"God just wants you to know....."
Posted on: October 19, 2007 - 2:21pm
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"God just wants you to know....."
I can't stand when Christians, usually ones I'm relatively friendly with, come up to me with some kind of message from God. My very Christian sister does it fairly regularly. "God wants you to know that he hasn't given up on you," or "God wants me to tell you that he'll always love you." Why the hell can't God tell me these things himself? Why is he only willing to speak directly to those who already believe in him? Wouldn't we poor, confused atheists benefit more from such communication? And more perplexingly, when my sister comes to me with one of these little telegrams from Jesus, is she simply blatantly lying, or did she really hear God talking to her?
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That's one of those times when I really really hope the person is just lying. If they think god is talking to them personally that's about time to walk away for me.
God just wants you to know that he's the one telling everyone else just to let you know that he knows.
Yeah, it is a crock and an attempt at emotional manipulation. Generally, I respond to these situations by informing people what my genitals want them to know. For instance, "My balls just want you to know that they are snug and secure."
"Tis better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." -Lucifer
Any suggestions for those of us not handily equipped with testicles?
You are endowed with breasts? Use whatever you've got.
Here's the one that really pisses me of:
I mean, seriously. What the fuck does that even mean?
We watch "Way of the Master" so you don't have to.
Visit us on MySpace!
lol. I take it to mean that the individual would like to attack you in as passive a way as humanly possible.
"Tis better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." -Lucifer
This I told a fundamentalist relative after they told me something similar:
"God" is a reflection of your own ego. It's not god talking. It's you. If you want to see what the most horrible and cruel side of you is capable of, read your bible. If you don't like what you see and want to grow up, then maybe it's time to stop pretending that something "out there" is talking to you and sending me messages.
I got no response to that. They just stared back, speechless.
And from my favorite TV character who just might be the only atheist on primetime, I give you the response of Dr. Greg House from House M.D.
Patient to Dr. House: "god says you look for excuses to be alone".
Dr. House: "See, that is exactly the kind of brilliance that sounds deep, but you could say it about any person who doesn't pine for the social approval of everyone he meets - which you were cleverly able to deduce about me by not being a moron. Next time, tell God to be more specific".
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
George Orwell
It really is all about guilt manipulation. The idea that "God still believes in you" or whatever is really the equivalent of them saying "Grandma still believes in you and wants you to come to the reunion". It's silly. The poster who asked the question "Why doesn't God tell me Himself" is right on.
I have long since considered theistic arguments like two children arguing outside of their parents bedroom door. One child argues that the parents are in there, the other argues that they're not or else they'd come to door and respond. After thousands of years of arguing outside of "Dad's" door, who could blame us if we finally decide he's just not in there?
It's arrogance disguised as humility, passive-aggression. Nietzsche called this one again: the complete inversion of values.
Just turn it around on them and say, "Do you believe in Santa/Odin/Zues/Neptune?" and then tell them it's too bad because Santa believes in them.
How moronic.
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
Tell your sister to tell God to knock this shit off! Violence, desease, war, crime, all so he can have this orgy of violence in a "Days Of Our Lives" Final Battle between his kids in a fight over who they think loves him the most!
Tell your sister I dont care. I dont need a work of fiction to know that "shit happens" and that good things happen and bad things happen in life. I dont need Harry Potter books written by ancient goat hearders to tell me it is wrong steal from my neighbor. I dont need a fictional super hero in the sky to tell me that I should do nice things for my mother.
If she needs to believe that an invisable camera in the sky is recording her every move and that is the only way she wont go on a killing spree, tell her to keep her belief. But she certainly shouldnt expect me to buy it "Just because" it makes her feel good.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Hey Brian, God just told me to tell you that he knew you would say that but you are wrong. The invisible camera isn't in the sky, it is well hidden behind your ear.
Oh wait, God just told me to tell you to stop scratching your ear, he can't see.
And finally God just told me to tell you that you hurt his feelings and isn't going to talk to you until you apologize.
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
The only place I have ever heard this used where it didn't make me scream was in The Count of Monte Cristo. But I agree that it's a really lousy tactic. It's just a cutesy phrase that makes Christians feel good but doesn't actually accomplish anything. They don't think about how effective the argument is, they just feel really cool and suave when they say it.
My dad (one of the cheeziest men on earth) has all kinds of hats and tee shirts that say stupid Christian catch phrases on them.
He's got a hat that says "Jesus is my final answer."
Today he's wearing a T-shirt with the Home Depot logo jerked over to say "The Faith Depot".
And of course, he's got the shirt with the arrow pointing straight up into the sky which reads: "I'm with Him."
He owns a lot of merchandise that I'd like to set on fire. I've had to train my brain to notice them less.
A place common to all will be maintained by none. A religion common to all is perhaps not much different.
Well, tell God/Allah/Yahwey/Thor/Superman/FSM/Pink Unicorn to lick my right one to make my left one jelouse.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
I used the approach of being offended. Really throws them off guard for they don't know what to make of it...
Person: Do you believe in God?
Me: Are you really this rude? How dare you ask me something that is completely none of your business. Do you go around asking everyone this? What in the world is the matter with you? Well?
You would not believe the response you will get from this. Usually they will be so shocked that they will start mumbling something like "I'm sorry" or just stand there.
Gods do not directly kill people for they do not exist...
People who worship gods kill lots of people everyday......
Great, thanks a lot Brian, I passed your message along and God is mad at me now and said he won't talk to me anymore. My life is ruined. I'm so depressed. How can anyone live without their skydaddy?
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
The response, "No, but either do you." is a good one too.
A place common to all will be maintained by none. A religion common to all is perhaps not much different.
God just told me that He doesn't talk to any of you jerks. He only likes me He said.
He told me something that will really help you but I'm not gonna tell you what it was. neener, neener.
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
No, it's definitely your sister. God will gie you what you want. If you don't want him now, you don't have to have him. AND.. he will honor that decision for eternity.
So don't worry; *putting on "Soup Nazi Voice from Seinfeld"* "No God For YOU!"
Do you ever wonder to yourself, "What if my SISTER is RIGHT? What if I'M wrong?"
Do you ever wonder why HUMANS are the ONLY species with Self-Realization?
Meaning, we're the only ones who KNOW that one day they'll die? We're the ONLY ONES who actually understand that we "exist", rather than operate solely on "animal instinct"?
I bet you never have... You're SOOOO sure of YOURSELF, & have all the answers. You couldn't POSSIBLE be wrong!
(Have you ever been wrong before? .....About anything?)
If not, good for you! There's nothing to worry about. (and you're a liar)
If You HAVE been wrong before, about anything at all, then there's a good chance you're wrong about THIS.
*insert side note*
Yeah, Yeah,.. I'll save you the effort.. you want to ask ME, if I'VE ever been wrong before? If I have, then I might be wrong now... blah blah blah.
Here's my answer; YES. I have been wrong before. But the difference between you and me is this; I LEARN from my mistakes.
*wink*
My advice? (And all snottiness aside now)
Talk to your sister. On a Loving, sister-to-sister level. (I'm assuming you're also a "sister" based on your avatar)
You DO love your sister, right? You care about her, & respect her... correct?
Have you ever ASKED her what she knows, that you might be less informed about?
C'Mon! It's your SISTER!! Go find out!
After all- YOU have nothing to lose.... right?
;o)
Believe me, it's not what you think
I was just thinking earlier today that I wanted to visit the Rational Responders forum for a bit and read someone spout out the most tired, useless, and refuted theistic argument of them all and expect us to take it seriously. Thank you, ACrusher70, for making my dreams come true.
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theism/wager.html
Götter sind für Arten, die sich selbst verraten -- in den Glauben flüchten um sich hinzurichten. Menschen brauchen Götter um sich zu verletzen, um sich zu vernichten -- das sind wir.
ACrusher70,
Jesus fucking christ, are you serious? This has to be a joke, right? I'll address it as if it isn't, just in case.
Okay, first of all, HOW do you know that I don't learn from MY mistakes? What the hell gives you that idea? As a child, I was a theist, by default, as I was raised that way. It was a mistake. It left me feeling miserable and constantly fearful of Hell, and meant accepting that a great many perfectly virtuous, kind people were damned. I corrected my mistake.
And I, like many people here, am an agnostic atheist, so no, I'm not certain that there's no god. I'm not SOOOOOO sure of myself, and I don't think I have all the answers. I'm fairly certain, however, that the CHRISTIAN God is completely fictional, for reasons I don't want to delve into now, but I'm not ruling out the possibility of some other higher power. So far though, I see no compelling evidence for one, so I don't have an active belief in one. And chances are, YOU'RE wrong about this, considering how many different religions there are in the world, and how many more that haven't even been thought of yet.
And yes, I have talked to my sister. I love her, but she is a nitwit. Trust me on this; I'm not only basing this on her irrational religious beliefs. She is a crazy mess of a person. I have four older siblings, and we've all got our problems, but she's the only one who we all regard as absolutely unhinged. I love her, but it's impossible to respect her after you hear the crazy-ass shit that comes out of her mouth. She's told me all about her religious beliefs, and while they're hardly the craziest thing about her, they're pretty asinine.
Oh, just so you know, theists aren't supposed to post in Free-Thinking Anonymous. Please fuck off.
The main thing you should know is, I don't follow the rules of atheism. Therefore, the "rules" of this board do not apply to me.
I also enjoy the sheer RAGE, frustration, and anger that all Y'all experience as a result of me challenging your beliefs. (Or lack there of, as many of you "insist"
You are just too incredibly predictable in your responses.
It's also apparent you only read bits & pieces... because I answered the question / statement you made about me "maybe" being wrong.
Question: What's the last phrase uttered by an atheist after they die, and FINALLY get proof that God DOES exist?
Answer: Uh-Oh.
Have a FANTASIC evening! I enjoyed chatting with you. It's been a mind-opening experience, talking to you.
HAAAAAA!
Believe me, it's not what you think
I love when people get all excited after saying nothing.
Perhaps you find my answers predictable, but I can, at very least, say that I addressed what you actually said, rather than just making some odd general statement about the nature of it.
And no, you didn't refute my statement about you probably being wrong. You just made some vague statement about learning from your mistakes.
And I don't know what the "rules of atheism" are, but the rules of the board are clear. You should follow the rules set forth by the people who pay to keep this site running and who allow you and me to post on it. That's got nothing to do with atheism or theism; that's just being a conscientious, respectful person. Which you are clearly not.
First off, you write like a little girl e-mailing Tiger Beat. If you are one, pay it no mind. Second, all you've asserted is Pascal's Wager, which is an appeal from consequences fallacy. "What if, what if," they say, as if the severity of the invented consequences validates their position. It's just a dodge. On top of that, since they're arguing for a specific position, but have evaded validating it, they're also guilty of special pleading, meaning they've assumed the legitimacy of one position over others with equal merit (i.e. all other competing religions). That amount of merit is none, incidentally. So, yeah, old-ass refuted argument, delivered in a mind-bendingly inept way.
Handy, because it is absurd to "have" someone when there is no reason, what so ever, to believe they exist in the first place.
This is a tired yet weak argument. What if you are wrong in disbelieving the FACT that garden gnomes come to life at midnight and battle dopplegangers from alternate dimensions? Well, it's possible right? As possible as your uber-wizard that created the entire universe because he was bored.
Evolution?
Because I was wrong about a question in my Algebra class it is "a good chance" I will be wrong about the existance in a super-wizard-zombie for which there is no proof of any kind?
Golly, you've been wrong? Like everyone else? Even about ideas based on WILD speculation and a millenia of social training? Imagine that.
Good point. Keeping this in mind, it is your duty to help her see the value in reality and help guide her from the lunacy of believing that childhood fantasy is true.
Also true; it should only take a second for her to give you the bredth of her knowledge about the nature of reality. Might as well give her the time to explain it.
Nothing but devoting a few moments of your life to yet another lecture from someone who is regurgitating the religious twaddle they have been fed from birth.
I now believe in Santa Claus. Thank you sir, thank you.
You're funny!
Yeah, Crush, you're the first person ever to bring up Pascal's Wager on this here atheist forum. No one here has ever been told that they should become a Christian because what if they're wrong? That's sarcasm, by the way.
You apparently can't tell the difference between a "Oh no, he's right, I must ignore him!" response and a "Oh, brother, Pascal's Wager again?" response.
The fact that you thought a lame argument like Pascal's Wager would actually work means you're probably incapable of using reason and logic to convince atheists of God's existence.
Your little joke means you probably shouldn't try doing it with humor instead either.
Götter sind für Arten, die sich selbst verraten -- in den Glauben flüchten um sich hinzurichten. Menschen brauchen Götter um sich zu verletzen, um sich zu vernichten -- das sind wir.
Now you've done it. You've said the e-word. Hope you like getting deluged with cut-and-paste arguments from Answers in Genesis and long rambling posts which prove only that the poster doesn't know thing one about what evolution really is or what the evidence really shows or what scientists really think.
Götter sind für Arten, die sich selbst verraten -- in den Glauben flüchten um sich hinzurichten. Menschen brauchen Götter um sich zu verletzen, um sich zu vernichten -- das sind wir.
acrusher, what are these rules of atheism you speak of?
Have you ever been educated in basic logic and logical fallacy acrusher?
I doubt it. Actually, judging by the quality of your prose, I would suppose that you may have difficulty with large worlds such as fallacy.
You think I have hitherto never considered that which you speak of, that you make such a broad-stroke assumption? You truly wish to see how thoroughly I have considered the notion of an immaterial soul and life after death? Read what I wrote:
On the Monoism of the Brain and the Mind and the Debunking of Dualistic Propositions
Dualistic propositions includes life after death
Do you wish to know how thoroughly I examined and thought about the concept in more depth? Judging by the maturity and quality of your prose, it is an order of magnitude greater than your own, at least, your cognitive capacity to evaluate claims in such depth...if you wish for hard evidence of this, simply read my complilation on the matter:
Deluded God
And sire, Pascal's Wager? Jesus fucking christ, I haven't heard that, once...twice...three times...once a day? Are you truly thick headed enough to labour under the delusion that the bulk of us have hitherto never encountered this? You may wish to read this:
Pascal's Wager Version 2.0
It is so typical...
Hey, RRS! I've got something for you consider. You may have never heard the following before, after all, they are so rare and original...
Teleology
Cosmology
Pascal's Wager
Argument from necessity
Oh, and lastly, please stop the Ad baculum fallacy.
If you don't know what that is, then...
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
You are starting to sound familiar...let me take a guess: high school has/had you surrounded by your intellectual inferiors. Yes or no?
You're right: we're laughing, but probably not for the same reason you are.
--
maybe if this sig is witty, someone will love me.