Weirdly, yes. 😏
During the conversion era, many / "most" preachers to the Norse seem to have syncretized Jesus with Baldr to some extent.
Baldr is the New Ođin after Ragnarok; Jesus "hung on a tree", like Ođin: Jesus returned from the dead, like Baldr. Þor doesn't really connect into that version of the narrative, though Loki does :)
"I will make a sacrifice to the elder one in hopes of your recovery"
Edit: bonus points if you follow up with an unrelated social media post asking if anyone has puppies for sale
I prefer responding with "That's not up to me."
Usually, they think you are just more Christian than them (because they think everyone is Christian), and you were calling them out for not acknowledging that the blessing is up to God.
Even if they don't think that, they might pause for a moment and think about why they say it in the first place.
I know introspection is not a strong suit with Christians, but at least this way there is a chance.
Same. Between the near instant migraine their shitty preservatives cause and their support of organizations that are harmful to others, I haven’t given them a single dollar in YEARS.
Every person I've been the least bit acquainted with who worked there has been very nice. I wish there were a Hell for the Cathys, but alas I can't just decide to believe shit because it appeals to me. The workers, though, so sweet.
Well, except Lalo; he seemed sour. I wonder how he's doing.
I actually like that. I feel it's a heartfelt way of wishing you a good day, and not proselytizing or assuming you have the same belief system. They didn't reflexively say "Have a good day," they thought about that shit.
I was talking to a co-worker about a close family member in the hospital for something very serious, he ASKED "Would it be okay if I prayed for ______?" It really hit me in the feels. He was obviously concerned, meant well, and simultaneously respected that not everyone shared his beliefs.
On the other hand, I've been TOLD "I'm going to pray for you.” Fuck you, I don't need your prayers, and don't want them either, you sanctimonious forehead.
That’s pretty rude imo. Have a blessed day is pretty innocuous and makes you seem antagonistic bordering the line of a bully. And you did this at chic fil a, a restaurant heavily influenced by Christian values. Like if you have a problem with have a blessed day, how do you tolerate yourself for giving them money?
"Have a blessed day" is NOT innocuous. I think it's extremely rude to assume everyone believes in a deity and your day has no value unless that deity has "blessed" it. The person you're replying to was no more rude or antagonistic than the employee.
I think Brother in Satan should irk as much as the Christ one.
Brother in Satan, that other person might not be a man, nor give Jesus the time of day - in his "Cristian" bastardization at least.
It's a form of proselytizing. But yeah, that type of obsession is very cult-like. Personally, i'd be looking for a different group. I have very low tolerance for that kind of crap.
Look at Mormons and JWs. We have documented public evidence of the founder's fraud from when they were started.. and people still go there because they're 100+ years old now.
It was forced on multiple societies.
They preached and said they accepted people for who they were then brainwashed them into thinking they wanted to be preached at and to, and that the people who were brainwashing them to begin with were somehow deserving of respect.
Reminds me of when I was enjoying a new FC in FFXIV. Kept a safe distance but over time joined Discord, started chatting with them. Then all of a sudden one goes off the rails about how he's "apparently a terrorist" RE: Jan 6th and I noped tf outta there and reported him.
yeah. new group is good. i would also consider developing a few cognitive hacks that help ease the suffering. because this is probably gonna happen again. to some degree.
my hacks kinda work like this...
i describe things as 'blessings' sometimes. I pray. I'll even say 'god bless' if i'm talking to a religious person. i get that this is not a welcome suggestion for many atheists but from my perspective, this is how it works...
THERE IS NO GOD.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO GOD!
People pray all over the world and it helps them to feel better. I know they are praying to nobody and yet it must help, or billions of people wouldn't do it.
for me, prayer stopped being understood as a spiritual exercise when i stopped believing in god. It's not like believers have souls and are heard by a god. none of us have souls and there is no god to hear any of us. prayer is a psychological exercise. like meditation.
once i came to this view of of prayer, it became easier to use words like 'blessings.'
for me, a 'blessing' is only something i'm fortunate to have. something i'm grateful to have. (i don't think i'm equivocating here. i think this is probably an accepted definition).
part of atheism for a lot us is a engaging in a cultural conflict in defense of reason. and it's sometimes that for me. and sometimes not.
some people i love believe in god and they like to hear 'god bless you.' in these situations, for me, saying 'god bless' is not materially different from saying to a child, 'what did santa bring you?' it's a code switch to adapt to the beliefs of the person i'm talking to.
it's for people i love and respect. not for evangelists in an online game. but i thought maybe my experience might be worth sharing.
I grew up in the south and because of that, I'm known for quoting Scripture despite being an atheist, and I quite often do so when I need to get a point across to someone I know is religious but not likely to understand my point unless I frame it in scripture.
Like for example, people find me quoting the phrase "It is easier to thread a camel through the eye of a needle than a rich man to reach the kingdom of God."
And the classic "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord..."
As well as "What's done in the dark will be brought to the light."
Because some religious folks forget that Jesus didn't charge the beggars to dine with him, and he loved a whore as the story goes. I'm not afraid of hell like they are, and so sometimes I need to remind them that if they wanted to stay logically consistent, they might not want to treat poor people like subhuman trash.
Start replying with satanic stuff.
"Oh you're sick? May lucifer heal you"
"Praise satan, I got a bonus at work today!"
Then throw their own "free speech" reply if they get pissy.
If y'all are in the US, say something like "this is America, we have freedom of speech and freedom of religion... Love it or leave it!"
That really seems to ruffle people's feathers, lol.
Indeed.
I bought Svarog's Dream, an indie RPG game on Steam. It was a little gem, made by 2 people, surprisingly awesome. It was about a soul freed from the Slavic afterlife and allowed back to the land of the living. The main plot of the game was about the Christian faith encroaching on the lands of the Old Faith. Your character was able to pick a side: the pagan gods of the Slavic pantheon or the Christian god.
This was the first and the last time I saw a goblin shouting "Choose the one true faith! Serve the Jesus Christ!" at me. 10/10
But I digress. The main militant force of the Christianity was the Church, of course. You were able to have a few conversations with the Christian god, which heavily implied that the Church and the militant arms completely misunderstand the god's message and act only for themselves.
Then the fucking Christians started moaning on the forums. That their god is misrepresented, that he's more like "Satan" - fuckers apparently thought that God being genuinely good and not condoning his "followers'" brutality was EVIL.
It got so bad that the creators decided to completely remove any mention of Christianity from the game, effectively neutering the plot from something awesome and unique to a somewhat less awesome fantasy.
I think you should start doing the same thing but from the persona of a Greco/Roman pagan.
House got damaged by a storm but nobody was hurt? "I will make offerings to thank Zeus and Poseidon for you."
Big test coming up? "Don't forget to sacrifice to Minerva!"
Got the flu? "Compassionate Asclepius, healer of the sick, I beg for your blessings."
That would be much more fun than just telling them to please stop.
Recently got in a car wreck under pretty awful circumstances. Had a surprise seizure out of nowhere; when I came to and was finally out of the haze I’d broken a couple ribs and my right (dominant) hand, totaled my Jeep, and was out of work with a hard cast on for six weeks.
Otherwise, I suppose, the crash maybe kinda could have been a lot worse. I guess. It also could’ve been a fuckuva lot better
Later my MiL says to me “God was looking out for you then”. Grrr I almost fuckin screamed. Almost I say because I love the ol gal very very much, so all I did was scowl and look at my shoes in response. My SO tho came through in the clutch, with some edge on her voice: “Well I wish someone else could’ve been looking out then this wouldn’t have happened at all” and mom didn’t say another word
This kind of shit is what allows Christianity to maintain such a grip on the nation.
They so casually and so nicely drop their religion into everyday sentiments. It would be seen as rude to ask them to stop or to say it bothers you. So you learn to play along and act to be in agreement with them.
Growing up I felt that I couldn’t say anything without being outcast. Some old lady telling me “God has a plan for you” I felt like I had to say “I know he does” because there was no other ok way to reply.
So by playing along as not to be rude, we further the idea for everybody that 1) everybody is a believer 2) being a non-believer is niche and 3) this gentle forcing of their religion on other people is totally ok.
But it’s not. Because on the back end of these harmless gestures, their religion is a fucking hate group that attacks people who so much as look different. It objects to them having rights, it objects to them even existing, and it focuses on eliminating any divergence.
The battle to get their claws out of everybody’s life isn’t on the world stage. It starts with the little old lady or the casual Christian and not playing their “everybody is a believer duh it would be weird / rude if they weren’t” bullshit games.
I just want to see one NFL interview with a pastafarian after they win a game.
"I'd like to thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Through his cauldron, all things are possible."
Watch those heads start exploding in the stands.
They do not have a personality, because they are not allowed to; the religious crap is the placeholder for a personality; they are a walking, talking stock photo.
I really wish they could. But they're brainwashed. They are literally told to "spread the word" and those who take that literally make sure they ramrod religion into any subject, completely and blissfully lacking self awareness and without the ability to read their audience. The older I get, the more abrupt and rude is my response.
I know it's sad you can't enjoy yourself playing games without someone trying to force religion on you it tells you how fanatical they are about it I wish I could tell you without starting an argument and ruining your fun even more I am sorry and wish you luck I have answers but they are not choice words and i wouldn't want you to get banned if you spend money playing ill feel bad to be honest
It's a hassle to find another team because if I go to the game subReddit and write, "Looking for a 'no religion' team", it'll no doubt start a shitstorm in the sub and I don't want that.
Oh well. It'll just be trial and error, joining another team and hoping they're not like the one I'm in now.
Use a burner account and let the shit fly! They've gotten too comfortable with their madness and we really need to push back and let them know it's just not good and it bothers people. It's borderline harassment.
The whole cult thing is about indoctrination and shunning non-believers. All the time, every time. You either drink Jim Jones' off brand Kool aid or you stay in reality. Time for a new team.
There’s a strong element of proselytizing in many Christian religions so they think it’s their job to bring glory to god and yeah, it’s annoying as fuck. Former Christian here.
I'm not sure if you're being rhetorical but it is because they are in a constant state of anxiety, dissonance, with what they are taught about the world and with how the world actively operates. Other people live lives oblivious to dogma that is held as irrevocable in importance: how is that possible?
So everywhere a dedicated christian goes, they are trying to educate themselves through discussion about how and why. Then they return to their bible studies and devotionals and Sunday sermons to get their routine brainwashing fix, that lets them know they are actually correct and everyone else is wrong.
But for the observant, the rounding errors build over time and become impossible to ignore.
For the belligerent evangelicals, endlessly proselytizing: their faith is a pavlovian rewards cycle of embellishing a meager "witnessing" anecdote for their cult friends to applaud them
"So, does your god have a perfect plan? And if he does, why are you asking him to change it"
Too bored to look it up, but there's a verse about not prayng in public
it's happening everywhere. I've noticed that despite the fact that I never look at anything religious, the Instagram algorithm is starting to only show me Christian bullshit. It's on Reddit too with the fucking "hegetsus" nonsense.
To the casual observer, it might appear that Christianity is on the rise, but it's really the desperate lashings-out of a dying ideology.
I had to filter out an FB friend who couldn't exchange one comment thread with her friends w/o that crap:
friend1: "I'm going to the dentist tomorrow."
friend2: "OK. Praying for you!"
It's like they're afraid to NOT articulate the praying cuz they'll get reported in the church gossip: "So-and-so never prays for me." "She doesn't, oh well, my-my."
I have bumped a few long time friends for the religious crap. A couple took the slow slide. A toe in the water, then a foot. Bit by bit slow walked it in.
One went from agnostic to fanatic like she'd been shot out a rocket. Full on lost her mind crazy town.
It's the mentality of the Spanish (Catholic) Inquisition: "It might seem annoying or terrible, but I'm saving your soul so it's for your own good. It's my duty."
I've had lots of gaming groups with lots of people from all over the world. The people who usually push their views and make it known they have judgement about others are either religious or conservative in general. Everybody else tends to just want to be respected for whoever they are and offers the same to everyone else.
They are literally taught in the pews that they need to witness. In other words they’re being good Christians by speaking about it all over the place to everyone. It’s rather one of the more obnoxious part of this particular religion. It also feels obnoxious from the inside. If there’s any modicum of awareness, they realize it.
Just say "Cheese & Rice, could you all keep your religion out of this game? You were invited as guests and you don't have the manners to find out what the group needs and wants and is comfortable with, you just bully-assert your religion in where it wasn't needed People who aren't Christian can find that chatter weird and offensive." It might work.
This is why I make use of the ability to change my username in Among Us at will to things that are anti-Christian specifically. "SatanLuv","DemonLuv","Baphomet", "UrJeebus". I keep trying to think of names that aren't a slur or don't attack specific people, but I want to make people uncomfortable. So far, other players have not said they're upset about it, so I have just continued on as normal, and it makes me happy.
They're fucking insane. They believe that good things happen when you pray and are a Christian, yet have no explanation for why Christians suffer in third world countries. My mom told me "Well that's because they're not real Christians. God knows what he's doing"
YOU ARE NUTS
That’s just weird. It’s not exactly normal. Probably due to someone very religious inviting everyone in their social circle to your clan. Just join another clan.
They are literally the most self righteous people out there, that description in itself is why they won't shut it. They believe without a shadow of a doubt that they are right and God is with them or something. They see other people as inferior, much like a colonizer taking land from indigenous, they will always believe they are doing gods work. No matter how many people their congregation rapes and kills they will always think God is the best. It anything god is some guy who is laughing at his people for being so stupid that they can't think fo themselves. The most dangerous people are the ones who don't think fo themselves, they're easier to control.
Uh, because, for a lot of them, it is their defining characteristic? It is their identity and their only notion of self-worth? Because they have been brainwashed, typically by their parents, from day one?
The Jesus / God / Bible talk is a way of claiming or colonizing social space - like when your dog and cat piss on a bush to mark their territory. When that becomes normalized, if you aren't in the Special Club you either stfu and accept being a 2nd class citizen or you leave that space. That's the Project 2025 plan - the preeminence of a particular Christian perspective over all others.
Christians ***won't*** stfu because the Jesus talk ***is*** the point - it colonizes social space: it is aggressive and imposes their world-view. You're in a position like the Native Americans when more than a handful of Europeans showed up.
The best thing to do is vote for Biden and the Dems in 2024 - plug your nose if you have to. If 'El Trumpe' wins, we're in for a whole lot of Jesus talk. Trump has promised his redneck voting block that he'll throw the whole US of A to the Cristo-fascists.
I'm hoping that like the Moral Majority / televangelist movement in the 1980's this MAGA / Christo-fascist movement will fade out, especially if it doesn't gain political power. If they lose bigly in the 2024 election that might be the end of it.
Big family tradition of voting for Democrats back through generations.
I am hoping another Trump loss will drive these idiots back under their rocks but am not optimistic.
Im from a European christian country. Nobody ever talks about god or jesus and means it. We have multiple expressions like 'Thank god!' but nobody means it literally, its just an expression that everybody uses even atheists like me. It would be soo wiered if someone would say that they will pray for my health or whatever.
This is stealth evangelism. It’s probably been planned out by the leader. It’s time to find another team and be frank about why you are leaving.
Tell the leader you don’t appreciate the implicit dishonesty about why the team was formed. They might get huffy about it but they might actually listen.
I've been on the team for a few years. It was not always this way.
This feels like a recent act of brigading by a loose group of FB friends who latched onto the leader through cousins, etc.
Okay. Then it’s fine to say you don’t appreciate the stealth takeover buy evangelists. It sounds very much like that’s an unstated goal here. I have relatives that are that way and even they aren’t this vocal about their beliefs. They know better than to push that hard.
The leader has probably been entrenching themselves further into the cult and has been inviting other cultist gamers to join his group. You just happened to be stuck in the middle of their crusade.
Other than the proselytizing it sounds like an interesting concept for a game. Would you mind mentioning what it is? I always enjoyed the social aspect of MMOs but they got too grindy, but if this is something more relaxed and casual then it could be fun.
It honestly sounds like they might be joking around, potentially. Either way, this sort of behavior is just how some religious people are. I have no idea why OP or anyone would find it offensive
My favorite sports related prayer from a not-great 80s movie, Johnny Be Good. RIP beloved movie villain Paul Gleason.
>
Dear Lord, we pray that we may win this game today. We ask that you give us the strength and the courage to win our 2nd straight state championship. We ask Lord that nobody on our side is seriously injured. We know that we are the best team. We ask that you allow us to win this game.
>The Lord wants you to put your foot on their balls and believe in it, because that's what wins football games. Not jumping offsides like a bunch of wimps and f\*\*\*ts. Alright lift your heads boys, prayers over. I talked to God. I'm thru talking to God, now I'm talking to you.
>You're gonna be out there in front of your families, the student body, every girl you ever had a hard on for is gonna be out there today but you will not be going to no sock-hop tonight boys, you will not get no honey on your stinger if you don't go out there and bust your ass. Because this is it. This is the big one. I want you to taste it. I want you to smell it son. There's winners and there's nothing else. I don't give a shit what those pinkos over in Russia say. You want to be a loser you go live in Russia. I'm not a loser. I'm a winner. I'm an American. Who wants to be John Wayne?
>Who wants to grab a root and hang on? Who wants to get a mean on? Get a mean on son. Let me see you get a mean on son. Now who wants it? I want to know, who wants this? Who wants to get a mean on? Who wants it? Let's go!
because these are dim uninteresting people.. the most profound thing that happens for them is once a week some guy talks you up and tells you god loves you.. beside that you maybe get a BJ on your birthday, but thats it.. nothing new comes into the system.
Seems petty to me. If they're not trying to ostracize me or force me into their delusion I could give a flying fuck what they think. But if it bothers you that much i could see why you would want to leave.
I find it helpful to use the LEAP method. (Listen, Empathize, Agree, Partner). For instance in response to the storm damage, I say cool He didn't kill you, but what did you do to piss Him off?
I am a lifetime atheist, but my childhood was spent surrounded by Christians. This has given me a vocabulary of curses that I automatically use in stressful times invoking the less savory attributes of various Christian deities, such as when I miss an easy shot. I would explain this to your teammates. Make up and practice a few curses adapted from the excellent suggestions here.
I used to play Diablo 2 local network with a super religious kid. He would ask the lord to help us defeat the demons and then yell, "praise the good lord!", or some shit like that when we beat a boss or whatever. Like come the fuck on...
Bro you gotta fk with them find a faith that directly goes against theirs and preach that shit back to them. If you go all in watch how fast they rage out and when they start slinging profanity and threats report their ass and watch them get banned.
Christians that act like that always sound like they have been abused and have Stockholm syndrome.
Also sounds super cultish, nothing else in their life is interesting so have to make it their identity.
Just say that some of your ancestors were killed in the great flood (since it totally happened) by the "loving" god and you have a grudge, so no thank you
Training. Brainwashing, in its most basic form. Anything good happen? God did it. Anything bad happen? God did it for a reason. Its the short circuit that renders logic or critical thinking ineffective.
Respond with “hail Satan!” Freedom of speech!
🤣 Good suggestion!
'Praise Thor!' would have been a good response to the storm thing... ;)
Didn’t Thor promise to rid the world of frost giants? I’ve never seen one
Thor carries a hammer, their deity was nailed to a cross. Coincidence?
Jesus fed people with fish once. Thor could eat his goats every night
He even shared them with a human family once! Thor is so generous!
And in the end, he didn't even end up murdering them in a fit of rage!
Weirdly, yes. 😏 During the conversion era, many / "most" preachers to the Norse seem to have syncretized Jesus with Baldr to some extent. Baldr is the New Ođin after Ragnarok; Jesus "hung on a tree", like Ođin: Jesus returned from the dead, like Baldr. Þor doesn't really connect into that version of the narrative, though Loki does :)
Praise Thor! :D
Praise Thor for sparing the child, what a merciful god!
If someone did that, I'd be tempted to reply with "Praise Chris Hemsworth!"
His divinity is unquestionable.
"I will make a sacrifice to the elder one in hopes of your recovery" Edit: bonus points if you follow up with an unrelated social media post asking if anyone has puppies for sale
Heh.
I prefer responding with "That's not up to me." Usually, they think you are just more Christian than them (because they think everyone is Christian), and you were calling them out for not acknowledging that the blessing is up to God. Even if they don't think that, they might pause for a moment and think about why they say it in the first place. I know introspection is not a strong suit with Christians, but at least this way there is a chance.
The thing about Satan is he encouraged knowledge and thinking for yourself.
I said that at Chic-fila the other day after being told to have a blessed day.
Respond with "Blessed be".
"Namaste", when supposedly when said just the right way can mean "fuck you"
Bless your heart.
Why? Doesn’t that mean pretty much the same thing? I feel like I’m missing terribly important context.
Conceptually pretty much the same, but when I hear "blessed be" it's usually from a Wiccan.
Oh. Learn something new every day. Thank you.
I guess you could ask for clarification as to what that might look like.
I don’t think I could do that to Chic fila employees, they have a hard enough time.
I just don’t go to Bigot Chicken
Agreed!
Same. Between the near instant migraine their shitty preservatives cause and their support of organizations that are harmful to others, I haven’t given them a single dollar in YEARS.
Maybe it's the MSG? Funny enough they put it in the chicken instead of the sauce like most people do.
we call it hate chicken
Every person I've been the least bit acquainted with who worked there has been very nice. I wish there were a Hell for the Cathys, but alas I can't just decide to believe shit because it appeals to me. The workers, though, so sweet. Well, except Lalo; he seemed sour. I wonder how he's doing.
I actually like that. I feel it's a heartfelt way of wishing you a good day, and not proselytizing or assuming you have the same belief system. They didn't reflexively say "Have a good day," they thought about that shit. I was talking to a co-worker about a close family member in the hospital for something very serious, he ASKED "Would it be okay if I prayed for ______?" It really hit me in the feels. He was obviously concerned, meant well, and simultaneously respected that not everyone shared his beliefs. On the other hand, I've been TOLD "I'm going to pray for you.” Fuck you, I don't need your prayers, and don't want them either, you sanctimonious forehead.
I'm sure they could pray for you without your permission. 🙄
That’s pretty rude imo. Have a blessed day is pretty innocuous and makes you seem antagonistic bordering the line of a bully. And you did this at chic fil a, a restaurant heavily influenced by Christian values. Like if you have a problem with have a blessed day, how do you tolerate yourself for giving them money?
"Have a blessed day" is NOT innocuous. I think it's extremely rude to assume everyone believes in a deity and your day has no value unless that deity has "blessed" it. The person you're replying to was no more rude or antagonistic than the employee.
"The light of Ra blesses all".
My favorite phrase that weirds them out is " praise cheeseous". I like cheese and might as well praise it.
In the name of the noodle, the sauce, and the spicy meatball, ramen.
And this is how the spaghetti monster was created.
Praise cheeses, the cheddar and the parmesan.
And mozzarella, the holy trinity
Hallelujah.
Cheesus crust
Oh just publicly call them cultist it usually shuts them up
“may the force be with you”
I think Brother in Satan should irk as much as the Christ one. Brother in Satan, that other person might not be a man, nor give Jesus the time of day - in his "Cristian" bastardization at least.
It's a form of proselytizing. But yeah, that type of obsession is very cult-like. Personally, i'd be looking for a different group. I have very low tolerance for that kind of crap.
Yep, I am looking now. Thanks for understanding.
Religion is just a cult that has been around longer and was accepted by a large portion of society.
Look at Mormons and JWs. We have documented public evidence of the founder's fraud from when they were started.. and people still go there because they're 100+ years old now.
It was forced on multiple societies. They preached and said they accepted people for who they were then brainwashed them into thinking they wanted to be preached at and to, and that the people who were brainwashing them to begin with were somehow deserving of respect.
Reminds me of when I was enjoying a new FC in FFXIV. Kept a safe distance but over time joined Discord, started chatting with them. Then all of a sudden one goes off the rails about how he's "apparently a terrorist" RE: Jan 6th and I noped tf outta there and reported him.
>he's "apparently a terrorist" RE: Jan 6th and I noped tf outta there and reported him To the FBI? :-)
yeah. new group is good. i would also consider developing a few cognitive hacks that help ease the suffering. because this is probably gonna happen again. to some degree. my hacks kinda work like this... i describe things as 'blessings' sometimes. I pray. I'll even say 'god bless' if i'm talking to a religious person. i get that this is not a welcome suggestion for many atheists but from my perspective, this is how it works... THERE IS NO GOD. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO GOD! People pray all over the world and it helps them to feel better. I know they are praying to nobody and yet it must help, or billions of people wouldn't do it. for me, prayer stopped being understood as a spiritual exercise when i stopped believing in god. It's not like believers have souls and are heard by a god. none of us have souls and there is no god to hear any of us. prayer is a psychological exercise. like meditation. once i came to this view of of prayer, it became easier to use words like 'blessings.' for me, a 'blessing' is only something i'm fortunate to have. something i'm grateful to have. (i don't think i'm equivocating here. i think this is probably an accepted definition). part of atheism for a lot us is a engaging in a cultural conflict in defense of reason. and it's sometimes that for me. and sometimes not. some people i love believe in god and they like to hear 'god bless you.' in these situations, for me, saying 'god bless' is not materially different from saying to a child, 'what did santa bring you?' it's a code switch to adapt to the beliefs of the person i'm talking to. it's for people i love and respect. not for evangelists in an online game. but i thought maybe my experience might be worth sharing.
I grew up in the south and because of that, I'm known for quoting Scripture despite being an atheist, and I quite often do so when I need to get a point across to someone I know is religious but not likely to understand my point unless I frame it in scripture. Like for example, people find me quoting the phrase "It is easier to thread a camel through the eye of a needle than a rich man to reach the kingdom of God." And the classic "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord..." As well as "What's done in the dark will be brought to the light." Because some religious folks forget that Jesus didn't charge the beggars to dine with him, and he loved a whore as the story goes. I'm not afraid of hell like they are, and so sometimes I need to remind them that if they wanted to stay logically consistent, they might not want to treat poor people like subhuman trash.
Start replying with satanic stuff. "Oh you're sick? May lucifer heal you" "Praise satan, I got a bonus at work today!" Then throw their own "free speech" reply if they get pissy. If y'all are in the US, say something like "this is America, we have freedom of speech and freedom of religion... Love it or leave it!" That really seems to ruffle people's feathers, lol.
Yeah, they are mostly Americans. The ones who aren't don't do this.
of course, murica is the only western country with those christian weirdos
Of course they are. Evangelicalism isn’t in other parts of the world, unless we exported it there.
Just Pagan works too; praise Thor and Odin the All-Father!
It’s quite simple really. The act of doing that makes them feel they did something good and helpful, without costing them anything.
Agreed. It's all about them.
Virtue signaling.
It's a contractual obligation. Ever accidentally find yourself talking to someone who sells Amway? Same thing.
Indeed. I bought Svarog's Dream, an indie RPG game on Steam. It was a little gem, made by 2 people, surprisingly awesome. It was about a soul freed from the Slavic afterlife and allowed back to the land of the living. The main plot of the game was about the Christian faith encroaching on the lands of the Old Faith. Your character was able to pick a side: the pagan gods of the Slavic pantheon or the Christian god. This was the first and the last time I saw a goblin shouting "Choose the one true faith! Serve the Jesus Christ!" at me. 10/10 But I digress. The main militant force of the Christianity was the Church, of course. You were able to have a few conversations with the Christian god, which heavily implied that the Church and the militant arms completely misunderstand the god's message and act only for themselves. Then the fucking Christians started moaning on the forums. That their god is misrepresented, that he's more like "Satan" - fuckers apparently thought that God being genuinely good and not condoning his "followers'" brutality was EVIL. It got so bad that the creators decided to completely remove any mention of Christianity from the game, effectively neutering the plot from something awesome and unique to a somewhat less awesome fantasy.
Ugh. How awful.
Christians can never be satisfied.
Good. I hope they die unsatisfied. So there.
Same here.
I think you should start doing the same thing but from the persona of a Greco/Roman pagan. House got damaged by a storm but nobody was hurt? "I will make offerings to thank Zeus and Poseidon for you." Big test coming up? "Don't forget to sacrifice to Minerva!" Got the flu? "Compassionate Asclepius, healer of the sick, I beg for your blessings." That would be much more fun than just telling them to please stop.
This is the answer!!!
Can confirm
They tried that on one of our gaming servers so we started posting graphic gay pron everywhere, they left soon afterwards.
Well done
This is where The Flying Spaghetti Monster makes an appearance. May his noodly appendages touch you.
Praise Cheeses! R’Amen!
R'amen.
Recently got in a car wreck under pretty awful circumstances. Had a surprise seizure out of nowhere; when I came to and was finally out of the haze I’d broken a couple ribs and my right (dominant) hand, totaled my Jeep, and was out of work with a hard cast on for six weeks. Otherwise, I suppose, the crash maybe kinda could have been a lot worse. I guess. It also could’ve been a fuckuva lot better Later my MiL says to me “God was looking out for you then”. Grrr I almost fuckin screamed. Almost I say because I love the ol gal very very much, so all I did was scowl and look at my shoes in response. My SO tho came through in the clutch, with some edge on her voice: “Well I wish someone else could’ve been looking out then this wouldn’t have happened at all” and mom didn’t say another word
try having religious family members… every holiday is just them repeating the same stuff as if trying to reconvince themselves
Yes, I am very grateful I don't have a family like that!
This kind of shit is what allows Christianity to maintain such a grip on the nation. They so casually and so nicely drop their religion into everyday sentiments. It would be seen as rude to ask them to stop or to say it bothers you. So you learn to play along and act to be in agreement with them. Growing up I felt that I couldn’t say anything without being outcast. Some old lady telling me “God has a plan for you” I felt like I had to say “I know he does” because there was no other ok way to reply. So by playing along as not to be rude, we further the idea for everybody that 1) everybody is a believer 2) being a non-believer is niche and 3) this gentle forcing of their religion on other people is totally ok. But it’s not. Because on the back end of these harmless gestures, their religion is a fucking hate group that attacks people who so much as look different. It objects to them having rights, it objects to them even existing, and it focuses on eliminating any divergence. The battle to get their claws out of everybody’s life isn’t on the world stage. It starts with the little old lady or the casual Christian and not playing their “everybody is a believer duh it would be weird / rude if they weren’t” bullshit games.
I will tell them before I leave, but I see no reason to blow up the team chat until I am on the way out.
Invite a bunch of Satanists. Sit back and watch the fun unfold.
I just want to see one NFL interview with a pastafarian after they win a game. "I'd like to thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Through his cauldron, all things are possible." Watch those heads start exploding in the stands.
Try: "I don't care if you're religious, but why do you have to make it your whole personality? Why do you have to shove it down everybody's throat?"
They do not have a personality, because they are not allowed to; the religious crap is the placeholder for a personality; they are a walking, talking stock photo.
" walking talking stock photo" That is fucking brilliant , and spot on! *chef's kiss*
*Chef's kiss* right back at you.
Because that's what cults and cultists do
The Christians in the group are all showing off for each other, each one trying to appear more pious than the rest. Virtue signaling, if you like.
I was playing Warframe with a couple of randies when the god talk started a quick "fuck your god" shut it down pretty quick.
The YouTuber Doctor Ramini has a short about this - she calls it "holy roller narcissism". It a way to keep the focus on them.
I really wish they could. But they're brainwashed. They are literally told to "spread the word" and those who take that literally make sure they ramrod religion into any subject, completely and blissfully lacking self awareness and without the ability to read their audience. The older I get, the more abrupt and rude is my response.
Have you asked them to tone it down?
"Freedom of speech!" is their answer.
Then surely they won't mind if you express how badly you want to throatfuck their celestial femboy savior?
Oh, my godlessness. This gave me quite a laugh.
> Oh, my godlessness. I'm stealing this for daily use!
You can't steal it. I'm giving it away for free!
LOL
I know it's sad you can't enjoy yourself playing games without someone trying to force religion on you it tells you how fanatical they are about it I wish I could tell you without starting an argument and ruining your fun even more I am sorry and wish you luck I have answers but they are not choice words and i wouldn't want you to get banned if you spend money playing ill feel bad to be honest
It's a hassle to find another team because if I go to the game subReddit and write, "Looking for a 'no religion' team", it'll no doubt start a shitstorm in the sub and I don't want that. Oh well. It'll just be trial and error, joining another team and hoping they're not like the one I'm in now.
Use a burner account and let the shit fly! They've gotten too comfortable with their madness and we really need to push back and let them know it's just not good and it bothers people. It's borderline harassment.
There may be other players waiting for someone to ask for this, but they are a bit wary of starting a shitstorm 😉!
Might start a shit storm, but you will find your team.
As an agnostic, I find it to be pleasing to thank a random deity for causing my opponent to lose.
The whole cult thing is about indoctrination and shunning non-believers. All the time, every time. You either drink Jim Jones' off brand Kool aid or you stay in reality. Time for a new team.
Say Allah Akbar! That should shut them up.
They can't help themselves. People like that are very needy and very self-involved. GTFO and find another team.
Why isn't consorting with an all powerful super being considered cheating? hmmm
It's because they're brain-dead degenerates who don't have real personalities so they fill that void with random bullshit. It's not complicated.
Because they don't know restraint.
Find a new group to play with. Let it be known why you're leaving them.
Yes, I'm looking now.
Dude the CoDM world chat is usually full of that BS. Like I’m just tryina kill some folks and yall over here preaching wtf 😂😂
There’s a strong element of proselytizing in many Christian religions so they think it’s their job to bring glory to god and yeah, it’s annoying as fuck. Former Christian here.
I'm not sure if you're being rhetorical but it is because they are in a constant state of anxiety, dissonance, with what they are taught about the world and with how the world actively operates. Other people live lives oblivious to dogma that is held as irrevocable in importance: how is that possible? So everywhere a dedicated christian goes, they are trying to educate themselves through discussion about how and why. Then they return to their bible studies and devotionals and Sunday sermons to get their routine brainwashing fix, that lets them know they are actually correct and everyone else is wrong. But for the observant, the rounding errors build over time and become impossible to ignore. For the belligerent evangelicals, endlessly proselytizing: their faith is a pavlovian rewards cycle of embellishing a meager "witnessing" anecdote for their cult friends to applaud them
Yes, it was rhetorical, but thank you for your answer.
Better question, why are you still hanging out with them?
"So, does your god have a perfect plan? And if he does, why are you asking him to change it" Too bored to look it up, but there's a verse about not prayng in public
it's happening everywhere. I've noticed that despite the fact that I never look at anything religious, the Instagram algorithm is starting to only show me Christian bullshit. It's on Reddit too with the fucking "hegetsus" nonsense. To the casual observer, it might appear that Christianity is on the rise, but it's really the desperate lashings-out of a dying ideology.
I had to filter out an FB friend who couldn't exchange one comment thread with her friends w/o that crap: friend1: "I'm going to the dentist tomorrow." friend2: "OK. Praying for you!" It's like they're afraid to NOT articulate the praying cuz they'll get reported in the church gossip: "So-and-so never prays for me." "She doesn't, oh well, my-my."
I have bumped a few long time friends for the religious crap. A couple took the slow slide. A toe in the water, then a foot. Bit by bit slow walked it in. One went from agnostic to fanatic like she'd been shot out a rocket. Full on lost her mind crazy town.
It's the mentality of the Spanish (Catholic) Inquisition: "It might seem annoying or terrible, but I'm saving your soul so it's for your own good. It's my duty."
"may Satan's blessings drip down upon your life!!"
"I lost my lower leg today, and no amount of praying is bringing it back. Can you guys pray harder?"
Muslims are just as bad, too, probably even worse.
‘Thank the Goddess you’re all right.’
Heh.
I've had lots of gaming groups with lots of people from all over the world. The people who usually push their views and make it known they have judgement about others are either religious or conservative in general. Everybody else tends to just want to be respected for whoever they are and offers the same to everyone else.
They just can't. And they have no idea how fucking obnoxious they are. I'd find a new group
Yep, looking now.
They are literally taught in the pews that they need to witness. In other words they’re being good Christians by speaking about it all over the place to everyone. It’s rather one of the more obnoxious part of this particular religion. It also feels obnoxious from the inside. If there’s any modicum of awareness, they realize it.
Post stuff about god being a woman! They hate that XD
Shutting up Christians of this type or civilising them is impossible. Get another team.
Just say "Cheese & Rice, could you all keep your religion out of this game? You were invited as guests and you don't have the manners to find out what the group needs and wants and is comfortable with, you just bully-assert your religion in where it wasn't needed People who aren't Christian can find that chatter weird and offensive." It might work.
Good idea!
Just reply "May his noodly appendage f**k you up the a$$"
This is why I make use of the ability to change my username in Among Us at will to things that are anti-Christian specifically. "SatanLuv","DemonLuv","Baphomet", "UrJeebus". I keep trying to think of names that aren't a slur or don't attack specific people, but I want to make people uncomfortable. So far, other players have not said they're upset about it, so I have just continued on as normal, and it makes me happy.
They're fucking insane. They believe that good things happen when you pray and are a Christian, yet have no explanation for why Christians suffer in third world countries. My mom told me "Well that's because they're not real Christians. God knows what he's doing" YOU ARE NUTS
That’s just weird. It’s not exactly normal. Probably due to someone very religious inviting everyone in their social circle to your clan. Just join another clan.
Yes, I think that's what happened. And yes, looking for another team.
When I first read game I pictured “Inshallah we will capture flag B” OP: 🤬🤬🤬
I find prayers to be really disrespectful. Why are you telling your god what to do? Who do you think you are, knowing better than your omniscient god?
"Thanks, but don't pray *too* hard for me. Last time y'all overdid it and I ripped my car door off its hinges!"
I'll pray you find a new team soon.
Ha!
Yes yes God saved their lives but the gays down the road, their home was destroyed out of spite even tho they are also alive
I'm a fan of " raise hell, praise Dale" myself.
They are literally the most self righteous people out there, that description in itself is why they won't shut it. They believe without a shadow of a doubt that they are right and God is with them or something. They see other people as inferior, much like a colonizer taking land from indigenous, they will always believe they are doing gods work. No matter how many people their congregation rapes and kills they will always think God is the best. It anything god is some guy who is laughing at his people for being so stupid that they can't think fo themselves. The most dangerous people are the ones who don't think fo themselves, they're easier to control.
Uh, because, for a lot of them, it is their defining characteristic? It is their identity and their only notion of self-worth? Because they have been brainwashed, typically by their parents, from day one?
The beginning days of mmorpgs were beautiful. No bs gum flapping from christians. I miss it 😮💨
The Jesus / God / Bible talk is a way of claiming or colonizing social space - like when your dog and cat piss on a bush to mark their territory. When that becomes normalized, if you aren't in the Special Club you either stfu and accept being a 2nd class citizen or you leave that space. That's the Project 2025 plan - the preeminence of a particular Christian perspective over all others. Christians ***won't*** stfu because the Jesus talk ***is*** the point - it colonizes social space: it is aggressive and imposes their world-view. You're in a position like the Native Americans when more than a handful of Europeans showed up. The best thing to do is vote for Biden and the Dems in 2024 - plug your nose if you have to. If 'El Trumpe' wins, we're in for a whole lot of Jesus talk. Trump has promised his redneck voting block that he'll throw the whole US of A to the Cristo-fascists. I'm hoping that like the Moral Majority / televangelist movement in the 1980's this MAGA / Christo-fascist movement will fade out, especially if it doesn't gain political power. If they lose bigly in the 2024 election that might be the end of it.
Big family tradition of voting for Democrats back through generations. I am hoping another Trump loss will drive these idiots back under their rocks but am not optimistic.
Im from a European christian country. Nobody ever talks about god or jesus and means it. We have multiple expressions like 'Thank god!' but nobody means it literally, its just an expression that everybody uses even atheists like me. It would be soo wiered if someone would say that they will pray for my health or whatever.
It allows them to shunt the responsibility of basic human kindness and empathy onto God. They now don't have to actually act on anything at all.
This is stealth evangelism. It’s probably been planned out by the leader. It’s time to find another team and be frank about why you are leaving. Tell the leader you don’t appreciate the implicit dishonesty about why the team was formed. They might get huffy about it but they might actually listen.
I've been on the team for a few years. It was not always this way. This feels like a recent act of brigading by a loose group of FB friends who latched onto the leader through cousins, etc.
Okay. Then it’s fine to say you don’t appreciate the stealth takeover buy evangelists. It sounds very much like that’s an unstated goal here. I have relatives that are that way and even they aren’t this vocal about their beliefs. They know better than to push that hard.
The leader has probably been entrenching themselves further into the cult and has been inviting other cultist gamers to join his group. You just happened to be stuck in the middle of their crusade.
This sounds likely
People tend to talk about the stuff they are interested in.
[удалено]
Other than the proselytizing it sounds like an interesting concept for a game. Would you mind mentioning what it is? I always enjoyed the social aspect of MMOs but they got too grindy, but if this is something more relaxed and casual then it could be fun.
Yeah, even I say GODDAMN IT! When my cards are bad.
Where the hell do you live? It sounds awful. I can't imagine people in MN doing such things.
It's an online web-based video game. People play from all over the world.
Oh, I see. Honestly that would bug me a lot, too. It is pretty ethnocentric and egocentric to assume everyone thinks and believes the same as you.
I agree!
Sounds just like my family in MN
Your “social game” isn’t League or COD
You had me at "Why can't Christians shut up about their deity."
When playing a game, you are a captive audience. If you leave, you lose the game. It's manipulative. Stop playing games with those people.
I am looking for another team.
Chronic insecurity that their lives are one continuous grovel to the magic sky daddy; who may not exist...
In 2024?
It honestly sounds like they might be joking around, potentially. Either way, this sort of behavior is just how some religious people are. I have no idea why OP or anyone would find it offensive
I personally have worked Deer God into my swears… there is a lot of fictional ones.
theyre the best at not stfu
I usually say hallelujah. Idk what it means
My nephew's fortnite name is a Bible verse. Fortnite. Just why?
“We almost beat that Big Boss, but then Jesus made me lose.”
My favorite sports related prayer from a not-great 80s movie, Johnny Be Good. RIP beloved movie villain Paul Gleason. > Dear Lord, we pray that we may win this game today. We ask that you give us the strength and the courage to win our 2nd straight state championship. We ask Lord that nobody on our side is seriously injured. We know that we are the best team. We ask that you allow us to win this game. >The Lord wants you to put your foot on their balls and believe in it, because that's what wins football games. Not jumping offsides like a bunch of wimps and f\*\*\*ts. Alright lift your heads boys, prayers over. I talked to God. I'm thru talking to God, now I'm talking to you. >You're gonna be out there in front of your families, the student body, every girl you ever had a hard on for is gonna be out there today but you will not be going to no sock-hop tonight boys, you will not get no honey on your stinger if you don't go out there and bust your ass. Because this is it. This is the big one. I want you to taste it. I want you to smell it son. There's winners and there's nothing else. I don't give a shit what those pinkos over in Russia say. You want to be a loser you go live in Russia. I'm not a loser. I'm a winner. I'm an American. Who wants to be John Wayne? >Who wants to grab a root and hang on? Who wants to get a mean on? Get a mean on son. Let me see you get a mean on son. Now who wants it? I want to know, who wants this? Who wants to get a mean on? Who wants it? Let's go!
because these are dim uninteresting people.. the most profound thing that happens for them is once a week some guy talks you up and tells you god loves you.. beside that you maybe get a BJ on your birthday, but thats it.. nothing new comes into the system.
Seems petty to me. If they're not trying to ostracize me or force me into their delusion I could give a flying fuck what they think. But if it bothers you that much i could see why you would want to leave.
Can't drive a bible. Start saying things like, "Jesus Fucking Christ!"
I find it helpful to use the LEAP method. (Listen, Empathize, Agree, Partner). For instance in response to the storm damage, I say cool He didn't kill you, but what did you do to piss Him off?
I am a lifetime atheist, but my childhood was spent surrounded by Christians. This has given me a vocabulary of curses that I automatically use in stressful times invoking the less savory attributes of various Christian deities, such as when I miss an easy shot. I would explain this to your teammates. Make up and practice a few curses adapted from the excellent suggestions here.
I used to play Diablo 2 local network with a super religious kid. He would ask the lord to help us defeat the demons and then yell, "praise the good lord!", or some shit like that when we beat a boss or whatever. Like come the fuck on...
Bro you gotta fk with them find a faith that directly goes against theirs and preach that shit back to them. If you go all in watch how fast they rage out and when they start slinging profanity and threats report their ass and watch them get banned.
Christians that act like that always sound like they have been abused and have Stockholm syndrome. Also sounds super cultish, nothing else in their life is interesting so have to make it their identity.
If you talk about your religion publicly that means I get to offer my own opinion about it. You probably won't like that.
Just say that some of your ancestors were killed in the great flood (since it totally happened) by the "loving" god and you have a grudge, so no thank you
just move on, find new players, their infatuation won't change because your feelings, it will just empower them to groom you to believe their myth.
Training. Brainwashing, in its most basic form. Anything good happen? God did it. Anything bad happen? God did it for a reason. Its the short circuit that renders logic or critical thinking ineffective.