Is it all good?

Originally posted by @fmf
To find out what your answer is. You attributed "many" of your 'fallen Christian' friends' loss of faith to "varying degrees" of mental illness. What proportion of them? Nearly 100%? Around 75%? Half of them? Less than half?

It must be frustrating for you to be so revved up for a five-hour question-asking marathon and then get the silent treatment.

Originally posted by @divegeester
Was your loss of faith in any way due to mental illness?

Is that an appropriate question to ask in public, tiger? Why not ask in a pm?

Remember how upset Heartpence got when I said Kiddo exhibited ADHD and OCD? And you think it’s Ok to imply he’s bonkers?

Originally posted by @divegeester
Was your loss of faith in any way due to mental illness?

Only a moron would conclude you were asking this of FMF without the pre-knowledge that his answer would be in the negative. Your question nicely highlights the nonsensical link between loss of faith and 'loss of sanity.' I think this is just a convenient explanation for theists who struggle with the idea that someone, with all of their faculties intact, has walked away from the thing 'they' themselves hold most dear.

Indeed, it could just as easily be argued that mental health deterioration is the cause of people 'finding God' and moving away from atheism. (Not something I believe, but no less nonsensical than loss of faith being linked to poor mental health).

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
Only a moron would conclude you were asking this of FMF without the pre-knowledge that his answer would be in the negative. Your question nicely highlights the nonsensical link between loss of faith and 'loss of sanity.' I think this is just a convenient explanation for theists who struggle with the idea that someone, with all of their faculties int ...[text shortened]... thing I believe, but no less nonsensical than loss of faith being linked to poor mental health).

To be fair to Suzianne's intellect, I don't think she'd actually thought it through; I think she was just trying to be as scornful as possible.

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
Only a moron would conclude you were asking this of FMF without the pre-knowledge that his answer would be in the negative. Your question nicely highlights the nonsensical link between loss of faith and 'loss of sanity.' I think this is just a convenient explanation for theists who struggle with the idea that someone, with all of their faculties int ...[text shortened]... thing I believe, but no less nonsensical than loss of faith being linked to poor mental health).

With your mental health background do you know whether or not it is possible to establish whether a person who has lost their mind is actually aware of it if they have.

Originally posted by @fmf
No.

To the Judge:

No further questions your honour.

Originally posted by @divegeester
To the Judge:

No further questions your honour.

If you walked into a mental institution and asked one of the patients whether they have lost their mind I'm sure they would give you the same answer as FMF.

FMF: I still move in Christians circles; I still work with Christian groups; I still have clients whose work is on Christian projects; I still go to church reasonably often ~ I find myself meditating on happy past times and occasionally comparing them to the profoundly ugly "Christianity" mostly on show here in this community.

Originally posted by @suzianne
All I can gather by ...[text shortened]... y are that way because for some reason you don't attack those you love, live with and work with.

Originally posted by @suzianne
All I can gather by your rather milquetoast description of Christians in your part of the world is that they are simply not eager to continue fighting with your blatant attacks, or, perhaps, that they are that way because for some reason you don't attack those you love, live with and work with.

Do you presume, then, that the likes of Eladar, robbie carrobie, Romans1009, RJHinds, Fetchmyjunk/dj2becker, SecondSon, josephw, whodey and others ~ including, of course, yourself ~ are Christians who are more admirable, who are of a higher calibre, who display more personal integrity, and are worthy of more respect than the Christians [did you really call them "milquetoast"?] who populate my personal post-Christian-belief life, these clever, warm, living and breathing people whom I love, live with, work with, trust and find myself trusted by?

Originally posted by @fmf
Do you presume, then, that the likes of Eladar, robbie carrobie, Romans1009, RJHinds, Fetchmyjunk/dj2becker, SecondSon, josephw, whodey and others ~ including, of course, yourself ~ are Christians who are more admirable, who are of a higher calibre, who display more personal integrity, and are worthy of more respect than the Christians [did you really call them ...[text shortened]... living and breathing people whom I love, live with, work with, trust and find myself trusted by?

Do you ridicule and attack these clever, warm Christian friends of yours in the same way as you treat Christians on here? When you talk to them about their beliefs do you also refer to it as 'superstitious nonsense' and joke about them believing in 'ancient Hebrew mythology'?

Originally posted by @fmf
....who populate my personal post-Christian-belief life, these clever, warm, living and breathing people whom I love, live with, work with, trust and find myself trusted by?

I'd like to think I was included as one of these clever, warm Christian people...?

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
Only a moron would conclude you were asking this of FMF without the pre-knowledge that his answer would be in the negative. Your question nicely highlights the nonsensical link between loss of faith and 'loss of sanity.' I think this is just a convenient explanation for theists who struggle with the idea that someone, with all of their faculties int ...[text shortened]... thing I believe, but no less nonsensical than loss of faith being linked to poor mental health).

The explanation for why people never believe in God, as well as abandon belief in God, is explained by Jesus in this passage from the Gospel of Matthew:

“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

(Matthew 13:3-23)

Originally posted by @fmf
Originally posted by @suzianne
[b]All I can gather by your rather milquetoast description of Christians in your part of the world is that they are simply not eager to continue fighting with your blatant attacks, or, perhaps, that they are that way because for some reason you don't attack those you love, live with and work with.

Do you presume, th ...[text shortened]... living and breathing people whom I love, live with, work with, trust and find myself trusted by?[/b]

No, jackass. I called your description of them 'milquetoast'.

Please, if you're going to deride me, please actually read what I post and not your version of what I post.

Originally posted by @divegeester
I'd like to think I was included as one of these clever, warm Christian people...?

Funny how I would know who posted this, even if it wasn't labeled as written by you.

And what if you weren't 'included'? Would you ostracize them as you do everyone who disagrees with you?

Originally posted by @suzianne
No, jackass. I called your [b]description of them 'milquetoast'.[/b]

What does that even mean? A "milquetoast" is a person, not a description.

Originally posted by @suzianne
Please, if you're going to deride me, please actually read what I post and not your version of what I post.

I did read it. It said: the "rather milquetoast description of Christians in [my] part of the world". Who are these "milquetoasts" you are talking about?