God Debate Is Worthless

[Whitney]

I was a very conservative Christian who despised Bill Maher and thought Bill O'Reilly was standing up for what I believed in.  I saw Religulous just so I could talk intelligently about it when I spoke against it.  Then the Horus stuff came up about the parallels to Jesus.  Then I researched all the characters in mythology with legends nearly identical to the legend of Jesus.  Made me realize how ridiculous it all was.  If the virgin birth was copied from other myths, then Jesus was not God, and Christianity meant nothing.  I still believed in God for a few days until I drew parallels about how silly that was as well.  Anyway, it all came down in about a week, and it all started because I watched a movie made buy a guy I had always assumed was making stuff up because he had a liberal agenda.

I think you might win the prize for the person to change their mind the fastest when reality doesn't fit their religious ideas.

[xSilverPhinx]

I was a very conservative Christian who despised Bill Maher and thought Bill O'Reilly was standing up for what I believed in.  I saw Religulous just so I could talk intelligently about it when I spoke against it.  Then the Horus stuff came up about the parallels to Jesus.  Then I researched all the characters in mythology with legends nearly identical to the legend of Jesus.  Made me realize how ridiculous it all was.  If the virgin birth was copied from other myths, then Jesus was not God, and Christianity meant nothing.  I still believed in God for a few days until I drew parallels about how silly that was as well.  Anyway, it all came down in about a week, and it all started because I watched a movie made buy a guy I had always assumed was making stuff up because he had a liberal agenda.

How long has it been since you've deconverted?

And more importantly, what would you have thought of O'Reilly's "tide comes in, tide goes out" blunder?

[original_gender]

I went from I think god probably exists to I think god probably doesn't exist just from reading a book that compared why an atheist (freud) didn't believe and a christian (c.s lewis) did believe. 

A couple of years ago I went to a play that recounted a fictional conversation between C.S. Lewis and Freud, towards the end of Freud's life. It was just okay, lol.

[fester30]

I was a very conservative Christian who despised Bill Maher and thought Bill O'Reilly was standing up for what I believed in.  I saw Religulous just so I could talk intelligently about it when I spoke against it.  Then the Horus stuff came up about the parallels to Jesus.  Then I researched all the characters in mythology with legends nearly identical to the legend of Jesus.  Made me realize how ridiculous it all was.  If the virgin birth was copied from other myths, then Jesus was not God, and Christianity meant nothing.  I still believed in God for a few days until I drew parallels about how silly that was as well.  Anyway, it all came down in about a week, and it all started because I watched a movie made buy a guy I had always assumed was making stuff up because he had a liberal agenda.

I think you might win the prize for the person to change their mind the fastest when reality doesn't fit their religious ideas.

Well when I realized the divinity of Christ was based upon other mythologies, my Christianity house completely fell down on me.  After that, it was only a short step further to realize God was also a myth.

[fester30]

I was a very conservative Christian who despised Bill Maher and thought Bill O'Reilly was standing up for what I believed in.  I saw Religulous just so I could talk intelligently about it when I spoke against it.  Then the Horus stuff came up about the parallels to Jesus.  Then I researched all the characters in mythology with legends nearly identical to the legend of Jesus.  Made me realize how ridiculous it all was.  If the virgin birth was copied from other myths, then Jesus was not God, and Christianity meant nothing.  I still believed in God for a few days until I drew parallels about how silly that was as well.  Anyway, it all came down in about a week, and it all started because I watched a movie made buy a guy I had always assumed was making stuff up because he had a liberal agenda.

How long has it been since you've deconverted?

And more importantly, what would you have thought of O'Reilly's "tide comes in, tide goes out" blunder?

It happened around Christmas time just a few months ago.  The tide comes in happened I think around the beginning of January when I had just deconverted.  I'll be honest, even when I was a Christian I would have thought O'Reilly's tide comes in thing to be really stupid, just like the people that say if the Earth was ten miles closer or father away from the sun it wouldn't be able to sustain life.

[xSilverPhinx]

I was a very conservative Christian who despised Bill Maher and thought Bill O'Reilly was standing up for what I believed in.  I saw Religulous just so I could talk intelligently about it when I spoke against it.  Then the Horus stuff came up about the parallels to Jesus.  Then I researched all the characters in mythology with legends nearly identical to the legend of Jesus.  Made me realize how ridiculous it all was.  If the virgin birth was copied from other myths, then Jesus was not God, and Christianity meant nothing.  I still believed in God for a few days until I drew parallels about how silly that was as well.  Anyway, it all came down in about a week, and it all started because I watched a movie made buy a guy I had always assumed was making stuff up because he had a liberal agenda.

How long has it been since you've deconverted?

And more importantly, what would you have thought of O'Reilly's "tide comes in, tide goes out" blunder?

It happened around Christmas time just a few months ago.  The tide comes in happened I think around the beginning of January when I had just deconverted.  I'll be honest, even when I was a Christian I would have thought O'Reilly's tide comes in thing to be really stupid, just like the people that say if the Earth was ten miles closer or father away from the sun it wouldn't be able to sustain life.

That's quite recent.  I was under the impression that you had already spent more time going through the process since for many it does seem to be a slow one though maybe theirs just aren't as dramatic in shift as yours was.

[Whitney]

Earth was ten miles closer or father away from the sun it wouldn't be able to sustain life.

lol...people really think that?...only 10 miles....roflol

[Asmodean]

Earth was ten miles closer or father away from the sun it wouldn't be able to sustain life.

lol...people really think that?...only 10 miles....roflol

Ah, but you see, if you climb Mount Everest, you are 10 miles further from the sun and it's bloody well freezing up there. 

[The Magic Pudding]

Ah, but you see, if you climb Mount Everest, you are 10 miles further from the sun and it's bloody well freezing up there. 

That's probably the case at night, but what kind of weird adventurer isn't snuggled up warm with their fellow adventures at night?

Ah, I see I've failed in my attempt to reply to this post, I should have seen it before this.
I was going to prove warmth comes from Satan and his cosy fires but I'm forced to retreat.
But all my fingers and toes remain and I may try again.
And yet I still wonder was it the thin air that befuddled my mind, my closeness to the pretentious one or distance from  dear old Nick.

[fester30]

Ah, but you see, if you climb Mount Everest, you are 10 miles further from the sun and it's bloody well freezing up there. 

That's probably the case at night, but what kind of weird adventurer isn't snuggled up warm with their fellow adventures at night?

Ah, I see I've failed in my attempt to reply to this post, I should have seen it before this.
I was going to prove warmth comes from Satan and his cosy fires but I'm forced to retreat.
But all my fingers and toes remain and I may try again.
And yet I still wonder was it the thin air that befuddled my mind, my closeness to the pretentious one or distance from  dear old Nick.

Or perhaps it's that you can't become warm sharing body warmth, as you have no body.

[fester30]

I was a very conservative Christian who despised Bill Maher and thought Bill O'Reilly was standing up for what I believed in.  I saw Religulous just so I could talk intelligently about it when I spoke against it.  Then the Horus stuff came up about the parallels to Jesus.  Then I researched all the characters in mythology with legends nearly identical to the legend of Jesus.  Made me realize how ridiculous it all was.  If the virgin birth was copied from other myths, then Jesus was not God, and Christianity meant nothing.  I still believed in God for a few days until I drew parallels about how silly that was as well.  Anyway, it all came down in about a week, and it all started because I watched a movie made buy a guy I had always assumed was making stuff up because he had a liberal agenda.

How long has it been since you've deconverted?

And more importantly, what would you have thought of O'Reilly's "tide comes in, tide goes out" blunder?

It happened around Christmas time just a few months ago.  The tide comes in happened I think around the beginning of January when I had just deconverted.  I'll be honest, even when I was a Christian I would have thought O'Reilly's tide comes in thing to be really stupid, just like the people that say if the Earth was ten miles closer or father away from the sun it wouldn't be able to sustain life.

That's quite recent.  I was under the impression that you had already spent more time going through the process since for many it does seem to be a slow one though maybe theirs just aren't as dramatic in shift as yours was.

Think about this... because of the inconsistencies in the Bible, all of the evils that the Bible deems acceptable, and all of the ways that the Bible disagrees with science, it was such hard work just to convince myself it was all true.  The mental gymnastics are enough that it's actually probably very good practice for problem solving.  Once I realized it was all false, I also realized there wasn't any work to go along with making it all fit.  It all became very easy very suddenly, so it was like a burden being lifted instantly, and I felt very free from it.  I actually don't understand how it's such a long process for others.

[The Magic Pudding]

Or perhaps it's that you can't become warm sharing body warmth, as you have no body.

You are a cruel internet entity fester30

[xSilverPhinx]

Earth was ten miles closer or father away from the sun it wouldn't be able to sustain life.

lol...people really think that?...only 10 miles....roflol

Ah, but you see, if you climb Mount Everest, you are 10 miles further from the sun and it's bloody well freezing up there. 

Not to mention they completely disconsider the Earth's elliptical orbit *eyeroll*.  So besides having the four weather seasons we have a 'able to sustain life' and 'dead rock floating' season...

[xSilverPhinx]

I was a very conservative Christian who despised Bill Maher and thought Bill O'Reilly was standing up for what I believed in.  I saw Religulous just so I could talk intelligently about it when I spoke against it.  Then the Horus stuff came up about the parallels to Jesus.  Then I researched all the characters in mythology with legends nearly identical to the legend of Jesus.  Made me realize how ridiculous it all was.  If the virgin birth was copied from other myths, then Jesus was not God, and Christianity meant nothing.  I still believed in God for a few days until I drew parallels about how silly that was as well.  Anyway, it all came down in about a week, and it all started because I watched a movie made buy a guy I had always assumed was making stuff up because he had a liberal agenda.

How long has it been since you've deconverted?

And more importantly, what would you have thought of O'Reilly's "tide comes in, tide goes out" blunder?

It happened around Christmas time just a few months ago.  The tide comes in happened I think around the beginning of January when I had just deconverted.  I'll be honest, even when I was a Christian I would have thought O'Reilly's tide comes in thing to be really stupid, just like the people that say if the Earth was ten miles closer or father away from the sun it wouldn't be able to sustain life.

That's quite recent.  I was under the impression that you had already spent more time going through the process since for many it does seem to be a slow one though maybe theirs just aren't as dramatic in shift as yours was.

Think about this... because of the inconsistencies in the Bible, all of the evils that the Bible deems acceptable, and all of the ways that the Bible disagrees with science, it was such hard work just to convince myself it was all true.  The mental gymnastics are enough that it's actually probably very good practice for problem solving.  Once I realized it was all false, I also realized there wasn't any work to go along with making it all fit.  It all became very easy very suddenly, so it was like a burden being lifted instantly, and I felt very free from it.  I actually don't understand how it's such a long process for others.

I see.

I really think there should be a religiously themed IQ test out there that measures how well the religious person can reconcile the bible with itself.

[fester30]

I see.

I really think there should be a religiously themed IQ test out there that measures how well the religious person can reconcile the bible with itself.

The Bible says so much about so many things that if two people debate the Bible, the person who knows it better will win.  When I was a theist, I could mostly reconcile the Bible if given enough time when debating an atheist.  Now that I'm atheist, I can mostly point out passages that theists can't reconcile.  It's all how you spin it.  You have entered... the spin zone!