Why do many atheists throw bible passages at Christians

[Politesse]

Definition of theologian: someone who knows a great deal about nothing at all.

Commonly believed by those who know nothing about theology at all.

 

[ruby sparks]

Definition of theologian: someone who knows a great deal about nothing at all.

Commonly believed by those who know nothing about theology at all.

My bad. I forgot about elves.

 

[Politesse]

Definition of theologian: someone who knows a great deal about nothing at all.

Commonly believed by those who know nothing about theology at all.

My bad. I forgot about elves.

Yes, those filthy secularist elves, expressing doubt about theology! I almost want to knock one of their stupid little houses over!

 

[remez]

Actually, there are numerous ways to interpret scripture. Christians often interpret it in different ways depending on the sect of Christianity they embrace. Nobody really knows what the original authors of these texts were trying to say, imo.

In the verse I was addressing the interpretation is quite indisputable. About the only way to get that wrong is to cherry pick it out of its context. With that one it has happened so many times it has become truth to those who quote it for that intended contradiction. Still doesn’t make it true.

I have no contempt for religion, but I do have contempt for those who use religion as a way to feel superior, as a way of judging others,

Me too.

or as something to inject into government

Too vague.

or to use to persecute and condemn others.

Me too

Religious mythology can be useful for some things and it's obviously important to some people.

That depends on what you are judging to be mythology.

But, here's the thing. My neighbor told me that her aunt believes that atheists are given special powers from Satan to influence others. Am I, as an atheist who has always tried to serve and help others and be fair minded, not supposed to feel insulted by such nonsense? Since I don't personally know this aunt and since she is over 90 and does no direct harm on me, I took this with good humor. It made me laugh.

Me too.

But, what if all the local Christians believed that people like me were pawns of some supernatural being called Satan and all we did was negatively influence others?

Still laughing.

This might be why we atheists sometime throw out the Bible verses at Christians.

Nothing wrong with that.

It probably doesn't accomplish much,

Not if you cherry pick out of context.

It does sometimes help us feel a little better about the hypocrisy of Christians

No doubt that it does make you feel superior. But generally speaking you should be right about the verse to begin with.

And, sometimes it even makes the most rigidly indoctrinated Christian think.

Indeed.

And, sure it can be harmless fun to point out to people who take the Christian mythology too literally that their book is full of contradictions.

You’re right……
Remember the context you came in on was the context of judgement being a contradiction. The reasoning was reached by overt cherry picking. It was fun revealing such an obvious misjudgment of contradiction.
See we can both have fun.

Nice to see you here again, remez.

Happy New Year.

 

[ruby sparks]

Contextless quotes are inherently dodgy.

But the bible is an inherently dodgy context.

It’s chock full of woo for starters, and was written by woo-heads.

 

[steve_bank]

Contextless quotes are inherently dodgy.

But the bible is an inherently dodgy context.

It’s chock full of woo for starters, and was written by woo-heads.

Nicely put.

 

[steve_bank]

Now that I thought about it must be because we are mean people....

 

[Politesse]

Contextless quotes are inherently dodgy.

But the bible is an inherently dodgy context.

It’s chock full of woo for starters, and was written by woo-heads.

No text should ever be held as above interrogation. Critical thinking is the skill that enables all the others.

 

[ruby sparks]

No text should ever be held as above interrogation. Critical thinking is the skill that enables all the others.

I don't object to interrogating any text. It's just that the woo ones, such as the bible and that one there about elves and faeries, turn out to be full of complete and utter woo. Now it's true that woo is an interesting thing of itself, whether it's woo about elves and faeries or god woo. In the end, they're all just varieties of the same sort of thing, woo.

 

[Politesse]

No text should ever be held as above interrogation. Critical thinking is the skill that enables all the others.

View attachment 25396

I don't object to interrogating any text. It's just that the woo ones, such as the bible and that one there about elves and faeries, turn out to be full of complete and utter woo. Now it's true that woo is an interesting thing of itself, whether it's woo about elves and faeries or god woo. In the end, they're all just varieties of the same sort of thing, woo.

Yeah, I think you're a bit confused about the entire concept of a critical reading. Writing "this Shakespeare stuff is all bullshit because I don't get it" may be critical in the sense of being unimpressed, but it is also uninformed and therefore uninteresting.

 

[ruby sparks]

Writing "this Shakespeare stuff is all bullshit because I don't get it" .

Where did I say I don't get something? I'm sure that you might like to think that I don't get something, and perhaps there are indeed some wooey things I don't fully comprehend all the possible interpretations and in and outs and woo conceptions of, but hey, there's just too much woo, in the final analysis. If I never get around to spending time trying to work out how many elf turds weigh the same as an angel turd, it'll just have to remain a woo mystery for theologians to ponder.

 

[Politesse]

Writing "this Shakespeare stuff is all bullshit because I don't get it" .

Where did I say I don't get something? I'm sure that you might like to think that I don't get something, and perhaps there are indeed some wooey things I don't fully comprehend all the possible interpretations and in and outs and woo conceptions of, but hey, there's just too much woo, in the final analysis. If I never get around to spending time trying to work out how many elf turds weigh the same as an angel turd, it'll just have to remain a woo mystery for theologians to ponder.

I've never hsd much respect for people who are proud of their ignorance on a subject, whatever the subject.

 

[ruby sparks]

Writing "this Shakespeare stuff is all bullshit because I don't get it" .

Where did I say I don't get something? I'm sure that you might like to think that I don't get something, and perhaps there are indeed some wooey things I don't fully comprehend all the possible interpretations and in and outs and woo conceptions of, but hey, there's just too much woo, in the final analysis. If I never get around to spending time trying to work out how many elf turds weigh the same as an angel turd, it'll just have to remain a woo mystery for theologians to ponder.

I've never hsd much respect for people who are proud of their ignorance on a subject, whatever the subject.

Poli, you tried that canard last time you replied (claiming my problem involves ignorance or non-comprehension).

Try something else maybe.

I suppose whatever you try, it’s almost certain to dodge the central issue that there’s no way to avoid other than by dodging.

That theology is essentially the study of nothing.

As much as I have sympathies and as much as I understand your need to protest via attempted casting of aspersions about my lack of ‘theological expertise’, the fact that theology isn’t about anything is really not my fault, and I’m only pointing out something that you must surely already know, deep down.

 

[skepticalbip]

I've never hsd much respect for people who are proud of their ignorance on a subject, whatever the subject.

... snip ...

... theology is essentially the study of nothing.

... snip ...

Well not exactly nothing, but the study of some fatuous beliefs deeply held by some specific group as undeniable truth likely because it makes them feel good, special, or even superior.

Poli's characterization of someone who does not get sucked into the cult as "ignorance on a subject" is rather telling.

 

[Politesse]

I've never hsd much respect for people who are proud of their ignorance on a subject, whatever the subject.

... snip ...

... theology is essentially the study of nothing.

... snip ...

Well not exactly nothing, but the study of some fatuous beliefs deeply held by some specific group as undeniable truth likely because it makes them feel good, special, or even superior.

Poli's characterization of someone who does not get sucked into the cult as "ignorance on a subject" is rather telling.

Who said anything about being sucked into a cult?

 

[skepticalbip]

Well not exactly nothing, but the study of some fatuous beliefs deeply held by some specific group as undeniable truth likely because it makes them feel good, special, or even superior.

Poli's characterization of someone who does not get sucked into the cult as "ignorance on a subject" is rather telling.

Who said anything about being sucked into a cult?

Someone who does not accept the woo as meaningful has not been sucked in. Someone who does accept the woo as truth has.

 

[Politesse]

Well not exactly nothing, but the study of some fatuous beliefs deeply held by some specific group as undeniable truth likely because it makes them feel good, special, or even superior.

Poli's characterization of someone who does not get sucked into the cult as "ignorance on a subject" is rather telling.

Who said anything about being sucked into a cult?

Someone who does not accept the woo as meaningful has not been sucked in. Someone who does accept the woo as truth has.

Your statement sounds a lot more cultish than any of mine. It is not dangerous to consider ideas other than your own, for god's sake. If you entertain a thought, learn about it, and then decide that you don't think it's true, that is entirely in your power to do.

 

[ruby sparks]

Well not exactly nothing....

Obviously, in the strictest sense, it can’t literally be about nothing, although it could be said to probably be about nothing that actually exists.

But it is about woo, and woo exists. In other words, it’s only ‘about something’ in the same way that the study of elves is ‘about something’.

 

[southernhybrid]

Religion is mythology. There I said it. When I was in high school, we spent an entire portion of my English class studying mythology, the ancient Greek and Roman kind. It would be good to include other religious myths into that unit, as there are so many commonalities in the ancient myths.

I guess that one's own version of mythology is supposed to be respected as truth, but once you study religious myths with an open mind, you realize that all religion is based on mythology. Sometimes one enjoys pointing that out to those who haven't yet or never will come to terms with the fact that what they've embraced as truth is based on mythological stories. Sometimes it's simply done in response to the claims or insults projected on us by the religious. Not that one can't learn or benefit from these myths as long as they aren't taken too seriously or literally.

I don't totally understand why so many humans are attracted to these myths, but I've accepted that they do provide some type of purpose and meaning in the lives of many individuals. It can be a problem when they are taken to an extreme or used to control others and influence government. Like anything that humans develop, there are both negatives and positives that come from religious mythology.

The positives that I see in Christianity, is the increase in charitable giving. While one can certainly be generous and charitable as an atheist, it's easier to make a difference in one's own community when one is part of a group. We are after all, animals that usually thrive better in groups.

So, I do give credit to the many Christians in my own community who support food banks, free or low cost clinics etc. As long as there are no strings attached, these are things that should give members of these church communities a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Agreeing with everything said above. Mythologies of so many cultures have gods with human emotions -- and gods cohabiting with humans to produce hybrid offspring. This business of half-god, half-man is a classic, often-recurring theme in myth. It's a natural inclination of the human imagination.
As for Christian charity, I think that the same people who do philanthropic outreaches would do them no matter what their supernatural beliefs are. As an atheist, I like to get involved with, or contribute to, a variety of causes, charities -- and I hear an awful lot of self-proclaimed Christian right-wingers who denounce public spending for social good.