On a daily basis I hear, read or in some manner am told (without even asking mind you) that someone loves jesus. In the bible belt, this can sometimes be an hourly event. The whole "I LOVE jesus" thing is just the same act as prayer. It's a show. These people don't "love jesus". They never knew jesus. Hell, they can't even be sure jesus ever existed, and certainly can't prove it.
Now I am pretty certain that "Lennie" from 'Of Mice and Men' never existed but if there was a fictional character to "L-O-V-E" it would certainly be him...he...him...oh, you know what I mean.
Why do christians persist in telling people, that don't even want to know, that they love jesus? I say fine, fuck, go love him over there.
"Not in front of the children! NOT in front of the children...you pervert!"
There are many fictional characters I love. Dr. Dolittle for one. But I don't go galavanting around proclaiming my undying love for that piece of literary genius!
Just like people shun Public Displays of Affection (PDAs) as being inappropriate, I also shun (PDFs) for the same reason. Public Displays of Faith.
Now I could go on even start citing scripture about that prayer is not meant to be a public display, that faith in the christian god is not a badge of honor, that not denying your belief is not the same thing as being obnoxious and shouting it every 5 minutes, that sharing with others and spreading the word is far from just screaming "I L-O-V-E jesus" every 5 minutes. However, I don't actually want to go down that road. evangelicals just don't understand their own bible and just don't believe it. I live near Dallas and the I love jesus thing is WAY out of control. You can see even on this forum how out of control it is. Imagine that only 100 times as much!
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I'll pray for you, Myk. Oh, and Jesus loves you. *quickly diving behind heavy barricade while laughing maniacally*
@TM
*Panting Heavily behind the same barricade* Where is groot?
@Old Man
Shhhhhhhhh....! *excited whisper* quiet, already. you'll give away our hiding place. and stop panting on my neck. it tickles.
I agree.
Most theists do not comprehend how much pummeling we atheists receive on a daily basis. We are surrounded by theists, who continually blather on about religion this, religion that.
On my path to work I pass by 17 religious institutions. Yet if a theist passes by a billboard contrary to their beliefs, the outcry rings loud and for a long time.
Last winter I was driving along and encountered a woman standing by the side of the road, her car had an obvious flat tire. I stopped and with her consent, began to change tires. I explained the procedure so that she would be more educated and safer, and made her promise to go to the nearest tire repair shop because the spare was one of those tiny skinny things that are designed for low speeds and a limited distance.
Well, (and I am sure you can see this coming) she then went into a religious rant, about me answering her prayers, that I was an angel in disguise, she would offer a special prayer to me, you know the drill. I was immediately offended and my first thought was to step back and leave her with the car jacked up and no tire on the wheel. But I was helping her because it was the right thing to do. I bit my tongue because I knew that the brief period our paths crossed I would not be able to alter her opinion.
It had been a positive experience for both of us up to that point, and I decided to maintain the appearance that everything was ducky, so that she could go her merry way.
Even when one tries to do the right thing and help others in pure charity, we atheists can get kicked in the groin by the folly, arrogance, and idiocy of religion.
I feel your pain mykcob4, sometimes almost anger. Religion has really screwed up this world and made it an ugly place.
David Killens,
"that I was an angel in disguise,"
If you feel prickist you can always say that you are one of God's evil angels.
Psalm 78:49 (KJV) = "He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them."
David Killens,
Let there be a statue dedicated to the long-suffering, noble atheist! It would be the counterpart to those Christian statues with Mary holding a dead Jesus or featuring a gross, dead Jesus hanging on the cross. It would possess grandeur, nobility, and majestic beauty. It would inspire onlookers instead of making them feel guilty or sick.
Occasionally, religious people deserve credit for doing something really nice. (Some of us do get lucky!) Around Veteran's Day one of the churches in my neighborhood (of which there are more than I care to count), the one with the huge, gaudy cross, put on a benefit show for us veterans! Tickets were something like $37, but all veterans could come to the final show (which was the best and included a dinner) for free! It was well organized, with little signs and people directing visitors coming in from a large parking lot on a rather large complex). The free lunch was humble but delicious! They found a caterer who knew how to put out something worth eating--and my opinion is based on the veggie entry I chose!! (I'm not a vegetarian; it just looked that good.)
The lady who was the prime organizer greeted everyone personally in the check-in line (to verify veteran status). After dinner, which included a yummy bit of veteran's cake, there was no need to move. The stage formed up in front of us! (We were in a large warehouse where a stage had been constructed, so it was just a matter of pulling back the curtain.)
The show itself was based on the old Bob Hope military shows overseas during and after WWII. The emcee doubled as Bob Hope who went through some of the classic jokes while four ladies doubled for one of Hope's singing sister groups, returning later to double as yet another singing sister group! A Black pianist doubled as a famous Black jazz player while his wife doubled as a famous Black singer. A small band brought up background music. This was not amateur hour. These entertainers were GOOD! Some classic trappings of the period popped up on overhead screens, including (for those who may remember) doctors advertising cigarettes!
And, I only had to suffer through one or maybe two mild prayers during the whole, multi-hour program which included a bathroom break. And I did not detect any proselytizing at all!
Yep, David, I've had a few experiences like that. Always awkward.
One of my friends is a devout Catholic. He is generally very kind but has a bone to pick with non-Christians. He always says that Christianity is the only faith where you are not told to kill people, and he uses the bible to back up all of his arguments. I told him that the bible does in fact allow killing, and that it even allows men to kill their wives. He laughed at me and said I was crazy. I pulled my phone out, and showed it to him and his only response was "yeah, but that's the old testament!". I couldn't believe it. I told him "you accept the bible, right?" He said yes. Then I told him that either you accept it all, or you don't accept it at all. You can't just pick and choose what you like. I feel that religious people often feel that they have some special right to judging what is "good" and what is "bad". Anytime you disagree with them they either contrast your claim by saying "even if x is bad, and x exists within my religion, there is another religion out there that is even worse" or "that aspect of the faith doesn't matter, I don't see it as fit, so therefore I will turn a blind eye to it". These people are immersed within these communities where that kind of thinking becomes the societal norm, like the bible belt in USA, for instance. In Lithuania, there are also pockets of really religious communities. These people are so used to talking like that. Then, when they go out into the workplace or anywhere public for that matter, these words are bound to come up. Let's call it their heuristics. I used to call them out on their claims, but now I just nod, and let them talk.
I just had an "incident", it was a shame no was around to witness it. When I gaze out my windows or stand on the balcony, it overlooks "Crawford Adventist Academy". Yup, living next door to Latter Day Saints. The whole package, hundreds of them because they have a school, and also have a church there.
So when I heard some funny sliding noise at my door, I quickly opened it to reveal a young lady sliding a pamphlet through the door jamb. I asked "what are you doing?" to which she replied "we are inviting you to our church to celebrate the death .." and I cut her off because I knew they travel in pairs, and I noticed an elbow sticking out from the side.
I leaned over slightly and there was another young lady standing there, to the side.
So I said to her "don't hide, come out of the shadows and into the light".
I then instructed them that they were guilty of criminal trespassing and to leave immediately, and as I closed the door, said "because the cops may be coming".
David Killens,
Along these lines I have a couple of fun incidents to relate. When I lived in an apartment, two guys showed up one day at my door and started unloading their bullshit. Little did they realized that I had spent years picking apart arguments like theirs, and I felt energetic that morning. I had a little spare time on my hands too. So, I did not close the door! Pretty soon I got rolling and these guys fell into a kind of dumb silence, nodding their heads now and then. I could swear that they were breaking a serious sweat, but then it may have been a hot day. They were like hapless animals stuck to a live wire! Eventually, when their pain reached a critical threshold, they fumbled some excuse and broke away, quickly disappearing! Never saw them again.
In another place at another time I often had these Jehovah's Witnesses coming to my door. One day the lady in the background watched in helpless horror as I dived into some unexpected biblical material that neither could handle. I even managed to slip them one of my pamphlets. Now, that's a 10-pointer right there since they are instructed to refuse anything that might inspire critical thinking. Perhaps they were temporarily shell-shocked, blown out of their training rut. They mumbled something about getting the answers from the home front and getting back to me, but I don't ever recall seeing them again. No one ever got back to me with the magic answers.
Well I as A Catholic reverence Jesus Christ I and I repeat am not sexually attracted to him. Your mixing up the two here. Evangelicals yes they love Christ but not as you say. They have a high degree of reverence; There is a big difference here. There is absolutely nothing wrong in praying as a group in public nothing!!! The people that you mention have painted a portrait concerning what the bible says about Christ life. They of course like me only know of this Jesus through the bible and by direct revelation. The third person of the Holy Trinity comforts us and reveals thing to us .So the average Christian learns from the pastor of his particular church and through the bible the Christian message. He may watch like I always do downloads on you tube and go to different Christian web sites. there is so much to access today concerning this great Christian faith. Also concerning the bible belt where did these people get the idea to build churches and universities, It was from a sound experience of GOD working in there lives. It was GOD personally interceding here his divine direction.
Oh, horseshit FIG. You have a hard-on for your jesus and we all know it. You didn't learn ANYTHING through "revelation". If you did I challenge you to prove it.
As far as public and group prayer.
1) It is nothing but a show. All it is is a contest to PROVE that you are the most christiany christian there is and nothing more. The bible calls people that pray in public hypocrites.
2) The bible teachs that prayer is a personal matter and is NOT for public display.
Matthew 6:5
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
There is no 3rd person in the Trinity. Every catholic knows that. The 3rd being is a ghost, not a person.
The crap that YOU download off of the internet is rubbish. It's pure propaganda.
No god interceded to tell people to build universities. The idea of universities came from Greece, ancient Greece, long before a christian or even hebrew god.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_ancient_Greece
faith in God fo...
"There is absolutely nothing wrong in praying as a group in public nothing!!!"
People who pray in public piss Jesus off and he's going to toss them into the lake of fire for disobeying his commandments. Jesus did a lot of praying but he never prayed in public.
well the catholic church now calls the holy ghost the holy spirit .the trinity is made up of 3 coequal persons. the father and the son and the holy spirit are all god. there is absolutely nothing wrong in public praying, in fact it is safeguarded by the first amendment which gives the right for people to assemble. And people have for various reasons and causes. Take the civil rights movement in the South this was lawful assembly protected by the first amendment. Billy Graham for years before he filled bid stadiums had tent meetings .You see Christians in the parks and on the street corners proclaiming and reading the bible and praying for people. please stop the trolling here stop using that vulgar language.
That's right, Myk! You fucking listen to FIG and try to control that damn trashy shit-mouth of yours! You have the manners of a motherfucking illegitimate hamster-humper that eats dog shit and elderberries. So please do everybody a big damn favor for fuck's sake and keep your profanity shit out of here, asshole.
There, FIG. You shouldn't have anymore trouble out of Myk for awhile. (Well, maybe one or two posts, at least.)
@ TM
You wicked wicked boy *wags finger*
@Old Man
What??? I'm just trying to take up for my ol' pal FIG. The poor guy shouldn't have to put up with all the profanity bullshit. Just ain't fuckin' right. Besides, I promised I would try to turn over a new leaf and be a kinder, gentler Tin-Man toward our theist brothers. *halo appears above head*
@fiG "the father and the son and the holy spirit are all god"
If they are all one, then jesus never died, and god knew he was going to resurrect him. So jesus didn't really die for anyone's sins, he just took the Easter weekend off.
@fig
I am not trolling. I am not proselytizing. You are doing both. You posted on this thread to try and disrupt it and you won't stay on topic. This topic has NOTHING absolutely NOTHING with the constitutional right to free assembly. Did you get that? I will use whatever fucking language I like! Funny how you cite a constitutional freedom yet want to oppress MY right to free speech! Fucking incredible!
I have proven USING SCRIPTURE that public prayer is by hypocrites. That is directly from the gospel of matthew! Oh, and BTW, I know what the catholic church official recognizes as the trinity...DO YOU? Apparently NOT! It's 1) god, not a person 2) jesus, a person that never existed, and 3) the holy ghost, not a person.
Oh and FUCK BILLY steal money from little old ladies Graham!
As far as post go, why don't you take a grammar class. Your posts are abysmal!
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja...
@ FIG
The link you gave
Well isnt that the truth...382 years after the birth of your Christ a pope announces that anyone who doesnt believe in the made up man made apologetic of the Trinity will be put to death as an heretic.
Dear billy, figure it out, the Trinity story is made up to make theology to fit the scripture. Its a MAN MADE excuse for all the contradictions about a ghost, a god and a son all being the same thing. Even that link says you can't figure it out, don't try, there's no evidence for it. It's made up by men.
You are a trial, billy.
(edited for spelling)
the reason I post this is because the teaching of the trinity was incorrect The reason why I gave that link above is because Mykcob gave an incorrect teaching on the catholic doctrine concerning the trinity .As it clearly states that there are 3 persons that consist of the trinity.Jesus mentions this at the end of the gospel of Matthew chapter 28; In sum saying go out and teach and baptize in the name of the father son and holy spirit. That is an imperative verb in the Greek meaning a command.So not only did the catholic doctrine derive from the catholic church but it interpreted Jesus saying here to mean the trinity.
@Fig,
I've never seen a rational explanation for the Trinity! It appears to be a logical contradiction. How do you make the committee of 3 into one being without destroying their independence? If the 3 parts remain independent, then you have a committee; if they are wielded together, then they lose their identity.
If only Yeshua was still wiggling on the cross!
Trying to make sense of religious drivel is hard work....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIla4w3ePFo
@ZeffD
david Alen is one of my very favorite commentators/comedians! Thanks!