My religious sister once told me she was not afraid to read books other than the bible, so I was like OK, here is one - John Rechy's "City of Night" She did not get far, and she was telling me "I can't read that." Same way with religio-nazi younger brother . . . . I told him there was no way there could be some merciful god, and I had a book that pretty much proves it . . . . So he is like, yea, I am not afraid to read it . . . . I gave him Erich Maria Remarque's "All Quiet On The Western Front", that did not last long either and he was saying the same thing my sister said . . . . These folks are all weak and scared, they can't face up to what is real, so they hide in their own fucking bubble, and try to draw other people into it with them. I almost feel sorry for them, but not quite.
. Experience is what teaches, and reading widely in scope teaches you things beyond the normal, the wider your scope, the greater the benefit and insight into the world as it is, not as you wish it to be.
6
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
9 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.
I remember reading "All Quiet On The Western Front" when I was about 11.
Definitely impacted by it.
Believers are so profoundly brainwashed, that they feel compelled to reject
anything that makes actual sense and defies their cognitive dissonance.
So many of them cannot be led to reason, and they reject it out of hand.
KKGator
Level 9
June 16, 2019
1
My ex was religious but not born in this country. Her college courses included a course in ethics. She was top of her class but a GF of hers who is American and semi-religious said she could not do that course. It was against her god beliefs, she said.
DenoPenno
Level 9
June 16, 2019
1
When people believe an all powerful being is watching over them, protecting and guiding them and solving their problems through prayer, of course they'd be terrified to lose that faith.
At age 16 I gave my best friend 2 books for her birthday, both with "God" in their titles. We were both devout Christians at the time. What I'd failed to do, was look at the contents of the one that turned her into an atheist.
I recall her telling me how she felt completely liberated having read this book, while I felt terrified. She was the same person, but I knew at that point, that her completely different perspective would change everything. Of course I HAD to read the book too, at that point. I wanted to understand what could possibly, so radically, change the view of my Christian friend who'd dragged me to church, 50 miles away from home, through snowstorms.
I still believed in God, for many years after that, but non-denominationally. It was too scary to let go of the idea that God was protecting me. Many believers aren't stupid. As you said, they can't face up to what's real.
My friend eventually became a nun. We don't hangout anymore.
Athena
Level 8
June 16, 2019
1
If I'm understanding you correctly the same friend that read that book and became an atheist was the same friend that went on later to become a nun? If that is indeed the case why did the friend switch back?
THHA:
Funny. I have often thought of the possibilities that could arise if one were to create a book that looked like a religious book, but actually under-the-cover so to speak, broke the spell . . . . . it would not be difficult to do. It was reading that broke me out of the spell, I was reading Nietzshe, and at the level he often wrote, what he says is not always immediately apparent, at least not the first time you read it. In retrospect, Nietzsche could not have used a better phrase than "philosophizing with a hammer"!
@Athena Well, I guess I've seen some smokers jump back into smoking after being free of it for a year. I tried to get away from pop (soda) early this year but that bad habit came back. I haven't fully gone back to levels of pop drinking when I was a kid, but sometimes you just need a pop every now and then.
Not sure how anyone would want to go to the nun extreme, seems very unfun. People are weird.
I agree. I have a few older friends who's fathers fought in WW! and there is one thing in common with them all. they never talked about their experiences for the rest of their lives.
If you do not read about the realities of war you may have some romanticised idea of what it is like. Maybe it should be mandatory for youngsters to read some of them.
Moravian
Level 8
June 16, 2019
1
I've always been extremely suspicious of people who claim you shouldn't read or know or imagine something, especially if they are the type of person too lazy to attempt to do all three and incorporate that laziness into their religion as if willful ignorance (or lazy ignorance) is a virtue to beat down smarter, more industrious thinkers.
greyeyed123
Level 7
June 16, 2019
0
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.