Happy Atheist Forum

Hey everyone,

I come from a strict pentecostal background, just wondering if anyone else here has had to endure the rubbish I went through as a child - I was pretty thoroughly indoctrinated, so even after I came to learn that I had been duped from birth, it took me long time to really recover.  

Thoughts?

Welcome to the forum. I was raised as an atheist by atheist parents in a largely atheist place so I'm afraid I can't help. Is pentecostalism the one with speaking in tongues?

Quote from: "AlP"Welcome to the forum. I was raised as an atheist by atheist parents in a largely atheist place so I'm afraid I can't help. Is pentecostalism the one with speaking in tongues?

Yes, and in particular the necessity of said "tongues" to be "saved". "Oneness" and the "Holy Ghost" and such.

Quote from: "brainwashed"

Quote from: "AlP"Welcome to the forum. I was raised as an atheist by atheist parents in a largely atheist place so I'm afraid I can't help. Is pentecostalism the one with speaking in tongues?

Yes, and in particular the necessity of said "tongues" to be "saved". "Oneness" and the "Holy Ghost" and such.

So you've done speaking in tongues it yourself? Might it be an example of operant conditioning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning)?

Yes, I have 'done it' myself, and I think it's a great example of operant conditioning.  Wiki 'glossolalia' and you'll find a pretty good basic definition.

welcome to the forum.  The weirdness of speaking in tongues.  At least you didn't hold poisonous snakes right?

Hehe, no poisonous snakes.. but weirdness you would not believe

Quote from: "brainwashed"Hehe, no poisonous snakes.. but weirdness you would not believe

I live in the bible belt, i'll challenge that statement of weirdness.

Things like running around the church property at night whooping and yelling for Jebus, rolling on the aisles jabbering in tongues and other assorted things

Quote from: "brainwashed"Things like running around the church property at night whooping and yelling for Jebus, rolling on the aisles jabbering in tongues and other assorted things

That sounds like something my mother did when she was young.

Quote from: "brainwashed"Things like running around the church property at night whooping and yelling for Jebus, rolling on the aisles jabbering in tongues and other assorted things

I can see it.  Normally people around here vandalize churches at night, but vandalism or screaming at the church whatever.  I've seen rolling around on aisles, convulsing, speaking in tongues.  Weirdness is all around us.  I haven't seen the snakes, but I wonder how many die of the bite or if they have the anti venom in the church.  If its the anti venom we win, we kicked gods ass, his snake can't kill us with that around.

I never joined a Pentecostal church, but I did go to services at times with friends of mine and I watched TBN...erm...religiously? Loved people like Benny Hinn. The church that I did grow up in, while Lutheran, was sort of on the fringes. My pastor could preach hellfire and brimstone with the best of them, but we didn't have an emphasis on things like speaking in tongues. At the missionary school I went to, a lot of the people came from a Pentecostal background and almost seemed like they wanted to force me to start speaking in tongues one night. It was a little very spooky. My "deconversion" process took awhile too, as I still wanted to believe and had the fear of hell ingrained in me.

Glad to see you here. You'll learn a lot.

Quote from: "LoneMateria"we win, we kicked gods ass, his snake can't kill us.

W00t!

I just advanced a quote mining level!  I'm now at level 2, since this is quote isn't so bad.
At level 80 you can make Dawkins call himself an idiot!

ahahahaha I go pwn nubs now

(actually, I don't even play any of that kind of games)

Quote from: "LoneMateria"we win, we kicked gods ass, his snake can't kill us.

Lol this reminds me of a story from a few years ago.  I think it happened in South Florida but i'm not sure anymore.  This guy was an immigrant from Puerto Rico.  He went door to door selling religious material for a living.  Well when he was talking to a lady on a clear blue day he got struck by lightning.  Now some people would see that as Gods divine will smiting someone on a clear blue day.  911 was called and when the paramedics arrived his heart wasn't beating.  They resuscitated him.  To those religious people who see this as an act of God, we owned him.  There he was deciding to smite someone and our paramedics were like, "Fuck you God we'll bring him back".

Quote from: "LoneMateria"

Quote from: "LoneMateria"There he was deciding to smite someone and our paramedics were like, "Fuck you God we'll bring him back". roflol

I can relate to indoctrination and weirdness.  Ex Mormon here.  Although, I think for bat $hit crazy weirdness, you have me beat.

Bienvenidos!