Offending Religion with Reality......

by AK - Jeff 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  AK - Jeff

  
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  OnTheWayOut

  I will tell them. Let me practice.

  "Your break from reality telling people that the voice in your head is divine or godly deeply offends me. Especially when I try to help you see reality and you tell me your voice will soon release some kind of anger on me."

  Is that about what you have in mind, AKJ?
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  tec

  Why in the world should someone else's faith offend you?

  You want to be able to live in peace as you feel is right, yes?

  Are you not willing to allow the same?

  Live and let live?

  I know some shove it in your face... and so who can blame you for shoving back. Many (but not all) of those points in the OP ARE offensive. But some think they can define all people of faith as the same... so I am hoping that you are not doing so. Because if you are, then are you not stating that everyone who has a different world view than your own (faith) is offensive?

  If so, that is as black and white as any fundamental religion thinking.

  Peace,

  tammy
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  Farkel

  Here's my reality about religion and I've said this a number of times on this board and say it in person as often as is appropriate:

  "You simply need to get another God who doesn't always force you make excuses for him."

  Farkel
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  Sulla

  Oh, snap! But I thought it was a Bronze Age book, what am I missing?
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  OldGenerationDude

  An ideology that tells an individual to go out of their way to tell others that something about them offends you...hmmm...that's sounds like bigotry to me.

  A "bigot" is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

  a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one who exhibits intolerance or animosity toward members of a group.

  It's the general lack of intolerance that endears me to many of my atheist friends. Thus I find it offensive to my reasoning that a bigot would hide his prejudice under the label "atheist" or whatever such a person who is intolerant of another's convictions calls themself. Being non-religious doesn't automatically include going about, person-to-person, in an attempt to tells others how much you dislike their personal convictions.

  I find prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance very disturbing. If we were an ex-JW, and we are still this way (yes, bigotry is a predominant earmark of the Jehovah's Witness), then we've only abandoned the doctrine and not the judgmental attitude of the JW and the members of the Governing Body. And with bigotry in place, what is there to differentiate you from the JW? Don't they change their doctrine all the time but keep the attitude as well?

  I've said it before and I will say it again: Neither religion or atheism bring evil on the world. Humans bring evil on the world, and due to our cowardice we blame our philosophy or ideology (or the other person's--never our own, banish the thought!) instead of taking responsibility for being the real culprit who is ruining everything.
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  tec

  OGD -
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  Band on the Run

  Sorry. I am all for tolerance. Tolerance does NOT include being ashamed to assert your own beliefs when confronted by someone who is so delusional they think God talks to them exclusively. Mental illness does exist.

  I would feel no need to counter confront someone who just did their thing - without bragging about it and posting as though God has favored them. God favors all or he isn't worth worshipping. No, we do not need to be timid souls. We can be bold in our beliefs.

  I will not negate my beliefs so someone on a forum who posted content, knowing it would be controversial, is not cozy. When you post here, you assume the risk of people not lining up to congratulate you on your exclusive God channel.

  My dog, Rascal, can just as easily be a channel of God. Animals can hear, too. We are being species bigotted. How do we know God did not create roaches in His image? Or a big fat rat?

  No here need be timid or overly polite. Perhaps some so-called Christians should stop being so nonsensical.
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  glenster

  I operate from that basic concept of God--a transcendent, eternal, creative/
  sustaining etc. For the basic concept of atheism I use the idea of rejection of
  belief in God or gods.

  Neither idea stipulates anything otherwise--the believer's or non-believer's
  character, desire to do harm, inclination to be 'centric and intolerant, belief in
  other things, reliability in reporting the known things of the world, etc.

  Some of either has been been 'centric and intolerant to the extent of making
  their stance law of the land, deluded themself they were doing what's right,
  killed people of any age to the extent of appearing on a list of major abomina-
  tions of history, propagandized against the other whole group or that you have to
  choose their stance to be complete or proper (such as the first post), owned
  slaves, raped, been immoral or criminal, etc.

  Some of either would never do those things. So I recommend those of either who
  wouldn't do those things agree to not like when either does them and otherwise see
  it as similar to differing over songs to like or not like.

  Abrahamic orthodox/conservative belief is more prone to defend the perceived
  integrity of old interpretations of an old text.

  Abrahamic liberal/progressive/reform belief is more prone to understand faith in
  a possible God as such so keep up to speed with the known things (about the cos-
  mos, evolution, equal rights for women and homosexuals, not want slavery, etc.)
  God is possible beyond. Understanding faith as such they're also more prone to
  not want hurting or killing about it because it would be arbitrary without proof
  of God, and arbitrary hurting and killing is sadism and murder.

  If you go Abrahamic and the currently known things make you choose, I'd recom-
  mend the latter. The point of Abrahamic faith is faith in God, not an old text
  writer. If there is a God, it wouldn't honor Him to misinform or harm unneccesar-
  ily in His name. In fact, I think it would piss Him off.
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  King Solomon

  Sorry. I am all for tolerance. Tolerance does NOT include being ashamed to assert your own beliefs when confronted by someone who is so delusional they think God talks to them exclusively. Mental illness does exist.

  Kinda makes you wonder how many potential clinically-diagnosable psychotics ARE out there, protected under the umbrella of practicing their religion; hence never diagnosed, simply because they claim to hear the voice of God (which somehow makes their psychosis seem benign in the eyes of society).