Atheism

Katatawnic

Katatawnic

Well-Known Member
undertheice said:
as atheists, you and i may see this as shoving religion down our throats, but take a moment to look at it from someone else's point of view. what the nonbeliever may see as an intrusion, the believer may see as merely sharing one of their most precious gifts, the joyous love of their god. on a day dedicated to love, what could be more appropriate?
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RE: the "literally shoving religion down one's throat" remark, that was a bit of a joke... Bible quotes and a "love letter" from Jesus wrapped around chocolates that would, indeed, go down one's throat.

This wasn't just sharing one's love for God. I'm not kidding when I say the scroll was a "love letter" from Jesus. Sorry, but that was just... creepy. And Bible quotes for a Valentine's Day gift? Even my fanatical aunt wouldn't make a gift bag like this for a day of celebrating romance, and she can rarely say one sentence without "God" in it.

I have no problem with people saying to me, "I'll pray for you" when I'm going through hard times, as that is how they empathize with and support others. I respectfully bow my head when family and friends wish to say grace before dinner on Christmas and Easter; even Thanksgiving as I understand they want to thank their god for all they have. I accept that they believe their god gave them life and all that goes with it, and really don't care that it says "In God We Trust" on our money, etc. So long as religion stays out of my personal life and my rights, I have absolutely no problem with it and have absolute respect for it.

That said, I have the right to enjoy a holiday of romance (BTW, I've been rather cynical for years and didn't acknowledge Valentine's Day or my birthday, etc., but decided this year to celebrate more days/things and have more fun) without receiving a letter "from Jesus" telling me how much "he" loves and longs for and waits for and desires me. It really was creepy.
 
Katatawnic

Katatawnic

Well-Known Member
mexiblunt said:
I'm guessing your hubby is tolerant of his co-workers beliefs?
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He had no idea what was in the bag, because he never opened it. Like I said, he doesn't eat candy. He brought it home and immediately handed it to me. I always get the goodies handed out by his coworkers. :mrgreen:

That said, he and I are both extremely tolerant of others' beliefs and lifestyle choices that differ from ours, etc. (I didn't call up the woman who made the gift bag and blast her for it; I simply shared my disdain and creepy feeling about it with fellow atheists in an atheist thread. lol) Further, though he's far from religious, he does believe there's "some kind of higher power out there" (his words). He doesn't try to convince me of his belief, and I don't try to convince him not to believe it. We don't feel the need, nor desire, to share our personal beliefs with anyone and everyone... nor to have others' personal beliefs constantly shared with us.
 
Katatawnic

Katatawnic

Well-Known Member
Haven't you ever been so turned off by something that it just killed your appetite? Kinda like a buzz kill, if you will. ;)
 
mexiblunt

mexiblunt

Well-Known Member
Not really no(maybe the food itself), I understand tho I know others like that. In this case it wouldn't have crossed my mind maybe a little chuckle for the thought and then chow down!! Things I don't believe in tend to not bug me much.
 
P

PadawanBater

Guest
Yeah, that kinda stuff creeps me out too!

I was in that church service a couple weeks back and a similar thing happened. There's this guy I know whose married to an ex-coworker of mine, both of them are reeeeally religious, almost on the brink of fundie, she even told me once that the theory of evolution is nothing more "than a fairy tale for adults", and suggested a few books by creationists for me to read. But they're both also the type who don't really attempt to "preach" to people, which is probably why I respect both of them much more than your typical creationist/fundie. So he sings in the church services before the actual ministry goes on, with his guitar and some other chick singin' in the background. The songs were original, made up by the guy, and daaamn, thaaat's the creepy part!

"I waaan't you... In me"
"I feeel you.. In me"

lyrics such as those...inside church... oh man, the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about how I wish I had some sort of recording device to capture this moment! lol..

Meanwhile everyone inside thinks they feel the holy spirit or whatever and believes it's OK to lose control of yourself because it's a religiously motivated moment. In what other context in any of our social lives is it acceptable to do or say whatever you want with no boundaries or limits? Such behavior is seen as acceptable in our society because religion is off limits. This is a problem. Everything should be questioned, everything.

Furthermore, how could someone argue these types of institutions are NOT cults? It's clearly a cult. They just happen to have a lot more members than you're typical Heavens Gate... If there were 2.2 billion KKK members, would you be a racist?! You gotta learn to rise above the group mentality, and it actually takes a conscious effort to do it.

and that concludes my stoned rant about the creepy stuff in organized religion for today... :weed:
 
Katatawnic

Katatawnic

Well-Known Member
PadawanBater said:
The songs were original, made up by the guy, and daaamn, thaaat's the creepy part!

"I waaan't you... In me"
"I feeel you.. In me"
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I don't even sing that to my hubby, and he often asks me to sing him to sleep! :lol: Then again, I doubt he'd be falling asleep easily if I were to sing him this song. ;)
 
mexiblunt

mexiblunt

Well-Known Member
Need more of the lyrics but so far it doesn't sound much different from any other love song. Candy shop lolly pop etc we know 50 is not really singing about candy.
 
undertheice

undertheice

Well-Known Member
this may be a little of topic, but.....

last sunday i watched the super bowl with about a half-dozen of those uber religious folks, among them were two of my oldest and dearest friends. sometime during the half-time show i realized that everyone in the room was fully convinced that i was destined to spend eternity in hell. it kind of creeped me out to realize that those i am closest to believe it is unlikely i will escape eternal damnation and i can't help but wonder just how low my self-esteem must be to put myself in such a position. oh well, nobody's perfect.:rolleyes:
 
mexiblunt

mexiblunt

Well-Known Member
undertheice said:
this may be a little of topic, but.....

last sunday i watched the super bowl with about a half-dozen of those uber religious folks, among them were two of my oldest and dearest friends. sometime during the half-time show i realized that everyone in the room was fully convinced that i was destined to spend eternity in hell. it kind of creeped me out to realize that those i am closest to believe it is unlikely i will escape eternal damnation and i can't help but wonder just how low my self-esteem must be to put myself in such a position. oh well, nobody's perfect.:rolleyes:
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What brought you to that realization? The uber-religious around here would accept me no matter what and try to save me untill my dying breath. That IS creepy that yours wouldn't.
 
CrackerJax

CrackerJax

New Member
If they accepted you, they wouldn't be trying to save you. :wink:

You can substitute "recruit" for "save". That's closer to the mark.

There is no Boogeyman....
 
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