To atheists, agnostics & other non-traditionalists out there, why are religionis

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   gmwilliamsposted 8 years ago

   To atheists, agnostics & other non-traditionalists out there, why are religionists SO FOND OF, IN
   
   LOVE WITH, & SO ENTHRALLED with concepts of the devil/Satan/Lucifer & hell?   Give analytical answers please(as I know you all will).  It seems that religionists are so fond of mentioning the devil & hell in their conversations.  It seems that they are more fascinated w/the darker side of life, having permeate into life in general, creating fear & negativity.
   
   

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   Austinstarposted 8 years ago

   I think religious people are prone to judge others, like it's their right to do so for some reason. They believe their authority and guidelines come straight from their gods.
   And Satan is the "enforcer", the one that gives them the power to enforce their judgements.
   They believe that their god created Lucifer for the express purposes of carrying out the horrible sentences that their gods assigned to earthly acts of humans.
   At least this is part of the law that was handed down to Moses via some bush that was on fire. Imagine judging the world and its inhabitants because of a talking burning bush.
   And the story of the burning bush god who birthed himself out of a child virgin in order to have himself tortured to death for the sins of mankind - his own supposed invention. Instead of fixing his mistakes, he creates demons to torture his children for eternity.
   It's senseless, mindless, superstition. People need to grow up and learn the difference between reality and religious fantasy.

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      SonOfSkyrim201posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      this is the biggest B.S I've ever heard. You're clearly misinformed as to what Christians believe.

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Fardmir - you are such a gullible little troll. Why don't you tell us what Christians believe then? Yes, please INFORM me. (or just keep insulting me - your choice).

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   Michaela Osieckiposted 8 years ago

   I think it comes from these people believing they have some kind of moral high-ground - trying to use fear-mongering into getting others to change their beliefs or ways, insisting that they're safe from hell and Satan but EVERYONE ELSE is susceptible and it's all around us and blah blah blah....

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      They do tend to believe in conspiracy theories. Sometimes it seems as if they believe in the most absurd conspiracies ever. And once their mind is convinced, they are completely closed to evidence contrary to their beliefs. I find it quite bizarre.

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   ValKarasposted 8 years ago

   I will always see a difference between those non-intrusive believers and imposing  religionists with a "mission" on their mind. So, whatever I want to say here is about the latter ones.
   In my opinion, religionists are basically insecure folks with a need to push something huge-and-powerful in front of them as a shield against what appears to them as an unfriendly world. What they are saying could be symbolized like this : "Watch it world, I got a big and almighty god on my side, so you might as well love me; and if you don't, I also got a devil on the side to get you!"
   
   In their insecurity they are fixated on sin, punishment, judgement day, and what particularly tells on their negative fixation is the fact that they only have one good deity, and then a few names for the bad guy, like devil, demon, Lucifer, Satan, possibly a few more whom I haven't had the honor of hearing about.
   All of these folks are very suggestible by nature, and as such bound to fall for such a suggestive and bombastic story. It's a sort of natural for people to glamorize someone of apparently big authority or even might. Look how many fans come to a Red Carpet event in Hollywood. It's only human to be fascinated by those "bigger than us", and it gets greatly amplified when a deity is in question.
   
   It's good old fear at the bottom of it all. When I hear that cute rationalization about "proof" for the validity of religion being in "thousands of years of its presence on earth" -  all I have to think of is : how many thousands of years has fear been around. It's ingrained in all living beings. Even a plant attached to a lie detector showed a fear response as the experimenter was approaching to its leaves with the flame of cigarette lighter.
   
   Now, I am not exactly mocking them here, but just trying to see what's behind their fascination with negative aspects of religion. It wouldn't be fair to make fun of people who are trying to somehow compensate for their insecurities. It's still better than looking for artificial courage to face the world by resorting to drugs and other chemical crutches.
   
   However, I am only making clear what  MY reasons are for not taking their story seriously. If it helps them in  some way, it's fine with me, as long as they get the message to keep their "sweet illusions" to themselves.

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Aha! That is the crux of the problem. Some of these religious folk will just NOT keep their opinions to themselves. Even if you ask them nicely. Even when you ask them forcefully. Even when you try to ignore them. They just won't STFU!

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      ValKarasposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Lela  - You know, it's actually fun to see them agonizing over the fact that they are not recognized as an "authority". I have seen enough of these defensive comments to come to such conclusion. .

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      It is fun! :-) There are a couple of nuts around here that constantly amuse me. They continously put targets up in front of their own faces.

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   Taopiposted 8 years ago

   It is the triumphalist nature of the Abrahamic religions, and more specifically Christianity and Islam, that propagates and subjugates with their dogma of polar opposites...good (like us and those who agree with us) and bad (those who are not like us and disagree with us).  What better weapon than humanity's inherent awareness of their own mortality?  Frighten people with their own death...by tales of paradise for those who believe like us or the theatrical hell of the most gruesome Renaissance depiction that awaits those who refuse our dogma. 
   
   This triumphalist approach has been a good money making machine for the likes of Pat Robertson and those of his heaven v. hell snake oil ilk, just as it has been for Rush Limbaugh and those of his political ilk to keep the blind followers as ignorant and uncritical as possible and terrify them with tales of Muslim presidents, baby killers behind the curtain of Planned Parenthood and murky gay agendas.  It's utter balderdash and twisted theatrics and in the United States, especially, a game of control and legal pick pocketing...except the victims are generally willing to be pick pocketed.
   
   It's also an ego trip, a fantasia, but a trip just the same.  If the unbeliever in one's dogma can be sentenced to eternal damnation for finite foibles, well, that makes one pretty special to avoid that dire Fate, yes?  Why not relish god's special favor?  He does, after all, think like ME.  It is rather bleak, yes, but religion is the dark side's greatest tool...or so the old saying goes.  I think it is the ego that is the dark side, though.
   
   It doesn't have to make sense.  It's religion.

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   CrescentSkiesposted 8 years ago

   As far as I can tell that's how they exert control. By showing the darker side to their followers they create a mass that is afraid of certain punishment. People who are afraid of punishment are easy to manipulate as long as you instill the idea that you can protect them from this punishment. This solidifies these religious leaders as the protectors and the flock as their advertisers. The flock will spread the word of this punishment and the protector without any pushing from the leader, both to achieve validation of their beliefs (as more join the flock) and to achieve a feeling of power (as an extension of their protector).

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      ValKarasposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Michael  -  I like your answer very much, and the way you are reasoning.

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, a very concise and probably accurate answer.

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   daydreamer13posted 8 years ago

   I never noticed that fascination, but it could be an awareness that people are forgetting that there are consequences to bad behavior. Even the children today are aware that they can get away with more than previous generations, and there's more and more arguing the criminals' side than the victims'. I don't think Christians, or anyone, want to force negativity, but they may feel a need to remind some that if you do bad, bad will happen. But, as I have said many, many, times, we come from different places, so maybe you are seeing something I don't see.

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      First off, you are phrasing it negatively. "do bad, get bad". Why not just teach children that there are CONSEQUENCES to actions - both "bad" and good. This is a much better lesson than meeting "bad" with "bad".

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      daydreamer13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      The question asks about negativity so I answered it accordingly. And I wouldn't teach a child there are negative consequences to good actions. That would be discouraging and confusing.

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Do you not understand that CONSEQUENCES can be good? or bad? The consequences of taking the correct medicine can be the saving of your life. The problem a lot of people have is jumping to "wrong" conclusions about things.

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      daydreamer13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I distinctly wrote the word "negative" and you are simply being annoying. You just want to argue and I'm done with you. My intention was to answer a question, not argue!

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Your conclusion verifies my point about people jumpng to conclusions about things. I was trying to give you a different perspective and you concluded that i am arguing with you.

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   savvydatingposted 8 years ago

   Actually, they are not. Most sermons barely recognize hell---though maybe they should.
   But, as an atheist, I guess you wouldn't know that. But hey, why dither over factual information when it is so much easier to hypothesize about others rather than face one's own hypocrisy.
   A better question would be, why are atheists so enthralled with making fun of Christianity? As they do it so often, maybe their answers might prove to be more accurate, you know...since it actually reflects the truth, which your question does not. Even then, I doubt the answer would be "real."

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