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Well I am 69 years old. So far so good with respect to my heart. The 21st century will go down as the century when the belief in religion collapsed. Not that I will live long enough to witness the final demise.
na tired, it just going to change names. Humans will always have a religion. We are social beings and subject to group think. As seen here at CD. Mostly down party lines. its 80-20 dude, nothing we can do.
I am thankful that rational atheists are understanding that you can believe in something without denying everything "just because we should be good fans". And rational theists are starting to question their own.
All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. Those who have a fear of letting go, those who have something to hide & control freaks, are usually the types who say they 'can't be hypnotised'.
Anyone can be hypnotised if they allow it to happen.
'Suggestion' happens once the person is hypnotised.
As a naive & gullible child, I REALLY believed in Jesus. When I heard in Sunday School that Jesus would be our 'protector' if only we 'really believed & allowed him into our hearts', I begged Jesus every night for weeks to protect me from my violently abusive lay-preacher father & to remove the Devil fella who my father regularly tried to beat out of me.
How did Jesus respond to my gullible, pathetic pleas? The beatings got worse when my father heard me praying for Jesus to intervene, with tears streaming down my cheeks.
According to most Christians, Jesus didn't respond because I 'didn't pray' the right way, or because I 'couldn't have really believed'.
Assuming that Jesus is indeed alive & well, the only logical conclusion is that he didn't lift a finger because he agrees that children deserve to be flogged senseless.
If this Jesus bloke can't be bothered to help a little kid whose father is using his teachings to justify outrageous abuse, then he's entirely useless & impotent.
I'm trying to understand the scenario you're presenting -
Your father beat you on a regular basis ...
flogged you with an electric cord ...
you endured sever beatings ...
you had massive bruising ...
your beatings got worse when you prayed for Jesus to intervene
your mother hear you screaming behind a closed door ...
and then the members from a large church:
knew of the abuse
the members condoned their treatment of you
kept such knowledge to themselves
and no other former-member has spoken out about the abuse
and to mention that not one:
school nurse
school teacher (excluding Sunday School)
sports coach
family doctor
dentist
friend
friend's parent
neighbor (hearing screaming)
hadn't once noticed the massive bruising and the marks left by flogging (which got worse) over time ... not to mention never noticing the obvious behavioral change which would they would feel compelled to contact some sort of authority like the police \ social worker?
Last edited by twin.spin; 12-08-2017 at 08:01 PM..
I'm trying to understand the scenario you're presenting -
Your father beat you on a regular basis ...
flogged you with an electric cord ...
you endured sever beatings ...
you had massive bruising ...
your beatings got worse when you prayed for Jesus to intervene
your mother hear you screaming behind a closed door ...
and then the members from a large church:
knew of the abuse
the members condoned their treatment of you
kept such knowledge to themselves
and no other former-member has spoken out about the abuse
and to mention that not one:
school nurse
school teacher (excluding Sunday School)
sports coach
family doctor
dentist
friend
friend's parent
neighbor (hearing screaming)
hadn't once noticed the massive bruising and the marks left by flogging (which got worse) over time ... not to mention never noticing the obvious behavioral change which would they would feel compelled to contact some sort of authority like the police \ social worker?
What can I say? It's how it was in those days.
My father once whipped me around the bare legs for two blocks walking home because my friends father hadn't got me home before dark. My legs were covered in welts & bruises.
The neighbourhood would've heard my shrieks & the abuse must've been witnessed by at least a few people.
The bruising was that severe that I was kept home from school & not allowed outside until the bruises faded. I was 6yo.
Around ten years ago I met the minister of my childhood church & his wife. Their memory was 'We knew something wasn't right.' Despite their suspicions they didn't bother to investigate.
How much people actually knew or suspected I couldn't say.
When I did try to tell an adult, the usual response was 'Your fathers a good man & a good Christian. If he beat you then he must've had good reason. You must be a bad kid.' After hearing that do you reckon it would encourage a child to continue to reach out or to keep quiet?
That's how it was back then. That's how Christians were back then. As long as one pretended to be a 'good Christian' they could get away with the most outrageous abuses. How do you think pedophiles can continue to hide & be protected within congregations to this day? If caught as long as they blame the Devil for their behaviour, they're forgiven. Christians protect their own.
Had the abuse happened today, I'd like to think that the coward would be charged & locked up.
Alright a competition for who was abused the worst.
I suppose physical and psychological sort of blurr over the yrs so give every detail.
Tell you what. Open a thread right here in the Christian Sub forum and let's hear every detail.
Did you see that grubby response by pinacled? That's exactly the attitude I'm talking about.
Christians protect their own, no matter how foul, immoral or abusive.
Ugh, it makes me sick to my stomach.
What can I say? It's how it was in those days.
My father once whipped me around the bare legs for two blocks walking home because my friends father hadn't got me home before dark. My legs were covered in welts & bruises.
The neighbourhood would've heard my shrieks & the abuse must've been witnessed by at least a few people.
The bruising was that severe that I was kept home from school & not allowed outside until the bruises faded. I was 6yo.
Around ten years ago I met the minister of my childhood church & his wife. Their memory was 'We knew something wasn't right.' Despite their suspicions they didn't bother to investigate.
How much people actually knew or suspected I couldn't say.
When I did try to tell an adult, the usual response was 'Your fathers a good man & a good Christian. If he beat you then he must've had good reason. You must be a bad kid.' After hearing that do you reckon it would encourage a child to continue to reach out or to keep quiet?
That's how it was back then. That's how Christians were back then. As long as one pretended to be a 'good Christian' they could get away with the most outrageous abuses. How do you think pedophiles can continue to hide & be protected within congregations to this day? If caught as long as they blame the Devil for their behaviour, they're forgiven. Christians protect their own.
Had the abuse happened today, I'd like to think that the coward would be charged & locked up.
The Accuser will always call a person what they are.
You have blatantly ignored my invitation to open another thread to discuss all your supposed abuse. Yet you have retreated back to the form you call home. A holed up nest of a bed that you have always lied in.
Its not customary nor hospitable to impose such a fabrication on any living Soul as you have.
As ive heard, Ravens sell pity like snake oil.
And such is the rich man scorched by the drought of his own demise, crying out to no avail for the person who has actually suffered evil to serve him in Hell.
O how the rich man is gnawing gnashing, grinding his teeth into powder as his arrogance engulfs the torment of him and his kin.
Blessings are for the Children that are at the Table with our Lord and Savior Yeshua the Holy One of Israel,
A sacred place for those who have actually suffered.
If anyone were to teach today it would be to Boast in Yeshua the Holy One.
After all there are many members to the Body. James 3
So for the sake of continuing a conversation in Christ.
Uphold the truth already established in your heart.
A daily sacrifice is worthy to those who are thankful for the Free Gift of Grace and the exceeding abundance of provisions including the understanding of treasures in heaven like gold, silver, and copper.
:And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
:So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
A strength in The Lords patience to bring a nation to Salvation
For it was the Lords Patience of 400 yrs of captivity, till the Hearts of his People cryed out for the promises.
And so it His Glory resting on a Son that the meek keep their eyes on everyday till every enemy is destroyed.
What can I say? It's how it was in those days.
My father once whipped me around the bare legs for two blocks walking home because my friends father hadn't got me home before dark. My legs were covered in welts & bruises.
The neighbourhood would've heard my shrieks & the abuse must've been witnessed by at least a few people.
The bruising was that severe that I was kept home from school & not allowed outside until the bruises faded. I was 6yo.
Around ten years ago I met the minister of my childhood church & his wife. Their memory was 'We knew something wasn't right.' Despite their suspicions they didn't bother to investigate.
How much people actually knew or suspected I couldn't say.
When I did try to tell an adult, the usual response was 'Your fathers a good man & a good Christian. If he beat you then he must've had good reason. You must be a bad kid.' After hearing that do you reckon it would encourage a child to continue to reach out or to keep quiet?
That's how it was back then. That's how Christians were back then. As long as one pretended to be a 'good Christian' they could get away with the most outrageous abuses. How do you think pedophiles can continue to hide & be protected within congregations to this day? If caught as long as they blame the Devil for their behaviour, they're forgiven. Christians protect their own.
Had the abuse happened today, I'd like to think that the coward would be charged & locked up.
Being that I have family members that are public & private teachers, hospital nurse, Christian pastor for over 50yrs, multi generational paternal \ maternal of Christian households before my grand parents (and my grand parents were born in the late 1800's) ... I'd like to reply to a few comments you're making from my perspective:
1) You are absolutely correct in that today such treatment would have lead to criminal charges (which would have included your mother). Also people who are in offices of public trust are required today to report any suspicion of abuse due to if failure to do so could lead to prosecutorial liability.
2) I know this may not sound sympathetic but I could if I wanted to tell you of abuse situations in my family history (though not exactly similar to yours) it still involved beatings with the addition of attempted murder of my grandfather by my great grand father in large part because he was a drunkard.
You two could have shared plenty of stories.
I don't know how I would have reacted as far as my attitude towards Christianity \ God etc. but I can tell you that my grand father's attitude ended up completely opposite of yours which has had an positive impact on his future 2nd - 3rd - 4th family generation ... andnoit's not because he's somehow better than you or Jesus showed up for him when he prayed or that he didn't endure as much abuse.
3) If there would be an objection to your experiences from my pov it would be these:
You are greatly generalizing in certain area's which are not black or white.
Christians protect their own. Response: yes some do but many do not.
Those who "protect their own" when criminal offenses occur are not in keeping with Scripture's teaching of loving your neighbor as thine self as well as other area's that are against Scripture.
I can assure you that I've and some of my older siblings have taken the brunt of hostility for interceding on behalf individuals and entities being vandalized ... and no doubt many more have too that I will never know about.
B) post #558 ( not mention i.e. post #87 from a different OP) ... your conclusions from 558:
Assuming that Jesus is indeed alive & well, the only logical conclusion is .... If this Jesus bloke can't be bothered to help a little kid .... then he's entirely useless & impotent.
From what I read from other posts you're writing, it is apparent from the magnitude of hostility, bitterness towards the Bible \ Jesus and Christians in general that your purpose here is not continuative towards a constructive dialog.
na tired, it just going to change names. Humans will always have a religion. We are social beings and subject to group think. As seen here at CD. Mostly down party lines. its 80-20 dude, nothing we can do.
I am thankful that rational atheists are understanding that you can believe in something without denying everything "just because we should be good fans". And rational theists are starting to question their own.
No more being shamed into fandom group think.
The playing field has changed now. It is now possible to explain the existence of the universe as being the result of natural, rather than supernatural causes. And that is the death knell for supernatural belief. Committed believers will naturally hang on to their obsolete ancient beliefs until the bitter end. But as non belief becomes accepted as mainstream, as it is currently in the process of doing, the shrinking number of believers will increasingly come to be viewed as somewhat quaint but addled curiosities by the majority. There is a stigma of simple minded ignorance that is tied to religious beliefs. It's perfectly likely for religion to almost completely die out over the course of the next couple of generations, as the hard core believers die off. And as non belief becomes commonplace.
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