I will pray everyday for Jesus to touch your heart. [YOU RESPOND]

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I will pray everyday for Jesus to touch your heart. [YOU RESPOND]

From: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 12:58 PM
Subject: [General Question] the most powerful tool in the world

erin hill sent a message using the contact form at
http://www.rationalresponders.com/contact.

Brian,
God will forgive all sins if you come to Him with a truly repentive heart.
I will pray for you everyday that Jesus Christ will touch your heart and
show you His love. Christians are praying for your soul, that you will
repent and come back to Christ. I hope you will see the truth before it is
too late. Jesus is coming back and it could be very soon. You will never be
happy with what you are doing, it will only bring you death.
I pray and plead the blood of Jesus for your soul that you will repent.
Erin Hill


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Good luck with that. While

Good luck with that. While you're talking to your ceiling, we'll be out making a real difference. And everyone dies, christian or otherwise. So you will never be happy with what you are doing, it will only bring you death.

Psalm 14:1 "the fool hath said in his heart there is a God"-From a 1763 misprinted edition of the bible

dudeofthemoment wrote:
This is getting redudnant. My patience with the unteachable[atheists] is limited.

Argument from Sadism: Theist presents argument in a wall of text with no punctuation and wrong spelling. Atheist cannot read and is forced to concede.


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I will drink to the Flying

I will drink to the Flying Spaghetti Monster and hope his appendages touch you in the most pleasurable of ways


MattShizzle
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How can a fictional being

How can a fictional being ever come back? Praying to blood seems barbaric to me.


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Erin wrote:I will pray for

Erin wrote:
I will pray for you everyday that Jesus Christ will touch your heart and
show you His love. Christians are praying for your soul, that you will
repent and come back to Christ.

 

Ugh! I wish Theists could graps how obscenely offensive it is to say bullshit like "[insert diety here] bless you" and such to an Atheist.  Imagine if a Luciferian strolled up to a Christian, smiled and said, "May Satan be with you and yours." The Christian would freak, right? It's the same damn thing with Atheists.

 

Erin wrote:
I hope you will see the truth before it is
too late.

 

No, lady, I hope YOU see the truth before it's too late :/

Tickling Sakura's Funnybone

thingy wrote:

David wrote:
Actually, thousands of people witnessed his existence on earth, and many testified to his existence in the pages of the Bible.

That's true, just as there's thousands of people who witnessed Harry Potter's existence on earth in the Harry Potter series of books.

mrjonno wrote:
I will drink to the Flying Spaghetti Monster and hope his appendages touch you in the most pleasurable of ways

HisWillness wrote:
Keep it in Your pants, saviour boy.


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Spend all the time

Spend all the time you want making patella dents in the carpet. Just stay out of the way; some of us have work to do.


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She could certainly be doing

She could certainly be doing something more useful on her knees!


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RationalResponseSquad

RationalResponseSquad wrote:

From: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 12:58 PM
Subject: [General Question] the most powerful tool in the world

erin hill sent a message using the contact form at
http://www.rationalresponders.com/contact.

Brian,
God will forgive all sins if you come to Him with a truly repentive heart.
I will pray for you everyday that Jesus Christ will touch your heart and
show you His love. Christians are praying for your soul, that you will
repent and come back to Christ. I hope you will see the truth before it is
too late. Jesus is coming back and it could be very soon. You will never be
happy with what you are doing, it will only bring you death.
I pray and plead the blood of Jesus for your soul that you will repent.
Erin Hill

Allah/elohim/Yahwey/Jesus/Thor/Isis are nothing but creations of human minds and just as real as Spiderman.

"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog


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Thank you for your concern,

Thank you for your concern, but it is unwarranted. If it makes you look good in your god's eyes go for it though. When I hear someone say they're praying for me, it just means they think "it must suck to be you" hahaha. I wish I could remember who in here said that.

Prayer is pointless and even if it wasn't getting god to change it's mind about sending unbelievers to hell would be pointless as well. The thought of praying for someone to change their mind about lack of god belief is typical to the lunacy of the christian mindset.  

"Always seek out the truth, but avoid at all costs those that claim to have found it" ANONYMOUS


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Quote:Allah/elohim/Yahwey/Jes

Quote:

Allah/elohim/Yahwey/Jesus/Thor/Isis are nothing but creations of human minds and just as real as Spiderman.

Wrong, Spiderman is more believable

 

When once asked in the library if I believed in Jesus Christ, I pointed out that zombie novels are in the fiction section.


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MattShizzle wrote:How can a

MattShizzle wrote:

How can a fictional being ever come back?

Sequel?

^_^


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Sakura. wrote:Erin wrote:I

Sakura. wrote:

Erin wrote:
I will pray for you everyday that Jesus Christ will touch your heart and
show you His love. Christians are praying for your soul, that you will
repent and come back to Christ.

Ugh! I wish Theists could graps how obscenely offensive it is to say bullshit like "[insert diety here] bless you" and such to an Atheist.  Imagine if a Luciferian strolled up to a Christian, smiled and said, "May Satan be with you and yours." The Christian would freak, right? It's the same damn thing with Atheists.

I don't know ... I think the more offensive was Jesus touching my heart and showing me "his love". I just don't swing that way is all I'm sayin', so since I already told him no, that's not cool. Keep in in Your pants, saviour boy.

Saint Will: no gyration without funkstification.
fabulae! nil satis firmi video quam ob rem accipere hunc mi expediat metum. - Terence


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Quote:I think the more

Quote:

I think the more offensive was Jesus touching my heart and showing me "his love". I just don't swing that way is all I'm sayin', so since I already told him no, that's not cool. Keep in in Your pants, saviour boy.

Now that is without question something that belongs in a signature tag

"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.

-Me

Books about atheism


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Death Dragoon wrote:

 

 

Quote:

 

Allah/elohim/Yahwey/Jesus/Thor/Isis are nothing but creations of human minds and just as real as Spiderman.

 

 

Wrong, Spiderman is more believable

 

My $0.02: Not really, but he is more honestly presented.

 

Conor

 

 

 


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HisWillness wrote:

"I just don't swing that way is all I'm sayin'"

 

My $0.02: Damn.  You just had to go and ruin the fantasy, didn't you?

 

Conor


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Pray 'till your bloody head

Pray 'till your bloody head explodes if it makes you feel better.  I'm beyond the reach of any god-myth anyway....


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Do whatever you want, but

Do whatever you want, but don't ask me to thank you.  I am a lot happier now than when I was a christian.  It's amazing the burdens that are gone once the incoherent religious rules are out of ones life. 

Oh, and Jesus and I are fine.  I had a kid with him after our last trip to Mexico so stop trying to butt in.


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Sakura. wrote:Ugh! I wish

Sakura. wrote:

Ugh! I wish Theists could graps how obscenely offensive it is to say bullshit like "[insert diety here] bless you" and such to an Atheist.  Imagine if a Luciferian strolled up to a Christian, smiled and said, "May Satan be with you and yours." The Christian would freak, right? It's the same damn thing with Atheists.

 

I am not offended when someone offers me a blessing, of any sort. I really don't understand how offensive that is to you, or why.

It is quite apart from having different beliefs. I may feel pity, or even empathetic shame, for someone who shows ignorance (or my perception thereof), but why should I take offense at it? If I were a religious zealot would I understand it better?

Why not simply respond in kind? Surely we only wish her enlightenment and the blessings that come with it. Unfortunately, we have no deity to assign to the task. :/

Or would that be too offensive? Unlike berating people, hypocritically, for not being politically correct about their discourse?


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Robert Satori wrote: I am

Robert Satori wrote:

 

 

I am not offended when someone offers me a blessing, of any sort. I really don't understand how offensive that is to you, or why.

It is quite apart from having different beliefs. I may feel pity, or even empathetic shame, for someone who shows ignorance (or my perception thereof), but why should I take offense at it? If I were a religious zealot would I understand it better?

Why not simply respond in kind? Surely we only wish her enlightenment and the blessings that come with it. Unfortunately, we have no deity to assign to the task. :/

Or would that be too offensive? Unlike berating people, hypocritically, for not being politically correct about their discourse?

  Whether or not one finds such behavior offensive is perhaps based upon one's previous experience with the religious community.  For some, these experiences may have been only a brief, mild annoyance; for others the experience may have involved lifelong exposure and some degree of emotional trauma.  It's a personal issue and a one size fits all approach isn't realistic.

 

  I feel a deep sense of betrayal toward Christianity based upon my personal history and the effects of that betrayal still linger.  The expression "God bless you" simply reminds me of my former association with a group of people that I now despise.

  Likewise, there is also nothing inherently wrong with displaying the symbol referred to as the Star of David but I feel fairly confident that such symbols will likely evoke entirely different emotional responses from Jewish settlers living on the west bank as opposed to Palestinians who live in Israel.  It's the same principle and involves a person's frame of reference.


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ProzacDeathWish wrote: 

ProzacDeathWish wrote:

  Whether or not one finds such behavior offensive is perhaps based upon one's previous experience with the religious community.  For some, these experiences may have been only a brief, mild annoyance; for others the experience may have involved lifelong exposure and some degree of emotional trauma.  It's a personal issue and a one size fits all approach isn't realistic.

  I feel a deep sense of betrayal toward Christianity based upon my personal history and the effects of that betrayal still linger.  The expression "God bless you" simply reminds me of my former association with a group of people that I now despise.

That strikes me as very similar to the argument that someone who has experienced violence or harm at the hands of one, or even more than one, black/white/brown/red/yellow/male/female/straight/queer/etc. person is therefore justified in vilifying all black/white/brown/red/yellow/male/female/straight/queer/etc. people.

ProzacDeathWish wrote:
  Likewise, there is also nothing inherently wrong with displaying the symbol referred to as the Star of David but I feel fairly confident that such symbols will likely evoke entirely different emotional responses from Jewish settlers living on the west bank as opposed to Palestinians who live in Israel.  It's the same principle and involves a person's frame of reference.

Zionism is a political situation. If non-religious Palestinians take offense at the display of the Star of David, it is most likely because it symbolizes their enemy (the Jewish people, not Judaism) in this territorial war. And even then, the matter is complicated by underlying racist attitudes on both sides.

Rabbinical Jews do not proselytize, as a rule, but suppose an Israeli Jew were to offer a religious greeting to a Palestinian Arab -- should the Palestinian spit at the Jew in response? Seems to me that's why these things never end.


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 Quote:Unlike berating

 

Quote:
Unlike berating people, hypocritically, for not being politically correct about their discourse?

A 'blessing' from these people is a tacit assumption that you have the same mental problems they do.  Don't bless me, I'll take care of myself, thank you very much.  Simply smiling and tolerating this sort of foolishness isn't showing that you are the better man, it's being complicit and contributing to the problem.

 

Quote:
That strikes me as very similar to the argument that someone who has experienced violence or harm at the hands of one, or even more than one, black/white/brown/red/yellow/male/female/straight/queer/etc. person is therefore justified in vilifying all black/white/brown/red/yellow/male/female/straight/queer/etc. people.

Not at all.  Prejudice is attributing qualities to people without reason beyond appearance or some other unjustified quality.  Believing that people that have elected to be a part of a movement that is based on arrogance and hate are a potential problem seems only reasonable to me.

Believing 'that guy' is a problem because of his skin?  wrong.

Believing 'that guy' is a problem because he has affiliated himself with a dangerous group?  Entirely justified.

 

Quote:
 but suppose an Israeli Jew were to offer a religious greeting to a Palestinian Arab -- should the Palestinian spit at the Jew in response? Seems to me that's why these things never end.

I am not equipped with the faculties to fully comprehend this statement.  There's levels and levels of everything wrong with this.  

OK, in direct response to the question, no.  That's a strange thing to ask and I don't know how it relates.  If instead the question were 'Suppose a religious person offers religious greeting to a person that believes conflicting ideas --should that person take offense to the comment?'  Then the answer would be 'how could you expect anything different.'

Let's take this one step further.  Suppose a man walking down the street was stopping young women and ensuring, politely, that they knew very well not to engage in sex before marriage and certainly never to use birth control.  Should those young ladies take offense?

What if this well meaning man were to stop people to ensure that they knew if they felt sexual attraction to members of the opposite sex (lust), or if they talked back to their parents; then they would be inflicted with torture forevermore.  

Would they be justified in taking offense then?  Because that's what people are very literally saying when they say 'God bless you.'  

Unless of course they are dirty liars.  That's even worse. 

 

If I have gained anything by damning myself, it is that I no longer have anything to fear. - JP Sartre


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Robert Satori wrote: That

Robert Satori wrote:

 

That strikes me as very similar to the argument that someone who has experienced violence or harm at the hands of one, or even more than one, black/white/brown/red/yellow/male/female/straight/queer/etc. person is therefore justified in vilifying all black/white/brown/red/yellow/male/female/straight/queer/etc. people.

 

  If you are offended by viewpoints that express negative assessments, especially those that express a less than complimentary attitude toward theism and its effects, then I'm afraid that you will find your participation on this forum to be quite frustrating.

 


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Balrogoz

Balrogoz wrote:

 

Quote:
Unlike berating people, hypocritically, for not being politically correct about their discourse?

A 'blessing' from these people is a tacit assumption that you have the same mental problems they do.  Don't bless me, I'll take care of myself, thank you very much.  Simply smiling and tolerating this sort of foolishness isn't showing that you are the better man, it's being complicit and contributing to the problem.

So they have "mental problems" now, not just a misguided world view that could be corrected just by thinking through their belief system? Telling.

Balrogoz wrote:
Quote:
That strikes me as very similar to the argument that someone who has experienced violence or harm at the hands of one, or even more than one, black/white/brown/red/yellow/male/female/straight/queer/etc. person is therefore justified in vilifying all black/white/brown/red/yellow/male/female/straight/queer/etc. people.

Not at all.  Prejudice is attributing qualities to people without reason beyond appearance or some other unjustified quality.  Believing that people that have elected to be a part of a movement that is based on arrogance and hate are a potential problem seems only reasonable to me.

Believing 'that guy' is a problem because of his skin?  wrong.

Believing 'that guy' is a problem because he has affiliated himself with a dangerous group?  Entirely justified.

I can accept that. I still take issue with the assumption of negative intent, but your reasoning is valid.

Balrogoz wrote:
Quote:
 but suppose an Israeli Jew were to offer a religious greeting to a Palestinian Arab -- should the Palestinian spit at the Jew in response? Seems to me that's why these things never end.

I am not equipped with the faculties to fully comprehend this statement.  There's levels and levels of everything wrong with this.  

OK, in direct response to the question, no.  That's a strange thing to ask and I don't know how it relates.

I'm not the one who posed Zionism as an example to begin with. I don't see the "levels and levels of everything wrong with" a religiously framed, but positive, address. Maybe I should be explicit about the alternative: an immediately negative attitude taken toward those we have known differences with.

A positive opening is a positive opening, no matter how it is framed. If your intent is conversion (everything I read here says it is), then this is an opportunity. If your intent is positive in any way, this is an opportunity.

Balrogoz wrote:
If instead the question were 'Suppose a religious person offers religious greeting to a person that believes conflicting ideas --should that person take offense to the comment?'  Then the answer would be 'how could you expect anything different.'

Let's take this one step further.  Suppose a man walking down the street was stopping young women and ensuring, politely, that they knew very well not to engage in sex before marriage and certainly never to use birth control.  Should those young ladies take offense?

What if this well meaning man were to stop people to ensure that they knew if they felt sexual attraction to members of the opposite sex (lust), or if they talked back to their parents; then they would be inflicted with torture forevermore.  

Would they be justified in taking offense then?  Because that's what people are very literally saying when they say 'God bless you.'  

Unless of course they are dirty liars.  That's even worse. 

 

I flatly disagree. "Offense" taken to conflicting ideas is inappropriate. It is counter to any discourse and suggests that conflict is the appropriate solution to differences.

As well, your moralizing busybody is just a moralizing busybody. It may be an annoyance if you actually wish to correct his beliefs (which are not entirely flawed, so you have a basis for working the Socratic method on him, for example), but if you react with outrage and hysterics, that is wrong. That reaction is not only childish, it actually reinforces the behaviour!

 

 

By the way, have you ever seen Monty Python's The Meaning of Life? There's a cute illustration of the Catholic/Protestant divide over prophylactics in there, from an Atheistic (or maybe just nihilistic and irreverent) point of view.

 


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ProzacDeathWish wrote:  If

ProzacDeathWish wrote:

  If you are offended by viewpoints that express negative assessments, especially those that express a less than complimentary attitude toward theism and its effects, then I'm afraid that you will find your participation on this forum to be quite frustrating.

 

Not at all. I just think you missed my point: it's the "sinner, not the sin" as the Christians say. You can beat the living snot out of Theism without laying a hand on those who are "bound" by it.

And as I noted above, attacking the people, instead of the idea, only reinforces what they believe.


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 OK, I think part of our

 OK, I think part of our problem is that we are using words in different ways.

 

Balrogoz wrote:
Would they be justified in taking offense then?  Because that's what people are very literally saying when they say 'God bless you.'  

Robert wrote:
 if you react with outrage and hysterics, that is wrong. That reaction is not only childish, it actually reinforces the behaviour!

 

I don't believe taking offense means spitting on someone or 'freaking out'.   Taking offense is simply having your sense of propriety violated.

 

Let's change this just a touch..  

 

A man you walk past says, 'You seem a strong spirit, may you bear the blessings of Nathan Forrest.'

 

You better believe I would be offended.  You would too.  The difference in our argument isn't what it means to take offense, nor that it is right to take offense to offensive things.

 

Our difference is that I believe abrahamic religions are every bit as hateful and dangerous as the KKK.  You seem to take the members at their word that there religion is that of 'love and peace'.  An assertion that is clearly refuted by their organizations own actions.

 

The former nazi that is leading the catholics personally wrote a memo urging the american church to hide the pedophilia until the statutes of limitations ran out.  And to this day the worst offenders are still protected by that  august establishment.

Judaism takes many forms, the most clearly harmful shields its youth from proper education, resulting in a perverse self-fulfilling prophecy mandating their culture a dependent client of our own.  

Islam is the religion of peace that is now reeling from calls around the globe to kill the infidels, suppress freedom of speech, oppress and mutilate women...   etc, etc...

 

When a person is a member of groups like these...  I do not want to be thought of as needing their aid in my life.  I will take offense at someone else assuming I am deficient enough to require the love of such a hateful god.  Although I will not spit, scream, swear...  I will simply be offended.  Most of the time that results in a curt nod of my head.

If I have gained anything by damning myself, it is that I no longer have anything to fear. - JP Sartre


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Robert Satori wrote:  Not

Robert Satori wrote:

 

 

Not at all. I just think you missed my point: it's the "sinner, not the sin" as the Christians say. You can beat the living snot out of Theism without laying a hand on those who are "bound" by it.

And as I noted above, attacking the people, instead of the idea, only reinforces what they believe.

Actually it is yourself who have missed the point.   I would labor to further clarify my position but I wouldn't want you to accuse me of "attacking" you.


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Balrogoz wrote:A man you

Balrogoz wrote:

A man you walk past says, 'You seem a strong spirit, may you bear the blessings of Nathan Forrest.'

You better believe I would be offended.  You would too.  The difference in our argument isn't what it means to take offense, nor that it is right to take offense to offensive things.

Not likely to happen, with me, but I get the idea.

Although I would not want to engage that person, because it's an even harder worldview to overturn by reason (if you're a die-hard racist where do I begin?). But I believe it would be the correct thing to do if you have the fortitude. Barring of course any real danger of getting lynched as a n*-lover (as you may equate to preaching Atheism in some Muslim countries today).

This goes back to the aforementioned "hassle" of correcting the moralizing busybody. We don't really need the sword of Damocles over our heads to just walk on by (with a curt nod).

 

Balrogoz wrote:

Our difference is that I believe abrahamic religions are every bit as hateful and dangerous as the KKK.  You seem to take the members at their word that there religion is that of 'love and peace'.  An assertion that is clearly refuted by their organizations own actions.

You've pegged me exactly. Now, I may not always believe that of an individual. But, even if I'm not convinced of the "Godly Love" in the person's heart, it is the most effective way I know to engage the professed belief system. If the assumption that the person is honest in their "love and peace" does not prove out logically, perhaps at least I can finally put the mirror in front of them and reveal who they really are.

 

As best I can follow, you do not care whether people get converted/enlightened away from these beliefs you scorn so much, or perhaps don't believe it is possible? Do you have any other plan for upsetting the system? Or are you, perhaps, just happy to grouse about it and keep religion as a perpetual scapegoat for the ills of human society?


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ProzacDeathWish wrote:

ProzacDeathWish wrote:

Actually it is yourself who have missed the point.   I would labor to further clarify my position but I wouldn't want you to accuse me of "attacking" you.

What a cop-out ;P

Nah, the word I'd probably have brought up is "belligerence," because I do get your point. You are hostile about the idea to the point that you don't actually care about the distinction. I have already pointed out that this is self-defeating, but that's your call.


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 You seem to be hung up on

 You seem to be hung up on my use of the word offense.  I don't think being offended and being angry are the same thing.  I can even offer an example.

Quote:
away from these beliefs you scorn so much, or perhaps don't believe it is possible? Do you have any other plan for upsetting the system? Or are you, perhaps, just happy to grouse about it and keep religion as a perpetual scapegoat for the ills of human society?

 

I find that offensive.  I do because it is a characterization of my beliefs that is unjustified and untrue.  This is an application of prejudice.  At no time have I ever intimated that all the ills of man are to be laid at the feet of religion, at no time have I ever said that 'upsetting the system' is even a goal of mine.  

 

That is also a pretty good example of how I react when offended.  Notice the suspicious lack of swearing, lashing out, spitting, or any other angry behavior.  That is because I am not angry, merely offended.

 

To answer your question, no.  I am not interested in making waves, simply correcting incorrect thinking.  That is not, however, the point I am making in the thread.  My point is simply that I am offended by being thought of as needing or wanting the benefit of someone else's beliefs.

If I have gained anything by damning myself, it is that I no longer have anything to fear. - JP Sartre


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Robert Satori wrote: What a

Robert Satori wrote:

 

What a cop-out ;P

 You are hostile about the idea to the point that you don't actually care about the distinction. I have already pointed out that this is self-defeating, but that's your call.

  I am quite willing and able to make the distinction.  I am an atheist while my girl friend is a Southern Baptist.  We get along beautifully. 

Of my small circle of friends, none other than myself are atheist.


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RationalResponseSquad

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erin hill sent a message using the contact form at
http://www.rationalresponders.com/contact.

Brian,
God will forgive all sins if you come to Him with a truly repentive heart.
I will pray for you everyday that Jesus Christ will touch your heart and
show you His love. Christians are praying for your soul, that you will
repent and come back to Christ. I hope you will see the truth before it is
too late. Jesus is coming back and it could be very soon. You will never be
happy with what you are doing, it will only bring you death.
I pray and plead the blood of Jesus for your soul that you will repent.
Erin Hill

Eegghhchhh.


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MattShizzle wrote:She could

MattShizzle wrote:

She could certainly be doing something more useful on her knees!

 

you know, of course, any other position than missionary and not needed for procreation is a sin, right?

Vote for McCain... www.therealmccain.com ...and he'll bring Jesus back


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Balrogoz wrote:I find that

Balrogoz wrote:

I find that offensive.  I do because it is a characterization of my beliefs that is unjustified and untrue.  This is an application of prejudice.  At no time have I ever intimated that all the ills of man are to be laid at the feet of religion, at no time have I ever said that 'upsetting the system' is even a goal of mine.

It was intended to get a rise out of you, I admit. And your response is informative, though I wish to apologize for labeling you.


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I also want to apologize to

I also want to apologize to ProzacDeathWish for similar goading.

The situation you describe, being a lone Atheist among... surely not a crowd of pure Theists...(?) is interesting, though.

 


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Robert Satori wrote:I really

Robert Satori wrote:
I really don't understand how offensive that is to you, or why.

Balrogoz wrote:
A 'blessing' from these people is a tacit assumption that you have the same mental problems they do.

 

In such few words, that is my exact answer.  When a Theist offers me a blessing, I feel they are making the assumption that I am of the same mindset as they are.  I am offended by strangers making misplaced assumptions about me, and not just pretaining to my [non]religious alignment.

 

Robert Satori wrote:
Unlike berating people, hypocritically, for not being politically correct about their discourse?

 

Lol, calling me a hypocrite... ^^; Be glad you're not within kicking distance, sir.

Here we return to my Luciferian-Christian scenario.  Let me guess, you probably wouldn't hold it against a Christian if they were offended by and even lashed out at being offered a Satanic blessing.  But, oh! "God forbid" [lol, pardon the expression, I just enjoy the 'oomph' behind it X3] an Atheist get offended by an interaction of the same nature!

 

Robert Satori wrote:
Why not simply respond in kind?...Or would that be too offensive?

 

No doubt a good amount of Christians would take offense if I "responded in kind".  I have no blessings or kind words to offer.  My response, if I gave one at all, would be "I am an Atheist and do not accept blessings from any diety".  Oh yeah, THAT one's bound to put a smile on their faces, right Satori?

 

Rober Satori wrote:
I still take issue with the assumption of negative intent

 

At what point have any of us implied that malice creeps behind their words? Obviously, these people believe they're being nice when they "bless" us.  Nonetheless, if you are not in accord with that person's beliefs, then even the best of wishes on behalf of their Theism are rather misplaced.

 

Robert Satori wrote:
If you react with outrage and hysterics, that is wrong.

 

I won't think to speak for everyone in this forum, but as for myself I am beyond such childish antics.  Offense is not the same thing as outrage, and the last thing I would do is pitch a fit in front of these people.  Not only is it not worth the energy, but it also won't get them to take it back, seeing as some of them have no consideration for others' beliefs.

All in all, you can't tell me how to respond to people.  That is something personal that varies from person to person.  If you're content with tolerating an infringement on your beliefs with a smile, then good for you.  But I'm not that much of a pushover

Tickling Sakura's Funnybone

thingy wrote:

David wrote:
Actually, thousands of people witnessed his existence on earth, and many testified to his existence in the pages of the Bible.

That's true, just as there's thousands of people who witnessed Harry Potter's existence on earth in the Harry Potter series of books.

mrjonno wrote:
I will drink to the Flying Spaghetti Monster and hope his appendages touch you in the most pleasurable of ways

HisWillness wrote:
Keep it in Your pants, saviour boy.


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Sakura. wrote:Robert Satori

Sakura. wrote:

Robert Satori wrote:
Unlike berating people, hypocritically, for not being politically correct about their discourse?

 

Lol, calling me a hypocrite... ^^; Be glad you're not within kicking distance, sir.

Here we return to my Luciferian-Christian scenario.  Let me guess, you probably wouldn't hold it against a Christian if they were offended by and even lashed out at being offered a Satanic blessing.  But, oh! "God forbid" [lol, pardon the expression, I just enjoy the 'oomph' behind it X3] an Atheist get offended by an interaction of the same nature!

 

I've already been called on my fixation on "offense." So I won't go back to that well.

I dig the way you put this, and realize it's baiting, but just for the record, no... the Christian getting his or her nose bent out of shape over heretical ideas is just the flipside of the same coin.

 

 


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Conor Wilson wrote:"I just

Conor Wilson wrote:

"I just don't swing that way is all I'm sayin'"

My $0.02: Damn.  You just had to go and ruin the fantasy, didn't you?

If it helps ... been there, done that.

Saint Will: no gyration without funkstification.
fabulae! nil satis firmi video quam ob rem accipere hunc mi expediat metum. - Terence


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Dear Erin,I am not Brian,

Dear Erin,

I am not Brian, but since your letter was presented in the mailbag and I am answering, that probably make me one of his flunkies-for-the-moment Eye-wink

I would urge you to devote your time to more useful occupations though, and there are several reasons for this:

-First, studies suggest that prayer does not help other people, and may actually have a small harmful effect if the person being prayed for is aware of this fact and (unlike Brian, by the way) believes in "the power of prayer"  (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/health/31pray.html)

-Second, Brian has, openly and publicly, denied the Holy Spirit. Which, according to Mark 3:29 has damned him beyond any chance of salvation. Which, in this case, makes prayer useless, unless you presume to be able to go against God's own Word- which, frankly, sounds like a form of blasphemy to me.

-Third, I suspect that the reason for your prayers is not compassion for Brian Sapient, but your own personal desire that he ceases to spread a message that you do not agree with. There have been no recorded cases of these kinds of prayer to succeed.

-Fourth, there are far more useful things you could be praying for, for example: there are terrible war going on in Sudan, Somalia, Chad, Congo, Iraq, and a dozen more countries. Many of these wars are, at least partly, being waged in the name of religion(s), thousands upon thousands of people are suffering because of it, and the atrocities committed by all sides are terrible enough to condemn thousands more to hell. So íf you believe that your prayers may save souls or even people... I could imagine people who would be more deserving than Brian, who, like me, does not even believe in the existance of a soul in the first place, let alone in that of hell.

-Fifth, whereas the effect of prayer appears to be doubtful to say the least, actually doing something to make your world a better place has been known to be effective- there is plenty of volunteer work to be done! So please, use your time for something useful- for example, there are plenty of handicapped children who are unable to go on holidays because there are not enough volunteers to help them... and from personal experience I can tell you that volunteering for something like this is an absolutely wonderful experience, and I highly recommend it- but most importantly: you can immediately SEE for yourself that you are making a difference, instead of murmuring to an invisible Man-in-the-sky and hoping that Hé makes a difference.

Kind regards,

Yaerav.


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 Quote:I will pray for you

 

Quote:
I will pray for you everyday that Jesus Christ will touch your heart 

 

This was sent Oct 07, do you think Erin is still praying every day?   Really?  

and if that's so, how many other things of greater import are on the 'every day' list?  Do you think maybe we could move brian down to the weekly and leave some time for those starving to death due to drought, suffering from curable diseases they cannot afford to have treated (or for that matter, suffering from incurable diseases that your god made, in his infinite love), or actual people that are doing harm to others or enabling huge numbers of people to do harm to other?  There's got to be a whole list of people and things to ask aid from other than Brian's being mean to a concept.

 

Or..  maybe, just maybe, that time could be spent actually doing something about the problems of our world?

 

If I have gained anything by damning myself, it is that I no longer have anything to fear. - JP Sartre


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Balrogoz wrote: Or..

Balrogoz wrote:

 

Or..  maybe, just maybe, that time could be spent actually doing something about the problems of our world?

 

Now let's just not be silly. You mean,like, as opposed to talking to the ceiling? But what a deal! Spend 5 minutes doing jack, and get to walk around the rest of the day feeling better than everyone because you are helping your fellow man.

I suppose you would have us do something ridicolous like going out and helping people. The homeless don't need to be fed when prayer will suffice. Besides, I'm pretty sure metabolism is just a theory anyway.

Psalm 14:1 "the fool hath said in his heart there is a God"-From a 1763 misprinted edition of the bible

dudeofthemoment wrote:
This is getting redudnant. My patience with the unteachable[atheists] is limited.

Argument from Sadism: Theist presents argument in a wall of text with no punctuation and wrong spelling. Atheist cannot read and is forced to concede.


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Loc wrote: The homeless

Loc wrote:
 The homeless don't need to be fed when prayer will suffice. Besides, I'm pretty sure metabolism is just a theory anyway.

 

That's a good point.  Since prayer was compared to a mustard seed, and mustard is eaten, it follows that prayer will sate your appetite.  But wouldn't that make fasting blasphemy?

If I have gained anything by damning myself, it is that I no longer have anything to fear. - JP Sartre


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Quote:I hope you will see

Quote:
I hope you will see the truth before it is too late. Jesus is coming back

Yeah, I heard.

 

Looks pretty sweet!

Quote:
"Natasha has just come up to the window from the courtyard and opened it wider so that the air may enter more freely into my room. I can see the bright green strip of grass beneath the wall, and the clear blue sky above the wall, and sunlight everywhere. Life is beautiful. Let the future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full."

- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940


Conor Wilson
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His Willness wrote:

"If it helps ... been there, done that."

 

Me: Woo-HOO!

 

Conor


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Can you also pray that Jesus

Can you also pray that Jesus sends me $50 in the mail? Thanks!


Eric Ferguson
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Well, there's a problem. You

Well, there's a problem. You see there's this unforgivable sin. It's in the bible. That's this book that christians believe in, perhaps you've heard of it. Well anyway, in there three times is this unforgivable sin. So, you can pray all you want. But I can't be forgiven.

While you're busy with prayer for me, I'll be working on improving the standards and quality of living for all people of the world. You see I run for elected office, write letters to political leaders, try to educate people about the world around them, all the while learning more about it myself. I try to encourage people to live their lives to fullest. I'm always happy to answer people's questions. I'm working hard to get out of debt to better my own standard of living and that of my family. I donate to charity. I help my friends. I help strangers. That one driver that stops and offers assistance out of the hundreds that just pass by, that's me. I have real actions with real results. You go ahead and ask for your invisible friend to help me even though he said he wouldn't.

 

Consider this account closed. It's disgraceful this site has no function to delete an account. I cannot be part of an organization that seeks only to replace the religion of the god of the bible with the religion of "poor me" bleeding heart liberalism. Rational my ass! Not believing in a god is one thing. A rational view of the rest of the world is something else, which isn't found here.