cobrakai Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 It has been two years since I left the christian faith and started rebooting myself. It feels fucking fantastic! Anyway, I wanted to discuss a phenomenon that baffles me beyond belief. I don’t even know what to call it but maybe we can coin a phrase on here together. The thing I find most annoying as an exchristian aren’t even Christians. The people that annoy me most are these people that have had no belief system, no scientific education, and no theological education. But… they are the same people that gave me crap for being a Christian but now also give me crap for being an atheist. It is really quite strange. I know many people like this. I know how these people live and it resembles nothing of what a stereotypical religious life should be. They are the type of people that when you tell them about Christianity and how you should live they would laugh it away. But now I find when I bring up the idea that a god doesn’t exist they get all bent out of shape. “How can you say that man?” “ That is messed up.” On Monday nights I go out with a group of guys whose soul purpose is to get drunk, get laid, or get high. One night as we were just all having a beer I brought up the idea about how much of a farce religion is. Immediately this guy turns his wrist over and shows me he is wearing a cross on his bracelet. He tells me to watch what I am saying because he believes. So I challenged him. I challenged how he lives, what I witness. I called him on it. I told him that nothing he does reflects “living for God”. I asked him why he has never ministered to anyone in our group or at the bars. He did not have an answer for anything I challenged him on. It is just so strange to me, these people that walk in a cloud. I can at least respect a fundamentalist because they try to live by the twisted doctrines they preach. But these people who have never had an allegiance to anything, live as they desire but yet hold on to this religiosity in their back pocket…it just baffles me. Has anybody else come across this? Am I making sense here? This is my message to all of them: Stop debating with me about the existence of God. If you are that convinced put your fucking drink down, go home, and read your fucking scripture. Learn what it says and live it. This is not a judgment this is a reality. If you think it is really true then live it. If your God is truly that great and the stakes are that high then prove it. Don’t sit here with me and listen to music and tell jokes that would be inappropriate to your God. Your God is an after thought, background music. You wait to pull him out like a gun kept in a closet. Always hidden, never talked about but when the time is right you know when to draw. You don’t give your God the time of day but the minute somebody steps on the notion he even exists you get all hot bothered. Hypocrite. God is not a moderate! Rock n Roll is not for you, comedy is not for you, art is not for you, sports are not for you, this world is not for you. If you really believe then get the fuck out of here and go be a fisher of men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandias Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I share your frustration: we're all full of contradictions, but it's when people work from those contradictions and condemn someone that the real fun starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 He's a "Crowd follower" type of person. Some big star like Bono of U2 believes, and someone he looks up to loves Bono of U2 and believes, so he feels he must believe too. Or something like that. He gets mad when challenged because he believes that's what he's supposed to do; it's social conditioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixolite Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 The thing I find most annoying as an exchristian aren’t even Christians. The people that annoy me most are these people that have had no belief system, no scientific education, and no theological education. Wow! Just because people don't share your particular view on religion the must have no belief system, etc. at all? How condescending. I know how these people live and it resembles nothing of what a stereotypical religious life should be. And of course it's your interpretation of "stereotypical religious life" that is the only correct one, right?: God is not a moderate! Rock n Roll is not for you, comedy is not for you, art is not for you, sports are not for you, this world is not for you. If you really believe then get the fuck out of here and go be a fisher of men. How dare any believer live another life than what you think is right! Luckily, most Christians don't share your interpretation. I told him that nothing he does reflects “living for God”. Really? Most people actually live by the golden rule, you know that "love your neighbour" thing, I bet he does too. I asked him why he has never ministered to anyone in our group or at the bars. Yeah, because that's why you really go out, not to have some fun, but to get on the nerves of other people and push your beliefs on them. He did not have an answer for anything I challenged him on. That could have not probably have to do with how much beer he drank? Or maybe that he was just annoyed with someone preaching? But… they are the same people that gave me crap for being a Christian but now also give me crap for being an atheist. It is really quite strange. You try to push your beliefs on other people and then wonder why they don't like it? If someone wants to be a moderate Christian or even a Christian-on-paper-only why don't you accept that? Why are you trying to put them down? We don't need less of such people, we need more of them! It's not such people who are the dangerous ones, it's the fundies ffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedah Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 The people you describe are simply known as "idiots". Pop culture is their religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loren Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Leaving out the flat-out dumb people for a moment, one of the things that tends to trip me up, even though I know it, is that not all intelligent people *like* to think. I know that's true, yet when I encounter it, it still often kind of blindsides me a bit. I don't know that we really need to coin a new term: "Shallow," has always seemed pretty effectively descriptive to me. And the word works perfectly well across sectarian and other social boundaries. Shallow people are just... well, they're shallow. Don't toss a pebble onto a damp cement floor and expect to hear a splash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobrakai Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 The thing I find most annoying as an exchristian aren’t even Christians. The people that annoy me most are these people that have had no belief system, no scientific education, and no theological education. Wow! Just because people don't share your particular view on religion the must have no belief system, etc. at all? How condescending. I know how these people live and it resembles nothing of what a stereotypical religious life should be. And of course it's your interpretation of "stereotypical religious life" that is the only correct one, right?: God is not a moderate! Rock n Roll is not for you, comedy is not for you, art is not for you, sports are not for you, this world is not for you. If you really believe then get the fuck out of here and go be a fisher of men. How dare any believer live another life than what you think is right! Luckily, most Christians don't share your interpretation. I told him that nothing he does reflects “living for God”. Really? Most people actually live by the golden rule, you know that "love your neighbour" thing, I bet he does too. I asked him why he has never ministered to anyone in our group or at the bars. Yeah, because that's why you really go out, not to have some fun, but to get on the nerves of other people and push your beliefs on them. He did not have an answer for anything I challenged him on. That could have not probably have to do with how much beer he drank? Or maybe that he was just annoyed with someone preaching? But… they are the same people that gave me crap for being a Christian but now also give me crap for being an atheist. It is really quite strange. You try to push your beliefs on other people and then wonder why they don't like it? If someone wants to be a moderate Christian or even a Christian-on-paper-only why don't you accept that? Why are you trying to put them down? We don't need less of such people, we need more of them! It's not such people who are the dangerous ones, it's the fundies ffs. I am not quite understanding your defense of the people I am talking about. I never said just because somebody doesnt share the same views with me means that they have no belief system. I am talking from experience about people who actually don't have a belief system but use the little bit of christianity they grew up with to judge others. Secondly I wasn't preaching to him I was talking about topics coming up in conversation. I don't "push my beliefs" onto anybody. Maybe I didn't do a great job in getting my point across but I think your conclusive statement is rather frightening. You think fundies are the only problem? You don't think moderate Christianity or religiosity without any base is just as scary? Well my friend I don't quite agree. My statement to them is just a simple call out because if you say you really believe in something and its claims then you should know what it is you are really claiming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Yeah, I didn't think you were critising others because they believe or think differently than you, but that they live like they have no belief until you actaully say you don't. When you say you do not believe in any God then they pull out the God card and tell you to watch your mouth. That's a special kind of annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franko47 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 The kind of people Cobra is talking about live in that kind of intangible vague area where they don't really know what they believe in; it's a kind of "I'm just sort of with the mainstream apathy thing"........ I kind of encounter a little myself of this, it's just that certain kinds of people are intimidated (afraid?) of people who have "passionate" beliefs, no matter what they are. Gosh, sometimes just because I'm a major NHL hockey fan, I've been cited for being a bit of an "extremist". And yeah, if I rant on a bit to some of my non-religious friends about.....religion........they can sometimes get a little uncomfortable. Like, as if I'm "obsessed" with this stuff or something. Again, there is a segment of our culture that kind of shuns "strong belief and conviction about anything".... it's kind of wierd, in a way. Don't know if the OP is driving at this or not, but it rang a bell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qec Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Yeah, I didn't think you were critising others because they believe or think differently than you, but that they live like they have no belief until you actaully say you don't. When you say you do not believe in any God then they pull out the God card and tell you to watch your mouth. That's a special kind of annoying. LOL. I would love for someone to pull that bullshit on me, at the end of it they would be feeling really bad for the exact same reasons they quipped up in the first place. They would go out with a whimper after practically no verbal force on my part. People like this are opportunities, like Steak really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefranden Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 ...It is just so strange to me, these people that walk in a cloud. I can at least respect a fundamentalist because they try to live by the twisted doctrines they preach. But these people who have never had an allegiance to anything, live as they desire but yet hold on to this religiosity in their back pocket…it just baffles me. Has anybody else come across this? Am I making sense here?... Yes, I have known them. I had them in my church. All the members to a greater or lessor extent where like this. I was the only true Christian among them. I literally sold all I had and went to follow Jesus bible collage and got ordained. I couldn't even get most of them to read the Gospels let alone the bible. It helped me to realize that this Jesus had no power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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