Inadvertently, just one: my brother. I tend not to discuss my views with most family members. They're conservative Christians.

Me in neighbouring town earlier today walking past JW stand:

me - "Oh, you're here as well then..."

him - "would you care to take a look at this booklet?" - hands me booklet entitled What does the bible teach us.

me - "what does the bible teach us...not to wear mixed fabrics?" - seriously pissed off expressions materialise on the two female JWs faces.

me - "I'll take it and read it - haven't read a book in ages, I'm stuck on the net mostly these days. So you lot are here too, you're all over my home town like a rash."

him - "we don't really like that phrase."

me - "gota go, tara" - walk off.

Keep It Real wrote:Me in neighbouring town earlier today walking past JW stand:

me - "Oh, you're here as well then..."

him - "would you care to take a look at this booklet?" - hands me booklet entitled What does the bible teach us.

me - "what does the bible teach us...not to wear mixed fabrics?" - seriously pissed off expressions materialise on the two female JWs faces.

me - "I'll take it and read it - haven't read a book in ages, I'm stuck on the net mostly these days. So you lot are here too, you're all over my home town like a rash."

him - "we don't really like that phrase."

me - "gota go, tara" - walk off.

Well done. You're lucky. The JWs in my neck of the woods cannot be presumed to speak English. That this saves me a certain amount of wasted energy I can dump here is not lost on me.

Last JW that approached me was at pains to say that people are wrong to dismiss them for "not believing in Jesus" since they do actually believe in Jesus. She was a bit taken aback when I told her that I didn't.

I didn't realise it was a thing that they are rejected by other Christians for allegedly not taking Jesus seriously.

Now all they need to do is extend that not-taking-seriously thing to the rest of it.

zulumoose wrote:Last JW that approached me was at pains to say that people are wrong to dismiss them for "not believing in Jesus" since they do actually believe in Jesus. She was a bit taken aback when I told her that I didn't.

I didn't realise it was a thing that they are rejected by other Christians for allegedly not taking Jesus seriously.

It's similar how some protestants think catholicism isn't Christian.

Don't know about "convereted", but I have sown many doubts in the minds of atheists and agnostics.

Not here.

Wortfish wrote:Don't know about "convereted", but I have sown many doubts in the minds of atheists and agnostics.

I doubt that.

He didn’t specify what doubts. I suspect those doubts centered around whether he was a troll, Poe or just fucking stupid.

RS

hackenslash wrote:

Wortfish wrote:Don't know about "convereted", but I have sown many doubts in the minds of atheists and agnostics.

Have you, indeed? Do tell.

I'm not sure how many decons I have, but well inti the tens if dispatches are to be believed.

I think many atheists just don't want to believe in God. It helps simplify their lives and gives comfort to them, knowing that they are not answerable to a Higher Power.

*adds recrudescent arse-gravy to list of handy phrases*

Wortfish wrote:

hackenslash wrote:

Wortfish wrote:Don't know about "convereted", but I have sown many doubts in the minds of atheists and agnostics.

Have you, indeed? Do tell.

I'm not sure how many decons I have, but well inti the tens if dispatches are to be believed.

I think many atheists just don't want to believe in God. It helps simplify their lives and gives comfort to them, knowing that they are not answerable to a Higher Power.

I doubt that.

Thommo wrote:

Wortfish wrote:

hackenslash wrote:

Wortfish wrote:Don't know about "convereted", but I have sown many doubts in the minds of atheists and agnostics.

Have you, indeed? Do tell.

I'm not sure how many decons I have, but well inti the tens if dispatches are to be believed.

I think many atheists just don't want to believe in God. It helps simplify their lives and gives comfort to them, knowing that they are not answerable to a Higher Power.

I doubt that.

I have met many atheists who tell me that they find consolation in the fact that there is no Creator or higher purpose. It means they can live their lives without worrying about the consequences of their actions. Deep down they know there is a God, but they choose not to acknowledge him.

Conscience is not the sole preserve of theists. There's this thing called "empathy" - you might have heard of it. Also, belief is not a matter of choice, EVERYBODY believes that which they perceive to be the truth. No choice in it. In short is a load of old codswallop.

Wortfish wrote:I have met many atheists who tell me that they find consolation in the fact that there is no Creator or higher purpose.

I've posted on a few occasions about how I generally deplore accusations of lying on this forum. Mostly such accusations are aimed at people who persist in asserting things that are manifestly untrue, despite being shown why they're untrue, usually multiple times. Usually I think delusion and selective attention account for such determined evidence denial.

But you know what? With this assertion, I think you're lying. Or if you're not, you're staggeringly deluded about what atheists think. The atheists I know are mostly decent, moral people, who have found their own way to morality - without, I might add, this vile notion of vicarious atonement - and consequently need no such consolation.

It means they can live their lives without worrying about the consequences of their actions.

This is a horrible non sequitur. Even if the first assertion were true, which I bet it isn't, this in no way follows from it, and is in fact absolutely untrue.

Deep down they know there is a God, but they choose not to acknowledge him.

And with this, you are in fact, just making shit up consistent with your prejudices. It's revolting. Speaking as an ex-Christian, I'd say it ranks right up there with the most santimonious, hollow, vacuous, pious, hypocritical bullshit I ever heard from people that were incapable of knowing what they believed or thought unless they had it shoved down their gullet for them by the church.

Wortfish wrote:I have met many atheists who tell me that they find consolation in the fact that there is no Creator or higher purpose.

They're taking the piss, mate. Probably told you they eat babies, too.

Well, some of us do, anyway. Why not? It's not like there's a God who's going to punish me for it, so I can do whatever I want. My Lord Satan told me that.