ZeromiserY Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I had 2 Jehovas witnesses at my door last week. This was, as far as I'm aware, the first time I'd met a jehovas witness. First off, I am antithiest: What is an ANTItheist? | The Rational Response Squad - (as they didn't know wtf I was talking about.) so they started off their sales pitch and we had an interesting conversation. Long story short I invited them in, they asked if I'd read the bible and I said yes, pointing over to my books with the bible sitting proudly at the top of a pile (only because it's the smallest in the pile). Coincidentally, right underneath it was "the athiests guide to Christmas" (which is hilarious) and beneath that was "the god delusion". They kept referring to me as athiest and I corrected them. The whole conversation was very civilised, they out their points across, I got mine in (edgeways). Anyhoo, they asked if they could come back next week and I'm looking for some topics for conversation. There is absolutely no way they will convert me but I genuinely enjoyed talking to them, they were nice people and I'm happy for them to try again if they want to. I find religion interesting but ridiculous at the same time. So the purpose of this thread really is (initially) to get topics for when they come back on Sunday and laterly to discuss religion, atheism, antithiesm etc. Also feel free to throw in things like ghosties, demons, angels, "mediums" (or cold reader's, Sally Morgan/John Edwards). Personally I think it's al hokum but if you disagree I'd like to hear why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Aye, but are ye a proddy antitheist or a caffy antitheist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundian Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 To be honest, I think you're just an atheist. An antitheist would be going round to their house telling them they were wrong, not the other way round. Some questions I'd like answered: If the whole world was covered in water after 40 days and 40 nights of rain (re:Noah), where did it all go after that? It's not in the earth, it's not in the sky, where is it? Maybe Satan wears scuba gear to work. That'll put his fires out. If they think the earth is only approx 6000 years old, why was it made to look like it's billions of years old? What's God playing at. Ooops, sorry, I forgot, the ways of God are ineffable, they are beyond the ken of mortal man. "I'm sorry Mr Geologist, you are wrong, but I can't tell you why because even though I have a cosy-cosy relationship with the Big Man even I don't know, and, even better, I can never know, cos he's that freakin' ineffable". If there is only one true God, why does he not smite the unbelievers? Why is he leaving all the hard work to the Jehovah's Witnesses when he is omnipotent? You'll have a hard job though, they've had 2000 years of otherwise intelligent people thinking up bullcrap answers to intelligent questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeromiserY Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I asked them if they believed the earth is 3000/4000 aprox years old. They said no, they believe it millions of years old? They seemed to bend a fair few of the rules to suit themselves actually, now that I think about it. I don't think an antithiest necessarily would do that, I mean I believe religion is harmful in general I think of I went around preaching my beliefs to everyone then I'd be a hypocrite. I hate those street preachers. I saw a guy reading from the bible and speaking into a megaphone, shit like that annoys me. We know of the bible, we're perfectly aware of your beliefs. We don't need you booming them around the area between Markies and GAP through an horrible sounding amplification device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
givemeasmile Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 If Jehovas come to your door and you're ont interested, just tell them. They don't take offence, in fact the last Jehovah I had at my door brought her daughter with her who was fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I am so going to hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FOX Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Threads like this ask for trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsby Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Threads like this ask for trouble.I agree. Discussion and free speech is dangerous. Shut it down mods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 If Jehovas come to your door and you're ont interested, just tell them. They don't take offence, in fact the last Jehovah I had at my door brought her daughter with her who was fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I am so going to hell.Mother/daughter threesome? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Chamber Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Mother/daughter threesome?Also known as the "sportsman's double". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Jack Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I asked them if they believed the earth is 3000/4000 aprox years old. They said no, they believe it millions of years old? They seemed to bend a fair few of the rules to suit themselves actually, now that I think about it. What rules? Not their own, as far as I know. JWs are not '6 day' creationists, are they? Where have you heard them say the earth is 4000 years old? From my admittedly porous memory and a quick google search the only figure they've really mentioned is 6,000 years which refers to the age of 'modern man' i.e. the 'civilised non-caveman' type. They're quite happy to accept that the age of the earth is nothing to do with the age of man.And they don't take the Bible as being infallible. They believe in progressive revelation, in which God continually and gradually reveals his will.I hate those street preachers. I saw a guy reading from the bible and speaking into a megaphone' date=' shit like that annoys me. We know of the bible, we're perfectly aware of your beliefs. We don't need you booming them around the area between Markies and GAP through an horrible sounding amplification device.[/quote']Do you get as angry about Chilean pan pipes? In other words, Is it the medium you object to, or the message?Sounds a bit like, "I don't mind what they do behind closed doors, as long as they don't ram it down my throat..."Maybe you're not an antitheist, maybe you're a theophobe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyEB Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 . I hate those street preachers. Are they manic? I used to love them back in the day, there's always room in my heart for those guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oxbow lake Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Why do we potray Christ like ourselves and they do in thon mag is it the bell tower or is that Plath? Anyway I.e. White dude with blonde beard??Also discuss rebirth I.e. Some religiong believe Buddha Jesus mohhammad and selassie are all the same rebirth. That ll take up a few hours and cups of tea insist they bring cake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 If the JWs had written The Bell Jar, this would be a whole different thread.For the record, I am a total atheist, and have been since before I knew of the term. I was asked to leave Sunday School when I was wee for asking inconvenient questions and stressing out the woman taking it. Out of the mouth of babes and all that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeromiserY Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 If Jehovas come to your door and you're ont interested, just tell them. They don't take offence, in fact the last Jehovah I had at my door brought her daughter with her who was fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I am so going to hell.I am interested though. Not in changing my ideals but I like to hear what people believe in. It kind of makes me sad considering how far we've come in the last 100 years that people still believe in "fairies and Jesus and Eskimos and all the other fictional characters" (homer j Simpson) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeromiserY Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 What rules? Not their own, as far as I know. JWs are not '6 day' creationists, are they? Where have you heard them say the earth is 4000 years old? From my admittedly porous memory and a quick google search the only figure they've really mentioned is 6,000 years which refers to the age of 'modern man' i.e. the 'civilised non-caveman' type. They're quite happy to accept that the age of the earth is nothing to do with the age of man.And they don't take the Bible as being infallible. They believe in progressive revelation, in which God continually and gradually reveals his will.Do you get as angry about Chilean pan pipes? In other words, Is it the medium you object to, or the message?Sounds a bit like, "I don't mind what they do behind closed doors, as long as they don't ram it down my throat..."Maybe you're not an antitheist, maybe you're a theophobe...From what I've read they do take most of the bible literally apart from the parts that are "obviously of poetic intent" which is pretty fucking convenient don't you think? As for being a theophobe, you can fear what doesn't exist. Well, you can but it's totally irrational. So no, I'm not a theophobe.As for the creationist part, I wasn't sure what their beliefs were as far as the 6 day creationism so thanks for clearing that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeromiserY Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltz Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I was raised Catholic, but now I don't really believe in anything. I'd like to, I envy the security and happiness it brings people. It must feel great.Guess I'm technically atheist, but I wouldn't call myself that as the majority of folks who use the term complain about religious people enforcing their beliefs on people while doing the exact same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundian Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Guess I'm technically atheist, but I wouldn't call myself that as the majority of folks who use the term complain about religious people enforcing their beliefs on people while doing the exact same. The difference though is that atheists do not "believe". An atheists view is formed from collecting facts and analysing them using rational thought and an absence of pre-formed opinions (well, that's the theory). An atheist will change their views as more evidence comes to light. Religious belief is entirely different. You are essentially allowing someone else to form your opinions for you, and these opinions are formed on other peoples opinions, not evidence, opinions. Personally, I prefer to be in control of my own thought processes. I certainly won't hand over my decision making to people who believe a book that preaches forgiveness and "an eye for an eye". Surely the two are mutually exclusive. There are so many inconsistencies and contradictions in the bible you could pretty much do anything you wanted by finding the right passage. If religion followed the mantra of Bill and Ted ("Be excellent to each other") then I wouldn't have a problem with it. Unfortunately most religions seem to modify that sentiment slightly to "Be excellent to each other, except that lot over there who believe something different, we need to deal with them". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Stu Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 JWs are more end-of-days people than creationists, tbh and they've been calling it wrong for decades now.it's not hard to reject these faiths based on basic principles.Mormons: No beer? Get fucked.JWs: No blood transfusion? How will I get my liver transplant then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Ask them what they thought of the films with Jesus in it?Jesus Does Earth: the Second cum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeromiserY Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Well done for getting a bill and ted quote in and keeping it on context. Excellent post. It's the whole vengeful, incestuous, bigoted, homophobic jealous yet omnipotent part I find hard to get my head around. Also if you ask most religious people, "are your parents religious?" they will say yes. It's just passed down brainwashery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 It's the whole vengeful, incestuous, bigoted, homophobic jealous yet omnipotent part I find hard to get my head around.Whats so hard to understand, do what they say and you'll be fine... otherwise your soul will burn for eternity in a pit of fire. Schooled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeromiserY Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltz Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I thought this was meant to be a debate? Inevitably it's just become a thread about making fun of people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Gold Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I don't believe in an interventionist God, but I know darling, that you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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