermac Posted September 15, 2006 Author Share Posted September 15, 2006 I do try not to be rude, but sometimes they are rude. I work in a restaurant. Last week I had a sty in my eye and it was swelled. A preacher came in to eat and he saw my eye and called me over and prayed for me right there, He claimed it in Jesus name. It embarrassed me at first so much I just said Thank you and went to the back. The waitress came and said he had left his card that he felt someone there had a problem. Ha! I said look around, everybody here has a problem! I guess he was a "prophet". Now I wish I had just went "slain in the spirit" right there, that would have freaked him out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtdude Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 ....but sometimes they are rude. ....A preacher came in to eat and he saw my eye and called me over and prayed for me right there, He claimed it in Jesus name. It embarrassed me at first so much I just said Thank you and went to the back. .... OMG! Btw, welcome! My experience is that if I'm mad, usually I've got a damned good reason to be. Then I mellow out and sorta "zone" and live-and-let-live for a coupla months, and then someone in my family says something so freakin' retarded about jesus or god or something that I get pissed again. Or Pat Robertson spouts off on some doofus political thing. And the ol' blood pressure boils. You'll get used to it. It's called being out of the Cult and seeing life more realistically. It's not always pretty, but at least the scales have fallen from your eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracked Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 I seem to look for every opportunity to confront Christian's. Its almost like I want to see that shocked look on their face like they're looking at Satan. I've just recently admitted to myself that its all not true. It is like grieving a death in the sense that you go through stages. Like denial, anger, acceptance. I'm in an anger stage. Christianity surrounds me and it really pisses me off. I use to have a lot of anger and wanted people(religious people) to knock on my door so I could try to make them prove that gawd existed(of course they never could). I have never got anywhere in changing someones mind but I do like to think I planted a seed. I recently found myself losing the anger that use to motivate me in so many ways. I miss it. But I like to think I still have a little in me just to motivate me a little Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeydid Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 I will definately agree that sometimes the stages repeat or show up out of order. The amazing heartlessness of some christians while my daughter was dying inspired me to almost a rage at the time. I had never made a secret about my atheism at work and a few of them said monumentally stupid things such as: "If you were a christian maybe your daughter wouldn't have died." "Maybe God is trying to lead you back into the fold." "Your daughter is sick because you are an atheist." Hearing things like that put me in real danger of becoming irrationally anti-christian. I managed to only lose my temper once or twice. Still I am glad that I didn't give into the desire to just crush their beliefs out of anger. I don't want that sort of poison infecting my brain. They can do the hating, I have better ways to spend my time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracked Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 The amazing heartlessness of some christians while my daughter was dying inspired me to almost a rage at the time. I had never made a secret about my atheism at work and a few of them said monumentally stupid things such as: "If you were a christian maybe your daughter wouldn't have died." "Maybe God is trying to lead you back into the fold." "Your daughter is sick because you are an atheist." I'm pretty sure I would have went postal. You showed a lot of self control in that situation I applaud you. It pisses me off just reading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandermac Posted September 16, 2006 Author Share Posted September 16, 2006 The amazing heartlessness of some christians while my daughter was dying inspired me to almost a rage at the time. I had never made a secret about my atheism at work and a few of them said monumentally stupid things such as: "If you were a christian maybe your daughter wouldn't have died." "Maybe God is trying to lead you back into the fold." "Your daughter is sick because you are an atheist." I'm pretty sure I would have went postal. You showed a lot of self control in that situation I applaud you. It pisses me off just reading it. The amazing heartlessness of some christians while my daughter was dying inspired me to almost a rage at the time. I had never made a secret about my atheism at work and a few of them said monumentally stupid things such as: "If you were a christian maybe your daughter wouldn't have died." "Maybe God is trying to lead you back into the fold." "Your daughter is sick because you are an atheist." I'm pretty sure I would have went postal. You showed a lot of self control in that situation I applaud you. It pisses me off just reading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeydid Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Oh like I said, I lost my temper once or twice. The one that suggested that my daughter would still be alive was told: If you want to worship something that you think would torture a seven year old child and kill her to prove some obscure point to me, well that is your business. Now leave me the fuck alone. To the one that suggested my daughter's illness was somehow the fault of -my- lack of belief I said: You might not realize this, my daughter -is- a Christian. People can say heartless things for a lot of reasons. In the case of the one that said my daughter would still be alive, well he had just lost an aunt. He was mostly trying to convince himself of heaven I think. And as for the lady who said that about my daughter being sick, well I continued to be as pleasent as possible to her. Once she realized the nature of my daughter's illness I have to say she did absolutely everything in her power to make my life easier and my loss more bearable. I am glad I didn't turn on her with venom, she proved to be a good friend when I needed one. If one needs any reason not to actively smack Christians that is the best reason I know. They are humans, and like all humans capable of evil and hatefulness, but also capable of goodness and love. Why go out of your way to inspire them to be less than noble??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Gods Fail Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Yeesh, Jeydid - I might've started a fistfight with that idiot! But I said some equally thoughtless, ignorant things when I was a believer, so I guess I shouldn't judge too harshly. These days, I find myself less angered by zealous xtians. If they start in with the preaching I cheerfully tell them I'm an atheist and they usually back away slowly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeydid Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Generally they don't have to start with the preaching in my case. The words, god, pray, blessed, or faith come out of their mouth at me and I just point blank tell them that I am an atheist and they probably don't actually want to discuss it with me. Though I agree with you they usually head for the hills. I seem to be doing a better job of getting people to use their brains by focusing on the skeptic movement. The folks at the Starbucks I go to are begging to borrow the latest book I am reading and they are already passing around Why People Believe Weird Things by Shermer. I think we have a much better chance of slipping doubts in by getting people to see where human thinking can go horribly wrong rather than by just pointing out contradictions and the like. After all, logical arguments are useless on people who refuse to think logically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 When I read some apologists' diatribes, it isn't unusual for me to get a severe mood swing. I absolutely bury the needle on the Rage-O-Meter. Sometimes I just wish I could reach into the Internet, physically drag the miscreant through an Ethernet cable into my study, and administer a serious smackdown. What this says to me is that , in my mind, the Christian message is deeply and permanently associated with horror, pain and fear. It represents a deadly naïvété combined with utter contempt for reality and a smarmy lip-service pseudo-love of humanity. People who deliberately go around promoting the memes of Hell and Original Sin are The Enemy to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizard Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 I seem to look for every opportunity to confront Christian's. Its almost like I want to see that shocked look on their face like they're looking at Satan. I've just recently admitted to myself that its all not true. My first thought, since you are recently deconverted, is that you are not entirely sure. Its like when you go through a breakup or divorce..you had this "relationship" for some time, it was comfortable. The breakup brings a change, and for many, change is hard. Even when the other partner was abusive, it still can be hard. So, to make it easier, drag them through the mud to prove you made the right decision. Am I just getting paranoid? When will I stop feeling the need to stop saying bullshit everytime someone says something about Jesus or church? A little..lol. Seriously though, when you first started having doubts about your faith, did you not try to maintain that faith? I know several fought tooth and nail to hang on before finally giving up. Eventually, you will most likely develop the "live and let live" attitude..the to the comments. Although, after 3 years, once in a while something really stupid comes out of someone's mouth and I can't resist. (like being acosted in Walmart parking lot) But, just as you have the right to unbelief and don't want to be "preached" at..they too have that same right. Of course, its a whole 'nother matter when they come into your space with it. Feel the anger and move on. Anger can be constructive or destructive, depending on what you do with it. And you never know when you may find a friend among the believers..as Jeydid did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandermac Posted September 16, 2006 Author Share Posted September 16, 2006 I think you may be right Lizard. It is like a divorce in a way and I want so much to tell people what an asshole my "ex" is, if that makes any sense. I will try to keep my anger to myself unless they come into my space like you were saying. Here in Redneck, Alabama it's dangerous to be a non-believer. You're either for god or satan, there's no between. People here won't hesitate to call human resourses and try to have your children taken away from you if your beliefs are different. They still pray at the schools here, no matter what the law says. I've had teachers tell me they would pray for my child when he was sick before. The secretary at my son's elementary school told me recently that my life was never going to be good until I got back in church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celsus Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Grinch, You are my hero. I admire ruthless exposition of truth. Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Gods Fail Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Here in Redneck, Alabama it's dangerous to be a non-believer. You're either for god or satan, there's no between. People here won't hesitate to call human resourses and try to have your children taken away from you if your beliefs are different. They still pray at the schools here, no matter what the law says. I've had teachers tell me they would pray for my child when he was sick before. The secretary at my son's elementary school told me recently that my life was never going to be good until I got back in church. My god, Alabama sounds like a gigantic intellectual sinkhole. What is up with that place? I mean, I'm from Michigan, which isn't exactly famous for it's enlightenment and progressive culture, but even I can say my state isn't that bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KT45 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Last week I had a sty in my eye and it was swelled. A preacher came in to eat and he saw my eye and called me over and prayed for me right there, He claimed it in Jesus name. You: "Hmm....Guess it didn't work" Preacher: "What do you mean" You: "My eyes are still swollen. Oh well. (starts to walk away) Preacher: "No god will heal you when he feels it is right" You: "He doesn't want me healed now? He takes too long, I'll just wait for it to heal on it's own. Thanks anyway!" Preacher:........ You probably wouldn't get a tip but it would be funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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