Dajah

<img src="graemlins/boohoo.gif" border="0" alt="[Boo Hoo]" /> *joins Tricia in playing a sad song on the violin*

HelenM

I missed this post earlier.

Thank you for being honest.

However, it seems to me that you do not do these things in every post. Your posts to BH on his thread about his possible cancer did not seem to attempt any of these three things.

love
Helen

David Mathews

Hello Helen,

Angry atheists will receive treatment compatible with their inclination to anger. Reasonable atheists will be treated in a manner compatible with their reason.

I think that the angry atheists should express their anger and I will give them every opportunity to do so. These atheists need to vent for their anger is destroying them from the inside.

Love,

David Mathews

HelenM

Hi David

I posted on the Bugs and Complaints thread (but it may be deleted there as off-topic) - and have said before in response to a similar statement by you - that I don't believe venting anger always lessens the anger. I don't think it always 'works'. Sometimes it seems only to fuel it further, imo.

Has it been your experience that it always works, to vent anger? I thought you said it has not, last time I asked you this. Yet you still continue to write that venting anger is 'good' for the atheists here.

Do you really believe that and if so, can you explain the benefits of it? I would be interested to hear what benefit you think it brings to people who vent.

love
Helen

David Mathews

Hello Helen,

People who vent their anger can move on once they have expressed their emotions. Atheists who have issues with Christians, Christianity and God would do themselves a favor if they expressed all of these internal feelings.

Love,

David Mathews

HelenM

My experience is that venting doesn't necessarily lead to moving on; I have encountered people who just go on venting and being angry, year after year.

And also my experience is that it's possible to move on without venting. Why would one have to verbalize anger, to let go of it? Why not just decide to let go of it because it's self-destructive (I do believe it often is)

love
Helen

David Mathews

Hello Helen,

The remarkable thing is that these atheists have not yet let go of their anger. Their hate for God, Christianity, the Bible and Christians has built up to such remarkable extremes though they have expressed every sort of obscenity, prejudice, bigotry and offensive statement about Christianity that they could invent.

These angry atheists are pathetic people because they don't consider mere unbelief enough, they must also continuously blaspheme God in some futile attempt to offend or punish God for their own meaningless, purposeless and joyless lives.

I can't help but feel a little pity for these weak atheists whose emotional range is exhausted in bitterness, anger, hate and despair.

Don't you feel pity for them, Helen?

Love,

David Mathews

Solsticin

Dumping religion has made me a very happy person. The amount of pressure someone who does not believe and the horrid persecution his family and others can put him through for that disbelief is just insane. My atheism is caused by me simply being honest with myself. Nothing more.

Atheism was my salvation Once I realized I was free from goofy religious nonsense, my life improved dramatically. I had to 'dump' most of my family in the process of 'freeing' myself, but it was worth it quite frankly. They are in a cult and cannot help it, I guess. One day they will come around and realize that jumping up and down, speaking in tongues, healing the sick with laying on hands *boggle*, and raising the dead is JUNK. Until then, they are on my 'No Call' list. I can't handle those freaks anymore. No one should consider Assembly of God (and the like) NORMAL! If I DO one day realize there is a god (I am still open minded about it) I really HOPE it's not that freaky church's idea of god!

It's 4 in the morning so this isn't making much sense. The point I'm trying to make (albeit badly!) is that Atheists are not all miserable, god hating bigots (Or whatever it is David is trying to say hehe). My admitting, and dealing with, my disbelief has led me to great joy. I felt like (and still do some 10 years later) like a prisoner released after 20-odd years of captivity.

Oh, and David, leave HelenSL alone. She is way out of your league pal. You are losing points around here attacking her I'm sure. I thought MAYBE you weren't just a mindless troll UNTIL you said all that about her. Now I know there is no reason to reply to your meaningless babble. You sir are a fraud. There is no way you beleive that junk you said about Helen

[ July 28, 2002: Message edited by: Solsticin ]</p>

HelenM

Hello David

I doubt that most people here are consumed with their negative emotions. I imagine that most of them post here sometimes and the rest of the time they get on with lives that they enjoy.

Some people here suffer from clinical depression, so they are probably not enjoying life much - but so do some Christians.

Do I feel pity for the people here? I think the answer may be yes, but probably not exactly in the sense you mean. "Pity" can have a condescending connotation. I don't feel that I am above the people here in any way. I get angry too. Sometimes at Christians; sometimes at other people/things. I try not to let that consume me though. I feel pity - actually I'd rather say compassion and empathy for people in pain. Because I know how hard it is, based on difficult experiences I've had. Not that my life is all difficult experiences - far from it! I'm just saying that I can relate.

love
Helen