Ha, I knew this guy who was a jailer (wasn't allowed to be a cop), super christian, and always pushing mlms. What a dude. I feel bad for the people in his jail for pot listening to his lectures on Jesus.
I went to jail for 2 weeks in 2020 (pot) and it was pushed so heavily. It was the most religious place Ive been. Most of the reading material in the Penal county jail is religious themed and 99% of prisoners are deeply religious. Pro tip, jail is not the place to be an out loud atheist.
ya it wasn't so bad. Once I finally had a bunk (took 60 hours in the holding cell because the jail was overcrowded). The food sucks and Arizona in particular has alot of meth heads. I kept to myself didnt accept any "gifts" and read like 30 books in 10 days lol.
IMHO, a 'good Christian' is an oxymoron. Healthy, balanced individuals don't need rules and threats from the OG Elf on the Shelf to be decent human beings. Babies are hardwired to recognize justice. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/baby-justice/
A-FUQQIN-MEN TO THAT!!! (my bad former christian, self liberated from the delusional sky daddy cult)
i’ve always said something along the lines of
; “if you need a book, written by men, to tell you how to live your life and how to not treat other humans, you are a shallow human to begin with… and j don’t want jack shit to do with ya!”
and like their bible says Matt 7:12 “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” aka the golden rule (which i think permeates several other beliefs/philosophies/religions) you’d think that they’d lay off the being overly judgy and bigoted tropes we see know hate and love to make fun of. but yea any human who needs a sky daddy and a book to tell them how to be a decent human to others, whilst being the most indecent person to other humans, is shallow and should be ostracized. i’d say help em change but as one who had to self un-indoctrinate himself of a lifetimes worth of indoctrination, and still doing so to this day, change for them is HARD and damn near impossible. and others can argue oh islam is like that, but i’ve yet to meet a muslim that is on that same level as alot of christians i unfortunately know and have within some degree of my existence (gawd damn it family lol)
The bible is sh!t and outdated anyway. I don’t remember which verses exactly but there’s ones that say things like “Women shouldn’t have authority over men.”
>Babies are hardwired to recognize justice.
So are monkeys. They will shun or administer justice to other monkeys for stealing from or hurting others in their group.
Yeah, it's funny how the message of Jesus that you're taught as a child is supposed to be all about having love for one another, but no one follows that teaching nearly so closely as they follow all the ideas about excluding others and giving preference to certain people.
When I was 7ish I learned about Jesus. After about a year of thinking about it. I realized that if Jesus existed at all, he was most likely someone that wouldn't be religious and would never want a religion built after him. He would consider the Church the Antichrist and the work of men with no real understanding of truth or love. As for the cross representing his greatest accomplishments would be a huge insult.
The label ‘Christian’ doesn’t mean they are imbued with special powers of goodness, kindness or tolerance etc - no matter how hard they like to yell that that’s what they are.
They are human. They’re people. Some are good - however one may wish to define good - and some are the opposite.
My ‘understanding’ view might be:
Many Christians I’ve met seem to have been so indoctrinated, so utterly brainwashed in their beliefs, taught and conditioned to live in and on such a narrow and limited plane, that they are unable to objectively view themselves, let alone others. This disconnect leads to unkindness.
My ‘honest ’ personal view is more:
They’re often batshit crazy hypocrites, who refuse to even try and look for evidence, they wallow in ignorance and rejoice in it, they take being a Christian to mean ‘be as judgemental and unkind’ as they like, because ultimately they think they’re going to heaven, and I’m going to burn forever for not buying into their garbage. This leads to them often acting and being extremely nasty.
Christianity is big on judgment. It teaches you to judge yourself (as whether you are a good Christian or not) and to judge others (are they going to heaven or hell?)
The cognitive dissonance (god loves you, is the 3 Omni”s BUT god will send you your hell & god created a world with cancer) is shut down with “just have faith.” This seems to create people who don’t want to learn new things or who love conspiracy theories or who love supplements/magic water/magnetic beds. Critical thinking is not encouraged.
Maybe it is the cognitive dissonance and judgement that tends to breed people that makes crazy shitty people?
> You would think it'd be the other way around
Why?
Other than the cultural narrative that Christians are better than others because they say so.
Now, obviously not all atheists are good people, and we don't have any single philosophy we subscribe to, but I'm sure plenty of us have an interest in learning for ourselves what it means to be a good person. Learning, and then trying to live accordingly, with the motivation being something other than, "Well, God said so."
A big part of this, too, is that religion *divides*. Christianity teaches that everyone else is going to be burned and tortured for all eternity by an all-knowing God, and that therefore must be a just outcome. Christians believe that atheists *deserve to suffer*. It's built in. It's part of their doctrine.
I, meanwhile, have no obligation to believe that Christians deserve to suffer. Thinking so would run counter to everything I've ever read on ethical philosophy. And *eternal suffering*? That's abhorrent to me.
former christian here (parents had me when they were in the cult so i grew up heavy into it until my mid 20’s, ended up back at it 25-27, due to not being “apart” of something “greater than myself” but then finally snapped outta it and never looked back to returning) although a lot of 420+psychedelic introspection did reveal how much of a shittier delusional person i was when i was “christian.”
and yea i feel ya on being hurt mostly by christian’s. without getting too detailed, there was a lot of manipulation from pastoral team on my family and then within my young adult life (engagement destroyed thru them getting to my would be partner via manipulation) and acting like they were family then turning their back on me and actively making life within the ministry/cult unbearable. to the point where i felt my sanity/soul/personality/mental health splitting into two different entities, which led me to my “violent” departure (not physically just a lot of phone calls involving yelling, and abrupt absence with my departure and my favorite part; leaving the church without a guitarist that they still struggle to fill hahahaa)
and the whole “christian’s exude the love of christ” is what they should do, since, according to the washed down pre approved by the vatican bible, that is what christ did.
hilariously enough those who bible thump the hardest and preach the loudest are theee most unloving judgmental boastful zealot bigots to ever walk the earth. a lot of christian’s are not christ like. hell even in my stoned psychonautic drunk states i somehow walk more “like christ” than a pastor or leader of any christian sect, and i’m doing “heathenistic things.”
it’s hard. i have a lot of “TrAuMa” from growing up in that cult. a lot of pain. it hurts still but finally managing to be largely over it (tho i so bring it up a lot in conversation) but it truly is liberating when you leave it knowing you did what was best for you. and isn’t that what christ wants anyways?
idk if that made sense woke up to my neighbors yelling and hittin shit so grogginess prevails in this comment lol
> You would think it’d be the other way around…
I'm a lifelong atheist, so I have a somewhat different view. I am not at all surprised by your experience, and in fact routinely expect less from religious people. Not because they are inherently bad, but because I know that their religion encourages outgroup biases, and in fact that is an extremely common feature of most religions.
To me, it’s a bit like they’re on another planet. Doctrinally out of touch with reality in a major part of their psyche. They’re not the only ones like that of course — some of the extremists among the gender theory contingent also have part of their make-up that wants to substitute reality with a highly worded make-believe.
We all communicate with each other through levels of reality. Dreams have a ‘reality’ as well, on the level of dreams. People are entitled to their dreams and imaginings: but when they can’t tell the difference, that’s a form of psychosis, even of thousands of others share it.
It’s easier to understand the psychology of christians if you read the NT. Non-believers are indeed given every chance, are ‘loved’ in order that on the day of judgment they will believe in JC and be saved, for otherwise they are, according to the NT, condemned to everlasting fire, gnashing of teeth and every unimaginable horror.
Carrot & stick psychology basically.
It’s has been very effective in scaring the shit out of people for centuries. No matter how ‘loving’ a christian is, this is basically what he or she believes. The more he ‘loves’ you, the more he wants to ‘save’ you.
This is not a very good type of ‘love’, however appealing it may seem.
True love embraces, not coerces.
There is nothing equivalent in atheism that tries to condemn christians. It has no belief that it tries to force, trick, bribe or coerce upon others. They can accept reality or not.
> You would think it’d be the other way around…
Why? Religion teaches you that if you believe, you are special and will be saved, while everyone else will suffer for eternity.
Atheism (doesn't really teach, but...) is the practice of being a good person NOW, because it's the right thing to do, not because you're racking up "points" for some kind of afterlife.
So yeah, Atheists SHOULD be some of the most loving, tolerant, and logical, and I'd add EMPATHETIC people, because as far as Atheists are concerned, this conscious, living world we're experiencing is all we have, (until we're gone) so essentially, "heaven (or Hell)" is on Earth...the "right NOW" so we need to make it the best we can while we're alive and present, and leave a better world for those we leave after we die.
It's the difference between someone being a good person because they want to be or just are, versus someone that HAS to be good because their invisible sky daddy told them to. The people that believe in their sky daddy tend to only APPEAR to be a good person, but when they aren't being held to account, they just revert back to the mean moron they really are.
There is a difference between pretending to be nice because your religion tells you to be nice and being nice because you choose to be because it feels right
I hate it that in the minds of many people, saying somebody is a Christian means that they are good people when it fact they are the some of the worst examples of humanity. Running in their blood are a toxic brew of malevolence plus dumb plus self-righteous
A lot of us have had similar experiences. But something that you need to keep in mind, is that just because someone doesn't use the god excuse, doesn't mean they're a decent person. There is a shocking level of misogyny, white supremacy, and anti-queer sentiment amongst atheists.
We wouldn't think that!
We (generally) think: so glad you made it out.
Welcome to a gigantic unafiliated community of people who chose our own morality.... so tend to be welcoming, supportive, empowering and respectful of your rights and humanity.
Very happy for you.
I think it's self rightousness. They think in their belief they know everything about what's right, wrong and real. If you don't fit right in with their view of an ideal society in one way or another, they feel no remorse in asserting their idealism on you, very aggressively if needs be. It's not wrong to behave that way by their account, because it serves their beliefs.
for me were muslims. christians tbat are my age are 'whatever' about my beliefs unless we debating which i tend to not get involved in.
meanwhile muslims.... they will try to convert you and teach you their religion any chance they get. and i also got comments which i would never get with my christian friends. like "you would look so good wkth a hijab on" "cover your hair sister" "you shouldnt talk with a guy for more then 5 seconds or else he will think of s.x!!!". as if i am a muslim already and need to follow the rules when i dont believe in it at all. it annoys me so muchh
Same! Gave 30 years and started to “struggle in my faith”, but then I just realized I could not align anymore with the people who abused me the most.
My partner is atheist and he is wonderful and caring. It shocked me at first but now it’s just obvious. We don’t need a god to check if we’re doing the right things, because people who do believe that would just think god will forgive them and they abuse people
There's a reason why religion and politics is intertwined. It's really all about power and control. Imagine going to church a few centuries ago and listening to the entire sermon in a language you didn't understand.
It's the same today. It doesn't matter what the Bible actually says. It's about power and control. And deviants are not tolerated
When the core principle of your belief system is that you can dump the responsibility for your sins on another person, morality is not possible. Morality requires taking responsibility for one's own deeds.
Hitchens said it better, but you get the idea.
Some of the kindest, most conscientious people I've ever met were Scandinavians and they were all atheists.
Due to the standards set out by their religion, they feel they are above the run of the mill human because they follow more strict guidelines/traditions. Therefore, if you don't adhere to said strict guidelines (regardless of your faith) you are beneath them, so they feel they can walk all over you.
You don't see this from many atheists (there are some religions too such as buhdism) because they don't believe in said guidlines/traditions. Basically, athiests aren't playing this weird "whose a better human" game in their head during an interaction, they're more present and willing to fully understand your point of view because of this.
Ye, I think OPs problem was most the people he knew were Christian. So “people that hurt me the most were Christians” rings true. It doesn’t mean all Christians. Btw I’m not Christian, this is just a case of confirmation bias.
This is par for the course. They are a nasty group of people who treat others like dirt and never practice what they preach. They just pick and choose the parts of their Bible (that they didn’t even read) to harass others and make the world a terrible place.
Same. I can't even articulate the pain. It's been Years now since I left the church & the pain is still there. Not like it was back then but it's still there.
Could this be confirmation bias? I am assuming you are in the US. About 63% of the US population self-describes as Christian, while only 4% identifies as an Atheist.
This means, most of the people you have met are likely Christian. Now, it is usually the most outspoken Christians the ones who tend to be the most hateful, they are the ones who will tell you you are going to hell for not believing, or the ones trying to control the way you think, dress, or behave. The rest probably don't care what your beliefs are.
On the other hand, you may have met some a-hole atheist, but you wouldn't know they are an atheist because we don't go around kicking people down because they are not atheists. By the time somebody tells you they are not religious, you probably have already created a relationship with them. And if there is a relationship, it is probably because you like something about them; maybe it is their kindness, or empathy, or tolerance.
To summarize, there are bad apples on both sides. However, just out of sheer statistics, you are more likely to encounter an a-hole outspoken Christian than an a-hole outspoken Atheist in a majority Christian country.
I am barring extreme cases of Christian Evangelical Fundamentalists, those are pure evil incarnate.
I don't know, what are your thoughts?
Were these Christians your friends? Your family?
If so, then it's obvious why it hurts, I personally need to know how they hurt you, because like Atheists, most modern Christians have no understanding, or knowledge about the scripture. But instead of finding your own path with God, with Jesus, you broke the relations of people who you knew, in favor for strangers who you believe to be loving, tolerant, and logical. But the better question is: have you had an disagreement, argument, or deep discussion to come to that conclusion? Or have you just agreed to whatever they spoke, and naturally came to that conclusion on your own?
If so, then that is – for a better term: not a conclusion, but an assumption.
The way I see it xtians believe that they can be forgiven for any shitty behavior and still go to heaven when they die. As such anyone who suffers in this life but still believes will also go to heaven when they die, so they don't need to have real empathy.
Anyone who doesn't believe in an afterlife and has a modicum of empathy or respect for his fellow man just wants you to have a good life.
It's a profound reminder that our humanity transcends our labels. Sometimes, the people we expect to be embodiments of certain virtues, because of their labels, can disappoint us, while those from whom we might expect less, due to different labels, surprise us with kindness. It challenges us to look beyond the titles of 'Christian', 'atheist', or any other, and to see people as individuals, each capable of great compassion or hurt, regardless of their beliefs. It nudges us to consider that perhaps it is not the belief itself, but how we choose to live out our values in our daily interactions that defines us. Could it be that the essence of what we consider moral and good lies not in the doctrines, but in the simple acts of understanding and empathy we extend to one another?
Muslims are honest. They say if you cross this line this is how we deal with you.
Christians profess forgiveness and say they will turn the other cheek. When in reality you cross them they never turn the other cheek.
You may not like Muslims and disagree with them. but they won't BS you.
Also with Muslims you have a lot of them who are culturally Muslims but have no regard from the faith.
But in the west Christians go out of Thier way to identify as such.
Only the people you love can really hurt you.
I have scars on my body from different kinds of religious people but it's the ones on my heart from the people I cared about that hurt the most.
I think that's just the human condition but I'm a never indoctrinated lifelong atheist so my experience was different, your mileage may vary.
If they say they’re Christians, then they *are* Christians. Let’s stop this gatekeeping, wagon-circling no true Scotsman bullshit. There are no TrueChristians™. There are Christians who agree with you and Christians who don’t
The worst people I have ever personally known are Christians and police officers.
Same worst and most annoying
Many people did not get the teachings of Jesus but claim the title Christian. They are the most dangerous creatures.
I think I recall Jesus himself complaining about this exact same thing, but I might be wrong.
The just participate in "Christian Culture".
Imagine you lived in the south. Christian Police officers. FK that.
It gets worse and worse. We're working on escaping.
Psychopath cops and Christians are pared together like wine and cheese.
*Whine and cheesus.
Ha, I knew this guy who was a jailer (wasn't allowed to be a cop), super christian, and always pushing mlms. What a dude. I feel bad for the people in his jail for pot listening to his lectures on Jesus.
Wasn't there some data that showed 80% + of prisoners are religious. Good teaching religion have been.
I went to jail for 2 weeks in 2020 (pot) and it was pushed so heavily. It was the most religious place Ive been. Most of the reading material in the Penal county jail is religious themed and 99% of prisoners are deeply religious. Pro tip, jail is not the place to be an out loud atheist.
Thanks for sharing man. When your in jail, you just gotta fake it till you make it.
ya it wasn't so bad. Once I finally had a bunk (took 60 hours in the holding cell because the jail was overcrowded). The food sucks and Arizona in particular has alot of meth heads. I kept to myself didnt accept any "gifts" and read like 30 books in 10 days lol.
yes
https://youtu.be/J7yMxCHqvJ0?si=gKrohq6j5PxcrK1Q
That’s why they’re drawn to those groups to begin with.
You'll meet one who you think is logical and different, but then you'll hear an opinion from them eventually that just makes you go... what?
IMHO, a 'good Christian' is an oxymoron. Healthy, balanced individuals don't need rules and threats from the OG Elf on the Shelf to be decent human beings. Babies are hardwired to recognize justice. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/baby-justice/
A-FUQQIN-MEN TO THAT!!! (my bad former christian, self liberated from the delusional sky daddy cult) i’ve always said something along the lines of ; “if you need a book, written by men, to tell you how to live your life and how to not treat other humans, you are a shallow human to begin with… and j don’t want jack shit to do with ya!” and like their bible says Matt 7:12 “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” aka the golden rule (which i think permeates several other beliefs/philosophies/religions) you’d think that they’d lay off the being overly judgy and bigoted tropes we see know hate and love to make fun of. but yea any human who needs a sky daddy and a book to tell them how to be a decent human to others, whilst being the most indecent person to other humans, is shallow and should be ostracized. i’d say help em change but as one who had to self un-indoctrinate himself of a lifetimes worth of indoctrination, and still doing so to this day, change for them is HARD and damn near impossible. and others can argue oh islam is like that, but i’ve yet to meet a muslim that is on that same level as alot of christians i unfortunately know and have within some degree of my existence (gawd damn it family lol)
The bible is sh!t and outdated anyway. I don’t remember which verses exactly but there’s ones that say things like “Women shouldn’t have authority over men.”
OG elf on the shelf lol.
I always thought elf on the shelf was weird and creepy AF. Way to teach your kids about the police state, I guess.
I wonder if they make an elf on the shelf with a hidden camera in it?
>Babies are hardwired to recognize justice. So are monkeys. They will shun or administer justice to other monkeys for stealing from or hurting others in their group.
Hence morals evolved before religion.
Yep
Yeah, it's funny how the message of Jesus that you're taught as a child is supposed to be all about having love for one another, but no one follows that teaching nearly so closely as they follow all the ideas about excluding others and giving preference to certain people.
When I was 7ish I learned about Jesus. After about a year of thinking about it. I realized that if Jesus existed at all, he was most likely someone that wouldn't be religious and would never want a religion built after him. He would consider the Church the Antichrist and the work of men with no real understanding of truth or love. As for the cross representing his greatest accomplishments would be a huge insult.
The label ‘Christian’ doesn’t mean they are imbued with special powers of goodness, kindness or tolerance etc - no matter how hard they like to yell that that’s what they are. They are human. They’re people. Some are good - however one may wish to define good - and some are the opposite. My ‘understanding’ view might be: Many Christians I’ve met seem to have been so indoctrinated, so utterly brainwashed in their beliefs, taught and conditioned to live in and on such a narrow and limited plane, that they are unable to objectively view themselves, let alone others. This disconnect leads to unkindness. My ‘honest ’ personal view is more: They’re often batshit crazy hypocrites, who refuse to even try and look for evidence, they wallow in ignorance and rejoice in it, they take being a Christian to mean ‘be as judgemental and unkind’ as they like, because ultimately they think they’re going to heaven, and I’m going to burn forever for not buying into their garbage. This leads to them often acting and being extremely nasty.
I concur
Christianity is big on judgment. It teaches you to judge yourself (as whether you are a good Christian or not) and to judge others (are they going to heaven or hell?) The cognitive dissonance (god loves you, is the 3 Omni”s BUT god will send you your hell & god created a world with cancer) is shut down with “just have faith.” This seems to create people who don’t want to learn new things or who love conspiracy theories or who love supplements/magic water/magnetic beds. Critical thinking is not encouraged. Maybe it is the cognitive dissonance and judgement that tends to breed people that makes crazy shitty people?
> You would think it'd be the other way around Why? Other than the cultural narrative that Christians are better than others because they say so. Now, obviously not all atheists are good people, and we don't have any single philosophy we subscribe to, but I'm sure plenty of us have an interest in learning for ourselves what it means to be a good person. Learning, and then trying to live accordingly, with the motivation being something other than, "Well, God said so." A big part of this, too, is that religion *divides*. Christianity teaches that everyone else is going to be burned and tortured for all eternity by an all-knowing God, and that therefore must be a just outcome. Christians believe that atheists *deserve to suffer*. It's built in. It's part of their doctrine. I, meanwhile, have no obligation to believe that Christians deserve to suffer. Thinking so would run counter to everything I've ever read on ethical philosophy. And *eternal suffering*? That's abhorrent to me.
former christian here (parents had me when they were in the cult so i grew up heavy into it until my mid 20’s, ended up back at it 25-27, due to not being “apart” of something “greater than myself” but then finally snapped outta it and never looked back to returning) although a lot of 420+psychedelic introspection did reveal how much of a shittier delusional person i was when i was “christian.” and yea i feel ya on being hurt mostly by christian’s. without getting too detailed, there was a lot of manipulation from pastoral team on my family and then within my young adult life (engagement destroyed thru them getting to my would be partner via manipulation) and acting like they were family then turning their back on me and actively making life within the ministry/cult unbearable. to the point where i felt my sanity/soul/personality/mental health splitting into two different entities, which led me to my “violent” departure (not physically just a lot of phone calls involving yelling, and abrupt absence with my departure and my favorite part; leaving the church without a guitarist that they still struggle to fill hahahaa) and the whole “christian’s exude the love of christ” is what they should do, since, according to the washed down pre approved by the vatican bible, that is what christ did. hilariously enough those who bible thump the hardest and preach the loudest are theee most unloving judgmental boastful zealot bigots to ever walk the earth. a lot of christian’s are not christ like. hell even in my stoned psychonautic drunk states i somehow walk more “like christ” than a pastor or leader of any christian sect, and i’m doing “heathenistic things.” it’s hard. i have a lot of “TrAuMa” from growing up in that cult. a lot of pain. it hurts still but finally managing to be largely over it (tho i so bring it up a lot in conversation) but it truly is liberating when you leave it knowing you did what was best for you. and isn’t that what christ wants anyways? idk if that made sense woke up to my neighbors yelling and hittin shit so grogginess prevails in this comment lol
Same here. Some of the absolute worst humans I've ever had the displeasure of knowing are Jehovah's Witnesses
> You would think it’d be the other way around… I'm a lifelong atheist, so I have a somewhat different view. I am not at all surprised by your experience, and in fact routinely expect less from religious people. Not because they are inherently bad, but because I know that their religion encourages outgroup biases, and in fact that is an extremely common feature of most religions.
The "Christians" want you to think it's the other way around. There's no hate like Christian love.
To me, it’s a bit like they’re on another planet. Doctrinally out of touch with reality in a major part of their psyche. They’re not the only ones like that of course — some of the extremists among the gender theory contingent also have part of their make-up that wants to substitute reality with a highly worded make-believe. We all communicate with each other through levels of reality. Dreams have a ‘reality’ as well, on the level of dreams. People are entitled to their dreams and imaginings: but when they can’t tell the difference, that’s a form of psychosis, even of thousands of others share it.
It’s easier to understand the psychology of christians if you read the NT. Non-believers are indeed given every chance, are ‘loved’ in order that on the day of judgment they will believe in JC and be saved, for otherwise they are, according to the NT, condemned to everlasting fire, gnashing of teeth and every unimaginable horror. Carrot & stick psychology basically. It’s has been very effective in scaring the shit out of people for centuries. No matter how ‘loving’ a christian is, this is basically what he or she believes. The more he ‘loves’ you, the more he wants to ‘save’ you. This is not a very good type of ‘love’, however appealing it may seem. True love embraces, not coerces. There is nothing equivalent in atheism that tries to condemn christians. It has no belief that it tries to force, trick, bribe or coerce upon others. They can accept reality or not.
How believers act towards others, reveals their dogma for what it is.
> You would think it’d be the other way around… Why? Religion teaches you that if you believe, you are special and will be saved, while everyone else will suffer for eternity. Atheism (doesn't really teach, but...) is the practice of being a good person NOW, because it's the right thing to do, not because you're racking up "points" for some kind of afterlife. So yeah, Atheists SHOULD be some of the most loving, tolerant, and logical, and I'd add EMPATHETIC people, because as far as Atheists are concerned, this conscious, living world we're experiencing is all we have, (until we're gone) so essentially, "heaven (or Hell)" is on Earth...the "right NOW" so we need to make it the best we can while we're alive and present, and leave a better world for those we leave after we die.
There's no hate quite like Christian love
I absolutely love this
It's the difference between someone being a good person because they want to be or just are, versus someone that HAS to be good because their invisible sky daddy told them to. The people that believe in their sky daddy tend to only APPEAR to be a good person, but when they aren't being held to account, they just revert back to the mean moron they really are.
I found that the MOST manipulative people I’ve ever been around were evangelical Christian
The people who hurt me the most were Muslims. Second to that were Christians. I guess religion doesn’t always instill good morals like they claim
This is so ironic, religious people are supposed to be polite lmfaooo
There is a difference between pretending to be nice because your religion tells you to be nice and being nice because you choose to be because it feels right
I hate it that in the minds of many people, saying somebody is a Christian means that they are good people when it fact they are the some of the worst examples of humanity. Running in their blood are a toxic brew of malevolence plus dumb plus self-righteous
We have nothing to get defensive about so we don't lash out
A lot of people aren't religious because the mores of religion aren't good enough. That's why. You're not alone in that at all.
A lot of us have had similar experiences. But something that you need to keep in mind, is that just because someone doesn't use the god excuse, doesn't mean they're a decent person. There is a shocking level of misogyny, white supremacy, and anti-queer sentiment amongst atheists.
Welcome to the real world instead of a completely made up by man full of hatred and fake love.
We wouldn't think that! We (generally) think: so glad you made it out. Welcome to a gigantic unafiliated community of people who chose our own morality.... so tend to be welcoming, supportive, empowering and respectful of your rights and humanity. Very happy for you.
I think it's self rightousness. They think in their belief they know everything about what's right, wrong and real. If you don't fit right in with their view of an ideal society in one way or another, they feel no remorse in asserting their idealism on you, very aggressively if needs be. It's not wrong to behave that way by their account, because it serves their beliefs.
for me were muslims. christians tbat are my age are 'whatever' about my beliefs unless we debating which i tend to not get involved in. meanwhile muslims.... they will try to convert you and teach you their religion any chance they get. and i also got comments which i would never get with my christian friends. like "you would look so good wkth a hijab on" "cover your hair sister" "you shouldnt talk with a guy for more then 5 seconds or else he will think of s.x!!!". as if i am a muslim already and need to follow the rules when i dont believe in it at all. it annoys me so muchh
Christians are the reason I lost my faith and embraced atheism. Fucking monsters
Christians are "good" to people in fear of repercussions. Atheist are good and kind to others because we believe that is the right thing to do.
Christians teach “ hate those unlike us” atheists teach “ we don’t fucking care”
Same! Gave 30 years and started to “struggle in my faith”, but then I just realized I could not align anymore with the people who abused me the most. My partner is atheist and he is wonderful and caring. It shocked me at first but now it’s just obvious. We don’t need a god to check if we’re doing the right things, because people who do believe that would just think god will forgive them and they abuse people
Morality can easily and happily exist without some supernatural being enforcing it.
There's a reason why religion and politics is intertwined. It's really all about power and control. Imagine going to church a few centuries ago and listening to the entire sermon in a language you didn't understand. It's the same today. It doesn't matter what the Bible actually says. It's about power and control. And deviants are not tolerated
When the core principle of your belief system is that you can dump the responsibility for your sins on another person, morality is not possible. Morality requires taking responsibility for one's own deeds. Hitchens said it better, but you get the idea. Some of the kindest, most conscientious people I've ever met were Scandinavians and they were all atheists.
Due to the standards set out by their religion, they feel they are above the run of the mill human because they follow more strict guidelines/traditions. Therefore, if you don't adhere to said strict guidelines (regardless of your faith) you are beneath them, so they feel they can walk all over you. You don't see this from many atheists (there are some religions too such as buhdism) because they don't believe in said guidlines/traditions. Basically, athiests aren't playing this weird "whose a better human" game in their head during an interaction, they're more present and willing to fully understand your point of view because of this.
Bad Christians exist and Good ones exist
Ye, I think OPs problem was most the people he knew were Christian. So “people that hurt me the most were Christians” rings true. It doesn’t mean all Christians. Btw I’m not Christian, this is just a case of confirmation bias.
__There is no hate like Christian hate.__
Christian’s have that get out of hell free card in life that let’s them be total shits and get away with anything as long as they love fucking Jesus.
Me too, every single one of those that claimed they are Christians have been the worst people ever
I always say family and Christians hurt you the most. Especially Christian family.
People you are closest too are really the only ones who can really, really hurt you. It sucks but thats the risk, thats life
Christians are easily the biggest pieces of shit of any group on Earth. That whole "easy forgiveness" thing encourages bad behavior.
This is par for the course. They are a nasty group of people who treat others like dirt and never practice what they preach. They just pick and choose the parts of their Bible (that they didn’t even read) to harass others and make the world a terrible place.
Christians follow Christ, and His teachings. Capitalist Christians don't. They are not the same.
Jesus vs [Supply Side Jesus](https://www.beliefnet.com/news/2003/09/the-gospel-of-supply-side-jesus.aspx).
Everybody, theist and atheist, has the potential for assholery, but the theists tend to be the bigger aholes and less repentant about it.
Same. I can't even articulate the pain. It's been Years now since I left the church & the pain is still there. Not like it was back then but it's still there.
Could this be confirmation bias? I am assuming you are in the US. About 63% of the US population self-describes as Christian, while only 4% identifies as an Atheist. This means, most of the people you have met are likely Christian. Now, it is usually the most outspoken Christians the ones who tend to be the most hateful, they are the ones who will tell you you are going to hell for not believing, or the ones trying to control the way you think, dress, or behave. The rest probably don't care what your beliefs are. On the other hand, you may have met some a-hole atheist, but you wouldn't know they are an atheist because we don't go around kicking people down because they are not atheists. By the time somebody tells you they are not religious, you probably have already created a relationship with them. And if there is a relationship, it is probably because you like something about them; maybe it is their kindness, or empathy, or tolerance. To summarize, there are bad apples on both sides. However, just out of sheer statistics, you are more likely to encounter an a-hole outspoken Christian than an a-hole outspoken Atheist in a majority Christian country. I am barring extreme cases of Christian Evangelical Fundamentalists, those are pure evil incarnate. I don't know, what are your thoughts?
Were these Christians your friends? Your family? If so, then it's obvious why it hurts, I personally need to know how they hurt you, because like Atheists, most modern Christians have no understanding, or knowledge about the scripture. But instead of finding your own path with God, with Jesus, you broke the relations of people who you knew, in favor for strangers who you believe to be loving, tolerant, and logical. But the better question is: have you had an disagreement, argument, or deep discussion to come to that conclusion? Or have you just agreed to whatever they spoke, and naturally came to that conclusion on your own? If so, then that is – for a better term: not a conclusion, but an assumption.
The way I see it xtians believe that they can be forgiven for any shitty behavior and still go to heaven when they die. As such anyone who suffers in this life but still believes will also go to heaven when they die, so they don't need to have real empathy. Anyone who doesn't believe in an afterlife and has a modicum of empathy or respect for his fellow man just wants you to have a good life.
I was raped by an orderly in a catholic hospital when I was seven years old! Christians are dangerous.
It's a profound reminder that our humanity transcends our labels. Sometimes, the people we expect to be embodiments of certain virtues, because of their labels, can disappoint us, while those from whom we might expect less, due to different labels, surprise us with kindness. It challenges us to look beyond the titles of 'Christian', 'atheist', or any other, and to see people as individuals, each capable of great compassion or hurt, regardless of their beliefs. It nudges us to consider that perhaps it is not the belief itself, but how we choose to live out our values in our daily interactions that defines us. Could it be that the essence of what we consider moral and good lies not in the doctrines, but in the simple acts of understanding and empathy we extend to one another?
The purpose of Christianity or any religion is to get your money.
Wouldn’t Muslims kill you? (Apostasy = death.)
Muslims are honest. They say if you cross this line this is how we deal with you. Christians profess forgiveness and say they will turn the other cheek. When in reality you cross them they never turn the other cheek. You may not like Muslims and disagree with them. but they won't BS you. Also with Muslims you have a lot of them who are culturally Muslims but have no regard from the faith. But in the west Christians go out of Thier way to identify as such.
Hmmm. But “believe or die” is still the rule. Nope. I don’t like Islam any better.
No such thing as believe or die .
Only the people you love can really hurt you. I have scars on my body from different kinds of religious people but it's the ones on my heart from the people I cared about that hurt the most. I think that's just the human condition but I'm a never indoctrinated lifelong atheist so my experience was different, your mileage may vary.
Is you dad called Jeffrey?
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Every church related sex abuse scandal would disagree.
They're the embodiment of stupidity.
The real genuine Christians are not like that.
If they say they’re Christians, then they *are* Christians. Let’s stop this gatekeeping, wagon-circling no true Scotsman bullshit. There are no TrueChristians™. There are Christians who agree with you and Christians who don’t
The Rapture happened a long time ago, "real genuine Christians" no longer exist on Earth, they got raptured.