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Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the devil...
#1
Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the devil...
A very sad conversation occurred. And it hurts. I hate talking about religion with my own family. Just because I highlighted the suffering I have to see as part of employment where I have to read many sad stories people have to send in as part of their application for their disabled person's parking badge. Apparently god sometimes uses cancer for the betterment of an individual I'm told. All humans have to suffer, but it's what you make of that suffering.

A recent story: New family just moved to England (Arabs, I think), they are just adjusting to life in a totally new country and they are burdened with a one year old baby who has spent almost their entire life in hospital. And says this is wrong means I'm speaking for the devil. Apparently pointing that out is an argument from ignorance.

I can't believe anybody would say this to me. All because I supposedly took Bible verses out of context and don't want to go Church. The devil is deceiving me apparently. I did cite the following verse:

"And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron."

Judges 1:19

Apparently this part of god's "plan". I feel so horrible. Couple of days from now, I go on holiday to visit part of the family who think homosexuals are evil and that diseases only apparently after "the fall of mankind".

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#2
RE: Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the devil...
It's easy for me to say, since my parents were only mildly religious at best. It would have totally gone against their grain to put anything down to god or to judge people based on that. If anything, my father had too much compassion to be a really good businessman. Which he was. My mother, surviving him for six years, grew a little more stubborn in her 80ies. But also not in a religious way, just the usual xenophobic bit off and on.

Just try to evade the topic, if it's that much of an issue and if you think they're important to you. I'm the last one to discard family because of different opinions, but steering clear of certain subjects goes a long way.
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#3
RE: Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the de...
Quote:Just try to evade the topic, if it's that much of an issue and if you think they're important to you. I'm the last one to discard family because of different opinions, but steering clear of certain subjects goes a long way.

Which is one reason my father and I got on so well - we made it a point to never discuss football.

Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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#4
RE: Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the de...
It is their philosophy which is devilish. Convincing people they are born evil because a mythical woman had a conversation with a snake and ate an apple. Then making us accomplices in a bloody torture murder of a mythical guy named Jesus. The only way to cleanse ourselves of this inherited taint is to take a bath in human blood. Otherwise we go to a place and burn and roast forever. Calling you the devil is but one more attack on your self esteem. This heinous philosophy thrives on poor self esteem. Hold your head up Comrade ! Don't let the mortals get you down.
God thinks it's fun to confuse primates. Larsen's God!






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#5
RE: Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the devil...
My brother and I, I always try and discuss religion with him, be it noted that I don't do it with anyone else IRL. What I learned is important. It turns out that despite the fact that he is religious he didn't start getting offended until I, and this is strange and even stranger to explain, - until I started expecting him to and it kind of showed in my manner.

I don't know what to make of it, but maybe it's not so much what you talk about as how you talk about it.
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#6
RE: Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the devil...
If everything is part of "God's" plan, then so are your opinions.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist.  This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair.  Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second.  That means there's a situation vacant.'
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#7
RE: Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the de...
(July 2, 2016 at 6:59 am)Stimbo Wrote: If everything is part of "God's" plan, then so are your opinions.


Brilliant. I usually express it as, 'If God made everything, then God made me an atheist.'

Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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#8
RE: Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the de...
Set down some ground rules for you and them (family). Religion, politics, sexual orientation, (which ever) ....... won't be discussed because it only leads to unwanted discord. Then outline the consequences if the rules are not followed. I used isolation threat (you will be dead to me kinda thing) or the "fuck you" response, followed by isolation. Sometimes public embarrassment. It took a few times but they got it. Remember that you will also have to follow the rules. Good luck.
I don't have an anger problem, I have an idiot problem.
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#9
RE: Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the devil...
I'm very sorry to hear this Sad Not at all, you're a smart and lovely guy.

It sounds like binary religious thinking. You're saying stuff that doesn't mesh with their world view, so it's totally wrong and evil.

I agree that if you want to preserve relationships with such people, agreeing that these topics are off limits is the ways to go. If they can't have a discussion without bringing God into it, they have nothing useful to say anyway.

I have a similar rule about shouting. As soon as someone starts raising their voice to me, I won't continue the discussion until they calm down.
Feel free to send me a private message.
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#10
RE: Do I sound like the "devil" to you? My mother thinks I speak like the de...
How would she know, she ever met the man?  Just what -does- she do at night?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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