Why do many atheists throw bible passages at Christians

[repoman]

Or whatever texts are applicable to various religions...

Especially highly condensed ideas like "judge not" which is not always true. The bible allows lots of judging.

Does it make us look like hypocrites to someone who is locked into the theism paradigm?

 

[Atheos]

There are ways to use scripture to point out inconsistencies and absurdities without being a total asshole. But sometimes being an asshole is just such fuuuuuuuun.

 

[Obey_Matthew_6_6]

Primarily, it's to shame and remind believers of their hypocrisy, as they usually act in a manner which blatantly violates or contradicts the demands and edicts clearly spelled out in the Bible.

 

[steve_bank]

Seriously?

We throw passages at Christians in the hope of teir seeing the hypocrisy in scripture. They ca and do interpret to justify anything. Al you have to do is listen to Christian radio and TV or just talk face to face with Christians.

Christians claim scripture is the inspired word of god, and we take them to task on what passages mean.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Well, my favorite reason probably isn't a common one. My Noah's Ark slash fanfic got quite a bit of attention from a critic who went to some effort to list everything i got wrong.
But about half of his "errors" were actually right out of scripture. So i quite simply had to list them, point by point.

 

[repoman]

There exists hypocrisy inherent in the bible even for followers who are trying. Also, hypocrisy of humans trying to game the system (against an omniscient god? but whatever..) and put on a good face while doing nasty stuff.

Boredom and apathy to their supernatural claims will help break down their defenses better than anger.

Attack them for being hypocrites and assholes and if you can help it NEVER mention the bible. It really means nothing at all, it is below mention for talking about what we as individuals will do as far as ethics and decisions. Give them no ground and no conversation. It is on its way to be utterly irrelevant.

I don't want to concede that supernatural claims of the bible have ANY validity. Call them hypocritical followers and it may actually strengthen their faith. It is not logical but that is how people are


Something like street epistemology seems like a better idea.

Every motherfucker everywhere can be a hypocrite. Who fucking cares?

This is a poor way to attack religion for specific types of people. In fact this method can itself be hypocritical especially if employed by a person who actually a shithead in their general actions. Of course lots of atheists are nice and above average in generosity and low in hypocrisy. But it still is there.



This is just a general example of what I think atheists should avoid. If you are concerned about refugees you might get a short term boost by pointing out hypocrisy, but why give the religion any credence and airtime?

Find non religious ways to talk about refugees.

 

[southernhybrid]

There are ways to use scripture to point out inconsistencies and absurdities without being a total asshole. But sometimes being an asshole is just such fuuuuuuuun.

This pretty much explains it. I never attack nice, thoughtful Christians but sometimes it's fun to attack obvious trolls and assholes. It's very obvious that conservative Christians cherry pick some of the nastiest things in the Bible, while distorting or skipping over some of the nicer parts. I sometimes like to point out that Jesus would never be a Republican if the dude was alive today.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Seriously? Unbelievers are the ones constantly shoving scripture at people who don't want to hear it?

 

[repoman]

Seriously? Unbelievers are the ones constantly shoving scripture at people who don't want to hear it?

When someone does it the best response is not to push scripture back at them to prove their sandboxed bible hypocrisy.

If you want to call them a hypocrite or an unpleasant jerk unrelated to scripture...

 

[steve_bank]

Considering the enormous social and palitical power of American Christians ts as an atheist I have no choice but to respond.

They presume to judge by quoting scripture but claim to be a victim of atheists when we object to being judged and use their scripture against them.

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Especially highly condensed ideas like "judge not" which is not always true. The bible allows lots of judging.

The "bible" may, but Jesus explicitly does not and that's the point. It's not throwing scripture at them, it's throwing Jesus' own words at them.

Does it make us look like hypocrites to someone who is locked into the theism paradigm?

Again, it's not US saying anything; it's us reminding them of what their own savior and supposed one true high mucky muck admonished:

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

WE don't have to live by that, because we don't believe Jesus to have been the whatever the fuck they believe him to have been. They do, however, so for them, those words should shame them into stopping their behavior. He even calls them hypocrites. We don't. He does.

As to something like that not having any effect, that's simply not true. I know first hand that it does, because it's precisely this kind of shit that first got me questioning my own cult conditioning, which in turn led me to actually read the Bible on my own, which in turn led to me deprogramming.

SO many "christians" were just mindlessly born into the cult and have never actually read the bible. They only hear the cherry-picked shit. So showing them you know the bible better than they do can have a very important impact. Probably not immediately, but that's really not the point.

 

[Politesse]

Bit of a mutual race to the bottom if you ask me.

 

[Lion IRC]

There are ways to use scripture to point out inconsistencies and absurdities without being a total asshole. But sometimes being an asshole is just such fuuuuuuuun.

...which I imagine could be hard to reconcile with your willingness (as a Mod) to strive to be a cohering force of TFT TOU etc.

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Bit of a mutual race to the bottom if you ask me.

To remind someone who pretends to be an adherent to Christ that they aren't following what he told them to do? How so?

 

[Atheos]

There are ways to use scripture to point out inconsistencies and absurdities without being a total asshole. But sometimes being an asshole is just such fuuuuuuuun.

...which I imagine could be hard to reconcile with your willingness (as a Mod) to strive to be a cohering force of TFT TOU etc.

I have a life outside of TFT. There I get to be an asshole with impunity. Here I have volunteered to curtail the raging asshole within.

 

[Politesse]

Bit of a mutual race to the bottom if you ask me.

To remind someone who pretends to be an adherent to Christ that they aren't following what he told them to do? How so?

Competing with one another to see who's hermeneutic can be the dodgiest.

 

[steve_bank]

I would think someone with solid spiritual foundations would be somewhat imperturbably by us godless atheists.

Let it fly, don't hold back on our account.You do have the right to be silent and can not be compelled to say anything that would be self incriminating....

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Bit of a mutual race to the bottom if you ask me.

To remind someone who pretends to be an adherent to Christ that they aren't following what he told them to do? How so?

Competing with one another to see who's hermeneutic can be the dodgiest.

There is no interpretation involved in that passage. Jesus is admonishing, not offering a parable. Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

 

[Politesse]

Competing with one another to see who's hermeneutic can be the dodgiest.

There is no interpretation involved in that passage. Jesus is admonishing, not offering a parable. Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

Contextless quotes are inherently dodgy.

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Competing with one another to see who's hermeneutic can be the dodgiest.

There is no interpretation involved in that passage. Jesus is admonishing, not offering a parable. Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

Contextless quotes are inherently dodgy.

An admonition requires no context. It is its own context. Don't do X. What context is necessary for you to not do X (other than doing X, of course, and now I want to trip).