Susurrus
26th September 2011, 02:43
Facebook arguing with right fundie on the topic of existentialism. A few choice extracts(things with brackets around them were added by me, otherwise unaltered):
Status of K: The meaning of life is the meaning you give it.
Fundie(punctuation unaltered): thats sad. the reason u r thinking about it is b/c u r looking for purpose. if there wasnt any true purpose you wouldnt be trying 2 figure it out. lol
K: or maybe everybody just wants to believe there is a purpose because otherwise we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves if there wasn't some grand meaning.
Fundie: we wouldnt worry about figuring out what to do with ourselves if there wasnt something we were supposed 2 do.
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Fundie: okay well then if your mom died, u could make yourself not be sad she died bc the only purpose between yall is the one u give it...like the guy in the book[The Stranger by Albert Camus] ...he wasnt sad about it bc in this crazy fictional world, things only have the meaning we assign to it....and id like 2 see u do that. and i know u couldnt bc there is purpose behind life. ridiculous.
Me: For one thing, one is sad because the person is gone, even if one believes in a purpose. One does not grieve because the purpose has been contradicted, one is sad because one will not be able to see or interact with the person. Secondly, one would be more likely to not be sad if one convinces oneself that it was according to destiny that the person died. That is the whole point of believing that there is a purpose: to save oneself from anguish and angst.
Fundie: u loved her bc she was your mother. designed for purpose 2 guide u and instruct u. if the relationship yall had was only by the assignment u give it, anyone could play that role...u wouldnt have that connection. everything wouldnt work to make the world run. its a theory that couldnt work in a world where people thrive off of purpose, passion, and desire. it makes absolutely no sense. [...][Addressing K:] Praying God breaks ur heart and u would be able 2 have all of the joy he can offer only by submitting to his design and realizing He has the perfect purpose 4 u.
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Fundie: its brain washing the next generation to believe something that isnt realistic and if ppl live by the criteria of existentialism, I promise u, America will crumble before our eyes. it already is,...it will just be in shreds....a faint memory. but its cool, just drink the koolaid.
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Fundie: i dnt blindly believe anything. my faih is strong bc God reveals himself 2 me daily through his word. the reason u had 2 just give up on believing this 'blind faith' is b/c u couldnt have any guidance bc u have been brain washed 2 believe that the bible is a load of crock...thats why its stil a blind faith for u. and yeah, its going down the tubes bc we do not have the mind set the founding fathers did...that we were created for purpose. [...] so yeah...do the math...this country is going down the tubes bc we are turning our backs against the God that blessed our nation. lol.
Me: [...]You have blind faith in what you consider to be God's word then. And so what if America was founded as a religious country? That's one of the main problems with it. The founding fathers were rich white men who thought they knew better than everyone else, and intended for the government to be kept in the hands of their elite class. And what right does any god have to tell me what to do?
Fundie: One of te main problems with it? Ha. Funny how it worked functionally for hundreds of years until people started denying the validity of the bible and the significants of God in people's lives. That makes so much sense -_-
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K: I'm sorry, I don't speak gibberish, you'll have to translate that last part.
Fundie: Lol the last post? Sry, im on my iPod touch at church so it changes my words if it thinks it's something else...haha, can be frustrating!
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Me: So slavery, jailing people for dissent, denying the vote to women, blacks, and landless people, imperialism, lynchings, civil wars, and rebellions is working functionally?
Fundie: We have problems but there's a reason we are the most thriving nation...well, we are falling behind but we were...when we were godly
and depended on Him.
Me: All of those problems were from when we were "godly." And we have become the most "thriving" nation by exploiting other nations and our own lower classes.
---
Fundie: U can't progress out of God. He was, He is, and He will be. All progression (should) be centered around Hom.
Status of K: The meaning of life is the meaning you give it.
Fundie(punctuation unaltered): thats sad. the reason u r thinking about it is b/c u r looking for purpose. if there wasnt any true purpose you wouldnt be trying 2 figure it out. lol
K: or maybe everybody just wants to believe there is a purpose because otherwise we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves if there wasn't some grand meaning.
Fundie: we wouldnt worry about figuring out what to do with ourselves if there wasnt something we were supposed 2 do.
----
Fundie: okay well then if your mom died, u could make yourself not be sad she died bc the only purpose between yall is the one u give it...like the guy in the book[The Stranger by Albert Camus] ...he wasnt sad about it bc in this crazy fictional world, things only have the meaning we assign to it....and id like 2 see u do that. and i know u couldnt bc there is purpose behind life. ridiculous.
Me: For one thing, one is sad because the person is gone, even if one believes in a purpose. One does not grieve because the purpose has been contradicted, one is sad because one will not be able to see or interact with the person. Secondly, one would be more likely to not be sad if one convinces oneself that it was according to destiny that the person died. That is the whole point of believing that there is a purpose: to save oneself from anguish and angst.
Fundie: u loved her bc she was your mother. designed for purpose 2 guide u and instruct u. if the relationship yall had was only by the assignment u give it, anyone could play that role...u wouldnt have that connection. everything wouldnt work to make the world run. its a theory that couldnt work in a world where people thrive off of purpose, passion, and desire. it makes absolutely no sense. [...][Addressing K:] Praying God breaks ur heart and u would be able 2 have all of the joy he can offer only by submitting to his design and realizing He has the perfect purpose 4 u.
-----
Fundie: its brain washing the next generation to believe something that isnt realistic and if ppl live by the criteria of existentialism, I promise u, America will crumble before our eyes. it already is,...it will just be in shreds....a faint memory. but its cool, just drink the koolaid.
----
Fundie: i dnt blindly believe anything. my faih is strong bc God reveals himself 2 me daily through his word. the reason u had 2 just give up on believing this 'blind faith' is b/c u couldnt have any guidance bc u have been brain washed 2 believe that the bible is a load of crock...thats why its stil a blind faith for u. and yeah, its going down the tubes bc we do not have the mind set the founding fathers did...that we were created for purpose. [...] so yeah...do the math...this country is going down the tubes bc we are turning our backs against the God that blessed our nation. lol.
Me: [...]You have blind faith in what you consider to be God's word then. And so what if America was founded as a religious country? That's one of the main problems with it. The founding fathers were rich white men who thought they knew better than everyone else, and intended for the government to be kept in the hands of their elite class. And what right does any god have to tell me what to do?
Fundie: One of te main problems with it? Ha. Funny how it worked functionally for hundreds of years until people started denying the validity of the bible and the significants of God in people's lives. That makes so much sense -_-
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K: I'm sorry, I don't speak gibberish, you'll have to translate that last part.
Fundie: Lol the last post? Sry, im on my iPod touch at church so it changes my words if it thinks it's something else...haha, can be frustrating!
---
Me: So slavery, jailing people for dissent, denying the vote to women, blacks, and landless people, imperialism, lynchings, civil wars, and rebellions is working functionally?
Fundie: We have problems but there's a reason we are the most thriving nation...well, we are falling behind but we were...when we were godly
and depended on Him.
Me: All of those problems were from when we were "godly." And we have become the most "thriving" nation by exploiting other nations and our own lower classes.
---
Fundie: U can't progress out of God. He was, He is, and He will be. All progression (should) be centered around Hom.