I called a friend who is a believer...

[rexbeccarox]

Why are most of the Christians on our forum so absolutely condescending and awful? Seriously, GC; you act like you've only been here for a few days, not almost six years.

[Old Baby]

Why are most of the Christians on our forum so absolutely condescending and awful? Seriously, GC; you act like you've only been here for a few days, not almost six years.

When I was a believer, I never could figure this out either.  It was/is my opinion that the condescending and combative ones are very insecure and feel threatened by people who espouse non-belief.  Then again, I never could understand the nasty atheists either.  They seemed to lend credibility to the assumption of Christians that all atheists were really just people who hated God and wanted to sin without consequences.

[rexbeccarox]

Why are most of the Christians on our forum so absolutely condescending and awful? Seriously, GC; you act like you've only been here for a few days, not almost six years.

When I was a believer, I never could figure this out either.  It was/is my opinion that the condescending and combative ones are very insecure and feel threatened by people who espouse non-belief.  Then again, I never could understand the nasty atheists either.  They seemed to lend credibility to the assumption of Christians that all atheists were really just people who hated God and wanted to sin without consequences.

I guess it's just that some people are assholes, religious or not.

[Godscreated]

So you're saying you just stopped believing, exactly how's that work?

GC

The whole story is here.

That story shows you were making choices, no one stops doing anything or starts doing things many choices are involved, making excuses for your fear is on you.

GC

[Godscreated]

Why are most of the Christians on our forum so absolutely condescending and awful? Seriously, GC; you act like you've only been here for a few days, not almost six years.

I wasn't being condescending it's your over active imagination and hatred for Christians that brought you to that conclusion, all I did was ask a simple question.

GC

[Old Baby]

The whole story is here.

That story shows you were making choices, no one stops doing anything or starts doing things many choices are involved, making excuses for your fear is on you.

GC

This is the problem with people like you and the reason why, even as a believer, I was better than you.  If someone says "I don't believe anymore", I consider their reasons and maybe even try to help reinforce the areas where they're weak.  I don't make ridiculous assertions based on things I can't possibly know.  I don't attempt to marginalize them.

I'll give you another chance to actually make an effort to respond to my deconversion story in a way that's meaningful.  Otherwise, why even bother?

[rexbeccarox]

Why are most of the Christians on our forum so absolutely condescending and awful? Seriously, GC; you act like you've only been here for a few days, not almost six years.

I wasn't being condescending it's your over active imagination and hatred for Christians that brought you to that conclusion, all I did was ask a simple question.

GC

... aaaaaaaaand two straw men! BIG surprise.

Fuck off. Not because you're a Christian, but because you're a condescending, dishonest asshole.

[Cecelia]

Why are most of the Christians on our forum so absolutely condescending and awful? Seriously, GC; you act like you've only been here for a few days, not almost six years.

It's all part of the cult mentality.  Shun any who aren't believers.

[dyresand]

Why are most of the Christians on our forum so absolutely condescending and awful? Seriously, GC; you act like you've only been here for a few days, not almost six years.

I wasn't being condescending it's your over active imagination and hatred for Christians that brought you to that conclusion, all I did was ask a simple question.

GC

Really....now GC really now.... 
Doesn't  the bible say something about lying or what ever. 

[robvalue]

Old baby: I agree, telling someone they are "not really an atheist" is about the most dishonest, ignorant and pointless thing to say.

[Below is just my personal assessment. I don't mean to imply that living in fantasy is necessarily a choice, often it's the direct result of indoctrination. I see such people as victims.]

I consider scepticism to be about living in reality, accepting it on its on terms. It just so happens that scepticism, when properly applied, generally leads to atheism. I see deism as dipping one of your fingers in fantasy just to get a little magical sensation, while remaining rooted in reality.

However, once you start assigning very specific attributes to "God" and claiming you have some way of knowing these, you have one foot firmly in fantasy. You may still mainly be living in reality, but you have gone a bit off the rails.

Once you reach the point of devout religion and actually thinking you can communicate with this God in some real sense, you're beginning to straddle the divide. You're living maybe 30%-50% in fantasy.

Some people take it all the way, announce themselves firm gnostics and that there is no chance they have made a mistake, even ignoring all the countless other religions all making the same claim. They then can't even conceive of someone not seeing things how they do, and the way they describe reality bears little resemblance to what I experience every day. At this point they are probably living 90% in fantasy, and may never have the chance to come back unless they have a massive moment of clarity somehow.

Is there a "God"? I don't know. I generally don't even know what people are talking about, and I suspect neither do they, since they can't define it on request using anything other than world salad nonsense. If there is one, I say we can know nothing about it at the moment, and until we can, it's irrelevant.