Christians - who convinced you of the truth of god/jesus?

[unapologetic]

This "racket" you speak of...is not Jesus' Christianity.

Maybe it wasn't.
But your brand of christianity, and every other brand of christianity currently practiced, if it teaches a heaven/hell, ... That is a protection racket.

 

[steve_bank]

This "racket" you speak of...is not Jesus' Christianity.

Maybe it wasn't.
But your brand of christianity, and every other brand of christianity currently practiced, if it teaches a heaven/hell, ... That is a protection racket.

Had not thought of it that way but that's it.

Certainly the RCC, a mob style protection racket

 

[robnisch]

This "racket" you speak of...is not Jesus' Christianity.

Maybe it wasn't.
But your brand of christianity, and every other brand of christianity currently practiced, if it teaches a heaven/hell, ... That is a protection racket.

Had not thought of it that way but that's it.

Certainly the RCC, a mob style protection racket

"Yo, nice soul you got there be a shame if som'tn bad happened to it".

 

[bilby]

"Yo, nice soul you got there be a shame if som'tn bad happened to it".

Looks pretty flammable. You should get fire insurance. Only ten percent of your income...

 

[unapologetic]

Certainly the RCC, a mob style protection racket

Is it a coincidence that the Mafia and the RCC both come from Italy?
I think not.

 

[steve_bank]

This "racket" you speak of...is not Jesus' Christianity.

Maybe it wasn't.
But your brand of christianity, and every other brand of christianity currently practiced, if it teaches a heaven/hell, ... That is a protection racket.

Had not thought of it that way but that's it.

Certainly the RCC, a mob style protection racket

"Yo, nice soul you got there be a shame if som'tn bad happened to it".

Actually that is the RCC hook in the con.

 

[Learner]

A free pass indeed. because magic is the counterfeit to doing miracles. Simply put...

...magic can't create life...nor re-animate the dead that physically consists of inanimate common materials.

Nor can miracles. Both are counterfeit; The sole difference is that you have been gulled by one and not the other, and the prohibitions against magic exist to protect that gullibility.

I disagree with your opinion. That's my honest opinion.

And you are here demonstrating that this propaganda sleight of hand is highly effective.

Although I disagree with your personal opinion, again. By the posts that I can see currently ( and oh my.. haven't you all been busy, recently?), my posts does seem to be effective by how they respond.

I'm retired and I only do volunteer work one day a week, so I do have a lot of free time if I want to post here. But the truth is that I'm rarely here for more than about an hour a day. If you don't want to know what atheists think of religion, I do wonder why you spend so much time here.

You spending less than an hour a day here. That's still way more time than I spend here. I would be away for days and would need to be reminded where I left off from a previous discussion.

I'm mostly, if not always, only on the religion section of the forum anyway.

Do you think you're going to change our minds, when many if not most of us were raised in Christian homes and told what to believe? Of course, everyone is welcome to discuss these things but don't expect atheists to fall for beliefs that have no evidence to support them.

Why do some of you keep suggesting I am trying to "proselytise" Christianity onto you?

With that mode of thinking: Should I wonder if you are all trying to convert me in to an atheist?

Btw, when I left Christianity around the age of 18, after attending an evangelical college for one semester, I told some church friends that we had been tricked into believing things that weren't true and one of them said back to me: "You think too much. Don't think so much about it". I will never forget that.

That is strange, but sorry that you kept coming across sad situations, and given bad advice throughout your life.

As we see evident by your description, these individuals were instrumental, influencing you to turn away from Christianity, instead of being encouraging!!

I guess the answer to believing that Jesus was magic, and could perform miracles and save us from eternal torture, is not to think too much about the lack of evidence for these things. That way it will seem reasonable.
Btw, I was not an atheist when the above happened. I was a skeptic who was searching for the truth about religion and after about 7 more years of considering other religions, I eventually found the truth and it set me free from the magical thinking that it takes to believe that the supernatural is reality.

Many have come the Christian Faith...even when once, some individuals were either the aggressor or the victim!
These individuals were set free!

 

[ideologyhunter]

With that mode of thinking: Should I wonder if you are all trying to convert me in to an atheist?

That's good! And you're probably right. You're obviously literate -- although that sentence below ("Many have come the Christian faith") needs a repair job. I find it jarring that literate individuals can tie themselves to error-filled scriptures that, to me, are afflicted with ludicrous tales galore and nauseating brutality, all of it overseen by a god who clearly isn't a god of love.

Many have come the Christian Faith...even when once, some individuals were either the aggressor or the victim!
These individuals were set free!

Free, to do what? Free to be obliged, by their social scene and apologists to create contorted explanations of why a 2000-year-old story which claims it has a final chapter (which will "come quickly", according to the penultimate verse in the volume), can be believed?
Sorry, too much of an ask. Too many horrors in the book, which you believers always excuse. Love god = killer god = slaver god? Please.

 

[southernhybrid]

@ Learner

That is strange, but sorry that you kept coming across sad situations, and given bad advice throughout your life.

As we see evident by your description, these individuals were instrumental, influencing you to turn away from Christianity, instead of being encouraging!!

The students in the evangelical college were totally brainwashed and there was only one Black student and the white boys were racists.

I've mentioned before that the final thing that made me realize these Christians were nuts, at least when it came to religion, was the night they all marched to the pond and threw a "wicked Ouija board" into the pond, while praying. That was the moment I knew I needed to investigate other religions to see if there was a better one. That eventually made me realize that they were all made up by humans. Some things in most religions are nice, but most of the nice things are human universals found in all cultures, regardless of religion.

Plus, if you're not trying to convince us that Christianity is true, why do you keep posting here? Are you trying to convince yourself. I don't mean this as an insult, I'm just curious.

 

[Politesse]

Plus, if you're not trying to convince us that Christianity is true, why do you keep posting here? Are you trying to convince yourself. I don't mean this as an insult, I'm just curious.

People always used to accuse me of that, in my more Christian days. It is possible to just enjoy, for its own sake, conversation with those whose perspective differs from one's own.

 

[Elixir]

Why does observable, testable reality ALWAYS favor the views of SH and Bilby, rather than those of Jesus freaks, Bible Humpers, Islamists, or other religious believers in inventions like heaven or 50 virgins after death?
I don’t know why that is, but I do know that I personally find reality to be far more persuasive than stories about impossible miracles.
Reality contains enough stuff that appears miraculous to our constricted perception: we don’t need to compound that problem (and despite the euphoric experience of wonder, it IS a problem) with faux “miracles” that have no basis in reality.

 

[robnisch]

Why does observable, testable reality ALWAYS favor the views of SH and Bilby, rather than those of Jesus freaks, Bible Humpers, Islamists, or other religious believers in inventions like heaven or 50 virgins after death?
I don’t know why that is, but I do know that I personally find reality to be far more persuasive than stories about impossible miracles.
Reality contains enough stuff that appears miraculous to our constricted perception: we don’t need to compound that problem (and despite the euphoric experience of wonder, it IS a problem) with faux “miracles” that have no basis in reality.

E.O. Wilson: God is an unnecessary complication.

 

[southernhybrid]

Plus, if you're not trying to convince us that Christianity is true, why do you keep posting here? Are you trying to convince yourself. I don't mean this as an insult, I'm just curious.

People always used to accuse me of that, in my more Christian days. It is possible to just enjoy, for its own sake, conversation with those whose perspective differs from one's own.

I agree, but when someone keeps saying the same thing more or less, after awhile, I have to wonder what their purpose if for having the conversation.

I met the girlfriend of a guy who was Muslim she told me that Muslims believe that they can detect good and bad energy from people. I have never heard of that, but it was interesting. She was a waitress that I engaged in conversation, primarily about my favorite gods, aka dogs.

 

[Politesse]

Plus, if you're not trying to convince us that Christianity is true, why do you keep posting here? Are you trying to convince yourself. I don't mean this as an insult, I'm just curious.

People always used to accuse me of that, in my more Christian days. It is possible to just enjoy, for its own sake, conversation with those whose perspective differs from one's own.

I agree, but when someone keeps saying the same thing more or less, after awhile, I have to wonder what their purpose if for having the conversation.

I met the girlfriend of a guy who was Muslim she told me that Muslims believe that they can detect good and bad energy from people. I have never heard of that, but it was interesting. She was a waitress that I engaged in conversation, primarily about my favorite gods, aka dogs.

Ha! Tha's a very American way of putting it, but the Holy Qur'an does sort of imply this. The Muslim equivalent of the Latin notion of conscience, Fitrah, gives one not only an intuitive sense of one's own ethical path, but also a sense of whose company will be healthy for or dangerous to you.

 

[Elixir]

Why does observable, testable reality ALWAYS favor the views of SH and Bilby, rather than those of Jesus freaks, Bible Humpers, Islamists, or other religious believers in inventions like heaven or 50 virgins after death?

Following up, what about those 50 virgins?
Are they all dead?
Yes? Yuck!
No? Do THEY each get 50 more virgins if they’re good girls and they die?

Seems like over time, this system would cause a logarithmic increase in demand for virgins.

 

[southernhybrid]

Plus, if you're not trying to convince us that Christianity is true, why do you keep posting here? Are you trying to convince yourself. I don't mean this as an insult, I'm just curious.

People always used to accuse me of that, in my more Christian days. It is possible to just enjoy, for its own sake, conversation with those whose perspective differs from one's own.

I agree, but when someone keeps saying the same thing more or less, after awhile, I have to wonder what their purpose if for having the conversation.

I met the girlfriend of a guy who was Muslim she told me that Muslims believe that they can detect good and bad energy from people. I have never heard of that, but it was interesting. She was a waitress that I engaged in conversation, primarily about my favorite gods, aka dogs.

Ha! Tha's a very American way of putting it, but the Holy Qur'an does sort of imply this. The Muslim equivalent of the Latin notion of conscience, Fitrah, gives one not only an intuitive sense of one's own ethical path, but also a sense of whose company will be healthy for or dangerous to you.

I think she told me that their dog could let them know who to trust. That is true to some extent. Dogs are pretty good at determining people's motivations. People usually have little understanding of the nature, intelligence, moral values and emotions of dogs, but this was the first time someone had tied a dog's fear to a religious belief regarding good or bad energy. I was sure she was going to tell me her boyfriend was involved in some type of new age religion before she told me he was a Muslim.

 

[Learner]

With that mode of thinking: Should I wonder if you are all trying to convert me in to an atheist?

That's good! And you're probably right. You're obviously literate -- although that sentence below ("Many have come the Christian faith") needs a repair job. I find it jarring that literate individuals can tie themselves to error-filled scriptures that, to me, are afflicted with ludicrous tales galore and nauseating brutality, all of it overseen by a god who clearly isn't a god of love.

Many have come the Christian Faith...even when once, some individuals were either the aggressor or the victim!
These individuals were set free!

Free, to do what? Free to be obliged, by their social scene and apologists to create contorted explanations of why a 2000-year-old story which claims it has a final chapter (which will "come quickly", according to the penultimate verse in the volume), can be believed?

Having a good reason...that is to be free from the fear of 'physical' death.

That's being free from the threats of harm from other men or all harmful forces.

Free from being forced to do the will of evil entities!

The Romans had to eventually adopt the expanding Christian faith since their own soldiers were refusing to fight their enemies, regardless of the consequences to themselves. Roman converts were known to have been executed along side with the regular Christians.

You would understand why dictatorships would be opposed to Jesus' Christianity. People would refuse to go along with it, even if it meant their deaths. Corruption of Christianity by deliberate misrepresentation to mislead is the way of the opposers of Jesus. A little doubt.. the fear of death in the back of the mind, is a struggle regarding strong faith.



The belief and trust in Jesus is being free from being corrupted 'out of fear' (physical harm, psychological blackmail)!

Sorry, too much of an ask. Too many horrors in the book, which you believers always excuse. Love god = killer god = slaver god? Please.

Going over old ground as I've said before.

The conceptual understanding here is for the soul/spirit to be saved.

The material aspect of humans, the vessel, can be replaced.

Thall shalt do no murder.

Southerhybrid, as you can see. I'm here responding to a post made to me. An invitation to engage in a discussion.

 

[ideologyhunter]

The conceptual understanding here is for the soul/spirit to be saved.

The material aspect of humans, the vessel, can be replaced.

Thall shalt do no murde

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. No amount of referring to a hazy, invisible (delusional) immortal soul can remove morality from where it always rests: on the tangible interactions that exist between actual beings -- moral agents. A god who would do the things this god does, which includes drowning the world because he was "sorry he made man on the earth" (right, like any omniscient being would express himself) has no claim to being called the standard of morality. Let alone a god who personifies love. This god behaves like a mean-spirited child frying ants with a magnifying glass. The ministers will tell you he wants to have a loving relationship with his creations. Please tell me that his creations wanted to be slain en masse, bitten by snakes if they bitched about the camp chow in the Sinai, zapped to death if they tried to keep the ark from falling, raped and enslaved if they were virgins in the "enemy cities". Along with at least a hundred et ceteras. Bible morality is sick.

 

[Politesse]

Plus, if you're not trying to convince us that Christianity is true, why do you keep posting here? Are you trying to convince yourself. I don't mean this as an insult, I'm just curious.

People always used to accuse me of that, in my more Christian days. It is possible to just enjoy, for its own sake, conversation with those whose perspective differs from one's own.

I agree, but when someone keeps saying the same thing more or less, after awhile, I have to wonder what their purpose if for having the conversation.

I met the girlfriend of a guy who was Muslim she told me that Muslims believe that they can detect good and bad energy from people. I have never heard of that, but it was interesting. She was a waitress that I engaged in conversation, primarily about my favorite gods, aka dogs.

Ha! Tha's a very American way of putting it, but the Holy Qur'an does sort of imply this. The Muslim equivalent of the Latin notion of conscience, Fitrah, gives one not only an intuitive sense of one's own ethical path, but also a sense of whose company will be healthy for or dangerous to you.

I think she told me that their dog could let them know who to trust. That is true to some extent. Dogs are pretty good at determining people's motivations. People usually have little understanding of the nature, intelligence, moral values and emotions of dogs, but this was the first time someone had tied a dog's fear to a religious belief regarding good or bad energy. I was sure she was going to tell me her boyfriend was involved in some type of new age religion before she told me he was a Muslim.

But dogs don't have Fitrah.

Honestly, the whole creation story would have played out much differently if they'd let dogs do all the naming. And arguably, better.

 

[Learner]

The conceptual understanding here is for the soul/spirit to be saved.

The material aspect of humans, the vessel, can be replaced.

Thall shalt do no murde

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. No amount of referring to a hazy, invisible (delusional) immortal soul can remove morality from where it always rests: on the tangible interactions that exist between actual beings -- moral agents.

Ok,
I see, the tangible interactions of agents - actual beings doing the "killing, and enslaving " as you put it. "Moral agents can do this without a need for a God."

Humans alone therefore must enrage you doing things like these, even though its just um... chemical reactions.

A god who would do the things this god does, which includes drowning the world because he was "sorry he made man on the earth" (right, like any omniscient being would express himself) has no claim to being called the standard of morality.

It reads...God was regretful making man because the people who did atrocious evil - he would be the one to mete out the consequences.

It requires a level far above humans to mete out consequences from judgement without falter or hesitation whilst being in sorrowful regret even with the type of evil that dwelt among them as a whole warranted it to cease, and not continuously repeat in every generation.

Let alone a god who personifies love. This god behaves like a mean-spirited child frying ants with a magnifying glass. The ministers will tell you he wants to have a loving relationship with his creations.

I would be hoping Ministers would be telling people 'you needn't be doing harmful 'tangible interactions' because thats not Jesus like.

Please tell me that his creations wanted to be slain en masse, bitten by snakes if they bitched about the camp chow in the Sinai,

Morality in actual beings should mean moral. Just be a little nice is all. How simples is dat understanding?

zapped to death if they tried to keep the ark from falling, raped and enslaved if they were virgins in the "enemy cities". Along with at least a hundred et ceteras. Bible morality is sick.

I mentioned in a previous post about misrepresentation, read it. I apply that here.