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If god has helped you write amen!

This reminds me of the tornado we had in my area last month. Some of my dear friends at our local senior center were marveling at the fact that so many homes weren't destroyed, even when large trees had fallen close to those homes. They kept saying, "It was God's work that so many homes survived near the large trees". I love these people so I bit my lips and kept my mouth shut, while wondering why they didn't say it was God's work that a 5 year old boy and a city worker died due to the tornado. There were also quite a few homes that were severely damaged by large trees, and several churches had quite a bit of damage as well. Was that God's work too, or were my friends somehow able to ignore all that? Their god certainly works in mysterious ways. I've decided all this god talk is just part of the local culture, and there's not much that can be done to change it. Plus these folks love their church communities and their false hope of a lovely afterlife etc. Challenging them would be hurtful to them, so let them believe these silly myths if it gets them through the day.
 
God's intervention is quite possibly one of the dumbest things theists go on about. As noted, it goes both ways in the same damn event. That house was saved by god because god intervened with where the tree landed... but anyone that died... well, they are in a better place. So if they are in a better place, why did god intervene with that tree and not let those people into a better place? Well, that is part of his plan, he still has a use for them here. So, if there is a tornado warning, do you follow safety procedures? If it is all in god's hands, why hunker in a shelter?

Literally any outcome is attributed to god in a Panglossian fashion. It is all for the best. Personally, they can believe in an invisible super hero god all they want, what I just find exasperating is the disingenuous arguments from events to defend their faith as such. The in a better place or a miracle they survived dichotomy is intellectually nails on the chalkboard in my opinion.
 
Jimmy Higgins said:
God's intervention is quite possibly one of the dumbest things theists go on about. As noted, it goes both ways in the same damn event. That house was saved by god because god intervened with where the tree landed... but anyone that died... well, they are in a better place. So if they are in a better place, why did god intervene with that tree and not let those people into a better place? Well, that is part of his plan, he still has a use for them here. So, if there is a tornado warning, do you follow safety procedures? If it is all in god's hands, why hunker in a shelter?

Literally any outcome is attributed to god in a Panglossian fashion. It is all for the best. Personally, they can believe in an invisible super hero god all they want, what I just find exasperating is the disingenuous arguments from events to defend their faith as such. The in a better place or a miracle they survived dichotomy is intellectually nails on the chalkboard in my opinion.
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I totally agree with you, but to be honest, the people I was speaking about aren't exactly what one would call intellectual. I'm not saying they aren't smart, they just don't think too much, especially when it comes to their religious beliefs. If you don't have the courage to challenge some of the things you were told to believe, and if you don't have the ability or willingness to consider that your beliefs just might be wrong, chances are, you'll hold to those beliefs to your dying day.

I also went to a Soul Celebration party last week at our center, which was to celebrate the positive influences of Black culture. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that three of the speakers were pastors, including one White one who was sitting right next to my husband at the table. Most of their talk was about love and how we should accept each other and appreciate our differences etc., so I didn't find it offensive, but I sat there telling myself this is just part of the local culture. I didn't have a chance to tell the pastor that he was sitting next to two atheists, but I would have loved to tell him and see what his reaction would have been. It might make others think if they got to know more perfectly normal people who are atheists. ( well maybe not perfectly normal, but at least harmless ;) ) And, we sure could use more thinking these days.
 
pantheist type god ... maybe amen.
A living system around me type god belief ... sliding scale amen
deity type god belief ...
 
Jarhyn said:
There are two ways to interpret this question, and one of them does not require belief.

One interpretation: "if a personal entity which has created the universe has intervened in your life..."

Another interpretation: "if the abstract concept of god(s) has been useful to you..."

It helps me play video games as per "apply the abstract concept of god in conjunction with the abstract concept of goodness so as to extrapolate a 'good god' for the purposes of conditioning my own behavior".

Really I think the question was intended as the first, however so no.
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That's a good point. I haven't had to wonder where the feeling comes from, that feeling of blessings or intervention. As a kid I was "moved" many times in a spiritual setting, by a sermon or by music which is usually full or praise chants and brain-tingling melodies that are scientifically meant to give you that warm fuzzy feeling when you hear it. But people claiming that a god has "called" them to do certain things or make certain life choices, that still seems foreign to me. Of course now that I'm beyond all that spiritual crap, I start to see the nonsensical addiction that religion gives people. And seeing how religious production companies hire professionals to set up their venues in certain ways to make sure the sound waves and audio mix "does the trick" just right is a frighteningly ironic thing to see.

My parents still tell me all the time: "Remember, Matt, GOD did that, not you." Whether it's getting a raise at work, a physical ailment going away faster than expected or whatever, I have to try hard not to roll my eyes. Part of the religious illusion is attributing every non god-related event directly to god. The thought, however that we are living out his "will" independent of our own wants and wishes, yet we must pray and ask god to intervene in certain ways is one of the biggest fallacies of the whole thing IMO.
 
And when we hear about death and destruction should we also say “remember, Matt, God did that”?
 
mattsidedish said:
My parents still tell me all the time: "Remember, Matt, GOD did that, not you."
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Did they ever use this as their reason not to punish you for something you had done wrong?

Did you ever successfully invert the trope to get out of trouble ("Dad, it was GOD who tied my sister's pigtails to the railings, not me!")?

:)
 
bilby said:
mattsidedish said:
My parents still tell me all the time: "Remember, Matt, GOD did that, not you."
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Did they ever use this as their reason not to punish you for something you had done wrong?

Did you ever successfully invert the trope to get out of trouble ("Dad, it was GOD who tied my sister's pigtails to the railings, not me!")?

:)
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Nope. It's usually just used to take away the personal pride for a job well done, or the luster of happiness in a stroke of luck in life. It's funny how two christians can have two opposing opinions and both claim that "god called me to that conclusion" yet they both are convinced they're right. You'll see this a lot in southern church busniess meetings.
 
God helped me find my melon baller (back of the drawer, under pizza wheel.) AMEN!!!
People praying in Hitler's death camps, not so much.
See, it's about your request being in God's will.
 
ideologyhunter said:
God helped me find my melon baller (back of the drawer, under pizza wheel.) AMEN!!!
People praying in Hitler's death camps, not so much.
See, it's about your request being in God's will.
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To be fair, the historical records are patchy, and we can't know for sure how many of the inmates of Nazi death camps actually did find their melon ballers.
 
I sure do. What good's a savior, if he can't take a li'l crucifyin' for my melon baller? You know, you can try scooping with a spoon, but it will look like hell.
 
Other things the gods don't do:
fly
shape-shift
cause storms
make rainbows
create babies
fornicate interspecially
keep us from danger
heal diseases
condemn
bless

There's more, but I want a snack.
 
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