For 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?
Yes.-The phrase “God has a reason for everything.” Is something i hear a lot and take issue with.
-That said, it sounds like the person was pointing out that it’s worth practicing gratitude, but then they had to go and wrap that message up in religion, which automatically makes it a turn-off.
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.
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”.
It does mean literally health.
Thanks. I saw someone else say that, and then I used Apple Translate (what’s built into my computer) to translate it. I’m part German but I’m not from Germany and I don’t speak German. I know a couple dozen words, mostly thanks to Rammstein, but my father taught me gesundheit.
Funny thing about languages, and I’m not sure English really does this. You sneeze in Germany, people say “health,” but what they mean is, “to your health” or similar. In Japan, you might be called an “otaku”, which is sort of a badge of honour in the west, as it is taken to mean you are a fan of something and very knowledgeable on the subject. In Japanese, it just means “house” or “your house” — as in, you never leave it. If someone calls you “otaku” in Japanese, they’re saying you never leave your house, you’re a basement dweller, you need to touch grass, and so on. Sure, in the west you can be a “homebody,” someone who prefers to stay at home, but not a “home.” It’s also early, so while I know a couple dozen words in German and like 5 dozen words in Japanese, English is my first language and it may very well have similar terms, I’m just blanking right now.
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.
Its a hold over from the plague I think, plus general religiousnous in the past. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/14/why-do-we-say-bless-you-notes-queries
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.
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
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.
I just say ‘holy fuck’
does that count?
I assume most folks using that expression are not using it in a deep spiritual manner, so it probably does. Saying it also usually makes people feel at least a smidge better after venting those feelings, so you may inadvertently also be a little more blessed. 😇
yeah but when I say ‘blessed thee’ people look at me funny
I’m religious, and I say that too. I think you’re in the clear.
Thats a beautiful way to think about it
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.
Beyond being an obviously shitty (and annoying) thing to do, he’s not even right about his own theology; it’s been the position of the Catholic church for, at least, a century now that not only believers are saved.
So just Ls, all around, for that guy.
Gotah start thanking Satan just to level it out.
My aunt told me a story about how her mother had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. On the way to he hospital, she died in the ambulance, the paramedics revived her, got her to he hospital and she lived another 5 years. After my aunt told me that story, she immediately thanked God instead of the paramedics and other medical professionals who saved her mother’s life…
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 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.
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.
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Huh, you sound exactly like who I am talking about.
How many times have atheists rang your doorbell?
A lot more than religious people. Why do you ask? Are you stupid?
I’m annoyed anytime anyone religious says anything about god
My take is that it is all subjective, I feel like I busted ass, I feel like a god interviewed, I feel like it was my lucky socks. Without a study and metrics we can’t objectively measure reliably, but that would be overkill for every little thing. So we take our subjective shortcuts and move on. My advice would be focus on the sentiment, “that’s impressive, it’s good that hard work/gods intervention/lucky socks helped that outcome, because it seems so surreal otherwise.”. That or have the heart to heart and put in the effort to align if it’s important and they are important to you.
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
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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
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Its a philosophical crutch, putting your reason for living or being a decent person in the hands of an other entity is easier than taking that responsibility yourself.
I guess the emotion I feel when some theist is mouthing off or drawing irrational conclusions is pitty. I do try to not be judgmental, but its hard some days.
I will note however, that if that’s what it takes for someone to be a decent person, who am I to GAF :)
Yeah It’s a pretty funtional wheel, but how can WE do it better?
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.
EU generally are less religious as a whole except for some specific subregions (some of Spain, some of eastern Europe)
Ya, if you go to a lot places outside of large cities in north America you’ll find tons of towns that have as many churches as there are gas stations
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 just dont think about it. Im not interested in being the type of person who randomly rants about religion to the people around him. Those people are absolutely exhausting. They think people agree with them, but we’re really just ‘yessing’ them to death so they’ll shut up and stop making things so awkward and weird.
We gotta stop yessing
