I heard someone say this:

“Belief in God is like cancer.”

Cancer, of course, is a bad thing.

Cancer should be removed.

Cancer harms people.

Cancer kills.

God, in contrast, is life.

He cannot be removed via a surgical process.

“His brain is filled with Faith!  We must operate immediately!”

Belief in God is not like cancer.

It’s like Down’s Syndrome.

Down’s Syndrome is in every cell in the body.

It saturates a person.

It defines a person.

You can’t ‘remove’ it.

Why would you want to?

There are few things on Earth as delightful as people with Down’s Syndrome.

They smile incessantly.

They laugh infectiously.

They light up every room they inhabit.

If ‘joyfulness’ had a face, it would be the grinning mug of a person with Down’s Syndrome.

Perpetual childhood is the goal of Christianity.

“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

Eternity is filled with simple people.

Meek, simple, childish people will dance forever with God.

That’s nothing like cancer.

———-UPDATE ————-

The atheist are in full force in the comments under this article. I don’t know what has them so riled up. The language is unusually profane today.

I do not edit or censor comments on this blog because it is important to leave the effects of depraved thinking on public display. Apart from God, there is no rationality. Godless minds have nothing but rage.

If you are offended by vulgar language, avoid the comment section today.

=jb

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230 Responses

  1. Pingback: Highlight Reel, 2016 – The Comedy Sojourn
  2. Not exactly sure what to make of this post. If you are a Christian you have a strange way of showing it haha. I guess you are just saying we are like people with Down’s syndrome in that we are always positive. Feel free to check out my page for my theological posts that takes a more serious approach.

    1. I’m saying that Christianity changes people at a DNA level. It’s not like a virus or bacteria where you take a pill and get over it. It’s like Down’s Syndrome in that it is part of who you are.

  3. Pingback: Meet The Heathens – The Comedy Sojourn
  4. While you both revel in ridiculing John Zande, his post on Kadesh Barnea is well worth a read and will help you to formulate a mental picture of exactly what around 2 million fleeing Israelites would have likely had to deal with if they had ever arrived at Kadesh Barnea.

    If, as you continually claim, are genuinely in pursuit of truth, then maybe you should begin with hard evidence?
    Have a read of the post,digest the information and take a bit of time to exercise a modest amount of critical thought.

    https://thesuperstitiousnakedape.wordpress.com/2016/06/26/kadesh-barnea-gaza-the-exodus/

    1. Gosh, I needed to hear that today.
      Hell is a place where there is no reason.
      My comment section seems like Hell most days…

      1. My comment section seems like Hell most days…

        And what is the name of the individual who ”runs” Hell?
        (Is this an ”Ask Frank-Yahweh question I wonder?)

    2. Thanks for saying so, Jasmine!
      Dad was just saying that he doesn’t want to alienate the sensible readers, who might not want to share posts when the comments contain needless profanity and are largely off topic.
      I told him I think most people will skip the comments. But–if not–at least they get a good glimpse of what happens to a patient who tries to perform a “Religionectomy” on themselves. (It works about as well as a lobotomy!) 🙂

        1. Same deal with you I have with Ark, Tildeb:
          I’m tired of reading and responding to everything you put on the table, only to have you duck and dodge when it’s your turn to add something to a conversation. Answer the question put to you today about why you support aborting fetuses that have Down Syndrome, or be silently laughed at…

          1. Okay, one last comment directed at you, Amanda. You are a lying hypocrite. Conversation? What a joke you are to the very idea.

            You know perfectly well that there is nothing I can say, nothing I can explain, nothing I can write, that you won’t immediately dismiss out of hand. That is what you do. Every time. You know perfectly well that any explanation I offer to any of your questions will not be treated as having the slightest merit. Ever. About anything. That’s what you do. You presume to stand above me in all matters and feel empowered to cast aspersions as if we should treat them as pennies from heaven to us poor atheists and thank for giving us the opportunity to be maligned and misrepresented and called names. To allow yourself to feel justified doing this, you will alter into whatever straw man facsimile you then think you can malign with snide and rude comments no matter what the comment is, no matter what question is answered, no matter what point is raised, and care not one whit how honestly you interpret any of my comments. Listen to yourself right now! You’ve already dismissed this one, you poor excuse for a rational human being. You will criticize them for length, for tone, claim I’m ranting, that it’s too indecipherable, that it’s a word salad, yada, yada, yada.

            Conversation? With you? What a joke.

            You have never treated any of my comments as they are, shown no desire to actually understand them first before attacking them as baseless, demonstrated you are incapable of following a line of reasoning with even a whiff of intellectual integrity. You have any no inclination or desire at all to honestly consider any dissenting opinion by their merit, or use them as a springboard to expanding your own knowledge base. You’re already full. You refuse on principle to alter your own position of ignorance one bit no matter how often I point out where it exists because you already presume to know the Truth and so any disagreement offered by me puts you into this stupid garrison mentality you feel you must defend at all costs or you’ll melt or something. You come at all comments by me armed only with derision and rejection .a priori. That’s what’s true. And you’ve shown this each and every time I comment to you. You are a duplicitous fraud and not a nice person here on this blog. That’s the truth.

            So don’t pretend you wish to have a conversation with me. That’s a bald faced lie, Amanda and you know it. There is an injunction against that in your holy book, by the way, that you – like your dear old dad – conveniently ignore while criticizing atheists as having no moral basis. You couldn’t have a polite conversation involving a difference of opinion with me if your life depended on it. You’re rude, boorish, ignorant, stupid, snide, churlish, childish, and deluded… not a good basis upon which we can have a civil discussion in case you’re wondering why. It’s a basis upon which you demonstrate what a person dedicated to protecting their religious beliefs looks like in apologetic action… what foolish faith-based belief produces when legitimately challenged. You are disagreeable to your core and you equate your brute idiocy on display here to be amusingly witty.

            With your attitude, there is no chance of conversation. Your attitude, Amanda. Not mine. You are the problem.

          2. Okay, one last comment directed at you, Tildeb. You are a lying hypocrite. Conversation? What a joke you are to the very idea.
            You know perfectly well that there is nothing I can say, nothing I can explain, nothing I can write, that you won’t immediately dismiss out of hand. That is what you do. Every time. You know perfectly well that any explanation I offer to any of your questions will not be treated as having the slightest merit. Ever. About anything. That’s what you do. You presume to stand above me in all matters and feel empowered to cast aspersions as if we should treat them as pennies from heaven and thank you for giving us the opportunity to be maligned and misrepresented and called names. To allow yourself to feel justified doing this, you will alter into whatever straw man facsimile you then think you can malign with snide and rude comments no matter what the comment is, no matter what question is answered, no matter what point is raised, and care not one whit how honestly you interpret any of my comments. Listen to yourself right now! You’ve already dismissed this one, you poor excuse for a rational human being. You will criticize them for length, for tone, claim I’m ranting, that it’s too indecipherable, that it’s a word salad, yada, yada, yada.
            Conversation? With you? What a joke.
            You have never treated any of my comments as they are, shown no desire to actually understand them first before attacking them as baseless, demonstrated you are incapable of following a line of reasoning with even a whiff of intellectual integrity. You have any no inclination or desire at all to honestly consider any dissenting opinion by their merit, or use them as a springboard to expanding your own knowledge base. You’re already full. You refuse on principle to alter your own position of ignorance one bit no matter how often I point out where it exists because you already presume to know the Truth and so any disagreement offered by me puts you into this stupid garrison mentality you feel you must defend at all costs or you’ll melt or something. You come at all comments by me armed only with derision and rejection .a priori. That’s what’s true. And you’ve shown this each and every time I comment to you. You are a duplicitous fraud and not a nice person here on this blog. That’s the truth.
            So don’t pretend you wish to have a conversation with me. That’s a bald faced lie, Tildeb and you know it. There is an injunction against that in cultural evolution, by the way, that you – like your heathen pals – conveniently ignore while criticizing theists as having no morals. You couldn’t have a polite conversation involving a difference of opinion with me if your life depended on it. You’re rude, boorish, ignorant, stupid, snide, churlish, childish, and deluded… not a good basis upon which we can have a civil discussion in case you’re wondering why. It’s a basis upon which you demonstrate what a person dedicated to protecting their religious beliefs looks like in apologetic action… what foolish faith-based belief produces when legitimately challenged. You are disagreeable to your core and you equate your brute idiocy on display here to be amusingly witty.
            With your attitude, there is no chance of conversation. Your attitude, Tildeb. Not mine. You are the problem.

          3. I wouldn’t even have a problem with Tildeb protecting his religious beliefs despite being legitimately challenged. I mean, if he were as honest as Sam Harris: “…there is something cult-like about the culture of atheism. In fact, much of the criticism I have received [from fellow Atheists] of my speech is so utterly lacking in content that I can only interpret it as a product of offended atheist piety.”

          4. I know. You’re kind of cranky today.
            But I’m feeling optimistic. If any of them could concede one point–just ONE POINT–it would be a tiny step in the right direction…

          5. I’m entitled to crankiness.
            Did you see the response?!
            EVEN MORE blah blah. “You just lie, John. I made a point and you ignored it, John. I describe reality and you live in fantasy land, John.”

            I’m going to bed.

          6. Good, we need you bright and chipper tomorrow, so you can get back in the ring.

            Pull yourself up by your bootstraps! Be your own role-model! 😉

            Seriously, I’d much rather be bombed by nonsense from keyboard Fundies than be bombed by the Muslim Fundies, like my brothers and sisters in Syria and Turkey. Someone always has it worse.

          7. I made my point with my first comment. You’ve ignored it ever since and switched to whoooosh and blah, blah, blah and made one snide comment after another in your little make-believe world. So don’t try to sell me the fiction that you give a rat’s ass about the importance of me making a point; you don’t care what points are made. You just want to sell, sell, sell with snark and disdain and lies. That’s what you do, John. That’s what your product is. That’s why you need false advertising.That’s why you try to ride to your daughter’s rescue with more snark. You’re the one who can’t make a point and so you substitute shit.

          8. I made my point with my blog post. You’ve ignored it ever since.
            So don’t try to sell me the fiction that you give a rat’s ass about the importance of me making a point; you don’t care what points are made. You just want to sell, sell, sell with snark and disdain and lies. That’s what you do, Tildeb. That’s what your product is. That’s why you need false advertising. You’re the one who can’t make a point and so you substitute shit.

          9. You’re right, Tildeb. I admit it: with every comment you make, I have less and less of a desire for conversation.
            But you had a fair trial here. The problem is YOU HAVE NO CASE. So, like all the rest of you Fundamentalist-Naturalist Whiners, you’d rather use your time on the floor to whine about your treatment instead of actually saying something bold and clear.

            But, cheer up, buddy: it’s not you. And it’s not even your empty worldview. (There are Atheists who don’t make me want to bash in my skull.) Mostly, it’s the fact that you’re a terrible communicator.

            Now, if you keep practicing, maybe you’ll be able to be as straightforward and concise as Atheist anthropologist Scott Atran: “The arguments being put forward [by the New Atheists like Tildeb] are extraordinarily blind and simplistic… I just don’t think scientists, when they step out of science, have any better insight than the ordinary schmuck on the street. It makes me embarrassed to be an atheist.”

            Or maybe, one of these days, you’ll say something as revealing and honest as Atheist Philosopher Thomas Nagel: “I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that. My guess is that this cosmic authority problem is not a rare condition and that it is responsible for much of the Scientism and Reductionism of our time.”

            Or maybe, some day, you’ll show up here offering something similar to this Lawrence Krauss quote: “Science’s success does not mean it encompasses the entirety of human intellectual experience… Science does not make it impossible to believe in God. We should recognize that fact and live with it and stop being so pompous about it.”

            You’d still be an Atheist, even if you stated your position this clearly. So ultimately I’d still think you were wrong. But if you weren’t a rambling, closed-minded, cry-baby NEW Atheist, I would feel less inclined to write you off after barely skimming your walls of text.

            (And, I never claimed to be a nice person. But at least I don’t rationalize the wholesale slaughter of people with Down Syndrome, before they take their first breath.)

      1. Oh no, it hasn’t stopped me from sharing posts. 😀 The comment sections actually prove the original point so perfectly the irony cracks me up. They don’t even know they’re doing it! Hilarious!

    3. Jasmine –

      I really enjoy your stories and “rants” on your blog. You have quite a talent.

      ~CQW (aka Kevin)

        1. Jasmine–he’s talking about the fact that Tildeb (or one of the others?) accused JB of serving up “Turd Sandwiches” on his blog, instead of nutritious food. And Kevin pointed out they still keep coming to eat the turds anyway. So the sandwich thing was a running joke for awhile. 🙂

  5. Back to the topic of the post, I’m reminded of the time Richard Dawkins got himself in trouble by announcing that it’s “immoral” if you know your pre-born baby has Downs and you do not abort him/her.
    So maybe that answers the question, “Why would you want to remove it?” I don’t know, but Ol’ Dick Dawkins also wants to remove Christianity. So, must be a good parallel. 🙂

    http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-ouch-28879659

      1. Good grief! No tissue warning!?!?

        I worked for several years with kids with disabilities. They were my babies before I had my own.

        Man, I love watching kids dance. <3

        1. Dawkins wrote that apology AFTER the Twitter storm.
          “Actually.”

          Turns out, the short-version of his beliefs is so simple that it disgusts people… but when he expands it to Tildeb Size and adds a little “Artistry,” it goes down better. He sounds nicer.

          He still thinks the right/moral thing to do is abort fetuses before they get the chance to be born with Down Syndrome.

          But thanks, as always, for muddying the clear waters.

          1. Yes.
            Plus, he didn’t think the Tweet was going to be public.
            A class act all the way to his core.

          2. Remember, because life is a process and Dawkins understands this, stopping a pregnancy that will produce a fetus with Downs Syndrome isn’t equivalent to killing people with Downs Syndrome (which is the category mistake that tries but fails to make Dawkins opinion and Nazi extermination equivalent); it’s a reproductive preference. But for those who think ‘life’ begins at conception, the difficulty will be understanding why the distinction makes all the difference.

          3. LOL! You remember a few weeks ago, when I said, “I bet these self-styled Men of Science all deny that zygotes are human life.” Bingo! I was right.

            Human life, but not a “person.”

            CLASSIC NATURALISM INDOCTRINATION! 🙂

          4. Be patient. He will answer this.
            It’s going to take some time though because this question will doubtless require many, many, many, many words.

          5. That’s just artistry…

            Why say something in a straightforward and simple way, when you can bury your opinion artistically?

          6. That doesn’t help me a bit, Dear Leader.

            I’m one of those ‘life begins at conception’ people who has difficulty understanding why the distinction makes a difference. I remember from science class that the human gestation period is much less than 3.7 billion years.

            Do you believe life begins at conception? If not, then explain when it does begin.

          7. LOL! Bad day, Tildeb?

            You don’t want to compose a treatise to even ATTEMPT to make it look like you’ve got an argument?

          8. That knocking sound is just his pea brain rattling around in his skull.

          9. Life begins not at conception, but 3.7 billion years ago. Is that right?

          10. Brilliant.
            Help me understand this:
            “stopping a pregnancy that will produce a fetus with Downs Syndrome isn’t equivalent to killing people with Downs Syndrome … it’s a reproductive preference.”

            Is it not ‘reproductive preference’ for a mother to kill her toddlers because they’re annoying?

            Couldn’t it be ‘reproductive preference’ to kill a teenager because they banged up my car?

            This is fascinating!

          11. No. There is both a qualitative and quantitative difference. You confuse the oak seed to be an oak tree. They are not the same.

            Now apply your considerable brain power not to flinging out yet another typical and diverting snide comment but to figuring out why that is the case. Remember, the issue here is whether life is a process or a substance. That makes all the difference understanding the Dawkins reference.

          12. Brilliant!

            Oak seeds are not oak trees. How does this apply to aborting babies with Down Syndrome?
            Qualitative and quantitative differences are determined by whom?
            And while you’re at it…
            …what exactly is the qualitative and quantitative difference between life being a process or a substance?

            You’re on a roll, Dear Leader!
            I suspect you’re attracting legions of new disciples!

          13. I would explain but that would entail too many words for you to handle. And – if you stay true to form – you have already dismissed it.

          14. How many words do you need to say, “I believe adult humans are valuable and fetuses are worthless because I’ve never thought about it critically” ? I just did it in less than 20.

          15. Forget it.
            I’ll be summarizing for Tildeb from now on. I do a much better job of expressing his ‘thoughts’ than he does.

          16. Bingo.

            Dive into the conversation. Accuse me of delusional indoctrination. Spout ‘Oogity-Boogity’ nonsense as an alternative. Then dismiss me when asked for clarification.

            Here’s the truth, Dear Leader. I can handle as many words as you care to throw at me. And that’s the problem.

            I actually READ what you post. I UNDERSTAND that it’s gibberish.

            You’re no better than KIA. An intellectual neophyte. Constantly whining about how I abuse and misrepresent your views.

            Buckle up, buttercup.
            If you’re too lazy (or stupid) to clarify those views, then I’m more than happy to summarize them for you.

            (…now go tell all the other heathen how badly you’ve been treated.)

          17. No one thinks an oak seed (uh, acorn?) and an oak tree are the same. But YOU’RE the one who thinks the seeds have no rights, while the full-grown trees need to be protected.

            That’s why YOU have to explain why one is valuable and deserves to live–but not the other.

          18. I’m trying to send people to learn from you, Dear Leader. But you’re making it difficult!

            Nobody is going to take you seriously if you keep giving stupid answers. You should be able to knock this one out of the park! I’ll get you started…

            “Life doesn’t begin at conception, it begins________”
            (Fill in the blank. Use as much room as you need.)

            To My Readers: It’s been fun. I’ll miss you after Tildeb’s response releases you from my sinister clutches.

          19. It’s taking a long time to answer this.
            I figured that you, being the ‘Knower of All Truth’, would have an answer at the ready. Surely, this isn’t the first time you’ve pondered this question, is it?

            While we wait for your thoroughly scientific answer, go ahead and post contact information so my readers can flock to you when you expose the stupidity of my belief that ‘life begins at conception’.

    1. To clarify for the chimp descendants – Dawkins and Hitler represent Humanism at its best.

      ~CQW

      1. Ah there we go! Well done Senor Fuckwit! Believe it not, there is an actual term for how long it will take in any discussion before the ”Hitler card” is thrown onto the table.
        I can’t be bothered to research it.

        1. Of course.
          You can’t be bothered to support ANYTHING you claim.

          Stick to swearing.
          Just type the vilest, most offensive names you can think up.

        2. I’ve seen people talk about the Hitler card! What I HAVEN’T seen is a godless person give a good reason why Hitler was wrong.

          Not once.

          And I don’t think that’s going to change today, because I’m talking to the person who “doesn’t do philosophy.”

          Hitler killed Jews for the exact same reason Richard Dawkins wants us to kill fetuses with Down Syndrome. Do you know what that reason is?

          1. Hitler was wrong because of his Fucking Mustache.
            I mean, seriously, who in their right mind would think that was Cool?

        1. That reminds me. I need to post a picture of what JB looked like, back in the late 80’s.

          LIP SWEATER!

          …also, just in case anyone missed the video from a few days ago, here are the chimp descendants, whenever one of their New Atheist priests says something they don’t fully understand:

      2. Chimps are our cousins, not ancestors. You really don’t want to learn about evolution, do you? You just want to pretend you know enough through some faith-based belief to try to mock it. All you’re doing is revealing your ignorance and mistaking it for knowledge. That’s a guaranteed recipe to be credulous to the point of stark foolishness.

      3. tildeb –

        How about bonobo descendent?

        How about ancient unknown ape descendent?*

        How about Great Grape Ape?

        ~CQW

        * Relevant scientists put their faith in this one

  6. The problem with posts like this is that it isn’t honest enough to separate ‘belief in god’ from John’s belief and faith in a specific god. The God of the Bible and Jesus as his son.
    Christians would never accept the same premise of ‘belief in god’ as inseparable from a person’s identity when speaking of any other faith, or there would be no need or possibility for evangelism ‘from’… say, Islam or judaism or Buddhism ‘to’ christianity.
    Just as a side note from personal experience though, it is very possible to ‘remove’ certain Faiths from one’s identity without too many side effects. I did so as a Catholic boy to fundamental christianity, and have from fundamental christianity to just being me again.
    No an atheist, but certainly not christian anymore. I pulled the crucifix out of my ‘third point of contact’ because it isn’t true. And I’m much more that I ever was with it imbedded in my identity.

    1. Beta,

      I’m speaking for myself here. Not for anyone else.

      Your journey from ‘Catholic boy’ to ‘whatever you are now that even you can’t describe’ is boring. Really.

      You’re ‘certainly not Christian’ but neither are you Atheist. Why do you think anyone cares?

        1. I don’t berate everybody.
          I berate you because you’re a sissified, self-important nitwit.

          You already have what you need don’t you? You’ve been abused so you have something to post on your blog about how mean Christians are.

          Would you like me to ask you some questions about your comment? I can do that but in the past, you haven’t done very well with those.

    2. You’re wrong, KIA.
      Maybe YOU couldn’t think outside the box before you left your church. Maybe YOUR understanding of God used to be “my way or the highway to Hell.” But the Christians who comment here DO accept the premise that God is woven into the DNA of every, single human on the planet. Some people call him Allah and some called him “Lo.” (Plus a thousand other names.) But people are drawn to worship their Creator the best way they know how, until they get more information. Sometimes a Christian tells them Jesus died for them, and they believe. Other times an until an Atheist tells them science explains everything they need to know. Both of those messengers are missionaries.

      We call you Pastor Mike because, even though you have given up your old faith, you still have one. Everybody does. You’re still searching for Truth, and you still deliver a pretty robust sermon now and then!

      It bugs you when people point that out. But, I’m amazed you can’t see it yourself!

      1. Amanda, you are still unworthy of response. And i wasnt talking to you or commenting on a post written by you. Have a nice day.

        1. It’s my blog, too, old chap.
          Why do you bother posting to a blog if you won’t accept a response? 😉

          lol.

          It’s the bug-zapper analogy that Tildeb may remember. “I’m drawn to the light! I can’t stay away!…” *Zap!*

        1. Maybe. But he shouldn’t be worried about ME, per se…

          If he had any sense, he’d stop being “anti-Christian” and start being “pro-Truth.” Then we’d be on the same team.

          1. Notice he didn’t jump at the chance to answer some questions about his post…

            “…from fundamentalist to just being me again” Wow. Care to elaborate? Of course not.

          2. That’s because he’s still a fundamentalist…. he just has a different set of “fundamentals” that he doesn’t fully understand. Same as before.

          3. “Christians would never accept the same premise of ‘belief in god’ as inseparable from a person’s identity when speaking of any other faith…”

            Yes. This Christian totally would accept that premise. Because this Christian is not a fundamentalist.

            Probably a good thing he retreated.

            I bet he wishes he could delete his own comments, huh?

          4. “The problem with posts like this is that it isn’t honest enough to separate ‘belief in god’ from John’s belief and faith in a specific god…”

            Fantastic! I’m supposed to write from the perspective of other people? For the sake of honesty? Lemme know how to do that, Beta Boy.

          5. Well, maybe that was a bad example of your dishonesty.
            But, you’re still dishonest.
            You have to be!
            I mean, the only other alternative is that our Atheist trolls are blind, emotional followers of the New Atheists and they’re only here to throw poo and keep their delusions in tact.

            That can’t be right, because CHRISTIANS are delusional.

            So, yeah.

            You’re dishonest.

      1. $10 if he answers your question, CQW.

        My guess is he’s furiously typing his newest ‘everybody is mean to me’ blog post through tear-filled eyes.

      2. I’d prefer the other half of the burger.

        If he answers – you can pay an additional $10 with your 2016 taxes. Scientific fact – taxes help poor people.

        ~CQW

    3. @KIA
      Oh, well, what the Gehenna, I’ll leave one comment.
      I notice that of all the folks that leave comments, yours , Mike, seem to rile JB more than any other. They expose a raw nerve.
      I suspect that this may be because you were so much more involved with the church than most of us and ol’ JB is poop scared of you exposing him as the fraud he likely is.

      Really warms the cockles f my heart.

      1. Lol! Couldn’t help yourself, eh?

        I would be careful assuming that JB unleashes on KIA because he is “riled.” As the man on this blog with the award for “Shortest Fuse and Most F-Bombs,” I’m surprised you would admit that it usually has to do with having “raw nerves.”

        1. Oh, I just love swearing at Dickheads.
          If you truly think I have a short fuse then you are more stupid than I first believed.

          And why write F-Bomb? The work is Fuck.
          It’s just a word, Amanda. Just a word.
          One can write ”Fuck Jesus of Nazareth” and nothing will happen.

          1. Thanks for clarifying.
            In that case, I’ll go ahead and speak for my dad that he just likes calling Pastor Mike “Beta.” It’s just a word. Beta.

            Except, unlike the word “Fuck,” this one packs a punch. Because the truth always hurts…

            Men don’t whine and cry. You might want to tell your friend “KIA” that, instead of coming over to pat him on the head. You’ll both be just a little more respected around here, if that happens.

          2. Indeed.
            The fundies seem to be out in full force today.
            More swearing, Ahk! That’ll send me scurrying!

          3. More swearing.
            You’re not even mildly interesting unless you’re swearing.

          4. He IS kind of interesting when he’s swearing, though…
            I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: Ark–“The Fuse”–Kenaten has always been my favorite.

      2. Thx ARk. I’m still confused that Christians wouldn’t be upfront and unapologetic about their specific faith, rather than mock disbelief in ‘god’ ie. Generic.

          1. You may ask anything you want on my blog posts about my journey, but I won’t allow you to turn this into a ‘pinata mike’ post

          2. Waaaaaah!
            Waaaaaaaaaah!

            “Stop asking me what I think!”

            Waaaaaaaaaaaah!

          3. No… You aren’t asking honestly and I don’t trust your possible responses here. Your post is not about what I believe

          4. Waaaaaaaaaah!

            “You’re not trustworthy”

            Waaaaaaaaah!

            Then why did you comment, Beta?

            You said: “I pulled the crucifix out of my ‘third point of contact’ because it isn’t true. And I’m much more that I ever was with it imbedded in my identity.”

            How are you ‘much more’ than before? (Or is that ‘none of my business’ after you posted it ON MY BLOG SPACE?)

          5. JB,
            I’m still confused that [Pastor Mike] wouldn’t be upfront and unapologetic about his specific faith–rather than mock belief in [Jesus].

          6. You can ask whatever you want on my posts about my journey. Won’t allow you to turn this post around on me.

          7. Good point–this post isn’t about you. It’s about the God that JB believes in.

            The God who made all of us.

            The one who permeates every cell of our beings.

            I hope you’re equally disgusted by Richard Dawkins’ comment that fetuses with Down Syndrome should be aborted as you are with literally everything that Christians say.

          8. Sorry, you must have missed the part about me not being atheist. Also, if I take exception with something someone else says, I’ll let them know directly. No need or responsibility to broadcast it here on an unrelated post. But nice attempt at diversion. Failed again.

          9. Sorry, but you must have missed the part where I asked a question and didn’t mention “Atheism” at all. I don’t care whether you call yourself an Atheist. I asked whether you were as outraged by Preachers like Dawkins as you are by Christians…?

        1. Well, you’ve been on the other side of the fence so you can probably answer that question better than most.

          What’s your take on Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle Dee?

          Are they a case of ”Fake it ’til you make it?”

          1. *Smile*
            Either of you two want to cite an example of the ‘lies’ I told for Jesus?

          2. Again, isn’t it it rich to see how well the childish responses by JB and Amanda lines up with the post? Whereas child-like indicates an innocence, childish indicates immaturity. And that’s what JB & Clan demonstrate in spades: immaturity and childish churlishness.

          3. Yes! Yes! A thousand times, YES!
            We are childish, boorish twits!
            We need to be shut-down.

            Where do people go to get more of your truth? Quit hiding your light, Tildeb!

      3. @Ahk
        Oh, well, what the Gehenna, I’ll leave a response.

        Mike riles me because he’s a bleeding coward. Notice he has not responded to my invitation to be asked questions about his post? That’s typical.

        For the record, I believe KIA was ‘involved with the church’ but, much like you, he never formed coherent belief. He still hasn’t! That’s why he dashes of to complain about the ‘abuse’ he suffers here.

        Go ahead and believe that the ‘poop is scared out of me’ if it helps you sleep at night.

        Watch the way ole’ Mikey interacts though. Just watch him.

        1. Mike’s a coward? And this from a man who believes Moses and Jesus of Nazareth are real!

          You’re a nob.

          I nearly sprayed my coffee over my screen.

          1. Four or five actually. Remember I am an atheist so I lie through my teeth.
            You see what hanging with you fundies does?
            Fuck! Before long I’ll be saying Praze the Lawd, and Objective Morality and Maybe Moses did get the Ten Commandments? Or even, Yeah, Jesus was the Man with the kiddies.
            I need to eat a few more pages of my bible.
            Deuteronomy should do the trick.

          2. Atheists lie through their teeth? I remember they eat babies, but I forgot that one?

            Anyway, if you want to hear a story of what Fundamentalist Materialism accomplishes, look at what Richard Dawkins said about people with Downs! 🙂 (And then read the story that CQW shared.) That’s what happens when you try to take God out of an equation. Thankfully–you still act like God exists, even though you mock the idea.

          3. I think you secretly have the hots for Dawkins, Amanda.
            I wouldn’t read anything Senor Fuckwit shared. He hasn’t the intellect of the turds he continually revels about.

            ”God” (sic) has never been in the equation, only man.

          4. Lol. I’m so glad you decided to accept my invitation to this thread after all, Ark.

            Don’t scare me by saying “no thanks” ever again. Just come over here and fill the thread with off-topic-and-angry nonsense, whenever you want.

            Also–that’s TWO things now, that Dawkins has said and you can’t understand or support… If I were you, I’d stop trusting that crazy, godless man!

          5. Well, you know how much I hate ”God”, right?
            I mean , really hate him …oops sorry, Him.

            BTW.do I always have to write ”Fuck” to be mildly interesting?

          6. Well, it’s all fun and games, until your doctor hears you’re cycling again… Do you go through crying spells, too? Or is yours mostly anger?

            I knew a guy once who went on a high and put money in people’s mailboxes. Now THAT’S the kind of Manic people don’t mind dealing with! But he had angry spells, too.

            There’s not much left of Bob’s mind today, thanks to all the Lithium and sedatives. He mostly watches old Bonanza reruns all day (and all night, when he can’t sleep). But, that’s because he doesn’t know how to use the internet… If Bob had a computer, he might enjoy distracting himself from the pointlessness of life by writing “fuck” on people’s blogs. 🙂

          7. Anger mostly.

            I only cry when cycling if my trouser gets caught in the chain.

            Yes, my life has no meaning … should I end it all?
            Or perhaps your god could help?
            What say you MrsMc.
            I do listen to expert opinion you know?

          8. You don’t listen to expert opinion. That has been my point all along. You only listen to known Atheists.

            David Wood is an expert on the renewing of a person’s mind. But he’s just the one with the biggest platform. There are hundreds. I’m a survivor, too.

            It’s simple, but not easy. It takes the most expensive thing in the world: humility.

          9. I thought you were an expert when it came to Meaning of Life issues?
            This is why I asked should I end it all and maybe your God(sic) could help?
            He helped you, right?
            So how could he help me?
            You are the expert am I right?

            ”It takes the most expensive thing in the world: humility.”

            How the hell Gehenna did you afford it, then?

            Does Yahweh offer credit?
            That’s fucking brilliant!

          10. Yes! You’re closer than you may realize about God offering credit, metaphorically speaking.

            I’m not an expert in changing other people’s minds. I can only tell you what *I* did, and what other people have said THEY did…

            I realized there is only so much my little brain can do by itself. And I saw that if I believed what the Naturalists told me, I just had a chemical imbalance. I just needed drugs! Different cocktails of different doses, to make me think like they do! But every human heart knows that we’re more than that. We’re more than just chemicals. And I cried out to God, “If you’re there, then WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME???”

            That didn’t make me feel instantly better (although I’ve heard people testify that they have received immediate “healing.”) Instead, I thought, “If God is there and he is good, then there is a purpose for this. I may not know what it is…but there is a purpose.” I felt myself let go of just a tiny bit of control. And I got about three hours of sleep that night. So, the next day, I continued talking to God: “If you’re not going to help me sleep, then at least help me accept what’s happening right now.” And I felt myself let go of just a tiny bit more control…

            It wasn’t over night. But I’m a different person today. My old mind is gone, but my new mind is better. And I’m not on any medications. 🙂

            I love David Wood’s testimony, too.

          11. The problem I face is this: I do not believe in gods, and yours’ seems as screwed-up and disgusting a deity as one can imagine.
            How can anyone respect or love a genocidal maniac?
            How can you love a genocidal maniac.

            What is that, some sort of extreme perverse form of Stockholm Syndrome?
            It’s just too gross to contemplate and makes my skin crawl.

            It strikes me that, you were a believer before your ”episode”, yes?
            Ardent even?
            Did daddy or mummy take you to church as a youngster? That is a serious question.

            So if anyone ”Hated God”, or ”Turned their back on God”, or ”Rejected God’s Love” or any of the myriad, asinine sayings you lot have it would be you, not me!

            You see, I have never had the inclination to appeal to a deity who is not only make-believe but a make-
            believe monster to boot.

            I rather enjoy my life to tell, the truth.
            I am in reasonably good physical health, still have my hair, teeth, eyesight and hearing; no overt mental problems that I am aware of.
            Football notwithstanding.
            I have a wife and family I love to distraction, dogs, cats, fish a few close friends, a smashing home and I don’t have to work myself to the bone these days. So what the heck do I need a monster of a god in my life for?

            Therefore, while I may suffer from certain delusions ( Liverpool winning the Premier League) I do not suffer any god-belief delusions.

            And from our discussion you still suffer from them – even more so based on my unqualified, un-medical observation.
            And you have kids.
            An unstable and potentially dangerous combination which you appear to embody.

          12. I don’t believe in the same God I believed in before my depression… That’s why it’s frustrating when you keep talking about “my God” and how he’s a “genocidal maniac.”

            I believe in Truth–which is bigger than all of us. I believe in meaning that is so important and so big that it has to exist outside of matter and time.

            David Wood was dying of self-imposed starvation on the floor of a jail cell, when he had a clear moment of humility. It finally occurred to him that he needed help, and he didn’t know where else to turn. He prayed: “God, I don’t know if I’m going to believe in you tomorrow. But I believe in you right now. So, if there’s anything you can do with me, you’re welcome to it.” He has been sane ever since.

            Why don’t you talk to Him, and ask Him if he’s a genocidal maniac? He wants to talk to you.

          13. So if you don’t believe in that ”former god”, why do consider there is veracity to the Moses story?

            And please don’t spin an answer. Tell the truth.
            There are others reading. Maybe some of your dad’s 15,000 followers?

          14. You’re getting side-tracked, Ark. First of all, I answered that question yesterday. (It’s not as simple, black-and-white as “The Exodus never happened.” No scholar says that.) So, if you’re looking for archaeologists or Egytologists to make you believe in God, it won’t happen. Ultimately, whether or not the Moses story really happened doesn’t change the fact that you need help, and you know in your heart that I’m not crazy.

            I trust that expert diggers will find some cool stuff and tell us about it from time to time. I trust science when it observes cool things about the universe. But your problem with God has nothing to do with the science. Jesus himself could show up in your bedroom, and you will be afraid you’re hallucinating.

            It’s going to take humility to start your journey toward truth. And you’re going to have to trust a few Christians now and then.

          15. You’re getting side-tracked, Ark. First of all, I answered that question yesterday. (It’s not as simple, black-and-white as “The Exodus never happened.” No scholar says that.

            Of course iot is black and white ‘Stop cherry picking Amanda!
            And yes plenty of scholars say just that It never happened.
            You want a bloody list?

            So, if you do not believe in the genocidal biblical god, Yahweh, then why do you believe in Moses and the Exodus?

            Answer the question please.

          16. Why? Moses doesn’t matter. If nothing he said is true, then burn the Bible.

            But there’s truth in the Pentateuch, even if big chunks of it are fictional.

            I believe the truth in the Bible, regardless of the historical accuracy of the Bible, because I’ve SEEN IT CHANGE PEOPLE. I’m telling you that I have been changed by truth. Personally. I don’t need a scholar to tell me that.

          17. I’ve used nothing but honesty, Ark.

            But you’re not prepared to accept it.

            I’ll keep praying for restless sleep for you. It might save your life. 🙂

          18. Nope, sidestepping the issue.
            And no you are not being honest.

            If you do not believe ion the genocidal god, Yahweh, as described in the bible, why do you still believe in the veracity pf the Moses/Exodus tale?

            And for the record, which god you now believe in if not the biblical god?

          19. You’re still trying to understand in black-and-white terms. You’re asking me to level with you, like I level with my children. But I was trying to have an adult conversation.

            We talk to children in stories, because it’s easier for them to understand. The FACTS may be that Moses didn’t exist. But the STORY is still important for every human to understand.

            I don’t want to talk about FACTS with you, because you’re not a scholar. If the scholarly consensus is that Moses was fictional, then I accept that. (But, keep in mind that many Atheists on the internet say that Jesus was fictional, and it turns out that’s not what the scholars say at all.) You keep trying to accuse me of stubbornly hanging on to my “beliefs” no matter the evidence, and that’s simply not true. I haven’t done that even one time. I’ve said there is very little I know, and I’m not an expert about much. So, if you want to talk about Moses, then find a historian.

            Whether he was real or historical doesn’t change the fact that the Ten Commandments change lives. It doesn’t change all the moral wisdom of the Proverbs. It doesn’t change the fact that Jesus’ death and resurrection changed the world. If you don’t want to trust thousands and thousands and thousands of Christians because you actually–honestly–believe they are all brainwashed, that’s your choice. But I don’t understand why you’d want to keep suffering when there is hope and truth and the freedom and fearlessness. I can ask questions and change my mind. I can say, “Maybe Moses didn’t really live” without fear, and then try to find the truth later. It doesn’t keep me awake at night.

            My life has been changed by God. He guides me and directs me. Sometimes he shows me I was wrong about what I used to believe. Other times he tells me I’m right. We’re all trying to find Him, even though some of us call him by different names.

          20. If the scholarly consensus is that Moses was fictional, then I accept that.

            It is the consensus as well you should know. Yet you previously said you believed the story.
            Are you know changing your mind, simply a little confused or were you a bit embarrassed at realizing what you had initially written?

            Whether he was real or historical doesn’t change the fact that the Ten Commandments change lives.

            The Ten Commandments were, by and large, ripped off from the Code of Hammurabi. And there are a great many commandments, not just ten for goodness’ sake as anyone who had read the bible thoroughly would know.
            So, why the hell don’t you know these things?

            But I don’t understand why you’d want to keep suffering when there is hope and truth and the freedom and fearlessness.

            Interesting. Please explain to everyone exactly how you believe I am suffering? Be as brutal as you like.

            My life has been changed by God.

            How has your life been changed by a meglomaniacal, genocidal monster from an ancient Bronze Age civilization that slaughtered animals to this god as a form of appeasement?
            And exactly how would my life benefit from worshiping this god?
            Once again, please be specific.

          21. 1. I said I lean toward Moses being historical because I’ve never been given a reason to doubt the biblical account. But my dad ordered one of those books which “will be a difficult read for fundamentalists,” so we’ll see. I’ll probably be able to talk about this better in a few weeks, once I’ve HEARD SOMETHING SCHOLARLY ABOUT MOSES…

            2. You have no idea where the Ten Commandments came from, because you’re just repeating what other people have told you. But, even if Hammurabi wrote down commandments first, where did HE get them? Most people don’t have a copy of Hammurabi’s work in their house. But everyone has a Bible. So, as I’ve told you before, the Bible is the best source to tell me about God that I’ve ever found… And I’m happy to hear that other cultures have found pieces of him, too.

            3. My life wasn’t changed by a meglomaniacal, genocidal monster from a Bronze Age civilization. It is constantly being changed by God. What a silly question.

            I don’t have the answers you want, Ark. God does. But you still have all your guards up.

          22. I am repeating?

            Well, yes I guess I am.
            As I am repeating what I learned in school and at work and when I changed a nappy and when I changed a spark plug and when I bake bread or make dinner.

            So this is unlike your beliefs which come directly from god and not from any form of cultural exposure at all, right?
            Did nobody teach you about Christianity? No one?

            3. My life wasn’t changed by a meglomaniacal, genocidal monster from a Bronze Age civilization.

            Okay. So if not, Yahweh, which god do you believe in? And which god changed your life? And how did you learn of this god? A name would help?

            You stated that I am suffering.
            I do not consider that I am.
            I asked you to please explain why you believe I am suffering and please be specific.
            Thanks.

          23. You repeat what you learned in school. But here’s what you didn’t learn in school:

            “Let me summarize my views on what modern evolutionary biology tells us loud and clear … There are no gods, no purposes, no goal-directed forces of any kind. There is no life after death. When I die, I am absolutely certain that I am going to be dead. That’s the end for me. There is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning to life, and no free will for humans, either.” –Will Provine, Atheist.

            I’m going to share more quotes, because they also highlight the reason you are suffering. They outline the problem you have. Please read them carefully.

            “I existed like a stone, a plant, a microbe… I was just thinking… that here we are, all of us, eating and drinking, to preserve our precious existence and there’s nothing, nothing, absolutely no reason for existing.” –Jean-Paul Sarte, Atheist.

            “A foreign publisher of my first book confessed the he could not sleep for three nights after reading it, so troubled was he by what he saw as its cold, bleak message. Others have asked me how I can bear to get up in the mornings. A teacher from a distant country wrote to me reproachfully that a pupil had come to him in tears after reading the same book, because it had persuaded her that life was empty and purposeless. He advised her not to show the book to any of her friends, for fear of contaminating them with the same nihilistic pessimism.” –Richard Dawkins.

            You’re suffering because you can’t accept that. You need to believe that life has meaning. It has been built into all of us by God. (He only needs a name when people are trying to pigeon hole him. But, for the sake of this conversation, let’s call my God “Frank.”) Frank is the reason for everything. In fact, one of Frank’s other names is “Reason.” He’s a Mind. And he’s Logical.

            All of this is too much for many children to understand. So, Frank gave all of us some simple stories–parables–to help us understand what he’s like. The stories are kind of like the time I tried to explain “light” to a totally-blind student. But, it’s the best you can do. So now, the simplest child can start to understand Frank. And the most intellectual adult can learn new things about Frank all the time.

            Frank will be whatever Frank will be. And, most importantly, Frank is the HOPE that all of us need–but that Atheism can’t give us. Frank is life.

          24. Where you go wrong is you completely misunderstand the term meaning of life, and thus have this compelling need to ascribe it to some imaginary friend.; your not a bronze age megalomaniacal genocidal maniac who is in the bible.
            You have a fear of death, that there is nothing once we pass away.
            I don’t. I simply return to being Stardust.
            Your fear is irrational and can be proven to be irrational.
            I don’t have any such fear.
            Furthermore,my life has literally tons of meaning and purpose.
            In the very simplest of terms, my dogs look to me to feed them.
            That responsibility is awesome and one I take very, very seriously indeed.
            Without me, they will likely die or at the very least suffer quite badly.

            Amanda, you are not well.
            And I mean this without any sarcasm or one swear word at all.
            In truth, you need professional help, and there are quite a number of people who have been where you are who may well be following this thread who will be nodding their heads in agreement.

            Maybe your father recognizes that your situation is currently the best of a bad job?
            On the other hand he might be just as bad?
            Whatever.
            Yahweh is not the answer.

            I thoroughly enjoy it.

          25. Tell me more about how life “is” without backing it up! 🙂

            But, without God, you have no standard. You have no way to say one thing is right and the other is wrong. You have no way to say one person is sane and the other person is “unwell.”

            Good Atheist thinkers agree with that! (And here, I will back up my claim that even Atheists agree.)

            “If there is no single moral authority [i.e. if there is no God, then] we have to in some sense ‘create’ values for ourselves… that means that moral claims are not true or false in the same way as factual claims are… moral claims are judgments [that] it is always possible for someone to disagree with… without saying something that is factually false… you may disagree with me but you cannot say I have made a factual error.” –Julian Baggini, Atheist.

            “If my mental processes are determined wholly by the motions in my brain, I have no reason to suppose that my beliefs are true… and hence I have no reason for supposing my brain to be composed of atoms.” –J.B.S. Haldane, Atheist

            “Evolutionary naturalism implies that we shouldn’t take any of our convictions seriously, including the scientific world picture on which evolutionary naturalism itself depends.”

            If you take out God, you take out EVERYTHING. So, that is the problem that you don’t seem to understand.

            (*edited: that last quote is by Thomas Nagel, who is an Atheist.)

          26. No, Frank is.

            Try to keep up.

            I know you didn’t learn any of this in school, but it’s why you’re struggling with your problem right now. 🙂

            You want to believe in purpose and meaning, but Naturalism can’t give you any.

          27. Answer the door, Ark.

            Naturalism doesn’t work with human experience. Science doesn’t explain everything. It’s time for you to search for truth, using your own mind and heart.

            Answer the door.

            Frank is knocking.

          28. Because I know him personally…. but I literally NEVER call him “Yahweh.” Why won’t you call him Frank?

            Now, if you really believe that people shouldn’t hold a-priori beliefs and remain willfully ignorant, you REALLY need to see this quote from an Atheist.

            “Our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural. We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.”

            –Harvard geneticist Richard C. Lewontin

          29. Because I know him personally…. but I literally NEVER call him “Yahweh.” Why won’t you call him Frank?

            And exactly how did you get to know the Bronze Age deity, the megalomaniacal genocidal maniac who appeared to Moses and handed over the Ten Commandments who the Canaanites called Yahweh but you call ”Frank”?
            Please tell me exactly how you got to know him … personally and how he responded to you … perosnally.
            ( and remember, there are people reading this thread)

          30. God transcends time, Ark. He is outside of time and matter. Do you think “Yahweh” is some king? That he has a body? What do you think God is, that it’s so hard to understand?

            I told you my story. That’s how a person interacts with God: in their mind and in their heart. One-on-one. Some people call it “praying.” I like to call it “thinking.” Whenever a person thinks, they are tuning in to God. But–you have the free will to think things like, “God doesn’t exist.” When people think about that for too long, their minds break, though. When people tune into God as the source of life, then their mind gets renewed. That’s how I interacted with God.

            Are you intentionally misunderstanding?

          31. So you tuned into god?
            Now explain how you know him personally.

            And please explain why you worship/revere (or whatever term you choose)
            a Bronze Age meglomaniacal, genocidal maniac called Frank – normally found in the bible where he is called Yahweh.

          32. Ark–I know my God is very interesting to you. But, at some point, you’re going to have to open your eyes yourself. (The New Age Spiritualists call it the “Third Eye.”)

            I can describe “Green” to a color blind person until I collapse. But my words won’t make them see it. You can’t borrow my eyeballs. It doesn’t work. The only way for you to see is to use your own tools.

            And if your tools are broken, ask God to fix them.

          33. I repeat: Explain how you know him personally?
            And what does he say to you and in what fashion?
            Also why do you worship a genocidal maniac called Frank?
            And what exactly Frank/Yahweh promised you?

          34. You’re like the blind kid who kept saying to me over and over, “I hear what you’re saying, but I still don’t know what light is. WHAT IS IT???” I told her about wave/particles. I told her that when rooms are dark, you have to turn on a light to see. (She said, “My mom tried to tell me about dark, and I don’t understand that, either.”) lol. It’s really hard to explain a sense to another person, isn’t it?

            I can’t explain HOW any better than I already have.

            I’m sorry.

            I wish I could say the right words and make the light of God just “pop” into your mind. But you have to seek him yourself. That’s the only way. Asking me all of these questions is just your way of being lazy again, I’m afraid. 🙂

          35. Aah, but what if I am not desperate, suicidal, on drugs, addicted to pornography, an alcoholic,chronically depressed, sexually abused, a loner, habitual criminal, or murderer, or a secret Game of Thrones affeciando?
            What if I am just so painfully ordinary and … quite Frankly (sic)… just boring?

            How can I call out to your genocidal maniac god from bible, the Bronze Age, Frank nee Yahweh to save me from being normal?

            Should I try to kill myself do you think?
            Would this help?

          36. You’re forgetting your problem. Even “normal” people have the problem: we need hope and purpose, which Naturalism can’t give us.

            Kids are crying when they learn about Evolutionary Naturalism. Why? Because they’re getting the message that everything is meaningless. It makes them feel empty. Why? Because they are built to run on the fuel that is God, and they’re being told he’s not there.

            He’s light. And, without light, everything starts to shrivel…

          37. Even “normal” people have the problem: we need hope and purpose, which Naturalism can’t give us.

            Okay, now we are getting somewhere.
            Thank goodness!

            When you say I need hope explain exactly what you mean by this , please.
            And I mean exactly.

          38. I don’t have to explain self-evident things.
            We need hope.
            It is built into us.
            Like a thirst, but water can’t quench it.
            Like a hunger, but food doesn’t satisfy it.
            When teens read the quotes by Atheists that I shared (and I have many more), they cry.

            Why do they cry?

            Because the Naturalists are trying to remove God like a cancer, but the concept of God is built into every part of us.

            Naturalism, when people actually understand it, makes them want to die. Because people need hope and purpose.

          39. It is not self evident to me as I feel perfectly comfortable.
            As I mentioned, unlike you, I have no suicidal tendencies, no addictions ( okay,I like my computer and Liverpool FC a lot) so I do not consider I need hope at this point in time to make my life fulfilled ( aside from hope Liverpool win the Premier League)

            Obviously, you truly believe my life is lacking something, and I am pretty sure you believe this wholeheartedly, so I want you to explain exactly what it is I need hope for?

            have to explain why

          40. I don’t buy that for a minute.
            I’m sorry, but I’m just being honest.
            People who are content don’t keep demanding answers from Christians who they supposedly believe are “unwell.”

            People who are satisfied with their life don’t get so worked up over topics which are ultimately meaningless.

            People who are perfectly comfortable don’t say that, over and over and over. You protest too much.

            I believe that you HAVE had suicidal thoughts. I believe that you are on anti-psych meds.

            And OBVIOUSLY you lack answers, since you keep asking for them.

            I don’t have the answers you really, really want Ark.

            Ask Frank.

          41. I don’t buy that for a minute.

            That’s because you were suicidal.
            I’m not.
            And I thought only Frank-Yahweh could read minds?
            You felt something was missing in your life and for that you tried to top yourself.
            I don’t.
            Oh, and do you still have the gun in your house by the way as that level of depression is apparently hereditary and Frank-Yahweh forbid one of your kids gets hold of it.

            I have no existential angst and haven’t since I was going through puberty!

            People who are perfectly comfortable don’t say that, over and over and over. You protest too much.

            How quickly we forget, Amanda.
            Go back and read some comments where I explain.

            I believe that you HAVE had suicidal thoughts. I believe that you are on anti-psych meds.
            And OBVIOUSLY you lack answers, since you keep asking for them

            My goodness!Proof at last that telepathy over the internet is real. Amanda can read my mind. Oh my farking Frank-Yahweh, what am I going to do?
            You’re not spying on me through the camera on my laptop are you? Or seeing me through the eyes of Frank Yahweh?

            Er … no. In actual fact I really am that boring and normal.

            So, please explain to me exactly what it is I need hope for – other than Liverpool.
            And remember, people are following this and believe me, they really want o hear your reason as well.

          42. “Yes” to the Frank-Yahweh vision thing… Some people call it intuition. Some people call it “seeing with their spirit.”

            If Naturalism is true, we can make anybody think or feel anything we want, just by giving them the right kind of drugs. But, only God renews minds.
            He renewed my mind–and continues to renew it day after day. I don’t know everything about God, but I get to know him better through conversations like this.
            He’s knocking.
            Answer the door.

          43. Fine. Now ,so that we all know you are not a fraud and Frank Yahweh is really real, explain in detail why you know I need hope and for what.
            Exactly.
            Away you go.

            Take your time. I can wait. I am busy watching Honey I shrunk the kids again.
            Hilarious movie. See, how boring am I?

          44. Ah… asking me to explain the inexplicable again.
            You’re still asking questions—which is the main tool that God has given humans in order to find Him. (Humans are natural question-askers. Tildeb will back me up on that one!) 🙂
            But, once again, I can’t explain something which everyone knows. When someone starts feeling like they don’t have a purpose and life is meaningless, we drug them. That’s how much we believe that meaning and purpose are essential. If someone feels hopeless, we call them crazy and give them happy pills.
            You keep asking me to “explain” like the blind girl did. I’m not mad that both of you are curious. I just can’t help you.

          45. I am asking you to explain why you believe that I need hope and exactly what it is I am hoping for?

            If you cannot do this this then please tell me what you need hope for?

            Try for once to simply be honest and straightforward Amanda. Can you do this?

          46. I know what you’re asking. It’s like asking “Why do you believe plants will die without sunlight?”

            Uh…

            Because they do.

            “Why do you believe MY plant will die without sunlight?”

            Because, they all need sunlight.

            “But why do YOUR plants need sunlight?”

            Every living thing depends on the sunlight. It’s just the way it is. What else do you want?

            “Okay….but I really don’t feel like I need sunlight.”

            You’re wrong. You need sunlight.

            “But explain why you believe that I need it!”

            Ugh… If I didn’t know better, I’d like you’re going to drive me crazy. 🙂 Maybe Bob will let me borrow his Clonazepam…

          47. And I have told you, I really hope Liverpool win the league.
            I really hope we don’t run out of coffee.

            And Frank-Yahweh? Well, he knows where I live, right?

            You keep taking those pills, Amanda, I mean it. You truly are not well. Not well at all.
            I’ll ”pray” to Frank-Yahweh you never hurt your kids.

          48. I love this!
            Really!

            The atheist is praying to a god he does not believe in that a mother, who has confessed to believe that others should be treated compassionately, will not hurt her children!

            Meanwhile…elsewhere in the comments…A fellow atheist is making the case for aborting babies with Down’s Syndrome!

            And religion is in decline, right?
            You are spectacular, Ahk.
            Spectacular!!!!

          49. Belief in god is delusional.
            The only reality is nature.
            Nature exists because Evolution.

          50. Yep… you are settling for sports and coffee… properly sedated, I could get humans to “enjoy” just about anything, couldn’t I?

            “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” –C.S. Lewis

            You were made for more.
            Answer the door.

          51. It’s in your mind, too.

            Unless you’ve done what Pierre-Joseph Proudhon said is your duty: “The first duty of free and intelligent man is to chase the idea of God out of his conscience incessantly.”

            Incessantly chase the idea of God away.

            Hm.

            Brainwash yourself, I guess.

          52. One dies a spiritual death by cutting themselves off from the source of life.

            You can tell when they reach despair and that their hope is gone because they’ll say stuff like, “What’s the point of all this?!?!”

            On the other hand, people who are spiritually alive are still able to run on hope, even when something catastrophic happens.
            I’ve seen this video before, but it popped up in my newsfeed yesterday again. So maybe Frank wants me to show you some people who are spiritually alive. They’re not bitter or selfish or crazy. They’re sad…but not hopeless.

          53. You can tell when they reach despair and that their hope is gone because they’ll say stuff like, “What’s the point of all this?!

            You mean mentally unstable people who might be suffering fro sever depression and contemplate suicide for example?

            On the other hand, people who are spiritually alive are still able to run on hope, even when something catastrophic happens.

            Such as someone who is able to face life head on and for the most part handle what is thrown at them?

          54. “Mentally unstable” is what YOU call them. (You think people who ask the wrong questions or feel the wrong way just need to be drugged, remember? Oops, I mean medicated. But you never told me the difference.)

            I’m telling you, though, that it’s not crazy or unstable to be upset that life has no meaning. It’s like saying, “There’s something wrong with this stupid plant! Parts of it turn brown whenever I put it under my bed!”

            Hopeless people aren’t “sick.” They don’t need “medicine.” They need to have their mind renewed. They need to use their brains and bodies for their intended purpose: to seek truth and find God.

            So, did you watch that video?

          55. I’m telling you, though, that it’s not crazy or unstable to be upset that life has no meaning.

            Crazy may be a bit over the top but overall I am sure the average psychiatrist/ psychologist would likely disagree with your diagnosis.
            Unless you have medical evidence to demonstrate otherwise?
            Well, do you?

            They need to use their brains and bodies for their intended purpose: to seek truth and find God.

            And yet you attempted suicide. Why was that?
            Was Frank-Yahweh not part of your life at this time?
            If he was why did he not help you?

            Re: the video.

            I googled the illness
            If it is as bad as what Wiki states, including the images,
            I don’t think I would enjoy the video.
            And based on the info I would personally consider bringing a child to term with this disorder selfish.

            Now, to the meat of your reaching out to save my soul.
            Based on what evidence do you believe I am ”suffering”?
            And why is it that you believe people require the genocidal maniac god, Frank-Yahweh to bring meaning to their lives?

            Also ….
            Do you consider you are a sinner?
            Do you believe Jesus of Nazareth is your door/path to Salvation?
            What exactly is your understanding of Salvation?

          56. 1. You don’t want medical evidence. You want specifically AN ATHEIST doctor to tell you what to believe.

            2. I didn’t attempt suicide. I contemplated it. (Contemplate is another word for “think” which is another word for “pray.”) I used my mind to think about the reasons I shouldn’t…and the truth led me to God.

            3. I promise you, Ark, if you don’t go RIGHT NOW and watch that video, from beginning to end, I will not make another comment to you.

            For clarity: unless your next words to me are, “Okay, I watched all 10 minutes of that video,” I’m done. I’ll click “like” to let you know I read your comment and to remind you that I’m not wasting any more words on you.

            If there’s one thing I’m sick to death of, it’s you demanding answers and then refusing to hear my explanations. Article and article and video after video, you’ve flat refused to even CLICK ON. I’m done with that laziness.

            Watch the video–every, single second–and be prepared to answer some of my questions about it–or I’m cutting you loose for the night.

          57. You don’t want medical evidence. You want specifically AN ATHEIST doctor to tell you what to believe.

            So do you have medical evidence from a Hindu doctor, or a Buddhist, or Jainist or a Wiccan, or a Jew?

            I’ll take that. Fair compromise?

            2. I didn’t attempt suicide. I contemplated it. (Contemplate is another word for “think” which is another word for “pray.”) I used my mind to think about the reasons I shouldn’t…and the truth led me to God.

            Fair point. But being found with a fucking loaded gun at your head is pretty scary shit. And by the way, please, please tell me you are not so fucking stupid as to still have the gun in the house, Amanda. You did get rid of it yes?

            If there’s one thing I’m sick to death of, it’s you demanding answers and then refusing to hear my explanations.

            So tell me why you believe I am suffering Amanda?

            Will not watch the video so there…can’t make either.

            Want to make another bet, Amanda?

          58. Stats.
            And dogs.
            And you’re a Dickhead too.

            Afraid the facts speak for themselves this time. Give it up, Peach!

          59. But…
            …But…
            These quotes are pretty good, right?!

            I still think some Theists would be interested in hearing what the Atheists are saying…even though the other Atheists aren’t. 🙂

          60. Last time I’m going to say this.

            Science.
            Stats.
            Dog feeding.
            Dickhead.

          61. He has purpose.
            He feeds dogs.

            …please let him go back to swearing. There’s no difference in intellectual content between his rabid tirades and his philosophical expositions.

      4. I knew that chimps eat turds. I didn’t realize they eat paper too. Hmmm.

        ~CQW

      5. “He hasn’t the intellect of the turds he continually revels about.” – Ark Garfunkle regarding Dawkins

        Trust him guys – Ark is a connoisseur of turds. And then he apparently cleanses his palate with paper.

        You can’t make this stuff up.

        ~CQW

        1. Well, ”connoisseur” might be stretching it, Senor Fuckwit, but I do recognise Shit for Brains when I read it and you sit at the head of the class where that’s concerned.

          You must be so proud.

          JB said I must include the vilest names in my comments so …. Yahweh, Jesus of Nazareth.

      6. So chimps eat turds, paper, and brains? That must be quite filling.

        ~CQW

        Speaking of chimps Ark – will you guys be filming any reunion shows of “BJ and the Bear”?

        ~CQW

        1. Yes, there goes that sublime intellect of your again Senor Fuckwit.
          Í very rarely watch TV these days, save fr the Football and the occasional Documentary.

          Is ”BJ and the Bear” some sort of kinky Porn?
          Do bears actually indulge in oral sex?

  7. Just ignore 1 Corinthians 13:11.

    It is amazing to me that more Christians don’t grasp the point of the Genesis myth, that in order to live fully means we have to grow up and exchange the make-believe garden of childhood with the world as it really is. We have to accept the pain and suffering that is an integral part of its joys and trials… understanding that this is the real life cost of living fully (the tree of life, the fruit of knowledge): moral awareness. We cannot grow up and leave Mom and Dad’s basement in order to start our journey through life as long as we try to remain as children and hang on to such childish things.

    1. Yes! Preach, Dear Leader!
      I’ve never heard a more compelling exegesis of 1 Corinthians 13:11.

      Make sure you post contact info so my readers will know how to get in touch with you when they are loosed from my oppressive lies.

    2. This post is about the “innocent as doves” command from Jesus. On the other hand, you Atheists have spent enough time here tossing poo (h/t to the Crimson Quarter Wit!), that you get treated to the “shrewd as Serpents” side of the coin often.

      I appreciate your comment, though! It never ceases to amaze me the way BOTH types of fundamentalists–Christian AND Atheist–like to take verses out of context when reading the Bible like a car manual. It makes for a very pretty patchwork of black-and-white thinking, on both sides. But what’s even more hilarious is the fact that the Atheists do their Bible thumping while simultaneously claiming religion hurts society.

      See you at the top of the next post! 😉

    3. Correct tildeb – we become aware of morality – because morality is already there. Thank you.

      ~CQW

      1. We become aware of the differences of consequences of behaviour that we conveniently label as good and evil. That awareness does magically POOF! morality into being an independent substance.

        1. Please.
          Leave contact information so my readers know how to find you!
          When you pull them away from the deception on this blog, they’ll need a new source of wisdom.

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