At what age do people usually realize religion is a scam?

[edjr 5,567]

Most of you poor bastards, were forced into going to church and some of you Sunday school (CCD)

 

At what age did you smarten up and realize the scam religion was?

 

 

[Djgb13 2,338]

About the same age they realize they are going to hell

[dain11279 928]

The family of one of my first serious girlfriends was big into church and they dragged me along with a few times. Dumbest thing on the planet. That was when I was 20 or so.

 

The thing about the Jim Kelly cancer story last week that really bugged me is how much their family talked about trusting in God to help them through it

 

He didn't cause the cancer but he sure can help get rid of it

[edjr 5,567]

The family of one of my first serious girlfriends was big into church and they dragged me along with a few times. Dumbest thing on the planet. That was when I was 20 or so.

 

The thing about the Jim Kelly cancer story last week that really bugged me is how much their family talked about trusting in God to help them through it

 

He didn't cause the cancer but he sure can help get rid of it

 

[Cdub100 3,381]

0-20 - God is good

21-40 - Huh there probably isn't a god or straight up denial.

41 - Death - There might be a god, but probably not like any of the earthly religions portray him.

Afterlife - Forever - Sh1t it sure is hot down here.

[Filthy Fernadez 2,696]

My wife and I stopped going to the church when they stopped being transparent with the budget. They stopped allowing the Deacons to count the collection and it went straight to the church safe. Also, the Pastor was getting vehicle leases swapped out every other year. It took about a year or two but they finally got rid of him for infidelity but they wouldn't admit wrongdoing with the church funds. He's now a realtor.

[cyclone24 1,814]

As soon as a religious person can show me proof of an afterlife that's not in the Bible I'll listen. Until then I think it's a load of crap.

 

 

And I can never buy into the idea that a person can be a total dirtball their entire life go to prison and then find God and they go to heaven. Meanwhile I could feed a million starving people because I care about them but because I don't get down on my knees and kiss the Ring of this Fairytale God I somehow I'm going to hell for it as punishment.

[Fireballer 2,383]

My wife and I stopped going to the church when they stopped being transparent with the budget. They stopped allowing the Deacons to count the collection and it went straight to the church safe. Also, the Pastor was getting vehicle leases swapped out every other year. It took about a year or two but they finally got rid of him for infidelity but they wouldn't admit wrongdoing with the church funds. He's now a realtor.

This is why I cant go to church. The hypocrisy is unreal. Then you got guys like Benny Hinn that prey on these weak minded buffoons.

[LOD01 191]

I knew it while I was going, back when I was 8 years old or so. It was catholic. Stand, sit, stand, give some cash, kneel, sit, stand, give some more cash, kneel, stand, sit, exit. Haven't been to a church service since I was around 12 or 13. There is not much more ridiculous than a bunch of lamers, spending an hour or more on Sundays and whatever other days they go, trying to bribe their way into a heaven that they don't even know exists. You can't get that time back on this planet and lets say you go for 3 hours a week for 50 years, you'll be close you wasting a year of your time trying to bribe your way in....because that's what you are doing.

 

The fact that there are ~ 4200 religions on the planet should tell anyone who can read how stupid it is.

 

Funniest part is that if there is a heaven, they are gonna be standing there with their mouths open when I walk thru the gates and laugh at them.

[dain11279 928]

 

 

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

Its called faith. You have already made up your mind and talked yourselves into it so no sense trying to change it.

 

The bible is a fantastic guidebook for how to live life and deal with all of the stresses of life. Take away the zealots and the extremists and you will find amazing people who have wonderful patience and respect for their fellow man.

 

Jim kelly... im sure he is doing wverything he can to beat cancer.. but instead of wallowing in self pity he is trusting god to help him and his family to get through this horrible tragedy. God is like an anchor for them to help stay sane.

 

Your arguments are valid about church corruption in various forms, you can find that in anything...hell, look at your own government. But my tiny little church that is barely solvent has some amazing and wonderful people in it and its a blessing to have.

 

Its amazing the venom some people have against a group of people who share a common belief and are living a peaceful existence.

 

99% of church is none of those things mentioned. Megachurches and all that are different. Catholic church is interesting if you like calisthenics lol.

 

Every little town street corner church is not.

[edjr 5,567]

Its called faith. You have already made up your mind and talked yourselves into it so no sense trying to change it.

 

The bible is a fantastic guidebook for how to live life and deal with all of the stresses of life. Take away the zealots and the extremists and you will find amazing people who have wonderful patience and respect for their fellow man.

 

Jim kelly... im sure he is doing wverything he can to beat cancer.. but instead of wallowing in self pity he is trusting god to help him and his family to get through this horrible tragedy. God is like an anchor for them to help stay sane.

 

Your arguments are valid about church corruption in various forms, you can find that in anything...hell, look at your own government. But my tiny little church that is barely solvent has some amazing and wonderful people in it and its a blessing to have.

 

Its amazing the venom some people have against a group of people who share a common belief and are living a peaceful existence.

 

99% of church is none of those things mentioned. Megachurches and all that are different. Catholic church is interesting if you like calisthenics lol.

 

Every little town street corner church is not.

 

 

My Step Bro died in a single car, 1 person accident 3 years ago. a couple days after Xmas. I posted about it here. He was my age, few months apart, we were best friends in our teens

 

His mother is a religious nut, always has been. This year, at the local Church, on Xmas Eve they did their thing in Church, but it was in his honor, so they said his name.

 

I've felt closer to her than I ever have since her son died, so when she invited me to go to Church, I threw on my suit and I took one for the team.

 

WHAT AN ABSOLUTE LOAD OF RUBBISH that dude was up there spewing. People really believe that sh1t? Ay caramba

 

It is truly hilarious, if you really listen to what the guy is saying resurrections and people coming down from heaven. Holy batshit.

[cyclone24 1,814]

Its called faith. You have already made up your mind and talked yourselves into it so no sense trying to change it.

The bible is a fantastic guidebook for how to live life and deal with all of the stresses of life. Take away the zealots and the extremists and you will find amazing people who have wonderful patience and respect for their fellow man.

Jim kelly... im sure he is doing wverything he can to beat cancer.. but instead of wallowing in self pity he is trusting god to help him and his family to get through this horrible tragedy. God is like an anchor for them to help stay sane.

Your arguments are valid about church corruption in various forms, you can find that in anything...hell, look at your own government. But my tiny little church that is barely solvent has some amazing and wonderful people in it and its a blessing to have.

Its amazing the venom some people have against a group of people who share a common belief and are living a peaceful existence.

99% of church is none of those things mentioned. Megachurches and all that are different. Catholic church is interesting if you like calisthenics lol.

Every little town street corner church is not.

Problem is laws for our entire country are based off these beliefs.

[edjr 5,567]

Problem is laws for our entire country are based off these beliefs.

 

 

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

I must not be worldly enough then. My churchs services are no fire and brimstone.. screaming at the pulpit kind of stuff. Its a guy talking about passages in the bible and how they relate to our everyday problems... raising kids... money...frustrations at work...marriage issues...all sorts of topics and how to get theough them.

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

Problem is laws for our entire country are based off these beliefs.

What laws are those that bug you so much?

[edjr 5,567]

I must not be worldly enough then. My churchs services are no fire and brimstone.. screaming at the pulpit kind of stuff. Its a guy talking about passages in the bible and how they relate to our everyday problems... raising kids... money...frustrations at work...marriage issues...all sorts of topics and how to get theough them.

 

 

How Mary and the immaculate conception gave birth to jesus

 

 

How isn't that right there enough to know it's all built on bullshit?

 

 

Noah's Arc? Really?

 

 

I am not trying to attack you personally, not my intent. But. Crackah, c'mon now.

[Cruzer 1,992]

Most of you poor bastards, were forced into going to church and some of you Sunday school (CCD)

Guilty.......I remember hating my folks for making us go. The damn CCD bus would pull up and honk on Saturday mornings - focking sucked.

 

I'm not saying I don't believe in a higher power, but I don't believe so much in the system of 'religion' and 'church'... I've seen Catholicism pray on and take advantage of the poor. People who can't afford to feed their kids feeling obligated to tithe to the church........... And don't even get me started on the ass clown tv ministries - those people are the biggest cheats and scams going.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

In what way is it a scam? Every study out there says religious people are generally happier, healthier, more generous with time and money, more accepting of others beliefs.

[kilroy69 994]

Most of you poor bastards, were forced into going to church and some of you Sunday school (CCD)

 

At what age did you smarten up and realize the scam religion was?

 

 

Some people never do. Some people are so completely indoctrinated they really believe there is a guy named santa er....i mean god in the sky making his list and checking it twice. I see it a lot when I go back to GA. Total devotion to an imaginary god. If you point out any of the holes they tell you that in order to believe you have to have faith that its true.

 

I stopped believing around the age of 10. I started to question the validity of some of the stories and it just snowballed from there.

[LOD01 191]

 

 

How Mary and the immaculate conception gave birth to jesus

 

 

How isn't that right there enough to know it's all built on bullshit?

 

 

Noah's Arc? Really?

 

 

I am not trying to attack you personally, not my intent. But. Crackah, c'mon now.

Exactly. The guys that wrote that book were smoking some seriously good weed.

[edjr 5,567]

In what way is it a scam?

 

It's all built on lies, bullshit and stories that can't possibly be true.. That's not a scam, what is?

[edjr 5,567]

Exactly. The guys that wrote that book were smoking some seriously good weed.

 

Ricky Gervais does an hilarious bit on Noah's Arc.

 

[LOD01 191]

 

It's all built on lies, bullshit and stories that can't possibly be true.. That's not a scam, what is?

I love the classic response when they are confronted with any of the completely impossible stories. The canned answer is 'you just have to have faith'.

[Big Guy 1,400]

oh boy ( thread )

[cyclone24 1,814]

I love the classic response when they are confronted with any of the completely impossible stories. The canned answer is 'you just have to have faith'.

Or the idea of if you cant explain it.....it MUST be the work of a god.

 

Its somewhat terrifying.

[wiffleball 4,642]

On the one hand, there are far worse things to do than live your life based upon the teachings of the New Testament. So you get a little community for an hour once a week maybe a little socialization maybe do a little bit of good works in the neighborhood, not a bad deal all the way around.

 

However, where Jesus loses me is the whole idea that the only way through to Heaven is through faith alone. The good works don't mean diddly shyt.

 

Really? So the Widow in Somalia who takes in orphan children and feeds them with her very last dime and loves them with her very last effort for the entirety of her life but never is even approached about the concept of Christianity is a big swing and a miss on Eternal reward? Really? Is your dad that fuking insecure? Ooh, she didn't believe that I was all powerful! Screw her!

 

Treat the New Testament the same way you treat Deepak Chopra or any other self-help book. Take what good that you can, do what good that you can. End of story. If God ends up being such an insecure little douche that he values being praised more than good works, that's on him.

[LOD01 191]

Or the idea of if you cant explain it.....it MUST be the work of a god.

 

Its somewhat terrifying.

Another classic.

[vuduchile 1,941]

I must not be worldly enough then. My churchs services are no fire and brimstone.. screaming at the pulpit kind of stuff. Its a guy talking about passages in the bible and how they relate to our everyday problems... raising kids... money...frustrations at work...marriage issues...all sorts of topics and how to get theough them.

This is my experience as well.

 

Most of the people in my church dont beleive in bible inerrancy, so the Bible is more of a reference document than a rule book.

 

None of the congregation believes that god has control over every aspect of their lives. We are humans and we all make choices for ourselves. In fact, yesterdays sermon was exactly about that.

 

Its shameful what some of the mega churches and televangelists do in the name of god. No question its a scam.

 

As for the faith, I dont really have blind faith in anything. I just dont. So, I dont profess to know about an afterlife or any of that.

 

So I go there, play music, listen to the sermon, play some more music, help the needy, engage with my community and get some positivity in my life after being constantly surrounded by hate, violence, apathy and sadness.

 

As I said before, its like a going for a nice leisurely walk in the woods after riding the subway of life all week.

[Filthy Fernadez 2,696]

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/naples-archdiocese-rocked-by-scandal-drugs-gay-prostitution-blackmail

 

Male escort outs 40 ghey priests in Italy. Those are some ah spicey meat balls!

[WhiteWonder 2,172]

Most of you poor bastards, were forced into going to church and some of you Sunday school (CCD)

 

At what age did you smarten up and realize the scam religion was?

 

 

I was technically forced to go to CCD classes (never any sunday school). Feel like they were twice a month as I made my first communion, confession and finally confirmation at like 17 years old? I never went to church again after that aside from weddings and funerals.

 

I was also just going through the motions so as not to upset my mother. Afterall, being "confirmed" is all just fluff anyway.

[WhiteWonder 2,172]

Even if I was religious i doubt id go to church.

 

I can speak to God or pray anywhere I please. I don't need to be inside a church during a service being told when to stand and sit and kneel and chanting the same hymns with the crowd ....

 

and passing around the collection plate to fund legal fees for the priests.

[edjr 5,567]

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/naples-archdiocese-rocked-by-scandal-drugs-gay-prostitution-blackmail

 

Male escort outs 40 ghey priests in Italy. Those are some ah spicey meat balls!

 

[parrot 789]

Its amazing the venom some people have against a group of people who share a common belief and are living a peaceful existence.

 

 

Yeah, Lord know there's never any trouble around religion.

[dain11279 928]

 

Yeah, Lord know there's never any trouble around religion.

 

[edjr 5,567]

 

Yeah, Lord know there's never any trouble around religion.

 

a war has never been started because of religion

[Fumbleweed 426]

I don't say much about my faith here anymore. GC is mostly a place where faith/belief/spiritual experience is ridiculed. I know that. Been here almost 20 years.

 

Obviously, a lot of people follow Christ in this world and I am one of those. Not sure if I am religious as I don't know what that even means anymore, but I believe finding and being a part of a church is important/vital if you profess Christ. I know there are churches that engage in all sorts of stuff that discredits them, but like someone said, most churches aren't like that. The Bible calls for Christians to meet together and some of that is to encourage others more than to ascertain something for "me".

 

Bottom line: I know GC is mostly a faith-less bunch. I accept that and I like you guys anyway. But, for some of us, belief has grown stronger and stronger with time- not declined.

[WhiteWonder 2,172]

I love the classic response when they are confronted with any of the completely impossible stories. The canned answer is 'you just have to have faith'.

My favorite is when they credit god for miracles that happen but when catastrophes occur, all of the sudden god doesn't interfere.

 

Or the line "god doesn't make things happen, he makes them possible" or something like that

 

[cyclone24 1,814]

 

a war has never been started because of religion

This suspend your belief post brought to you by the same people who suspend their belief to think there is a scary hell somewhere and that you just float in the clouds if you're good.

[WhiteWonder 2,172]

Just for clarification, I have no issue with religion, churches, temples etc. I think anything that can bring people together is a positive. Church communities can be wonderful things.

 

I do have issues with preachy people and converters.

 

But those who simply share a common belief and have church picnics and basketball games. Good for them. It's all good stuff