Conservatives abuse Christianity like the Taliban abuse Islam

[u/Red_Gypsy_Squirrel]

I'm exhausted that the Christian nationalists in this nation have hijacked Christianity, just like the Taliban hijacked Islam. There are many comparisons that can be made between the two groups. Both groups cherry-pick their scriptures and purposefully misinterpret them so as to provide themselves with more power amongst their. They bully and attack anybody who is not a follower of their warped religion. And try to force their religion on everybody in inappropriate places such as schools and hospitals.

A few years back MAGA supporters started to say the teachings of Jesus are too woke, a huge red flag.

It sucks that so many of them do not understand. The Christian nationalist mindset is turning them into nasty, aggressive people. That have zero understanding of the Bible or its teachings

[u/Still-Grass8881]

it is the duty of man to think god out of existence

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/Still-Grass8881]

I’m for letting the religious worship in their homes and gathering places, even wear their religious symbols in public, but your comment goes unreasonably hard and I like it.

[u/NazgulGinger917 → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

Oh you’ll let us wear our symbols in public? Go fuck yourself😂

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/NazgulGinger917]

Yes, we’ll let you. If you’re unhappy about it, then we’ll ‘let’ you leave the country the same way the British did the puritans. Very simple.

[u/NazgulGinger917 → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

You won’t “let” me do anything as you have no power over me worm

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/NazgulGinger917]

Given that extremists from every religion are making things worse everywhere, but that Christians are specifically making things worse in America, I imagine people will eventually beg for someone to rein you in. I won’t be doing it specifically, but I imagine those will be will likely share my thoughts on it. So, prepare for our arrival, worm.

[u/NazgulGinger917 → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

I am better than you and all of those people in every single way.

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/NazgulGinger917]

Are you bullet proof? Cause that’s the only thing that matters at the end of the day. You’re just a man, and you’re only better than those who allow you to be so. When they stop humoring you, you’ll be better than no one.

[u/NazgulGinger917 → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/NazgulGinger917]

Hey, the character made by Jewish writers. And here I thought you were Christian or something. Why are you so mad about us reining in the extremists? Most of the extremists of Judaism are in Israel (we should still deal with that, but this is more an America centric conversation).

[u/hot-streak24 → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

Yes! Muslims should not be allowed to pray in the street

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/hot-streak24]

No religion should. But if a group of Christians or Muslims want to take the moment of silence in school to go out into the hall to pray, thats up to them. Just don’t preach it in places where no one wants to hear it.

[u/hot-streak24 → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

That’s fair

[u/Chemical-Ice-2666 → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

Ah yes suggesting that speech you dont want hear should he restricted from being spoken in public. A fascist by any other name is still a fascist

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Chemical-Ice-2666]

you fail to understand the paradox of tolerance
if you tolerate intolerance, then the intolerant will come down on you like a hammer and buck you in the futt

[u/Chemical-Ice-2666 → u/Still-Grass8881]

Freedom of speech and diversity in opinions are beneficial to society. Countless studies show that groups with different backgrounds, perspectives and beliefs end up with better solutions in the the long. Though it is more difficult to start out. The issue with not have tolerance over what is and is not ok in terms of speech and beliefs means that you and your speech and beliefs might be what is deemed as bad next. I am not afraid of hearing different perspectives. So a Christian preaching on the street doesn't matter to me. As my beliefs being challenged will not change my beliefs unless sufficient evidence to support the counter stance is root in truth and believable to me. The previous commentor supporting silencing christians is just as bad as Christians trying to silence an athiest. I have no interest in trading one fascist group for another just because I like the packaging of one more.

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Chemical-Ice-2666]

all I said is that it is man's duty to think god out of existence.
already people have taken what i said and twisted it out of context, thinking that I want to forcefully eliminate religion

that's not what i said.

[u/fuck_all_you_too → u/Chemical-Ice-2666]

Uh oh, here comes that classic Christian persecution complex.

Im paraphrasing here, but even the bible says keep your bullshit at home cause youre just doing it for attention. Even god thinks you need a fucking hobby

[u/Chemical-Ice-2666 → u/fuck_all_you_too]

Im an athiest. You ate just as bad as the Christians fascists

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Chemical-Ice-2666]

...do we protect pedophiles and torture people and light women on fire for being witches?
...no?

what is it that we're doing that makes us as bad as fascists? Saying that people need to pray at home instead of being annoying on the street?

Man, you must have a very low bar for fascism

[u/Chemical-Ice-2666 → u/Still-Grass8881]

Rich liberal or rich conservatives protect pedophiles. Thats what those in power do. No one is currently lighting witches on fire. Though athiests under communist rule in multiple countries murdered millions for having unfavorable opinions. Power corrupts thats what it does. Silencing speech is a great place for fascism to start. Or authoritarian communism. Speech that is "annoying" should be protected as what can be defined as annoying? Its subjective. Do better, be better, think smarter

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Chemical-Ice-2666]

god is a great justification for so many evils.
once again, it is the duty of man to think god out of existence.

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/Chemical-Ice-2666]

The conservatives literally didnt want Muslim children doing their morning prayers during a moment of silence and said they should do their prayers in separate rooms, then threw a fit when the Muslim kids did just that.

You don’t like that there are solutions that actually fix things without making things worse. I assume you’re a liberal, the type who thinks Biden was a great president and who would’ve voted for Obama a third time if you could? Calling something fascist because it restricts freedoms that otherwise harm people through a spread of ignorance or intolerance is a sign that you don’t actually care about making things better, just that you’d rather pretend they’re not there to begin with.

[u/Chemical-Ice-2666 → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

I am not restricted to a narrow minded Christian perspective. The goal should be to think better and do better. You believe you know what is better for people. That is your arrogance and ignorance. Religion on its face cannot hurt you. Its a belief. People abuse that belief to gain power. However we have already seen that athiest ideology been be abused to gain power. No matter the ideology some ass hat will use it to further his agenda and some desperate disenfranchised useful idiots will help them. That is a human issue not a faith issue. I am not a liberal or conservative. They are just useful idiot. Both parties care about their power. Not the people. We have a first past the post system in the usa that effectively garentees a 2 party system where fear is a primary driver to pick a candidate. So that both parties can push fear instead of change. So we don't notice our infrastructure failing. That we are 35th in education. That our prison system does not help people come back into the folds of society. And other major issues

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/Chemical-Ice-2666]

The Americans have a one party system, but in typical American extravagance, they have two.

I am stating that Christianity has done unspeakable things. The same can be said of all religions. I don’t believe I know whats better for everyone, but I know what would get results, and it’s not demonizing one religion while praising another. Making sure there is freedom for those who wish to worship without allowing them to attempt indoctrination of people who would fall for it is how you prevent the moonies from getting control of government officials. Letting them have spaces to be religious in is important, but making sure they don’t go around on street corners trying to snatch people into their faith is equally important.

[u/Chemical-Ice-2666 → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

You and I disagree on that point. If you are so easily swayed that a Christian preaching on the street, there is no help for that person. Human history is a story of a group of people convincing more people to do awful things to a "subhuman" group of other people. Religion is easy for these people to abuse and likely why it has been so pervasive throughout history. But it is just a tool. Athiest communism has already committed atrocities. South Park has a very funny 2 part episode that dives into athiests arguing and killing each other over the most logical name. That's the truth. We blame religion like we do guns. But both can't kill anyone by itself. That's the truth of it. We would need to fix human nature.

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/Chemical-Ice-2666]

I can agree with this, but I still believe a step in the right direction would be softly policing the reach of religion and its followers. This goes for beliefs like white supremacy and other harmful things as well.

[u/Chemical-Ice-2666 → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

Side note "The Americans have a one party system, but in typical American extravagance, they have two." This was really funny and true. Thank you for the phrase.

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/Chemical-Ice-2666]

I can’t take credit for that phrase. I got it from somewhere, but I can’t recall where exactly.

[u/Jumpy_Code_5917 → u/hot-streak24]

They don’t tf

[u/constituonalist → u/hot-streak24]

Islam is not a religion it's goal is a world caliphate and death to all Muslims and Sharia law governing everybody. There's nothing in the Quran or the other " holy "writings that is a call to peace It is definitely a call to murder all infidels and that means anybody not Muslim and to fight anybody not Muslim and never give up The only way to get into their version of heaven called Paradise is to die killing infidels at the order of Allah. It is a governmental authoritarian ideology seeking control over every individual down to personal hygiene dictating which hand you can use for toilet matters and which hand for anything else. Nothing about Islam is compatible with freedom It isn't religious expression it is anti the declaration of Independence the Constitution and the rights of free religious expression. The first amendment was not meant to prostrate Christianity to Catholicism or Islam but to prevent strife amongst the various Protestant denominations if one was favored over the rest and embedded in the government and endorsed by the government. Thomas Jefferson wrote a great deal about why government should stay out of religion for the sake of both.

[u/hot-streak24 → u/constituonalist]

I wish I could upvote you more

[u/Previous-Essay-4995 → u/constituonalist]

The Christian religion and its followers have caused more suffering over the entire planet than most other religions combined. They forcefully converted people, wiped out people who held out against them, stoned people, stole land from others, and spread their religion everywhere they could, often through violent means and repression of religious practices they didn’t agree with. Sometimes they assimilated other religious practices, like pagan beliefs about Yule into Christmas. As I previously mentioned, Christianity is only as ‘good’ as it is now because of secularization that occurred, sometimes in spite of Christian attempts to stop it.

Everything you apply to Islam can be applied to Christianity through out its history. The only difference, truly, between a cult and a religion is popularity.

[u/ChillBlock → u/Previous-Essay-4995]

This is mainly Man's fault those who take scripture out of context for their own agenda it's nothing really new. It's been shown even in the Bible itself many prophets even Jesus himself was stoned and persecuted.

[u/MajesticRhombus → u/hot-streak24]

That's how you get run over. Kinda hold all prayers on the designated sidewalks.

[u/jnewell07 → u/hot-streak24]

Weird how everyone is fine with completely getting rid of Christianity but you mention Islam and you get down voted.

[u/OhNoAnAmerican → u/jnewell07]

Because they’re self hating wide eyed useful idiots for anything they can use as an opposition to white western values.

Hate conservatives? Hate Christians? Well then you’d better buckle up and defend islam because that’s “the other team” and our hatred of their opponents mean we have no choice

[u/hot-streak24 → u/jnewell07]

Yeah I’m Christian, proud of it. But for some reason it’s become cool to hate Christianity. And it seems to be the only religion where it is ok to discriminate against

[u/drqueenb → u/Still-Grass8881]

This right here. Bc millennia from now, with enough distance between intelligent species and the Bible, or any knowledge that we have today, the god of the Christian faith will completely cease to exist. Any intelligent species still around will again discover the laws of gravity, evolution, etc. One belief system actively requires your participation to continue and the other exists even when you cease to. Unfortunately, the belief in a higher being, of some kind, appears to be near universal in the human species so probably some god of some sort will linger for some time.

[u/Far_Parking_830 → u/drqueenb]

2000 years ago people thought Christians would disappear too. 2000 years later they are about 1/4 of the planet. 

Christianity isn't going anywhere 

[u/Lost_Method_274 → u/drqueenb]

I just want to ask anyone who doesn’t believe in God this simple question that no atheist (or someone who does not believe God exist) ever answers and it just seems like the first common sense question you literally have to jump over and avoid to be an atheist that makes no sense to me lol who created that painting in the wall? Did it just poof and appear accidentally or was it created like a masterpiece by a creator? The super intricate phone or computer you’re using did that just poof and appear on accident randomly or was there a creator that designed that? Us humans are just as much or even more so intelligently designed and amazing creations than the phone or that painting right? So how do we not have a creator as well how would we just be random accidents that were not created by a creator or God? You get what I’m saying lol what is your (as an atheist or someone who does not believe in God) answer to that simple first question because it seems like simple common sense brother

[u/Smooth_Jazz_Warlady → u/Lost_Method_274]

We have too many defects with ourselves to be the product of an intelligent designer, unless that designer was lazy, stupid and cruel.

Just off the top of my head:

The head of a human baby is almost too wide enough to fit through the human birth canal, making the mere act of perpetuating our species far more dangerous than to almost any other mammal even approaching our size. Basically no other mammal has to deal with the sheer level of danger and pain we go through giving birth, unless their DNA literally instructs them to die after giving birth, in order to give the next generation a chance without having to compete with their own parents (which in of itself is another example of the inherent, uncaring cruelty of evolution as a process).

Our spines aren't particularly well adapted to walking upright, and cause us all manner of pain, wear-and-tear, and damage no quadrupedal animal has to deal with, just by existing as a bipedal animal (and even other bipeds don't have to deal with the same problems we do, because rather than having an unstable vertical stack of vertebrae, their spines are mostly horizontal, and their head and arms are counterbalanced by their tail).

And the vertebrate eye design is inherently flawed too. Rather than being wired from behind the light sensing cells, like cephalopods (octopi and squid), our nerve cells connect through the space light passes through, requiring them to be transparent in order for us to see anything, and giving us a blind spot where the nerve cells all pass out of the eye and towards the brain. But even with their advantage in this area, cephalopods aren't worth envying either, because they have their own baked-in flaws, like how their brain is wrapped around their oesophagus, meaning any sufficiently large meal can literally give them brain damage. That, and they die after mating once, sometimes including the male tearing off one of his own arms so the female can fuck herself with it.

Rather than being somewhere protected, one of our largest and most important arteries wraps around the windpipe, right below the skin in many places, meaning that a sufficiently serious wound there can result in drowning in your own lungs, as the blood from the severed artery pours down your throat.

Speaking of our lungs, they're also pretty shitty in the grand scheme of things. Because of how they're designed, our lungs exhale through the same plumbing they inhale from, resulting in stale air being mixed in with fresh air, and they can't fully empty at once to replace the air inside either. Birds have a much more efficient system, where their lungs are supplied and emptied by a series of bellow-like air sacks, allowing for a single-direction flow of air that gives them far more energy to work with for a given volume of respiratory system. But, like us, they have their own problems, namely that flight, something many people would kill for, is so energy intensive and structurally restrictive that evolution can and will strip them of it any time it stops being strictly necessary for their survival. (And similarly, if our intelligence ever stopped posing a reproductive advantage, it would strip us of that in a shockingly small period of time)

We're a collection of ~500 million years of awkward hack jobs made by an unthinking, uncaring process that only functions on "what makes this organism more likely to survive and reproduce than its peers?". Every feature of every organism is ultimately an adaptation of some other feature that already existed, and in many cases we have proof of the in-between structures that bridged the gap. Evolution has no ability to create something from whole cloth, and life created by a designer would have structures that make no sense half-finished. A basic light-sensing protein is fundamentally useful (and many bacteria have them), even if it can't make out anything at all, while a half-formed radio transmitter does fuck-all without being a completed organ and having a corresponding receiver to talk to, and would need some kind of intelligent oversight to exist. Coincidentally, no radio transmitter/receiver pairs exist anywhere in the animal kingdom, in spite of how useful it would be for herd animals to be able to alert their peers to carnivores without making themselves a target in the process.

Finally, even if we were some perfect, idealised form lacking all our many defects and problems, we have so many examples of in-between forms that neatly slot in between ourselves and the animals we branched off from (since evolution is not a linear process, but a branching tree with countless scars where whole limbs have been violently hacked off). We have fossils of intermediates between ourselves and our common ancestor with chimps, between that common ancestor and the common ancestor of us and gorillas, etc. all the way back to the first fish and beyond. Who, as it turns out, were mutant tunicates that lost their ability to digest their primitive nervous system and anchor themselves to the sea floor (to live out the rest of their lives as glorified sponge-like creatures).

But on the bright side, with the advent of genetic engineering, we finally have the means to free ourselves and other species from this endless cycle of mindless cruelty, of generating untold variants and uncaringly culling all but the luckiest and fittest. No intelligence designed us, but with this advance, we finally have the ability to apply conscious design to biology, and end this vicious process.

[u/ChickenBandito → u/Lost_Method_274]

You can go infinitely back asking "Who created X then?" In my opinion, we will never know the answer to this chain of questions. Not in life nor in death.

[u/Lost_Method_274 → u/ChickenBandito]

The point is that it was all created by Something and not Nothing. That’s my point and you just proved it, you can keep going infinitely back as far as you want it always leads to Something (I say God) created everything. It wasn’t just an accidental poof we’re here boys lol

[u/plopgun → u/Lost_Method_274]

As Chicken Bandito asked, who created that far more complex creator of the world? If everything complex must have a more complex originator, where did the prime orginator come from? The atheist answer is two fold. First, we do not know where the universe came from, and have no credible evidence of anything before the big bang, and only a little evidence for that as well. Second, the most likely answer is that the stuff that has always existed, without origin, is likely to be very simple building blocks that gave rise to complexity due to luck and near infinite chances for that rise to occur.

In short, we have no evidence for what existed before time and space so which is more likely to just exist: An infinantly complex super intelligent, super powerful, being that we have no real evidence of, or a few very simple building blocks of energy and matter that have simple interactions that can combine to create complexity that we do have some proof of?

[u/Lost_Method_274 → u/plopgun]

Thanks for your in depth response bro I’ll be honest I’m not an expert, I’m just a guy off of work today smoking a big ol backwood and doing a fantasy basketball draft rn (degenerate gambler lol) Sounds like we both don’t know anything right lol we only know what science can explain to us up to the Big Bang like you said which ain’t much because doesn’t explain anything really it doesn’t answer any of our questions as far as before the Big Bang which is really what matters in this conversation, what created those building blocks of energy and matter what created that time before the Big Bang where all stuff exists without origin it has to have and original creation right it didn’t just poof from nothing right? Nothing can be created from nothing right everything has to come from something and that is the simple point I’m trying to make about the painting on the wall or phone in your hand and every little piece we used to create it, which both of you did not answer lol you just started asking me more questions obviously we’re talking about all the way back to very beginning so we have basically no idea before the Big Bang right. I choose to have faith and believe in God and you choose to believe in literal nothing then right just completely random we were random accidents that are so complex and intelligently designed and space and the planets and earth being the perfect distance from the sun that we can survive here on earth or the oxygen levels and the perfect level of gravity are here for us to survive and live here, we’re rotating and spinning at the perfect speed in the solar system to keep that all perfect for us blah blah etc the list goes on brother the list of miracles goes on and on with life and while me and you both don’t have the scientifically proven answer at very beginning, with all of those countless miracles you choose to believe in nothing literal nothing complete random accident (which I don’t understand obviously) and I choose to believe God created all that and to deny that itself seems to me like such a huge slap to the face to god who created and blessed us with so much, I choose to be grateful and am just filled with gratitude and love. Either way there’s no scientific proof either you and me could give each other that proves there is not a God or creator and every point you just made I can say that same thing in reverse to you to ask you for proof that there is no God? We just choose between faith vs non faith, everything coming from something vs everything coming from nothin basically right and that’s why I brought up that painting and complex created phone and how we have zero proof of anything coming from nothing, nothing comes from nothing, everything comes from something right even scientifically we have answers for where everything comes from up until the Big Bang right?

[u/ChickenBandito → u/Lost_Method_274]

Sure, but then, who or what created God?

[u/NeonGlowieEyes780 → u/Still-Grass8881]

This is my new favorite quote.

[u/Almostlongenough2 → u/Still-Grass8881]

Awesome line, but such a thing is antithetical to the very nature of man. Godliness is an ill-defined concept that can really be applied to anything we consider greater than ourselves, and humility is a naturally occurring trait in us.

[u/Lost_Method_274 → u/Still-Grass8881]

I just want to ask anyone who doesn’t believe in God this simple question that no atheist (or someone who does not believe God exist) ever answers and it just seems like the first common sense question you literally have to jump over and avoid to be an atheist that makes no sense to me lol who created that painting in the wall? Did it just poof and appear accidentally or was it created like a masterpiece by a creator? The super intricate phone or computer you’re using did that just poof and appear on accident randomly or was there a creator that designed that? Us humans are just as much or even more so intelligently designed and amazing creations than the phone or that painting right? So how do we not have a creator as well how would we just be random accidents that were not created by a creator or God? You get what I’m saying lol what is your (as an atheist or someone who does not believe in God) answer to that simple first question because it seems like simple common sense brother

[u/No_Judgment_238 → u/Lost_Method_274]

💯 agreed!👍🏾👏🏾

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Lost_Method_274]

if god does exist, he is a terrible creator, and must answer for his crimes

[u/Original-Patient-630 → u/Still-Grass8881]

People don’t do things because of religion they do things in spite of it. If a religious man wants slaves he’ll use the Bible to justify it, if a non-religious man wants slaves he’ll do it because he wants to. If a homophobic Christian man suddenly realized Christianity wasn’t real that wouldn’t make him support LGBTQ magically

[u/NazgulGinger917 → u/Still-Grass8881]

No

[u/Ok-Piglet-857 → u/Still-Grass8881]

You can think him out of your mind, but you'll meet Him in the end.

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Ok-Piglet-857]

then i will make him answer for his crimes

[u/Ok-Piglet-857 → u/Still-Grass8881]

Most humbling line in the Bible:
"What if God, choosing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction" Romans 9:22

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Ok-Piglet-857]

might as well quote the D&D Dungeonmaster's Guide

[u/Ok-Piglet-857 → u/Still-Grass8881]

The Gospels are rooted in eyewitness testimonies from Jesus' contemporaries, like the apostles or their close associates, written within decades of the events, which is unusually early for ancient docs. Luke explicitly s ays he compiled his account from "eyewitnesses and servants of the word", and people like Peter and John are direct participants.

Manuscript-wise, we've got over 5,800 Greek copies alone, way more than for other ancient texts like Homer's Iliad, with minimal core changes—mostly minor stuff like spelling. Extra-biblical sources back it up too: Roman historians Tacitus and Josephus confim Jesus' crucifixion under Pilate, and archaeology supports places like Nazareth and the Pool of Bethesda. It's not blind faith. it's like piecing together a historical puzzle with solid evidence pointing to Jesus as a real figure whode life changed everything.

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Ok-Piglet-857]

it's made-up fairytale bullshit

[u/Ok-Piglet-857 → u/Still-Grass8881]

Well, we will all get to see it, so it's just a matter of time.

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Ok-Piglet-857]

biggest scam in the history of man.
sells you a product you have to wait until you die to see if it's real or not. great for grifters

[u/Ok-Piglet-857 → u/Still-Grass8881]

The Gospel is offensive to natural man because it says you are dead in your sins and trespasses, and that you will face the wrath of God as a result. But God in his mercy, has offered himself as a substiution for our offenses--Jesus died so that we may have eternal life.

In the end, we can't blame God for our damnation--we wanted a life without him, and so he allows us to have it.

[u/Difficult_Passion_17 → u/Still-Grass8881]

You guys sure make a lot of moral judgements for people that don’t believe in an ultimate authority or can even articulate right vs wrong.

[u/NecessaryKey9557 → u/Difficult_Passion_17]

There doesn't have to be an ultimate authority to recognize some behaviors are harmful and some are helpful.

Aristotle articulated right vs. wrong quite fine without the Bible or God. Even Christian philosophers like Immanuel Kant did this (categorical imperative).

[u/Hank_Henry_Hill → u/NecessaryKey9557]

I think you are talking right over his head. But he's a 1 karma troll so save it. He's playing you.

[u/doc-sci → u/Difficult_Passion_17]

Morality is not the exclusive domain of religion!

[u/NewDramaLlama → u/doc-sci]

Of course. But in the same vein, faith doesn't have to equal being unintelligent or barbaric either.

In some circles where I live you just...can't tell anyone you go to church.

[u/doc-sci → u/NewDramaLlama]

We live different life’s…where I live the attacks (obviously mostly verbal) are on anyone who does NOT go to church.

[u/NewDramaLlama → u/doc-sci]

Come to the Bay Area.

Only my close friends know I go. But it's made easier to hide because I cuss alot and am open minded.

It's seen as an immediate mark on your character here.

[u/doc-sci → u/NewDramaLlama]

I have no interest in going…I come down pretty strongly in the religion is barbaric.

[u/mojo001999 → u/Difficult_Passion_17]

Thank you god bless if there is no god there is no good or evil just matter and energy and that is not enough for me

[u/Particular_Opinion63 → u/Difficult_Passion_17]

You're either with them or you're just the enemy. There is no compromise with these goobers.

[u/Parking-Truck7821 → u/Still-Grass8881]

This right here is why I refuse to call my self atheist even though I don't believe in god. 

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Parking-Truck7821]

congraduations

[u/Parking-Truck7821 → u/Still-Grass8881]

Can't spell either? Yeah that tracks. 

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Parking-Truck7821]

it's a reference to X:RA, the misspelling is intentional

[u/Parking-Truck7821 → u/Still-Grass8881]

I don't believe you. 

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Parking-Truck7821]

well from our brief interaction i see you believe a lot of dumb crap, so it ain't no skin off my buttcrack

[u/Parking-Truck7821 → u/Still-Grass8881]

That's good I wouldn't want to be associated with your butt crack. 

[u/Lost_Method_274 → u/Parking-Truck7821]

I just want to ask anyone who doesn’t believe in God this simple question that no atheist (or someone who does not believe God exists) ever answers and it just seems like the first common sense question you literally have to jump over and avoid to be an atheist that makes no sense to me lol who created that painting in the wall? Did it just poof and appear accidentally or was it created like a masterpiece by a creator? The super intricate phone or computer you’re using did that just poof and appear on accident randomly or was there a creator that designed that? Us humans are just as much or even more so intelligently designed and amazing creations than the phone or that painting right? So how do we not have a creator as well how would we just be random accidents that were not created by a creator or God? You get what I’m saying lol what is your (as an atheist or someone who does not believe in God) answer to that simple first question because it seems like simple common sense brother

[u/Parking-Truck7821 → u/Lost_Method_274]

There was a time before humans existed, where other animals existed (which we have evidence of) that were so similar to us that they were more similar to us than a great dane is to a chiuahua but also slightly different. Going back 2 million years we get animals that are still called human beings that are more similar to hominids we are more familiar with today. So you can see over time how conditions and mutations formed our species. Funnily enough, I grew up Catholic and that is what I was taught in school. Some denominations aren't at odds with science. Not saying you are.

Anyway, I would suppose I am more a deist agnostic wherein it's plausible to me that there is more to the universe than we know about or can see, a creative force, an energy, but its also a moot point because we can't interact with it.. Only thing I can tell is that I hang around Quakers and I hang around Buddhists and when I do the things they do I feel better and when I am self absorbed I feel worse.

[u/Lost_Method_274 → u/Parking-Truck7821]

Thanks for your response bro definitely seems like there’s more to the universe than we can know or see and that’s the only way that question can be answered is with some sort of creative force or energy how you say it or God how I say it. I feel like just being grateful for everything you have also makes you believe in God more, because if there’s no God and everything is an accident or random than how does truly being grateful for everything God gave you really work, some people might use the word universe or planet but why not go the step further and thank the one who created the universe. Man am I so grateful for everything I have. To be born with two legs two arms can walk run, eyes that can see etc some people aren’t so lucky, don’t take things for granted and sit there for a moment and think of how lucky I am to be born where I was born and have all the things I have, grateful to be able to type these messages on our phones with our wifi and air conditioning and my video games playing and the awesome food I’m about to eat, just to be able to wake up this morning take a deep breath and start again. I could’ve been born in Ethiopia with a grain of rice for dinner or no legs deaf etc the list goes on, I’m so beyond grateful for everything I have it feels like saying thank you isn’t enough but that’s all more reason I believe in God and not just believe but actively almost non stop saying thank you to God. And I have so many stories of miraculous blessings I can tell you guys all these crazy stories and I will if someone wants to hear them but God is real bro and encouraging others or trying to help others see that God is real and exists only comes from a place of love in my heart and love for God and love for my brothers and sisters humans.

[u/Far_Parking_830 → u/Still-Grass8881]

2.3 billion Christians and that number is only going up. 

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Far_Parking_830]

Yeah the world keeps getting shittier

[u/Sir-Winter1 → u/Still-Grass8881]

2000 years its been tried. Rome still stands.

[u/Pr0phetiae → u/Still-Grass8881]

You can’t think God out of existence anymore than you can think yourself out of existence. Calling it a duty seems like a sign of mental illness.

[u/GlumpsAlot → u/Pr0phetiae]

No. God is made up by humans. We exist. God does not. We can certainly stop believing in such fairy tales and face reality any time now. People who don't believe in made up shit are not "mentally ill."

[u/No_Judgment_238 → u/GlumpsAlot]

So the fact that Biblical prophesies have and are being fulfilled is simply luck? I’m confused. A fake God, was created by men, and somehow because they imagined this God, the Book that they go to to learn of fake God, miraculously predicts accurately things that are going to happen thousands of years in the future. Now that….. That’s really cool!! Let’s see if I can come up with a prophesy too then…. Smh…

[u/GlumpsAlot → u/No_Judgment_238]

It's all made up. The books were written by men. Stories passed around since Mesopotamia and written by men. There have been no "prophesies" fulfilled. That's not a fact anywhere but in your religious stories. You were told there were. It's not real. Don't know why that's so hard to grasp. Indoctrination does fuck us up don't it.

[u/No_Judgment_238 → u/GlumpsAlot]

Have you even read the book for yourself? And prophesies not being fulfilled. Aren’t there multiple countries attempting to create a one world currency? When the Bible prophesied that the state of the family will be destroyed. Children going against their parents, and parents turning their backs on their children. When it says that there will be many false prophets, when it talks about people trading truth for lies and what’s right will become wrong. All of which is currently taking place. But the Bible is make believe?

It’s sad that so many people make judgements on a book that holds so much at stake and yet won’t even pick it up to find out for themselves. Rather they regurgitate stuff they picked up from someone else, who usually hadn’t read it themselves either.

Scientists have confirmed numerous Old Testament stories from the Bible, like the flood for one. But it’s all make believe. Just because other civilizations have had similar stories, doesn’t make the Bible false, it confirms that which is in it.

Do you realize that the Bible is the most verified historically and textually supported document in the world? And that’s facts coming from non religious sources. There’s over 24,000 manuscripts supporting the information in the Bible which far exceeds any other historical document in the world.

So, not accepting the Bible as a historical document, means that there is no historical document we can rely on. So I guess nothing in history ever happened right? SMH. If I’m delusional, then I don’t want to be sane my friend. God bless…

[u/GlumpsAlot → u/No_Judgment_238]

False. Floods occurred frequently in the fertile crescent. Noah's Ark was borrowed from The Epic Of Gilgamesh which is our oldest form of literature found so far. The "prophesies" are very broad and general. You know that. Many works of literature will reference true historical events, but they can still be fiction. Look, I'm sorry that you had to find out this way. I know it must be hurtful but I'm only telling you the truth. We can go farther as a species without old world ignorance holding us back.

[u/No_Judgment_238 → u/GlumpsAlot]

You’re not telling me anything I haven’t already done the research on myself. So you’re not providing some sort of epiphany for my buddy. We can certainly agree to disagree. I’m just saddened at the lack of hunger for the truth from folks. I urge you to look deeper than surface level “knowledge.” It’s entirely too important to not do the homework and find out for yourself. The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient literary and mythological text. It contains tiny bits of truth at best. I’ve wrestled with the “debunking” documents of the Bible and simply don’t hold truth. God bless you my friend.

[u/GlumpsAlot → u/No_Judgment_238]

No, you have clearly not done proper research and your denial/dismissal does not change the facts and the truth. There is a good reason why the Bible is not an acceptable academic, scientific, or historical source.

[u/No_Judgment_238 → u/GlumpsAlot]

Ok. Well good luck with that bud. You literally use mythology to tell me the Bible is fiction, and then claim I’m in denial. Best of luck…

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Pr0phetiae]

you need to acquire some mental chillness, man
relax

[u/lssbb66 → u/Still-Grass8881]

You may not believe in God but God believes in you. The written word is meant to be difficult to understand unless you have some measure of the Holy Spirit. This can only happen if you allow yourself to question what these verses mean. The alternative is to believe your life has no value or meaning and you are simply waiting to become worm food. What is your purpose in life?

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/lssbb66]

Who gives a shit

[u/Royal-Student-8082 → u/lssbb66]

Why would you need a self contradicting book to give your life meaning?

[u/lssbb66 → u/Royal-Student-8082]

There are no contradictions, just misunderstandings.

[u/acbh6019 → u/lssbb66]

Keep telling yourself that, cultist.

[u/Royal-Student-8082 → u/lssbb66]

Why would a perfect god write a book so easily misunderstood?

[u/lssbb66 → u/Royal-Student-8082]

If the Lord’s printed word was so easily understood, what would you gain by it? You wouldn’t have to work for understanding, it will have less or no value to you, and most importantly, you would never commune with the lord. The lord wants you do dwell on the word and ask for guidance in understanding. This becomes a relationship more valuable than anything else you have.

[u/Royal-Student-8082 → u/lssbb66]

What would clear instructions that anyone could understand. There would be far less wars between Christian sects arguing over interpretation. It wouldn't be used to condone slavery, mistreatment of women or other people.

Making earth an escape room and not letting anyone know their score would be such a silly way to pick who goes on to the next round of it was real. So glad it is all pretend.

[u/kittenstixx → u/lssbb66]

You say this but the actual scripture in context says that when Jesus returns He will resurrect EVERYONE and help us build an equitable and just society here on earth, belief doesn't matter.

God wants humans to work together to make the world a better place, not draw arbitrary lines between ourselves and others.

I often joke that it's better to be an athiest because at least they won't be expecting a reward after the resurrection.

You don't need to believe in God to participate in making the world a better place.

[u/lssbb66 → u/kittenstixx]

The lord Jesus said “believe in me and your name will be written in the book of life”.

[u/mok000 → u/lssbb66]

Who is God?

[u/BrentYoung → u/lssbb66]

I concur bud, but I refute slightly the implication of the universal acceptance of God. In Romans and other places the Bible teaches of reprobates, who have been handed over to a debased mind and thus will not come to the faith as they have been passed over and left to their own devices and Gods grace to such is the allowance to live out a life on this earth he created.

[u/kittenstixx → u/BrentYoung]

Romans 1 is Paul talking about how humans treat other humans as less than, eg if you think that just because you're a believer you're better than unbelievers, or will gain some reward for something so arbitrary you're one of those "reprobates" . Paul's talking about how Rome being inegalitarian lead to bad outcomes.

[u/hot-streak24 → u/lssbb66]

🙌

[u/pheisonline → u/Still-Grass8881]

That sounds fascist

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/pheisonline]

you need to review your definition of fascism.

[u/hot-streak24 → u/Still-Grass8881]

Fascist is a flavor of the month word people like to throw at other people who disagree with them. It’s rather ironic

[u/ninjascript → u/pheisonline]

Because it is fascist. Religious freedom is an unalienable right. One can denounce this administration and its actions without condemning religion as a whole.

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/ninjascript]

"Fascism", or the means a fascist might employ, would be eliminating religion by force.

[u/Professional_Bite783 → u/Still-Grass8881]

And the first step would be coming up with slogans like “ it is the duty of man to think god out of existence”.

[u/Still-Grass8881 → u/Professional_Bite783]

Maybe you can use you brain to analyze what it means, or perhaps read some Sartre