Offended?

[Asimov]

I was thinking for a second, after reading the "Ex-Christian is an Oxymoron" thread.

 

Why do you guys care that they make these claims that you were never Christians?

 

Does it matter really what they think? Not only do they believe that, but they think that God exists, that snakes talk, that donkeys talk, that demons can possess people and a myriad of other ridiculous things that clearly have no bearing in reality.

 

If they are that stupid then really, why bother trying to correct them? As we've seen before it doesn't matter what YOU tell them, they still think it's true. The only way they will change their mind is if they either experience it themselves or if they spend time with you guys.

 

Ex-Christian is just a label, and a negative one at that. When Christians say that it is an oxymoron, it is meant as a rationalisation that no real Christian could possibly backslide because they don't want to think that's possible.

 

Anyways, just a thought. Don't worry about what those morons are saying.

[Ouroboros]

I know, it shouldn't bother me, but it still does.

 

It goes into the same thougths about "respect" that you started. You want to correct people that are delusional.

 

When someone say that, it feels like they show a lot of disrespect to who I am and who I was, and it hurts. Especially when you spend 30 years doing everything you can to be the True Christian™, and even believing that you are, then realizing the foolishness and feel stupid for what you've done. Then someone says that you still missed something, when you know you did everything you could to get it right.

 

I guess it could be residual pain. And it might have something to do with people saying things like that are the lowest scum and they try to pretend to be so educated, and they want to correct you for something, and they are completely wrong.

 

The arguments I and others had with SaveByFarts couple of weeks ago, taught me that there is no arguing with that kind of people. They believe what they believe regardless of facts.

[Eponymic]

Why do you guys care that they make these claims that you were never Christians?

 

 

I'm in agreement with you here, Asimov.

 

Bowing to play the mind games just gives them unnecessary fuel.

 

Personally, I don't even think of my self as any label ex-Christian or otherwise. I just think of myself as continually evolving... at least that's what I hope I'm doing.

 

 

I have learned that its best not to put mayonaise on my pancakes. At least, I think i'm not supposed to do that...hmm.....

[Caretaker]

I am getting to the point of just playing mind games back to them.

 

As in, quoting Star Trek to them and passing it as truth to them.

[white_raven23]

It shouldn't matter.

It shouldn't bother me.

 

But it still does.

 

It would be nice to be so perfectly in harmony with the world that such slings and arrows would not be felt. But I'm not perfect. I'm only a human being. I'm flawed. I accept that I'm flawed and I do work to improve myself, but I don't come down on myself when I screw up.

 

I've reached a point in my life where I'm happy and content with who I am. I take pride in my accomplishments.

 

For some self-righteous prick to tell me I'm living a lie, and judge my personal achievements as hellbound-think......to essentially de-value who I am....

 

I know it's not the same as a physical rape.....but I still refuse to "lie down and take it".

[Asimov]

It goes into the same thougths about "respect" that you started. You want to correct people that are delusional.

 

Well, for one thing, it seems like many of you made extreme efforts to please God and Christ while you were Christians so God, if he really did love you, would have done everything in his power (which is anything) to make sure you knew that he loved you.

 

Besides that, you need to realise that it's not because they don't think you were ever a Christian. It's because they don't want to believe that they might be wrong, that somebody could realise it.

 

You should pity them, and mock them, and laugh at them. Anything but feed into their taunts by becoming offended.

 

You shouldn't try to please everyone, or make everyone realise that what you had was genuine. It's an impossible delusion to expect respect from everyone.

[Eponymic]

I know it's not the same as a physical rape.....but I still refuse to "lie down and take it".

 

To me the best way to get back at them is a smile and a smart, almost complimentary reaction to their attacks. They know how to deal with fire, they are usually dumbfounded when you respond with decency.

[Asimov]

For some self-righteous prick to tell me I'm living a lie, and judge my personal achievements as hellbound-think......to essentially de-value who I am....

I know it's not the same as a physical rape.....but I still refuse to "lie down and take it".

 

You know you're better than them, white_raven. You know their arguments are petty and childish.

 

To rise above it is to fully reject Christian-thought. By giving in to it, you are still accepting Christianity as a partial-truth. There is no reason you should be offended that someone thinks you never believed a lie. You should be PROUD that they think that!

 

I'm aware that you are not perfect (despite your singular wit and physical beauty), however, I'm just trying to help you get a new perspective on things.

 

[white_raven23]

I'm just trying to help you get a new perspective on things.

 

[/b]

 

Point well taken Asimov (you too Eponymic). I don't need to unleash pure valkyrie rage in the face of blind idiocy.

 

Can I still dish out paper cuts?

[crazy-tiger]

Personally, I reply to fuck with their minds...

 

 

 

I gotta have some fun.

[white_raven23]

I'm aware that you are not perfect (despite your singular wit and physical beauty),

 

[/b]

 

*Kitty preens and fluffs up*

 

[Asimov]

Personally, I reply to fuck with their minds...

I gotta have some fun.

 

That's the spirit, ct!

[Kuroikaze]

The whole thing seems silly to me, Xians throw out this judgement of your life without knowing jack shit about your life. How do they know I wasn't sincere in my beliefs in christ before leaving? The answer is, of course, that they don't know.

 

They assume that i wasn't because thats what thier particular church tells them. They have no ability to think for themselves at all.

 

I mean, do any of these christians even bother to find out that the Once saved always saved teaching is not universal among fundamentalists. Many denomonations including Free Will Babtist believe it is posible to loose salvation.

And there are just as many pasages in the bible to support that position than the always saved position. Of couse what a rational person would gather from this is that the bible is bunk and full of contradictions.

 

Most fundies simply ignore the passages that don't fit the thinking thier church taught them.

Then they say that Catholics main failure is putting more faith in the church than the bible

[a midnight star]

Why offended? Because growing up I was told that everything that didn't work out was my fault. I didn't pray enough, I didn't read the bible enough, I didn't take time to spend with God. It was all me and everything that happened was my fault. Hell, since they asked for forgiveness shit never happened, so again I was left holding the bag. This is just more of "it's you, you never did it right, once again you fucked up" that I have heard forever.

 

 

That is why it still bothers me so much. I was ever good enough.

[Vigile]

It did bother me when I first arrived here but I've gotten over it I think. I think the reason it bothers us is because it pooh poohs away years and years of intense devotion in our lives. Even if we were misguided, we were sincere.

 

It's the doubting of sincerity that bothers us, not whether we were or weren't saved by biblical or other standards.

[Asimov]

Yes, well I'm not talking about then, I'm talking about now.

 

You've had a shitty past, granted, and lots of shitty things happened to you. That doesn't mean you should give in to the hatred and feel affected by it. Maybe the people who said it were your family, or close friends, or people you looked up to. Real friends, real family, real idols would never say anything like that. Didn't try hard enough...it's bullshit and you know it, so why be bothered with assholes who can't see past their own bigotry and hatred?

 

Instead of feeding on what they say and fueling your hatred and anger, let it go. All of you are better than this. There is no reason why you should be affected by this, because you are superior!

 

Why would you want to try harder to believe a lie? It doesn't make any sense!

[Checkmate]

I used to get pissed, but I don't any longer. I take it as a compliment! "You mean to tell me that I WASN'T actually a brainwashed idiot like you are? Well, thanks! I feel so much better about myself!"

[Mr. Neil]

I think we have every right to be offended by those claims. I mean, look at me. I was never a practicing Christian, and I'm still offended by remarks like that.

 

First of all, they're trying to move the goal post while the ball is in play. They're trying to alter the definition of a Christians so that they can spare their religion the heavy blow of having former members. Their attitude is that Christianity is right, and had you guys really been a part of the faith, then you would know this. Instead, you're really just one of those horrible people like Neil who never believed in anything and have yet to see the truth of God's light. I take it as a personal slap in the face, even though I was never a man of faith myself.

 

And what's worse is that this is not just someone's personal opinion that we can just blow off. This is something that a growing number of Christians are telling other Christians, and they're believing it. They're basically just painting all non-believers as bad people, and we need to do something about that. We need to alert the public that this demonization campaign is wrong. We should speak out for the same reason that gays need to speak out. I'm tired of assholes trying to trample non-Christians all the time. No religious rationalization should come at the expense of the non-religious. It's bullshit.

 

It's the fact that we've stayed silent for so long that's allowed American society to regress from it was some twenty years ago to what it is now, which is so dumbed-down due to religion that it's embarrassing.

[a midnight star]

I know, I know! It has taken 4 years, but I am finally getting there. I just said the same thing in another thread, right before I read your last post.

 

A lot of what you have said in this thread had cut straight to my heart. I really hit home and has given me a lot to think about. I thank you for that.

[Asimov]

It's the fact that we've stayed silent for so long that's allowed American society to regress from it was some twenty years ago to what it is now, which is so dumbed-down due to religion that it's embarrassing.

 

It is my personal belief that one can rise up against fallacy without being emotional about it, or without resorting to "push back" tactics. If we want to show the world (or America) that Secularism is not a bad thing, then leading by example and going above the heads of the ignorant and showing that we are better.

[a midnight star]

How can you not get emotional about it? We have wasted years and thousands of dollars on a lie. We were duped. That is the biggest sting. We were made fools out of.

 

Even though I may aspire to reach the point where you are right now, you need to realize that it takes time to reach that point.

[Asimov]

Even though I may aspire to reach the point where you are right now, you need to realize that it takes time to reach that point.

 

Of course, I'm not asking anyone to change. I'm just offering a different perspective on things.

[Kuroikaze]

How can you not get emotional about it? We have wasted years and thousands of dollars on a lie. We were duped. That is the biggest sting. We were made fools out of.

 

Even though I may aspire to reach the point where you are right now, you need to realize that it takes time to reach that point.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yeah, I Don't get nearly as emotional about it anymore, but some christians, my parents more than anyone, can still push my buttons

[a midnight star]

Just please don't think that I am trying to give you a hard time. I am not. Most of what you have had to say just confirms what I have been telling myself for the last few months. It has helped.

[Vigile]

It is my personal belief that one can rise up against fallacy without being emotional about it, or without resorting to "push back" tactics.  If we want to show the world (or America) that Secularism is not a bad thing, then leading by example and going above the heads of the ignorant and showing that we are better.

 

I have a bit of a problem with the idea that I have to show anyone anything. I had to meet a standard as a xtian in order to "let christ shine through my life." Fortunatly I got out before the WWJD bullshit came out, but now I don't want to prove anything to anyone. This is probably a reactionary response, and I do find that my morals in many areas are more solid now than they ever were as a xtian, but I don't want to be the beacon light for atheism or any other such nonsense. That's playing in their court and playing to there game. We are just people. Some fit the mold of conventional community standards better than others, but we are just people.