I think back to times in my life where I faced adversity and needed real, emotional support but never got it because people offered their prayers or told me it was God's will, instead.
That's still a real trigger phrase for me. I can't stand it when religious people respond to adversity and tragedy with such a bullshit phrase as "It's God's will," and even worse, show-boating to their adoring religious public with "I'll pray for you."
Right now a friend's wife is dying and all 4,000 of his Facebook friends will post about is how they'll pray for this couple, and they literally compete with each other with what they write about God, prayers, Jesus, Heaven, Salvation, etc. I had to put my friend's Facebook page on Snooze for 30 days or I was going to lose it on his Facebook page.
When I was in hospital at 29 with a TBI after being hit off my road bike by a man driving a large sized mobility van, I was assaulted with people "praying" for me in person and over the phone to the point where I told people to leave me alone. They just didn't understand that the man driving his large van hit me b/c of the circumstances. There was nothing divine about it. Nothing.
I was distracted, he was speeding, and we collided. The only reason I survived, according to my doctor at the time, was because of the way my body was positioned when the van made impact with me on my road bike, which got run over and crushed. I cracked my skull in half, was temporarily blinded, had blood in my ears and eyes from the impact, and spent 6 months in recovery as an inpatient in a physical rehabilitation floor of a hospital and as an out patient. Not once during that time, did I question why it happened. I knew deep down, that my accident "just happened." God's Will my a**. It had nothing to do with God.
I wish that phrase and when people show boat with "I'll pray for you," didn't emotionally trigger me as an Atheist, but it still does because it's such a cop-out! Such a cop-out.
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That crap also triggers a lot of anger and negative thoughts in my mind. I do not react to such nonsense, but internally I seethe.
A few years ago (in the middle of winter) I stopped to change a flat tire for a stranded female driver. I was 90% complete when she began "bless you, god intervened". I really considered reversing all my actions to strand her on the side of the road. She will never know how close she came.
IMO it is a cop-out, a cover for ignorance. Those theists don't care, or know enough to understand causes and effects, so they fall back on that worn-out "it's god's will".
For that female driver, she allocated a lot to her deity. But I was the one who decided to stop and help, I was the one who was the good guy, and it sure wasn't any god. Recounting this tale brings back the frustrating anger.
What really irks me is this:
Theists always claim they know their god's mind and ways when good things happen." Jesus loves you because ... " or "god is kind and loving". But when faced with the harsh realities of life, such as a child suffering from cancer, they hide behind " we do not know god's mind or ways", or "this is part of god's plan".
David, re: "bless you, god intervened"
I am so sorry you have to hear that. Nobody likes to be taken advantage of. She couldn't even give you a "thank you"?
One of the main problems I've experienced with Xtianity is the denial of self.... and in your case... others. In her thinking, if she had given you any credit, she would be denying her god. Yes, that is pathetic.
I've had similar happen to me, only I was so pissed at their inability to just say "thanks". I said; in several occasions, "why can't you just say "thank you"?? what's wrong with you that you're so ungrateful?" In both cases, it was interesting, they were just embarrassed; they didn't defend their god, they were just embarrassed, and then said, "thank you." Sometimes I wonder if they say things just because they think it gives them brownie points so they can prove god to themselves. You know what I mean?
This is my first action in this website , "prove god for themselves" , looks interesting and holds some logic behind
Just blurting out anything religious in public will make my hair stand on end. Why are these freaks so comfortable with their "Bless Yous, Praise the Lords, and Jesus Loves Yous." I generally let it fly but if they get pushy the wrath of Cog comes down on them. I have not met a street preacher proselytizer yet who can hold their own. I'm not rude but I will hold their feet to the fire if they are intrusive or rude. I consider calling anyone a sinner or insulting passers by intrusive. Just saying "Jesus loves you" is okay in my book. It's when they start telling people they are going to burn in hell that I take offense/
Praying did not help this guy..... God's will my ass!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1pJe_Tcdeg
What gets to me also, is when some disaster occurs, (natural or otherwise), with maybe dozens or hundreds of people dying. A very small number don't die, and among them one hears that they and others thank "God" for saving themselves or their loved ones. I just wonder what they think "God" did for the ones who died, and by extension what "God did, (or didn't), do for the families of the lost ones. And I think: "How arrogant of the lucky ones . . . to presume that they were singled out by the favour of the supposed god, but the many others who died had no special treatment from their god".
And BTW, prayer has been put to the scientific test, and it worked no better than pure chance, and sometimes worse, (sick people in hospital were actively prayed for, in a bid for "heavenly" intercession in their recovery). The experiment can easily be checked by use of Google.
Mu.
Oh how I agree with that one. I was looking for a video that was on YouTube a while back of this Christian man praying for a police officer who had been shot in the neck. The asshole keeps raising his arms and asking god to help this officer as he bleeds out. The wonderful success of prayer fully demonstrated. The man did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AT ALL TO ASSIST THE OFFICER.... NOTHING . Just talked to the sky and let him die. (I don't think the officer actually dies but if this asshole had anything at all to do with it the officer would have died.,) I hate asshole Christians that pray for people to get better or for disaster victims. I JUST WANT TO SLAP THEM UP SIDE THE HEAD and yell DO SOMETHING YOU IDIOT!
The worst and most ignorant are the sports people who make hand signals or blow kisses or even look meaningfully at the empty sky when they score or make some sort of achievement. Do they think their god makes it to every game in the world to help its favourite team or player win? If two rival theists pray for victory does it mean a draw? Why do atheists ever win?
How to make (some) Christians angry
Ask them: "Do you believe in God?" When they say they do respond with: "Why should I believe you ... you might be lying?"
A surprising number of them are unable to pass this "test of their faith".
@SC007 Re: "How to make (some) Christians angry"
Dog-gonnit, dude! You gave me a good laugh with that one. I'm definitely going to have to remember that and actually try it whenever I get the chance. Brilliant! LMAO...
"Nothing real requires belief." It's going to happen or be there whether you believe it or not. Only those things that are not real require belief.
Ex-bishop John Spong admits that Hell was invented by the Church to control people with fear. Well, of course that's true! Anything religious was "invented" to impose social control on populations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyjUFRNbQPY
AtheistGal,
"Ex-bishop John Spong admits that Hell was invented by the Church to control people with fear. "
Ex-Bishop Spong is an idiot. Just about all religions that pre-dated Christianity had some version of hell. He would have beenmore correct to say that the church adopted the idea of hell to control people. But even that idea is not completely correct because the biblical hell is temporary. A soul could be in hell but it will get out on Judgment Day and may even get into the gaudy bejeweled golden cube called New Jerusalem based on his works. If not he will get tossed into the lake of fire along with hell and death.
Most people have adopted the Islamic version of hell instead of the biblical one. In the Islamic fairy tale the dead are resurrected on Judgment Day and the good guys get a private paradise. Most of the women go to hell. In the Islamic hell people are tortured forever.
It pays to know your hells. The ex-bishop is clueless about his fairy tale.
The definition of hell has also changed a lot. Some versions of hell's it was simply not: "heaven." Usually the fire and brimstone and eternal agony stuff came later as various religions felt the need to turn the dial of fear up to: "as high as possible." To get people to stay in line and keep following their religion and do as they are told.
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Priests abusing the disable is definitely NOT the Will of God. Assholes!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFDqSuUOLR8
On the other hand "Priests abusing the disable definitely is the will of God's Assholes."
It makes me mad when a theist tells me I've taken it out of context.
This makes me mad also. As if the bible is written in some secret code that only a true believer can understand!
Hey there, Kevinr. Welcome to the AR. I'm really diggin' that profile pic, by the way. Excellent choice.... *thumbs up*... Been seing you around the other threads. Always nice to have a new "voice" out on the field.
lol... I;m loving these. Of course.... Why didn't I think of hat one. I open the bible, read the verse, fully describe the situation and ------- "It's out of context." LOL! It's right there in print.
In actuality, unless you recite the ENTIRE Bible each and every time you use any of its text, you are otherwise taking it out of context.
rmfr
Now there is a conversation killer!
Hello and sorry to hear about all that you went through, that must have been horrific for you. I can relate to the meaningless, mindless and insulting god's will shit people say to others. My mother died of cancer ten years ago and she looked like a burn victim in the end. he went from 160 pounds down to 72 and her skin looked like she had been burned. The hospice workers prayed for her on a daily basis and when she died they gave me the insulting god's will bullshit!
It is an insult to ones intelligence and also can be hurtful.
You know what's a real trigger for me? *EDIT!*
I completely understand that trigger.
Early in 2018 I was in the ICU for a heart issue. I had a really bad case of Atrial Flutter and was close to death with a heart working at less than 10%. It was so bad that doctors could not read my blood pressure or pulse. I was, along with my family, tying up loose ends for my impending death. Medication was not working and I had to have an ablation as a last-ditch effort.
I got wheeled into a state-of-the-art surgical suite and a brilliant doctor was at the helm of some of the most advanced medical equipment on Earth. After 4 hours of them probing my heart, they were able to kill off the areas that were causing the misfiring electrical pulses. My heart rate went from 230+ weak beats per minute to 70 strong, perfectly timed beats per minute. I was normal again. 7 months later my heart is healthy and I am sitting here typing this, loving every minute of my life!
So many times throughout my whole ordeal I had so many people say "I'll pray for you" or "Get right with God!". It pissed me off so much. When I was given the all-clear, those same people gave all the credit to their God and patted themselves on the back for their prayers working. They figured since I was so close to death I must be a changed man and will now abandon my atheist heathen ways and find, thank and serve Jesus. They were wrong.
I thank the hard work and years that brilliant doctor went through studying and practicing her work. Her dedication to her job and career saved my life. SHE and her awesome team saved my life. At my last medical check up I made sure to let her know how grateful I was to her and her team. I thanked her for using her obviously high intelligence in way that saves people's lives. I mentioned all the prayers said for me and how so many people gave the credit to the Old Man in the Sky (well, not in those words exactly)
It turns out she is a fellow atheist and said it was a breath of fresh air to get credit for her hard work instead of Invisible Sky Daddy. I could not imagine being in her position and having the credit go to some imaginary being.
I agree, giving "god credit" is a real slap in the face to all the doctors, staff, and people that make a large complex entity like a highly advanced surgery work, all the years of education, all the hard work, practicing and so on.
And of course also a slap in the face in literally the 10's of thousands if not more people that do all the work in the background, innovating new medical tools and procedures, all the work that the surgeon relies on that happened before, all the medical scientific advancements, even the american tax payer that pays for much of the original hard grunt work of developing new technologies, that may never work out, so no commercial entity will invest money in it.
Your life saving procedure is the culmination of enormous amount of work by so many people to make it all possible, god had absolutely nothing to do with it. Which is of course obvious to us atheist as it plainly obvious there is no god of any kind other then the ones in the imagination of liars and con artist.
Christopher Hitchens did not cave in the end. He had nuns begging him to convert, but he held his own all the while knowing he was dying. I applaud that. He was at times arrogant and all knowing (like their god claims to be), but he was strong in his disbelief. In cases like his and others, it is the sickness and the body giving up, that is confused with being gods will.
One thing that really pricks my ass is that in many cases theists give glowing descriptions on their god. "My god is loving, caring, all-powerful, yadda yadda". We have all heard that from every theist.
Yet when they run into a paradox or a very difficult question, they suddenly run behind the magic screen of "we don't know god's will". Which to me is is blatant cowardice. For all the good things that happen they have all the answers. But when bad shit happens, no one knows.
One "trick" I have used is when faced with a devout theist, I inform them that I am a trained first-aider and also know resuscitation methods like the Heimlich maneuver. I ask them that if I see them choking, am I to pray for them or apply scientifically proven methods to keep them alive. I am sincere too, I am respecting their wishes.
So far, the responses have been amusing.