257
AsklemmyFor example, you put yourself through university by studying hard and working full time. Then someone says, you should thank god for giving you the strength. Like wtf do you mean, I busted my ass day in and day out but I'm supposed to thank god for it?
They're terrifying.
My entire childhood was spent in churches... Catholic, Baptist, and Assembly of God... and their schools.
They all had one thing in common, they were bat-shit crazy. I was horrified every day, adulthood and leaving them behind was a magnificent relief.
This is a huge part of why America is such a shithole, in my opinion.
... and of course they don't pay taxes in the USA, with far greater tax relief than any secular non-profits... so we all get to pay for their ridiculous drek, whether Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mormons, even Church of Scientology, the taxpayers carry them all.
Well it is nice to realise that despite putting in the work, it is a huge privilege to have the freedom to be born in a time and place where you actually get the chance to realise your potential - instead of having suffered abuse at home, being sent to a farm or factory at 8 years old or simply dieing from diarrhoea. So yeah, sucks if people want to be thankful to god for that, but being thankful for what good exists in the world is a positive thing.
I straight up hate religious people and avoid them at all costs. I’m annoyed by everything they do.
Thank God for imbuing you with skepticism
Yes.
It bothers me when people aren't consistent.
Like when something good happens to them: god is rewarding me for being so good
When somehting bad happens to them: god is testing me and will reward me later for being so good
When something bad happens to someone they don't like: god is punishing them for being so bad
Or like how they pray to god for individual favors. Like "dear god even though I didnt study please let me do well on this test" as though god should care and give them special treatment for... nothing. Yet they claim to value hard work, god only gives you what you can handle, are generally fatalistic, etc.
It isn't meant to be consistent; it is meant to enforce the views of the church.
I have a friend whos deeply into god, but doesnt go to church or anything. Hes also in his mid 40s and lives at home with his 82 year old dad and smokes weed all day. He used to send me videos about how godly Trump is, etc. Big Trump guy. I dont know what happened, but he started sending me videos about Trump being evil and the antichrist. I mean, I love the change. Its definitely in the right direction. But my guy, why the fuck are you sending me 45 minute long Youtube or Facebook video essays on why Trump is the Antichrist. He sends me several of these a day. Usually 5-60 minutes long. Its literally all he has become. Religion aside, I find it terribly frightening how the internet algorithms first radicalized him for Trump, then completely changed his view to the other side. My friend isnt very bright. I'd say hes about the average American. Millions are just like him.
Ok, this really went off the rails here. I dont know why I went from the religious stuff to the internet algorithms manipulating people. Maybe its because they go so well together. Different tools to accomplish the same goal of mass manipulation.
Personally, I aged out of the whole edgelord 'Religion bad!' in my early 20s. I just ignore it. People believe what they want. If it doesnt harm anyone, who cares?
Personally, I aged out of the whole edgelord ‘Religion bad!’ in my early 20s. I just ignore it. People believe what they want. If it doesnt harm anyone, who cares?
But it harms everyone, so that's why lots of secular people are"edgelords" their entire lives. It's a travesty, you just refuse to acknowledge it; but the endless stream of abuses remain ongoing around the world.
I grew up culturally Christian and surrounded by soft-references to Christian stuff all the time. I try to see past whatever the literal thing they are saying and see the metaphor they are trying to express. People can have limited vocabulary and grow up in bubbles of their family, church, whatever. I try to give them Grace and just move on. Ultimately, they are trying to communicate a good thing with you. As long as they don’t start evangelizing or guilting, that’s different.
To be honest, I've met more folks who complain about deeply religious people than I've met deeply religious people
You must live In a nice area. Here they threaten you with yard signs and bumper stickers before you even see their faces.
So fucking irritated my dude. I know in their minds they're doing it out of a sense of trying to help other souls to find the correct path, in theory. But when you look at it from a secular point of view it literally just feels like them asserting their worldview constantly in the most smug possible way, like get fucked fr. Humans just don't know how to stop themselves from convincing everyone around them of whatever fairytale horse shit they desperately need for themselves to not fear death. I don't mind them believing whatever the hell they want, I just wish they would shut their ass about it. If it's the truth thing everyone on Earth has the same access to it and I don't need somebody constantly reminding me that what's true is true. Things that are true don't need to be constantly repeated
I would push back on the idea that humans inherently want to push their religions on people. In actuality that behavior is an effect of the memetic construction of more modern religions. Memetics being the concept "viral ideas" or contagious ideas. Where an idea becomes a thing of its own and spreads without outside interference. (yes like memes). The polytheistic religions were generally not so inclined to spread their religion to others. They'd show up in a forgein land and see other peoples worshipping gods and either think those were the names for their own gods here or think that these are just the gods of this land. The Greeks for example would make offerings to Isis while in Egypt.
The more recent idea of "An imperative to spread" is an invention of christianity that was picked up by Islam as well. Over time much like our societies evolve the ideas we have evolve too. It's natural selection. Given enough time any idea that has baked into it the imperative to spread will overtake ideas that do not. Hence the death of paganism in Europe and the dominance of Islam, and Christianity in that region by comparison over the last few centuries.
Eventually (As is already happening to some extent with political ideologies imo) a new memetic construct will come along that outcompetes christianity. Just as the christians before it absorbed paganism (Arch Angels and Demons are literally just pagan gods given new names) this new one will absorb christianity and outcompete it and the other religions into near extinction. This may be a new religion of its own, it may be a political movement, it may be something else. Whatever it is it will better fit the material conditions of the current world than the now quite outdated christianity which was more suited to a medeival time period. Giving it an advantage and leading to inevitable spread.
I do appreciate your lofty conveyance of these concepts and your insight on historical context. I suppose I just tend to put sociopathy on all strangers these days. I'm not necessarily saying it's like an imperative to spread their religion, more like people generally tend to not mature or grow in their lives, but rather to justify their own behavior to themselves instead. It's relatively common, because of this, that people are subconsciously using religion to justify their own antisocial behaviors instead of improving themselves. And that inherent narcissism is the actual reason people will inject religion into every conversation and try and push it on to those around them. Maybe I'm cynical, though, and applying my anecdotal experience to more of the population than it actually fits with
Well it is actually true that an integral part of Christianity itself is the imperative to spread or proselytizing. It is baked into the religion itself. Originally this was an idea to convert all Jews to the new religion, but it was Saul of Tarsus, or the Apostle Paul, who introduced the idea that this should apply to all peoples, not just Jews.
In the words of the Bible itself: Matthew 28:19–20: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Mark 16:15: "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."
So while you may be correct that there is a psychologal aspect to it as well, it is also true that it is simply a part of their religion. They are taught that they should do this. It is generally seen as a holy duty to convert others and save their souls.
The overall purpose of religion is to propagate itself like a mind virus. Institutional velocity.
I wouldn't care at all if these people were able to keep their delusions to themselves. As a whole, past and present, these people have proven themselves incapable of doing so.
Paradox of tolerance.
Religious proselitism sucks
Thank god the tornado destroyed my neighbor’s house and not mine.
Thank god those kids in poor countries are starving and not me.
Thank god for killing kids with cancer.
They never attribute to god the things that a god could prevent, or in fact deliberately willed to happen, but they’re sure happy to strip someone of their accomplishments and effort by attributing them to god’s will.
Omg! God told me I would see this post! Praise him!
Yay well done God. Great job you did there. Keep it up, you're doing so well.
Which god?
The one true god.
Heretic. There is only one true religion.
I find it extremely offensive and presumptuous when a religious person tries to use God talk with me. When somebody tells me to praise Jesus or thank the Lord I feel the same level of discomfort that I'd imagine they would feel if I said hail Satan or let Satan guide us or whatever. I don't consent to having any of those intentions towards me and it's very selfish and narrow minded that they assume everyone would agree to those things they say.
I’ve been told the same thing, they said god gave me my strength, but realistically if this “god” did give me anything, it would be my weaknesses and hostile social environment, where I was forced to find my own strengths that a god couldn’t give unless they wanted me to face some sort of mythological nepotism.
Reminds me of a couple of joke/stories.
- A flood came and an owner was on top of the house. A boat came by to save him and he said "That's okay, God will save me". Then a helicopter came by to save him and he said the same thing. He drowned and went to heaven and asked God why he didn't come save him and God said "I sent you a boat and a helicopter!".
- A very famous, powerful rabbi stopped at an inn and the owner was out, but the staff treated him terribly. The rabbi cursed the hotel and stated that it will burn down the following day at noon. The next morning the rabbi got up to leave and the owner, who was now back, begged and pleaded with him to remove the curse. The rabbi eventually agreed. The peasants were watching the inn to see what would happen and when noon came and went, and the inn did not burn down, everyone exclaimed "It's a miracle!".
Comedian Daniel Sloss said something about thanking god after surviving cancer: No, it was the doctors, stupid. (We have tickets to see him soon. Check if he's in your area, he's awesome.)
"God" is the greatest cause of murder and war. It's fucking stupid. In the old testament, he's a fucking dick. Seriously, what an asshole. But "christians" who know nothing about the book they proselytize pretend they have a moral obligation to be assholes to people they don't like.
I've studied and read more historical and educational books on early christianity than any right-wing republican asshole (I live in the USA), I guarantee it. I was on a serious mission for about 18 months after years of casual Wikipedia browsing. But it's not just christians.
Any person who makes their religion known to strangers is a weak piece of shit. Wear a cross, a burka, a kippah, whatever. You suck. It should be private. Advertising your beliefs shows how insecure you are about them. I don't need to prove a goddamn thing to anyone because I'm confident that I'm morally correct. You know why you need "god above"? Because you're not sure what to think without someone telling you what's right and wrong.
I agree, but to fair, a lot of Muslim women do not have the choice to not wear a burka or other head covering.
I wouldn't be irritated if they didn't insist on it incessantly
they can wishfully think themselves into anything as long as it makes them better than other people and they can play victim
I especially feel irritated when they credit god over actual people that made something happen, like thanking god over a surgeon that just saved your life
Yeah, you're to blame for everything bad and God gets credit for everything good.
Yes. I think ill start replying "Yes, I thank Satan, my one and only true God" just to see the horror on their faces
Lucifer, with a name meaning “bearer of light,” makes far more sense as a deity that encourages education.
Next time you feel “enlightened” by new knowledge, remember that Lucifer’s the one behind it. He wants to bring the light to you. God would rather lock knowledge up in a tree and call its fruit “forbidden.”
No more aggravated than when I hear traumatized atheists be hypocrites.
Yeah, all those in-your-face atheists with their ad-covered buildings every few blocks and their national holidays and their billboards telling you how to live and their going door to door to tell you how to live. That definitely happens all the time with…atheists.
How bold of you to claim atheists do not have a national holiday a mere TEN DAYS prior to National Donut Day!
Huh, you sound exactly like who I am talking about.
How many times have atheists rang your doorbell?
I'm part of a religion and annoyed by most religious people (I'm not Christian brcause I'm converting to another religion that aligns more with what I personally believe). Irl, you'd never guess I was part of any religion because I know how to STFU. Sadly, a lot of religious people don't do that. I really hear you and it is frustrating to deal with.
I like it when they thank god for saving them from natural disasters or illness or whatever.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure God created those circumstances, so why the fuck are you thanking him??
"Could kill you but didn't" is kinda valid, but clearly implicate that the entity in question is, mildly speaking, not good.
I just let it go if I know that the person is religious. I was pretty religious myself until I grew out of it in my mid 20s. So, I know why a religious person might say to thank their god. It is saying basically to thank some divine deity for giving you such talent. They mean well so I just take it like a compliment and nod if I were you. But i can see why you might be annoyed by it, especially if you did not have a religious upbringing.
Yeah, but these days I'm more tired than irritated.
Religion is, and always has been, a tool used by those in power to legitimize the status quo.
Its primary purpose is to shift responsibility for actions onto fate and thus divert attention from the fact that it is people who are responsible for these actions. In this way, even the most unfair and exploitative conditions can still be portrayed as just: the king by the grace of God, the kingdom of heaven that awaits the patient after death, hell that punishes the greedy, making it unnecessary to hold them accountable in this life, and so on.
This also works in reverse to strip people of the self-confidence that they can achieve things through their own efforts: Thank God for the food he has put on the table, for your success, and for everything else, because he has given it to you in his infinite generosity - don’t even think of making demands.
In this sense, religion provides a justification for hierarchies in society. It cements the status quo in the interests of the powerful.
Hence: People who do not question this narrative - which serves their own exploitation - but have made it the purpose of their lives are quite strange, because they are thereby harming themselves.
I am agnostic and even I still don't agree with what you say here. Religion was likely used initially to form communities around. Heaven and hell are just ways to motivate people to participate in the moral code of the community.
There are likely some people that truly believe in God but I think many people probably just believe that religion gives them a common community to work towards.
Now, in recent times, I have no doubt that there are those in religion that use it for exploitation. But that is no reason to write an entire group off as bad. We would likely call that bigotry were we on the receiving end.
Religion certainly plays a regulatory role within society - historically, for a very, very long time. It also promotes values such as charity, empathy, and humility as virtues. The problem, unfortunately, is that this system of order is frequently abused in practice - just like the legal system, whose guidelines are often derived from religious values. So it is not religion itself that is the problem, but the way it is abused.
A good example of this is the ultra-conservative Christians in the U.S.: Since this ideology is being exploited politically to promote a ruthless form of hyper-capitalism that serves only a tiny elite, there is no room for values such as humanity and empathy, which the Bible clearly prescribes as positive values. Thus, inhuman policies are legitimized in the name of God and Jesus, though only those aspects of religion that enable the propagation of “in-groups” and “out-groups” are utilized. On the one hand, this serves to convey a sense of community, and on the other, to deny all rights -including the right to exist - to anyone who does not belong. Of course, this could no longer be reconciled with Christian ethics, but since this is not about ethics but about power, these schizophrenic movements are nevertheless very successful.
This logic is present in nearly all forms of religious extremism - from ultra-Christians to fanatical Muslims and Jews to Hindus and so on. These fundamentalist movements always have one thing in common: they are not interested in good, peaceful coexistence, but solely in the dominance of one group over another, which is because they are political movements whose leaders use religion merely as a means of power to legitimize their inhumane ideology.
But please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here: It is not religion itself that is the problem, but the way it is abused to pit people against one another and distract them from who actually benefits from the corresponding policies.
This effect is by no means limited to religion: the same can be achieved, for example, by emphasizing nationality - in this case, concepts such as “foreign infiltration” serve as a backdrop of fear, so that the corresponding out-group can be denied basic rights, even their humanity.
I don't disagree, but it's precisely these "moral frameworks" that lead to rigidity, stagnation, in-groups and out-groups, and so on. These "frameworks" externalise/alienate "morality" (from the subjective, emotivist sense) into something sacred, inviolable, that exists above us (absolute morality, "the truth"), and whoever controls this morality controls everyone else. And this goes for not just religion, but every ideological+social "framework" in general; the centralisation/hierarchicalisation of power is inherently susceptible to exploitation and corruption. Even science, for example: consider how "objectivity" has been used as "absolute truth", when what it really is, at least in science, is the union of many subjectivities.
The subjectivity of our experiences is inescapable, by definition, really (what is experience, if not subjective?). So when things are justified with "morality", "duty", "objectivity", oftentimes it is to obscure this fundamental subjectivity, I think; there's this kinda taboo dynamic to it. But if we instead embrace our subjectivities, we can see ideas for what they are and where they come from, and use them as tools for building community (or whatever else we might find useful), without letting them become exploitable backdoors to our minds.
I think you're both right. They are right about religious institutions in class societies. You use the word "initially" and are right about religion in those very early, classless societies called "primitive communism". When people started using agriculture, classes arose with material surplus, patriarchal structures formed to manage inheritance of that surplus and over some time, the violent suppression of oppressed classes by the ruling class was taken up by various institutions that coalesced into states. Religious institutions fit in here. They became tools of oppression or were oppressed and destroyed themselves. Those that survived fell in line. And their task in class societies is to produce hegemony. In a revolutionary moment, religion has sometimes been adapted to serve liberation and that could happen again.
It's important to make these two distinctions when talking about religion. First, between individual believe and organized religious institutions. Even a deeply religious person can still condem all religious institutions. And second, based on the societal context: religious institutions at what time, in what society? Religious believes of members of which class? Do they help to liberate or oppress? Do they urge to accept circumstances or to fight for freedom? Both is possible.
There's also a third distinction that comes up often: between orthodoxy (for example what's written in holy scripture) and lived historical reality.
Personally, I'm an atheist, but I have religious friends who I respect deeply.
Organised Religion, sure
But you're coming at this from an incredibly colonial-centric POV
There's plenty of none-organised religions that are more akin to philosophy than to faith.
And plenty of faiths that are not from colonial powers with an entirely different focus such as "protect the land"
Maybe we can think of religion as a multi-tool. Such a tool can be used as a screwdriver, a nail file, a bottle opener, etc.
OP is saying religion has always been used for control. However, religion can be used for many other things as well, like spiritual fulfillment, moral guidance, and providing a social community. It being used for control doesn’t mean it can’t also be those things, just as a multi-tool used to open a bottle can also be used to tighten a screw.
At least, that’s the way I interpreted this situation.
What makes you think I’m not fully aware of that?
I’m talking about the dangers of exploiting religion, which remains one of humanity’s most serious problems, as is currently and undeniably illustrated by the monstrous regimes in the U.S. and Israel, for example.
I never said that religion should be rejected outright or that it cannot also do good.
I don’t understand how you came to that conclusion.
Probably cause I read the words you said
Religion is, and always has been
even the most unfair and exploitative conditions can still be portrayed as just
Seems pretty cut-and-dry to me
You’re reading into my statement that it somehow implies I’m making some kind of fundamental claim about religion here. I’m sorry, but it’s simply a fact that religion is being misused for political purposes. I can’t help it if you’re turning that into a fundamental claim that isn’t there at all.
I guess I assumed always meant "in all cases, without exception"
But I guess my dictionary was wrong
What else is there to say? This statement is correct: religion has always been misused for political purposes - that’s what the sentence says, not that religion itself is always misused; that’s your interpretation.
Besides, if you’d read a little further, you probably would have figured out what I’m trying to say.
Normalize it by praising God for all the terrible things.
Trans people are all gods children. Their response tells you everything you need to know about their faith. If they reject it or look uncomfortable there is no point talking to them anymore. If they agree they might be alright.
Oh see they'll agree and then say that's why they have to force us back into "God's plan"
But we don't know his plan. Jesus taught us to love thy neighbour which overwrites anything before him. So you must love your transgender neighbour.
If I got mad at peoples lack of critical thinking I wouldn’t get very far in a day. But they are insane.
“Thank God for curing my cancer!”
“HE FUCKING GAVE IT TO YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE!”
Ain’t no point in bringing logic to a dingleberry convention!
Not only is it insane, it is also incredibly egotistical of people to think that whatever god might exist will help them when it didn't lift a finger to prevent some of the most horrible things that have happened in history; the trans-atlantic slave trade and the holocaust being prime examples.
And, because I can already feel a religious person typing "bUt ThOsE wERe dOnE By huMaNs" yes, how observent of you, but accordng to your primary (and only) source for your god's existance, it did intervene when humans were building a big tower. And also killed all the babies of Egypt because their leader refused to listen. And I'd argue that the holocaust and slave trade are much worse than humans building a tower.
And really horrific events like the holocaust must've had countless people praying to be spared, but since most of them died anyway, that must mean the Holocaust was God's will, since that's what religious people always say when praying go unanswered.
Your family member survived cancer? "God saved them!" Your family member died of cancer despite praying? "Must've been God's will, He works in mysterious ways!"
"It was to test my faith!"
And what about all the children with cancer that were in there getting treatment with you?
I'm irritated with everything people do all the time.
/lemmy
This statement is beginning to irritate me.
Got a bug up your ass and better no one touch the sumbitch, amiright!
No
Around monsoon time i will admit it bother me, epic keanu chungus OP
I was extremely irritated this week when the office catholic, who is quite happy to lie, cheat and steal, told me I'm going to hell unless I accept his god.
Biggest hypocrites I've found were in the years I spent at church. Not all of course but there are a ton of people who believe they're allowed to do whatever they want as long as they repent and they look down on people outside of the church as if they were filth. Hell, even within the church, they had a superiority complex with "fellow worshippers"
Emotional pyramid-scheme.
For me, it depends on the authenticity.
There's too many people that talk God this and God that, because they've been told that's what they are supposed to do as a God person.
But then their actual actions are not what a god person is supposed to be.
I'll take a 10% Christian that walks the walk 10% of the time over a 100% Christian that walks the walk 10% of the time any day of the week.
Atheist here. No, I don’t. The religious person who put in the work still put in the work, through their faith in God. The Atheist does it through their faith in themselves. It’s the same energy, because the religious person doesn’t think they have it in them. They do, but God makes it manageable. I get that. So when they say it about you, they’re just using tense they understand.
Like when they say “bless you” when you sneeze. They’re wishing you health in terms they understand.
This is the first time I translated "bless you". I never knew it was something religious. In german we simply say "health" (Gesundheit) when someone sneezes.
I say Gesundheit here in Australia like its muscle memory anytime anyone sneezes. My girlfriend hates it but its ingrained in me, I have no idea why. Its just a funny word
That's interesting. In spanish, we also say "health" (Salud). I wasn't expecting it to be the same in a language as different as german.
The "religious" word we can say when someone sneezes is "Jesus" (Jesús). Which is also a weird thing to say. I'm pretty sure the origin is still christianism, but I can't see why someone chose specifically that.
Bless you is a great example. I don't think most people say things like bless you or God gave you the strength to be literally religious, they're just a spiritual person's way of being polite.
Interesting observation - where I live many / most people will say Salud (good health) when someone sneezes, as an intentionally secular version of the more traditional Jesus
I was raised to say gesundheit. It's German and basically means something like "here's to your health." Apple's translation service says it just means "health".
Thats a beautiful way to think about it
I must live in a special bubble because this never happens to me
What part of the world do you live in? Im in the northeast united states, and i bet i havent had a single week in my adult life go by without someone telling me to thank god or jesus... you cant drive 5 miles here without seeing a billboard about god or jesus...
Mid-Altantic region here. Every day I pass a billboard that says, “Shackled by lust? Jesus sets you free!”
Which does nothing but make me think, “I guess Jesus is into domming now.”
Very, and even people that don't make it about god, somehow don't like that I am not religious.
Yep it's definitely annoying and it's so pervasive that we even have lemmings that do that stupid shit.
me when I say anything good for LGBTQ
-"that's Satan"
"god is love" except when they don't like it
God is love*
* conditions apply
God loves unconditionally*
* some conditions apply
Oh that's why they call him the father
It is not as much irritated, but totally confused.
I don't have much contact with religious people -but I had to listen the following story:
How god gave her a sign (after she prayed) and then she found the perfect picture frame in Goodwill....
I mean yeah for suuure.
God provided you with a picture frame, meanwhile 11 moths old Timmy died from brain cancer. Probably his parents' prayers were not strong enough...
I find that deeply religious people completely ignore survivorship bias. They like to talk about people who prayed and got through an illness but they rarely mention the people who prayed and died.
Just a little too close to critical thinking... Which they need to be careful to avoid.
It kills me when people give up the concept of having power within themselves and instead attribute it to "God."
My grandmother would do this all the time. She would never accept that her determination, her skill, her prowess got her where she was, it was always "I thank God that he did this for me."...NO GRANDMA, YOU DID THIS! It's so frustrating to see people feel essentially powerless unless God does it for them.
I think this is far more normalized in the US to bring god into everything. After all, it's one nation, under god. And in god they trust! It's on the money after all, thoughts and prayers. And lordy, the language is full of religious references, from oh my god gosh golly to dang darn dammit. There is also the performative "I was praying for" whatever, jeez, Jesus help me. I'm already irritated by all these religious vestiges in the language.
Piety is also this sort of monstrance required for political office in the US. Even when it's quite unbelievable, like in the case of 47 who would only own a bible if he could sell it. And if you're not a Catholic or some Protestant, you have you be Mormon or Islamic just enough to tick the religious box. But we might draw the line at Scientology because that's all just made up nonsense, isn't it.
I find it offensive when people just assume I believe in any god. The older I get the more I think Christopher Hitchens had a point when he said that ardent believers in monotheist religions are predisposed to vote for and follow authoritarian leaders. One god, one fuehrer.
Theres a reason the authoritarian right loves the religious crowd. Easy grift.
I think this is far more normalized in the US to bring god into everything.
Not at all. I work with a lot of immigrants and wherever religion is heavily involved in the culture they come from, god or gods always get the credit. Jesus, Yahweh, Allah, Ganesha, Buddha, Holy Spirit, it doesn't matter. It's all the same different rules.
It happens with any people that are heavily bound to religious practices, routines and rituals. Some places are much less religious than others, but that's been my experience working with about a a hundred different people that aren't from where I was born
I'm fine with whatever delusions people want to hold as long as they do it away from me. I'm just not interested in thanking a fictional character who hates me.
No, nobody else does. It's just you.
The fuck is this question?
Coming soon: "Does anybody else hate it when they get a paper cut?"
Anytime someone totally disconnects from reality, I could imagine that irritates the rational people around them. It sure as hell does with me.
I'm currently deconstructing decades of brainwashing and indoctrination.
The fighters that thank God for helping them beat the shit out of their opponent.
I'm not in any way religious, and it does irritate me when people say, of some senseless tragedy, "everything has a purpose."
But I do see, in your specific example, that what they say has metaphorical value. You should be grateful that you had it in you to accomplish what you did, even if you don't attribute it to some mythical being.
I often think the phase "there but for the grace of God, go I" because I don't know a secular equivalent. Think of God as a metaphor for the universe.
It feels offensive to me that I chose to sacrifice sleep/social/leisure time for a better future then someone says, ah ya that wasn't actually your effort that got you through
If someone says that, I say no, the universe is entropy, shithead.
Or better, dont engage because they're 99% likely maga
The irony is, you're the shithead, shithead.
I like to us a phrase based around "All hail the deity on the mantle"
Designed to trigger the most religious
God yes. (pun intended)
I once overheard a woman in a store going "Jesus provides"... while staring at a wall of drinks carefully stocked by employees and made in factories built and operated by other people.
Gotah start thanking Satan just to level it out.
When any fanatic connects whatever with their preferred framework, I guess
Veeery.
Yes.. doctor saves a critically injured patient.. "thank God all mighty !"
removed am I a joke to you? - doc probably.
Also only credit for the positive shit. Mass shooting , never hear them say..thank "God for the killings"
Poor Satan, the light bearer, gets blamed for all the bad things and not the reason for giving us knowledge.
Yes
I was just working on a post sharing some pics by one of my favorite photographers and wrote a little something along these lines.
They praised God for the opportunity to get these very unique photos. While I'm not religious, and to me, the photographer did all the work following this bird forever, through long hours of darkness and cold, waiting patiently day after day, honing his craft.
And that is a good enough reason for praise from me. But he felt a blessing from outside, and I can appreciate that for him. Did he think providence put him and this bird together? I don't know if it went that deep. Maybe he was just glad this animal existed, and he is here to experience it, and this moment could have randomly happened for anyone, but instead it happened to him.
Whatever the reason, his beliefs led him to experiencing something amazing. I could just call that inspiration, while he attributes it to his beliefs. Does it make a difference to either of us what the other believes? Nah.
If people aren't proselytizing at me, they can believe in what they please. When most people say they were glad God gave you the strength to do something, they're just being happy for you from their perspective. They probably have no idea what your beliefs are, that's just their default and the words that come to their mind to congratulate you. You should kindly take their words with the intention they were spoken with, not necessarily a literal meaning. Jumping to being offended just makes conflict where there wasn't any, and that would make you the disrespectful one most likely.
I mean, they kinda have to because Jesus is the reason for the season.
I do the same just with Karl Marx and I don't see the problem
Not particularly.
If you consider your example, you may have worked hard for it, but another person could've worked equally hard at all the right things and never have gotten the opportunity to even attempt getting into university. We might call that luck. Someone else might call it God's doing. Regardless, it's just a different name for the same thing.
