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For folks with a modicum of intelligence, yes. For the masses, probably not.
Have you ever seen a Ken Copeland appearance on TV? The man talks and talks and talks and manages never to actually complete a thought or make any sense at all. What comes out of his mouth is absolute nonsense, and I don't mean nonsense in the sense that what he is saying is obviously false, I mean nonsense in that no one on the planet could possibly make a lick of sense out of what he is rambling on about. Google him up, you will see what I mean.
Despite this, Copeland has attentive audiences who drink in every word, give him money and come back next week for more. What could they possibly think that they are hearing? What could they possibly be getting out of the presentation?
It struck me that for a large number of the faithful, the preacher could be up there reading baseball scores or speaking in Klingon. It is the Ken Copeland experience which draws the crowd, not anything specific that he says.....not that he ever says anything specific. These same folks would be capable of reading the Bible, coming across passages which make Yahweh seem like a petty, cruel, vindictive tyrant, and have it make no impact on them at all.
I think of my mother as someone who belongs in this class. She never devoted so much as one second to questioning what she had been taught. This was the way things were and that was fine with her, just don't let anyone come along and disturb her dynamic. If I pointed out some whopping contradiction in the Bible to her, she glossed right over it, paid it no mind at all because that would have been upsetting and she was happy with her dogma and rules. It was...here is what I believe and I can stick my head in the sand for everything else.
Great points, I've always felt that the "experience" you allude to was part of the sell with everything presented in a nice neat little package and I think it's a big part of the appeal for many people who don't want to be bothered with actually reading the bible themselves.
In any other context, the average person would be and should be outraged the world was wiped out during a flood or that somebody would contemplate sacrificing their own offspring, or most ridiculous of all, demand men mutilate a private part of their bodies; but jews, muslims, and christians accept and condone, even celebrate it, often at the urging of these tv preachers that lend it credence, as many of their "followers" really think they are of divine authority.
Appalling.
Edit to add: I did google this guy and pictures of multi-million dollar homes popped up that he owns; says it all!
So true and it's amazing how few declared Christians do.
My devout mother and grandmother REFUSE to read the bible. The crazy part is that we are a family of readers, so the fact that they wouldn't even read up on their own belief system just blew me away.
Ultimately, my ah ha moment came when shortly after realizing the abrahamic God was a farce, I briefly still believed there was a God that watched over me. The ah ha moment came when I looked at what I considered blessings being so superficial compared to the tragic lives of most of humanity. I now find it disgusting when Christians claim supernatural intervention of their God when experiencing silly first world good fortune.
Ultimately, my ah ha moment came when shortly after realizing the abrahamic God was a farce, I briefly still believed there was a God that watched over me. The ah ha moment came when I looked at what I considered blessings being so superficial compared to the tragic lives of most of humanity. I now find it disgusting when Christians claim supernatural intervention of their God when experiencing silly first world good fortune.
"experiencing silly first world good fortune."? do you mean its silly to thank some overseer? or are you whipping out "silly first world good fortune"?
"experiencing silly first world good fortune."? do you mean its silly to thank some overseer? or are you whipping out "silly first world good fortune"?
Here you go again, misreading and misrepresenting what someone said. Do you even know what the poster meant by "silly first world good fortune"? Let me explain it to you. It's stuff like thanking a god after praying that you will find your car keys (true story, actually happened in my "first world") or thanking a god after praying for anything that just happens to have a good outcome.
Sometimes **** just happens, good or bad. There is no one up there waving a magic wand, picking and choosing what prayers to answer. Do you honestly believe that a god is going to help someone find their car keys over saving a child from drowning? Who you gonna thank when that child drowns? No one, then you're saying "oh it was just god's will" - how stupid is that? I mean really, this is not rocket science.
Here you go again, misreading and misrepresenting what someone said. Do you even know what the poster meant by "silly first world good fortune"? Let me explain it to you. It's stuff like thanking a god after praying that you will find your car keys (true story, actually happened in my "first world") or thanking a god after praying for anything that just happens to have a good outcome.
Sometimes **** just happens, good or bad. There is no one up there waving a magic wand, picking and choosing what prayers to answer. Do you honestly believe that a god is going to help someone find their car keys over saving a child from drowning? Who you gonna thank when that child drowns? No one, then you're saying "oh it was just god's will" - how stupid is that? I mean really, this is not rocket science.
But some people finally pray (as a last resort) to help find lost car keys. And when the results are immediately positive, it proves that there is something out there (to them). There are tons of testimonial stories like that. Perhaps no one religion has gotten it right, but there is something.
As far as the drowning child, what if that child was living in misery and, after drowning, woke up in some kind of paradise which was better than the misery he left behind. I've never heard an extreme atheist ever address this as a possibility. In fact, I usually hear insults and profanity instead.
But some people finally pray (as a last resort) to help find lost car keys. And when the results are immediately positive, it proves that there is something out there (to them).
Pretty sure that is one of the definitions of narcissism.
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But some people finally pray (as a last resort) to help find lost car keys. And when the results are immediately positive, it proves that there is something out there (to them). There are tons of testimonial stories like that. Perhaps no one religion has gotten it right, but there is something.
As far as the drowning child, what if that child was living in misery and, after drowning, woke up in some kind of paradise which was better than the misery he left behind. I've never heard an extreme atheist ever address this as a possibility. In fact, I usually hear insults and profanity instead.
As I have asked before - REALLY? Are you for real or just a troll? My guess is you're just a troll and your posts should not be dignified with responses.
But just to point out the ridiculousness of your entire post, wait....I don't even have to do that because you're a fence sitter/troll and everyone who posts here already knows that so I ain't gonna worry my pretty little head about it. I better stop here before I get in trouble.
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