Personal Stories about Your Encounter with God!

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And where do you think they heard about God? From christian propaganda ofcourse, or some other christian they came into contact with. And then when they ask about God (after having heard about it from a christian), christians then take this as an invitation to rape them -- mentally rape them that is, but sometimes physically as well (as reported in the news every year).


I do not live in the USA. Christianity is not all bad -- I readily acknowledge this. There are actually some good aspects to it. But mostly it is bad. It is like a murderer who also gives money to charity.

Similarly, the christian bible is not ALL bad. It also contains some good stuff. But mostly it is bad. This is similar to how the most effective scams or hoaxes mix truth with lies.

Last edited by emp on 11 May 2006, 7:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.

You can't volunteer in your own country?????????

I would rather not. I prefer to donate money rather than my physical presence. It is OK for people to make contributions in different ways. I can actually make a bigger/better contribution in this manner than by providing myself in person.

Also, it is very hypocritical for you to accuse me of "all talk and no action" considering that christians do this on a regular basis. That is what praying is. Praying for someone is a way of convincing yourself that you are helping them and being a good person when in reality you are doing absolutely nothing for them. Praying for someone is a very selfish thing to do because it makes YOURSELF feel better and does NOTHING for the other person.

*** emp slaps Paula on the face!

You have no right to be mad about this because God told me to do it. It was God's Will. He wanted me to slap you. I was only obeying God. It's not nasty it's obedience. How can you prove God did not tell me? You cannot.

What do you mean I do nothing. Could you???? You'd rather donate money??? Thats fine,I do both.But yet you critize me. Yet how are you doing? What scripture do you have justifying slapping me in the face? I read my bible and it's clear. God wants us to ask, I'm a parent, I take great pleasure in giving to my children. As a parent, I want them to ask. Matthew7:7-8, 21:22, John 14:13, 15:7,and 16:24 are just a few scriptures that shows me that God wants me to ask...you find it selfish??? I'm God's child, I ask. And I show my children the importance of being givers by being an example of what it means to reach out to others and not just stay in our own little world. I'm in prayer before I leave my house, thats important because the work I do...most people can't....or won't. And I find it interesting that there are many Christian Charities...but where are the atheist ones? You got hostile again when all I asked is can't you volunteer in your own country, which tells me you are feeling very convicted by my question. I tell people, if you can't help....please pray for us. And thats good enough for me. I'm not out to judge or threaten anyone. Because I am very secure in my being. You...on the other hand...I seriously doubt that you are secure in what you believe. Otherwise you wouldn't be venting such hostility towards Christians who post on the forums here.

Oh by the way...none of the children I work with have ever been molested,raped nor sold into prostitution by Christians. Nor by people professing to be Christians. Yeah they are out there, but that dosn't mean they are Christian.

So, the other day I prayed that the weather would be cloudy for the rest of the week, and it was. Yeah, it was in winter, but I asked God for it, so of course it must have been God that made the weather cloudy! HOW AMAZING! See, he loves everyone! Even all those people who asked for sunny weather. See, he loves them too, 'cus, like...uh...well. He answers their prayers other times! Yeah! That's it!

-Rolls eyes- PLEASE.

I don't mind people talking about this sort of thing, but there's a point where it gets ridiculous. You can't attribute every single thing you ask for and get to a being that is essentially physically impossible. Go ahead, have your God talk, but please, use common sense about it. I know the natural laws of that govern the real world aren't on good terms with Christianity, a religion that once had people killed for suggesting that the world was round and again for suggesting that it was not the center of the universe, but c'mon. This isn't the sixteenth century! If you're going to talk about a time where you were visited, not in a dream, but in the real world (when you weren't high or drunk or anything), by an onmipotent black man (Jesus was black, wasn't he?) who could do some mind-blowing and seemingly impossible feats...yeah, that's relevent to the topic, and interesting to talk about...not to mention probably grounds for being diagnosed with schizophrenia. (If you met Morgan Freeman, that doesn't count. Heh.) I mean, if you want to talk about that...that's fine, whatever. It's your religion, your right to believe. But saying that just because you ask for something to happen and it does is proof of divine intervention is just plain' dumb. No offense.

What about all the stuff that you ask for and DON'T get? Notice how you fail to contradict emp's statements about those who need help most not getting what they ask for, which in some cases is just as simple as food and water.

And you can say that you know in your heart that us "nonbelievers" secretly believe, but what if we told you we thought y'all were just in denial, ignoring proven facts in favor of believing a comforting lie that gives you hope? Everyone needs hope, and everyone gets it from different sources. Myself, I prefer to not let myself be blinded by wishes for the impossible. I'm just as secure in my beliefs as you, thank you very much, and I don't like it when people make assumptions about me, or people who believe the same things I do. I won't consider all Christians hardcore extremists who want all Jews and Muslims and Pagans to have their limbs cut off, nor will I consider all preists to be pedophiles. Doesn't mean they aren't out there, and there's definately people who are raised atheist but convert to Christianity, just as there are ones who don't but believe in some God anyway. But that said...most aren't this way. You don't want assumptions made about your kind, please do the same for others. That is exactly the same kind of overzealous, hypocritical, and downright prejudiced attitude that makes a lot of atheists so pissed at Christians in general. Sometimes, hostility doesn't come from insecurity in one's beliefs, but rather simply because one feels as though one has been victimized. You are angry at those who victimize you. Hence, many--though again, not all--atheists feel angry at Christians for victimizing them. And Christians do victimize us, and everyone else who doesn't share their faith. Not all do, but enough do for it to become overwhelming. (Plus, the religion seems completely foolish and illogical.)

No, there aren't too many atheist-themed charities, and one of the reasons for that is because atheism isn't too popular, is it? I mean, most people take it for granted that everyone else believes in some kind of god. But an even better reason is that atheism is not an organized religion. I mean, c'mon, organized religion is exactly what atheism is against! It's not even an ism, really. It's a nonbelief, not a belief. You could consider any charity that isn't based around religion to be an atheistic charity--one that is not all about church.

I believe God is real, I believe he answers prayers. Sometimes he says yes, sometimes he says no. I talk to God all the time, and if others don't...thats up to them. I'm not threatened by those who don't agree with me. But those who go out of their way to confront my beliefs are those I seriously doubt believe what they are saying...otherwise they wouldn't care what I believe. It never ceases to amaze me how Christians get accused of forcing our beliefs down peoples throats, and yet everytime a Christain posts something about our faith, we get really severally chastised, and then a non-believers veiw is then forced down our throats. And it's as if the non-believer is trying to convert me....to what????? I can agree to disagree with anyone....what I don't get is the anger that has been expressed towards me and others here. There was a young man here....I won't say his name who was attacking non-believers, I got on him for that, and found churches in his area where he can get some help with his issues as he had plenty. Anyone can start a charity and be successful with it. Not to many people care.

I'll add this to...starving people, thristy people......the Church needs to do more to reach out and help. Noone should go hungry, when there is plenty of people in this world who have and could give. I mention the church/churches, because that is our responsibility to feed the poor and to reach out and help others in need. Obviously.......we could do more.

I'm not trying to threaten you, or get on your arse about your beliefs, or make you stop believing. As I said--you totally have the right to believe (and talk about) what you want. I just think it just gets a bit ridiculous when every little good thing that happens to you becomes proof of divine intervention. I didn't see as much confrontation of beliefs here (although there was definately some of that) so much as just criticism of thinking a fixed vacuum cleaner is a sign from God. I know I myself said some rather icky things in my last post, but believe me when I say I don't have too many problems with sheer belief. I think it's foolish and illogical, but totally within someone's right. What I have a problem with is when it gets so extreme that you don't give credit where it's due. I mean, can't you attribute certain achievements to human beings? Saying every good thing that happens is the work of God undermines the people who make it happen, which is especially revolting when you bring in the subject of free will. So, what, everytime somebody does something good it's 'cus God made them do it (even though God supposedly can't mess with free will), but when somebody does something bad it's just them doing it, or perhaps they're under some satanic influence (even though, again, humans are supposed to have free will according to the Christian dogma)? Everything that happens in this world is because of the actions of people--even things in nature, such as the recent hurricane, could be attributed to people's lack of environmental care. People plant treas, people fix machines, people alter DNA, people create life, and people sure as hell end it. I don't have a problem with believing in any god, be it a good one or evil one or one who claims to be good while acting evil (old testament). But I do have a problem with undermining good deeds that people like you and me work so hard to accomplish. I do have a problem with thinking that every single good thing that happens, no matter how trivial, is God's work, not the work of whatever nameless human being or nameless masses of human beings caused it to happen. It's like attributing the rights of African Americans to some God rather than on people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcom X. I know MLK was a deeply religious man, but he was a man who used religion in a positive way, as a way to give African-Americans hope--something that I have no problems at all with. And if you want to be modest and say your good work is the work of God, fine--same for anybody. But undermining the work of another human being without their consent by saying it's all the work of God, answering even the pettiest of your prayers, is, in my opinion, immoral.

I don't claim to speak for all atheists, but...I don't have a problem with people posting about their faith, I just have a problem with ridiculousness and immorality. Hell (pun unintended), I even find the Christian doctrine to be fascinating in some ways--angels, demons, uber-powerful beings fighting each other, etc. It's interesting, if brutal, stuff.

And people do need to reach out and help, but not just the Church. Government does, too. Less than 1% of the United States' national budget goes to foreign aid, and less than 1% of that goes to Africa, which has every problem in the book at the moment (drought, famine, AIDS, overpopulation, economic dependency on agriculture, global warming, violence, corrupt politicians, instability, etc.). This is especially important because, sadly, many of the largest charities (such as the Red Cross) are corrupt, and take a rather large percentage of the donation money for themselves.

I've never felt attacked by you. What makes sense to me in my american middle class upbringing may not make sense to someone else in a different upbringing. God is vast and ingredible and so awsesome, his ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts. But when I have a need I cannot meet, I ask God. I don't think it's silly, nor immoral to even ask for petty things. What may seem petty to one person may not seem petty to someone else. I believe that starvation and the harrors of this world is for the most part man created. Noone should starve, there are too many who can help and don't. When someone ask me why there is so much problems in the world, I tell them to look at the human race. We can all make it better. If everyone who could would, then this world would be a much better place. But I look at Christianity, because scriptually speaking....we just aren't doing enough.

What I meant wasn't that it was silly or immoral to ASK for petty things, just that when you want something to happen (no matter how petty, or how important), and it does, that it's immoral to not give credit to the people who make it happen, because in nearly all cases it is indeed people who make it happen--people who have a free will. Like you said, if everyone who could improve the world would, then the world would be a better place...but what if they did, and instead of thanking them, people just thanked God for "answering their prayers"? That's my problem. I'm glad that you didn't feel attacked, though.

I always thank people when they show a kindness for me, or those I care about. Then I thank God for them and ask God to bless them.

There's nothing wrong with desiring something, be it a working vacuum cleaner or the biggie, Peace on Earth. It is possible to want both at the same time.

However, I think it's misleading to attribute only good stuff to a god and ignore unanswered prayers -- That's the phenomenon of confirmation bias.

My hypothesis: The "prayer success rate" is dependent upon having a positive and relaxed frame of mind regarding the matter at hand. To attain something which appears to be outside the realm of the possible, calling upon one's gods seems to trigger the creative part of the unconscious mind. It sets a trigger mechanism that searches for answers and very often finds them... We analyze subtle clues, are emboldened to do things slightly differently, face problems directly, and otherwise put ourselves in the right places at the right times.

For exactly the same reasons, prayers of desperation and fear don't seem to produce much in the way of positive results.

Disclaimer: I am a skeptical polytheist who has anecdotal evidence for a plethora of supernatural beings... Including my close personal friends the Parking Gods.

All my life I did not know why my life was so screwed up, or why I had so many inexplicable problems. I was a very unhappy person as I believed that I was weak and inferior to most people. All I knew was that I was an oddball and a failure in most aspects of my life.

Once, when my life careened into disaster, as it tended to do every few years, my religious neighbor who everyone else in the complex believed was a "dingbat" came and offered to pray in my living room. In her church the women wear a scarf to cover their heads while they are in church. My neighbor didn't have a scarf handy in my living room so she put one of my tea towels on her head. In her church people pray with their entire bodies, they speak in tongues, and even cry while they are praying. My neighbor prayed for me in this fervent, passionate way, on her knees in my living room with a tea towel on her head.

My neighbor told me that when a person prays they have to pray really really really hard, with every bit of energy in their bodies. She told me that you have to BANG on that door, not just knock timidly. She advised me to pray as HARD as I possibly could.

I only half believed, but in the days after her prayer I did pray in the way she had told me to. I prayed with all the energy in my body, the way I had seen my neighbor pray. I prayed with the drapes closed and I prayed in my bedroom, because I felt a little foolish doing it. I waited for my life to change, or for some remarkable thing to happen that would increase the quality of my life. I did not go to church, but I did continue to do this energetic pray that Jesus would help me to fix my life, or at least explain to me what the hell was wrong with me that I was such a failure in life.

Shortly afterward I got a phonecall from a man who had delivered some groceries to my house. He was very forward that he wanted to date me. This man had a sort of nasaly monotone voice, and he seemed to have some odd quirks. He is the one who first told me about Asperger's Disorder. I never knew what Asperger's Disorder was before I met him. He had Asperger's Disorder. I would never have learned about Asperger's Disorder if not for that man. After we met I learned from him what the AS diagnostic criteria were and knew at once that I had the same disorder. That man is now my partner and now we are both diagnosed Aspies.

Now really, what were the odds of meeting and falling in love with another aspie? What are the odds that I would meet my partner and learn what was "wrong" with me all at the same time? Would I have met my partner if I didn't pray? If I didn't pray would I still be in despair, not knowing that I was an Aspie?

I don't know the answers to those questions and I am not so arrogant as to think I know the answers either way.

Most people think my encounter with god happend after I took 400 hits of acid.... But realy, I played Black Sabbath at 78 speed.... then I saw GOD!! !! !! !! !! !!