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I was about 10, and my parents had a bunch of friends over partying. They all decided to go out to dinner at the best restaurant in town.
It was probably about 9 PM when we got there, and as we were wading through the carpet to a big table, we passed another big dinner party. It was Billy Graham and about 10 other people fawning over him, kinda like the last supper pictures.
Anyway my mother, an atheist, loudly proclaimed "Oh Jesus Christ", but then recanted and said "oh, it's only Billy Graham".
No one was struck by lightening, no booming voices, thus proof that there is no god.
LOL! Well at least no insecure cranky punishing god who is still engaged in human affairs at the level of detail that Graham's lot would believe. And I'm glad, because your mother was probably just a little bit in her cups by then and I suspect would not have bothered to intrude on Graham's tableau if she hadn't been. Of course, in any case, a Christian reading this is apt to take it as "proof" of the "hatred" your mother had for god [sigh].
Or maybe God just didn't think as much of Billy as the rest of you thought he did.
Well if god can speak from a donkey, he could use an atheist to humble one of his prime servants.
I have to say, I never did understand quite how Graham managed to cling to his PR backstory so well. Maybe it was just Hearst's famous "puff Graham" command to his newspaper minions back in his early sawdust trail days that got him going with a huge dose of faux legitimacy. It made him, in effect, a culture hero to the Christian subculture. Nice gig if you can get it.
If anyone knows that it was God that saved them from something...it
would be the person themselves...no one else need believe it.
But, there is a 'need' to not take credit for it and to give God His due when
friends ask," What the heck changed YOU all of a sudden!!!? Cause somethin happened!!"
well, what about the opposite, when Jesus brings out the worst in people?
My father was the biggest hypocrite in town. Forget the commandment about "Honor thy father and mother" I rewrote it to say "Honor thy father and mother unless they be abusive" If you look up "Hypocrite" in the encyclopedia, it will say "See also LargeKingCat's dad"
My mother was mentally ill, and religion aggravated her condition, perhaps even caused it! I only know when she was most involved in her church, she was at those times the most unpleasant and hateful person at home. I have only seen her in recent years become a loving person as she is no longer under the influence of fundamentalist religions.
She was not the only one. Many of her friends, people who used to frequent our home, those who served as prime examples of Christianity , who inspired me along the way to explore other religions, including atheism as an alternative, were hypocrites and hatemongers as well. I saw Religion do nothing positive for any of these people.
And Jesus as sure as the non-existant Hades has never done anything helpful for me as well. My progression out of a hateful family, out of bad religion, into education, into medicine, into wealth, was not due to Jesus, not in any way. It was due to hard work on my part. And continues to be that way unto this day. Atheism did nothing either, except to free my mind from the garbage of religions. Doubtful "god or the gods" had anything to do with that
well, what about the opposite, when Jesus brings out the worst in people?
My father was the biggest hypocrite in town. Forget the commandment about "Honor thy father and mother" I rewrote it to say "Honor thy father and mother unless they be abusive" If you look up "Hypocrite" in the encyclopedia, it will say "See also LargeKingCat's dad"
My mother was mentally ill, and religion aggravated her condition, perhaps even caused it! I only know when she was most involved in her church, she was at those times the most unpleasant and hateful person at home. I have only seen her in recent years become a loving person as she is no longer under the influence of fundamentalist religions.
She was not the only one. Many of her friends, people who used to frequent our home, those who served as prime examples of Christianity , who inspired me along the way to explore other religions, including atheism as an alternative, were hypocrites and hatemongers as well. I saw Religion do nothing positive for any of these people.
And Jesus as sure as the non-existant Hades has never done anything helpful for me as well. My progression out of a hateful family, out of bad religion, into education, into medicine, into wealth, was not due to Jesus, not in any way. It was due to hard work on my part. And continues to be that way unto this day. Atheism did nothing either, except to free my mind from the garbage of religions. Doubtful "god or the gods" had anything to do with that
Apparently I need to spread more around.
But good stuff. It's not easy to bare one's inner spirit.
I have personally known many people who exaggerate whatever bad past pre Christian lives they led so they look good in comparison and have a testimony story to trot out because it seems everyone HAS to have one. It's like one-upmanship sometimes too. Funny stuff. IE "I was the most hardcore (insert sin here) and badass mofo but look at me now!" No, you really weren't..
That's yields no proof God does not exist...God knew what was going to happen, therefore he found it beneath him to react to something that is clearly foolish like so.
Because I was convicted by the word of God. By reading the Bible.
Suddenly I lost all attraction to the fleshly desires. It happened after I confessed my sins while reading the Bible. It exposed who I really was.
Confessing your sins, even to thin air, is a way of owning them and taking responsibility for them. Sometimes all you need to make progress in life is a shift in focus and a belief that you can maintain that focus.
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