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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:44:49 AM EDT
[#1]
Easy: I don't go to church. My relationship with God is personal, and permanent. I've tried going to church, I been to many. It all comes down to "Do I like what the pastor/preacher/minister is saying? Do I like how he phrases things? Do I like him, as a person?" It's not the church, it's the people in it. Every single church I've been too, the parishioners are the ones that turn me off. Most of them act like they only go to church because they want to be seen at church. They pretend to be all holy and innocent, but sixty seconds of driving and they turn back into their old, normal selves again.
Last church I tried had a great pastor. He was around my age (mid-fifties), had experienced life, had done things and been places, and talked about real life experiences and how to keep an honest belief in Christ alive. He wasn't full of sugar-coated glory or tired, oft regurgitated dogma. I liked him a lot. Unfortunately, he stopped preaching to focus more on organizing shit, and making home visits, and hospital visits, and such. His replacement was a young kid fresh out of divinity school that I just didn't have anything in common with. Now it's just me and God again. OP, I truly hope that God shows himself to you in such a way that you can accept him as real, and believe in him as much as I do. It's amazing. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:45:07 AM EDT
[#2]
Quoted:
I know this is a sensitive topic, and I'm not trying to insult anyone....but I just want to ask the question. My wife is not super religious, but likes to go to church once a month or so. She says it makes her feel better…I’m ok with that. Every now and then she asks me to go with her…..I don’t want to, but it’s my wife…and a marriage is a compromise. I’m a very strong willed, confident, emotionally strong person. Everything good or bad that happens to me is because of my own hard work, my good choices, my bad choices, or good/bad luck….that’s it. I don’t know how people can sit for an hour and listen to some preacher get up there ramble on and on about how they need to look for a higher power to believe in when things get them down, when things don’t go right, or when they are having a rough time with life. I can listen to it for about 5 min, and my eyes glaze over and I’m thinking about riding dirt bikes, fishing, or a multitude of other things. I guess I just can’t wrap my mind around how people can be so emotionally fragile, so weak minded, so out of touch with reality that they can’t realize that everything that happens to them is of their own doing….nothing more, nothing less. What am I missing here? |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:45:08 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It doesn't sound that way at all. Just because someone doesn't have a need for religion doesn't make them an atheist |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:45:24 AM EDT
[#4]
Quoted:
I know this is a sensitive topic, and I'm not trying to insult anyone....but I just want to ask the question. My wife is not super religious, but likes to go to church once a month or so. She says it makes her feel better…I’m ok with that. Every now and then she asks me to go with her…..I don’t want to, but it’s my wife…and a marriage is a compromise. I’m a very strong willed, confident, emotionally strong person. Everything good or bad that happens to me is because of my own hard work, my good choices, my bad choices, or good/bad luck….that’s it. I don’t know how people can sit for an hour and listen to some preacher get up there ramble on and on about how they need to look for a higher power to believe in when things get them down, when things don’t go right, or when they are having a rough time with life. I can listen to it for about 5 min, and my eyes glaze over and I’m thinking about riding dirt bikes, fishing, or a multitude of other things. I guess I just can’t wrap my mind around how people can be so emotionally fragile, so weak minded, so out of touch with reality that they can’t realize that everything that happens to them is of their own doing….nothing more, nothing less. What am I missing here? |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:47:13 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don't. I'm trying to figure out why you appear to. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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So blame god instead? Go ahead and blame God if it suits you. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:48:02 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A three year old girl gets leukemia. What action did they take to bring that on themselves? |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:48:54 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I play in two bands- one in my church, and another that’s unaffiliated with any single church. I’ll admit it’s hard to wind down and sit and listen after playing. One thing that helps to remember is that all religions and all churches are man made entities, and are therefore flawed and full of sinners. Having a relationship with your Creator is where it’s at. I'm just trying to see what I'm not seeing.....how can you go through life thinking that you are not in control of things, and all that happens is because of some other power..... whatever that may be. I take the good with the bad....but in the end, it's all on me. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:49:36 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A three year old girl gets leukemia. What action did they take to bring that on themselves? Maybe the sins or her parents were put on the child. We can only wonder. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:50:57 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Look at it this way, if the religious people are happy doing what they are doing, hey why not. Same goes for you, do what makes you happy, go or dont go, its your choice. Either is fine Just trying to start a conversation....not trying to start a shit show. But this is GD...and it's a religious based thread, so I'm sure it's bound to go south soon. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:52:46 AM EDT
[#10]
I just look at the chicks that are dressed like whores.
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:53:04 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You arms are too short to box with GOD. Maybe her life can be used to touch other people. Maybe the sins or her parents were put on the child. We can only wonder. You can wonder, I wont. The kid has leukemia due to blast cells and other blood issues. To say otherwise is sick and appalling... |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:53:05 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
[ Yeah.....I just can"t listen to some guy up there telling me that I'm a sinner, Or you've lived a perfect life? Never lied, cheated, stole, hurt someone? |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:53:06 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It doesn't sound that way at all. Just because someone doesn't have a need for religion doesn't make them an atheist |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:53:09 AM EDT
[#14]
Woking for a Catholic hospital has taught me that organized religion is for the weak minded.
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:53:24 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You at missing objectively evaluating the evidence that those who live a religious life have a higher probability of a better life outcome.  Having 200 people around that care for you when you are having a rough time with life is a positive thing and can often lead to solutions to those problems. Having a social network with the propensity to be helpful is not a bad thing. Social capital is a thing, and it is a thing that America used to have in great abundance, but now is losing. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:53:39 AM EDT
[#16]
Believe what ever you want. Keep it to yourself if you don't want a ration of shit.
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:54:08 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I totally agree. I'm not trying to say people should not go to church, or have religion in their lives......I'm just asking the question of "why" some people need that. Just trying to start a conversation....not trying to start a shit show. But this is GD...and it's a religious based thread, so I'm sure it's bound to go south soon. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:54:38 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Maybe you should introduce yourself to him and ask him that question. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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God is everywhere. Only a fool thinks that he is fully in charge of his world. Go learn about your creator both in and out of church. One day you will be glad you did. So that's a 'no' then? |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:54:50 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I totally agree. I'm not trying to say people should not go to church, or have religion in their lives......I'm just asking the question of "why" some people need that. Just trying to start a conversation....not trying to start a shit show. But this is GD...and it's a religious based thread, so I'm sure it's bound to go south soon. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Look at it this way, if the religious people are happy doing what they are doing, hey why not. Same goes for you, do what makes you happy, go or dont go, its your choice. Either is fine Just trying to start a conversation....not trying to start a shit show. But this is GD...and it's a religious based thread, so I'm sure it's bound to go south soon. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:55:29 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Woking for a Catholic hospital has taught me that organized religion is for the weak minded. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:55:51 AM EDT
[#21]
I treat them like what they are.
A) Idealistic Children with an invisible friend B) Jaded scam artists, using A for their own benefit, OR C) Rational thinkers who know that half (literally) of the population is of below average intelligence and need an external set of rules to reign them in. Basically, all talk of religion is politely humored (briefly) before being hand waved away. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:56:01 AM EDT
[#22]
Church fulfills an emotional need for some people.
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:56:25 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
You arms are too short to box with GOD. Maybe her life can be used to touch other people. Maybe the sins or her parents were put on the child. We can only wonder. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: A three year old girl gets leukemia. What action did they take to bring that on themselves? Maybe the sins or her parents were put on the child. We can only wonder. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:58:17 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You arms are too short to box with GOD. Maybe her life can be used to touch other people. Maybe the sins or her parents were put on the child. We can only wonder. Shit happens.......it's not her parents fault. If she would have gotten killed in a car crash.....would that be her parents fault also?? This way of thinking is what turns me off from religion.........no common sense. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 10:58:40 AM EDT
[#25]
I go to church because I am a sinner and I am not a perfect person. I don't believe you are perfect either but that's between you and your God.
Church is not just for those that are emotionally weak or lack confidence. It is also for those that seek spiritual guidance and a closer relationship with God. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:00:23 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yeah.....I just can"t listen to some guy up there telling me that I'm a sinner, and I need to devote my life to his "God" in order to be a good person. Give me a break..........I'm not a sinner, I'm not a worthless soul, I'm not a person that needs to devote his life to a higher power to be a decent human being..........I'm a good person because I was tough to be one by my parents, and treat people how I want to be treated. I'm just trying to see what I'm not seeing.....how can you go through life thinking that you are not in control of things, and all that happens is because of some other power..... whatever that may be. I take the good with the bad....but in the end, it's all on me. Check out what Paul and John have to say about sin and who are sinners. When I say I am a sinner, it simply means that I am human. Sins big or small~ I got ‘em all. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:00:31 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Yeah.....I just can"t listen to some guy up there telling me that I'm a sinner, and I need to devote my life to his "God" in order to be a good person. Give me a break..........I'm not a sinner, I'm not a worthless soul, I'm not a person that needs to devote his life to a higher power to be a decent human being..........I'm a good person because I was tough to be one by my parents, and treat people how I want to be treated. I'm just trying to see what I'm not seeing.....how can you go through life thinking that you are not in control of things, and all that happens is because of some other power..... whatever that may be. I take the good with the bad....but in the end, it's all on me. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I play in two bands- one in my church, and another that’s unaffiliated with any single church. I’ll admit it’s hard to wind down and sit and listen after playing. One thing that helps to remember is that all religions and all churches are man made entities, and are therefore flawed and full of sinners. Having a relationship with your Creator is where it’s at. I'm just trying to see what I'm not seeing.....how can you go through life thinking that you are not in control of things, and all that happens is because of some other power..... whatever that may be. I take the good with the bad....but in the end, it's all on me. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:01:47 AM EDT
[#28]
Remember, Donald Trump is a believer and I wouldn't consider him weak minded.
You do remember he recently declared Jerusalem capital of Israel and we are / or have already moved our embassy there. This is a feat no other president had the balls to do or declare 
Let alone any of Israel's mighty men. Kenneth Hagen preached / prayed the dedication ceremony and I would you suggest you watch a recorded broadcast of that ceremony, it was glorious 
You better re-examine your thinking? |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:01:56 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
For what it's worth OP, I think some posters took your question at face value. But GD will GD... Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Look at it this way, if the religious people are happy doing what they are doing, hey why not. Same goes for you, do what makes you happy, go or dont go, its your choice. Either is fine Just trying to start a conversation....not trying to start a shit show. But this is GD...and it's a religious based thread, so I'm sure it's bound to go south soon. And this is GD....so you throw that into the mix. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:05:06 AM EDT
[#30]
Get one of these buttons:
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:06:28 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I go to church because I am a sinner and I am not a perfect person. I don't believe you are perfect either but that's between you and your God. Church is not just for those that are emotionally weak or lack confidence. It is also for those that seek spiritual guidance and a closer relationship with God. Why do you need a preacher to tell you that? It's all common sense. Be a good person, don't be a jerk, live life treating others how you want to be treated. Some times you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you. That's life....deal with it. I guess some people just can't except that as their reality, and need to believe there is something bigger out there. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:07:45 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
So the parents were evil and ergo "god" gave the kid leukemia? If thats your idea of somebody to look up to and follow you can have it!!! What a gross thing to say that a kid with cancer has cancer because his parents are being punished by your "god" You can wonder, I wont. The kid has leukemia due to blast cells and other blood issues. To say otherwise is sick and appalling... Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: You arms are too short to box with GOD. Maybe her life can be used to touch other people. Maybe the sins or her parents were put on the child. We can only wonder. You can wonder, I wont. The kid has leukemia due to blast cells and other blood issues. To say otherwise is sick and appalling... |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:07:59 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sure.....some people need that. But some people don't. Some people handle things on their own...take things for what they are, deal with things on their own. Right?? |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:11:01 AM EDT
[#34]
LOL
"I'm not trying to be insulting.. but here come the insults." |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:11:12 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Did you know that what you described is because of Jesus’s teachings? What your parents taught you is because of Jesus. I'm guessing there are plenty of cultures of people on the planet who have been totally isolated from any idea of God or Jesus.....and I bet they have a standard set of morals and codes of conduct they live buy. If you don't think that is the case.....then every baby is nothing but a killing machine until they are taught religious teachings......kind of scary, and far fetched. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:11:43 AM EDT
[#36]
I am all for people doing whatever makes their lives better. If going to church brings someone happiness then I am happy for them.
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:11:47 AM EDT
[#37]
Why is it that "strong-minded" brilliant atheists can't even conceive of a world where a higher power exists? That's the only real question, whether God exists or not.
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:12:27 AM EDT
[#38]
I am a strong minded, confident, self-reliant person. I go to church because I recognize my limitations, because I see tremendous wisdom taught throughout the bible for those who will look, I find it rings true with what I have experienced in life along my walk in the paths the bible commends. I find what it says I will find, experience what it says I'll experience. It helped my find myself and further strengthen my mind and independence, and yet, also brings me into better connection with others.
I handle it by getting its benefit. If it's just blah blah to you, you are very likely in a bad church (many of them), haven't drawn out from the scriptures what it has to offered, or you're just not able to receive it for whatever reason. In this case, if you value your relationship you use your strong mind to suck it up, and perhaps even apply it to the question of what lays beneath the superficial appearance you currently see. What if there really is something in all this, would you be intellectually curious to find it? Would you allow yourself to look for it and find it if it would tell you something uncomfortable? Good luck with whatever coping mechanism you come up with. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:12:30 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Right. Until they can’t. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: Sure.....some people need that. But some people don't. Some people handle things on their own...take things for what they are, deal with things on their own. Right?? |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:13:26 AM EDT
[#40]
I guess one way to look at it OP is what would the world look like today without religion ever being believed or followed. Would it be better off or worse? I think it helps a lot of people in troubling times. Whether its real or not it's not my place to say to other people who believe.
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:13:41 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I am all for people doing whatever makes their lives better. If going to church brings someone happiness then I am happy for them. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:13:49 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
So you are telling me that without there ever being a Jesus.....human beings would never understand the concept of "don't be an asshole to each other"? You have a pretty low opinion of humans. I'm guessing there are plenty of cultures of people on the planet who have been totally isolated from any idea of God or Jesus.....and I bet they have a standard set of morals and codes of conduct they live buy. If you don't think that is the case.....then every baby is nothing but a killing machine until they are taught religious teachings......kind of scary, and far fetched. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: Did you know that what you described is because of Jesus’s teachings? What your parents taught you is because of Jesus. I'm guessing there are plenty of cultures of people on the planet who have been totally isolated from any idea of God or Jesus.....and I bet they have a standard set of morals and codes of conduct they live buy. If you don't think that is the case.....then every baby is nothing but a killing machine until they are taught religious teachings......kind of scary, and far fetched. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:16:03 AM EDT
[#43]
In my opinion,
The Bible is a story book of teaching fables (Parables). It is an excellent book on how to live a good life and can answer questions you may have to get through tough times. Any reference to "God" is a place holder for people to let their troubles go and allow the burden to fall on an unseen entity so as to allow them to regain functionality in life. God may or may not exist, no one has ever offered real proof he has, and no one has ever proven he doesn't. Humans thirst for a higher power, humans NEED to be ruled. It's in our DNA. That's why government is replacing religion among the left. It's why the right places so much importance in the President (right now).In rule of law, in customs and social norms. If you go to church with your wife, enjoy being around good people, see them for what they are (needing of a leader in their life) and listen to the stories in the Bible as road maps for healthy thinking (take the entity out of the lesson). Religion is just a mechanism for man to control man. God is the tool that is used to achieve that end. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:16:12 AM EDT
[#44]
Quoted:
I don’t know how people can sit for an hour and listen to some preacher get up there ramble on and on about how they need to look for a higher power to believe in when things get them down, when things don’t go right, or when they are having a rough time with life. I can listen to it for about 5 min, and my eyes glaze over and I’m thinking about riding dirt bikes, fishing, or a multitude of other things. I guess I just can’t wrap my mind around how people can be so emotionally fragile, so weak minded, so out of touch with reality that they can’t realize that everything that happens to them is of their own doing….nothing more, nothing less. I believe very strongly in Jesus Christ and in God. But I am not a fatalistic person who chalks everything up to "it's in God's hands, that's how he wanted it." That superstitious fatalism is why Muslim societies today are stuck in the 8th Century. Having said all that, some churches are more rational than others, and some churches are more superstitious than others. You HAVE to shop around to find one that's a good fit. It's dependent upon both (1) the denomination and (2) the preacher. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:16:27 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sure....I agree. Nobody's perfect....but why would anyone want to be constantly reminded of that? You can't change the past but you can change the future. Why do you need a preacher to tell you that? It's all common sense. Be a good person, don't be a jerk, live life treating others how you want to be treated. Some times you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you. That's life....deal with it. I guess some people just can't except that as their reality, and need to believe there is something bigger out there. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:17:06 AM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Sure.....some people need that. But some people don't. Some people handle things on their own...take things for what they are, deal with things on their own. Right?? And on that day, they go to the god of the atheist (the government) for help. 
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:17:11 AM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
LOL "I'm not trying to be insulting.. but here come the insults." Anyone who has not faced these same doubts and questions is less than honest. The answers are in the Book. And any church that does not teach out of the Book does way more harm than good. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:17:13 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: See Muslims. Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying. The fact you have one mother, one father, who marry and raise you. That’s jesus. |
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:17:36 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I treat them like what they are. A) Idealistic Children with an invisible friend B) Jaded scam artists, using A for their own benefit, OR C) Rational thinkers who know that half (literally) of the population is of below average intelligence and need an external set of rules to reign them in. Basically, all talk of religion is politely humored (briefly) before being hand waved away. 
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Posted: 3/20/2019 11:18:31 AM EDT
[#50]
Just like every other thread on the subject.
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