A conversation with a friend yesterday , his favorite answer to everything is ' god ' or ' the answer is in the bible ' . Yeah , he's a hardcore believer , we were trail running in a thunderstorm downpour , ha , that was exhilarating actually . Anyway , we have things in common, running , general fitness , communal proximity , history ...he has my non- believing ass blocked on his facebook , haha . His wife hates me ! Ha . We're likely stuck with each other though . Our conversations generally go like this ... he quickly spouts some bible gibberish as a rational for something and then I spend 5 minutes giving him a historical , logical refute from basic common sense to sophisticated quotes from history' s greatest books and minds . At the end of the run he ask me " why do all that studying ? Its not like any one person can make a difference in the world "!
I told him that the reason was the same as the reason for running " I run to achieve personal improvement of my health
and I studied everything that I've studied to achieve personal improvement of my mind. " ! If only religious ppl valued that ! Why do you as a thinking person make the efforts ? What motivates you ? Do you expect to change the world or just yourself ? Both would be nice , I think .
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I like to consider myself a conversationalist--one who listens as well as he speaks--but I leave that to the judgment of others. My ROEs begin with this--come away from a conversation knowing more about what your counterpart thinks than they do about you. Allow them to feel the imbalance, and voluntarily seek connection with you, before you offer unsolicited information about yourself. And if, after several opportunities, even in the course of a first meeting, they seem less interested in your journey or world view, than they appear about telling (or retelling) their own, the likelihood that a lasting and meaningful relationship based on genuine and heartfelt conversations is greatly diminished.
p-nullifidian
Level 8
July 25, 2018
1
I have noticed that logic rarely works with my Evangelical friends, so I gently mock them. They say, "Jesus loves you," I say, "Yah, but he's over two-thousand years old and still lives at home."
One friend tried to get me with: "The fool has said in his heart 'there is no God'." I resounded by saying, "And the wise tweet it."
They talk about God, and I ask them, "Which God?" They reply... "There's only ONE God..." So I say, then which phase? The god of the old testament is an alcoholic father. When he's sober he's loving and compassionate, but when hes on a bender, it's hell-fire and plague. The god of the New Testament is the new 'sober' god working out the twelve-steps and trying to make amends. But then there's Revelation god which is God after he just gives up and goes back to the booze."
Benthoven
Level 8
July 25, 2018
1
Ha ...good stuff .
I think what really gets them when they're trying to sell you the goodness of their religion ( they havent read the book themselves ya know ) is like telling them exactly where in their book that it condones slavery , owning multiple sex slaves
etc .
They especially don't like the verse that says " happiness is smashing the children upon the stones " etc .
One learn for its own benefit.... Whatever happens afterwards, that's a different story
IamNobody
Level 8
July 25, 2018
1
But some ppl believe that learning is a burden or too much of a burden .
That it takes time and energy away from things that are more important to them , like making money , just practicing hedonism etc .
@Scottzillyun well learning is hard work and there are no shortcuts. Whoever say learning is a burden, I would read that as an excuse for being lazy. On the other hand, learning is not for everyone (for whatever reason)
Number one, why are you spending time with this person again?
Number two, it's like the TV commercial used to say, "The More You Know!" Knowledge can be acquired for the sake of knowledge. It improves me to know more about anything, and it can be applied in surprising ways. Then, when people try to BS me or others about things, I can call them out on it. And that can change the world in small but significant ways. The More You Know!!
Paul4747
Level 8
July 25, 2018
1
I judge ppl individually ...why ?
Because I can !
Not everyone who's afflicted with religion has malicious intents and some of them , I believe , are worthy of our effort to enlighten .
We all need some debate sometimes too to keep us sharp .
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