I Almost Got Converted

[boink666]

Ok last night I was in a xtian chat room debateing them, I had been going there for a bit to debate them...mostly late at night cuz that when I get into a angry state during night time. So i went there last night...and all of a sudden they started to hit soft spot after soft spot...breaking me down to the very bone. It was almost like a fish shooting a fish in a barrel (me being the fish...with the gun) then it turned...and they would take turns tring to tear me down. And afer a while I statred to believe them. Then I asked "If I get saved do I have to leave my atheist friends behind?" When they answered "Its your choice but christians who seek christians grow stronger in faith." It woke me up. "WTF are you doing!" my mind was screaming at me. I closed out of the window so fast I didn't even say by...how dear they lie to me again....I didn't fall for their tricks this time...but does it really only take 1.6 months to breaksomeone down, and brainwash them? Am I really not as strong as I think?

 

BTW I'm posting this to prove the great lengths xtians will go to to convert an atheist.

 

My advice for the masses:

1. When goign to a christian chat room stay nomore then 5 mins at any time.
   
2. If need be get a program to auto close the chat window after a set time.
   
3. Don't believe their shit...they will go far to convert you...they keep score on this.
   
4. They will leave you alone if you claim you believe...though this should be used as a last resort.
   
5. Just don't go at all. (This will void their mind tricks...and keep you firm in reality)
   

[♦ ficino ♦]

Hi, Boinx. I agree with Zoe. It's not just about what you believe. It's about the basis for what you believe. There are contradictions in the Bible. this website shows many of them. There are the moral problems with the character "God" in the bible - as Zoe pointed out, starting from kittens in the flood and moving on from there. There is unfulfilled prophecy. There is the overall absurdity of the belief system.

 

the answer to a christian is, what, are you on crack?

[Thurisaz]

So, the morons got lucky and happened to find and push your buttons. Oh well. Shit happens.

 

But then... who was it again who said that deconverting is like taking the red pill?

 

You can't go back! You may think for a while that you can... and even start acting like a moron for a while... but eventually the realization will hit you and kick you back out again.

 

(Okay, I know that it doesn't always work... )

[Guest Faery]

Well just because they have a certain belief that they are convinced of doesn't make your beliefs untrue. Everyone has a point and everyone has their own propaganda. Start educating yourself abour religion, about ancient cultures, there are lots of resources everywhere, start asking questions and setting yourself strong in the things that you believe in so that you can stand up for your beliefs if they start asking you questions or witnessing to you again. We all have our weak points and questions, even the xians. Don't let them get to you. Its okay to question the path we've chosen, everyone questions their life.

[Guest Faery]

Hmm they think we're wasting our lives by not following jesus and we think they're wasting their lives on religion. I think that as long as a person lives life how they want then its worth it to them, I hate how xians dismiss our lives as if we're not even human beings.

 

Zoe I think that you did well, they don't know what to do with someone who is actually rational and calm. Maybe they've heard too many stereotypes of the "angry nonbeliever" oh and don't you love it how they blame bad dreams and other shit on satan? That's just lovely. Everything's satans fault.

[chefranden]

What is this chat room? I might give them a shot a converting me. If they do, ya'll better stay away from 'em.

[Clearview]

I'm not so sure they want non-christians in their channel. I know I visited once some time ago, and there was a welcome message stating such.

 

As someone who is in irc chat almost daily, I wouldn't want another room complaining about how the exchristians are infiltrating their chat.

 

Just my .02

[boink666]

I'm not so sure they want non-christians in their channel. I know I visited once some time ago, and there was a welcome message stating such.

 

As someone who is in irc chat almost daily, I wouldn't want another room complaining about how the exchristians are infiltrating their chat.

 

Just my .02

 

I agree, we shouldn't go looking for trouble. Though they have tooken down the message clear is talking about...its best to not get sucked into their dogma.

[ThePureOne]

I'd love to check out a site like that, but since I am completely unshakable in my conviction that Christians are not adult humans, they are intellectual and emotional toddlers who need to suckle at the teat of their Jesus-mommy until death rather than face the reality of the universe as a fully developed unflinching intelligent being - I'd get banned right away.

 

Sometimes it's no fun being bulletproof.

[chad]

Boinx,

 

I'm wondering...what apologetical magic did they cast over you...what were the specific lines of argument and rationale that hit your soft spots?

[boink666]

I'd love to check out a site like that, but since I am completely unshakable in my conviction that Christians are not adult humans, they are intellectual and emotional toddlers who need to suckle at the teat of their Jesus-mommy until death rather than face the reality of the universe as a fully developed unflinching intelligent being - I'd get banned right away.

 

Sometimes it's no fun being bulletproof.

Thats what I thought I was...believe me they do have ways of breaking people down...I saw people break down the first few days...for me it took a while...but they achivied it. Don't under estimate them.

 

Boinx,

 

I'm wondering...what apologetical magic did they cast over you...what were the specific lines of argument and rationale that hit your soft spots?

I'd rather not say...Just know that it hurt.

[ThePureOne]

Thats what I thought I was...believe me they do have ways of breaking people down...I saw people break down the first few days...for me it took a while...but they achivied it. Don't under estimate them.

 

Is this a web site or some IRC channel? Never got into the realtime chat thing myself, no time for it. In any case if I have the patience to stick with it I'm quite certain to be banned. I never deconverted so (fortunately for me) I don't have any religious scabs to pick at.

[SkepticOfBible]

BTW I'm posting this to prove the great lengths xtians will go to to convert an atheist.

 

My advice for the masses:

1. When goign to a christian chat room stay nomore then 5 mins at any time.
   
2. If need be get a program to auto close the chat window after a set time.
   
3. Don't believe their shit...they will go far to convert you...they keep score on this.
   
4. They will leave you alone if you claim you believe...though this should be used as a last resort.
   
5. Just don't go at all. (This will void their mind tricks...and keep you firm in reality)
   

 

I like Dick Sutphen advice.

 

Persuasion & Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public Today

 

Cult gatherings or human-potential trainings are an ideal environment to observe first-hand what is technically called the "Stockholm Syndrome". This is a situation in which those who are intimidated, controlled or made to suffer, begin to, admire and even sometimes sexually desire their controllers or captors.

 

But let me inject a word of warning here: If you think you can attend such gatherings and not be affected, you are probably wrong. A perfect example is the case of a woman who went to Haiti on a Guggenheim Fellowship to study Haitian Voodoo. In her report, she related how the music eventually induced uncontrollable bodily movement and an altered state of consciousness. Although she understood the process and thought herself above it, when she began to fell herself become vulnerable to the music, she attempted to fight it and turned away. Anger or resistance almost always assures conversion. A few moments later she was possessed by the music and began dancing in a trance around the Voodoo meeting house. A brain phase had been induced by the music and excitement, and she awoke feeling reborn. The only hope of attending such gatherings without lebing affected is to be the Buddha and allow no positive or negative emotions to surface. Few people are capable of such detachmen

 

Don't worry, even I start believing in it sometimes, but I guess as Dick says, it's mostly because we become emotional ourself. It's tough to debate unemotionally

[jjacksonRIAB]

Mind games don't work too well on me.

 

Sure I'll play along, but I'm a seasoned veteran at that game, because I already know the traps, and I know how to turn them around. I survived a grand total of two years on a Christian messageboard, and I left behind many threads that no one could continue on. I was finally banned when people started leaving en masse.

 

I wonder how many of them came to a site like this

[KT45]

Boinx,

 

I'm wondering...what apologetical magic did they cast over you...what were the specific lines of argument and rationale that hit your soft spots?

I'd rather not say...Just know that it hurt.

Is it on this list?

[Mythra]

IMO when you beat the fear of hell, REALLY beat it, no fundie will have any affect on you again.

 

That's not just your opinion, Zoey. It's the absolute truth. No eternal torment to threaten a person with, and they got nothin.

 

Once you know for sure that Hell is pure unadulterated bullshit, christians are just another group of gullible maroons.

[Amethyst]

Hi, Boinx. I agree with Zoe. It's not just about what you believe. It's about the basis for what you believe. There are contradictions in the Bible. this website shows many of them. There are the moral problems with the character "God" in the bible - as Zoe pointed out, starting from kittens in the flood and moving on from there. There is unfulfilled prophecy. There is the overall absurdity of the belief system.

 

the answer to a christian is, what, are you on crack?

 

Agreed. Even if the Christian god did exist, I wouldn't follow him because of the hell doctrine. It's like following Saddam for fear that he'll shoot you otherwise. Such a doctrine is inherently immoral. The fact that most people who are brainwashed don't question the hell doctrine, or if they do, make up all kinds of excuses to justify it in their minds, only goes to show how thorough the brainwashing really is.

[fallenleaf]

But let me inject a word of warning here: If you think you can attend such gatherings and not be affected, you are probably wrong. A perfect example is the case of a woman who went to Haiti on a Guggenheim Fellowship to study Haitian Voodoo. In her report, she related how the music eventually induced uncontrollable bodily movement and an altered state of consciousness. Although she understood the process and thought herself above it, when she began to fell herself become vulnerable to the music, she attempted to fight it and turned away. Anger or resistance almost always assures conversion. A few moments later she was possessed by the music and began dancing in a trance around the Voodoo meeting house. A brain phase had been induced by the music and excitement, and she awoke feeling reborn. The only hope of attending such gatherings without lebing affected is to be the Buddha and allow no positive or negative emotions to surface. Few people are capable of such detachmen[/i]

 

There are certain pentecostal churches which can have this affect. Most of my immunity to serious influence comes from deconverting in such a church and spending many years in the closet about my disbelief and under constant exposure to this. And, I wouldn't recommend people play with it. Especially new deconverts.

 

I posted a long time ago how I dealt with such environments and people... it's somewhere here or on the old boards. But fighting it is one of the worst ways to deal with it. I see people who go in determined to tear it down but that strong emotional investment turns against them and they fall right into it.

[kellyb]

But let me inject a word of warning here: If you think you can attend such gatherings and not be affected, you are probably wrong. A perfect example is the case of a woman who went to Haiti on a Guggenheim Fellowship to study Haitian Voodoo. In her report, she related how the music eventually induced uncontrollable bodily movement and an altered state of consciousness. Although she understood the process and thought herself above it, when she began to fell herself become vulnerable to the music, she attempted to fight it and turned away. Anger or resistance almost always assures conversion. A few moments later she was possessed by the music and began dancing in a trance around the Voodoo meeting house. A brain phase had been induced by the music and excitement, and she awoke feeling reborn. The only hope of attending such gatherings without lebing affected is to be the Buddha and allow no positive or negative emotions to surface. Few people are capable of such detachmen[/i]

 

There are certain pentecostal churches which can have this affect. Most of my immunity to serious influence comes from deconverting in such a church and spending many years in the closet about my disbelief and under constant exposure to this. And, I wouldn't recommend people play with it. Especially new deconverts.

 

I posted a long time ago how I dealt with such environments and people... it's somewhere here or on the old boards. But fighting it is one of the worst ways to deal with it. I see people who go in determined to tear it down but that strong emotional investment turns against them and they fall right into it.

Yep.

I'm an audio engineer, and sometimes I have to run sound at churches.

Man, I had no idea how fucked up that would be. All I can say is that mass hysteria is a very real phenomenon. I'm pretty darn strong in my deconversion, but being in that environment will really throw you for a loop. The emotionalism is really overwhelming, and you start to have these thoughts...and the thoughts, although you know they are simply your own thoughts, begin to take on that old good vs. evil, God vs. Satan context. And if you even begin to entertain one "What if I'm wrong?" type thought, before long it turns into "This is God. Why are you denying me? How long will you run?".

Ugh.

[Guest revpo]

I stay away from fundie..chat groups, they are brainwashed from day one and up, and they only relay on the bible, and bible sayings to back themselves up, I use to tell them to read t. paines...the age of reason, then you get exited very fast.

 

revpo

[Alexandrian]

Where is the chatroom?

[Freethinker]

Ok last night I was in a xtian chat room debateing them, I had been going there for a bit to debate them...mostly late at night cuz that when I get into a angry state during night time. So i went there last night...and all of a sudden they started to hit soft spot after soft spot...breaking me down to the very bone. It was almost like a fish shooting a fish in a barrel (me being the fish...with the gun) then it turned...and they would take turns tring to tear me down. And afer a while I statred to believe them. Then I asked "If I get saved do I have to leave my atheist friends behind?" When they answered "Its your choice but christians who seek christians grow stronger in faith." It woke me up. "WTF are you doing!" my mind was screaming at me. I closed out of the window so fast I didn't even say by...how dear they lie to me again....I didn't fall for their tricks this time...but does it really only take 1.6 months to breaksomeone down, and brainwash them? Am I really not as strong as I think?

 

You should not fear where your questions will lead you. If they lead you to atheism, fine. If to Christianity, enlighten us. You don't have to be "strong" in atheism or in anything, only strong in seeking the truth.

 

BTW I'm posting this to prove the great lengths xtians will go to to convert an atheist.

 

My advice for the masses:

1. When goign to a christian chat room stay nomore then 5 mins at any time.

 
Nonsense, stay long enough to have all your questions answered. Let them penetrate every soft spot. Then go explore the soft spots on an atheist site/forum. Fully explore every question, every doubt, every soft spot. Leave nothing left untouched. Nothing.
 

If need be get a program to auto close the chat window after a set time.
Don't believe their shit...they will go far to convert you...they keep score on this.
They will leave you alone if you claim you believe...though this should be used as a last resort.
Just don't go at all. (This will void their mind tricks...and keep you firm in reality)

 

Well you know my opinion. Of course they will say stupid things and outright lies. Challenge them. Research the lies/outrageous statements. Crack the whip on them.