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A little while ago, I was with a group of people that I knew and respected when the topic of religion came up. At some point, I mentioned that I was an atheist. One of the people in the Group, a self-described "Christian" (who to my knowledge has not gone to church any time recently) argued that since I did not believe in any God, I could not possibly have any real sense of morality. Apparently, I was worse than Neo-Nazis who worship Hitler because they at least believed in Hitler, which made them better than me. He then proceeded to tell me that he just wanted me to convert because he liked me and didn't want to see me be tortured eternally in Hell.

Now, normally comments like this would not bother me. I spend time on the internet, so I can deal with a bit of bashing. The thing is, this hurt me a lot because it came from somebody who I trusted and considered a friend. Considering how they thought I was worse than Hitler-worshipping Neo-Nazis, I guess he didn't feel the same way.

And this is not the first time this has happened to me! Several times over the past decade since I've decided I was probably an atheist, Christians who I have trusted have told me similar things. I did not believe in a God, and this apparently made me the worst person possible. Even though they claimed to like me, I was apparently the worst kind of scum.

In the past, this sort of thing just made me sad. This time though, I was angry. Angry enough so that I decided to wait a few days before going on the internet for any period of time, lest I go on some tirade about how Christians are horrible people or something like that. Because since the last time this has happened, I've realized that I'm not the one at fault here. I've calmed down a bit now though, and would like to ask for a favor from any Christians here on VGChartz:

If somebody who trusts and respects you mentions they're an atheist DO NOT TELL THEM THAT THEY'RE WORSE THAN HITLER-WORSHIPPING NEO-NAZIS!!! All you're going to do is convince them that you were manipulating them and destroy any ties you have with them. Because as it turns out, telling someone that they're the worst thing they can think of is not conducive to a mutually constructive relationship!!!

 

tl;dr Don't be two-faced manipulative assholes to people who trust you.

 

P.S. Technically this can apply to more than just Christians, but in every situation I've been in, it's been Christians telling me how horrible I was.



Love and tolerate.

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Someone needs a hug...



 

Face the future.. Gamecenter ID: nikkom_nl (oh no he didn't!!) 

Well, the best response to this is:

The Bible says "Do to others as you would have them do to you." in Luke 6:31.

Aswell as "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." in Matthew 7:1.

So, according to their beliefs, they'll burn in hell aswell.



Well I'm not Christian but its not right to judge anyone and criticize them too Still, its disappointing that you don't believe in God.



    

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I'm afraid of letting anyone in my family know I'm an atheist, aside from my step-brother who feels the same, for very similar reasons. I can't say for sure what to expect buy I know they're very close minded and ignorant of the subject, and I'm heavily dependent on them for survival at the moment. I'm fairly certain I'd be homeless.

EDITED



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Dgc1808 said:

I'm afraid of letting anyone in my family know I'm an atheist, aside from my step-brother who feels the same, for very similar reasons. I can't say for sure what to expect buy I know they're very close minded and ignorant of the subject, and I'm heavily dependent on them for survival at the moment. I'm fairly certain I'd be homeless.

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Well, better hope they don't see this post. Clear the cookies, search history... EVERYTHING!



atheism and morality.. hmm.

let me put it to you this way:

atheist don't believe in anything supernatural, right? so that means nothing outside of space matter and time. the only things that exist are things that are confined to these parameters. therefore, that would truly mean that we humans are made up of matter and nothing more than that. if we are just atoms and molecules, isn't it fair to say that all our actions are governed by the laws of chemistry, thermodynamics, physics and so on and so forth? in this kind of view, there really is no room for free choice. your actions and thoughts are controlled by things that are out of your control. if this is the case, then how can somebody who is an atheist say that person x should have done this certain thing, or should not have done this certain thing. trying to make somebody accountable for their actions would be like trying to make water going a waterfall accountable. its like saying, this waterfall shouldnt be behaving in this way.

so in a worldview where people are just simply matter, there doesn't seem to be any room for free choice. if there is nothing that transcends the molecules that we are made of, then we are governed by it. free choice and accountability have to come from the idea that we contain something outside of space matter and time (a soul) that is not governed by molecules and atoms and transcends it, but still interacts with it.

i hope that clears up why christians would say that you can't really have a morality if youre an atheist. while i dont completely agree with this, i do believe that if youre an atheist, you really cant believe in free will (it doesnt jive with the world view). and if you dont believe in free will.. you cant hold people accountable for their actions. (for instance, having a natural proclivity to rape or murder, you can't blame somebody for carrying out these actions unless you believe they are free to choose one way or another)

i hope i communicated all that properly.



I question the morality of Christians, like did they even read the bible?



What's sort of sad is that if you read the New Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) Jesus' main criticisms weren't directed at the Romans, Gentiles (non-Jews), or those who didn't worship Yahweh... but instead he targeted the religious "moralists" of the day (The Pharisees). Those that used their own "moral supremacy" to heighten their status.

Matthew 23 is particularly harsh upon those folks.

Some excerpts:

They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.



I am Christian (disciple of christ, which is not such a conservative denomination), and sometimes I find it upsetting when others try to manipulate other or chide them for not believing what they believe. First year of college I joined fellowship group, became good friends with them. Later I figured out that the group was much more traditional than I had thought, and I could tell that they were trying to change some of my beliefs and behaviors, such as my support of homosexuals. After I realized that most of these people didn't like me for me, I left.

It is really disappointing when people you thought you trusted turn out to be using you. But not all Christians are like that. Christians come in an insane amount of varieties. Try not to take it personally if Christians get upset with you. If they weren't brought up to be tolerant of people with other beliefs, that isn't necessarily their fault, they just might not know any better.

I'll tell you that I try to be rational, reasonable, and open-minded when I talk to people about religion. I don't think our morality comes from God. And I don't chastise people for not believing in God. My faith is more of a private thing than anything else. But the one thing I'm not okay with is when people try to use religion to manipulate others or try to forcefully change what they believe. You don't get someone to believe in Christ by telling them that they are going to hell and everything they do is wrong. And yet some people actually do this. It amazes me.



 Been away for a bit, but sneaking back in.

Gaming on: PS4, PC, 3DS. Got a Switch! Mainly to play Smash