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If people didn’t believe that they had an imaginary father, that was much more powerful than them, do you think they’d feel more empowered to take control and make a difference in their life and the world in general?

girlwithsmiles 8 Oct 14
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1

They would have to develop integrity, self-empowerment and self-educated decision-making. They would not have someone above them to tell them what to think, feel, or do, so they would have to reason on their own to make informed decisions, rather than be told what decisions to make.

Sounds good, almost makes me want to go out and try and convert some god botherers!

1

I don't know. I mean, I don't believe that I have an imaginary father, and I don't seem to be any more or less empowered than my theist friends. This suggests to me that the key to empowerment may lie elsewhere.

Mmm maybe.

3

I cannot help but notice that most lesbians take control of their lives... not waiting for some Male figure, yes?

I’ve known some very religious lesbians who obviously had no issue with the idea of a father figure directing their lives.

@Barnie2years I’ve never met a very religious lesbian, although there was a church in Brisbane where my choir performed that was accepting of all, as was The Wayside Chapel in Sydney.

@Barnie2years if they were truly"religious" they would need to become celibate, so how could you tell?

@girlwithsmiles two women I worked with were lesbians and in church every Sunday. I couldn’t tell you which denomination, though the one came from a Mennonite background. I have a feeling they were Unitarian.

@Barnie2years the Unitarians around here use their services to promote fellowship...no "gawd" is mentioned, ever, it is not a religion, but a community.

@AnneWimsey in a moment of desperate lowness I went to the local Unitarian church. Seemed like any other church I had been to. I didn’t go back for seconds. I have always wound up sorting my own problems out. It seemed to me like Unitarian was just a way station between believing and not. The social aspect of church without all the dogma.

2

Good question. I'd say yes but have zero evidence to back it up. We could look to a nation like China, God free, for clues but every society is situational in many ways so religious acceptance alone does not answer it.

I think China has it’s own way of correcting behaviour.

@girlwithsmiles True. They like to say "Tanks" a lot.

@rainmanjr unfortunately.

3

Well we try, but our lives and the world in general puts up one hell of a fight.

4

They could, more importantly, have more empathy with other peoples sufferings. If they could not dismiss them as punishment for sin, or preparation for a future life. The great trick with other people's suffering, is to find a way to explain it away.

Without god we are all one family, with god we are each in our own family with our own special farther.

3

I was only good when I was little because of Santa Claus. He knew when I was sleeping, he knew when I'm awake, he knew when when I was bad or good so I was good for goodness sake.

He stopped you from being naughty, and now you no longer believe you’re free. So that’s kind of a yes then 🙂

@girlwithsmiles My parents gave me a lump of coal and told me I was bad.

@barjoe really, so even Santa didn’t work lols, wow I thought the lump of coal thing was a myth? Please tell me your parents didn’t really!

@girlwithsmiles! Rich children must be very well behaved because Santa gave them all kinds of cool stuff.

@barjoe some of the poorer kids I went to school with got great toys too, my parents just weren’t that bothered about me 😉

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