(don’t say anything mean to me.. I am sensitive)

Why would I do anything like that, you pompus fucktard bitch?

Everyone in the time of need
will say.. OH GOD PLEASE HELP ME… or something of the sort.

Not really.  In fact, the death of my first wife destroyed the final lingering traces of social indoctrination regarding Christianity.

What is the first thing ANYONE does when they are in pain or some type of suffering???  Christian or not.. Everyone in the time of need will say.. OH GOD PLEASE HELP ME… or something of the sort.

There are plenty of people who believe the above to be true, but it’s not necessarily so in every case. Certainly there are people who are poser-atheists who fall back on their former belief when tested just as there are poser-Christians who don’t really live by the principles espoused by that religion.

I haven’t prayed to any sort of God for many years now even during the worst of times. My first reaction when my best friend, Bill Owen, was killed in a senseless car accident was to swear up a storm, not pray. Praying doesn’t do any good when there are no Gods to answer it so I find other ways to deal with my anger and grief. I try to make constructive use of it, but sometimes I just sit and fume for a bit.

I admit for a time I was a ‘poser’ atheist. Those pithy catholics guilted me back into their religion.

But I broke down the barriers and freed myself from Chri$tianity the Catholic Church.

And Warbi, I always thought you were around 18-19 years old (don’t know why). I had no idea you had a wife…

Thebo$$
That was really unnecessary.  I thought this
was a much more intelligent and mature chat
forum.  However, I am a bitch. 
Very proud of it for not letting retards like you ruin a good day! I agree with everyone else.  I do not claim to be some great christian.. I am truely lost with the entire belief thing. My mother was baptist and father
was catholic.  I do not think much of either of those.
As I said before, I try to be good to people and that is all I can do.  I have a great family and great kids growing up with values and morals.  I hope you have a great day Bo$$

Angel, when you said that you were ‘sensitive’ you were just asking for it. :p

I do apologize for being off-topic, but I still think what I said was funny (albeit mean).

Well since you put it like that…
I guess I was asking for it! I just came
here looking for some intelligent chat.
I jumped right in and tried to say my
2 cents like everyone else! 

And Warbi, I always thought you were around 18-19 years old (don’t know why). I had no idea you had a wife…

Thanks, Bo$$, you just made my day!  lol No, I turn 39 in Sept and am currently on my third wife.  Or were you implying that I am somewhat immature?  Heh, probably some grain of truth there as well.

cmpangel, you were “asking for it” by assuming that people with sincere atheistic belief are just faking, and if times got hard, they’d turn round your way.  That is a very disrespectful assumption to make.

It never ceases to amaze me how people come to a site with the name and tagline of this one, and then get all “sensitive.” But you are the first one to come out and say; “I am sensitive.”

Well I am funny like that.
Oh well.. life happens

cmpangel sez: Everyone in the time of need will say.. OH GOD PLEASE HELP ME…

I don’t think that necessarily proves a belief in God . . . I’ve heard plenty of Jews who say “OH JESUS!!” when they witness some event that forces these verbal ejaculations from their mouths, yet I doubt they consider Jesus their Messiah.

Speaking of ejaculations, I am quite fond of yelling “OH GOD!! YESSSS! OH GOD!! when my wife and I are in the throes of passion, and it comes (*groan!*) time for Beau Jr. to SHPRITZ! SHPRITZ! SHPRITZ! his liquid love all over the place . . . likewise, the morning after a bowel-impacting Outback Steakhouse dinner, I’ve been know to hiss “oh Jeeezisss!!” as I grunt a fat, knobby grogan into my favorite toilet bowl. 

I’m an atheist, and I certainly don’t attach any mystical, supernatural connotations to those phrases.  Ya know?

cmpangel sez: Everyone in the time of need will say.. OH GOD PLEASE HELP ME…

It’s also part of the language we hear used and becomes part of our own.  Especially if it’s a phrase you grow up hearing from family, like “Oh my god!” or “Jesus H. Christ!"… or even “OH GOD!! YESSSS! OH GOD!!”.  Doesn’t necessarily imply belief.  I say “bless you” when someone sneezes, but that’s just me being nice, not religous. 

Or as the Kinky Friedman shirt says, “May the God of your choice bless you”

Every time I’ve been in need, my response has been “shit!” or “fuck!”.

Ragman sez: I say “bless you� when someone sneezes, but that’s just me being nice, not religous.

‘zackly . . . so do I, even though lately I’ve been feeling kind of strange saying it. 

What’s an atheist to say?  “Gesundheit?” - I don’t really *like* saying that.

What about “God bless you - GODDAMMIT!” . . . ? do you say nothing at all, like when someone burps or farts? 

What about a cheery “SHUT UP!” . . . ?

Or as the Kinky Friedman shirt says, “May the God of your choice bless you�

That’s a name I haven’t heard in ages . . . his song “They Don’t Make Jews Like Jesus Any More” always cracked me up!

I actually get a little bit of odd pleasure from this. My brother in law and I recently went golfing ( he’s a straight up catholic ). He had a run of sneezes and after each one he sort of looked around to see who was gonna bless him. I just smiled and said “allergic to something out here, huh?” In my business, around town, anywhere- someone sneezes, and I just act as though nothing out of the ordinary has happened, because nothing out of the ordinary has happened! A ( theist ) friend once asked me about this and I pointed out that I don’t comment when someone yawns, farts, burps or coughs, why should I when they sneeze? If they really believe their heart stopped and god restarted it for them, they certainly have an interesting enough dialogue going on in their head, without any comment from me.

That’s a name I haven’t heard in ages

He’s running for governor of Texas next year.

like when someone burps or farts?

I say “bless you” for those too.  Don’t want people getting too complacent.

I guess I never meant for my comment to imply that it was proof people had belief in “God”.
I am too afraid to call myself and atheist.  I do know one thing, if being atheist means you have to “appear” to be as miserable as you people are, I don’t want any part of it.  I think I am over my head with these conversations.  I better go find a more relax chat forum, you guys are all too uptight for me.

I say “Oh God!”, “Jesus Christ!”, etc. all the time, and it’s no more a reflection of my religious beliefs than me expecting a pile of manure to appear every time I say “Shit!”

Just for the record, I say “Oy vey!” a lot too!

--Joe

cmpangel writes: I am too afraid to call myself and atheist.

Are you an atheist?  Agnostic?  What exactly is it that you are afraid of? 

I’m not trying to trap you or argue with you, but I have noticed something recently as it pertains to fear and religion - namely, the *lack* of fear in my son. 

When I was a small boy growing up in my parent’s rigidly religious home, talk of “the departed” and “spirits” - both good and evil - was part of our conversations almost *daily*.  The departed were prayed for and remembered during every single prayer (about 5 times per day).  Among other things, this brought about a fear of unseen, hidden things that simply *had* to be creeping about in our dark, dank basement.  I hated going down there, and I was convinced that if I looked behind the ancient plaster-and-asbestos-covered furnace, I’d be sure to meet either 1) a decomposing body or 2) a spirit that would suck the life force from me and leave me back there behind that furnace as 1) a decomposing body.

My son (now 13), who has been raised without any such silly notions, seems to have *none* of these fears - and *never* had them.  He’ll play in our basement *alone* or in his room for hours on end.  He’s never had a nightmare.  Not once, not ever.  He’s never asked me to leave a light on, or check under the bed or in his closet. 

He has no fear of the dark, he watches the same scary horror movies that my wife and I watch, and he just seems to be able to put movies in the “They’re Just Movies” category, and that’s *that*.  He doesn’t believe in ghosts or spirits, whether good or evil. (Having seen “The Exorcist” when it first came out, I was TERRIFIED that spirits could actually DO the horrible things that seemed to be happening to Linda Blair - in Technicolor!)

The upshot to this novel is that I am *convinced* that religious teachings, doctrine and dogma - specifically many of the christian and psuedo-christian flavors - do more harm than good in many ways. Teaching children to believe in silliness, especially silliness that imbues deep-seated irrational fears into their young, impressionable minds is simply unforgiveable, taking many years to undo the damage. 

So . . . why are you “afraid” to say that you’re an atheist (or agnostic)?  What could *possibly* happen to you?

cmp angel: I do know one thing, if being atheist means you have to “appearâ€? to be as miserable as you people are, I don’t want any part of it.  I think I am over my head with these conversations.  I better go find a more relax chat forum, you guys are all too uptight for me.

WAIT!  COME BACK!!  We’re really just a fun-loving bunch!!  Really!  C’mon, I haven’t even gotten into my neuroses yet!!

HaHa!  Afraid of completely denying the “unknown”.  I am really confused with religion.  I have tried over the years to lead a good christian life, but could never live up to the “perfection” so to speak.  I enjoy going out with my husband on occasion and shooting pool or drinking a beer.  I feel guilty if I was too tired from the 100 hr work week to get up for church sunday morning.... so.. I just stop going all together.  I do not stop being a sweet caring wife or mother, I just don’t feel like living by any churchs guidelines or beliefs.  I find it hard to believe in something I can not touch or feel.. Hence, praying to “God”.  So does that make me atheist?? When I die… well I’ll be dead.  I am not sure I care if I go to heaven.  Or what is heaven??/ Ugh.. I think today is a blonde hair day… I am not sure if I make sense or not!! 

Yes, you made sense.  At the very least you are an agnostic, but it certainly sounds as if you have some strong leanings toward atheism.  Don’t get too caught up in the names of things.  They are just markers trying to point the way toward understanding- useful tools, but not much more.  I read a quote somewhere that said something like, “Only a fool would try to live by names alone, but only a bigger fool would try to live without names whatsoever.” I guess that it is slightly similar to the adage “actions speak louder than words”.  If you are living your life in a way that makes you happy and does not adversely impact others, then it is all good.

I better go find a more relax chat forum, you guys are all too uptight for me.

Only with regards to certain, important, topics. This being one of them. Don’t judge us by our responses in this one thread alone. There are other threads where we’re not only very relaxed, but downright funny.

cmpangel writes: . . .I am really confused with religion.  I have tried over the years to lead a good christian life, but could never live up to the “perfectionâ€? so to speak.

No one can . . . and therein lies the rub.  We are expected to live a life that denies who and what we are as human beings.  In my opinion, anyone who attempts to do this - *seriously* - is headed for a nervous breakdown sooner or later.

cmpangel: I am not sure if I make sense or not!!

I think you’re doing *fine*.  Just pull up a chair, get your feet up, pop open a coupla cold ones and throw the empties at whatever topic you feel like unloadin’ on . . . have some *fun*!

Thank you for all of your comments.  I think I will stick around and see what else I can learn from you guys!

Come on guys, an Angnostic is just an atheist waiting to happen. And you know it!

Come on guys, an Angnostic is just an atheist waiting to happen. And you know it!

Woah, sparky!  One way to wind up someplace you don’t want to be, supported by half-formed ideas, is to rush to a conclusion.  That’s how I wound up Christian, and spent years disentangling myself.  It could just as easily work the other way.

What Warbi said, about names.