The Lie of the True Christian™

[Raven]

FiniteImmortal said:
Any group trying to legislate or present "inner piece" other that what is authentic and relevant to our lives, should be suspect.
As an adult, the last few years as I have searched honestly for hope to our sometimes shitty lives, I have had that same scooped-up feeling, even though things still sucked, there was hope. But to be complete there needs to be an intellectual component, not just a whimsical emotion component to bring it all together.

I agree wholeheartedly with what you said there. The way I see it now the deal is that whatever peace we find we must provide for ourselves, however it is that we can find it for themselves. Some might find it by being well-grounded in their community and family. Not everybody can do that, for whatever reasons and needs must find another way for themselves. For someone like that perhaps taking off for the sticks and connecting with nature does the trick. For me what works best is taking things apart and putting things together, making stuff from scratch out of whatever is around, stuff like that. I feel connected to the whole business, to a far greater extent then religion ever did.

house of cantor said: Wait a f'in minute - you're trying to equate Pentecostal with peaceful?

Got that right. Not much that's peaceful about having a hysterical seizure on the floor while being surrounded by a bunch of religious fanatics screaming Hallelujah! It's the Spirit!

Godlesspanther wrote: Ex-Christians are a very real threat to believers. They are living proof that anyone can lose his/her faith. That includes people like Drich

Again, got that right. I think Drippy would rather lose his coglione than his faith.

When I gave up religion it was the best thing that ever happened to me, second only to my wife. Drippy will probably say that I never really had any faith or I would never have lost it. (Or maybe not) No, matter. What I do know is that around these parts the term "true believer" is an epithet, never a compliment. It refers to someone given to fanaticism of the most unyielding, irrational kind. The term "sincere believer", on the other hand is not at all a term of opprobrium, simply a statement of observed fact about someone. It means what it sounds like it means, nothing more.

xpastor said: There came a time when I experienced a great deal of cognitive dissonance around my Christian faith. I was very agitated and felt anything but peaceful in those days. As a non-Christian I now feel much more at peace than I did then

Could not have said it better myself.