Somebody please help me...I just left the "Religion & Spirituality" section and I feel like I just left the ..

Question

I feel like I just left the "psych ward" at Bellvue. Oh my God, pardon the pun - I'll get to the question in a minute. I answered this question from a guy with some obvious issues who's question was a little offensive. As I wrote my answer, I wondered how many people were going to have a similar reaction as the one that I had. The fact was, I turned out to be the only person who reacted in the manner that I expected from everyone else. To make a long question short, I told this guy he had crossed the line and that there were other ways to debate religious beliefs. What I found when I read the other answers was that, for the most part, they were quoting the Bible and discussing his question "without offense". So my question is, finally. How do the "true believers" make it through a day without walking head on into a freight train because they are so "blind" to the "real" world around them? Don't take my word for it, check out the ?? "Thou Shall not kill" But God can if he wants to..

Answer 1

Hi there. I'm curious. Why would you voluntarily spend your time over at the psych ward? Why not just bypass the "Religion and Spirituality" section if it exasperates you so much and causes you such distress? Out of sight, out of mind, eh?

Having said this, I checked out the question to which you refer and I read all the comments, including yours. Given your comments here, I was more than a bit surprised to read what you wrote in reply to abram_kelly's cynical question. You wrote:
"But, come on, brother man, there are better ways to do it than that. Whatever your beliefs or views are, and like I said, I'm not a religious man... Show some respect for those who are."

Let me start by saying I appreciate the fact that you stated people who believe are deserving of respect. That's not a common thing to see coming from someone who isn't religious. However, what you've written here can be construed as being every bit as disrespectful and "crossing the line" as what abram_kelly wrote. I'm a Christian...not because my parents were (I was raised with no religion in the home...I chose to convert on my own). I'm truly a believer and follower of Christ; I take my religion and relationship with God seriously. And I know for certain that I am not blind to the real world or otherwise. Just because a person has faith doesn't make him/her foolish or simple. It certainly doesn't mean he/she is in danger of walking head-on into a train. To suggest so is to insult every thinking person who happens to be a man or woman of faith. And I take umbrage to that.

(Note: I don't know if abram_kelly is a male or female. But to make it easy, I'll just refer to that person with the generic "he.")

When someone like abram_kelly asks a question that stems from a cynical heart it's usually because he has been hurt or damaged in some way by religious dogma and the forced practice of empty religion without understanding. The question he asked was clearly intended to bait people of faith and challenge their thinking. That may be offensive to some, but personally I don't take offense because 1) It isn't aimed at me directly, so no need to get my panties in a twist over it, 2) even if it wasn't meant to, it does challenge me to think and dig deeper for answers, and 3) I understand there's something serious that underlies the question that's more important than the question itself. Sometimes you have to look beyond the surface of the words to get to the real issue. Also, regardless of the intent of the question, the fact is it may yield some answers that could help someone resolve a real and dire issue. I've chosen not to answer abram_kelly's question because the scope of the question is so vast that it would take far more time than I have at the moment to do the answer justice. But if I DID answer it, it would be because my hope is that someone (the asker or just a bystander) would be prompted to honestly and fairly *think* about God and His character. Or whether God even exists.

I'm not here to dictate to anyone what they should or shouldn't believe. Faith is a very personal thing and each one of us must decide for ourselves what is the Truth. But we need to respect each others' viewpoints, even if we don't agree with them. And that can surely be done without name-calling, belittling, or calling into question the mental capacity of those who do believe. I refer specifically to a couple people here who have answered your question by calling believers "crazies," "weirdos," "losers," "freaks" and people who "lack common sense." I would take offense to these gross generalities if I thought there was any merit to them. I don't, and therefore can just let it go. But I know there are plenty of people out there who do take offense and would vociferously let it be known. This is how wars are started.

Anyway, while I think you could have been more tactful in your assertions above, I do appreciate what underlies your comments. You felt someone was being offensive and you stood up and called him out for it. Also, you're dumbfounded by people whom, in your opinion, don't think for themselves. I can't blame you...I'm all for using the brains God gave us. Peace to you.

P.S. alea: I don't find anything astonishing about people who don't drink, regardless of their age. My husband is 42 and has never touched a drop of alcohol in his life. EVER. I, on the other hand, have. It's not a big deal, either way.

Answer 2

You load your question so its not really valid. We are not blind, however those that do not see the world in the light of a one true God are. We believe this bc we have faith in God and his word. That is our belief, just as it is yours to doubt that belief. If you truly do not believe in anyone or thing bigger than yourself, then why ask these questions and why do you care? A true atheist has no reason to question others about their faith... bc he truly just doesn't care.

The fact is you are seeing things one sided. I understand why, to a point, the non-believing world doesn't believe. In the end, they see its because its easier not to. I however belive that it is much harder not to believe. So I have a few questions for you that would come from a typical believer.

How do you cope with life everyday when you know there is nothing better than this? How do you deal with death when you have no hope that you will see your family member again? When the world is crashing down on you and you have no where to turn... how do you do it? How do you live with no hope?

I have just as much scientific proof the Bible is true as you do that it is not true... but you aren't going to accept those facts anymore than I will accept that I came from slime. If you truly are looking to understand if the Bible has merit, start by deciding if you believe in creation or evolution. If evolution is true, then everytime a giraffe leans his head down he would stroke out and die for lack of the amazingly strong one way valves that are in his neck. If evolution were true, everytime an exploding beatle fills with gas and "explodes", he would die for a lack of an exit port. And of course, if evolution were true you could drop a ton of wood from the sky, and if you do it enough times - a starbucks will appear. Its just not a plausable solution. The bottom line to it all is that there were no witnesses, therefore creation and evolution must be accepted by faith.

This is an enormous conversation that I have had many times, but I don't have time to do it now - I have a final in 4 hours. Just understand that people believe how they want, and if you truly seek to understand, don't ask loaded questions.

Answer 3

Not a reg (atm) 80's New Wave/Alternative/Punk Hüsker Dü Nash The Slash Naked Raygun Graham Parker & The Rumour The Plimsouls Screaming Blue Messiahs Shriekback The Suburbs Translator Wire Train XTC

Answer 4

I know. I honestly did not believe that anyone took creationism literally anymore. I really thought that Christians believed it was just an old story to explain something that was unknown. That maybe God is responsible somehow but that the Creation story was not actually a blow by blow account of what happened. I was SHOCKED that so many people on here say they know that the story is 100% true. I'm talking about adults, not just children. My view of people in general has changed from Y!Answers. It just shows that I didn't know as much about other people as I thought I did.

Answer 5

Yeah, I got tired of that for awhile and went to Y!A France. There are definitely fewer Bible-pushers there. I believe my general purpose on here is to stop religion freaks from answering in the anthropology section. Anthropology is not about faith and how the world's only 6,000 years old. It's the study of MAN, not God.

Answer 6

I can say only one thing. We often find ourselves in situations which we freely try to help others out of. The phrase "don't caste pearls before the swine," constantly acts as a reminder. But how are we to tell the unwise from the wise unless they leave their trail of bad odour in the display of their words.
I guess the kind of happiness I am finding from someone's heartfelt answer is also temporary in nature. It could shatter me if the same person suddenly decided to leash out at me in another topic.
The happiness and satisfaction I should be finding is the one which resides in my own heart. But how could I possibly find something which isn't lost, which in within me?

Answer 7

I was a "true believer" (a.k.a loser) for a really long time. I don't know how I managed to not get killed by freight train all those years... my religious mentors used to tell me that I don't walk head on to a train because God takes care of me much more than he takes care of the birds in the sky..

Nowadays, I feel that I dint get killed by a train because there is some kind of sub-conscious cognition engine that takes care of reality no matter however blind we are to it.

Answer 8

I just figure to stay out of their way because they really are ignorant to the truth.. and COMMON SENSE! You know what I am talking about? They have a tendency to dismiss what's going on around them, and (I quote Slayer) I reject all the biblical views of the truth, dismiss it as a folklore of the times; I won't be force-fed prophesy from the Book of Unthruth for the weakest minds (end quote). I seriously transferred from Christian to Wiccan in two minutes, then from Wiccan to Pagan over a time.

Answer 9

Perhaps those others aren't judging the persons mindset like you are? Besides, such questions beed to be addressed. God ordered one city to be killed and everyone seems to think its every city. KIng Saul thought he could do the same, so its not as uncommon as you make it out to be. It is however a wrong assumption.

Answer 10

Thank God ( no pun intended) you said something about that. Those freaks scare the bejesus out of me (again, no pun intended).

theyre like He died on the cross for me? bla blah blah... 2000 years later they cant find anything else to talk about.