Anyone non-religious here? Please be nice!

[deb1]

Partly because I want to keep the thread going and partly because I thought this would be an interesting topic:


I was thinking about all the ways that religion keeps people from asking questions-or having doubts. If you can come up with any, post them.


1. I heard a woman tell someone who was having doubts. "Don't let Satan still your joy." Blaming an imaginary evil entity for doubts makes it so that the individual doesn't have to face their doubts. They don't explore what is wrong.

2. We can't understand God's plan or God has a bigger plan that we can't understand. This is comforting when a person has a personal tragedy but it is another way to keep people from asking questions. Wonder why you have always had faith and done what you should but it is your atheist neighbor who gets the beautiful wife, loving children and big house. Well, God has some unfathomable reason. Don't think about it because you wouldn't understand anyway.

3.The heart is deceitful. This comes from a bible verse and I have used some people use variations of this to deny their feelings. If you deny your emotions then it will be more difficult to question your faith.

4. Anyone who does not belong to our faith is not as moral as we are. This keeps people from asking questions because if a nontheists makes a point, you can simply discard his words beacause the nontheist isn't being led by God as you are.

5. this is a variation of the above but it is slightly different. Anyone who thinks differently then we do, ask troublesome questions or is from a different faith is under the influence of an evil entity. This keeps the followers from learning about other faiths or opinions.

I bet if you think about it, you have all heard various ways that some people cut off any thoughts that might be damaging to their believes.

 

[deb1]

Quote:
I can see that, usually people seem to have "how could you not believe in god?" mentality. and I've seen a lot of people who seem to think that atheists arrive at their state of non-belief out of hatred for god, like a traumatizing experience at church or something, like we've been scared, angry or unfortunate to not see god. that's certainly not the case for me, in the end if I'm wrong and there is a god, I take comfort in knowing that I've never presumed on our friendship. and if the devout religious are right and you have to maintain a relationship with god in life in order to be accepted after death, then I'll not endear him with the name of God, he'll be "that dude" (for giving me the gift of free thought and blaming me for using)

I have known a lot of good and bad Christians. Certainly I am not so immature to throw out religion based on a few troublesome people. My doubts came from logic.

 

[deb1]

Here is another way that some religions keep people from asking questions

6. Seeing Christians disagree might keep others from coming to God. I had another person tell me that I shouldn't debate him because it would hurt the chance of nonChristians to get saved. I think that this should count as a way to keep people from asking questions. It is a way to keep people quiet because they become afraid that they might be responsible for keeping someone out of heaven.

 

[Kev]

8. Having religious laws about apostasy. In some religions this is punishable by death. In others shunning is practiced. What greater fear than there is of getting killed or rejected by your own family? Better stay quiet lest you lose your family.. or your head..

 

[deb1]

Quote:
I can't imagine not being able to see my own family.

I don't know for certain. Do the Amish practice shunning? Or is that just a myth?

 

[EweSheep]

Am I the only one that hates missionaries going overseas to "conform" those poor peasants?????? What makes you think they need "saving"?

 

[redhen]

Quote:

So true! Have you read the book The Poisonwood Bible?? That book says it all... even though its a fiction..its SO true.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:

So true! Have you read the book The Poisonwood Bible?? That book says it all... even though its a fiction..its SO true.

No, I havent but it would make a good reading! Will have to check it out!

It peeves me that the missionaries are trying to bring their services, for the Indians or non God folks, that has not have God or Bible for eons of centeries. Remember those nice Brazilian Indians down in SA that the two men were trying to live their lives...can not remember but they lived with them for a couple of months, and those Indians did just fine without the missionaries.

Really, what's the purpose of missionaries to "save" them? Only to bring in diseases that they had no immunity. And the views of missionaries thinking "our God is better than your God or Gods".

 

[redhen]

Quote:

So true! Have you read the book The Poisonwood Bible?? That book says it all... even though its a fiction..its SO true.

No, I havent but it would make a good reading! Will have to check it out!

It peeves me that the missionaries are trying to bring their services, for the Indians or non God folks, that has not have God or Bible for eons of centeries. Remember those nice Brazilian Indians down in SA that the two men were trying to live their lives...can not remember but they lived with them for a couple of months, and those Indians did just fine without the missionaries.

Really, what's the purpose of missionaries to "save" them? Only to bring in diseases that they had no immunity. And the views of missionaries thinking "our God is better than your God or Gods".

I just finished it..PM me your addy and i'll send it to you. It was a pretty good book.

Its about a family with an abusive (in the name of God..) religious nutso father and how he took his family on a mission over to Africa to try to save and baptize the natives...

 

[deb1]

Quote:
This is a pet peeve of mine also. I understand the missionaries whose main purpose are to give food and care. But there are some missionaries who put strings on that care. If you are a person whose family is starving, you should not have to listen to a sermon putting down your culture and believes so that you can be given food.

We used to have guest speakers come to our church in Iowa. One young woman in particular annoyed me. She described the African religion and culture as satanic. How prejudiced can you get?

I know the missionary couple that this letter references. They were a lovely young couple but they do see Christianity as being the one true faith.

http://www.stabroeknews.com/2008/letters/05/06/missionaries-should-not-be-allowed-to-proselytize/

This is from the letter and was written by someone angry because they described Guyana as being in the grip of Satan.

They are gripped by the power of Satan, and are searching for hope within the false religions that plague the country. Guyana has religion, but they don’t have Christ. Our desire is to go to Guyana and help win souls to Christ through evangelism, Biblical training, and church planting.”

I wish to point out to Kyle and Jennifer Ficek that Guyana is not in spiritual darkness. We are a country of many races and religions. We are a tolerant nation that respects the religion of others.

Here is the Ficeks response.

http://theficeks.com/The_Ministry.htm