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What was your worst experience with religious people?

Admin 9 June 19
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148 comments (101 - 125)

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1

An old GF of mine said something along this line, that these people who just can't think of anything that is better than proclaiming to the whole wide world that they are somehow morally superior to everyone who is not a "Christian", are some of the most UN-Christlike people you could ever want to meet!
The father of my best friend since Junior High School, was a big time Jesus freak who loved to brag about how he never missed a Sunday in church (except while in WWII when he was killing other men!), but yet he was a big charlatan, hoaxer, flim-flam man, liar, BSer, thief and con man, always trying to sell others on his "genius" and bogus inventions! The man had no shame or moral integrity at all. He never bilked anyone out of more than a couple grand, so it was just a lesson learned for them as it would have cost ten times more than they lost to try to get it back. That's where his REAL genius was!!

1

On YouTube a bunch of Christians were discussing how gross it was when when to gay people kissed. Don't you think that's kind of offensive. Also my younger cousin is being lured into church because they give out teddy bears!

Teddy bears! They now also have stuffed kittens...

3

I had a baptist minister and some of his congregation show up at my door. They were going door to door to invite people to their church. At the time I still considered myself Christian. I told him that I didn't normally go to Church but thank you. He than went off on how I was going to Hell but worse since it was my responsibility to show my family the way, I was leading them to Hell also. I shut the door in his face at that point.

No one has any right to judge you!!! Much less tell you you're going to hell! "Judge not, lest you be judged", It's said. Some Christians are going to be very surprised IF they get to heaven to see who actually go admitted there! Say that next time someone tells you you're going to hell!

1

People assigning me to a burning hell.

2

The DMV.

1

When someone told me that if I had God I wouldn't be so fearful of spiders... To which I realized they were serious and I proceeded to explain to them that fear is a natural human emotion.

More people have fears and aversions to spiders than any other creature on earth. Fact.

Wow.

1

the dating is what kills me im having issues entering a serious relationship because i don't believe in myths smh

7

I actually had someone defend the idea that you can rape children in the name of god. I told him that if he truly believed that then his morals were absolutely FUCKED. He became irate at the use of the word 'fuck' and declared that he could not tolerate such vulgarity. To sum up, he actually believed that child rape was acceptable but saying 'fuck' was unconscionable.

Holy shit. That's some serious cognitive dissonance, right there.

chimo,cut it off

2

They pressurize.

You mean they pressure you like sales people and networkers ramming their amazing products down your throat

Exactly!!! sometimes,,,

2

In Dallas, Texas, my wife and I had to go into a homeless shelter run by what I would best describe as a religious cult. I signed in as Pagan, my wife signed in as Wiccan. We were both not asked, but told, to leave. Then they told us, since we had children with us (my daughter and son), they said that we could leave, but we could leave behind the kids. We took the kids with us.

The reason why we were told to leave is because we would not convert to their particular religion and they were afraid that my wife, who identified herself as Wiccan, would perform spells in the place.

Funny thing is, she was asked to do that exact thing by the workers and staff there.

7

Every time a religious person tells me that they'll pray for me, while they have such pity in their eyes. Like I'm just trash, lost and unloved, and only their prayers will fix my broken soul. It does hurt me like it used to, now it makes me angry. I don't like being angry...

I'll pray for you ! I'm kidding when I left a cult that I was in for 10 years. I got a new job, car, and apartment. I met two sisters that I use to know in the church. I was telling them how better my life was and the older one just kept saying we're praying for you. Like I was dying or something. The older one looked liked she aged 10 years and the younger one was covered in rashes go figure.

I think people say things like, "I'll pray for you" for lack of anything else to say; they want what makes you sorrowful or sick to go away and they hurt seeing you going through it, yet feel helpless at stopping it, offering words of wisdom, so they offer that remark up. I don't think it's an attempt to convert you; it certainly isn't why I say it. Its frequently the only way they can think of to teach out.

Let me ask....what would be an acceptable thing to say to an atheist at a time of challenge or sorrow or even devastation? This is why I'm on this board - to gain a better understanding and know the proper things to say to comfort atheists and what not to say. Anyone?

I'll Pray for You is just a lame ass fd up way for the person saying it to feel better about themselves for having no pity, conscience or resolve to truly help the person they are addressing.

15

My brother-in-law was one of the 16 Marines killed in the c-130 that crashed over Mississippi on July 10. Almost every day after the names of the victims were officially announced, my sister started getting "sympathy cards" from Christians telling her that she needed to repent so that she could see her husband in Heave (ironically, he also was agnostic so that ship would have already sailed). Some included tracts, pamphlets, steps to avoid hell, and the conversion prayer. These were people that didn't know my sister or her husband, Brendan (or any of us for that matter). We have no idea how they got our address since we never announced that, but it was just freaky, and a disgusting violation of a human being's grief.

Sounds like something JWs would do. Exploiting people's grief and loss of a loved one to convert them.

I'm so sorry for your loss, @Benthoven, and for that of your family. (Sorry for the delay, I just saw the post.)

It must have been like a slap in the face every time your sister opened one of those vile cards. It's times like this that I can agree that the religious - or at least these religious - are mentally ill because I can't comprehend a sane person being able to commit such cruelty.

6

I can tell you the day I walked away from religion was a few days after my best friend committed suicide. At the funeral, someone whispered behind me, "you know, suicides go to hell. He committed suicide because his family is pagan and didn't have jesus in his life."

My family is very religious and that was six years ago. Every day, I get a guilt complex that drives religion fostered upon me for "walking away from god." That is my worst experience with religious people. It's every day.

I'm so sorry. I can relate to your feelings so much. I'm currently being shunned by my parents and younger siblings because I won't go back to being a Jehovah's Witness. They will babysit my daughter but refuse to have a relationship with me. So every time I see them it's like I have to say goodbye over and over again and the wound can never heal. However, I have to live true to myself. I can live in peace and personal integrity knowing I'm not a part of something I don't believe in. Much love

I found this viewpoint quite comforting:

@Hardford nope no way i call bullshit.............no skyfairy no no no

3

An employer once said to me, "I want to help you with your Jesus-thing." He is a deacon at his church and he is the most vile human I've ever encountered. It seems to me that the ones who are most vocal about their religions are the ones who are the most corrupt and hypocritical.

True. So true.

6

My few encounters with religious people have been a real hoot. Being human they also question their beliefs and I think at times are frankly unsure of them and questioning. Many can get pretty wound up if you let them know what you think. They will go far out of their way to let you know they are right. I have this sneaky feeling a big reason they don't like agnostics/atheists is because it makes them question their own beliefs and possibly have doubts and that can be very uncomfortable to them...LOL

YESSS!!! EXACTLY!! This is why the Jesus freaks really freak out when I ask them The Three Magic Questions! A guy I used to car pool with took about TWO YEARS to finally admit that he was beginning to "warm up" to them! You see, he was just totally afraid that if he admitted a little bit of critical thinking to enter into his life, it might make him to start questioning his beliefs about nearly everything. Can't have that, you see? He might have discovered that he was dead wrong in almost everything that he held near and ear to his heart! TTMQ go like this: What is the EXACT AMOUNT of fraud that ANY man or woman has the right to commit?
What is the EXACT AMOUNT of fraud that ANY man or woman has an actual obligation to endure?
What is the BASIC PREMISE that is being operated off of, in the instant case?
Man, those simple questions make people question all kinds of stuff, if they think about them too much!!

Randy

I think its healthy to evaluate your own beliefs every now and then. If you feel threatened by someone else's belief that's different from yours and can't cross-talk and debate - what sort of faith is that???

6

I decided to turn my back in religion when i figured out that people can spend billions building churches but can't spend thousand to feed the poor in the same church and the homeless.. Instead of building Mega Million Cathedrals why not build Mega Million Homes for the Homeless.

i think the world need more understanding people like you.

I'm 100% on board with you there, Lewellyn! If I ever give to any charity today, it's the Salvation Army, because they are the only ones who walk their talk and spend like 90% of what they take in on the needy. But I'd much rather give the dough to someone directly and have done so! I walk my talk!

@Logician i worked for the salvation army......ooh my they are bad people, the religious ones that run the whole show.........they high grade any gold or jewelry very corrupt are the officers -majors ,colonels,generals ect.google the denver colorado salv army and you will see the racism story.....the folks involed were our regional heads here in the PNW when i started they are freaks;;;;;;the salvation army is a corp.we had corporate boss,s and mangers and so forth but the fanatics run it,they have total control......but pay no taxes ever cuz of the religious status bullshit.......i would recommend donating to local reuse stores.....these big entities are corrupt (in my opinion of course)

1

I said that I don't know whether there is a god or not, and they looked at me as I was a weirdo. they didn't talk to me ever since.

Kero Level 2 Sep 30, 2017
1

I grew up Catholic and attending Catholic schools. When my mother and father divorced (he cheated on her for 13 years), the priest told her it was her fault and that she did something to make my father cheat and that she wasn't a good enough wife. THEN, they made me do private lessons with the same priest in order to do my confirmation. They said I was a special case because of what happened with my parents.

1

Probably telling my Mother I was not a Christian. She was extremely upset, and did the entire well I will pray for you thing. I told her if that made her feel better then that was fine with me.

2

My girlfriend had been together for 15 years. Then she decided to go back to the Mormon church, so our relationship was "sinful." It was the best relationship I ever had.

1

I was going to go on a job interview and a born again Christian was going to help me, pre-interview because he worked there. He told me that if the people who drove the planes into the World Trade Center accepted Christ as their savior right before they died, they would go to heaven. But if someone who didn't accept Christ (I was born Jewish, so he was speaking about everyone in my family) lived a wonderful and good and decent life, they would go to hell. I don't even remember the what the job would have been. I just remembered his reasoning. Say you accept Christ and all is forgiven.

0

Oh, so many. From my mother being thrown out of the church for divorcing my cheating, drug addicted father to the hypocrisy of today. It also kills me to hear them thank the sky daddy for 'saving them or someone' when others die or suffer horribly.

1

i really don't give a shit about normal people , actually they should first deserve a good mind

0
1

I said, "there's no evidence for the existence of God(s) and that's why I don't believe in any." and they said, "whatever, all Atheists deserve to die."

But, any time I talk to a theist my head hurts from stupidity.

I've met mean and kind people from just about every major religion. The nicest I've met have been Sikhs and Buddhists and the meanest have been Christians.

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