Thank God I’m an Atheist

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Agree. Especially as a woman. How can you participate in an organization that oppresses you??

Not all religions oppress women.

Which ones don't?
Christianity - yes
Jewdiasm - yes
Islam - yes
Hinduism - maybe not, but I may as well believe in Fairy tales.

First, it's spelled Judaism.

Second, there are different denominations/sects/interpretations of the big three (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) that have different views on gender roles, including denominations/sects/interpretations that promote female leadership/clergy, encourage women to participate actively and fully in religious life, and support/value women generally.

Third, there are lots of other religions that, as you pointed out yourself, you don't know much about. Be more specific in your criticism of religious oppression if you don't want to sound ignorant.

All the fundamental principles of those religions are sexist and meant to control the masses. If anyone has to get down in the weeds to split hairs with you then it is clear you cannot see the forest for the trees. You are the ignorant one.

You are completely wrong, but you will never learn enough to admit it.

Thanks for the judgment..

I was raised Christian. I know enough to know the Nicene Creed, the foundation of the Christian faith. Specifically the part where it states "For us men". Ignoring all the religious text, not just Christian, written in this way means you are pulling the wool over your own eyes. The fact that it has to be discussed what role a woman can/should play in the church. We never discuss the role of men....

Jesus shall sit on the right hand of the Lord to judge the quick and the dead. DCUM shall sit on the other hand and judge everyone all the time. You, Ms. I Have to Justify My Beliefs to Myself, shall never sit to meditate or contemplate your own beliefs, just everyone else's to tell then they're wrong.

Your experience with Christianity is not reflective of all religions or religious beliefs. Plenty of women, myself included, contemplate our own beliefs and our roles in our religious communities. It's not necessary to "get down in the weeds" or "split hairs" to find religion meaningful, empowering, and uplifting of women. Not all religions, certainly, but plenty of them, especially today, include equal roles for women (clergy, lay leadership, etc) and don't preach subservience.

Thr whole concept is founded on the subservience of women. I'm glad you find meaning and power for yourself in religion and feel that it's uplifting. There is a good number of us that cannot forget the foundations of religion and the centuries of oppression. Not to mention all the other death and problems it causes...

...“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household” (Matthew 10:34-36).
....not exactly what I want for my family.

Again, not all religions are Christianity.

Which religions are superior to Christianity, in your opinion?

I didn't make a value judgement about the superiority or inferiority of any religion. Just pointing out that the Book of Matthew (a Christian text) and the history of Christianity generally is not the foundation of all religions. And regardless, we aren't living in the foundational times of most world religions. The foundation of marriage was the subservience of the wife to her husband. The foundation of the US was (let's say partially) slavery. But most of us can be happily married in an egalitarian partnership without endorsing the subservience of women to men, and most of us can be patriotic Americans without endorsing slavery and oppression. Imagine what life would be like if people and institutions weren't allowed to change and grow and become better. Change and growth are an integral part of life.

So you are saying Christianity should grow and get better? Or Christianity can't grow and get better?

Please do share which major religion doesn't have the oppression of women as core component of either its foundation or implementation. You can't. Even religions which may to casual observers appear to be less sexist like Buddhism and Shinto define women's role to be in subordination to men. Of course modern mainstream atheism is not much better - the sexism there has been widely documented.

I'm not familiar with every religion, so I can't give you an exhaustive list of those that aren't oppressive to women. I'm saying there are branches of modern Christianity that do not oppress women in their current practice (or implementation, as you call it). There are branches of Judaism that don't oppress women. I'm sure there are others with which I'm less familiar. Pulling out quotes from any religion's texts that are oppressive doesn't tell you whether that line is emphasized in today's practice, or whether the views of the religion have changed.

So you pick and choose which parts of your religion to follow?

I suppose I should invent a new religion only taking the pieces I like of Christianity or other mainstream religion..... and I will lead the church. I think many many cults start this way. Oh wait, Christianity was a cult, until it became mainstream. Jesus was the cult leader at first. His cult was popularized several times the first was by Constantine...

The fact that people don't understand the history of the religion they follow and pick and choose and ignore what they don't like is silly.

That's like saying slavery is bad, so I just will ignore it and the consequences that exist today, including the implicit racism. Then we can propagate that racism subtly because we refuse to see the origin and tackle the problem from the root. ...and we can claim its all patriotic while we're at it.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to believe there’s a god who’s all powerful and yet allows so much horror and violence in the world.

That's what finished me.

Horrific child abuse.

A child born with a disability, and then dealing with cancer 4 times before he was even a teenager. Cruelty.

But... free will???? I don't get it, and never will. It's just some pitiful attempt to explain why there is such immense suffering and a god that doesn't do anything to alleviate it. And there isn't an excuse. No afterlife can compensate for some of the suffering I know people have experienced, and most of them don't deserve it. Yet the same people that use the "free will" card will also thank their god for being "blessed" by god in finding their soulmate, or having their layover shortened by 4 hours after praying about it. It's mind boggling, arrogant, self centered, and immoral to me. (these are real life examples of what a christian acquaintance counts as her blessings).

Parents of said child posted about how wonderful God is when the boy went into remission. I can't wrap my head around that. "Child just suffered through ANOTHER round of treatments, but YAY God is wonderful."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to believe there’s a god who’s all powerful and yet allows so much horror and violence in the world.

That's what finished me.

Horrific child abuse.

A child born with a disability, and then dealing with cancer 4 times before he was even a teenager. Cruelty.

But... free will???? I don't get it, and never will. It's just some pitiful attempt to explain why there is such immense suffering and a god that doesn't do anything to alleviate it. And there isn't an excuse. No afterlife can compensate for some of the suffering I know people have experienced, and most of them don't deserve it. Yet the same people that use the "free will" card will also thank their god for being "blessed" by god in finding their soulmate, or having their layover shortened by 4 hours after praying about it. It's mind boggling, arrogant, self centered, and immoral to me. (these are real life examples of what a christian acquaintance counts as her blessings).

Parents of said child posted about how wonderful God is when the boy went into remission. I can't wrap my head around that. "Child just suffered through ANOTHER round of treatments, but YAY God is wonderful."

Maybe it's their way of trying to feel special during what is an extremely difficult time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to believe there’s a god who’s all powerful and yet allows so much horror and violence in the world.

That's what finished me.

Horrific child abuse.

A child born with a disability, and then dealing with cancer 4 times before he was even a teenager. Cruelty.

But... free will???? I don't get it, and never will. It's just some pitiful attempt to explain why there is such immense suffering and a god that doesn't do anything to alleviate it. And there isn't an excuse. No afterlife can compensate for some of the suffering I know people have experienced, and most of them don't deserve it. Yet the same people that use the "free will" card will also thank their god for being "blessed" by god in finding their soulmate, or having their layover shortened by 4 hours after praying about it. It's mind boggling, arrogant, self centered, and immoral to me. (these are real life examples of what a christian acquaintance counts as her blessings).

Parents of said child posted about how wonderful God is when the boy went into remission. I can't wrap my head around that. "Child just suffered through ANOTHER round of treatments, but YAY God is wonderful."

Maybe it's their way of trying to feel special during what is an extremely difficult time.

Extremely difficult doesn't even cover it.

Feeling special?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Agree. Especially as a woman. How can you participate in an organization that oppresses you??

Not all religions oppress women.

Which ones don't?
Christianity - yes
Jewdiasm - yes
Islam - yes
Hinduism - maybe not, but I may as well believe in Fairy tales.

First, it's spelled Judaism.

Second, there are different denominations/sects/interpretations of the big three (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) that have different views on gender roles, including denominations/sects/interpretations that promote female leadership/clergy, encourage women to participate actively and fully in religious life, and support/value women generally.

Third, there are lots of other religions that, as you pointed out yourself, you don't know much about. Be more specific in your criticism of religious oppression if you don't want to sound ignorant.

All the fundamental principles of those religions are sexist and meant to control the masses. If anyone has to get down in the weeds to split hairs with you then it is clear you cannot see the forest for the trees. You are the ignorant one.

You are completely wrong, but you will never learn enough to admit it.

Thanks for the judgment..

I was raised Christian. I know enough to know the Nicene Creed, the foundation of the Christian faith. Specifically the part where it states "For us men". Ignoring all the religious text, not just Christian, written in this way means you are pulling the wool over your own eyes. The fact that it has to be discussed what role a woman can/should play in the church. We never discuss the role of men....

Jesus shall sit on the right hand of the Lord to judge the quick and the dead. DCUM shall sit on the other hand and judge everyone all the time. You, Ms. I Have to Justify My Beliefs to Myself, shall never sit to meditate or contemplate your own beliefs, just everyone else's to tell then they're wrong.

Your experience with Christianity is not reflective of all religions or religious beliefs. Plenty of women, myself included, contemplate our own beliefs and our roles in our religious communities. It's not necessary to "get down in the weeds" or "split hairs" to find religion meaningful, empowering, and uplifting of women. Not all religions, certainly, but plenty of them, especially today, include equal roles for women (clergy, lay leadership, etc) and don't preach subservience.

Thr whole concept is founded on the subservience of women. I'm glad you find meaning and power for yourself in religion and feel that it's uplifting. There is a good number of us that cannot forget the foundations of religion and the centuries of oppression. Not to mention all the other death and problems it causes...

...“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household” (Matthew 10:34-36).
....not exactly what I want for my family.

Again, not all religions are Christianity.

Which religions are superior to Christianity, in your opinion?

I didn't make a value judgement about the superiority or inferiority of any religion. Just pointing out that the Book of Matthew (a Christian text) and the history of Christianity generally is not the foundation of all religions. And regardless, we aren't living in the foundational times of most world religions. The foundation of marriage was the subservience of the wife to her husband. The foundation of the US was (let's say partially) slavery. But most of us can be happily married in an egalitarian partnership without endorsing the subservience of women to men, and most of us can be patriotic Americans without endorsing slavery and oppression. Imagine what life would be like if people and institutions weren't allowed to change and grow and become better. Change and growth are an integral part of life.

So you are saying Christianity should grow and get better? Or Christianity can't grow and get better?

Please do share which major religion doesn't have the oppression of women as core component of either its foundation or implementation. You can't. Even religions which may to casual observers appear to be less sexist like Buddhism and Shinto define women's role to be in subordination to men. Of course modern mainstream atheism is not much better - the sexism there has been widely documented.

I'm not familiar with every religion, so I can't give you an exhaustive list of those that aren't oppressive to women. I'm saying there are branches of modern Christianity that do not oppress women in their current practice (or implementation, as you call it). There are branches of Judaism that don't oppress women. I'm sure there are others with which I'm less familiar. Pulling out quotes from any religion's texts that are oppressive doesn't tell you whether that line is emphasized in today's practice, or whether the views of the religion have changed.

So you pick and choose which parts of your religion to follow?

I suppose I should invent a new religion only taking the pieces I like of Christianity or other mainstream religion..... and I will lead the church. I think many many cults start this way. Oh wait, Christianity was a cult, until it became mainstream. Jesus was the cult leader at first. His cult was popularized several times the first was by Constantine...

The fact that people don't understand the history of the religion they follow and pick and choose and ignore what they don't like is silly.

That's like saying slavery is bad, so I just will ignore it and the consequences that exist today, including the implicit racism. Then we can propagate that racism subtly because we refuse to see the origin and tackle the problem from the root. ...and we can claim its all patriotic while we're at it.

DP. You ignored pp’s argument about women and went straight to slamming religion in general.

Jesus treated women exceptionally well and you can’t write this off as “pick and choose.” He pardoned a prostitute. He told Martha to come out of the kitchen and listen to his sermons. He let a woman wash his feet with her unbound hair. Women were the first to find his tomb empty, and to spread the word to men. Women like Priscilla were among the first preachers in Christianity.

Like pp, I’m not as familiar with women’s’ roles in Judaism or other religions, but I’m sure their adherents have reasons besides “pick and choose.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to believe there’s a god who’s all powerful and yet allows so much horror and violence in the world.

That's what finished me.

Horrific child abuse.

A child born with a disability, and then dealing with cancer 4 times before he was even a teenager. Cruelty.

But... free will???? I don't get it, and never will. It's just some pitiful attempt to explain why there is such immense suffering and a god that doesn't do anything to alleviate it. And there isn't an excuse. No afterlife can compensate for some of the suffering I know people have experienced, and most of them don't deserve it. Yet the same people that use the "free will" card will also thank their god for being "blessed" by god in finding their soulmate, or having their layover shortened by 4 hours after praying about it. It's mind boggling, arrogant, self centered, and immoral to me. (these are real life examples of what a christian acquaintance counts as her blessings).

Parents of said child posted about how wonderful God is when the boy went into remission. I can't wrap my head around that. "Child just suffered through ANOTHER round of treatments, but YAY God is wonderful."

Maybe it's their way of trying to feel special during what is an extremely difficult time.

Extremely difficult doesn't even cover it.

Feeling special?

+1 millioin. It's my opinion that religion (specifically Christianity for me) warps people's minds and is a poison in so many subtle ways. Like this example. Not a second should be spent praying to anyone that will not do a damn thing for your sick child, and especially no time should be spent "thanking" a god for the fact that your child just suffered for months but survived due to the hard work and dedication to medical workers, doctors, scientists, etc. Over time, those thoughts and wishes lead us away from evolving, doing more research, etc. Even if it brings false "comfort", it is destructive in so many ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to believe there’s a god who’s all powerful and yet allows so much horror and violence in the world.

That's what finished me.

Horrific child abuse.

A child born with a disability, and then dealing with cancer 4 times before he was even a teenager. Cruelty.

But... free will???? I don't get it, and never will. It's just some pitiful attempt to explain why there is such immense suffering and a god that doesn't do anything to alleviate it. And there isn't an excuse. No afterlife can compensate for some of the suffering I know people have experienced, and most of them don't deserve it. Yet the same people that use the "free will" card will also thank their god for being "blessed" by god in finding their soulmate, or having their layover shortened by 4 hours after praying about it. It's mind boggling, arrogant, self centered, and immoral to me. (these are real life examples of what a christian acquaintance counts as her blessings).

Parents of said child posted about how wonderful God is when the boy went into remission. I can't wrap my head around that. "Child just suffered through ANOTHER round of treatments, but YAY God is wonderful."

Maybe it's their way of trying to feel special during what is an extremely difficult time.

Extremely difficult doesn't even cover it.

Feeling special?

+1 millioin. It's my opinion that religion (specifically Christianity for me) warps people's minds and is a poison in so many subtle ways. Like this example. Not a second should be spent praying to anyone that will not do a damn thing for your sick child, and especially no time should be spent "thanking" a god for the fact that your child just suffered for months but survived due to the hard work and dedication to medical workers, doctors, scientists, etc. Over time, those thoughts and wishes lead us away from evolving, doing more research, etc. Even if it brings false "comfort", it is destructive in so many ways.

Who on earth are you to tell grieving parents how to deal with a sick child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG you religion lovers are too much.

Not all religions require a belief in a god.

[Anonymous]

Yes be glad you are an atheist because there is insufficient evidence a supernatural being of any kind exists and anyone who believes in one does so appears to not care about evidence or what is true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to believe there’s a god who’s all powerful and yet allows so much horror and violence in the world.

That's what finished me.

Horrific child abuse.

A child born with a disability, and then dealing with cancer 4 times before he was even a teenager. Cruelty.

But... free will???? I don't get it, and never will. It's just some pitiful attempt to explain why there is such immense suffering and a god that doesn't do anything to alleviate it. And there isn't an excuse. No afterlife can compensate for some of the suffering I know people have experienced, and most of them don't deserve it. Yet the same people that use the "free will" card will also thank their god for being "blessed" by god in finding their soulmate, or having their layover shortened by 4 hours after praying about it. It's mind boggling, arrogant, self centered, and immoral to me. (these are real life examples of what a christian acquaintance counts as her blessings).

Parents of said child posted about how wonderful God is when the boy went into remission. I can't wrap my head around that. "Child just suffered through ANOTHER round of treatments, but YAY God is wonderful."

Maybe it's their way of trying to feel special during what is an extremely difficult time.

Extremely difficult doesn't even cover it.

Feeling special?

+1 millioin. It's my opinion that religion (specifically Christianity for me) warps people's minds and is a poison in so many subtle ways. Like this example. Not a second should be spent praying to anyone that will not do a damn thing for your sick child, and especially no time should be spent "thanking" a god for the fact that your child just suffered for months but survived due to the hard work and dedication to medical workers, doctors, scientists, etc. Over time, those thoughts and wishes lead us away from evolving, doing more research, etc. Even if it brings false "comfort", it is destructive in so many ways.

Who on earth are you to tell grieving parents how to deal with a sick child?

Who on earth are you to tell someone they should not express their opinion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG you religion lovers are too much.

Not all religions require a belief in a god.

Is this true? I'd like to hear more about this, because I'm not familiar with any.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG you religion lovers are too much.

Not all religions require a belief in a god.

Is this true? I'd like to hear more about this, because I'm not familiar with any.

Well that’s weird, and even weirder you don’t have Google

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontheistic_religion

https://www.shortform.com/blog/non-theistic-religion/

Plus many new age types, some nature worshipping cults, and many deists do not believe in or worship a god in the traditional sense.

Please tell me none of this is a surprise to you.

[Anonymous]

Unitarian- Universalists do not require a belief in a deity, nor do many forms of Buddhism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unitarian- Universalists do not require a belief in a deity, nor do many forms of Buddhism.

I doubt that's true about UU - religion by definition requires belief in some supernatural power.
Buddhism is more a philosophical system than a religion. It has some attributes of a religion to be sure, but Buddha was essentially an atheist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unitarian- Universalists do not require a belief in a deity, nor do many forms of Buddhism.

I just saw this on Wikipedia: "Unitarianism (from Latin unitas 'unity, oneness') is a Nontrinitarian branch of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the unitary nature of God as the singular and unique creator of the universe, believe that Jesus Christ was inspired by God in his moral teachings and that he is the savior of humankind,[1][2][3] but he is not comparable or equal to God himself.[1][2][4].

Is that different from Unitarian- Universalists?