Thursday, January 31, 2008

Too late for what?

This cartoon caught my eye because of all the drive by comments I have deleted in the past couple years of blogging telling me I must accept Jesus and god because the "end is near" and soon it will be "too late". I have also had this discussion with Christians in person:
"Too late for what?" I ask.
"Too late to repent!" they answer.
"What do I have to repent for?"
"Repent and ask forgiveness of your sins!"
"What sins do I need to be forgiven for?"
(pause while they think of a response)
"Only you and god knows what you need to be forgiven for, but you need to accept Jesus
Christ as your Lord and Savior."
"To save me from what?"
"Eternal damnation."
"Why would a god damn me eternally? I am a good and kind person."
"Because being good isn't enough. You have to say the magic words before it's too late!"
(they don't really say it that way, but it's what they mean.)

Many fundamentalists of various religions are so obsessed with an imagined end of times that they forget to live in the here and now and have an unnecessary pessimistic view of life and this world. There are those god-believing people who do try to help make the world a better place, but at the same time they are doing this they are preaching to people that this world is a bad place and that we all need to be "saved" from something. They say their god is good, but their Bible illustrates that this god is anything but good, and his wrath is only curtailed by killing someone...like his own earthly son. And all over a simple thing like humans using free will that they are given. This mythology is as bizarre as any other from the ancient past.


As this cartoon illustrates, fundies don't see how absolutely ridiculous they are when they go around preaching that the "end is near" using texts from an ancient books as their "evidence." Also, I think it is amusing when one religious group thinks they hold the "truth" while scoffing at another who believes something else when it is ALL equally absurd.

10 comments:

Tommykey said...

That reminds me, I hate when the History Channel has these programs about the Bible and prophecies about the anti-Christ and Armageddon. It deeply disturbs me that the History Channel provides validation for this kind of thinking. That, and the stupid UFO Hunters series they just started.

There will never be an anti-Christ and no extraterrestrials have ever been here ever!

Andrea said...

That's a good point, Tommy. We don't have cable and it's been a while since I've watched tv, but I do remember all those kinds of shows on that channel. The HC name does seem to give legitimacy to outrageous ideas that don't deserve it.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget the usual answer these morons give. "Since Adam ate that damn apple, we are all guilty of sin".

How friggin DUMB is that?
One guy bites an apple that supposedly he was not allowed to, and we all suffer? What kind of loving Gawd is that? And what kind of "loving" Gawd would put a friggin tree to tempt his creation. Also, what kind of "Gawd", since he is supposedly all knowing, yada yada yada, would do that in the first place even though "HE" knew it would happen.

Yikes, I just went off on a rant again. Anyway, lol, I totally agree with you, Stardust. Also with Tommy too about the damn History Channel, and even some of my favorite Science channels, going along with that gobblygook about the "end times".

People in the past thought the "end times" were coming too. Its a favorite thing for them.

I could go on..... lol

Great post, Starry

Stardust said...

Troll Jonathan,

Proseltyzing and telling me I am going to hell will only get your comments deleted. This is an atheist site. You are welcome to comment if you do not come here to preach. I have heard it all before and if you read anything on this blog you would know my valid reasons for rejecting religion.

I do not accept your mythology, or you imaginations of hell as real. It's your right to believe whatever crazy things you want. But to me, your god beliefs and your heaven and hell are figments of human imaginations just like in any other mythology. Your ideas of god, goddesses...and your evil wishes for my demise are in your own mind...and pretty sick ideas if you ask me.

Your "evidence" for the existence of your god and Jesus, etc is the same as the Hindus and their texts. You reject their's but accept yours as the real deal. They think your book is wrong. All of you Christians can't even come to a conclusion for a concrete interpretation of your mythology book. You spend your whole lives studying it. If you are so connected to god and so sure of your faith...it seems absurd you have to spend so much time trying to figure out the damn guidebook! THINK ABOUT IT!

Yes, I have told lies in the past, yes I have done some things I am not proud of, but generally yes...I am a good person. All religion does is to make you focus on the imperfections and the bad in people. We all make mistakes, we all tell those little lies or do little things we are regretful for later, but there are many of us who know that there is no sky daddy in control of billions and billions of people...past, present and future.
That idea is a human fantasy...but in no way reality. If there is some kind of "higher power" it is absolutely obvious he/she/it has no power or control over anything on earth. Evidence of that is shown with every war, every starving, sick, abused and dying child, person, old person. Evidence of that is shown in the terrible natural events that we have no control over and go god stops. Your beliefs may have been planted by family member, friend or some pastor, but you take the idea further and make this god idea yours, in your own image according to your own needs, wants and desires.

And it seems according to your comment that you have quite a vindictive nature to wish everlasting harm to someone you have never even met in person.

Do not bother to come back and comment. I don't want people like you commenting here.

Anonymous said...

Starry, you rule! lol

Seems if these Xtians can't win you with their "logic" (heavy accent on that one), then they always resort to the ole "you are going to burn in hell" speech.

Stardust said...

Greg, I am so sick of fundies and their sick fantasies of everlasting harm and torture of other human beings. This kind of thinking is dangerous because it gives them justification for venting their hatred and carrying out their fantasies.

They won't just go about peacefully believing what they do and leave the rest of us alone because the more they can manipulate, brainwash, scare others into believing their bullshit, the more real the bullshit seems to them. It's the "millions of people believe it so it must be true" lies they all tell themselves in order for them to keep believing.

And if they roast heathens in their own mind, they can mentally get rid of us so we won't be a threat to their imaginings, because deep down they know we are right.

Anonymous said...

Oh my lawd!
If you delete the troll's post, go ahead and delete this one too, Starry.

Just wanted to say that I think his "evidence" of there being a gawd because its in the bible just plain ludicrous!
Ya know what? Anne Rice made a book about vampires.... so they must exist too!
And I can't remember what the name of the book was, but there was a bunch of zombies eating people. so they must exist too!

And of course - I didn't miss that last part where he says that he doesn't wish you wrong, that it is that gawd person that is going to do it.

Lets entertain the idea that there is a gawd being. How the hell does the troll know what this gawd is going to do. I believe there is a part in that book he likes to read about not judging, right?

Stardust said...

greg, I had to delete jonathan's crapola. If there is any justice in this world it will save us from pompous asshats like him.

I like how tommykey uses the lion and the mice analogy at his blog. Imagine god being the lion and humans being the mice. If there was a such thing as a powerful god (a great lion) why would this god need dweebs like jonathan to run around like little mice as his messengers? Why would this god need a book that god believers themselves cannot figure out? Why would this god just not tell us himself?

And they seem to miss our point about things written in books. They overlook my point about the thousands of divisions within their own religion and yet they think they can know what is going to happen in the future, to strangers they don't even know.

Jonathan, I am not the slightest bit worried. Your religion is just another person's mythology.

Stardust said...

oh, and jonathan, if you are doing to read here, read EVERYTHING in a post and not just pick out parts. I wrote a dialog of conversations that I have had in the past. It was simply rhetorical. I was not asking any Xians any questions. I wrote a post for other atheists to relate to who have to endure the same crap from pious xians like yourself who have deluded themselves with magical thinking.

Spirula said...

It deeply disturbs me that the History Channel provides validation for this kind of thinking. That, and the stupid UFO Hunters series they just started.

I agree. But I'll forgive them as long as they keep running "The Universe" series.