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How easy I have had it.
April 22, 2014 at 10:45 pm
I would just like to recognise the suffering that ex-christians have, regarding hell. I will never understand this fear as I never believed it. I recognise that I am extremely lucky and fortunate to not undergo such indoctrination as to result in the irrational fear of hell. Even though you may not believe in it, it is ok to be scared of it. I mean, I know Slenderman doesn't exist, but I am scared shitless of him. Have you ever played the game? Fuck that is scary! If you don't know what i'm talking about, a good place to start is the 'Slender Suits' documentary on youtube. If you are of the faint of heart, I do not recommend it. That is all.
'The more I learn about people the more I like my dog'- Mark Twain
'You can have all the faith you want in spirits, and the afterlife, and heaven and hell, but when it comes to this world, don't be an idiot. Cause you can tell me you put your faith in God to put you through the day, but when it comes time to cross the road, I know you look both ways.' - Dr House
“Young earth creationism is essentially the position that all of modern science, 90% of living scientists and 98% of living biologists, all major university biology departments, every major science journal, the American Academy of Sciences, and every major science organization in the world, are all wrong regarding the origins and development of life….but one particular tribe of uneducated, bronze aged, goat herders got it exactly right.” - Chuck Easttom
"If my good friend Doctor Gasparri speaks badly of my mother, he can expect to get punched.....You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others. There is a limit." - Pope Francis on freedom of speech
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RE: How easy I have had it.
April 22, 2014 at 10:58 pm
Sometimes I get surprised that there are people who weren't raised religious. Like I may ask some atheist I know "how did you leave religion?", and they'll say they were never raised in it. They didn't need to grow out of it like I did.
I've never really been afraid of hell. I was always a good christian kid, so why be afraid when I was a christian. By the time I was an atheist, I knew that there's a big debate on whether it exists, what it is, and even if it's eternal or not. If it's an eternal lake of fire, it makes me more angry than afraid. If it's just a separation from Yahweh, that's peachy to me. If it's just a place where you're thrown into for your soul to be destroyed, that's fine as well.
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RE: How easy I have had it.
April 22, 2014 at 11:13 pm
I forgot that not all denominations of Christianity believe in a literal hell. I will amend my initial remark to say: I would just like to recognise the suffering that some ex-christians have, regarding hell.
'The more I learn about people the more I like my dog'- Mark Twain
'You can have all the faith you want in spirits, and the afterlife, and heaven and hell, but when it comes to this world, don't be an idiot. Cause you can tell me you put your faith in God to put you through the day, but when it comes time to cross the road, I know you look both ways.' - Dr House
“Young earth creationism is essentially the position that all of modern science, 90% of living scientists and 98% of living biologists, all major university biology departments, every major science journal, the American Academy of Sciences, and every major science organization in the world, are all wrong regarding the origins and development of life….but one particular tribe of uneducated, bronze aged, goat herders got it exactly right.” - Chuck Easttom
"If my good friend Doctor Gasparri speaks badly of my mother, he can expect to get punched.....You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others. There is a limit." - Pope Francis on freedom of speech
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RE: How easy I have had it.
April 22, 2014 at 11:17 pm
(This post was last modified: April 22, 2014 at 11:17 pm by Chad32.)
Indeed there is debate over that. My grandmother, who got me into christianity, believes in a literal fiery hell. My brother in law and sister don't believe in hell at all. I went to a church that focused more on the positive aspects instead of the negative, so hell wasn't something I thought about much.
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RE: How easy I have had it.
April 23, 2014 at 10:53 am
Fear of Hell, of course, is how the religion keeps one tethered to the slavery of the belief.
Fear, after all, can be a difficult cycle to break, though not impossible.
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
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RE: How easy I have had it.
April 23, 2014 at 11:02 am
Fear of hell is what kept me a Christian for 23 years. Once I realized there was a way out of Pascal's Wager, I was free.
I still feel sorry for my family though. They think I'm going to hell. Poor, superstitious bastards lol
I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a goddess, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
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RE: How easy I have had it.
April 23, 2014 at 11:22 am
I have the occasional bit of fun imagining and describing various torments in Hell for some celebrities.
I took some liberties with Fred Phelps, for instance, and it was colorful and disturbing. Can't say that my explorations into how Hell might work imply any level of personal belief in it though.
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RE: How easy I have had it.
April 23, 2014 at 11:26 am
(April 23, 2014 at 10:53 am)Kitanetos Wrote: Fear of Hell, of course, is how the religion keeps one tethered to the slavery of the belief.
Fear, after all, can be a difficult cycle to break, though not impossible.
Used to be fear of stoning... still is, in some places and for some religions...
Or some equivalent of stoning, like beheading or getting shot.
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RE: How easy I have had it.
April 23, 2014 at 11:41 am
(This post was last modified: April 23, 2014 at 11:42 am by Coffee Jesus.)
My parents are both very religious—my mom believes she has recieved signs and visions from God—but they didn't indoctrinate me for some reason. I mean I had a weekly religious education class, and I went to church, but that's it. Maybe they thought belief from fear was not honest belief.
I was reading books by Thích Nhất Hạnh and other Buddhist authors by the time I turned 15.
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RE: How easy I have had it.
April 23, 2014 at 12:38 pm
The funny thing about Pascal's Wager is that it can be destroyed with one question:
When you were a Christian, how much time did you spend worrying about other religions hells?
'The more I learn about people the more I like my dog'- Mark Twain
'You can have all the faith you want in spirits, and the afterlife, and heaven and hell, but when it comes to this world, don't be an idiot. Cause you can tell me you put your faith in God to put you through the day, but when it comes time to cross the road, I know you look both ways.' - Dr House
“Young earth creationism is essentially the position that all of modern science, 90% of living scientists and 98% of living biologists, all major university biology departments, every major science journal, the American Academy of Sciences, and every major science organization in the world, are all wrong regarding the origins and development of life….but one particular tribe of uneducated, bronze aged, goat herders got it exactly right.” - Chuck Easttom
"If my good friend Doctor Gasparri speaks badly of my mother, he can expect to get punched.....You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others. There is a limit." - Pope Francis on freedom of speech
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