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What is the most offensive thing a theist has said to you
during a debate , discussion or proselytization?
It means that whatever friendship or relationship I thought we had was
simply a big front on their part. (Medieval Knievel #1552)
A good example was a couple of weeks ago on CNN's "The
Spin Room". At the end of the program, the right wing
stoolie with the bow tie made an outrageous claim that
demanded rebuttal from his counterpart, but refused to
allow his co-host to answer it by speaking loudly and
then saying the closing credit information which put
an end to all discussion, leaving the cohost with
words put in his mouth and no chance to refute them.
The strongest argument is the one that withstands the
most questions, not the one with the most strength to
prevent them. This is a simple fact theists and other
right wingers refuse to recognize. (Bob Dog #153)
Though it offended me, at the time (I'm speaking of when I was quite young), I, now,
wear it as a badge of honor. ;-)
Why'd I want to hang out with these rotten fucks for the rest of eternity, anyway?
(Hellhammer #1876)
2) 'You say that now, but just wait until you are on your deathbed.
You'll be singing a different tune.' - as if I were a hypocrite and
a coward. (John Hachmann #1782)
I don't believe in god, and I don't believe in hell, but I was deeply
offended that someone could actually be that rude and inconsiderate
and rude and thoughtless. It cut deep. (Robert Coats #1856)
I also get offended when they say ANYTHING about my parenting. (ClaySkye #4)
Other stuff I heard was generally just too stupid to consider
insulting (remember my old sig "never attribute to malice what can be
explained by stupidity). This "window to hell" business, too, is
utterly stupid of course, but to me it's just too evil to fathom. (Orhan Orgun #1867)
That simple phrase was both offensive and very enlightening. It meant
that this person thought that basically any behavior was OK, because it
would automagically be forgiven. No need for contrition, or penance (in
the sense of doing something to actually help the injured party), or
anything. It was a real insight into the terrifying abrogation of
responsibility I've encountered with many theists. (Dave Opstad #1747)
One of the most offensive dirty tricks I've run across for purposes of
retention was the preacher's wife who chastised my mother for letting
so many of her kids stray from the fold. She said any mother who
would simply let her children go to hell deserved to go there with
them. (It was with some satisfaction that I found out years later
that both her sons became unbelievers too.)
But I think my favorite instance of theist offensiveness occurred when
I attended the True to the Union monument rededication ceremony in
Comfort, Texas. This is a monument to a group of Freethinkers who
could not in good conscience side with the South during the Civil War.
They attempted to leave Texas peacably, as they were told they could
do, and were ambushed and slaughtered just a short ways from home.
Much of the funding for the monument renovation was solicited, and
obtained, from local Freethought groups. But at the ceremony, the
attending Freethinkers were clearly snubbed and were not included
among those asked to stand and be recognized for their contribution to
the project (unlike, for example, the paid caterer who supplied food
for the Historical Society meetings). Heaping more insult on, they
had two different ministers give eulogies for the dead that gave no
recognition to their Freethought heritage, and there were three
prayers, a blessing and a hymn during the course of the proceedings.
The Freethinkers I was attending with sat impassively through all this
but definitely felt humiliated and disgusted that the beliefs of the
honored dead as well as their own significant contribution to the
restoration effort had been swept under the carpet so as not to offend
anyone's religious sensibilities.
As the ceremony was breaking up and I was heading back to my car, a
very large man stepped right in front of me, pointed a finger in my
face and said "You people need to learn some manners. You bow your
heads when people are praying." And then he turned and rejoined his
family before I could say anything in response. Probably just as
well. Nothing good could have come of anything I felt like saying at
that moment. (Kronk)
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