His name is Bobby

There’s a guy at work named Bobby and he’s a devout Christian.

For 2 days straight he asked me to go to church with him. I said no and that I didn’t believe in God or practice Christianity. He started to say that I was ignorant. I told him I didn’t appreciate him coming at me as a religious bigot or a zealot. He said that wasn’t what he meant.

He asked why I didn’t believe or what lead me to the conclusion of not believing. I told him that I believed it to be fictional and there wasn’t much evidence to support it. Of course, he said that I needed to go on faith. I said, faith isn’t good enough. No amount of belief makes something a fact and I want evidence. He said the bible was evidence. I said no. I said that book was written by a bunch of religious fanatics who never took credit for their work.

He started preaching at me about how Jesus died for my sins. I told him that I believed Jesus was fictional too and that he needed to provide evidence for his claims. He argued that Jesus was real. So he preaches some more at me.

I stopped him mid sentence and I asked him how strong his beliefs were in the Christian faith. He said they were very strong. Then I used that to my advantage and stated that that is how strongly I don’t believe in Christianity or gods period. I told him that it was all fictional to me.

He insisted Jesus was real still. I said good, now go prove it.

He asked me if I believed in Heaven. I said no. I said I don’t believe in an afterlife. The only way that can be proven to oneself is to die and I even have my doubts that my consciousness will survive upon brain death.

He than went on to say that if you don’t believe in God or Jesus than you can’t be moral because the motive to do good isn’t there. I told him that was a load of crap. I follow the law like everyone else. My sister is a police and my step father before was in the military police. They have a huge obligation towards it.

He just smiled and laughed and didn’t say anything after that. Probably thinking that I’m stupid for not sharing his beliefs. Or perhaps he was thinking of something else.

Nah…depending on the Jesus he worships, you’re ripe for the “mark of the beast” - the “law abiding” can be interpreted as a mindless sheeple in Satan’s “world”.

“Morality” in religitard-speak is doing what your invisible friend wants and demands of you.

Yes. He was also blaming it on “the devil” and saying that I’ve been lead astray and all of that bull shit.

Since when does Atheist / non believer of all Gods and religions equal Satanism?

How do this religious fanatic jump to that conclusion that I’ve the devil in me and all that superstitious nonsense?

From what I’ve concluded, he’s just a 27 year old religious bigot who goes around judging everyone.

He sounds like an ignorant bigot to me, I’d avoid him like the plague.

Or you could tell him you’ll go to church with him if and only if he can demonstrate some objective evidence for any deity? That usually sends them running in my experience.

.

Tell disbelief is a rationally default position, you don’t need a reason to lack belief, you need a reason to believe. That reason should be that sufficient objective evidence be demonstrated to support the belief.

Fine, tell him you have faith his deity is fictional wishful thinking. Check mate…

Tell him that’s an unevidenced claim, so you don’t believe it, ask him to demonstrate some objective evidence for that claim.

Another unevidenced claim, I’d be careful not to fall into the trap of making counter claims that also require sufficient objective evidence to support them. It’s irrational to claim that a lack or absence of belief requires evidence, as it’s based on an argumentum ad ignorantiam fallacy.

Jesus may or may not have been real, neither conclusion remotely evidences any of the supernatural claims associated with him in the bible.

You can’t claim that, not without demonstrating sufficient objective evidence to support it.

That’s a demonstrably false claim, but even were it true, it still wouldn’t remotely evidence any deity. Blind adherence to religious doctrine isn’t morality either, and religious morals are just as subjective as secular morality.

Hardly a credible justification for his spurious claim.

Well he may think whatever he wishes, however don’t make the mistake of thinking rational arguments will sway faith based belief. Remember theism is a belief, and all beliefs are the affirmation of a claim, and thus carry a burden of proof. Atheism is not a belief, or a claim, it is the lack or absence of belief in any deity or deities, and therefore does not carry any burden of proof.

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Next time he speaks to you, and there will be another round of his bullshit, just ask him if he’s ignorant or apathetic. He’ll probably ask what you’re referring too, then ask him if he believes in Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. When he says that he doesn’t, ask him why. When he says because there’s no evidence, tell him that’s why you don’t believe any of his bullshit. It’s his job to prove that his god exists, it’s not your job to prove that he doesn’t.
I hate people like this, their arrogance just makes them pathetic in my opinion.

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At what point do you call the self righteous asshole an ignorant piece of shit? We can only hope that there will come a day when the jerk actually hears himself talk.

As a former JW I’d take on these folks I’d encounter at work. I’d one-up-them (lol arrogance). I was going door-to-door to spread the message and he was eating from the “table of demons”.

He’s young- 27. Life still hasn’t hit him upside the head.

Tell him you don’t believe in supernatural demons either, so unless he can demonstrate sufficient objective evidence to support his claim, it’s not a rational argument or objective evidence for his claim for an extant deity.

It doesn’t, his rationale is simply to use another unevidenced claim, to wave away rational objections to his god claim.

Without any evidence, this is what he’s been indoctrinated to believe. He’s probably also been taught to be scared of atheistic or secular reasoning and arguments, and to believe they are Satan trying to trap him.

Well religious indoctrination can be very hard to overcome. Just listen to him if you want, and challenge all his claims with requests, that he demonstrate sufficient objective evidence to support them. Challenge his rationale if it does not adhere to the strict principles of validation contained in Logic, by pointing out such arguments are by definition irrational.

Don’t get angry, or annoyed, don’t be tricked into making claims you yourself cannot evidence. If you don’t want to discuss it with him, just politely disengage from the discussion, but also don’t let him bully or brow beat you.

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Here is an idea:

When someone says something like that to you; agree with them! Then tell them you’ve “chosen to have faith” in religion X (and make sure X is a religion they are highly opposed to).

The instant you didn’t endorse the theist’s religion; you became the devil.

Are you sure his name is Bobby…

… he sounds more like a Dick to me.

…“if you don’t believe in God or Jesus than you can’t be moral” …

Yup…definitely a Dick…

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HAIL SATAN!!!. There are your 20 characters!

Dont’cha just love being patronised by an ignoramus.

Highly likely. That’s his problem.

I loathe proselytisers, I find them ignorant, dogmatic and smug. Exactly how your new little friend comes across. This is in the workplace? Report him for harassing you.

Pedantic point: There’s heaps of evidence for Christianity including the bible. What there is not is empirical evidence. None.

Should your little friend ask what kind of evidence you will accept, it’s perfectly reasonable to reply that it’s not your problem. An infinite creator god with infinite attributes will have no problem thinking of something you will accept.

It’s also true that there is no contemporary evidence for the existence of Jesus. At best, it may be claimed that he might have existed. Even if this is true there is little if any connection between a poor little rabbi in first century Judea who was crucified, and the Jesus of the New Testament and Christianity generally.

Your little friend will reject any rebuttal you make, using his ignorance as a badge and a shield. He’s far too arrogant to have read an any scholarly work on the history of Christianity.

I think you I did pretty well. When I was confronted by a happy clapper at work I threatened to punch his lights out if he didn’t cease and desist with his really irritating exclamations of “Praise The lord!” That was in 1973. I’ve mellowed a little since then.

The direct approach might work better. Next time, look him in the eye and say, softly " X, fuuuuck off" . Works really well with a broad Aussie accent.

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The line of discussion you are dealing with from Bobby is well over two thousand years old. They all need new and more relevant material.

It’s the same old bullshit with which Christians bothered Celsus (c. 25 BC – c. 50 AD) who complained they never answered with reasonable responses and always insisted you had to have faith and simply believe, nothing more, and fuck reason.

Unable to answer Epicurius’s question about their god’s inability or unwillingness to deal with the problem of evil, the Christians borrowed from the Jewish ‘malak’ and (angel agents of god) and the Greek “daimons” (helpful or unhelpful spirits of the departed) and created a whole imaginary army of malevolent demons and the devil to be our fellow collaborators in the most insidious expressions of evil, which provided a cover for god, a means to terrify and cow the masses, and a reason to condemn, torture and incinerate ‘intractable sinners’ at the stake.
Then when it came to whether or not Jesus was actually the son of god, their god failed to inform them and so they started murdering each other for several centuries. What sort of religion of peace is this?

The manner in which they still deceitfully discriminate and politically marginalise people who are in any way different to them remains one of their strongest and malicious weapons in seeking to control the social order.

Next time Bobby bully you, tell him you have questions from a friend seeking answers (me),

  1. does he really believe in Jesus?
  2. Does he consider himself a good Christian?
  3. Has he been filled with the Holy Spirit?
    If yes, and he is very likely to answer yes to all three,
    then ask why he hasn’t raised anyone from the dead, healed the sick, the blind, the lame, or even changed water into wine. Remind him that Jesus left a promise that any of his true followers could do all this and even greater miracles than Jesus is claimed to have done himself.

John 14:12, KJV: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

And that until such time as he has done at least one of these miracles he should concentrate harder on being the very best Christian he can possibly be rather than bullying others into accepting that which he is incapable of achieving himself.

Expect to be told you (1) only have to have faith, and/or (2) that you are serving the devil, and/or (3) that you are going to Hell.

Then he should leave you alone. If not, mention that you will inform HR that he has unsolicitedly been harassing you during work hours with threats of torture in the afterlife, and it’s upsetting you so much you are unable to work properly.
Or just tell him to fuck off before you summons Beezelbub to deal with him directly…or maybe not that…I did it once but I think I got away with it.

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…and reassure him that he can “believe” anything he wants - he just can’t claim it’s a rational belief.

That to convince you of life-style changes or a different way of thinking, your standards for evidence and rational are high because there are many irrational claims (for example, other religions worldwide; other “cryptic creatures”; interactions with all sorts of “aliens”; and “cures”)… and you don’t just believe “in” anything.

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Just be blunt… Hey Bobby, why are you such an arrogant piece of shit? Ha ha ha ha. I think you should pray for me. See how that works out for you.

Here is a line of reasoning for you… ACCORDING TO YOU…
Did your god create the world? Does he know what is going to happen before it happens? Does your god have a plan? Does anything in the world happen that is not a part of God’s plan. Does your god make mistakes? You can probably imagine the responses… Does god count the hairs on my head or is the bible lying? Is god not omnipresent?

Then why is it you do not trust your God? Why are you treating him like an ass? He made me an atheist because that is a part of his plan and he made you and arrogant piece of shit who thinks he is superior to God’s creation and God’s plan. Perhaps I was put here to put you in your fucking place, you judgemental piece of shit. Do you imagine you can spit on God’s plan and still call yourself Christian? You are going to face your god and tell him he was wrong? … I can go on like this for hours with theists… I am here because your fucking god wants me here. Do you deny that? I am here because your god wants to look into your arrogant bullshit and expose it so you can see it to. I am here for you. Your God put me here to test you. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha … (There is utterly nothing in anything above that does not fit directly into the asshole’s belief system…

If he asserts, “You have a free will.” Yep, your god created me that way and because he is all knowing, he knew in advance exactly how I was to use it. He planned it. He planned everything.

I allow them one out. “You don’t believe in my god.” Confucking gratulations, now you understand. If you want to bring it up again, have some fucking evidence.

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Bobby doesn’t have much to say to me anymore. I think he’s realized that his argument didn’t get very far concerning me. Apparently he took offense when I said his Bible, his religion, his god, his Jesus were all fictional and imaginary. So he’s been tight lipped about his beliefs towards me because he knows it’ll just be another bullshit back and forth debate. Jerry told me that no Christian likes to hear that their god and religion is fictional. It’s very offensive he says. I told him it’s very offensive for a Christians to domineer their beliefs and their will on people who don’t believe in or support their religion. If you don’t like what I have to say or what those people have to say, then don’t do it.

Jerry is another Theist. He’s an old man. He doesn’t domineer his beliefs and claims on to me. He knows I’m an Atheist. He doesn’t get along with Bobby either because Bobby tells him his beliefs are misplaced and it pisses him off lol. I guess they’re of two different denominations.

He complained about Bobby to me. Saying that they weren’t going to get along at all. So when Bobby is around. Jerry disappears because Bobby likes to domineer his Christian beliefs onto him and he doesn’t like it.

I figured they’d get along. In my opinion, they practice the same religion and worship the same deity that I see as fictional. Or could just be Jerry is 70 and Bobby (Dick) is a 27 year old punk kid who thinks he knows everything.

I think it’s funny how Christians fight amongst themselves on which version of their God is the right one.

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On any given day, 1/3 of all Christians will swear to you that the other 2/3s are going to burn in hell for their false beliefs.

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Throughout history there seem to have been plenty of christians who are disinclined to wait for this imminent judgement, and burn them in the here and now, to help them on their way and speed up the deliverance of god’s judgement.

This applies to the adherents of other religions as well of course.

Indeed.

" You’re offended? So fucking what?" (Stephen Fry)

Imo, the right to offend is crucial for free speech. .There’s an interesting lecture on free speech on Youtube with Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson and Ricky Gervais.

My darling late mother was a devout Catholic. We got along just fine, as she did
with my siblings.

Mum was what I call a small ‘c’ Christian. She gave witness to her faith by the way she lived her life. With compassion and a generous heart.

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