Atheist enraged because her christian neighbors tried to be friendly and invite her/him/it to social events

submitted by metafilter_sucks from self.MeanwhileOnReddit

https://old.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/qh1jdm/im_an_atheist_in_an_ocean_of_idiots/?sort=controversial

My husband and I moved to Florida with his job. (Insert stupid Floridian joke here). We've moved into a condo neighborhood and being the newbies, everyone keeps asking us to their church. I politely declined eight times to 4 different individuals. This morning, my neighbor asked me again and I blurted out, "I don't attend church." He looked like he'd just been given an enema. His wife was present and followed up with, "Are you a Christian?" I answered, "No, I'm an Atheist." It was the first time in my adult life that I admitted to strangers that I am indeed an Atheist. Felt fantastic. I wasn't an asshole about it, just wanted to shut it down for good. But, like all good Christians, they didn't get it. About 20 minutes ago, there was a polite knock on my door and it was the wife. She just wanted me to know that they had no problem with my lack of Religion and they would still love it if I would like to attend their church bazaar this weekend. I thanked her politely, just said thanks but no thanks and she responded, "Have a blessed day." Just took my dog out for a walk and another neighbor said "I hear you don't like church." WTF, it's been like 20 minutes. I hate Florida. That is all.

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[–]mahavishnunj 7 insightful - 5 fun7 insightful - 4 fun8 insightful - 5 fun -  (13 children)

isnt there a sub of 'none of this bullshit ever happened' or something?

[–]jet199 6 insightful - 3 fun6 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 3 fun -  (10 children)

I think it's likely this happened.

It's pretty normal to invite everyone to a church bazaar.

And it's pretty normal for people on reddit to be rude freaks who think they are a righteous victim for no reason.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (9 children)

yeah it might be fake, a lot online is, but this isn't outside the realm of possibility, neighbors inviting a new person to a church, probably happens all the time.

[–]jet199 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (8 children)

I mean when my mum moves the first thing she does is join the local church to get to know people.

And she's an atheist.

This is why I ended up going to evangelical church when I was a kid even though I'm British, it was just the nearest one to our house at the time. I had kids in my church who died in Waco.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (7 children)

Me too I'm agnostic not atheist but anyway years ago I had been in college and I volunteered with a catholic group and met good people, since then I attend a church, don't believe in the religion just like the people.

[–]jet199 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (6 children)

Frankly I think non believers joining Christianity for the mental benefits is going to increase massively over the next few years. Jordan Peterson is starting a trend in the young. Tom Holland (historian not spiderman) is making the idea fashionable as well.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (5 children)

I liked that Tom Holland's documentary about Islam.

I suspect most people that go to church don't really believe. I don't understand how onecan really believe in religion because if you pray to jesus you don't hear anything back, unless in rare circumstances where one is hallucinating and I don't think the majority of humanity, billions of people, are all mass hallucinating. It's like the emperors new clothes though, not as many people feel the need or are brave enough to question it publically. Those that do, brash atheists like Dawkins, do it because there is a niche field there where you can make money selling books or giving lectures.

[–]jet199 3 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

Apparently some people have a gene which effects their brain and makes them constantly feel the presence of God.

That don't run in my family, neither side.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

that makes sense, other mental issues like schitzophrenia are genetic and I can definitely believe they think they hear voices.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Our minds' perceptions play all kinds of tricks on us.

/s/Illusions like pareidolia (incorrect perception of a stimulus as an object, pattern, or meaning to the observer, such as seeing shapes in clouds, faces in inanimate objects or abstract patterns, or hearing hidden messages in music), phantosmia (phantom odor), prosopagnosia (face blindness), etc.

Some people find far fetched meanings in magic numbers. Some believe in horoscopes. Some find connections where no conspiracies actually exist - and others refuse to believe conspiracies ever exist outside of movies.

There are many terms for the affectations and "signs" people attribute to their religious dogmas and spirituality.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

it's easy to see why religion originated in the desert. When native americans go on vision quests they don't eat or drink, that leads to hallucinations. Not to mention dreams, which are not fully understood by science. I have talked to Jesus in my dreams.

[–]JasonCarswell 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

I have talked to Jesus in my dreams.

I talk with Jesus on SaidIt.

[–]ActuallyNot 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I have no trouble believing it.

[–]sproketboy 4 insightful - 4 fun4 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 4 fun -  (10 children)

14k to 3. We're doomed.

[–]jamesK_3rd 6 insightful - 3 fun6 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 3 fun -  (9 children)

It's always been like this. People desire a ruler. Atheism practitioners desire the state rule over everything.

The ingenuous of the founders was recognizing there needed to be a way too protect the God given rights of the individual, because many will always attempt to usurp that authority.

[–]JasonCarswell 6 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 2 fun -  (8 children)

Atheism practitioners desire the state rule over everything.

Bullshit. I want zero rulers on Earth or in heavenly myths.

I have many Christian (and other) friends who are allies in our resistance to tyranny. 2 weeks ago I attended my first church in 35 years - because there was a preppers meeting after.

It's easy to see that separation of church and state divides and weakens the world, but that's a distraction and really we need to separate banks from state above all. Mission Impossible.

[–]Chipit 3 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 3 fun -  (5 children)

The problem with atheists is that, having destroyed religion, they did not set anything up in its place. That's why we have SJWism. Good job there.

[–]JasonCarswell 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

The problem with atheists is that, having destroyed religion, they did not set anything up in its place. That's why we have SJWism. Good job there.

You don't need anything to rule over you, real or mythical. Take responsibility for yourself.

It's true there could be more education about morality, Natural Law, and bottom-up systems, but of course the ruling class don't want that.

Don't fucking blame atheists for SJWs. They've grown in your world too.

Q: What's the difference between a pedo priest and a pedo SJW pervert?
A: Their fiction-based excuses to justify their pathetic degeneracy.

Perhaps it's the fault of all religions for being so shitty and maybe we'd all be better off if you had better dogmas, myths, rituals, and systems in place to prevent SJWs from rising. Of course this is fallacious thinking, but it's exactly what you just did.

Blame the ruling class for cultivating SJWs and all the division they're sowing preparing for perpetual global war.

[–]Chipit 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

You don't need anything to rule over you, real or mythical. Take responsibility for yourself.

All people aren't capable of this. Did you know that? That's the huge blind spot of atheism. Thinking that everyone is like yourself. You destroyed religion without building anything in its place. And what do you know, the religion replacement SJWism popped up at just the same time. What a coincidence!

[–]JasonCarswell 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

All people aren't capable of this. Did you know that?

True and terribly sad. I do know it.

That's the huge blind spot of atheism.

Maybe some don't realize, as some atheists still have faith in politics, or they lack any analysis of morality, responsibility, self-reliance, critical thinking, or alternative solutions.

But not all atheists share this blind spot that is not exclusive to atheists by any stretch of the imagination.

You do yourself a disservice by lumping everyone into groups to blame.

Before you did it with the Left, and now you see that there is infighting within the Left, and obviously some people overlap in the factions or even feel conflicted, from the Far Left insane SJWs and Fake Progressives to the Corporate Dems to the Far Left Deep Green eco-activist progressives to the Centrist progressive Green Party to average Old-Left progressives like Jimmy Dore.

Not all atheists are the same either. The Four Horsemen, anti-Islamic atheists, and militant atheists don't help much. Casual atheist obviously don't help much either. Doubting a sky God is the lowest hanging fruit on the Skepticism Tree and WAAAY too many stop there having barely discovered the forbidden fruit and suddenly believe they are critical and free thinkers when their truth-seeking has barely begun. The lists go on...

Thinking that everyone is like yourself.

I relish in that I am very unique in many ways, so you need not worry about that. Further, my efforts on SaidIt, LeverMind, and beyond are to address these differences. I don't need to change people to make them the same as me, but I intend to expose them to ideas and ways of thinking so they may think for themselves. I'm never going to be like TragedyAndHope.com but I don't need to be, I can do and be different.

You destroyed religion without building anything in its place.

I didn't do anything to religion. It was already shit. I just point it out.

It does not need a substitute "authority".

In the absence of religion we need critical free-thinking, understanding of Natural Law and thus morality, and of course Voluntaryist bottom-up co-operative alternatives, solutions, and systems that are decentralized, flexible, and resilient to replace the consumerist corporatocracy and survive this Great Reset.

And what do you know, the religion replacement SJWism popped up at just the same time. What a coincidence!

It's not a coincidence. It's intentional divide and conquer strategy within their grand conspiracy.

The ruling class is perpetually at war and divide nations, communities, and families into defenseless individuals. SJWs are just an absurdist cult they've been utilizing to corrupt, pervert, divide the west into the "virtuous" and the "deplorable". Same with their trans agenda, critical racism, and now the social credit system via the scamdemic. It won't stop until after the civil war and their stated goals of depopulation are over.

[–]Chipit 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

I didn't do anything to religion. It was already shit. I just point it out.

That's exactly what critical theory does!

In the absence of religion we need critical free-thinking, understanding of Natural Law and thus morality, and of course Voluntaryist bottom-up co-operative alternatives, solutions, and systems that are decentralized, flexible, and resilient to replace the consumerist corporatocracy and survive this Great Reset.

Huh?

You know 95% of people are totally incapable of this, right?

You don't, do you?

[–]JasonCarswell 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

I didn't do anything to religion. It was already shit. I just point it out.

That's exactly what critical theory does!

No. It does some of that, selectively, and does much more - extremist over-reacting. They try to make everyone "equal" instead of bringing "fairness" while selectively favouring some (who may or may not deserve it), thus making things a much worse mess and exacerbating the nature of all authority and power politics to be corrupted.

Critical Theory is a festering cult of corruption. Not believing in myths has nothing to do with that.

In the absence of religion we need critical free-thinking, understanding of Natural Law and thus morality, and of course [we also need] Voluntaryist bottom-up co-operative alternatives, solutions, and systems that are decentralized, flexible, and resilient to replace the consumerist corporatocracy and [to] survive this Great Reset.

Huh?

Read it again if you don't understand it.

You know 95% of people are totally incapable of this, right?

You don't, do you?

You keep saying that but it doesn't make it so. I do know. I also know people can learn stuff good. The ruling class has no interest in a healthy, critical, informed, and intelligent populace because they'd become aware of the scam of authority. Thus the educations systems are where you learn bullshit and Critical Theory. Therefore we need our own alternative solutions.

You can nay-say all you want and bitch about it - or you can do something about it, help with alternatives and solutions and make America great again, 6uild 6ack 6etter, develop and grow a bottom-up thriving tomorrow.

[–]jet199 2 insightful - 4 fun2 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 4 fun -  (1 child)

Maybe I should start up an atheists for Jesus sub.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

/s/AtheistMythAnalysis

[–]Caliban 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Every time you click a link to reddit you are doing them a favor... how about don't do them any more favors?

[–]JasonCarswell 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

"I hear you don't like church."

Justifiably annoyed.

As an atheist I get this shit sometimes too.

I can also appreciate good moral people - of all stripes. I know for a fact that I'm easily more "Christian" than most out there claiming to be good Christians.

[–]jet199 3 insightful - 4 fun3 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 4 fun -  (1 child)

I mean church is well known to be boring. Most Christians admit that. Some churches even purposely install hard seats to stop people falling asleep.

The hokey cokey dance comes from bored Christians copying the movements of the priest during mass behind his back.

[–]JasonCarswell 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

The service I attended held promise, on the Four Horsemen of Revelations, and I hoped to learn something. It was terribly tedious and repetitive yet there were people there on the verge of speaking in tongues just praising praising praising. Fuck that shit. I learned nothing.

I did come up with my own minor analysis though. The Four Horsemen have symbols, White/Pestilence wears a fine gown (according to the pastor and banner on the wall), Red/War holds a sword, Black/Famine holds scales, Pale/Death is a skeleton with no eyes to see. Lady Justice also has all these features. Coincidence?

I've always been a huge fan of Vangelis, including his pre-solo prog-rock...

Aphrodite's Child - The Four Horsemen (5:55) + lyrics

[–]aaarrgh 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

There is a big difference, belonging to a Church doesn't mean you are a spiritual person. Practice your religion on your own, churches are for suckers.

[–]OrionBlastar 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Atheists are welcome at church bazaars and bake sales.

[–]IkeConn 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Attend a few church functions and fart at every one of them. Loudly and in front of everybody. Then flirt with their husbands. They'll stop asking you to attend.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

LOL