(November 9, 2017 at 4:38 pm)alpha male Wrote:

(November 9, 2017 at 4:32 pm)Harry Nevis Wrote: Or maybe you're a self-righteous, judgemental dick.

It's not judgmental to note that people who talk about their depression on the internet are, well, talking about their depression on the internet.

Yes, because depression is, unfortunately, a very common malady affecting millions of people.  People who suffer from it, myself included, seek to discuss it with other people, sufferers and non sufferers, alike.  The internet allows people to talk to others all over the world and get different cultural perspectives.

I guarantee that the majority of sufferers, myself included, seek out help in the real world too, when they need to.

(November 9, 2017 at 1:34 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: So much for the rule against wild generalizations...

The title has a slight ring of condescension but the OP was substantive I thought.

(November 9, 2017 at 4:38 pm)alpha male Wrote:

(November 9, 2017 at 4:32 pm)Harry Nevis Wrote: Or maybe you're a self-righteous, judgemental dick.

It's not judgmental to note that people who talk about their depression on the internet are, well, talking about their depression on the internet.

It’s like people who talk about their imaginary friends on the internet. They’re just talking about their imaginary friends and favorite book characters.

But I definitely judge (and disdain) that.

(November 9, 2017 at 1:53 pm)alpha male Wrote:

(November 9, 2017 at 1:50 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: Oh, why don't you and Alpha go cry somewhere, ya snowflakes.

I actually wasn't referring to atheist behavior on the boards. Kernel incorrectly inferred that. I was referring to the miserable personal lives that so many of you have.

Pffft, like you would know?  Get real.  You don't know any more about the people on the other side of your keyboard than I do.  Good to know that when we go low, you can still go lower still.

(November 9, 2017 at 4:44 pm)KevinM1 Wrote:

(November 9, 2017 at 4:38 pm)alpha male Wrote: It's not judgmental to note that people who talk about their depression on the internet are, well, talking about their depression on the internet.

So what?  Do you have a point, or are you merely trying to be insulting?

Sure - proof is in the pudding. Or, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Basically, I see a lot of fucked up people among the atheists here. I generally don't say anything except with Brian. Over in life sciences there's threads on the first page on social anxiety and Aspergers. Note that I don't post in those. But when one of you comes out and calls theists immature or maladjusted, that opens things up.

I won't lie - I find other people's reliance on a 'greater power' to be, at best, strange. It doesn't make sense to me at all, on a fundamental level. I don't 'get' worship. At all. Even when I wanted to believe in the Catholic god, I couldn't.

So, while it may be insulting, from my POV, invoking god isn't significantly different than invoking an imaginary friend.

Regarding Matilda, I don't agree with everything she wrote. That said, especially in the US, many theists use their religion as a way to punish others, or to deflect blame. That's where her talk about responsibility comes in. I mean, even in this section, we have Christians admitting that what happens in the next world is more important to them than in this one. And to an atheist, that's 100% crazy pants.

Moreover, the story of Christ is immoral to many of us. The sacrifice of another in order to offer us a path to salvation because of something inherent in us (sin) which is woefully defined, and, really, shouldn't be something such a powerful being should be affected by. If I've done anything wrong, then let me be judged, let me pay restitution.

(November 9, 2017 at 4:48 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote:

(November 9, 2017 at 4:38 pm)alpha male Wrote: It's not judgmental to note that people who talk about their depression on the internet are, well, talking about their depression on the internet.

Yes, because depression is, unfortunately, a very common malady affecting millions of people.  People who suffer from it, myself included, seek to discuss it with other people, sufferers and non sufferers, alike.  The internet allows people to talk to others all over the world and get different cultural perspectives.

I guarantee that the majority of sufferers, myself included, seek out help in the real world too, when they need to.

Agreed. Matilda's OP and hypocrisy on anyone's part surrounding it, deserve criticism. But responding by using mental illness as a way to "throw it back" is totally out of line to say the least.

(November 9, 2017 at 4:46 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: Alpha and Matilda are both being insulting, imho. Just gonna through that out there.

Nice virtue signalling. 

(November 9, 2017 at 3:30 pm)alpha male Wrote:

(November 9, 2017 at 3:15 pm)Kernel Sohcahtoa Wrote: Thanks for your clarification, and please excuse my incorrect inference.  Is it reasonable to say that it is ultimately up to the particular individual to determine whether he or she has a miserable or happy personal life? Just as I easily misunderstood your post, perhaps the misery that some people are experiencing  is just the normal baggage that comes with being human, and overall, they have their source of happiness, fulfillment, and meaning that drives them to live and be productive in their own way.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that someone with depression isn't happy...

Are you also going to leave in place the innuendo that the depression is fallout from their choice of atheism, god's revenge?

(November 9, 2017 at 8:43 am)Mathilda Wrote: Growing up and maturing isn't just a physical development, but a mental one as well. The child learns to ask questions, not to believe everything they are told, to make their own decisions and moral judgments and to take responsibility for their actions. They slowly become more independent by being safely exposed to a world of danger until they can look after themselves.

Sorry, but people with mental illness apparently didn't follow this model. So, applying it only to theists is bullshit.