Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Opera Nut · 11-05-2002, 11:36 AM

Author Topic: Do Christians Even Read the Bible?
(Cydonia had told me to read the Bible asking for guidance from the lord and I didn't realize he was joking, I figured he was the typical ignorant anti-intellectual fundie.)

QUOTE:
Opera Nut
IIDB Regular
User # 6251
posted October 22, 2002 11:44 AM
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Cydonia, thank you for reinforcing my prejudice that all fundamentalists are anti-intellectual, and are horrified that people like me take courses in Bible study that are philosophical and historical, and don't beat anyone over the head with a particular theology. Bet you couldn't pass that course (Old Testament) either. And I KNOW you couldn't pass Nature and Function of Religion -- too much philosophy and thinking required. You've probably never met a real Bible scholar -- the kind that know several ancient languages, have read Thomas Aquinas in the original medieval latin, can read and analyse the non-canonical gospels, etc.

Have you ever gotten an advanced degree in anything? Have you ever busted ass reading books and thinking for YEARS to get an advanced degree? If you had, you might have some respect for scholars. As it is, you're just saying that scholarship is unimportant. Stay in your ignorance, you're happy there.

As far as "asking God to guide you", I was a Christian, read my bible, prayed, went to church and all that, and I never got the slightest indication from God or Jesus or any supernatural being that I was supposed to live my life a certain way, or do a particular thing. And don't pull the moral superiority argument on me. I've heard that: "You don't pray hard enough, blah, blah, you don't have enough faith."

BULLSHIT.

That's why I am not a Xtian anymore. I got no guidance from God, the message I got in church was "You are a worthless piece of shit because of original sin, our righteousness is as filthy rags, etc." I cried in church every time I went because of that "you will never be good enough" attitude. You think this is good for people? To be belittled, humiliated, and emotionally beaten down as a group by a preacher?

And do you know what that message did to me?
I became suicidal and tried to slash my wrists and spent two weeks in the funny farm. I was trying to get away from the pain caused by these Christians. I was traumatized terribly by these people in the name of "Christian love". Christianity is merely socially sanctioned emotional and mental abuse. I am not responsible for what a couple of fictional fruit munching idiots did in their fictional garden.

If God wanted me to believe in he/she/it, then he/she/it would let me know that he/she/it definitely exists. That has not happened.

Therefore, I do not believe in God. It is that simple. Faith is not enough. So called Xtians telling me I am sinful and bad drove me nuts. I have avoidant personality syndrome(regarding work situations, not social ones) because of tyrannical bosses, preachers, teachers and such authority figures. Therefore I feel powerless. Even when I express myself well, and assertively, without attacking anyone, it never does me any good. The authority figure with power-over me does not do anything differently. Thus the assertiveness is good for me but does not change anything about the way others treat me. The way authority figures treat me and the way I treat them have no relationship to each other. That's why I am scared of authority figures and am unemployed. Jesus wants me to starve since "his people" would not help me find a job.

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Posts: 400 | From: Houston TX | Registered: Mar 2002 | IP: Logged

Opera Nut
IIDB Regular
User # 6251
posted October 22, 2002 11:47 AM
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"Letting the Lord guide you thru his Word" -- been there, tried to do that, failed, got the post traumatic stress syndrome, the mindfuck, and the stay in the county funny farm locked ward so I would not harm myself (no shoelaces allowed -- could be used to hang myself).

Talulah · 11-05-2002, 01:41 PM

You think this is good for people? To be belittled, humiliated, and emotionally beaten down as a group by a preacher?

Christianity is merely socially sanctioned emotional and mental abuse.

I am of the opinion that the whole of the Christian belief system is nothing more than emotional abuse and manipulation.

It is true. As a Christian, you will never be good enough, you are unworthy. The less you think of yourself the better a Christian you are.

The entire religion is shit.

ManM · 11-05-2002, 02:29 PM

You must be speaking of a different Christianity. The Christianity I follow teaches that we were created in the image of God himself, and as such have the utmost dignity.

Talulah · 11-05-2002, 03:25 PM

image of God = utmost dignity

I am not buying it.

It is dignified to threaten and emotionally abuse people for a power trip. To create beings that you will punish for 'eternity' because they didn't follow rules in a book they may not have even heard of?

When I think of dignified I think of morally upright, honest, sincere, compassionate. I can't say any of those things about the God of the Bible.

Talulah

One of the last sane · 11-05-2002, 05:52 PM

Quote:

To be belittled, humiliated, and emotionally beaten down as a group by a preacher?

One of the things that made me quit Xianity was being belittled and patronized by a guy who was a whole lot stupider than I am. Also, he beat his mildly retarded daughter. She told me about the beatings, and I thought "why should I take instruction in how to live as a good person from this hypocritical asshole?"

Gemma Therese · 11-06-2002, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Talulah:
You think this is good for people? To be belittled, humiliated, and emotionally beaten down as a group by a preacher?

Christianity is merely socially sanctioned emotional and mental abuse.

I am of the opinion that the whole of the Christian belief system is nothing more than emotional abuse and manipulation.

It is true. As a Christian, you will never be good enough, you are unworthy. The less you think of yourself the better a Christian you are.

The entire religion is shit.

This is the only logical path to follow -- I mean, how can one not be in total awe of God?

Corwin · 11-06-2002, 01:27 PM

How can one be in awe of a childish, mass murdering genocidal tyrant who crushes any possible threat to his position of privelige and condemns those who refuse to grovel before him and agree with him as to their own unworthyness to eternal torture?

Should we start worshipping three year olds? Or do they not have sufficient might to make them right?

Eudaimonist · 11-06-2002, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gemma Therese:
This is the only logical path to follow -- I mean, how can one not be in total awe of God?

How can one have so little self-respect?

Gemma Therese · 11-06-2002, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Eudaimonist:


How can one have so little self-respect?

I don't think it is a matter of self-respect -- which I have. I just have it in relation to God and His infinite goodness.

Gemma Therese

Corwin · 11-06-2002, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gemma Therese:


I don't think it is a matter of self-respect -- which I have. I just have it in relation to God and His infinite goodness.

Gemma Therese

Goodness? Or simple firepower?

Is there a difference in your worldview?

11-05-2002, 11:36 AM	#1
Opera Nut Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,671	Xtianity is socially sanctioned emotional abuse.(he comes with a sword) Author Topic: Do Christians Even Read the Bible? (Cydonia had told me to read the Bible asking for guidance from the lord and I didn't realize he was joking, I figured he was the typical ignorant anti-intellectual fundie.) QUOTE: Opera Nut IIDB Regular User # 6251 posted October 22, 2002 11:44 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cydonia, thank you for reinforcing my prejudice that all fundamentalists are anti-intellectual, and are horrified that people like me take courses in Bible study that are philosophical and historical, and don't beat anyone over the head with a particular theology. Bet you couldn't pass that course (Old Testament) either. And I KNOW you couldn't pass Nature and Function of Religion -- too much philosophy and thinking required. You've probably never met a real Bible scholar -- the kind that know several ancient languages, have read Thomas Aquinas in the original medieval latin, can read and analyse the non-canonical gospels, etc. Have you ever gotten an advanced degree in anything? Have you ever busted ass reading books and thinking for YEARS to get an advanced degree? If you had, you might have some respect for scholars. As it is, you're just saying that scholarship is unimportant. Stay in your ignorance, you're happy there. As far as "asking God to guide you", I was a Christian, read my bible, prayed, went to church and all that, and I never got the slightest indication from God or Jesus or any supernatural being that I was supposed to live my life a certain way, or do a particular thing. And don't pull the moral superiority argument on me. I've heard that: "You don't pray hard enough, blah, blah, you don't have enough faith." BULLSHIT. That's why I am not a Xtian anymore. I got no guidance from God, the message I got in church was "You are a worthless piece of shit because of original sin, our righteousness is as filthy rags, etc." I cried in church every time I went because of that "you will never be good enough" attitude. You think this is good for people? To be belittled, humiliated, and emotionally beaten down as a group by a preacher? And do you know what that message did to me? I became suicidal and tried to slash my wrists and spent two weeks in the funny farm. I was trying to get away from the pain caused by these Christians. I was traumatized terribly by these people in the name of "Christian love". Christianity is merely socially sanctioned emotional and mental abuse. I am not responsible for what a couple of fictional fruit munching idiots did in their fictional garden. If God wanted me to believe in he/she/it, then he/she/it would let me know that he/she/it definitely exists. That has not happened. Therefore, I do not believe in God. It is that simple. Faith is not enough. So called Xtians telling me I am sinful and bad drove me nuts. I have avoidant personality syndrome(regarding work situations, not social ones) because of tyrannical bosses, preachers, teachers and such authority figures. Therefore I feel powerless. Even when I express myself well, and assertively, without attacking anyone, it never does me any good. The authority figure with power-over me does not do anything differently. Thus the assertiveness is good for me but does not change anything about the way others treat me. The way authority figures treat me and the way I treat them have no relationship to each other. That's why I am scared of authority figures and am unemployed. Jesus wants me to starve since "his people" would not help me find a job. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posts: 400 \| From: Houston TX \| Registered: Mar 2002 \| IP: Logged Opera Nut IIDB Regular User # 6251 posted October 22, 2002 11:47 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Letting the Lord guide you thru his Word" -- been there, tried to do that, failed, got the post traumatic stress syndrome, the mindfuck, and the stay in the county funny farm locked ward so I would not harm myself (no shoelaces allowed -- could be used to hang myself).

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11-05-2002, 01:41 PM	#2
Talulah Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Beautiful Colorado Posts: 682	You think this is good for people? To be belittled, humiliated, and emotionally beaten down as a group by a preacher? Christianity is merely socially sanctioned emotional and mental abuse. I am of the opinion that the whole of the Christian belief system is nothing more than emotional abuse and manipulation. It is true. As a Christian, you will never be good enough, you are unworthy. The less you think of yourself the better a Christian you are. The entire religion is shit.

11-05-2002, 02:29 PM	#3
ManM Veteran Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: NW Florida, USA Posts: 1,279	You must be speaking of a different Christianity. The Christianity I follow teaches that we were created in the image of God himself, and as such have the utmost dignity.

11-05-2002, 03:25 PM	#4
Talulah Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Beautiful Colorado Posts: 682	image of God = utmost dignity I am not buying it. It is dignified to threaten and emotionally abuse people for a power trip. To create beings that you will punish for 'eternity' because they didn't follow rules in a book they may not have even heard of? When I think of dignified I think of morally upright, honest, sincere, compassionate. I can't say any of those things about the God of the Bible. Talulah

11-06-2002, 01:27 PM	#7
Corwin Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 4,369	How can one be in awe of a childish, mass murdering genocidal tyrant who crushes any possible threat to his position of privelige and condemns those who refuse to grovel before him and agree with him as to their own unworthyness to eternal torture? Should we start worshipping three year olds? Or do they not have sufficient might to make them right?

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