• SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today
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    5 days ago

    The bible attempts to normalize or even glorify abuse all the way through. It is one of the worst sources anyone could get their morality from.

    • Wolfram@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      And yet some stuff like the golden rule are pretty alright teachings. I’m atheist for a good reason because I don’t want to associate with religious bigots. But I’m not going to ignore also somewhat valuable lessons.

      • SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today
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        5 days ago

        I like the golden rule, but I have two issues with your response.

        First, Jesus did not invent the golden rule. It was around at least 1500 years before his birth.

        Second, if someone hands me a bowl of shit that has a handful of cherries scattered throughout it, is it really worth my time to sift through all that shit when I could get fresh cherries from somewhere else? I ate the shitty cherries for years, they nearly killed me.

        Many modern believers are trying to pretend that empathy is a sin, an attitude associated with the Trump presidency. An alarming number of people can’t tell the difference between the cherries and the shit. Those who lack critical thinking are easily swayed one way or another by those who want us fighting each other instead of the rich.

        https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/is-empathy-a-sin-some-conservative-christians-argue-it-can-be

        • Wolfram@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          Right. We’re still pretty much on the same page and that’s good to know, I never knew that.

          Regardless it’s ultimately my point of view that I can acknowledge the good from bad. I can condemn the rest of the bowl of shit and I do. But I can’t control those with peanut brains and can’t think for themselves. I’ve tried. It’s worthless. And they’re not worth it.

          • SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today
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            5 days ago

            But I can’t control those with peanut brains and can’t think for themselves. I’ve tried. It’s worthless. And they’re not worth it.

            I was abused because too many people gave up on accountability. I understand it is a frustrating uphill battle, but I think giving up on changing minds is effectively murder-suicide. Division is unsustainable, and the only thing that unites us is truth itself.

            I try my best to do what I believe is right, but it is difficult with broken foundations and decades of bad habits forcibly programmed into me. I am still figuring out how I can help more effectively. I have a lot of pain and anger. I am frustrated because every day, there are more victims. It feels like not enough people are doing enough.

            I do understand taking a break to recover sanity, and I understand that we can’t change every mind right away. I still think it is one of the most important things every person can do: spread truth and challenge assumptions, call out fallacies, correct mistakes. I feel a bit more strongly about it than most because I know there are victims suffering worse than I have. I see casual, selfish stupidity directly enabling the rise of deadly christofascism, covering genocides, protecting pedophiles, etc. It is difficult for me to avoid a desperate, confrontational tone. Thank you for your patient responses.

            I hope more people become aware to the harm that superstition does. I think they would act differently if they realized what is at stake.