Ignorant fools on the bus

[BethK]

Yup. People thought it highly offensive when they were told that there's no need to worry, but to tell them they are bad, bad persons and deserve more shit than is already happening to them, then they are happy. Go figure..

If they are told the shit is happening to them, and worse is to come because they are "BAD", but if they repent, believe, and ask for forgiveness "good" things will happen and even better things await them in heaven, it makes the whole set of occurrences seem to be more in their control. If they were told, "Random shit happens. Some of it is because of choices you've made, part of it is where, when, and in what socioeconomic class you are in, and it's difficult to truly be upwardly mobile. A lot has to do with choices you've made in the past, and a lot has to do with probability and statistics. If you want to be forgiven, talk to someone you've done something bad to and they might or might not forgive you, and there's not much you can do about it.", they don't feel in control.

It's generally a "good" thing to feel in control, that there are things you can do to better your predicament and to permanently improve it. People "buy" what makes them feel good.

[Minimalist]

I think the lack of a belief in a god scares them.
They dont understand the concept no matter how often or how well its described to them.(I'm thinking of statler here)

Don't forget G-C...there's another one who can't get through the day without thinking his sky-daddy is watching him every second.

He has his eye on you also.

Then he'd see this:

[Anomalocaris]

I think the lack of a belief in a god scares them.
They dont understand the concept no matter how often or how well its described to them.(I'm thinking of statler here)

Don't forget G-C...there's another one who can't get through the day without thinking his sky-daddy is watching him every second.

He has his eye on you also.

Then he'd see this:

Given what is said about his son, who just happen to also be he, I'd be a chimp's uncle if he wasn't a repressed homosexual. So in his innermost self he might indeed like the view of Min's ass more than he would like the looks of C-G, provided he did look at them both in between showing his kindness by expounding upon the seriousness of the lake of fire he prepares for those whom he, despite his omnipotence, had failed to enlighten.

[Kayenneh]

Indoctrination, conditioned responses, instinct perhaps. Not sure I'd really call it thinking though

Well, thought is thought, no matter how idiotic. That's why I didn't use, let's say, the word reasoning or logic

If they are told the shit is happening to them, and worse is to come because they are "BAD", but if they repent, believe, and ask for forgiveness "good" things will happen and even better things await them in heaven, it makes the whole set of occurrences seem to be more in their control. If they were told, "Random shit happens. Some of it is because of choices you've made, part of it is where, when, and in what socioeconomic class you are in, and it's difficult to truly be upwardly mobile. A lot has to do with choices you've made in the past, and a lot has to do with probability and statistics. If you want to be forgiven, talk to someone you've done something bad to and they might or might not forgive you, and there's not much you can do about it.", they don't feel in control.

It's generally a "good" thing to feel in control, that there are things you can do to better your predicament and to permanently improve it. People "buy" what makes them feel good.

Fucking neurotic control-freaks! But still they won't take so much control that they actually are the own masters of their life, but invent a deity as a fail-safe (because when random shit happens, he works in mysterious ways). Idiots..

[The Grand Nudger]

All of this is completely lost on the devout. I don't know, people do whatever they want to do, but it seems to me to leave a very small world. Perhaps that's why I've never fell into any sort of belief...the world, and our collective human experience seems from this persons humble point of view, to be too vast to sum up within the narrative of religion. (not that religion isn't a part of that narrative, of course)

[Doubting Thomas]

I think perhaps a lot of it is also the idea theists have that atheist want to totally abolish religion of any sort. At least that's what most Christians seem to believe over here in the U.S. I think it has a lot to do with successful court cases challenging religious displays on public property and school prayer, and the fact that since most Christians would like to abolish atheism they think we want to do the same to them.

[The Grand Nudger]

LOL, well, some of us do.

:throws his name into the hat: