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February 21, 2012 at 9:58 pm (This post was last modified: February 21, 2012 at 10:13 pm by Rhizomorph13.)
(February 21, 2012 at 9:08 pm)AthiestAtheist Wrote:
(February 21, 2012 at 12:21 pm)Napoleon Wrote: The fear is what I don't understand most of all. I don't see coming to the conclusion that god isn't real as something to be fearful of. It makes me feel a hell of a lot better to know that some jackass experimentalist isn't going to 'judge my soul' and send me to burn for eternity.
But I guess that fear of hell is more what probably makes people not willing to use their brain.
This. So much.
(February 21, 2012 at 8:47 pm)Rhizomorph13 Wrote: To the OP,
In situations like these I find that it is best to try to empathize with the person you disagree with. It seems hard for you to understand how your mom might feel. I have been in the same position with my own mom. she is a Christian who never reads the bible or thinks about her religion much if at all. It is more like an assumed position, as it is with many Christians: "Of course there is a God, how could there not be one?" To understand it I would have to substitute a belief that I actually have, "I like meat, it is tasty why would I NOT eat it?"
Then I imagine a vegitarian or vegan hanging out with me and trying to talk to me about meat eating. How long would I suffer a person spouting off that meat was wrong? Not long at all! The subject would be of such little interest that even if the veggie/vegan was very well behaved and rational I would summarily dismiss the subject as worthy of my time. With my mom it is the same way, we have talked about it a little and found that we are both intransigent in our positions, so we talk about any other topic that might be of mutual interest, like I would with any other of my friends.
That is a bit of a different situation, as I have highlighted the inconsistencies above. You are comparing a person who doesn't think about religion to a meat eater, but, (I don't know about you, but) I think about meat every time I eat it. So it would be like a non meat-eater who doesn't eat meat, because they just don't, not because the believe it is wrong like vegetarians. If you ask me, not thinking about God is 1 step away from being atheist.
Good for you that you think about meat every time you eat it. That would be like Ryft, a theist on these boards who is well studied and thinks about God all the time. My mother is a Christian because it feels good to her, like I eat meat because it tastes good. When I said she doesn't think about it, I meant her reasons for being a Christian. She prays all the time, goes to church, and weaves God into her everyday language.
I am comparing someone who doesn't think about why they do something but do it just because it feels right to them to another person who doesn't think about why they do something but do it just because it feels right to them.
(February 21, 2012 at 8:51 pm)Napoleon Wrote:
(February 21, 2012 at 8:47 pm)Rhizomorph13 Wrote: so we talk about any other topic that might be of mutual interest
Yeah, that's exactly what annoys me.
Well, you know what they say about fanatics...
They will neither change their mind nor the subject. You seem mostly rational so, ya know, change the subject. Why do you care what fairy tale other people believe? Its not like there is some Atheist hell she would end up in if she doesn't turn from her belief. For me, I just feel bad for my mother; she really believes that I am going to hell and that hurts her. I don't want my mother to hurt. Luckily she is cool and doesn't pester me with her opinions unless I ask her, then she gives opinions consistent with her beliefs.