It's like cancer

[tigerlily46514]

as badly as theists. Can't people just smoke pot, drink beer, shoot at minorities, and wear penny-loafers like the good old days?

sorry, got to call ya on this.  This stuff isn't funny to many of us.  Or maybe on this forum, it IS only me that doesn't care for minority bashing 'jokes', i've seen no one else call anyone on this stuff. Please be respectful of all peoples.  PLease?  If you can't be respectful of all peoples, at least have a better reason than skin color to withhold respect.

[pjkeeley]

sorry, got to call ya on this. This stuff isn't funny to many of us. Or maybe on this forum, it IS only me that doesn't care for minority bashing 'jokes', i've seen no one else call anyone on this stuff. Please be respectful of all peoples. PLease? If you can't be respectful of all peoples, at least have a better reason than skin color to withhold respect.

I don't know if that joke is actually minority bashing tigerlily. I think it was meant ironically, ie. it seems to be aimed at those who do actually target minorities. But I might be interpreting it wrong.

[MommaSquid]

.... Can't people just smoke pot, drink beer, shoot at minorities, and wear penny-loafers like the good old days?

That's a quote from Big Mac, who doesn't come around much any more.  

He is often sarcastic and rude, and seems to be an acquired taste.  I liked him well enough, though.

[JoelWildtree]

I'm a recent deconvert of Christianity, and although I've always been what I considered rational minded, it wasn't until about 6 months ago that I escaped the trap of religious belief. Although it's not just the fear of hell that causes one to believe, young children who don't have the capacity to reason about it for themselves do get scared and start forcing themselves into the "faith" mindset. Once they have faith, it's really hard to break that mindset with any rational thought, because the looming threat of hell has been planted, and tends to supersede normal reason on an emotional level. I still see it in myself; On rare occasions the thought of hell (the firey burny suffering images from my childhood) pop into my mind, and I slightly entertain the believers mindset, wondering if maybe, just maybe, Satan is behind it all, and has somehow hijacked my thoughts, and contrived this whole trap of "rational, reasonable, free-thinking". That in itself is dangerous because it specifically turns my mind off from reason for a minute or two. But then I remind myself why I'm in this position in the first place ... because Satan is an irrational belief, hell is imaginary, God doesn't exist ... and I quickly come to my senses again. I hope I never get to the point that the writer of that article has reached. Obviously the idea of hell in his mind still holds a recent and active slice of his memory, as well as other religious trappings, and this illustrates perfectly how the religious mindset is like a cancer.

[Promethium147]

Pure aspiration to the Sublime is one thing - rarely seen. To be driven to the Sublime (the intellectual) by Terror (the primordial) is a contradiction, and overwhelmingly common.

Every living organism has functional fear - an apparent "desire" to maintain homeostasis, a place for the chemistry of life to reliably transpire. We cannot eliminate it - but we may understand it, and put it in its PROPER place.

Not every living organism has Intellect. We are unique, we may conquer all - including the Self, largely an evolutionary artifact directed at individual self-preservation - which often conflicts with the interests of the Group. But do not destroy it - you need it - put it in its PROPER place.

For some reason - probably repeated emotional payoff - I have experimented with fear since childhood - sought it, and understood it better. I learned to "fight as if already dead", and thus, preserved myself. Immunity is acquired by repeated exposure to the pathogen.

Some religions approach the question of fear by offering its complete elimination - I think this a mistake. It is appropriate to fear starvation, thus we labor. It is appropriate to fear loss of a loved one, but it is quite inevitable (unless you love no one.) It is appropriate to fear death, when your death is viewed as things undone.

So when Krisnamurti says that I must systematically destroy all my desire, I must ask why I should desire to do so. If I leave this desire as the last to be destroyed, and I am successful - surely, I will just need to start over. Perhaps this desire is the one best first destroyed.

But to believe in a literal Hell is to pack all the Reptile in you into one place, and give it reign over your every thought and action. To rely on a system of extreme reward and punishment to guide one's life is repulsive to me, I MUST rebel, it is my nature; Leadership by Example, however, works on me every single time. I too desire to serve - those that deserve it. One Wonders Why I should be "made" thus.

Oblivion is a good thing. I seek 8 hrs. of it daily. It is most satisfying after a hard day's work, a job well done. I view death similarly - and I am Free.

But remember - Freethinking DOES kill people; they become designated targets.   :borg:

[Gibson]

I'm a recent deconvert of Christianity, and although I've always been what I considered rational minded, it wasn't until about 6 months ago that I escaped the trap of religious belief. Although it's not just the fear of hell that causes one to believe, young children who don't have the capacity to reason about it for themselves do get scared and start forcing themselves into the "faith" mindset. Once they have faith, it's really hard to break that mindset with any rational thought, because the looming threat of hell has been planted, and tends to supersede normal reason on an emotional level. I still see it in myself; On rare occasions the thought of hell (the firey burny suffering images from my childhood) pop into my mind, and I slightly entertain the believers mindset, wondering if maybe, just maybe, Satan is behind it all, and has somehow hijacked my thoughts, and contrived this whole trap of "rational, reasonable, free-thinking". That in itself is dangerous because it specifically turns my mind off from reason for a minute or two. But then I remind myself why I'm in this position in the first place ... because Satan is an irrational belief, hell is imaginary, God doesn't exist ... and I quickly come to my senses again. I hope I never get to the point that the writer of that article has reached. Obviously the idea of hell in his mind still holds a recent and active slice of his memory, as well as other religious trappings, and this illustrates perfectly how the religious mindset is like a cancer.

I can totally relate.  Every now and again, that spark of anxiety pops up.  "What if I'm wrong and it's really Satan who has led me astray..."  Same self-talk to return to reason and rationality.

The mental dysplasia of religion spreads in the mind and becomes a malignant force, sucking the energy and joy of life away.  True and profound.

[myleviathan]

On rare occasions the thought of hell (the firey burny suffering images from my childhood) pop into my mind, and I slightly entertain the believers mindset, wondering if maybe, just maybe, Satan is behind it all, and has somehow hijacked my thoughts, and contrived this whole trap of "rational, reasonable, free-thinking". That in itself is dangerous because it specifically turns my mind off from reason for a minute or two.

This goes away with time. I recommend reading "Age of Reason" by Thomas Paine. It really helped me let go of a lot that same anxiety. Plus it's a really fun read. Enjoy!

[skeptic griggsy]

Hell is listening to someone talking how God is love and if you don't accept the divine protection rackett, to Hell with you1

[Edizzle]

After converting from Christianity to Atheism, I was proudly spouting "w00t, Hell doesn't exist, w0000t!" and I had no fear at all. I probably feared going to hell when I was religious a lot more than I do now [which I don't at all]

[jaymayo]

Hmm... Hell doesn't scare me. But HEAVEN? Jeez, I'd be bored out of my mind. Eternal peace and eternal happiness. No!!! Life is beautiful because of some of the aches and pains. When we grow accustomed to eternal peace it becomes eternal routine... like a dead end job. If I'd go to heaven, I'd actually jump out from the ka-billionth-floor and down to hell. And as soon as I hit the flames, I'm glad that I could feel pain once again and finally diminish into nothingness as the lava of satan burns me into nothingness... But that's more of a lampoon.

Do I fear what the afterlife holds? No. It's kind of inane to say what heaven and hell is like since there is nothing to support such a stupid claim. Like the claim that there is a teapot revolving around the sun...

[nummymuffin]

I can actually relate to that. I was the member of a "christian" cult for a bit over 2 years. After we left we'd get phone calls from the members telling us we were evil and going to hell. I was young so I was very confused and ultimately angry. My mom tried bringing me to another church but I was so uncomfortable there I would shake. the thought of spending time in a building of worship (of any kind) makes me nervous to this day. I remember the fear and anger I felt. It is too bad some christians choose to behave that way-but I know not all do.

[Sun]

Wow.  What powerful writing.  I find it shameful that Christianity uses such deep seated fear to lure and keep followers.  Once that kind of fear gets deep into your psyche, it must be nearly impossible to erase.   I wonder if that is the reason Christianity created hell in the first place.

As a Unitarian I cannot imagine God allowing any sort of hell to exist.  But that may simply be because I was never indoctrinated with that type of fear.

[LSchune]

After reading that, I feel truly appreciative that I have never drank the kool-aid.  I will never have to battle with the inner conflicts the author has.  My heart goes out.

In my experience, religion is all about CONTROL.  And when something or someone threatens that control, the claws and fangs emerge in desperate attempts to keep their world perfectly circular and smooth - these people will run themselves and others ragged, to the edge of sanity, in order to keep this control alive.

[mrwynd]

I remember in high school when I was christian and a youth group leader, I was riding the school bus to school, half awake, half asleep and while thinking about heaven, hell, etc - all I could see in my peers on the bus were skulls where their faces should be. I came to an understanding in my faith that each of these people were not leading christian lives and what I was seeing is a huge group of children going to hell when they died. I felt this terrible weight over me. It was that I had to do something to stop all these people from going to hell. It became a very serious fear and I can relate to this story in that way.

[MariaEvri]

i feel sad for him for being tortured like that. But he sounds more agnostc than atheist cause well.. why would an atheist be afraid of something he knows that doesnt exist.
It was the same with me. I was afraid that in case I was wrong I would go to hell but now I dont anymore.