Don't lose your nerve. As a one-time person of faith, I can attest that the transition phase can be painful. It's a kind of withdrawal. You'll be filled with doubts and even depressed for a time, but you'll come through to the other side and be happier for it. Follow the truth where it leads you--out of the darkness of fearful superstition into the light of compassion and reason. Most of all, remember that religion does not equal morality. You can live a moral, useful, and fulfilling life as a nontheist. The truth will set you free.What advice would you give to god-believers who might wish to escape from their fantasy beliefs?
It was a very scary and lonely time full of self-doubt. I was tempted to turn back several times, but it was the truth that kept me clear and finally saw me through. I trusted in the truth.
Report Abuse
simply this: wake up. join reality.
come on in -- the water's fine!
will they listen? in most cases, no. the brainwashing is too intrenched.
but I have been successful -- even on this board, thu conversation, I have opened people up and led them away from the cultism of xianity and the bible. several people, in fact.
Go to http://infidels.org .. http://godisimaginary.com
Put the pipe away and join the real world
read the bible/book specific to their religion. That should convince them.
The Bible has allot of info on how to act and treat each other. Your church is robbing you blind, it does nothing for you, you can read your Bible anywhere, you don't need someone that wants your money and obedience telling you his meaning of what your reading.
read any science textbook
A little at a time ... it took me twenty years and the good aspects of god - belief as you put it are still valued in spite of my disbelief.
THINK.
Then THINK some more.
But seriously, you can't expect people to abandon a ';higher power'; unless you can offer them a suitable substitute to help quell their fears and give them strength. Even though WE know this stuff comes from inside, they are too FRIGHTENED of the unknown to ever imagine they themselves could be the source of the courage and strength that they routinely ascribe to god.
If only they knew that their perceived ';divine gifts'; are actually all self-generated.
Can someone please try to convince me that God and Christianity is false? My email and Yahoo Messenger is public.
Read. Learn. Question everything. Think. Everything else will fall into place.
As long as people live good lives, why does it matter?
The reality is that God created us all and loves us all...even you!
He loves you, but if you don't love and respect Him...He cannot choose you when you need HIm the most.
I have been told in here over and over again that atheists don't try to convert
Christians. If that is true, why would you need advice on how to do just that very thing?
It's not a fantasy, it's a faith.
It's pitiful how you're so desperate to stir up trouble.
I will tell them- Don't do that. It takes many life times to be in the place you are now. It can be late but not never, in the God's world.
If you are wishing to escape, you will land in a too late situation. And these realities that you are perceiving are only, till the time you are living in your this body. They have no significance after you die.
If someone BELIEVES something it becomes real for them and is no longer a fantasy. As to the question--someone wanting to change their beliefs in a fundamental way should do a lot of reading, soul searching, and talk to others about their experiences. People change what they believe everyday. That is perfectly okay! ';Reality based belief'; doesn't compute for me, however. The reason being, what someone believes in doesn't necessarily have to be based in reality. That is up to each person to decide--and that's okay too! Good question.
Tell them to read the Bible, research and think.
If they have brains that should do it.
Very interesting question. Dumb, but nevertheless interesting. If you happen to be a God believer, as I assume that you are, you must know that he/she created us in his/her image. God had to have a mind with much fantasy to create this universe. Therefore, let's not be afraid of our fantastical minds to be free to roam where it pleases. Who knows...you might come upon an invention, song, money-making plan, or something that will enrich the world. Enough said.
I'd take them with me to a few college biology classes if they felt like going, and maybe show them books and videos and museums full of evidence of evolution and all that good stuff. I wouldn't force them, but if they were curious I'd be happy to take them.
The conquering of fear is the beginning of wisdom.
鈥?Bertrand Russell
Fear believes -- courage doubts. Fear falls upon the earth and prays -- courage stands erect and thinks. Fear is barbarism -- courage is civilization. Fear believes in witchcraft, in devils and in ghosts. Fear is religion, courage is science.
鈥?Robert G. Ingersoll
Skepticism is the first step toward truth.
鈥?Diderot
Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear. It is partly the terror of the unknown, and partly the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes. Fear is the basis of the whole thing - fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand-in-hand.
鈥?Bertrand Russell (1927)
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.
鈥?Galileo Galilei
Where all think alike, none thinks very much.
鈥?Walter Lippman
The man who has no mind of his own lends it to the priests.
鈥?George Meredith, (1828-1909)
Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.
鈥?Thomas Jefferson
Think for yourself!
simple, ask them to read the bible fully and not out of context ....
Question and THINK!
Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.
Thomas Jefferson
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
Buddha
My first piece of advice would be to write God with a big G/
Second piece would be write believers like this.
Third I would tell you that we, who believe in God are just fine where we are and perhaps you, who does not believe in God lives in a fantasy world,
Anyways, good luck
Some monkeys just wont evolve, no matter how much the world passes them by.
i don't see why everyone here equates believing in God with being stupid or devoid of reason.
not everyone who believes in God is a Christian, let alone a fundamental one.
Einstein, for example, believed in God. he was also a scientist and not an idiot (also not a Christian, no surprise there really)
to those, and i do acknowledge this is the majority, who have taken the ';final lobotomy'; and refuse to acknowledge truth and fact... just think. stop listening to what everybody else tells you and just listen to urself and your own conscience.
if God truly exists, it's when you are alone you are most likely to find Him/Her, not in some church or from letter in the mail.
it is clear that science is truth and fact, and so being truly so-called religion must conform with science or it really is just superstition.
but let's just get the distinction clear.
not all religious people are dumb. not all atheists are smart.
people really are just people - and God can fall anywhere in that category, fact or fiction. [ I believe He/She does exist somewhere, but i'm completely open to the idea He/She isn't, upon sufficient empirical evidence ]
really when it comes down to it, everyone's opinion of ';truth'; is different; ';truth'; is and always will be relative.
Don't turn away from God. It would be as scripture describes... a dog returning to its vomit.
It appears to be you who should escape from your fantasy that God does not exist.
You cant
Are you trying to say God and Christianity is a fantasy?
It really is easy to critisize something you have little or no experience with. It disgusts me that atheists go around trying to tear people from their beliefs and try to get people back to ';reality';. What the hell does an atheist have in life? Themselves? Sounds a little selfish to me. If not just them, a family...friends? This is all fine and dandy, but people can only take us so far in life.
There are kind atheists, those who do not wish to critisize people for their faith. I've spoken to some and even they said its easier to believe. At least Christians have something to comfort them whenever the world in turn craps on them and people abaondon them.
Christianity is a reality to millions around the world. Don't forget it.
No comments:
Post a Comment