My 7 year old grandson crying himself to sleep because of Christian scare tactics. (faith, evolution)
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From my perspective, it's abusive to tell children there is no higher power whatsoever, that we are all accidents of coincidence, and that there is no purpose whatsoever to life. You are totally immaterial, and what you do matters not one little bit because we are all complete accidents.
There. I think that leaves children with an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and despair.
I think telling children they were created with love, by an omniscient creator, and that all people have value and treating everyone as your brother is the goal is how to lift them up and give them joy in life. Whether or not it's actually true. Because I won't know, as no one knows for sure, in this life whether it's true. I believe it to be true, and see that people who also believe it have a hope, and a sense of belonging that others don't share who don't believe.
nicely said. i would spin it with no creator tho, but your point is valid.
Its about helping people until they can walk their own path. use what they need, not what I need.
From my perspective, it's abusive to tell children there is no higher power whatsoever, that we are all accidents of coincidence, and that there is no purpose whatsoever to life. You are totally immaterial, and what you do matters not one little bit because we are all complete accidents in a hap hazard chaotic mean-nothing planet.
There. I think that leaves children with an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and despair.
I think telling children they were created with love, by an omniscient creator, and that all people have value and treating everyone as your brother is the goal is how to lift them up and give them joy in life. Whether or not it's actually true. Because I won't know, as no one knows for sure, in this life whether it's true. I believe it to be true, and see that people who also believe it have a hope, and a sense of belonging that others don't share who don't believe.
Not believing in a god does not equal believing there is no purpose whatsoever to life and that the child is immaterial. My goodness.
From my perspective, it's abusive to tell children there is no higher power whatsoever, that we are all accidents of coincidence, and that there is no purpose whatsoever to life. You are totally immaterial, and what you do matters not one little bit because we are all complete accidents in a hap hazard chaotic mean-nothing planet.
There. I think that leaves children with an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and despair.
I think telling children they were created with love, by an omniscient creator, and that all people have value and treating everyone as your brother is the goal is how to lift them up and give them joy in life. Whether or not it's actually true. Because I won't know, as no one knows for sure, in this life whether it's true. I believe it to be true, and see that people who also believe it have a hope, and a sense of belonging that others don't share who don't believe.
But lacking a belief in God does not create hopelessness and despair. Lack of parental love, abuse, chemical dependency in the home - these are the things which create despair and hopelessness.
IMHO, not believing in a higher purpose to life, makes it all a little pointless. Like a monkey with a typewriter.
He'll bang around and occasionally get a word right, or even a sentence, but what's the point?
Only if you see the here and now ClaraC. If we wait a round a bit, the monkey will evolve. and so will the typewriter of course. As a matter of fact ...
Weather you think we need one, and we think you don't, there is still so sign of a omni thingy up there.
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Originally Posted by Arach Angle
Only if you see the here and now ClaraC. If we wait a round a bit, the monkey will evolve. and so will the typewriter of course. As a matter of fact ...
Weather you think we need one, and we think you don't, there is still so sign of a omni thingy up there.
Yes. Evolution. It certainly exists. How else can we possibly explain that pesticides and antibiotics stop being as effective if they're over used, and that humans are getting bigger with every generation?
Here's what I know. (I always am willing to give people my attention when they tell me what they have experienced, personally. It's important to listen, even if you aren't predisposed to believe what they are about to advocate for).
When I state, out loud, "Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Yahweh, My Savior, show yourself!!" I get swift and sure help. There are 10 or 15 examples, clear as a bell, that when I tell people, they spit tea and say WOW.
How stupid would I be not to believe?
As stupid as someone who flicks on a light switch and doesn't believe that causes the room to illuminate.
(I do understand, the converse, that there are people whose prayers don't get answered, and I understand their propensity not to believe. I can only go by my own personal, repetitive experience).
Yes. Evolution. It certainly exists. How else can we possibly explain that pesticides and antibiotics stop being as effective if they're over used, and that humans are getting bigger with every generation?
Here's what I know. (I always am willing to give people my attention when they tell me what they have experienced, personally. It's important to listen, even if you aren't predisposed to believe what they are about to advocate for).
When I state, out loud, "Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Yahweh, My Savior, show yourself!!" I get swift and sure help. There are 10 or 15 examples, clear as a bell, that when I tell people, they spit tea and say WOW.
How stupid would I be not to believe?
As stupid as someone who flicks on a light switch and doesn't believe that causes the room to illuminate.
(I do understand, the converse, that there are people whose prayers don't get answered, and I understand their propensity not to believe. I can only go by my own personal, repetitive experience).
I see you claim it helped you I can measure that. and I see others claim nothing helped them, I can measure that too. So i am left in the middle.
I think what you think is god is just your connection the life around you. that life tries to maintain homeostasis and the events we see are just part of those interactions. some proteins bump around and work just fine until they don't. Others, for whatever reason, don't. But the sheer volume of interactions make life.
I have no grand reason and I don't know where it came from. I do love the fact i am going to be a pop pop and that i touch the lives of many young people almost everyday of my life.
It appears that too many here are indoctrinated themselves and put themselves, and their beliefs, on a pedestal, a pedestal that in their minds, is unassailable. To suggest to NOT tell children that there is a magical super entity is abusive? Are you kidding me? That there is no meaning in life if there is no mythological entity that demands full adherence, and if you don't listen to that being's narcissistic demands, you are doomed to an eternity of torture, and that's OK?
No. I say NO. That is just wrong. I don't care what fantasies you as an adult want to hold, that is your right. But your right stops immediately the moment you try and impose any iota of your fantasy others and demand they comply to yours. No. That is intellectual slavery, and leads to people flying planes into buildings, terror bombings, shooting up abortion clinics, and indoctrination of innocent children.
Just NO.
And I know many of you don't get that, because you have grown up in a culture that requires you to kow-tow to that celestial overlord. Everyone else around you does it, so it must be right.
The suggestion is made that being without religious fantasies means you have no reason for your life and leads to feeling of hopelessness and despair. Wrong. We, who are godless and understand this is the only life we have before we all turn into wormfood, have EVERYTHING to live for. We don't look forward to an apocalypse, we don't live our lives in the hope everything gets destroyed, we care for our planet we live on, as it is the only place we have at this point. We care about the environment, and understand that the planet is not infinite in the ability to absorb our actions on it.
The religious, on the other hand, feel that our earth has been given to them to exploit. They feel that they need to dominate and have dominion, as their holy scribblings from ancient, superstitious, uneducated desert goat herders told the stories, passed on like some game of telephone, that was compiled by those that wanted to control the population.
It is such a sad state that in the world of today, when so much knowledge has been gained by science, that there is a large segment of the population that revels in being scientifically illiterate and ignorant, yet demand that their philosophies be accepted as perfectly OK to pass on to vulnerable children.
They feel it is OK to terrorize their children by threats of eternal burning, and those children scare others who have never been exposed to such threats.
Shame, just shame that you dare think your right to your religion should be forced on anyone else. Shame!
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