(October 12, 2015 at 9:05 am)robvalue Wrote: It seems there are many theists with the type of personality that is willing (perhaps even eager) to worship and submit to the biggest thing available. So much so that some can't seem to grasp the concept of believing in a god but not worshipping it.
On the whole, most atheists I've met seem to find the very idea of worship to be bizarre, and so the existence or not of the God in question is moot anyway.
Is there something to this, I wonder? Could it be studied somehow?
I have long considered the "submission to God" concept to be an extension (and perversion) of the common drive found in social apes to form hierarchies and submit to the Alpha Male. As pointed out by [was it Losty?], inventing the god-concept was just a way for Beta Males to create an even bigger Alpha than the Warlord/King, whose "will" they relayed to us mere mortals, so they could attain a degree of political control.
For those of us who don't feel the drive to subjugate ourselves to the hierarchy's higher-ranking members, the concept of an uber-Alpha is not only unnecessary, it's patently obvious and ridiculous. For those who feel that sense of satisfaction from belonging to a group in which they "know their place", I'm sure being part of the Uber Alpha's entourage, so to speak, is quite emotionally fulfilling.
Me, I just feel bad for them, especially when they're exhibiting such chimp-like behavior as they go on to proclaim that "we didn't come from monkeys!".
A Christian told me: if you were saved you cant lose your salvation. you're sealed with the Holy Ghost
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
