The Atheism Thread - Part 6

[Thundercrack85]

You're not supposed to be super religious when you're young. That should come later.

 

[NickNitro]

The girl in Dogma explained it best. When you're young the glass is small and easy to fill, but as you get older the glass gets bigger, and becomes harder and harder to fill.

 

[Dr.]

You're not supposed to be super religious when you're young. That should come later.

“Christianity [religion] may be ok between consenting adults in private, but should not be taught to young children.” - Sir Francis Crick

 

[Feenix]

I remember going to a summer camp when I was 12. Every night, the counsellors would read passages from the Bible to us. The passages they chose to read were always about Satan and hellfire and what happens to non-believers. They scared two young sisters so badly that they started to cry and were scared that Satan would come after them.

I had never seen adults look so gleeful. At that moment, they knew they had these young girls. They were successfully converted. It was then that I realized indoctrination needed to be fought at every opportunity and with relentlessness.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I'm sure one day that will be illegal.

 

[NickNitro]

I remember going to a summer camp when I was 12. Every night, the counsellors would read passages from the Bible to us. The passages they chose to read were always about Satan and hellfire and what happens to non-believers. They scared two young sisters so badly that they started to cry and were scared that Satan would come after them.

I had never seen adults look so gleeful. At that moment, they knew they had these young girls. They were successfully converted. It was then that I realized indoctrination needed to be fought at every opportunity and with relentlessness.

This is absolutely the exception and not the norm. It's sick you kids had to go through that garbage, and I can see where you have hate for it. What if an alcoholic or drug addict tries to find God? Isn't it there right to try to find someone to guide them?

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Of course those sisters were scared out of their minds. Even a kid can more or less get the idea that when standards are impossible to meet that everyone is screwed. And children have no sense of context and proportion.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Having been through that, it is very much the norm, or was anyway.

 

[NickNitro]

I still don't understand why Atheist's attack Christianity more so than any other religion. Is it because most of you guys were once brought up Catholic/Christian and now you have a personal vendetta against it?

I'm not trying to be a prick, it's just an observation.

 

[Snow Queen]

I still don't understand why Atheist's attack Christianity more so than any other religion. Is it because most of you guys were once brought up Catholic/Christian and now you have a personal vendetta against it?

I'm not trying to be a prick, it's just an observation.

A) I know more about Christianity and what I object to in it than I do other religions, because of being raised as one.
B) It's usually Christians I see trying to exercise power and say how others should live in this part of the world.

I don't have a vendetta against Christianity, it just comes up more.

 

[NickNitro]

Makes Sense.........I guess there's no Westboro Jewish Synagogue

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I still don't understand why Atheist's attack Christianity more so than any other religion. Is it because most of you guys were once brought up Catholic/Christian and now you have a personal vendetta against it?

I'm not trying to be a prick, it's just an observation.

I will try not to put my feelings/words/ideas into other peoples mouths TOO much... But I do feel that there is an inchoate sense of betrayal, by everything when you come to the realization that you no longer believe. Maybe that's me, or maybe I am just willing to admit it. But I am not going to admit there is not an emotional component involved. Look, it's hard to NOT have a sense of anger when something that you were raised to love and believe in now comes off as hopelessly false. But the consolation, once that phase of anger passes is the hope that you are viewing the universe in a much more accurate and truthful way. Of course if any Atheist tells you all this is easy they are not being truthful either. Just saying.

All that put out there... I would rather an unvarnished truth over a comforting falsehood.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I still don't understand why Atheist's attack Christianity more so than any other religion. Is it because most of you guys were once brought up Catholic/Christian and now you have a personal vendetta against it?

I'm not trying to be a prick, it's just an observation.

A few reasons,

Most atheists, at least in the Western World, are ex-Christians.

Naturally then, most of their conflict with religious people will be with Christians, who are the majority. Also, the other religions, Judaism, and Islam, will generally not try to convert atheists.

I have never had a Hindu knock on my door because they wanted to tell me about Vishnu.

I also have never had any Jains try to teach their creation myths in public schools as fact – and then bill me for it.

 

[regwec]

I think it's because I perceive Christianity as a broadly Western religion, and I find it alarming that such lunacy is still relatively prevalent in otherwise developed societies.

 

[Thundercrack85]

And to Christians' credit, they take it pretty well.

Remember those Danish cartoonists? Yeah...

 

[NickNitro]

I think it's because I perceive Christianity as a broadly Western religion, and I find it alarming that such lunacy is still relatively prevalent in otherwise developed societies.

I'm trying to be civil and you're making it really hard.

 

[regwec]

You needn't be, I don't mind at all.

 

[Feenix]

And to Christians' credit, they take it pretty well.

Remember those Danish cartoonists? Yeah...

That's true.

Although, there are apparently some Christians in the States who are gearing up for a Holy War and are "arming" children with the Gospel.

Islam and Christianity are much higher up on my list of religions I dislike, but I don't feel like we should have any religion because it's impossible for them to get along. As long as there is religion, the world will never know peace.

 

[E-Man]

I remember going to a summer camp when I was 12. Every night, the counsellors would read passages from the Bible to us. The passages they chose to read were always about Satan and hellfire and what happens to non-believers. They scared two young sisters so badly that they started to cry and were scared that Satan would come after them.

I had never seen adults look so gleeful. At that moment, they knew they had these young girls. They were successfully converted. It was then that I realized indoctrination needed to be fought at every opportunity and with relentlessness.

I remember when I was a kid when I went to a Christian day care. It was fun and games most of the time, but one day in particular they had one of the pastors talk to us. She was talking about the devil, and how evil he was and all that. They really worked up the angle of how he could get us at any time if we were being bad, and that scared the hell out of me. I remember crying later that night because I couldn't sleep, and my mother finally had to console me.

It's kinda crazy how it works so well on children because it wasn't until I was an adult that I became agnostic. That idea of hell is their really big sell. I know I just made a rhyme, but I do it all the time.

I still don't understand why Atheist's attack Christianity more so than any other religion. Is it because most of you guys were once brought up Catholic/Christian and now you have a personal vendetta against it?

I'm not trying to be a prick, it's just an observation.

It's because of the fact that Christianity is the most popular religion here in the West. I can't speak for free thinkers in other parts of the globe, but here Christianity is much more prevalent. You really don't realize how much this part of the world is pro Christian until you're no longer one of them.

Krypton also mentioned a sense of betrayal, but I think it also is about a sense of familiarity. One of the reasons why I despise Christianity more than the other religions is because I know so much about it. I used to be devout, and even read the whole Bible. Most of my life was spent as a Christian, so it's still something very familiar to me.

 

[Flint Marko]

That's true.

Although, there are apparently some Christians in the States who are gearing up for a Holy War and are "arming" children with the Gospel.

Islam and Christianity are much higher up on my list of religions I dislike, but I don't feel like we should have any religion because it's impossible for them to get along. As long as there is religion, the world will never know peace.

The world will never know peace for a variety of reasons. I don't think you can point to religion as the underlying problem for the world being the way it is.

 

[regwec]

In a sense you're right: I think religion is as much a symptom of human failing as a cause of it.

 

[Thundercrack85]

This may come out wrong, but I think it's only fair that I get to critique a religion, after having it ruin a decent part of my childhood. I did my time.

Hell, you don't have to be an atheist to be anticlerical, or criticize a religion.

Some of the most outspoken critics of religion have been religious people.

 

[Flint Marko]

There's nothing wrong with critiquing a religion, I just think a lot of the times people are too quick to condemn an entire belief system based on the actions of a few. Some of the best people I know are devout christians; some of the worst happen to be devout christians as well. People are the problem.

 

[Thundercrack85]

There's nothing wrong with critiquing a religion, I just think a lot of the times people are too quick to condemn an entire belief system based on the actions of a few. Some of the best people I know are devout christians; some of the worst happen to be devout christians as well. People are the problem.

Except, to evoke Hitchens, you don't need religion to do good. But, for good people to do bad...

And I have seen otherwise good people do bad things because of religion. Things I can't imagine they would otherwise do.

 

[Feenix]

There's nothing wrong with critiquing a religion, I just think a lot of the times people are too quick to condemn an entire belief system based on the actions of a few. Some of the best people I know are devout christians; some of the worst happen to be devout christians as well. People are the problem.

Of course people are the problem. Religion is man-made.