Being prayed for

[BuckingFrolics]

I'm an atheist and my DM knows this - indeed she and my DF raised me as one. She "found god" when my DF left in my early teens

She says she prays for me.

AIBU to tell her to stop, as I find it offensive?

I totally get you.
I'm unsure myself, but my dad was an atheist, when he was diagnosed with incurable cancer,my FIL offered to phone him up and talk to him about God. I politely declined, in some ways I wish he had~ my dad would have given him a right gobful but I just wanted to keep the peace.
It still infuriates me that my FIL tried to use this awful news to push his beliefs on my dad, I know he thought he was trying to help, but how about respecting someone's opinions, did he honestly believe one phone call would change my dad's opinion on religion overnight, it's so arrogant.
My dad has been dead for 3 years now and died and atheist, his choice.

Because it's my experience.

But not mine.

On what basis?
Well, I admit I could be wrong but your not providing any evidence to the contrary. To me its a simple matter of logic:

You can claim you are able to fly but if someone were to say that standing on the edge of a roof I would either assume they are insane, bluffing, or suicidal.

Either you know about gravity and are unable to suspend reality enough so as to believe you can fly and bluffing. Or you are insane and lying on the pavement dead. Only suicide is a choice but none of them are a choice about what to actually believe.

In a religious context, being indoctrinated is not a choice you make. Having god appear to you and prove he exists is also not a choice you make. Or claiming you have 'chosen' to believe in jesus, attending a church, following religious 'routines' will not change your beliefs until such time as you are actually convinced it is real, and that is a choice of your actions not a choice of your beliefs. Because you will only be convinced at a time when you are convinced.

Just on MNs there are regularly threads about people who want to believe in a religion/god but can't. And people who are losing their 'faith' but don't want to. This is all because they are unable to choose their beliefs.

An easy experiment to solve this would be to wake up tomorrow and choose to believe god does not exist. If you are able to do that then you are correct beliefs are a choice, if you can't do it then beliefs are not a choice, either way definitive proof! £10 says you refuse to do the experiment.

justarandomtricycle

"It is absolutely not a choice."

This is one of the oddest responses I've seen. In what way is choosing to believe, or not believe something not a choice?

Do you not discriminate, evaluate and choose which things you do/do not believe?
Your comment seems akin to 'people absolutely don't breathe air'

What a load of nonsense. Air clearly objectively exists. I didn't choose not to believe in a god. There is no evidence whatsoever he/she/it/them exists. You might as well ask why I "chose" not to believe in the Olympian gods or the Finno-Ugric deities.

birdflyinghigh

I believe you are wrong and deluded and your god does not exist

Even believing that, you would have to accept the nature of the God I believe in and hold high (as I understand it) affect my own beliefs and subsequent actions. So my God existsin meas part of my belief and world view. Which affects you, as we engage and interact, and also the rest of the world as I impact on it

I haven't the faintest idea of, nor interest in, the nature of whatever god you believe in. How I might interact with you will depend entirely on how I perceive you, how you behave , what your interests are and whether or not I like you.

Well, I admit I could be wrong but your not providing any evidence to the contrary.

Whether beliefs are chosen or not cannot be proved by 'evidence' or any amount of subjective 'logic'. Choice is something an individual perceives.

How does cultural indoctrination explain the occurrence of atheism in Christian societies?
Because the 'culture' is only the average of a society. For many reasons some people are different, education, personality, DNA, experiences, external religions proselytising, etc

I think because more young people in the UK have access to exponentially more knowledge than ever before that the UK stopped being a Christian country 10+ years ago.

The real question that theists never focus on is, "if there is only one 'true' god, then why do so many people worship so many different gods" Could it be that man created god therefore many different men created many different gods, or is the real god just a really really bad communicator?

If I could choose to believe in a god how would I ever pick which one was the best one? How did you choose?

I didn't choose not to believe in a god.

So you can extrapolate from your own experience what is true for everyone (fact)?

The real question that theists never focus on is, "if there is only one 'true' god, then why do so many people worship so many different gods"

How would you know since you "haven't the faintest idea of, nor interest in, the nature of whatever god you believe in."? By your own admission you're not going to truly engage with theists concerning how they explore and reconcile different views of god(s) and reconcile these with their own beliefs,

The evidence is not purely objective. It is subjective because it is received through an individual processing information gained from their own sensory systems. Which vary from individual to individual and across cultures

When the evidence from people independently across every culture and country on the earth all turns out to be identical, then we can have very high confidence in that evidence. aka "science, it works, bitches".

When the evidence from people independently across every culture and country on the earth all turns out to be different, then we can have very low confidence in that evidence. aka "religion"

How did you choose?

I just did. Like many of the choices I make, if the evidence is insufficient I choose what I most like.

OK. Next time I'm the first to see a tiger on the loose I'll do the running and leave whoever I'm with to process it in their own way. What could go wrong?

^^ This

When the evidence from people independently across every culture and country on the earth all turns out to be identical, then we can have very high confidence in that evidence. aka "science, it works, bitches".

It never is identical. There are always exceptions.

OK. Next time I'm the first to see a tiger on the loose I'll do the running and leave whoever I'm with to process it in their own way. What could go wrong?

I wonder what this woman would do?🙂

An easy experiment to solve this would be to wake up tomorrow and choose to believe god does not exist.

I just don't want to, though.

So you can extrapolate from your own experience what is true for everyone (fact)?

It was just an example. I don't believe you can choose belief any more than you can choose to love. You can make choices that make it more likely belief or love with occur, but not switch them on just like that.

*will occur. Like the arranged marriage example - you can choose to try and make it work, but you cannot force yourself to love them, that occurs without choice.

I don't believe you can choose belief any more than you can choose to love.

I believe you can. Love does not have to be conditional.

Whether beliefs are chosen or not cannot be proved by 'evidence' or any amount of subjective 'logic'

In other words you are not willing to do an experiment to provide evidence as to whether or not one can choose beliefs?

Choice is something an individual perceives
You are just grasping at invisible straws now. For your next meal chose between an invisible apple and a non-corporeal pear. Lets see how long that sates your apatite?

So you can extrapolate from your own experience what is true for everyone No, you asked about my personal experience, I gave you an answer about my personal experience. Please point to where I extrapolated that to be the same for everyone?

Please point to where I extrapolated that to be the same for everyone?

That post of mine was addressed to LassofFyvie, whom I quoted.

In other words you are not willing to do an experiment to provide evidence as to whether or not one can choose beliefs?

No because I am happy with my choice. I don't wish to go back on it,

You are just grasping at invisible straws now.

Unfounded opinion.

For your next meal chose between an invisible apple and a non-corporeal pear. Lets see how long that sates your apatite?

This analogy does not apply since an appetite for the knowledge of God cannot be fully satiated until a person is at one with Him.

How would you know since you "haven't the faintest idea of, nor interest in, the nature of whatever god you believe in.
I guess you assumed that. But you would be wrong, I am interested and have educated myself in the subject.

By your own admission you're not going to truly engage with theists concerning how they explore and reconcile different views of god(s)
I am engaging, that is why I am here at this moment in time. But engaging does not mean blindly accepting what any theist says. Hence why when a claim is made I will ask for evidence to back it up. Sadly it is my experience that theists do not like providing evidence.

Heck if anyone has evidence of any deity or afterlife that I am very open to knowing it.

I guess you assumed that. But you would be wrong, I am interested and have educated myself in the subject.

Sorry I mixed you up with Lass.

Sadly it is my experience that theists do not like providing evidence

As a theist, I just acknowledge 'physical evidence' is not always relevant or applicable to answering the type of question being asked.