this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2026
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[–] PapaStevesy@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Tbf, followers being illiterate, intellectually-lazy, misogynistic dumbasses is one of the biggest problems with modern Christianity, I think the ridicule is deserved.

[–] SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

All christianity, since always. It is founded on vague, contradictory bullshit that necessitates individual interpretation if one wants to pretend any of it is true.

[–] PapaStevesy@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Fair point! I guess I just wasn't around to witness the other versions, so I can't speak to them as confidently.

[–] SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today 1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I wasn't there, either. But have you read the bible? It was absolutely written by:

illiterate, intellectually-lazy, misogynistic dumbasses

First example I can think of: Snake told Eve to eat fruit. Eve relayed the info to Adam. Adam and Eve ate the fruit. Eve gets all the blame.

If an all-powerful god allowed this to happen, it's because he wanted it to. But he punished his creations for being the way he created them.

The bible exists to normalize abuse.

[–] PapaStevesy@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

I don't really disagree with anything except the claim that a book was written by illiterates lol

[–] ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world -2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

There's no way to force people to act right without also deleting free will, man. Of course God wanted to create at least one sandbox with free-willed intelligent beings in it. Only God knows why, but evidently we're all grateful for it whether we say it or not or else at least a majority of people would commit suicide. 😅

[–] SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

There's no way to force people to act right without also deleting free will, man

So god is not all-powerful?

Education is the way forward. People will act right when they realize it benefits everybody, when they realize we're all going to die if we don't improve our behavior.

I have been suicidal all my life. I was abused by my christian parents. Please stop defending death cults.

[–] ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm not Christian, as you can see by criticism of Roman Catholicism and offshoots here. And no, if God Himself wanted to make people he couldn't control, because He decided so, how would He? He can just remake a universe of actual sims if he wanted to.

And hey, you're not the only one who has had it hard because of Christians/so called religious people, I get it and I'm sorry. I'm not defending them here.

[–] SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm not Christian, as you can see by criticism of Roman Catholicism and offshoots here.

But you do believe in god? I am antitheist. Christianity is what I was personally abused by, but it could happen if we treat any god, any baseless claim as fact. People just make shit up and it causes problems.

if God Himself wanted to make people he couldn't control, because He decided so, how would He? He can just remake a universe of actual sims if he wanted to.

I don't believe in free will. Our brains are physical things. But if a god was all-powerful, they could do anything. Like, he could make people very similar to how we are (to make this example easier to imagine), but actually interact with them directly instead of being vague and absent. He could show us why he is worth worshipping, or confirm his existence to anyone with functioning senses, which he could guarantee we all have if he's all-powerful.

That is one of infinite examples, because all-powerful suggests he could do anything. Christians show a startling lack of imagination when they pretend that the world must be the way it is.

And hey, you're not the only one who has had it hard because of Christians/so called religious people, I get it and I'm sorry. I'm not defending them here.

Thank you. Others have it worse than I do. Many are dead and the number continues to rise. I think too many people have internalized the idea that everyone is entitled to their beliefs. We should all try to align our beliefs as closely with reality as we can.

[–] ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Not believing in free will shows an incompleteness in your ideology and holes in your understanding of reality. Just remember, those who shun their free will and say "they're just doing X" for any reason besides their own volition range from irresponsible and silly to actual monsters like concentration camp guards.

Even just saying "I don't believe in free will" is an acknowledgement of the possibilities and your own decision making, lol.

But that's for a different day in a different thread. 👍

[–] SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Even just saying "I don't believe in free will" is an acknowledgement of the possibilities and your own decision making, lol.

No, it's a choice I am making. But how does anyone choose anything? Not magic, not free will. Biology, chemistry, physics. My physical brain is reacting to the stimuli it has been exposed to.

Don't get me wrong, I am accountable for my choices. But there is no evidence to suggest free will exists.

But that's for a different day in a different thread. 👍

🤷 You make the same dangerous mistakes as christians do, accepting claims with no evidence because they comfort you. Be careful.

[–] ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Doesn't sound like you're making a choice then, and nobody actually has personhood and nobody can be accountable for anything because they're just robots acting on some unbendable OS and reacting to external stimuli. Idk man, that doesn't look like reality to me, it sounds like the product of getting lost in the sauce of a "pure reason" disconnected from reality itself.

But regardless, thanks for your civility and kindness. 👍

[–] SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You keep trying to pick one of two extremes when the truth is in the middle. We are biological machines. We make choices based on our beliefs and feelings. Everyone has personhood and is accountable for their choices, we share reality.

So while I do not believe in free will, I do believe it is worthwhile to consider our choices and their repercussions.

It can be difficult for me to be civil. I am deeply concerned about humanity harming itself by drifting away from reality. I am angry at my parents and people like them, people making selfish choices that harm others. They justify it by denying reason and distorting reality.

I have to consciously remind myself of a few things, like that my parents were wrong, and that rage, even when justified, is often counterproductive.

Thank you for your patience.

[–] ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Our capacities are limited by what we are and our circumstances, sure, but in all of that there's a little pocket of free will that can change enough. And in that little pocket is who we truly are. I'm glad we seem to see eye to eye about this. And hey, it's somewhat hard for me to be civil at times as well, I have my own issues hehe, but I think we did okay. 😅🫶

[–] SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today 1 points 3 weeks ago

Our capacities are limited by what we are and our circumstances, sure, but in all of that there's a little pocket of free will that can change enough. And in that little pocket is who we truly are.

A nice thought, though I remain unconvinced that free will exists. But I can agree that a person's choices say a lot about them. It's why I think it's so important for us all to align our beliefs as closely with reality as we can: our beliefs are one of the biggest factors in determining the choices we make.

Thank you for the chat. 🙂 Take care.

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

at least a majority of people would commit suicide.

Dafuq?

You're in a death-cult, champ.

[–] ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world -1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

"If the gift of life was a horrible experience most people would end their lives" has nothing to do with my or anyone's ideology???

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It's a stupid statement

Life isn't a gift, bestowed upon us

Your superstition may lead you to believe that, but that doesn't make it true

[–] ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

What is it then? Cause I didn't work for it, I cannot make anything from an atom to a hair to the universe I'm part of. It was given to us and it's a mostly enjoyable experience, more so for those rightly guided than not ofc. Knowing I can slip in the shower or choke on some peanuts and I could not do anything to bring myself back into existence, every day certainly feels like a gift, lol. What's the matter, is life so horrible for you you can't be grateful for what you've been given? Or are you just being sassy?

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

My life is absolutely fantastic

I'm extremely lucky, and I have an acute understanding of how short life is and how hard it can be

But it's not magical

I don't owe an invisible sky-daddy any thanks for a fucking thing

You're irritating, but I'll always take a second or two to tell you to fuck off

[–] ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

But, again, both the setting, your life and the circumstances that make you feel "extremely lucky" were out of your control and you could not recreate them. No one is saying it's "magical", except in the poetic sense I guess, it's just what it is: everything is a creation of the Creator, ourselves included ofc.

I think if you just reframed your understanding from "luck" (and expanded it to include the fact that you're alive to begin with) to "things I didn't and couldn't do for myself (and did not just deserve because I'm cute or whatever, lol) and I'm very happy I have", you can veer into "...happy I've been given" and then "... happy I've been given and grateful for it", and then you'd get why people feel grateful to God. It's not just "magical" and we're not delulu, it's just what it is and the resulting gratefulness from an appropriate understanding of things (and if God tells you to act right after getting all of this for free, you kinda sorta want to do it more as well 🤷‍♂️).

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm blocking you

You're stupid, and irritating

Oh certainly, I was just being a bit of a 🤓, lol.