Straw man argument. You are setting up a favorable scenario to your argument.
I have had many people ask me what’s up with baphomet shirts, and I have had many a pleasant conversation explaining my beliefs as an atheist. I give not a single flying fuck if people think I’m a LaVey Satanist, if they are that singleminded to not understand the difference or bother to ask me about it, I have no interest in their thoughts or opinions then. It also eliminates a lot of dumb and ignorant people from bothering me.
LaVey satanists don’t own satanism. Much like evangelical Christian’s don’t own Christianity. There are many Christian faiths with many varying ideologies.
Has any common sense kicked in yet? That what I’m talking about is hinting towards what goes on in my life? I’m not talking about you or your buddies over at the Satanic Temple.
Exactly what the Baptist church and some xtians will say when you turn them down on a church service. No, I don’t care what you do. Go collect all the religious fine art you want. I could care less if you covered yourself in peanut butter and had a 15 hooker gang bang. Go nuts.
Alrighty, I’ve had about enough of your childish bantering. Have fun, you do you. I’ll do me. You clearly have some kind of PTSD in my opinion, smoke some weed or do something. Chill out.
That’s great. I’ve had very few of those. Most of my debates have been with religious idiots where I live who get pissed off when they find out I didn’t share their beliefs & want to have that discussion about saving your soul, bringing you to GOD! and have a big big discussion about their sky daddy being real and a heaven. If I’m lucky, they’ll just be like “okay” and go their own way about it. But then again, I don’t really talk about it openly in public because it often starts a lot of shit. I just have been exercising a lot of control. Unless they come at me and start preaching then they’re in for it. I don’t put up with that bullshit.
But why care what I think?
The funny thing about Christians is that they all have to have their very own denomination. You’d figure a people who believes in the same deity wouldn’t need their own version and set of rules. But no. They all have to have their own slice of the pie. Some of those denominations have to fight over who’s version is valid. For example: Baptists and Methodists like to call the Catholics a cult.
Uh, Mr.D… In case you have not figured it out yet, MOST Christians tend to believe that atheists and SATAN go hand-in-hand. They simply do not know the difference. Moreover, most of them would STILL consider an atheist to “belong” to Satan even IF they bothered to listen to your explanation of the difference. And, like it or not, there is really nothing you can say to change their perceptions. You might as well be using a slingshot to take out an armored tank. So why the fuck would you want to waste all that energy on such a futile endeavor?
My wife is Pagan, and over the years she has gifted me with a few Norse gods type shirts, because I have Norse/Viking roots. I love them. I wear them out in public proudly whenever I get the chance. Have even gotten several compliments from people at times. I simply smile and tell them, “Thank you.” Doesn’t mean I am Pagan or that I believe in those gods. But, like Satan said, I really like some of the artwork, and I enjoy the stories surrounding the myths. (They are a helluva lot more entertaining than Christianity, that’s for sure.) Bottom line, though, I honestly don’t care what other people think I believe. Matter of fact, I actually prefer to keep people uncertain and guessing about what I believe. (Depending on the person/situation, of course.) To me, it’s just simple and cheap entertainment.
I actually “enjoy” the subject of religion NOW, because I spent so many years of my life feeling incredibly uncomfortable around it. It has NO HOLD over me anymore, and it is a wonderfully liberating feeling. As I have told you before, as long as you continue to hold on to all that anger and resentment, the religion from which you escaped will ALWAYS maintain some amount of control over you.
How? Well. I’m glad you asked. When they ask you to go to church, when they keep talking about how they love their “god”, and how blessed they are, and they keep bragging and bragging and bragging. And you’re like me and you just want them to shut the fuck up, then I can’t resist. I basically state that I am such so they’ll shut up about it. That doesn’t always work though sadly. Sometimes, I do insult them without meaning to. One guy I work with told me that no one likes to hear that their deity is fictional. Then I’m like “oh? then quit talking about your religion & quit assuming every single person in the world is a believer.” It is not a crime to be a non believer.
You’re right. I have not met one Christian that really listens. Especially on here. Most and pretty much ALL of my battles has been convincing family over the years on what an Atheist is.
Coming out of the closet as an Atheist, I heard that definition from my mother and not just her. A few other idiots. She was like “Atheists worship Lucifer” and I’m like no they don’t. And it just got really really bad from there. She even got real superstitious when I insulted Christianity by telling her that her god was not real and in turn, she kicked me out of the car in town and while going in a circle in the parking lot screaming like a pissed off Karen that I had the “devil in me” and was just very psycho pissed. So that’s why I find the stereotype very offensive because of my rocky relationship with my mother who at one point was very very devout Baptist. I couldn’t take it anymore. Her religious mongering really drove me away. Today? My mother has learned that Atheists are people who do not believe in the existence of deities. I had to really really dumb it down for her. Yes, being called a Satanist is quick way to get on my shit list. It’s very hurtful to be called something I’m not by a family member.
It doesn’t matter when it comes from a complete stranger. They might get the finger and everything. But I’ll most likely forget I ever met them or that they ever existed in a few days anyway.
Uhhhhh… WHY??? 1. Being called a Satanist is not the worst thing to be called. Hell, I would actually smile, and probably be a bit flattered, if somebody called me that. (I’ve definitely been called far worse by far better people. ) 2. If somebody is obviously ignorant to the meanings of certain terms, then why would their opinion of what THEY THINK you are be offensive to you? Personally, I would just shake my head in amusement and start laughing. Why would YOU get pissed because THEY are showing their ignorance? You are fighting the wrong battles, dude.
If it doesn’t matter, then why give them the finger? Why not take the opportunity to educate them if they are willing to talk? But if you get all pissed off and openly display hostility and animosity, then you are simply confirming for them what they already (wrongly) believe about atheism. Basically, you are causing your own problems.
You know how we agreed that arguing with some Christians is like beating one’s head against the wall? Some Christians will assume you’re dumb and blind if you don’t believe. Those people just want to troll. I’m open to discussing it in a mature manner but when they become a really big douche bag, it’s hard sometimes. Like with that guy named Bobby I worked with who was a pastor. He was very insulting and wasn’t open to any of it. He just trolled everyone even if they were of a different denomination that didn’t agree on his own version of his sky daddy. When they get like that, I tell them to piss off. Because there’s a difference between debating with someone and then them aggressively trying to convert you. He wanted me to pray with him and go to church. When I stood my ground, he got even worse about it. He would read scripture out loud just to aggravate because I was a non believer. He said I needed to hear it so I would find “god”. I have no idea why he was working at a car lot in the first place. He didn’t stick around very long. He quit to spread his religion and start up a church. It’s people like him that I’m describing on giving the bird too. They don’t care about debating. They just want you to convert.
If that is how it is there, that’s awful. It is most certainly not that here. Everyone is tattooed and sketchy as fuck around here lol. Most people who are “religious” here are only in church on Easter and Christmas. It’s only the nutters who ever bring up religion in any conversation.
It’s not all of the time like I make it sound. I know I bitch about it a lot. Some are non practicing and don’t talk about it. But every once in a while I’ll run into a “god fearing” man or woman of the lord and they won’t shut up about it. For a long time, I never would say anything. But after my divorce, I felt free to embrace my Atheism again. I got sick of the whole religious crap and needed to vent. Like something in me snapped and in 2020 I came on here and posted a whole slew of topics and post about those people. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I had this huge huge urge to bitch about EVERYTHING. And ever since like @Tin-Man has pointed out, it’s had a hold on me.
If it makes you feel any better. I have two tattoos. They’re pentagrams. I got them when I was 22. I have no clue what possessed me to go out and get them. I really regret it now. But like you said, just because you have t-shirts of Baphomet and other things, doesn’t make you a Theist. Just like how I have two Pentagrams doesn’t make me a Polytheist. I think it was an act of rebelling on my part. It’s my way of apologizing for some of my earlier tangents.
lol the nuttiest guy I ever had a run in with was an old man. He was a 7th Day Adventist and a complete psycho. I had to fake pray at work to make him leave. One of the salesmen sent him my way. Told him that I was an Atheist. I ended up lying and saying that I was a reformed Christian. Every word out of his mouth was fucking psycho babble. He cast a holy spell on me after the prayer and left. He waved his hands around like a damn wizard. Everyone else left the office and hid somewhere.
LOL: I play it on guitar and sing. The Christians think I’m singing a Christian song. I usually get to tell them, Fuck Off: Hey, If Mr. M is watching, he can take another look at the song…
“She tied you to the kitchen chair, she broke your throne and cut your hair and from your lips, she drew the Hallelujah”…she was controlling him and making him sing “hallelujah.” Perhaps forcing him to commit to religion or just to pretend to be happy? Also “I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch but love is not a victory march. It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.” Such as the woman thinks her eggshell of a “perfect relationship,” is a victory when all it is, is a broken Hallelujah.
I haven’t felt bad about this conversation at all, if that’s your concern. Butting heads doesn’t phase my willingness to engage in another conversation with a person. I don’t hold a grudge because of anything people say, otherwise I would never be employed as a maintenance mechanic in a factory. I take zero offense to anything you have said.
Sounds about right, I have had 20 people lay hands on me and pray for me. It didn’t phase me, I humored them by letting them pray for me. Hell I took a group of Christians to a church retreat at Creation Festival, I had just left christianity and didn’t quite fully think I was an atheist. Totally crazy time in my life.
P.S. If you haven’t seen Creation Festival look that bonkers shit up. I was around those types of people since I was born up until 19.
) 2. If somebody is obviously ignorant to the meanings of certain terms, then why would their opinion of what THEY THINK you are be offensive to you? Personally, I would just shake my head in amusement and start laughing. Why would YOU get pissed because THEY are showing their ignorance? You are fighting the wrong battles, dude.