How Christians Pretend They're Being Picked On

[@SteveSkiano]

To a non-Christian, evangelism feels just as creepy and annoying as MLM marketing.

[@IanM-id8or]

They're pretty much identical. They are both cults

[@EmoBearRights]

There's a great video about Mormons and MLMs.

[@EdwardHowton]

Pyramid schemes, including the ones who hide behind the transparent "multi-level marketing" disguise that somehow passes legal muster, are modeled after cults. The more successful ones _become_ cults. You're comparing apples to apples.

[@masqueraid988]

​​@IanM-id8or they don't fall under cult, though they use similar practices. Though Cristiananity has been used as a base for many. The only thing stopping them is that they are big enough not to be considered one. Funny how the difference between a cult and a religion is size and how many people think your actions are sinister.

[@z.s.7992]

So true dude. Never thought about it that way. Especyally how there are prosperity preachers

[@blade_warrior_blue]

I was on my way to my wife's funeral and some street preacher gets on the subway and starts screaming. He noticed me getting annoyed by him and walked over to me and started screaming in my face about how God gives me everything and how I'm an ungrateful POS. Took everything in my not to really snap.

[@catvoncrimson666]

Geez.

[@ibrahimalharbi3358]

It must be hard not to respond right away. You're doing a great job staying composed. If you want to tease Preachers, told them you are a new Muslim! Cause Islam as faith is "Supremacy" "Whoever chooses to be guided, it is only for their own good. And whoever chooses to stray, it is only to their own loss. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. And We would never punish ˹a people˺ until We have sent a messenger ˹to warn them˺. I got into an argument with many preachers.They like robots programmed to repeat what they want to be true. If you get deep with them 90% of Preachers never have read the whole Bible! At the end, they would say faith doesn't make sense just get in! WHAT! Be free from stupidity. Goo luck!

[@catvoncrimson666]

I can assure you that you were a total badass at that moment not saying anything. Sometimes Somethings can be overcome with nothing. If anything you sure showed that preacher how much willpower you got!

[@I_suck-_-so_what]

Sorry for your loss. I can't imagine losing my wife. I wish you the best. Stay strong.

[@rembrandt972ify]

Tell him, "I'm not interested in your evil blood cult."

[@markvetter4711]

Wonder how he would react to an evangelical atheist. “Hi I see you are wearing a cross pendant, can I take a moment to tell you about atheism?”

[@vex1669]

"I bring you good news! God (probably) isn't real!"

[@francesconicoletti2547]

The Aron-ites preaching one side of the street the Dawkins-ites on the other with strict protocols to avoid conflicts.

[@cobra8888]

@@francesconicoletti2547And the Hitchen-ites? Don’t they do the work by applying the razor?

[@TheHookahSmokingCaterpillar]

​@@cobra8888Christopher Hitchins is a myth originally put about by a Brother of the Hitchins called Peter to try and make himself look good, which attracted lots of apocryphal stories which were turned into AI videos and alleged written works. Honest!

[@Mikewee777]

​@@TheHookahSmokingCaterpillar he was real. I saw a bald guy somewhere who tried to identify as a hair color !

[@OscarSommerbo]

When you are used to being privileged, any loss of privilege feels like oppression.

[@johndemeritt3460]

Permit me to put this in a different perspective: when you're in a position of privilege, anything that grants other, less privileged people more privilege -- even if it doesn't affect the privileges you actually enjoy -- feels like a loss of privilege. That's why voting rights, police treatment and women's rights are still so contested today. And, by the way, I was born in 1957, between Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama and President Johnson's key legislative initiatives in the mid-1960s.

[@G-manFan1]

30:04

[@RockyMountainsUSA]

@@johndemeritt3460 "even if it doesn't affect the privileges you actually enjoy -- feels like a loss of privilege" I disagree John but I also have my own issue with this quote from Oscar, I feel it's just not true. Some people hate other groups so much they would indeed suffer along with them rather than give that disadvantaged group anything that would improve their lives or just hate it when a disadvantaged group gets anything. I am not like this and know many people who feel the same. Many people are more than happy to share the rights they have with others and expect nothing in return.

[@suicune2001]

@@RockyMountainsUSA I agree with John's statement. For example, women's rights. Theoretically, women being granted rights didn't take away rights from men but it actually did and that's why abusive men fought against it. Because NOT being able to SA or beat their wife to them was a LOSS in a right they felt they had. Other people being given rights is always a loss in the right for the privileged to abuse them. Another example is forcing religion in certain spaces, like prayer in schools. If they want to allow ALL kinds of prayer....well.....The Satanic Temple is an officially recognized religion by the federal government. Therefore, if you want prayer in schools then you HAVE to allow prayer to Satan. SUDDENLY, praying in school isn't such a good idea anymore when other people want to have the same rights as the privileged.

[@Scarletpooky]

I think there's also a little of this. “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” Lyndon B. Johnson Some people like having someone below them in the social order to make themselves feel better about their place. Even if there are many people above them they will still be content as long as someone is below. Raise that lower person equal with them and they no longer have someone to feel superior to, and that loss can hurt their ego. It doesn't just count for racial minorities and white people, but anyone who used to be looked down on. Yes, the poor white guy can say "at least I'm not white", but they can also say "at least I'm not gay, trans, muslim, female, etc". Likewise any discriminated minority can say "well at least I'm not this other minority".

[@CodeNameX001]

If someone stopped you on the road and said, "Don't go down that street, the bridge is out. They didn't put up any signs about it. Be careful." That's a legitimate warning made out out of care for the well being of a stranger. If someone stopped you on the road and said, "Your religion is wrong. You need to change to my religion if you don't want to be tortured in a burning pit of torment for all eternity. Be careful." That's a threat.

[@jaflenbond7854]

The TRUE and SOVEREIGN GOD The CREATOR who is being dishonored and insulted by Atheists, Christians, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions as unworthy and undeserving to be honored and respected as the True and Sovereign GOD KNOWS that thousands of years ago, Jesus Christ was hated, insulted, falsely accused, tortured, and murdered by arrogant, cruel, merciless, and hateful persons who were violently opposed and against his authority and teachings about the "Kingdom of God" and "Resurrection of the Dead" ATHEISM and RELIGIONS versus the KING of the "KINGDOM of GOD" Atheists, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, SDAs, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Born Again Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions who are also violently opposed and against the authority and teachings of Jesus Christ about the "Kingdom of God" and "Resurrection of the Dead" exactly like the arrogant, cruel, merciless, and hateful persons who insulted, tortured and murdered Jesus Christ thousands of years ago are obviously the modern-day "arrogant, cruel, merciless, and hateful murderers" of Jesus Christ who are not bothered at all and just don't care even if their Satanic arrogance, hatred, wickedness, cruelties, hypocrisies, lies, deceits, and false teachings about "hellfire", "afterlife", "Armageddon", "rapture", "Trinity", "immortality of the souls", and "reincarnation" hurt, offend, insult, and degrade the lives and dignities of all human beings including that of their of own families and neighbors and cause their humiliations, degradations, sufferings, griefs, sickness, and DEATHS. The KING of the "KINGDOM of GOD" versus ATHEISTS and CHRISTIANS, and ALL RELIGIONS The "KINGDOM of GOD" is the Creator's Rulership through Jesus Christ that will stop and put an end to all the Satanic hatred, arrogance, cruelties, hypocrisies, wickedness, lies, deceits, and falsehoods of Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and fanatics of Religions and ensures planet Earth is without arrogant, cruel, merciless, and hateful persons, without liars, slanderers, deceivers, traitors, and murderers and safe, secure, and peaceful for all lowly, ordinary, kind, and respectful Followers of Jesus Christ who will definitely be honored and rewarded by the Creator with ETERNAL LIFE and existence on earth without sufferings, pains, griefs, sickness, and death. The "RESURRECTION of the DEAD" is the Creator's guarantee that all lowly, ordinary, kind, and respectful persons on earth who died recently and thousands of years ago like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Job, Ruth, Naomi, King David, Daniel, Jesus Christ's Followers and disciples, and many others will all be RESURRECTED back to life in the right and proper time so they can happily, abundantly, and peacefully live and exist on earth forever as subjects and citizens of the "KINGDOM of GOD" and fully enjoy the eternal love, kindness, goodness, generosities, compassions, favors, and blessings of the Creator and his Christ for eternity under the loving and kind rulership, guidance, and protection of Jesus Christ as the Creator's Chosen King and Ruler of the heavens and the earth.

[@stylesrj]

From what I've heard, the religious folks would stop your car then immediately push you out of the driver's seat and drive you away from a bridge that they believe is out and immediately drive your car into a spike strip. Then demand payment for their services of saving you.

[@winterunterseher8937]

Even worse so if the danger is completely false or nonexistent in the first place, then it's just creating a problem in order to give a solution.

[@Thedead_treeguy]

Always the christians

[@brigidwell]

“That’s a nice looking soul you got there - be a shame to see something happen to it…”

[@1971JamesHill]

I have a ridiculous mental picture of physicists on the street or going door to door, "Do you have a moment to talk about the Everett-Wheeler Hypothesis"?

[@rembrandt972ify]

You know there are 'many worlds' out there that that happens every day. 😛

[@larryscarr3897]

Yes sir, I have as long as it may take, please go on.

[@Nocturnalux]

I would actually not mind that!

[@Specialeffecks]

Neal with me...Have you heard the word of Einstein? Now Genuflect and do the sign of E=Mc2.

[@jeffwatkins352]

Thank you for that! It gave me a genuine gut laff. Conjured images of Oppenheimer and Feinman in periwigs having a duel with flintlock pistols!

[@andrewede7154]

One part of street preaching or door knocking is to be rejected and have a thousand doors slammed in your face. This strengthens the in-group feeling.

[@stormthrush37]

That's actually a great point! Never thought about that side effect before.

[@mikehart5619]

Exactly. When I was a fundamentalist Christian, witnessing to friends and to total strangers was expected of us just like reading the bible and praying daily or more or attending church whenever the doors were open. I don't remember ever having anyone convert as a result of my evangelizing but when the team would meet back up after an evening of witnessing the in-group bonding was intense. That may well have been the whole point of the activity.

[@G-manFan1]

30:04

[@mgrzx3367]

My city made it illegal to solicit door to door. No more JW's door knocking.

[@rebeccaippolito912]

Yes!!! They SEEK their own victimhood.. lol kinda like the guy who THINKS he is going to get back into the white house and be our "American Putin"

[@Scarletpooky]

One word I've recently seen used and love is "martyrbaiting". When someone says something they know will infuriate, often by going into other people's online spaces, doing so deliberately in order to generate heated replies so that they can then complain that they are being picked on.

[@thedarknessthatcomesbefore4279]

Great word... thanks I will use it.

[@killakanzgaming]

Oh I'm so going to use this word from now on... I'll admit I do this from time to time. One of my favorite things is doing an online stick-poking at a theist until they start quoting bible verses then reply with Lord of the Rings quotes. There are some very deep, bible-esque quotes in that book...

[@evangelicalsnever-lie9792]

Short circuit them with stuff like: The bible story starts out with Adam and Eve. How did they all get fruity and multiply without sex with the only female, Eve, their 'mommy.' There was copious incest with any female children in the cringe Adam and Eve story as well then, correct? So we agree the bible story is based on a deeply incestuous and pedophilic family, correct? And you want us to believe in these founding core principals in the story of Christianity from its Abrahamic roots are the 100% perfectly accurate truth, correct? Isn't it suspicious that this presuppositional, so-called god you would have us believe in, can't do any better than deep incest and pedophilia?

[@ComicXanz]

New dictionary entry would be awesome

[@Seydaschu]

I feel like this is a similar motivation for... a certain video game consultancy company I don't want to name, but making news in the video game journalism space. I'm certain they're intending to offend because having enemies makes them feel like the main character.

[@glenbateman5960]

Resisting the Christian urge to force me to obey their religion by converting their dogma into enforceable secular law is not an act of persecution. It is an act of freedom. My freedom from religion does not persecute you. On a related note, self-described Christians are the ONLY people who have ever tried to convert me. No Muslim or Jew that I have ever known has tried to convert me, and I've known many in my 63 years. They never come knocking on my door to "share the Good News" of Allah or Yaweh. No Hindu, no Buddist, no Rastafarian, just Christians. Everyone else is content to leave me tf alone. I don't think it's rude to ask why.

[@Scanner9631]

They claim God gave you free will. So they try to create laws that punish you for exercising it. God gives and they take away?

[@missypead2293]

My freedom of woke and gender ideology. Should not presecrute you.

[@Scanner9631]

@@missypead2293 Woke = The Good Samaritan.

[@NightmareRex6]

@@Scanner9631 as within so without, live and """"unlice"""" (roll a "dice) (stupid TY vensorship) but if can understand God gives, and god Takes what it gives...... dont we call that an "indian giver" (if were even allowed to say in the reeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-- uuuurrd age!) (another word i had to censor!)

[@kiltedcripple]

​@@missypead2293you wanna try that word again pumpkin? You can edit, I won't tell 😉

[@canwelook]

I've yet to experience even one evangelist willing to openly and unbiasedly consider my viewpoint. Yet they invariably expect me to do this with theirs.

[@IanM-id8or]

Oh, no. They don't want you to openly and unbiasedly examine their viewpoint. That's the last thing they want If you do that, you won't swallow it. They just want you to swallow their bullshit whole and ignore all it's flaws

[@valivali8104]

They don’t want you to openly and unbiasedly *consider* their viewpoint, they want you to believe same things in same way as them blindly, without questions.

[@canwelook]

@Bible-Christian lol. I'll pay that one.

[@evangelicalsnever-lie9792]

​@Bible-Christian This: *Question:* Does the omnicient, omnipotent, omnipresent, immutable god, that you would have us believe in... ...who we're to believe has a predetermined plan, fully known by him… ...does he *_…know,_* who will absolutely, without reservation, or having to change the future it *_first_* thought was true, to become a wrong/false different/changed future from what the god *_first_* totally, thought and believed was reality and truth, before creating each person, and the god gets caught by surprise, with the person ending up _not_ going where the god thought they would go, _before_ creating each person? Does the god know who is predetermined by its supposed ability to know _all things,_ ...precisely which person created, _before_ even creating them, will go to the religion's promised, supposed "heaven"... ...and who will absolutely no exception whatsoever, go to the religion's threatened "hell"... ...as their _'Final Destinations'... *_...before_* the proposed god creates each person?

[@evangelicalsnever-lie9792]

​@Bible-Christian This: *Question:* Does the omnicient, omnipotent, omnipresent, immutable god, that you would have us believe in... ...who we're to believe has a predetermined plan, fully known by him… ...does he *_…know,_* who will absolutely, without reservation... ...or having to change the future that it *_first_* thought was true... ...to become a wrong/false different/changed future... ...from the future the god had predetermined and *_first_* totally thought and believed was reality and truth... ...before creating each person, and the does the god ever get caught by surprise, with the person ending up _not_ going where the god thought first they would go, _before_ creating each person? Does the god know who is predetermined by its supposed ability to know _all things,_ ...precisely which person created, _before_ even creating them, will go to the religion's promised, supposed "heaven"... ...and who will absolutely no exception whatsoever, go to the religion's threatened "hell"... ...as their _'Final Destinations'... *_...before_* the proposed god creates each person?

[@ethankiter9323]

To me this subject is like an abusive parent being thrown in a nursing home and wondering why their children don't want to talk to or visit them.

[@rhondah1587]

I try to remind young parents that those children they have are precious and need to be loved, not abused and when the parents are elderly, it is those children that will be their caretakers who will have the ability to either return that loving care or possibly render back the abuse they received growing up. All parents need to keep that in mind.

[@missypead2293]

Stop confusing, children and grooming them with wok gender theology. Telling me to lie of delusional BS the little Timmy can be girl.

[@madtabby66]

This is why I could never work in a seniors home. And why I never want to live in one.

[@shassett79]

I mean, it's also entirely possible that a door-to-door salesman genuinely believes the thing they're selling will improve your life, but it's still annoying when they ring the doorbell.

[@francesconicoletti2547]

Hard Sells are annoying. Visiting countries where sales people within the store try to sell me the merchandise just made me want to leave the store. Having that happen in my house would have left me feeling cornered and angry. Doing that to sell me on religion would be the last straw as there isn’t actually a product.

[@utes5532]

​@@francesconicoletti2547I hate pushy customer service in general. Just let me look at the products, miss, I'll come find you if I need something from you

[@HungryWarden]

@Bible-Christianwhy do you make your entire personality about your religion? It may not be destroying you but it’s certainly destroying your reputation.

[@HungryWarden]

@Bible-Christian why would you make your username “Bible-Christian”?

[@AtheismPoisonsEverything]

I hate to break the hearts of pdf file atheists, but men cannot menstruate and they cannot give birth

[@Dragonmoon98]

I remember the two Mormons who started evangelizing to me on the street on my way to get groceries. The only thing that got them to leave me alone was, I'm not joking, when my autistic brain fried, and my responses devolved into nervous grunts and choking.

[@flattplanet]

Tell them you left the Mormon Church. They'll be gone ASAP.

[@billiwickey]

I'm so sorry you had to be overwhelmed by strangers on the street. I know how difficult "everyday" activities can be for people who are neurodivergent. It's taken me years to be able to not just run the other direction then hide in my bedroom for a week when I got overwhelmed by people in public spaces.

[@donnyh3497]

I just say that I don't believe in fairytales and only fools believe in souls. For some reason they don't want to talk to me after that.

[@l0rf]

I am so damn sorry for that, I know what a shutdown feels like.

[@IanM-id8or]

Some decades ago, a couple of Mormons baled me up while I was walking the dog. They actually said they only wanted to talk with people who wanted to talk with them - while I was very obviously not wanting to talk with them. If it happened now, I'd just say, "Have you read the CES letter? Maybe you should"

[@karenlankford8558]

When a Jehovah's witness comes to our door, my husband makes them look at paint samples.

[@rebeccaippolito912]

Lol... did they help you choose the right color??

[@hackman669]

So what colors do Jahovas like anyway. 🤔🎾

[@Ergeniz]

@@hackman669Green, or at least the watchtower elders do.

[@PeteOtton]

How does he manage this? Or are they just that eager to try and make conversions?

[@TheSapphireSprit]

Great idea! Better than my Grandpas shot gun he kept by the door.

[@francoisbroukx1244]

True story: I'm an European, I am in a public transport with other passengers; suddenly, a guy standing next to me starts talking loudly proclaiming he brings the word of God. We are in Belgium, one of the rules in public transportation: you keep your voice down to not annoy the people around you; as a child I was taught there are two topics you avoid in public: politics and religion, so when someone asked him to keep his voice down, he started protesting it was his "right" to express himself. He is free to think whatever he wants, and so am I, I don't appreciate someone imposing me "his" thoughts and I don't feel the need to be saved.

[@sbushido5547]

People who do that on trains/subways are the worst. A captive audience that literally has no choice but to either listen to them, or escalate the situation...

[@stylesrj]

Here in Australia, I've heard a few preachers but I mostly see homeless folks preaching about how rough their life is and asking for donations while on the train. Most of us just ignore them as I haven't seen anyone get up and tell them to go away.

[@BriarLeaf00]

​@@stylesrj Can't exactly tell them to shut up and go home can you.

[@evangelicalsnever-lie9792]

They are frighteningky insane.

[@joeandorian7719]

​@@BriarLeaf00 you can stand right next to them and loudly sing The Trolley Song. I mean everyone is already bothered, and at least they will get a laugh.

[@kerianhalcon3557]

I can not remember when it was, but years ago an atheist from Australia was tired of mormons bothering him at home so he went with a film crew and started knocking on doors in Salt Lake. The doors that were slammed in his face was so telling, yeah please stop doing the same thing to us, we don't want to hear your nonsense.

[@stormthrush37]

A central problem in dealing with many Christians is their redefining words and language to deceptive and manipulative ends. For example, in this video. "Dialogue" isn't really dialogue if one person's coming into the conversation with a secret close-minded goal of converting the other person. That's witnessing or preaching, not dialogue, which is two way communication. I've flat out had a pastor tell me a specific tactic to use to this effect. Saying he wanted to "find truth together" in talking to someone he was going to try to convert, when his mind was already made up about what he thought was true and wasn't open to changing his mind. That's despicable and deceptive at best, flat out wicked at worst, and where a lot of Christians correctly earn a bad reputation. "Lying for the Lord" as I've heard it called.

[@madelinemardigan3386]

Literally everything you claim is what Muslims and blacks do daily

[@Seydaschu]

My least favorite redefinition: "God" meaning "my God, Jehovah". For example, calling believers of other faiths "Godless", or not noticing why "Pascal's Wager" is a false dichotomy. Or thinking founding fathers' usage of the word "God" must be in a Christian sense.

[@PeteOtton]

@@SeydaschuDidn't even Homer Simpson (okay the smart smartass writers) notice a problem with Pascal's wager, namely what if you spend all this time worshiping the wrong god and they just get mad you for it?

[@andrewferg8737]

"redefining words and language to deceptive and manipulative ends" --- Like Spaghetti Monster = "God" ???

[@Seydaschu]

@@andrewferg8737 ...Mate, are you doing exactly the problem I was describing? Are you offended that the word God can refer to things that aren't Jehovah YHVH God of the Hebrews? I understand why a monotheist may be confused, but a God you don't believe in is still a God.

[@grapeshot]

The persecution complex is their thing.

[@G-manFan1]

30:04

[@suicune2001]

I'm going to remember to add a line about, "Everyone will make fun of you but that just proves you're right" when I invent a religion.

[@Uldihaa]

It was baked in from the beginning. Those early con-men that founded Christianity knew what they were doing.

[@hackman669]

Unless they live in a country that is mean to outsider religion. Cough India 🇮🇳 cough Israel 🇮🇱 cough North Korea 😅

[@Uldihaa]

@@hackman669 Want to know what all three of those countries have in common? Christian missionaries repeatedly attempted to convert their people. In the case of South Korea, they succeeded. 31% of Koreans are Christian. And those missionaries actively interfered in Korean politics on behalf of Western powers. India was literally conquered and controlled by a primarily Christian country that actively tries to suppress non-Christian religions. Then they split country by religion to create two separate countries. And Israel is not hostile to Christianity in any way. Where did you get that idea?

[@freddenker9537]

Many years ago, they rang the bell on our front door, two young men, proper and, black trousers, white shirt, small black sign on their shirt... behind them two bicycles, each with a book on the luggage rack.. They immediately started talking about the Lord...and I acted like I was very interested... After about 30 minutes I asked if I could get married in their church....which they said yes.. .I (male)_said that I would now get my boyfriend and went back to the house... After a few seconds they disappeared on their bikes and were never seen here again...this drives others like JW to flee forever

[@EdwardHowton]

Doing this sort of thing is a mixed blessing; the reason those two drones were bothering you wasn't to try to recruit you into their hive. They might've thought that's what they were doing, and ostensibly it's certainly the excuse for their presence, but what they were actually there for was to be exposed to The World(tm) and to see for themselves how evil and Fallen(tm) it is, how everybody outside the cult is an evil unsaved sinner who hates them. You got them to leave, sure, and nobody wants Jehovah's Witlesses bothering them, but the downside is they ran away with more ammunition for the cult to keep them brainwashed. There's no real way around that, sadly; it's a catch-22 by design. They're trained to fail so the failure can be used as "proof" they're on the right side. And even if someone were to try to defy their expectations, to appear to be even more righteous than they're brainwashed into believing they are, there's the built-in escape hatch: you're not Witless, so you're evil no matter what. There's no good way to deal with that kind of garbage, but feeding into their propaganda is definitely a worse way to do it. Something we should all keep in mind.

[@libri_dies]

I'm an evangelical shoe tier. There is one right way to tie shoes. When I see someone with shoes tied incorrectly, I immediately recognize they need help - my help. So naturally, I approach them, engage them briefly, and when they're not expecting it, I drop down, untie their shoes, and start to fix them. They, of course, are typically resistant to my attempts, but I know better and am only trying to help...

[@tennicksalvarez9079]

Good for u? It might just be more polite to tell them their shoes r untied than tying it for them idk just saying

[@frijofroisdeern3783]

Don't forget to insult and threaten them

[@stylesrj]

@@frijofroisdeern3783 And tell them that they're going to get their laces tied together by some prankster if they don't tie the laces for them. Then tie the laces together to make an example of their faithlessness.

[@BreatheManually]

I dont believe in laces.

[@l0rf]

​@@tennicksalvarez9079pretty sure that he's not talking literally about shoes ;)

[@riluna3695]

And to think, this video barely even touches on the parts of evangelism that are actively predatory. People being told to specifically look for people who seem unsatisifed or troubled, because people in desperate situations (even just mentally) are more likely to reach out for any help offered, even if it comes at a high price. Designed from the ground up to lure people in with kindness and hope and promises of far-off rewards, all while hiding the insane baggage of shit like "every human is a sinful sack of crap that doesn't deserve anything, but god will show them mercy they don't deserve" until they're finally ready to hear it, internalize it, and start hating themselves and feeling beholden to this god that's so kind as to stoop to their level for their benefit. Which for those keeping score is a perfect one-to-one match with the behavior of abusive partners and spouses. The sheer number of ways God aligns with human abusers and narcissists is ASTOUNDING.

[@whenimmanicimgodly4228]

Beautiful comment right here

[@AngryReptileKeeper]

"And to think, this video barely even touches on the parts of evangelism that are actively predatory. People being told to specifically look for people who seem unsatisifed or troubled" Many years ago, I was sitting at the bus station waiting for my bus home after a long, exhausting grocery trip in triple-digit temperatures. Some dude came up to me and told me I looked lost and depressed and then proceeded to preach god at me to "save" me. I told him, "look, dude. I'm not lost. I'm not depressed. It's hot. I'm tired and sweaty, and I just want to go home and sit in the air conditioning." He did not stop. I sat there and ignored him while he prattled on about his nonsense until my bus came.

[@riluna3695]

@@AngryReptileKeeper Yeesh. Sounds like a bad day. And yep, that's part of it I don't think I even mentioned. Outright ignoring what you say because they have a goal and it doesn't involve understanding you or your feelings in any way, like any well-adjusted person's dialogue would. It's hard to know how much of it is them not knowing what to do if the person they're talking to goes off-script, and how much is them trying to actively gaslight you into believing you're unfulfilled in some way by saying it a bunch of times, so that you start to feel like you need the cure they're selling. If I had to guess, the former is usually true, but the script they're given was written by people specifically intending the latter. These are the same people who say "make sure to get them while they're young", because they know young children literally CANNOT think critically yet, and are still taking everything they hear as part of the foundation of their reality. Frankly it's utterly disgusting, and bothering people at the bus stop, while bad enough already, is one of the absolute least of their moral atrocities.

[@johnwalker1058]

@@riluna3695 I swear, many of them are like NPCs, except with unskippable dialogue scenes, so you just have to try your best to ignore them and let them waste their breathe droning on and on about their nonsense.

[@ALICIAMARTINEZ-wk1oz]

And the cases I’ve seen of women getting abused financially, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually… and all in the name of God and their freaking “umbrella of protection” concept. I’ve seen blatant infidelities justified to a husband who had the nerve to ask his wife: where is your faith…after she confessed that she was battling post partum depression for years. She was later admitted in a mental health clinic for at least a month. Years later… he cheated on her repeatedly. They’re still together… because God forbid them to get a divorce.

[@IanM-id8or]

The complaint is not that they are trying to change people's minds. It's that they are aggressively harassing people in public places as they are trying to go about their own business, and not taking no for an answer

[@JerryMichaelGreen]

So what next? Your response? purges? Human history. Christianity is not that bad.

[@juvenilia_in_hell]

​@@JerryMichaelGreenjust don't harass people? that would be my response anyways, i dont chase christians down the street raving about athiesm ❤

[@larryscarr3897]

Took my 9yo daughter to the church I went to as a kid, the preacher came to me, "its good you came back to God, and bringing your child to Christ".. "no sir" I said, "we are here so she can learn first hand just how dangerously silly this magical nonsense is, just like I did".. his expression was worth getting escorted out.. I made sure the preacher could hear me yell, "I told you so" as we left.😅😅😅

[@Christianityisamyth]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@anond2015]

So edgy.

[@larryscarr3897]

@@anond2015 yea, true stuff is so edgy, when the interior is populated with lying magical idiots.

[@G-manFan1]

30:04

[@larryscarr3897]

@@G-manFan1 I was sitting quiet in the back, he came to me.. couldn't help himself, I won't lie like Christians do... don't want the public? Don't put all are welcome on the sign.(that was fun to exposeas a lie). besides Zod is far to nice, I am not, ill tell you about the time a street preacher, tried to punch me and ended up in jail, cuz Christian love, maybe next vid.

[@johncromer2603]

My problem with evangelists is their refusal to take "I'm not interested, bugger off" as an answer.

[@rhondah1587]

I just tell them "I'm an atheist and I'm right and you are wrong. Now go away." So far it has worked.

[@ThisguySL]

@@rhondah1587 And they would have zero room to complain.

[@AtheistReligionIsCancer]

My problem with lgbtqwertyP (p stands for pdfilia) is that they do not understand that it is evil to bone kids

[@ryaneakins7269]

Clearly, the real issue is not enough academics door-knocking and walking up to people in the street. “Hello. Have you got time today to discuss the λCDM model of cosmology?”

[@PeteOtton]

True. Unfortunately, academics spend way to much time on committees and trying to get tenure and their next research grant. And occasionally teaching.

[@AxeMan808]

You miss the person and talk to the wall behind them. And it was 88% too! EDIT: Oh I read that as XCOM. Then I rubbed my eyes. I'm leaving the joke.

[@StudlyFudd13]

@@AxeMan808 I appreciated your joke. :)

[@byanymemesnecessary8848]

23:30 I was raised Mormon and went on a mission before leaving the church and becoming an atheist. Let me tell you, other Christians treated me the worst. Atheists were much more willing to talk and have a conversation. Also, when you meet those Mormon missionaries, keep in mind that they are 18-21 years old, fresh out of highschool, and most of them have never experienced any culture outside of their own. They're expecting people to be mean and harsh. Just a little bit of empathy and kindness goes a long way in pulling them out of the cult.

[@davidinsf2680]

When I am approached by evangelist types, I try to be polite, also not backing down from my own values. I like to start by saying "Like you, I place a high value on truth and honesty. As such, I try to believe as many true things, and disbelieve as many false things as I can. That said, in your own words, what is a gawd? How do you know what a gawd is? And, again in your own words, what is circular reasoning?"

[@kellydalstok8900]

When I’m working upstairs on my computer and I have to go downstairs to answer the door to some JWs (we don’t have LDS here), I have no patience to stay polite, I slam the door immediately when I spot them in their old fashioned Sunday best.

[@SupHapCak]

Atheists are more willing to have a conversation when their skills surpass your own. When you start breaking down their arguments they resort to name-calling. I bet when you were a kid their argument boiled down to "you're stupid for believing in something you can't see" and you were like "oh yeah"

[@johnnymcgeez5647]

I dont know if anyone will ever see this but i have to get this off my chest.. I was raised in JW family and around the time i was 17 my mom and dad decided to leave the org. So three of us left while my grandma stayed. She didnt want to talk to us ever again which made me feel quite sad to be honest. I missed her but she wouldnt even answer, which was heartbraking considering we were so close while i was growing up. But few years later she passed and this made me feel really sad because i never got to say goodbye. She spent her last years not wanting us, but deep down i knew she wasnt that kind of a person. She was much sweater and more loving, no, faith did this to her. To make things even worse i didnt even got to say proper goodbye at the funeral since a whole dozen of them showed up and took over the whole funeral. Best we got were cold condolences and flimsy handshakes, but they didnt talk to us much since we were apostates.. We were sitting there like lost puppies watching them do their thing and i kept on thinking on how i didnt even got to say proper goodbye... It was our family member's funeral but for them nothing is sacred that is outside of their organization..

[@jaflenbond7854]

The TRUE and SOVEREIGN GOD The CREATOR who is being dishonored and insulted by Atheists, Evolutionists, and fanatics of Religions as unworthy and undeserving to be honored and respected as the True and Sovereign GOD KNOWS that thousands of years ago, Jesus Christ was hated, insulted, falsely accused, tortured, and murdered by arrogant, cruel, merciless, and hateful persons who were violently opposed and against his authority and teachings about the "Kingdom of God" and "Resurrection of the Dead" ATHEISM and RELIGIONS BRING and CAUSE the HUMILIATIONS, SUFFERINGS, and DEATHS of MANKIND The existence of the Creator and Jesus Christ and the lives, dignities, and existence of human beings are obviously of no worth, value, and importance to Atheists, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, SDAs, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Born Again Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions who are shameless, remorseless, and unbothered even if their Satanic arrogance, hatred, wickedness, cruelties, hypocrisies, lies, deceits, and false teachings about "hellfire", "afterlife", "Armageddon", "rapture", "Trinity", "immortality of the souls", and "reincarnation" hurt, offend, insult, and degrade the lives and dignities of all human beings including that of their of own families and neighbors and cause their humiliations, degradations, sufferings, griefs, sickness, and DEATHS. The LIVES, DIGNITIES, and EXISTENCE of HUMAN BEINGS are of great WORTH, VALUE, and IMPORTANCE to the CREATOR The "KINGDOM of GOD" is the Creator's Rulership through Jesus Christ that will stop and put an end to all the Satanic hatred, arrogance, cruelties, hypocrisies, wickedness, lies, deceits, and falsehoods of Satan's Atheism, Evolutionism, and Religious Fanaticism and ensures planet Earth is safe, secure, and peaceful for all lowly, ordinary, kind, and respectful persons who will definitely be honored and rewarded by the Creator with ETERNAL LIFE and existence on earth without sufferings, pains, griefs, sickness, and death. The "RESURRECTION of the DEAD" is the Creator's guarantee that all lowly, ordinary, kind, and respectful persons on earth who died recently and thousands of years ago like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Job, Ruth, Naomi, King David, Daniel, Jesus Christ's Followers and disciples, and many others will all be RESURRECTED back to life in the right and proper time so they can happily, abundantly, and peacefully live and exist on earth forever as subjects and citizens of the "KINGDOM of GOD" and fully enjoy the eternal love, kindness, goodness, generosities, compassions, favors, and blessings of the Creator and his Christ for eternity under the loving and kind rulership, guidance, and protection of Jesus Christ as the Creator's Chosen King and Ruler of the heavens and the earth.

[@l0rf]

I see you. I'm sorry you had to go through that. Really shows how they value love and consolation only when it concerns their own little cult.

[@thedarknessthatcomesbefore4279]

Sorry for the treatment you got from these people of a 'loving' god. Religion makes good people do bad things... like shunning loved family members. But obviously it's just to prevent the critical thinking and intellectual honesty spreading amongst the flock.

[@johnnymcgeez5647]

@@thedarknessthatcomesbefore4279 Thanks for that. Shunning is just plain disgusting.. I don't know how they can't see that.

[@johnnymcgeez5647]

@@l0rf Thank you. Anyways what we got was mild compared to what happened to some other families. Just imagine what happens when someone needs blood and the chaos that ensues...

[@christasimon9716]

We used to have JW's knocking on our door every once in a while. One visit was an older man and a young girl who must've been 8, maybe 9 years old. On this occasion, I actually stepped outside to chat on our front porch. I thanked them for stopping by, and then went right into my own monologue about ways to fix the problems in the Bible, like the contradictions in Gen 1 and 2. I suggested to the girl that she look up in a dictionary to read what the word "indoctrination" means. And then I said she should ask some of the church elders what the phrase "Stay alive 'til '75" means. He couldn't get her out of there fast enough. And I haven't had a JW at our door since then. This was about 15 years ago. I'm not sure if that's considered "out to get them" or not.

[@DavidRichardson153]

That is a bit circumstantial, but it evidently worked. Still, I have a story that has its own circumstances but probably more open to a universal application - and this one came from my pastor uncle, of all people. Now, I should mention that for some reason, I never looked into what my uncle is a pastor in. Maybe it is because of my Catholic upbringing, but the thought never occurred to me until much more recently than I would like to admit. I only know that it was some Christian denomination. Even so, he was never one to evangelize, he ultimately didn't care if one believed or not as long as they were good people, and he knew to make and especially take jokes about whatever his faith is. Anyway, his JW story was when some came to his door, asking if they could "talk about God's Word." He took that to mean that they must have somehow known that he is a pastor, but he saw that as an opportunity to test out his plan for getting rid of them. So he told them to wait a few minutes to let him prepare, he left his front door open so that he wouldn't give them the impression that he was simply shutting them out, and once he was done, he came back to them. So what were his preparations? Coming back with a loaded firearm in his hands? Nope, because he led them in with seemingly open arms (no pun intended). Laying out some sort of illicit-laced snacks? Nope, as it was already past lunchtime. Was it to bombard them with questions? Nope, because his plan was aimed at getting rid of them as quickly as possible. So what was it? Well, he led them into the living room, where the coffee table was set next to a giant pentagram on the floor. There were posters of blood on the walls, but the backgrounds of the posters matched the colors of the walls so well that the blood looked like it was on the wall (I have no idea where he got those posters from, because I want my own). There were fake goat skulls on the end tables as well along with pictures of the iconic image of the Codex Gigas. Once they all clearly saw the decorations, he turned to them and said, "Alright, let's take about our Lord Lucifer." The cherry on top, he was wearing the stereotypical pastor's collar for the whole thing. They did not even give a farewell as they practically ran back out. And for the finishing touch, he followed them to the front door and shouted, "I ain't the only one in this area here! HAIL SATAN!" Evidently, no more missionaries, JW or not, have been to him or anyone else in his neighborhood in the 20 years since he pulled that off.

[@pcoleman1971]

I still think my dad had the funniest response to the JW's knocking on our door. It was a pair of a young women (20s). My dad said, "Come on in, the wife's away." Needless to say, they didn't. 😁

[@christasimon9716]

@@DavidRichardson153 Hey, yeah, I totally get it. Almost everyone I know has a rolled up pentagram rug, posters of bloodstains and a couple goat's heads in a hat box in the closet that we can get to at a moment's notice.

[@DavidRichardson153]

@@christasimon9716 I think he only said that last bit in an attempt to spare his neighbors from them, and I guess it worked.

[@markbriten6999]

I read a book, a memoir, by a Catholic priest who was accosted by two JW's. He invited them in listened to, imho, their bs. They then asked how much he earned, when told they asked why do little he explained " I'm a Catholic priest" couldn't see Thier arses for dust

[@Dalekzilla]

They feel deeply persecuted when they run up against existing laws that prevent them from limiting or taking away the rights and liberties of entire groups of people they hate. BUT......they are working on that.

[@suicune2001]

Yep, and they are winning. 😢

[@Dalekzilla]

@@suicune2001 You are unfortunately correct. They are......and then again, they're not. If they get the kind of power they lust after, it will be very temporary, because the vast majority of the country will be against them, and even if the military agrees to back them (which the generals may not), they won't be able to keep power against THAT many people resisting them. And of course, whenever they die.......do you remember that scene in the movie Ghost, where the bad guy gets dragged down to Hell? Yep, I'd say that's what the "Christian" nationalists have to look forward to.

[@DavidSmith-vr1nb]

Not working on feeling less persecuted, but changing the laws.

[@saraohm9753]

We don't hate.

[@Dalekzilla]

@@saraohm9753 I am an old man. Been around many a year. AND I'm an ACTUAL Christian who has always done my damnedest to follow Christ and what He ACTUALLY taught and mandated. Don't worship The Bible as God, don't worship Paul, don't worship The Book of Revelation or the Old Covenant. Just Christ. I know exactly what you people believe, how you "interpret" scripture (and how you've driven MILLIONS away from Christ with your own particular "take" on Christianity). You hate. Oh, HOW you hate.

[@andrewenderfrost8161]

I invited 7th day missionaries in today but I kicked them out when they said that genocides prove their God is real. It was a real day

[@ProphetofZod]

Was it an advent-ture?

[@lisacox6496]

Once went up to a Child Evangelization Fellowship booth at a fair in Washington state and listened as they told a group of children including toddlers they were going to hell and that they could never ever be good unless they prayed to be saved. Some children were crying. I accosted the "minister" afterwards and had a pretty intense conversation. I said how dare he scare little children like that. His response was that he was saving them. I said what if it wasn't true, and what he was doing would cause them life long harm? He said that he was doing it on the off chance that it was true and that God didn't save children and then he walked away. Bastard.

[@EdwardHowton]

To them the math is simple: any atrocity they commit weighs less than an eternity spent in hell. They have a _carte blanche_ to do as much evil as they like in the name of what they call "good". Christians might not fling acid in the face of little girls who want to learn to read... as much... anymore.... _yet,_ but it's the exact same justification used for doing *_that._* And they will happily nod along with that statement and believe themselves to be the good guys. I didn't use the word 'atrocity' lightly. I _mean_ it.

[@NightmareRex6]

they all say that, but then, how meany other 99999999999999999999999 religions need to follow! and unfornatly its IMPOSSIBLE , as following ONE contraficts TWO! and so on so fourth, how can not goto SCP-666-H for all effing eternity? well its in the words, heaven is also called "paradise" or PAIR A DICE!!!!!!! becuase must GAMBLE and CHOOSE RIGHT , but wait NONE can enter as codex gigas says, NONE is in heaven as, gambling is a sin, so ZERO choose right!!!!!!!!

[@Tawroset]

Religion never gave me any comfort. Only terror. That is unforgivable.

[@TripleJumpYTP]

The whole aspect of making people fear hell to make them Christian a bit weird, surely that shouldn't be your reason for being Christian, if you're a bad person internally but are just being good and praying to avoid hell would God not see this and send you to hell anyway?

[@autobotstarscream765]

​@TripleJumpYTP They promise that Jesus will give inner growth to those who call upon Him and claim that this very scenario is one reason why only Christianity works and everyone else burns in Hell forever, even if they die sacrificing themselves for someone else and Odin tries to headhunt them out of Hell for Valhalla.

[@llwpeaches]

My long departed grandmother used to prank all the evangelists that came to her door by saving a bunch of the different pamphlets they gave her and then "innocently" handing out certain ones to opposing denominations that showed up. For example, she'd save some of the LDS pamphlets and hand them to the JWs after she'd politely accepted their own pamphlets. I always thought it was hilarious. I don't think the same ones ever came back after that.

[@EdwardHowton]

She sounds like a great person. I used to do something similar and kept some bible passages on a piece of paper glued to the wall next to my front door. Specifically the bible passage that instructed the faithful to deal very finally and harshly with false prophets, and the one that lists the miracles that will show who is a true prophet. The signs of a true prophet, by the way, include things like the ability to grab venomous snakes without being harmed (which is a lame trick anyone can learn and do for a living) and, the important bit, the ability to drink poison without dying. The plan was to read out these passages to the first JWs to come visit, and then offer them a glass of Drano(tm). Sadly I was woken up after not enough sleep and botched my delivery a little bit, but the adult and the poor abused kid he was forcibly dragging along with him couldn't run away fast enough when they noticed I knew their holy text better than they did, and I was too sleep to remember to offer them a drink. But they never came back, so hopefully that kid got free.

[@NightmareRex6]

i given chrion last exerpts to peaople, like things saying if they use money itself they are saying God is a whore (go watch the golden web 1-3 and his other videos to undersand if want to) but from the bits they see, they like litterly glitch up, lool MAD AS HELL, but SAY NOITHING,, as saying something, would result in, them being AGAINST the TRUE christ!

[@madtabby66]

Our local JW became a ninja. Not even the dogs heard him come & go but the pamphlets arrived every month.

[@Specialeffecks]

I have a JW friend that does whatever he can to get out of the anxiety of having to go door-to-door. Me being in sales tried to encourage him by saying, "It's not so hard. If they're not interested in JW, open the other side of your coat, and offer them Scientology, or Buddhism, etc.". I told him to be a one-stop shop for any religion. (I was just trying to help).

[@JJ-qo7th]

JWs are allowed to have friends? That aren't JWs?

[@gjhartist3685]

@@JJ-qo7th They aren't supposed to. But some will depending on circumstance. (Ex-JW here)

[@gornser]

@@JJ-qo7th only to draw them in.

[@JJ-qo7th]

@@gornser Yeah, that tracks with what I understand. It's a cult that needs recruits and has no time for you if you're not a mark.

[@PeteOtton]

Is Harri Kristina still a thing?

[@panqueque445]

His video was basically "yes evangelizing is annoying, but we have the right religion so it's ok when we do it and if you're annoyed then you're in the wrong"

[@annemurphy8074]

Cults don't like pushback.

[@canwelook]

Christianity is, unquestionably, a cult. Definition of cult: 1. A system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object. 2. A person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society.

[@mikedakin2016]

oh sorry! on second reading you actually said ''cults'' 🤣🤣🤣

[@missypead2293]

Wokeism is a cult.

[@missypead2293]

Now we have the Woke Marxist cult , probably worse than Christians.😊

[@missypead2293]

Like the new woke religion.

[@silverharloe]

16:06 "they are usually trying to save your soul." Don't be annoyed that I keep throwing lemon scented hay on your yard - I have the best of intentions - I'm trying to save your unicorn!

[@valivali8104]

That sounds more pleasant than proselytizing.

[@silverharloe]

@@valivali8104 yeah, I wasn't sure whether to make it dung smelling or not - I was trying to compromise between annoying and something a unicorn might want to eat. Still l, I hope I got the point in that the "good intention" to solve a fictional problem shouldn't excuse rudeness.

[@valivali8104]

@@silverharloe tried to rap proselytizing believers, since it would still be annoying to clean hay from yard, but still less than proselytizing.

[@EdwardHowton]

Ray Comfort used to use that excuse. His example was a parachute in a falling airplane. "Oi'm jus troyin' ta [accent off] get people to put on the Parachute of Jesus's Salvation so that they can survive the crash of the Airplane of Mortal Life!@#!@", to paraphrase him. Of course, he hasn't convinced anyone his parachutes work, or that he even has a parachute, or that the airplane is crashing, or most importantly of all *_that there's even an airplane to begin with._* Zod uses the fire in a theater comparison, but in this case it's a nutjob saying "This airplane is gonna crash" while we're all sitting in a proverbial Arby's.

[@AtheistReligionIsCancer]

is there in this world, anything more disgusting than pdf file atheists?

[@AegixDrakan]

Okay, when the guy's saying "oh they're just trying to help the only way they know how!" I remember how harmful christianity was to me, and how depressed and anxious it made me. It's like saying "hey, that guy trying to make you drink hand sanitizer (and wants the government to mandate everyone drink it) to clean your insides is just trying to help you!". If someone wants to do that on their own time, sure, cool, you do you. But if you tell me to do it, or worse, trying to legislate it, we're gonna have a problem.

[@Scanner9631]

That guy in Europe with the death camps was just trying to make things better by removing the "bad genes" of genetic inferiors. So well intentioned. I guess no one should have objected as he was just trying to make things better. The guy who spray painted his graffiti art on your garage was just giving you a gift. Why are you so angry? Why can't Evangelists understand that their "help" is usually not wanted. You want to help? Go ahead provide food to the homeless WITHOUT listening to proselytizing being the price paid to get your help. It isn't charity if you put conditions on it.

[@EdwardHowton]

"Timmy, I'm done sanding this bit. Hand me the hammer." [Timmy hands over a live grenade] "Timmy, this isn't a hammer, it's a live grenade!" _But I'm helping the only way I know how!_ [boom]

[@SupHapCak]

That's because you don't have a personal relationship with God. Of course religion won't help you when you ignore the head honcho. I just realized you're all incels but with God. It's kind of like if you have a girl you like, but instead of trying to get to know that specific girl, you look up a bunch of tricks to get girls in general. So of course it won't be a one size fits all situation. You have to listen to what God is telling you, not what religion tells you.

[@AegixDrakan]

@@SupHapCak Dang, never have I seen someone take the abusive parenting system of religion and turn it into "you're just incels about god". That's a real creative swerve.

[@Scanner9631]

@@SupHapCak I just realized you're all incels but with God. You are right. God has all the power and knowledge. He knows exactly how to let me know he is real and why I should worship him and he leaves me as an "involuntary unbeliever" who is doomed to hell when he could so easily reveal himself to me and have the relationship that would save me. At least that is true if he exists and is the Christian god who I see no reason to believe in.

[@casper130rocks]

No people shouldn't be legally allowed to preach to others at all when unsolicited they have the right to believe they have zero right to push their beliefs on others

[@pesilaratnayake162]

I think the worst of it is when people go on "mission" to evangelise people under the guise of providing education and healthcare. You can provide rest if they are interested, but save your moralising of condemnation for if and when they're in a position where they are no longer in an imbalanced relationship and can speak to each other as equals, both in terms of worldly experience and respect for each other's beliefs and traditions. Otherwise you're taking advantage of your position and their dependence on you to guilt them into conforming to your beliefs.

[@AtheistReligionIsCancer]

like... when pdf file atheists go on mission for atheist religion on this and other dawah channels?

[@pesilaratnayake162]

@@AtheistReligionIsCancer sorry but I don't understand what you mean. Do you mean that missionaries who have for centuries spread their religious views around the world, particularly to less developed or more isolated cultures, that's comparable to people going online to express their atheism? I feel like people online can do very little to coerce support or a viewpoint because anyone else online can just fact-check what you say or find someone who disagrees with you. It seems like the opposite of the environment missionaries provide to me, but if you would like to clarify that would be great. Please let me know if there's anything else I missed :)

[@chocolatestraw3971]

I had a friend who had a family (mom, dad, and daughter) come to her house to evangelize (think they were JWs). She kept them on the porch making small talk before saying, "Is this your daughter? She's a cutie." The parents beamed proudly as she knelt down to get on the kid's level to talk to her and said, "Do you know your mommy and daddy are in a cult? If you can find yourself back here when you're older, I'll give you sanctuary." She was never bothered by JWs again.

[@zooblestyx]

In a European country, I was approached by some Mormon missionary kids. When they gave me their spiel, I fired back, telling them they were living limited lives in a mental prison. One of them soured on me, and unironically asked me who I was to try to push my world view on him.

[@Ergeniz]

Zero self-awareness, its comical.

[@knarf_on_a_bike]

Yeah, and academics don't tell me that if I disagree with them, I'm condemned to eternal damnation.👹👹👹

[@DarkFlamesDarkness]

They especially won't double down with "and you will deserve it!"

[@knarf_on_a_bike]

@DarkFlamesDarkness and that "you chose it".

[@EdwardHowton]

At worst, an academic might tell you that if you disagree with them you'll be condemned to eternal dumbnation, but they'll say it as a joke.

[@AtheistReligionIsCancer]

There is not one single atheist in this world who is not pdf file.

[@DarkFlamesDarkness]

@@AtheistReligionIsCancer How do I edit it?

[@pascalostermann720]

When I've heard "if they are not openly persecuted", I've completed with "they must openly persecute someone." And I think I was not far of the mark. 😁

[@SupHapCak]

In what effing way There is a third option of nobody persecuting anyone.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

Scholars can at least admit they're wrong

[@gothboschincarnate3931]

no they dont...

[@mikehart5619]

I have never met a Christian who felt that witnessing or evangelizing was a good thing to be doing who would put up for one minute with someone of another religion or some variant of Christianity that they believed to be heretical evangelizing them. Never. I'm a Pagan. What sort of reaction do you think I'd get if I knocked on doors in a good Christian neighborhood and asked them if they had a few minutes to learn about my Lord Pan? Door slammed in my face? Cops called on me? I doubt I'd be invited in for a cup of tea while we swapped religious myths. So, obviously, I'd never do something like that for a host of reasons. I understand that my religion works for me and I hope the other person's religion or lack of one works for them.

[@EdwardHowton]

Religion summed up in seven words: It Is Okay When I Do It. Religion summed in up *eight* words: It Is ONLY Okay When I Do It.

[@PeteOtton]

They don't want to admit they stole their dying and rising god from Egypt and Greece.

[@autobotstarscream765]

​@@PeteOttonYou forgot Scandinavia and India, and that's nothing compared to the whole thing being a continuation of Mesopotamian beliefs in the Anunnaki. 😂

[@ryangooseling]

"When I was an atheist " shut up and sit down with that BS! My half sister pulled that crap with me. It's gross....what they really mean is- I was raised xtian but as a rebellious teen I went the other way then discovered life was easier if the dominant culture saw me as one of their own. Just gross!

[@Scanner9631]

One of my cousins claims to be a "youth pastor" (but the ACTUAL pastor doesn't let him near the youths anymore) and he has started this "I never knew about Jesus till I was in my 20's" garbage. It wouldn't bother me except he includes my older sister as first learning of Jesus with him at the time. She isn't around to correct him, which is why it annoys me. His father went to seminary to become a minister and dropped out because it was too much like work. They were always attending church (and scamming). Their house was covered with bible sayings. He KNEW of Jesus as soon as he could understand it even partially. He also lived with us at times and Jesus was all through the TV channels, radio stations and schools. He could no more avoid knowing it than I or my sister. My sister had among her first boyfriends the twins sons of a minister (double dating them with her best girlfriend) and sometimes took me to their church as "chaperone". As I WAS THERE I know he is a total liar. I just wish he would leave my sister out of it.

[@turtlecatpurrz]

The thing about good intentions is that they can still cause harm. I and many of the people in my life are blind. Someone coming up and touching or grabbing us unexpectedly can be anything from annoying, confusing, panic inducing or even dangerous. Vast majority of the time the person had the “good intention” of helping us avoid an obstacle or something similar.

[@kathryngeeslin9509]

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions".

[@valivali8104]

Good intentions can cause permanent damage or even kill.

[@Llortnerof]

Well meant is the opposite of well done. Unless you're on fire, then it's the same.

[@AtheistReligionIsCancer]

@@kathryngeeslin9509 The road to hell is paved with atheism. Ask the 70 million people that mao did away with in the name of atheist religion.

[@albaniahenry-franklin2829]

Remember back in April 2022 on an EasyJet flight 30,000ft in the air, a group of Xtian Evangelicals decided to sing worship songs, loudly and annoyingly, in praise of their deity much to the chagrin and outright FURY of the captive audience aka the other paying passengers!?? I'm sure they "meant well" too🤬

[@donkink3114]

Should have started chanting the heretic anthem from Slipknot,...

[@Nocturnalux]

This is why I never travel without headphones.

[@Jcs57]

I would of turned on Hells Bells from my playlist at the maximum setting.

[@IanM-id8or]

That would be a perfect time to counter with Nazareth''s "Holy Roller", followed by "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones

[@Scanner9631]

That same group had gone to where refugees had to line up to register and played their "music". Didn't seem to occur to them that most of these people didn't understand English so their preaching was just gibberish to them.

[@michaelvout7813]

This is so accurate. Thank you. I had a recent conversation with a Christian friend and mentioned that I thought that John Lennox was dishonest (with evidence). His response was ‘so you hate John Lennox’. I said nothing of the sort !

[@Cheepchipsable]

To be fair that's a pretty common reaction these days. There is no nuance. If you don't "like" something you must hate it. No one disagrees in the media, they "slam" each other or "attack". Many people have no comprehension skills and just go by headlines, or some half arsed interpretation of a story from someone who doesn't understand it either.

[@imdabanana1]

I had one approach me a couple months back. He asked me “do you know where you’re gonna go when you die?” (In a confrontational tone too, what a great icebreaker) And I decided to play along to see what would happen. I said “yes, heaven.” He asked why, and I said because of Jesus, etc. etc. He continued asking me increasingly aggressive and condescending questions, trying to get me to say something wrong so he could “school” me. And there was some sort of threat about me going to hell in there too, I don’t remember exactly what it was. Took a lot in me to stay calm. Crazy how he acted like that even when I “agreed” with him.

[@stylesrj]

If I were more social and some street preacher asked me that question, I'd say "The same place you're going..." Of course they might ask me then why I believe that which would require me asking why they believe they're going there which would lead to an annoying sermon... which is probably why I'm not very social; so I don't get the sermon.

[@Colddirector]

The irony is I think those guys probably do more damage to Christianity than good. Antagonizing people tends to make them dig in against you, so he was really doing the opposite of evangelism.

[@johngomes4278]

Is it funny how some Christians come up to random strangers asking them " are you saved ?". Then some yes I think so I go to a church ,then that Christian says " no you must attend my church to be saved !" The whole thing is quite ridiculous

[@normative]

If academics came to my home uninvited or randomly accosted me on the street to pitch their views on trade policy or string theory, they’d get unpopular pretty quick too.

[@stylesrj]

Which is probably why people don't like environmental activists, etc. Because they go door to door or hand out pamphlets or accost people in the street. Even if I think they have a noble cause, I don't like being accosted in the street...

[@A-WallfromAL]

I will say that back during my conservative evangelical days, it was a challenge being in the performing and visual arts communities. I was definitely the outlier … and I live in a red state. At the same time, I wasn’t excluded, and I’d never say I was persecuted. The problem is, most evangelicals have no idea how to behave when they’re the minority.

[@TerenceClark]

Honestly I do seriously feel bad for most evangelists. Most of them have been sold the idea by their pastor that if they pull out some evangelism 101-level material or some bumper-sticker ready Frank Turek quotes we'll all be dazzled, break down, and say the sinner's prayer right then and there. I really do feel like pastors, preachers, and apologists are setting their flock up to fail, then priming them to feel victimized when they inevitably do.

[@godforreal7355]

I don't believe that evangelists are trying to do me a favor by converting me. Primarily, they want others in their congregation to see them as a wise and powerful christian soldier winning the fight for souls. Any church i've ever been in is a giant contest over "who is the best christian". Who skipped a Sunday? Who is wearing something inappropriate? Whose family has unrepentant sinners? Who drinks too much? Who isn't spreading the good news? The urge to look down their noses at non-christians is one thing, but once you join up, you find they're also doing it to each other.

[@One-Day-At-A-Time-720]

Forget about others. Following Christ is exactly that, you follow His ways, His words, His actions, humans are sinner and fall short and lead each other wrong so follow and listen to the one that never will.

[@godforreal7355]

@@One-Day-At-A-Time-720 you're talking about a weird Orthodox Jewish guy named Josh that started a death cult. After he died, his followers made up a bunch of embellished stories about how he was magical. Just a guy that came up with the idea that if you suffer in life, you'll have a reward after you die, which is a really bad way to look at life. He never did any magic. When he died, he died. "My message is the way to salvation" became "I am the way to salvation". Learn some history about your religion.

[@One-Day-At-A-Time-720]

@@godforreal7355 ok so then you know that He said that even in this life we will enjoy His rewards right. Ask God to give you clarity and wisdom but first to show Himself to you. He doesn’t fail.

[@godforreal7355]

@@One-Day-At-A-Time-720 yeah, those who survive Armageddon will be able to live in the physical kingdom of heaven when it comes to earth. Isn't that great? Any day now the streets will run red with the blood of heathens! Any day now... Just like the weird Jewish kid said before the Romans killed him because he's god.

[@godforreal7355]

@@One-Day-At-A-Time-720 yeah, as soon as Armageddon happens.... Any day now... That's what the orthodox carpenter said. He was completely infallible.

[@sbushido5547]

_"In many cases, the behavior is not the problem, people just don't want to hear the message."_ So...has he somehow managed to convince himself that "the message" is beyond reproach? I wonder if he's ever considered that people find apologists objectionable on a personal level precisely *_*because*_* the message they're trying to spread. Frank Turek isn't a terrible person just because he's incredibly arrogant and wilfully ignorant...he's also a terrible person because the form of Christianity he preaches is terrible.

[@valivali8104]

They really like to project their behavior to others...

[@Scanner9631]

People don't want to hear the message because they have heard it all before and don't want to waste their time on it again. When they tell you "Not interested" you don't go away. When they tell you "No thanks" you don't go away. When they tell you "Please leave me alone" you don't go away. When you have refused to LISTEN TO THEM be polite about not being interested you don't go away. When they then say "Stop harassing me" you insist that you aren't harassing them and won't go away. They just want to go about their business without you bothering them. Why is that so objectionable to you Evangelists? Yes I went through exactly that a few weeks ago during a long walk on the coldest day so far this year. This young punk (about 18) a third my age thinks he has something new to convince me that I haven't heard before and just would not leave me alone but was in my face and had an amplifier so everyone around could hear HIM. I just wanted to continue on my way as soon as the light changed and to be left alone with my thoughts but because HE HAD TO PREACH he wouldn't leave me alone.

[@tos100returns]

8:09 "How is there anything wrong with trying to change people's minds and bring them over to your world view?" He would suddenly have LOTS of answers for this if someone tried to de-convert him as aggressively as he attempts to convert.

[@joshualavender]

6:30 A problem the evangelist is also overlooking is that he is *not* the first person - is indeed *far* from the first person - to try to change the nonbeliever's mind. As you note (25:20), "he doesn't know what it would feel like to get that daily pushback from another religion coming from all directions." After having to ward off the hundredth evangelist in a row, you feel a lot different about what they're doing than you felt after you warded off the first. That's not even to speak of "the constant avalanche of evangelical influence on our culture": the religious references scattered all through books and movies and TV shows (maybe Christians aren't that welcome in Hollywood, but Hollywood doesn't have any problem with capitalizing on Christian ideas and themes), the invocation of religion to sway people politically, and especially the litany of theocrats pressing for laws and the repeal of freedoms, often quite successfully. I'm reminded every day, in various ways, that I live in a majority-Christian country. So I'm sorry if I've lost my patience with it all and I retort, "Yes, I've heard about Jesus, and no, I do *not* want to hear it again! Leave me alone!"

[@markbriten6999]

A few years ago I was a bit late for my train, still just enough time. However to young Mormon arseholes insisted time and again in stepping in front of me. I tried polite "I'm not interested" went to less polite " it's all bullshit" after the 5th or 6th time I told them to get the f@@k out of they way or else. The response why are you persecuting/angry with us. Too fucking thick to understand. They really don't send their brightest do they

[@Judsonberry]

Whoa…how late am I. Listening-realizing I recognize the voice and saying to myself, “That’s Prophet of Zod!” I happened to glance up and…no pixelation!

[@EnoShadow-Walker]

Freedom of speech also has to accept Freedom to not listen.

[@whizthesugoi]

I felt very happy when the gutsick gibbon in a human skin suit said you are a friend of the channel

[@l0rf]

Odd way to describe Erika, but I'm sure she'd be okay with the skin suit part😅

[@Ergeniz]

Wait, what? I missed the joke here I'm sure. 😆

[@whizthesugoi]

@@Ergeniz that's how Ericka (because CK is more powerful than just K) from Gutsick Gibbon called herself once

[@erikscottdebie7665]

I am a firm believer in the theory that the primary function of Christian evangelism is to reinforce the evangelist’s faith, usually through framing their targets’ indifference or hostility as a shared struggle. Which allows evangelists to form tighter in-group bonds. If they convert a few people, that’a icing, but the cake is oppositional attachment.

[@zecuse]

I hear converting to an adult doesn't usually happen until the midlife crisis.

[@Uldihaa]

I thought that was when you de-converted from adulthood. Cheating on or divorcing your spouse for some hot partner half your age, buying a sportscar or having extensive cosmetic surgery, going to nightclubs aimed at those hot young partners...🤔

[@valivali8104]

Well, people have to be in state of mind where they can’t think critically to convert.

[@Ergeniz]

@@valivali8104 This. Many conversions can be described as predatory imo.

[@DarkFlamesDarkness]

How early can you have a midlife crisis?

[@Scanner9631]

@@Uldihaa I thought that was when you de-converted from adulthood. Cheating on or divorcing your spouse for some hot partner half your age, buying a sportscar or having extensive cosmetic surgery, going to nightclubs aimed at those hot young partners...🤔 You left out doing things to show how macho you are and taking up sports where you can compete with those half your age and boast when you happen to beat one of them (ex-brother-in-law).

[@beresfordquimby]

On the "When I was an atheist..." thing, I've never, ever encountered anyone who genuinely never believed in any god, and then took up a god belief*. I've encountered _plenty_ of people who were brought up in a religious tradition and who claim to have been "atheist" for some period (often in their teens or early 20's, when they are going through the natural disengagement from family and re-examination of values that people usually undergo at that time), but when the vast majority of them are questioned, it becomes apparent they are equating "being angry at the idea of a god they still actually believe in" with "atheist", as opposed to sincerely lacking a god belief because of a reasoned analysis. It's not surprising they think that way, since that's what so many apologists are telling them: that we atheists secretly do believe in their god but are "angry" at it, or "just want to sin" . * I suppose they may exist, but I've never encountered one.

[@thedarknessthatcomesbefore4279]

Got to agree with you.

[@ascgazz]

@@thedarknessthatcomesbefore4279 you’re agreeing with someone that admits they haven’t all the facts… Is your experience really identical to this? I guess you may not have all the facts too, eh? ..because I get the impression that shat your bed and are just looking for the safest possible outlet for your sour mood.

[@Cheepchipsable]

I think some people have a greater propensity to believe in "something higher", and whichever culture they live in, or whichever group they like the most is the one they go with, and their "something higher" belief gets supplanted by the religion they have chosen. My sister went "religion shopping" as an adult and unsurprisingly landed on Christianity. I feel it was the easiest one for her to adopt. Then she got involved and learned how vile they can be as a group. I'm sure she still believes just doesn't go to church. (I don't ask her)

[@beresfordquimby]

@@ascgazz "Not having all the facts" does not mean someone can't make a reasoned judgement about something - q.v. Russell's Teapot. In fact, this kind of dodge is typical of the misrepresentations that religious people are fond of: effectively, their proposal is that if you don't know everything, you can't claim anything. This is an unwarranted claim. I base my comments on the preponderance of the evidence I have, and I deliberately prefaced my observation with a statement that it was my personal experience. If it can be demonstrated to me that there are indeed people who have sincerely reasoned their way from a lack of god belief to believing in a specific god, based on the evidence (as opposed to being indoctrinated into the faith), then I would gladly accept that such people exist. Not sure how you got the notion that @thedarknessthatcomesbefore4279 either soiled their bed or are in a sour mood, either, on the basis of what they said. But, y'know, you do you :)

[@beresfordquimby]

@@Cheepchipsable It's a point to ponder - do some people have a "need" to believe in something "greater" than themselves (quotes used very advisedly, particularly on the latter word :p )? I think I'd broadly agree that many people _do_ have such a need. I'd also argue that the need primarily stems from a desire to have someone (or something) looking after us - a kind of supra-parent, if you will :) - making sure that we'll be OK, and ultimately ensuring that we won't have to cease to exist. That last is very important in my opinion, as I hold that the primary fuel of religious belief is the fear of death. And I think that the need for that "something higher" to be supernatural is engendered in part by the understanding that other humans don't have the power to ultimately stop us dying, and in part by the almost-subliminal, osmotic inculcation of the principles of so-called "spirituality" that most of us in Western societies are exposed to from birth, themselves a set of self-perpetuating conceptual structures passed down across generations from the times where we didn't have better explanations for how the world is, and needed to rely on "It's magic" as an explanation. But I'd say your point doesn't really stand in opposition to mine: I still strongly doubt that people who have genuinely reasoned themselves into a self-identification as "atheist" could then transition to a god belief. Interestingly, the proposition that some people feel the need for this "something higher" has sometimes been used by apologists as an argument for god-belief, as in "People feel there must be some kind of higher power, so indeed there must be, and it's my particular god".

[@goldenalt3166]

When I was a Christian, I disliked evangelism as much as I do now.

[@juliakauffman3639]

Me too. I'm glad to have been a Christian who didn't like it so I know that there are sane Christians out there--even though I am an atheist now

[@PGOuma]

Bro most of my family were (and still are) Evangelicals and it always annoyed me or stressed me out when they continuously overstepped my and strangers' boundaries when I didn't ask for their opinion. I wear something that isn't even too crazy and they say that I'm sinning 🙄🙄🙄 didn't ask and didn't care...

[@ThroneofDavid8]

When I was a Christian, lol.

[@jojobizarrelivingstone594]

Me too

[@One-Day-At-A-Time-720]

A true follower of Christ knows the importance of salvation and our responsibility to lead others to it. If you hated it, you weren’t ever a Christian. A follower has a true relationship directly with Christ, if you never did, how would you understand when He speaks to you. Many call themselves Christians, but they just went through the motions without truly knowing their savior.

[@natemills9238]

I haven't had you in my stream for over a year. Last time I watched one of your videos, you had a fuzzy head. I loved that fuzzy head. Glad to hear your voice again.

[@artemisia4718]

I only have one life. I don’t want to lose the time I have listening to tired myths, I don’t care how well-intentioned the bearer of the “news” is.

[@doomofthedestiny8065]

Honestly, as someone who loves mythology of all kinds, seeing the growing research into the origins of most modern religions and their frequent ancient mashing together, I just find it unfathomable that not only do people still believe this with genuine conviction, but that it's still the majority... the entire abrahamic faith in particular is the most literal step back in mentality and social development i could even concieve of.

[@KarlMarcus8468]

hey killer video, I've never been religious and was brought up in a super open minded family and I'm so thankful for that. I wanted to just mentioned that I find that your perspective particularly unique and insightful. As person whose never had to endure being in a religious community or had to go through the hardship of de-converting, I may be in the minority of viewers here. Much of the wisdom and solace you provide, along with other similar channels, doesn't always resonate with me as fully it might with others. However, I feel like the topics you choose to express and the way in which you do it are just excellent. It seems like this channel isn't just a constructive and reassuring safe space for people who have experienced religious trauma, but also the way you exemplify an application of critical thinking and self reflection is invaluable for people of all ideologies and perspectives. Anyone can do a Christianity take down video, (I mean, I donno if you read that bible thing, but wow talk about low hanging fruit, am I right??) but it takes an especially humble an uniquely thoughtful person to create content that helps people practice just as much looking inward as it does outward. Fuck man I really feel like a goober writing a novel here but I also wanted too express that this video in particular was especially interesting for me because as a fellow brain thinker man Iii often struggled with the concept of changing peoples minds. I spent a lot of time reflecting on what that means and how to reconcile it with my personal understanding and application. That being said, I'd like to share some of my conclusions and what it means to me. First, I've realized that yes, of course we should be trying to change the minds of others. Sometimes we might hold information or knowledge that may help others. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean it's our JOB to change minds and that doesn't mean we have the right to cross the boundaries of others when having honest, genuine, and equal sided conversations with them. We must always have the humility to accept that our own minds must be willing to change, too. The goal isn't making people believe as you do, but instead is to foster curiosity, respect, and genuine interest in the perspectives of others. Everyone can teach you something, and finding the ways to make that statement true can be a key to your own self reflection and growth. This doesn't mean every person has worldview shifting insight, or that you learn that their dumb, but that through practicing your own empathy skills and earnestly applying active listening and effort, new ways of thinking about yourself and the world are everywhere. Be patient with people! learn to create a dialog with people that helps them feel heard! Telling someone the best way, or how they're wrong is not the goal, even if you feel that's true. Your goal is exploring ideas and perspectives *with* others, not at them. Read the room, if someone shows body language or other tells which suggests they are uncomfortable or irrigated, table the conversation or understand that person may not be willing to engage with you or about that subject, and that's OK! Learn how to be a good active listener because this skill is a secret super power, I cannot stress this enough. Really trying to understand others and allowing them to feel heard as they express their thoughts safely and freely IS what works best to change peoples minds, full stop. And the last tip I've learned when having conversations trying to change peoples minds is always, always. ALWAYS remember that someone might just change yours!

[@Antares2]

If a scientist was aggressively approaching me on the street with a bullhorn screaming about their latest findings, then you bet I would react just as negatively to them as I do to the street preachers.

[@Colddirector]

Especially if he wanted you to come to his wierd little book club and donate 10% of your earnings each week.

[@jonsmith7659]

People don’t like to be bothered or pestered, especially by total strangers. That’s why people don’t like it. If your god is all powerful and totally real, he’ll convince us and we’ll change our minds about his existence. Don’t hold your breath.

[@One-Day-At-A-Time-720]

How can He when you don’t want to listen. One thing you need to understand is free will and that He doesn’t force anyone to believe but He will do anything to save you, and sometimes He needs to let the enemy have his way so that we see that we are either slaves to the enemy or free in Christ.

[@valivali8104]

Imaginary things are bad at showing that they exist. For theist trolls: before you claim that your divine daddy substitute doesn't show itself to people because it violates free will, 1) in your "holy" texts like collection of books called bible your god shows its existence for people, and 2) in those texts many people don’t worship your god even after it proves its existence, and in christian folk lore Satan knows that god exists and still fights against it, thus knowing someone exists doesn't affect free will. By the way, why did your god create hell?

[@Ergeniz]

@@valivali8104To add to this, the bible does not in any way support 'free will' and there are in fact many scriptures against the concept. So I have no idea where Christians even get this free will argument from.

[@One-Day-At-A-Time-720]

@@valivali8104 I can see you have seeked to find the truth. If you know the text you also know that we will not have an answer to everything. I can’t say I know exactly why hell was created other than the fact that God respected the decision Lucifer made when He did. Keep seeking and you will find. He’s most definitely real, no one can tell me otherwise when I have experienced His power very real and beautiful. He doesn’t force anything on anyone because He wants us to love Him for how He loves us, not out of fear. And fear for the Lord isn’t to tremble it’s to reverence His power and goodness.

[@valivali8104]

@@Ergeniz yep; there are several instances of Yahweh "hardening person's heart" like pharao in Exodus, and after judaism became monotheist in 600s bce. judaism - and religions born from it, like judaism 2.0 aka christianity and judaism 3.0 aka islam - started to claim that their god is all-powerful and all-knowing, which makes free will impossible 🤦🏼‍♀️ Christians want to have free will, partly because of western culture and partly because without free will base belief of people deserving punishment of hell is false. TheraminTrees and Qualiasoup have made videos about this, especially TheraminTrees since he’s interested about manipulation.

[@JJ-qo7th]

The best way I ever heard it being put: They're marketing, and nobody likes being treated as a mark.

[@MrCyclist]

Hallelujah brother. These types of Christians are like motorists. They feel entitled and when called out on it they feel picked on.

[@markbriten6999]

Tbh in the UK that feels like cyclists

[@missypead2293]

The radical gender movement is no different. They do preaching and try to force people to change others minds.

[@chiefreficul9774]

i wonder if the popular apologists who sold books claiming they "used to be atheists", notice all their copycats?🤔

[@betford2]

The problem is when someone starts talking to you about their faith and wanting you to join them, there's a certain inbuilt condescension in their presumption that you know nothing about Christianity. This is especially annoying to someone who was a born-again Christian at one time, but after a long struggle of re-examining the tenets of the faith, they have realized that it makes no sense.

[@billmancuso6951]

Evangelism: 'Believe what I tell you to believe or my personal magic space wizard bestie will torture you forever in a burning pit of hellfire.' Gee, why would anyone have a problem with that?

[@JohnMRockwell]

If they leave me alone I leave them. If they don't leave me alone it doesn't end well.

[@skepticofdoom7486]

I keep hearing this "intentions make it good" thing. No one else remember the saying, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"? I don't believe in hell but the idea of the saying fits pretty well.

[@rainyfeathers9148]

There was a street preacher outside a block of flats doing the utter most. This guy came down from the block to cussed him out because his kid was trying to sleep and I was on his side. 'Mr Tract' knows what he went out there to do, antagonise people with the racket he was making so he can get attacked and say 'SEE?'. That block stood right over a raggedy shopping precinct so he's lucky the 'drink man dem' didn't go for him😂

[@craigyoung8008]

12:32 another contrast that could be added: mechanism Academic: (pull model) passive, information made available in published works so those interested can access Evangelist: (push model) active (sometimes aggressively so), approaching others with utter disregard for their interest

[@ericmishima]

18:08 thanks! I wasn't watching consistently and I was very worried my brain was doing that "not paying attention thing" again. It meant a lot to me to have that clarification. Great video.

[@ArrowOnionbelly]

You know sometimes when i lock my screen and do my chores while listening, i still imagine you with a static face

[@frankmiller721]

Go figure, a cult that worships a martyr, has a martyr complex.

[@montecarlo4294]

One time during a Westboro picket, Fred Phelps got maced and he screamed “they threw acid in my eyes” 😂

[@AnonymousZyx]

One thing KZbin evangelists might not consider is how believers use their videos, sending them unsolicited to friends and family, posting in group chats, etc. Even if they are just innocently posting their views on KZbin, not bothering anyone or pushing their views on anyone, other believers are using their videos to do just that.

[@kahlilbt]

They consider it alright.

[@clemstevenson]

I could be persecuted for believing in invisible fairies from Uranus, but that wouldn’t make my beliefs true. On the other hand, believing in invisible fairies from Uranus wouldn’t involve demanding that everyone would be condemned to hell if they don’t believe in them.

[@frijofroisdeern3783]

Sounds Good. Tell me more about them...

[@stylesrj]

I prefer Lisa The Rainbow Giraffe. You get a leaf upon you and her. Moorhen.

[@clemstevenson]

@@frijofroisdeern3783 I can't, because they're invisible. However, they share the same characteristics as god, in the sense that they are invisible, and cannot be detected 🤣

[@clemstevenson]

@@stylesrj Indeed. Lisa, the rainbow giraffe, is no less plausible than any other man-made deity. Humans like to invent supernatural characters, instead of doing the hard work of looking for real answers.

[@missypead2293]

The woke religion and gender ideology is more delusional than Christianity.

[@billiwickey]

When someone comes up to me in the grocery store trying to give me a flyer to their church's Easter event and wants to get into a discussion about why I need to attend while I'm wrangling a 3 year old grandchild, making sure my 70 year old partner with dementia hasn't wandered off and trying to remember to get everything on my list that was thrown away by my partner on the way into the store, I'm going to get pretty upset with them. I wear a cross necklace because my Mom gave it to me a few hours before she passed away so it can be very interesting when I tell someone, like the christian excuseagist who was accosting people at the grocery store, I'm an anti-theist. So it was a little victory when he said I wasn't being a good christian because I was being mean to him because he was just trying to help me then had an absolute mental meltdown when I said "Not everyone who wears a cross is christian, some of us are anti-theists and atheists" and walked away. He just kept sputtering and couldn't even get a whole word out. 😂😂😂😂

[@CPTDoom]

Interesting example of the academic comparison - when Australian physician Barry Marshall discovered that stomach ulcers were caused by bacteria, which until then biologists believed could not exist in the acidic environment, he faced enormous headways trying to change physicians' minds. Despite all his academic research, it took him literally giving himself an ulcer by swallowing the bacteria and then curing it with antibiotics to prove his point (the equivalent of an evangelist performing a miracle in public) and even then it was decades before the standard of care had fully shifted.

[@Colddirector]

A somewhat unfortunate fact about scientific institutions is that since they’re built off inherent trust, fraud can get disturbingly far and last disturbingly long. That being said, pretty much all examples of fraud I know of are relatively localised and done by individuals for professional or financial reasons. There is pretty much no evidence of the massive systemic politically motivated fraud the conspiracy theorists talk about.

[@djfrank68]

I came here to speak to you all about The Flying Spaghetti Monster....

[@danieltenebrion9413]

If someone is openly preaching to me about their religion, they'd better be ready for me to preach about psychology and mental health that is influenced negatively by religions that promote black & white thinking, magical-thinking, refusal of science and reinforces the excusing of bad behavior or even excusing of abuse towards others. The positive benefits of those that learn spirituality and moral integrity (which I personally have found that you can have more moral and ethical integrity outside of religion than within) do not outweigh the abuse perpetrated by members of Christian faith and other denominations.

[@laurennoyb539]

I really wish you would read audiobooks. Your voice is so soothing.

[@SilortheBlade]

if one or two random people react poorly to you, it's likely them. If most people react poorly to you, it's likely because of you.

[@Cheepchipsable]

So, when I walk into a church and say I am an atheist I should immediately convert?

[@kellydalstok8900]

@@Cheepchipsable why would you say you’re an atheist when you walk into a church?

[@bluevol1976]

I’m a Christian and I don’t feel picked on all. I try to live out my faith in the way I feel led to and by example as much as I can.

[@ProphetofZod]

That’s good. Many are like you (including close friends and family of mine), and I appreciate that mentality.

[@ericmishima]

18:43 - 19:35 Thank you for those words in that order. It was in my head in pieces and you crafted it for us!!! Thank you. Thank you.

[@nandans2506]

I'm a Hindu and this was so real in India. To some extent it's reduced now because of Hindu fighting back against conversions. They have destroyed so many local cultures in this persuit and our culture is something very dear to us. We don't have any other problems with Christians, respect local culture and we'll respect you

[@evangelicalsnever-lie9792]

"I'm not talking to the representative of a religion based on a story of a Talking Snake, Magic Trees, deep incest and pedophilia. You should be deeply ashamed of yourselves!" That works well to get them to leave you alone.

[@MrDalisclock]

I normally ask them to discuss numbers 31 or 2 Samuel 24....or maybe just the book of Job of they don't know those other parts.

[@McLovin_2007]

When people have nothing to believe, they just start spewing a bunch of crap out of their mouths. - South Park

[@evangelicalsnever-lie9792]

@@McLovin_2007 As we know, the Bible claims _cannot work,_ without at least two eras of copious incest to multiply the human race. If you were Cain or Able, _explain in detail_ what Cain and Able would have to do with Eve, and her daughters, to multiply the human race as shown in the bible stories?

[@evangelicalsnever-lie9792]

@@McLovin_2007 *Question:* Since you believe the bible stories, tell us; Explain how Adam and Eve, with their two sons, populate the human race, when it's not scientifically possible. I'll wait 🍿

[@evangelicalsnever-lie9792]

@@McLovin_2007 Crickets 😂

[@michaelnewsham1412]

I had an Evangelical friend-we had worked together on environmental projects- and he approached me one day on the beach and gave me his personal testimony. I could see he was hugely embarrassed, so just let him do his spiel, and politely thanked him. He gave a huge sigh of relief and has never brought it up again in the years I have known him. That kind of evangelist I don't mind.

[@Ergeniz]

I would likely show the same restraint now, not so much when I was a younger more argumentative atheist (would have asked many [uncomfortable] questions, pushed back on many things).

[@secretagent4610]

This video is very relevant to me as of recently i had a falling out with some Christians for merely pointing out things in their own Bible. I was accused of attacking them when pretty much all i did was point out parts of their book they didn't want to see.

[@One-Day-At-A-Time-720]

You might have been doing right, so why did you let them and their rebelliousness throw you off? It is because your faith was on them and not on CHRIST. He is the only one that is worthy to truly know.

[@secretagent4610]

@@One-Day-At-A-Time-720 Well, I'm agnostic that was curious about Christianity, but when I remembered (and was re-brought to my attention) about things in the Bible that totally repulsed me (the parts I pointed out to them), I couldn't take it very seriously. I can only come to the conclusion that it is a man made book and not authored by a god, especially not one that is supposedly all good and intelligent. Either man added and subtracted to god's word (if the biblical god is the real god out of all the thousands of gods) or it's all made up and if the former is true, why would god get fallible humans to write things down for him knowing that they can corrupt his word? Why can't he also talk to us directly in plain English and just show up? Anyway, it doesn't really matter how you respond because I've heard every apologist argument ever and I've yet to be convinced, so don't waste your time. My recent experience with religion/Christianity was so repulsive that I never want to step foot in a house of worship ever again or deal with orthodox/fundamentalist religious people of any organized religion ever again.

[@One-Day-At-A-Time-720]

@@secretagent4610 If and when you are open to it, let Him speak directly to you. There is no one language. He showed me with no words but in such a beautiful way. I am sorry your experience with people was hard but man is man, God is perfect. You have a beautiful night

[@secretagent4610]

@@One-Day-At-A-Time-720 If god exists and he does talk, then I can only think he talks in hints, riddles and coincidences, but as a result, I can never truly be certain he exists. Thank you and you have a good night as well.

[@One-Day-At-A-Time-720]

@@secretagent4610 I understand what you are saying. I hope the best for you in this journey called life. Just remember you are so precious and worthy 🤍

[@BubbaF0wpend]

Great one, Zod!!

[@JanetStarChild]

When theists say they were an "atheist", they are actually referring to a moment in time when they had a 'crisis of faith'. Sorry, but no; a moment of cognitive dissonance doesn't make you an atheist.