tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52912413020249030.post7335000228022818205..comments2024-03-12T11:58:24.510+13:00Comments on Otagosh: Progressive Redneck PreacherGavin Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17965552923012880262noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52912413020249030.post-21053300630744498032015-02-24T05:41:28.626+13:002015-02-24T05:41:28.626+13:00There's one more problem with this: Atheists.
...There's one more problem with this: Atheists.<br /><br />Now I'm quite aware of a segment of "angry atheists" -- a newly minted breed from apocalypse abuse, who actually are more like the picture of the professor in "God's Not Dead" -- angry with God.<br /><br />The truth is though, abuse doesn't produce atheists. Oh, people may be prompted to start investigating religion and 'the god question' as a result of abuse, but the truth is that atheists simply don't see any reason to believe in God. They've studied the arguments, seen the science and have gone through the supposed 'proofs' of God and they simply don't find any reason to believe because no one has provided compelling evidence to support the Yaweh of the Bible (and, heaven help us, all those other even less reputable sources, such as the Koran).<br /><br />The picture isn't helped much by the latest scientific theories about cosmology wherein the Universe does seems to have existed forever (and it makes better sense and the mathematics work out better than the Big Bang). If the Universe has always existed (and, by implication, is infinite), there is no Great Creator of the Universe (which handily explains God's Throne, since He didn't have to create it?). At best, God could have been responsible for nudging the solar system into existence and shepherding evolution to produce what we see on earth today. It's no wonder that Stephen Hawking declared that the universe doesn't need God to have existed. Carl Sagan's statement, "The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be" looks more appealing than ever.<br /><br />So to claim "Many times, the end of this Bible abuse will be serious emotional and mental problems for the recipient of it, besides being marginalized and oppressed. Many, many times, this will lead an individual to give up on a life of faith altogether, turning toward atheism, agnosticism, or secular spiritualities" isn't the whole picture. If we could really find "Does God Exist", "Seven Proofs God Exists" and "The Proof of the Bible" to be viable, then the abused would not be able to turn to science and logic to support the idea that He doesn't.<br /><br />And maybe the atheists are better off to have escaped the mind controlling lying insane false prophet (and in some cases, convicted felon) cult leader -- at least he (or she) will live life more abundantly.<br /><br />If you have further doubts about this, may I recommend, "Why Faith Fails: The Christian Delusion" edited by John W. Loftus with a foreword by Dan Barker. It would be amusing to have believers refute the material point by point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52912413020249030.post-37521520438005173372015-02-23T15:30:24.259+13:002015-02-23T15:30:24.259+13:00I'm not sure I understand your point about add...I'm not sure I understand your point about addiction. Are you suggesting that addiction triggers do not exist?<br />Also, are you suggesting that we should expect converted Christians (those who have God's Holy Spirit) to be immune to the power of Satan or "his" servants to deceive them? Aren't many of the people portrayed in Scripture as having God's Holy Spirit presented as flawed individuals who were still capable of being deceived and deceiving others? (Jacob, Joseph, David, Peter, etc.) If a "true" Christian is incapable of being deceived, doesn't that make them infallible in matters of faith (I'm well aware that some folks believe that).<br />Finally, I've personally known a few Ambassador College graduates who have successfully extricated themselves from the WCOG brainwashing and have returned to sound reasoning (and would function very well in a "leadership" role within an open-minded congregation).Miller Jones/Lonnie C Hendrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02865316200703641028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52912413020249030.post-69450282132438478222015-02-23T05:48:37.362+13:002015-02-23T05:48:37.362+13:00"In Bible abuse, select texts, taken out of t..."In Bible abuse, select texts, taken out of their historical context, are quoted in order to "<br /><br />1) Self-aggrandize a cult leader;<br />2) Make lots of money for a cult leader;<br />3) Gain a bigger following by seducing those who already have the same perverse standards as the leader through capitalizing on their prejudices;<br />4) Maximize dopamine levels by bullying the weak.<br /><br />"I have known of people who turned toward drug or alcohol abuse to squelch the pain that Bible abuse has caused them."<br /><br />Well, no. Just no. Nice try. I suggest "Ending the Drug Addiction Pandemic: Discovering the Liberating Truth" by Dr. James R. Milam. It isn't abuse, it's biology catching up to the addict.<br /><br />Now then.<br /><br />Those of us familiar with the narcissistic abuse of the Cult of Herbert Armstrong Mafia who have had experiences in more healthy environments may have a much different perspective. Herbert Armstrong was a proponent of the Salem church idea that people are conceived spiritually at baptism and not "born of the Spirit" as the Apostle Paul made so clear in his writings about growing up and not being any longer children, to move on from the milk of the Word to the meat of the Word -- hardly something a fetus could do. The point is that those who have partaken of the Divine Nature -- as the theory goes -- are changed from the inside out. Thus, those who have accepted Jesus as their personal savior may find that people notice that they do not swear any more, just a few days from their "altar call". They stop drinking. They stop smoking. They change because they just aren't those sorts of people any more.<br /><br />And so it is... are we expected to believe that people thus transformed by the Holy Spirit are going to follow an unconverted cult leader? Are we not expecting that they as sheep in God's care know their Master's voice? If they encounter heretics attempting to wield power of Satan over them, are we not to expect that they will turn away from the cultmeisters? You know, II Timothy 3 (well, OK, it's a forged epistle, but it's still a good 'inspired' one!)<br /><br />Well no matter.<br /><br />It seems pretty clear to those of us who have watched the Ambassador College phenomenon over the <i>decades</i> that the said institution of lower cult high school indoctrination was a dysfunctional induction program, ruining the minds of the enrolled students to such an extent that absolutely no one who has been through the program should be trusted in any way to lead a church congregation of any sort because it was such a corrupting influence that the participants will never be able to grasp the (supposed) understanding of redemption and salvation. And in the end, they will be blind leaders leading the blind, no matter how benign or appealing they might seem. At very best they will be eccentric and just "off" (making them perfect subjects of blogs).<br /><br />Those oppressing and abusing others seriously need to ask themselves the question, "What's wrong with me?" and then take measures to change.<br /><br />"Life Code" Dr. Phil.<br /><br />"Take Back Your Life" Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com