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Goodbye Jesus

Which Christian Behaviors Most Annoy Atheists?


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1 minute ago, PennySerenade said:

I believe in many absurd things being true. I don’t get the distinction between nonsense and truth. True things can be absurd and illogical very often. For instance, if a woman loves her husband that beats her- it is illogical, nonsensical, and absurd. But, it is true. I am not referring to women who stay with abusive husbands due to fear. I am referring to women who actually love their abusers. Most people get exasperated because it is absurd. But, there you are. 

God of the Bible is an abuser, you do realize this don't you?

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1 minute ago, ToddJ said:

That's a good example, considering the abusive nature of the God of the Bible.  Thank you for informing us we should love an abuser :)

My friend came up with that analogy, actually. I can not take credit. 

 

I do not think God is a cosmic monster, but if you say “God is a monster” I will say that I love Him although it is absurd.

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2 minutes ago, midniterider said:

 

So do I. I decided to believe inJesus for a while. Then decided not to believe anymore.

Yes, I suppose that is how it goes. 

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1 minute ago, PennySerenade said:

I believe in many absurd things being true. I don’t get the distinction between nonsense and truth. True things can be absurd and illogical very often. For instance, if a woman loves her husband that beats her- it is illogical, nonsensical, and absurd. But, it is true. I am not referring to women who stay with abusive husbands due to fear. I am referring to women who actually love their abusers. Most people get exasperated because it is absurd. But, there you are. 

 

Yes, but you are essentially advocating us believing that the woman should stay with that man, even though we know holding that belief is irrational.

 

You are blurring the terms here. The woman staying with her husband is illogical. That she loves him, albeit irrationally is true, but no one else thinks she's being irrational. Everyone else correctly points out that she is suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

 

This is not the same as you saying the you believe something (God) completely absurd, dumb, and illogical. You can show evidence that the abusive man and the woman exist and thus your belief that they exist is justified. However you can't, and don't even attempt to do that with God.

 

To be honest I've never met someone quite so happy as to proclaim that their beliefs are completely absurd, dumb, and illogical, and are proud of that fact. It makes me sad really. It's one thing to have a coherent belief and reason out why you believe it, even though I might disagree with it. Its a whole other level to say well my belief is completely absurd, dumb, and illogical, but whatever I believe anyway, to the point if we could prove that Christianity was false you'd still believe. Do you see how troubling this is? It doesn't matter what you believe, the fact that this is your approach to life should give yourself cause for concern.

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Just now, PennySerenade said:

Yes, I suppose that is how it goes. 

 

I didn't.

 

I was convinced that Christianity is wrong. I didn't really decide it.

 

The lack of evidence, contradictions, evidence of fraud, and general absurdity was just too strong against it and I literally could not believe in it anymore no matter how much I wanted to.

 

Belief or a lack of it are not always optional. Particularly where the weight of evidence is against something so strongly.

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5 minutes ago, PennySerenade said:

I do not think of Him as an abuser. 

 

One word:

 

Stockholm Syndrome

 

Sorry that's two words.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

 

Loving to Survive[edit]

First published in 1994, author Dee Graham uses the Stockholm syndrome label to describe group or collective responses to trauma, rather than individual reactions. Graham focuses specifically on the impact of Stockholm syndrome on battered and abused women as a community.[4] She claimed that in both the psychological and societal senses, these women are defined by their sense of fear surrounding the threat of male violence. This constant fear is what drives these women to perform actions that they know will be pleasing to men in order to avoid emotional, physical, or sexual assault as a result of male anger. Graham draws parallels between women and kidnapping victims in the sense that these women bond to men to survive, as captives bond to their captors to survive.[4]

 

So its not true love, its survival love.

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4 minutes ago, PennySerenade said:

I do not think of Him as an abuser. 

Well he's not, it's you who does the abusing. It's the belief system that does the damage, but it's all you.

 

So, stop hitting yourself.

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5 minutes ago, ContraBardus said:

 

Knowing what you know now, could you really convince yourself that Santa Claus is a jolly old man who lives at the North Pole that travels around the world in one night with magic flying reindeer to bring presents to children?

 

Do you really think you could make yourself believe all that is actually true just because you simply want to think that it is?

 

Sorry, but no. That's not how it works. If you think you could really do that you're simply deluded.

 

Belief is one of those things that once you let it go, there's often no putting it back. It's not a matter of preference or choice.

Oh, but I actually do believe in Santa Claus. This is going to make Christians look bad. But, I don’t suppose I can hurt your opinion of us any more than it already is hurt. 

 

I believe in the Spirit of Santa Claus, which is the Spirit of God. When people play Santa, they are being good and loving, like God. I guess I am referring to the Virginia O’Hanlon letter and answer from the editor of the Sun. 

 

I knew Santa was not real at 10, but I have since come to believe he is actually embodied in Heaven and is a jolly, old elf that is kind to children and makes them toys. So, my belief in Santa as a corporeal person has been reinstated as an adult. I just believe he is in Heaven and not on Earth. I also believe the Easter Bunny, mermaids, fairies, elves and unicorns will be in Heaven. Along with any mythical creature we can think. 

 

Seriously not trolling. 

 

But it answers the question about believing again. 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, primaryzero said:

Well he's not, it's you who does the abusing. It's the belief system that does the damage, but it's all you.

 

So, stop hitting yourself.

I’m not hitting myself.

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2 minutes ago, PennySerenade said:

Oh, but I actually do believe in Santa Claus. This is going to make Christians look bad. But, I don’t suppose I can hurt your opinion of us any more than it already is hurt. 

 

I believe in the Spirit of Santa Claus, which is the Spirit of God. When people play Santa, they are being good and loving, like God. I guess I am referring to the Virginia O’Hanlon letter and answer from the editor of the Sun. 

 

I knew Santa was not real at 10, but I have since come to believe he is actually embodied in Heaven and is a jolly, old elf that is kind to children and makes them toys. So, my belief in Santa as a corporeal person has been reinstated as an adult. I just believe he is in Heaven and not on Earth. I also believe the Easter Bunny, mermaids, fairies, elves and unicorns will be in Heaven. Along with any mythical creature we can think. 

 

Seriously not trolling. 

 

But it answers the question about believing again. 

 

 

I suppose if one thinks of the spiritual realm or heaven as a holodeck that caters to your personal beliefs, then that makes sense.   What about those vehemently opposed to Santa that happen to be Christian?   Not all Christians believe as you do.  Do they exist in a separate comaprtment in heaven?

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4 minutes ago, LogicalFallacy said:

 

One word:

 

Stockholm Syndrome

 

Sorry that's two words.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

 

Loving to Survive[edit]

First published in 1994, author Dee Graham uses the Stockholm syndrome label to describe group or collective responses to trauma, rather than individual reactions. Graham focuses specifically on the impact of Stockholm syndrome on battered and abused women as a community.[4] She claimed that in both the psychological and societal senses, these women are defined by their sense of fear surrounding the threat of male violence. This constant fear is what drives these women to perform actions that they know will be pleasing to men in order to avoid emotional, physical, or sexual assault as a result of male anger. Graham draws parallels between women and kidnapping victims in the sense that these women bond to men to survive, as captives bond to their captors to survive.[4]

 

So its not true love, its survival love.

It is not always about survival, or always about being deluded. I know of a lady married to a man who has multiple children outside the marriage- one the same age as their own son. Yet, she stays married to him. She even raised some of the children. People wonder why she does not divorce- but she loves him. It is illogical and absurd. 

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Just now, PennySerenade said:

I’m not hitting myself.

Not physically no.

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Just now, ToddJ said:

I suppose if one thinks of the spiritual realm or heaven as a holodeck that caters to your personal beliefs, then that makes sense.   What about those vehemently opposed to Santa that happen to be Christian?   Not all Christians believe as you do.  Do they exist in a separate comaprtment in heaven?

Everything about Heaven is pretty much speculative. Personally, I’d like to go to university classes and read books- but that would be someone else’s Hell. I think we will get whatever it is that we like. 

 

The people who are against Santa Claus and other mythological creatures, will be astonished, of course. Who doesn’t want to believe that Santa Claus is really real?

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1 minute ago, primaryzero said:

Not physically no.

I am not hitting myself metaphorically. Kicking myself, yes- but that is nothing to do with God and has to do with a personal problem. 

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3 minutes ago, PennySerenade said:

Everything about Heaven is pretty much speculative. Personally, I’d like to go to university classes and read books- but that would be someone else’s Hell. I think we will get whatever it is that we like. 

 

The people who are against Santa Claus and other mythological creatures, will be astonished, of course. Who doesn’t want to believe that Santa Claus is really real?

I'd rather believe that toys are manufactured and assembled in China by wage slaves who earn a meager living and sleep in factory dormitories and purchased by US consumers oftentimes living beyond their means and maxing out their Amex or Visa during the holidays because that's the truth.  :)

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13 minutes ago, ContraBardus said:

 

I didn't.

 

I was convinced that Christianity is wrong. I didn't really decide it.

 

The lack of evidence, contradictions, evidence of fraud, and general absurdity was just too strong against it and I literally could not believe in it anymore no matter how much I wanted to.

 

Belief or a lack of it are not always optional. Particularly where the weight of evidence is against something so strongly.

If I understand correctly, lack of evidence caused your disbelief? That you really wanted to believe, like a kid really wants to believe in Santa- but can’t due to the weight of evidence against the notion that one person can deliver toys to all children in one night? 

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@PennySerenade I'm assuming you missed my post to you, and that you are not ignoring me?

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5 minutes ago, PennySerenade said:

Everything about Heaven is pretty much speculative. Personally, I’d like to go to university classes and read books- but that would be someone else’s Hell. I think we will get whatever it is that we like. 

 

Well at least you are one of the Christians, who no offense, has such a liberal, washy view of Christianity that its completely non interfering in peoples lives. I don't mind this sort of Christianity... absurd though it is.

 

5 minutes ago, PennySerenade said:

The people who are against Santa Claus and other mythological creatures, will be astonished, of course. Who doesn’t want to believe that Santa Claus is really real?

 

Me... the idea of someone giving out presents all over the world is stupid even if he existed... dragons on the other hand, I'd love for dragons to exist.

 

But I don't confuse myself between myth and reality

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18 minutes ago, LogicalFallacy said:

 

Yes, but you are essentially advocating us believing that the woman should stay with that man, even though we know holding that belief is irrational.

 

You are blurring the terms here. The woman staying with her husband is illogical. That she loves him, albeit irrationally is true, but no one else thinks she's being irrational. Everyone else correctly points out that she is suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

 

This is not the same as you saying the you believe something (God) completely absurd, dumb, and illogical. You can show evidence that the abusive man and the woman exist and thus your belief that they exist is justified. However you can't, and don't even attempt to do that with God.

 

To be honest I've never met someone quite so happy as to proclaim that their beliefs are completely absurd, dumb, and illogical, and are proud of that fact. It makes me sad really. It's one thing to have a coherent belief and reason out why you believe it, even though I might disagree with it. Its a whole other level to say well my belief is completely absurd, dumb, and illogical, but whatever I believe anyway, to the point if we could prove that Christianity was false you'd still believe. Do you see how troubling this is? It doesn't matter what you believe, the fact that this is your approach to life should give yourself cause for concern.

I don’t know that it is all that troubling. I believe in something that is comforting. I believe this is not all there is, that Heaven is better, that my loved ones are there and we will be reunited. I believe that misunderstandings between us will be done away. I believe in a place that is devoid of anything bad and only good for all eternity. 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, ag_NO_stic said:

@PennySerenade I'm assuming you missed my post to you, and that you are not ignoring me?

No, I did not mean to ignore you. There are many posts, and I am answering them as they come in, kind of fast and furious. I will go back to it. 

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7 minutes ago, PennySerenade said:

I don’t know that it is all that troubling. I believe in something that is comforting. I believe this is not all there is, that Heaven is better, that my loved ones are there and we will be reunited. I believe that misunderstandings between us will be done away. I believe in a place that is devoid of anything bad and only good for all eternity. 

 

I think you've hit the crux here why you believe, even if it was proven false. It's an emotion thing. I get that. I just can't do that. Even if it would be nice to think of a place where we can live forevermore, reality tells me it doesn't exist so I can't believe it.

 

Once there was a time of a never-ending dream
Of being free, of immortality
When a song was a mystery
And the stars so easy to reach
But something changed now the sand's trickling slow
The time of innocence is over now


I know the rivers won't be flowing on forevermore
The wind of time blows right into my eyes
My flower withers and so do they all
Nothing lasts forevermore

Why is my fate that I will never see
The story's end, the final truth to be
And to you lights that help me through the dark
My greatest fear is losing your spark

I know the rivers won't be flowing on forevermore
The wind of time blows right into my eyes
My flower withers and so do they all
Nothing lasts forevermore

I see the days go by and feel the snow is falling down
I've seen the end is waiting by my side
The dream is lost, once I was told
It's gone forevermore

 

I know the rivers won't be flowing on forevermore
The wind of time blows right into my eyes
My flower withers and so do they all
Nothing lasts forevermore

 

Xandria - Forevermore

 

That song pretty much represents me once I realised Heaven and Hell weren't real and I wasn't going to live for eternity. Nothing lasts forevermore. You have one life to live, make sure you enjoy it.

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13 minutes ago, PennySerenade said:

I don’t know that it is all that troubling. I believe in something that is comforting. I believe this is not all there is, that Heaven is better, that my loved ones are there and we will be reunited. I believe that misunderstandings between us will be done away. I believe in a place that is devoid of anything bad and only good for all eternity. 

 

 

Sentimental bullshit!

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40 minutes ago, PennySerenade said:

If I understand correctly, lack of evidence caused your disbelief? That you really wanted to believe, like a kid really wants to believe in Santa- but can’t due to the weight of evidence against the notion that one person can deliver toys to all children in one night? 

 

More than just lack of evidence, numerous contradictions, inconsistencies, and flat out errors in supposedly "divinely inspired" book, absurdities [talking snakes], flat out falsehoods [a global flood that never happened], contradictary philosophy [God is good and merciful, but damns people to eternal hell], well documented use of known psychological tactics for conditioning in church doctrine, etc...

 

Pretty much any red flag that something is false is present in the ideologies, literature, and practices of all denominations of Christianity.

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8 minutes ago, ContraBardus said:

 

More than just lack of evidence, numerous contradictions, inconsistencies, and flat out errors in supposedly "divinely inspired" book, absurdities [talking snakes], flat out falsehoods [a global flood that never happened], contradictary philosophy [God is good and merciful, but damns people to eternal hell], well documented use of known psychological tactics for conditioning in church doctrine, etc...

 

Pretty much any red flag that something is false is present in the ideologies, literature, and practices of all denominations of Christianity.

Thank you for answering.

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