• Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    So when corrupt preachers rake in tens to hundreds of millions it’s tax-exempt because it’s not a business, but when a pastor actually cares for the needy like their book says to, that’s a crime because it IS a business?

    Fuck that worst of both worlds nonsense! 🤬

    • doingless@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I work in a religious nonprofit that hosts a bunch of community service orgs including two churches, a teen volunteerism org, a food ministry that distributed 10 mil pounds of food thru the pandemic, a music nonprofit, an acting/drama nonprofit and more. We’ve been getting our ass ridden so hard by local zoning and fire stuff. About to drop $20k plus on a compliant oven hood for a simple oven like you have in you kitchen. I took a cut in pay last year because of this bullshit.

    • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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      10 months ago

      but when a pastor actually cares for the needy like their book says to

      I love it when people pretend to know what “the book” says better than Christians (or anyone else for that matter).

      The book is a bunch of non-sensical, contradictory fairy tales written and rewritten by a million dudes, a thousand times over, to manipulate others.

      • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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        10 months ago

        As a REAL atheist, I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you to sit down and shut up. You’re embarrassing us.

        To everyone else: I offer an apology. Real atheism isn’t about angsty childish complaints and smug insults. Nor is it about becoming the very thing you claim to hate- a judgmental arrogant asshole.

        Actual atheism is simply the decision to not believe in any deities. Live and let live.

        • nixcamic@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Honestly the r/atheism type angry mocking atheists sure seem to have an axe to grind with someone they say doesn’t exist.

          Like, most people aren’t going into religion with ill intentions, and god doesn’t exist, who you mad at bro?

          • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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            10 months ago

            Not mad at anyone. Just thought I’d offer up an explanation to those that think all atheists are angsty teenagers that do nothing outside of spewing contempt and insults at people. You see, I don’t like it when people go out of their way to make my personal beliefs and choices look bad.

            I think everyone should be doing this instead of remaining silent and allowing the minority of a thing to dictate its public perception.

            Like how I believe that the majority of Christians are good people. They just don’t stand up against the ones that aren’t.

        • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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          10 months ago

          Hahaha this is the best example I’ve seen of the “no true Scotsman” in my life. I never claimed to be (what you consider to be) a real atheist. Matter of fact, I didn’t mention atheism at all.

          Even your statement is full of contradictions. “Live and let live” unless you’re this guy spreading facts, then sit down and shut up.

          And “atheism is simply the decision to not believe in any deities” unless you’re this guy spreading facts, then you’re “not a real atheist”.

          You’re a walking logical fallacy my dude.

          • thedevisinthedetails@programming.dev
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            10 months ago

            You got confused. You’re an anti-theist as in against theism. Atheism simply means without theism. Anyways happy I could clear that up for you. Try to be nicer in the future.

            • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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              10 months ago

              You’re an anti-theist as in against theism. Atheism simply means without theism.

              You got confused. Atheist and anti-theist are not mutually exclusive positions.

              According to your own statement, an anti-theist is an atheist.

              Glad I could clear that up for you.

              • thedevisinthedetails@programming.dev
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                10 months ago

                Brilliant deduction. I’m sure you’re very smart. One day you might learn that being smart and being correct are not mutually inclusive.

                • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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                  10 months ago

                  LOL you just keep coming back with your shovel over and over.

                  One day you might learn that being smart and being correct are not mutually inclusive.

                  Nor are they mutually exclusive. But once again, as I just explained, you can (and I am, in this case) be both.

                  • stephen01king@lemmy.zip
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                    10 months ago

                    You sound like the perfect mutually exclusive example, though. Talking with you is also just as intolerable as talking to a religious nut.

          • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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            10 months ago

            You poor angry little child. There are plenty true atheists. You’re just not among them.

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        The book is a bunch of non-sensical, contradictory fairy tales written and rewritten by a million dudes, a thousand times over, to manipulate others.

        True, but one of the few things it isn’t unclear or downright self-contradictory about is that the main dude said to help the poor and otherwise marginalised people.

        I love it when people pretend to know what “the book” says better than Christians

        As an atheist who’s actually read the damn thing rather than just gotten the perspectives of conservative preachers and politicians, I’m not pretending. I do in fact know better than some so-called Christians what their stupid book says.

        I also follow the more empathetic parts of it better than anyone on the “Christian Right”

          • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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            10 months ago

            I’m glad you brought this up. I don’t know if he stuttered. Never met the guy. But according to The Bible, he did say:

            If a man also lie with mankind as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death.

            • Leviticus 20:13

            And:

            You shall have no other Gods before me

            • Exodus 20:3

            Now we can go back and forth about what all of that means and historical context and all of that and I would argue that that would be arguing my point, precisely. None of us are born with innate knowledge of “God’s word” and God doesn’t come down here to clarify what he means about anything. So everybody interprets it to mean whatever they want it to mean (that’s you). And who are you tell absolutely anyone else that their interpretation is wrong?

        • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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          10 months ago

          True, but one of the few things it isn’t unclear or downright self-contradictory about is that the main dude said to help the poor and otherwise marginalised people.

          Absolutely not true. “The main dude” did all kinds of fucking heinous shit, up to and including genocide of the entire human race.

          As an atheist who’s actually read the damn thing rather than just gotten the perspectives of conservative preachers and politicians, I’m not pretending.

          It doesn’t matter if you’ve “actually read the damn thing” because as I’ve already explained, it doesn’t make any fucking sense and has no principles.

          You can do what Christians do and cherry-pick passages that affirm your current beliefs, or what you want to believe, but then you’re using the same flawed logic they are where you ignore giant swaths of contradictory statements.

          • stephen01king@lemmy.zip
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            10 months ago

            Show us all the verses that contradict the help the poor message, then, since you’re so smart.

            • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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              10 months ago

              I already have. Do you consider genocide of the entire human race “helping the poor”?

              • stephen01king@lemmy.zip
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                10 months ago

                What does genocide have to do with contradicting the message of helping the poor? Explain your whole thought process and logic.

      • BorgDrone@lemmy.one
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        10 months ago

        I love it when people pretend to know what “the book” says better than Christians (or anyone else for that matter).

        There’s no pretending. Most christians have never actually read it, and a lot of atheists are atheists exactly because they have.

        • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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          10 months ago

          It doesn’t matter if you’ve actually read it or not because it doesn’t make any fucking sense.

          • problematicPanther@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            even if you just take the overarching themes of it without looking too much into detail about it, you have one deity saying to commit genocide, then later on the same deity (purportedly) says to not be violent, turn the other cheek, yadda yadda. then a few pages later you get some rando coming in and writing fanfic about the deity’s son that he never met and somehow changes most of the fledgling religion.