Bruh.. you must have 100 likes from me this morning. All I will say is thank you.
Indoctrination and cognitive dissonance are very real. I have experienced it personally and am currently trying to reverse and prevent my son's from being further indoctrinated. They believe only because the people around them do. They cannot answer one biblical question but believe everything they are being told.
They are older now and I simply tell them to do the research and make an informed decision. I jokingly call them zombies for blindly believing and following what they don't understand or even have the desire to research. So many of your memes were spot on re how different nationalities worship different God's from birth and not by choice, or how Religions are pyramid schemes that recruit their children.
I would be curious how many of the believers on here actually chose their religion as an adult on their own volition, and based on their own research, as opposed to the religion of their parents where they were indoctrinated and disarmed as children.
I don't argue what I can't prove. All of this talk about what God has done for folk and how they have seen his works in their lives and are blessed is a fairy tail. If folk believe that it's God, then cool... but it can never be proven. There is never any tangible proof other than faith and their belief.
When I left my religion, it was right after a divorce (with two small boys in a shared custody situation) and losing my job. I got a shitty job as a GROWN man making pennies to make ends meet and was never sure if I was going to make it financially month to month. It was a VERY humbling experience. I now am a high stepped GS-15 Deputy Director working for the federal government and was actually told that the DEVIL is blessing me after I left the religion by my family and other folk in the religion. Apparently God has turned his back on me..... and I should be bothered by that. I'm like well.. I'm actually doing much better than I ever have, so using their logic, I was clearly worshipping the wrong person.
It's all stupid to me. Religion is merely a tool to keep people mentally enslaved and to line the pockets of pulpit hustlers whether they are doing the preaching or behind the scenes. Indoctrination is a POWERFUL tool and when people willingly pass on these pipe dreams instead of tangible assets and benefits to their children, it's truly a travesty and is what is keeping us in a position of weakness in society.
Cognitive dissonance keeps people trapped because it's extremely difficult to come to the realization that the thing you dedicated your life to and have been a part of since childhood, that all of your family and friends are in, is not true. Re his faith, I've had an elder/pastor tell me that he is a company man and going down with the ship whether they are right or wrong. Mind you, this man is 25+ years my senior and somebody I looked up to and loved as a child. I just had to shake my head. I asked him... "you don't see anything wrong with that?" His response was not at all..... This is why I dont like talking about this because when you talk to a believer, they have all the answers and you don't. There is no room for them to learn anything and you are an empty vessel they can teach to word of God to. It's just silly.
I have no issue with people who believe... Have at it. But outside of pointing at a book written by men (but apparently inspired by God) to prove your point, or to tell me that you are blessed or have been saved without irrefutable proof other than your faith or belief that God or Jesus or whomever was responsible, y'all can miss me with the religion talk.
Again, kudos to Mister T, especially since he appears to be doing more to help the less fortunate than most of the bible thumpers I've come across.
Cheers to you and thanks for the thread! Keep doing the Lord's work!!