Seriously Steve 4: Judging and Hating

[theologygeek]

15 hours ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

I'm not sure if Stevehovah could continue to exist if he couldn't judge.

Sort of like the old René Descartes joke.

  Reveal hidden contents

(For anyone who has forgotten, René Descartes is famous for philosophizing, "I think, therefore I am."

Stevehovah criticizes, therefore he is.

He does judge all the time, and he talks about things he knows nothing about.  I doubt that he is well versed on casinos and gambling.  He shouldn't assume because gambling isn't the same for everyone.  Not everyone even wants to make gambling a full time job.  One of my dearest friends had a part time job and played poker at the casino.  Poker was her passion too.  Her house was paid off, the kids had their own lives, and her husband made good money.  Her money was her money and her husband didn't care how she spent it.  Her husband certainly enjoyed the perks-free hotel stays, free meals, concerts, etc  It really doesn't take much for them to give you perks.  I get perks (not as much as she did) and I don't spend half as much as she did.  And I only go to the casino once a month, if that.  She only plays the slots now, but she played poker for years.  My father absolutely loved the casino.  He always gambled within reason, and he paid the bills the day they came in.  He died with a nice nest egg for my mother.  He never gambled the house money.  He used his fun money.  Gambling isn't always heartbreaking.  It is sometimes, but it's not always the case.  There is nothing for Steve to get so upset over.  If people enjoy going to the casino, leave them alone about it.  It's none of our business anyway.  Not everyone is addicted to gambling and some people know when to stop  and walk away. 

[SPHASH]

11 hours ago, theologygeek said:

He does judge all the time, and he talks about things he knows nothing about.  I doubt that he is well versed on casinos and gambling.  He shouldn't assume because gambling isn't the same for everyone.  Not everyone even wants to make gambling a full time job.  One of my dearest friends had a part time job and played poker at the casino.  Poker was her passion too.  Her house was paid off, the kids had their own lives, and her husband made good money.  Her money was her money and her husband didn't care how she spent it.  Her husband certainly enjoyed the perks-free hotel stays, free meals, concerts, etc  It really doesn't take much for them to give you perks.  I get perks (not as much as she did) and I don't spend half as much as she did.  And I only go to the casino once a month, if that.  She only plays the slots now, but she played poker for years.  My father absolutely loved the casino.  He always gambled within reason, and he paid the bills the day they came in.  He died with a nice nest egg for my mother.  He never gambled the house money.  He used his fun money.  Gambling isn't always heartbreaking.  It is sometimes, but it's not always the case.  There is nothing for Steve to get so upset over.  If people enjoy going to the casino, leave them alone about it.  It's none of our business anyway.  Not everyone is addicted to gambling and some people know when to stop  and walk away. 

I'm not anti gambling but I can see how it can become an addiction.  A close friend of mine developed a gambling problem, ended up stealing money from her employer and almost went to jail for it.  She was taking anti depressants at the time and now her Dr thinks the drugs may have contributed to her addiction.  And that is possible but her dad had gambling issues as well and her parents divorced because of it.

My friend did take responsibility though, she pleaded guilty to theft, got five years probation, and went to Gamblers Anonymous.  This happened 15-20 years ago and she still goes to GA to give and get support.

As for myself I go to the casino once a year if that.  I have been to Vegas but its not a destination I need to go to every year.  I will buy a lottery ticket now and then when the jackpot is high.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

It seems like Steve mostly asks people questions about themselves and their lives so that he can judge, and maybe have a "gotcha!" moment. "I discerned this thing about your life that means you need/want me to tell you all about hell and Jesus!"  I have a hard time imagining him asking questions with a genuine curiosity and desire to learn something new.

I don't think I've ever talked with someone who made money from poker or other gambling. I would be curious, and ask questions about how they started, how paying taxes on winning works, if they have winning and losing days/weeks/months, and probably lots more questions. (I might end up being annoying if I weren't careful!) And if I weren't in a curious mood, I probably wouldn't have asked them about themselves in the first place. How strange that Steve asks so much, and yet so little.

(And now I shall check the lottery jackpot amount(s) that @SPHASH mentioned. 🍀  )

[HeartsAFundie]

On 2/29/2024 at 3:07 AM, theologygeek said:

He does judge all the time, and he talks about things he knows nothing about.  I doubt that he is well versed on casinos and gambling.  He shouldn't assume because gambling isn't the same for everyone.  Not everyone even wants to make gambling a full time job.  One of my dearest friends had a part time job and played poker at the casino.  Poker was her passion too.  Her house was paid off, the kids had their own lives, and her husband made good money.  Her money was her money and her husband didn't care how she spent it.  Her husband certainly enjoyed the perks-free hotel stays, free meals, concerts, etc  It really doesn't take much for them to give you perks.  I get perks (not as much as she did) and I don't spend half as much as she did.  And I only go to the casino once a month, if that.  She only plays the slots now, but she played poker for years.  My father absolutely loved the casino.  He always gambled within reason, and he paid the bills the day they came in.  He died with a nice nest egg for my mother.  He never gambled the house money.  He used his fun money.  Gambling isn't always heartbreaking.  It is sometimes, but it's not always the case.  There is nothing for Steve to get so upset over.  If people enjoy going to the casino, leave them alone about it.  It's none of our business anyway.  Not everyone is addicted to gambling and some people know when to stop  and walk away. 

Every three months a bus runs from our area to a very nice casino about an hour away.  My husband and I will go, and we always bring my elderly widowed dad with us.  For $35-$37 each we get the bus ride and $20 free slot play.  When we get there, my husband usually roams free, but I stick with Dad, who has mobility issues, the entire time.  Dad only brings what he feels he can afford to lose.  I usually bring about $100-$150 but end up pretty much breaking even most of the time as I am a very conservative gambler; if I put $20 in the machine and win $10, I cash out the $30 voucher and put it away to redeem at the end, so I know I am at least coming home with something.  My husband is a little more daring with his money, but usually comes home with at least something.    When my money is done, so am I and it's time to cash out the vouchers to count my spoils.  And Dad always insists on paying for lunch because we pick him up to take him to the bus stop and bring him home after the bus drops us off.   

This may sound strange, but these casino trips have turned into valuable bonding time for me and my father, and I very much look forward to them.  I know when my dad passes it will be very, very, hard for me to return to that casino with only my husband.     

Edited March 8 by HeartsAFundie

[anniebgood]

This week Steve is worried about being diagnosed with a terminal disease and realizing he didn't have time to convert everyone he met with.  It's just again to much to digest. He's got to have something to whine about. 

Quote

Imagine that tomorrow you wake up with a strange pain. It is not a muscle ache or something you have ever had before, but something totally different. As the morning passes, it is growing massively in intensity. Regardless of what was planned for your day, you head to Urgent Care. The day is spent running tests. Finally, you are told you have a terminal disease and will die very, very soon.

You return home with the pain lessened due to medication, but you are thinking of end-of-life details that must be attended to quickly. You have an awareness of every minute passing, and things to be done. High on the list are people you want to say goodbye to before your disease renders you unconscious. Then there are those you know who have rejected Jesus, both family and friends. The list is long, and time is short.

Then the regrets begin of all the time that you wasted. It wasn’t sinful, or you wouldn’t have done it. You justified it because of being tired, bored, or wanting something pleasurable. But there was no profit in how the time was spent. That time is now gone for eternity and can’t be reclaimed. Oh, how foolish you were. “Oh God forgive me.” You fall asleep in a drug-induced coma with a heavy, heavy heart.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalms 90:12).

 

[Pammy]

10 minutes ago, anniebgood said:

This week Steve is worried about being diagnosed with a terminal disease and realizing he didn't have time to convert everyone he met with.  It's just again to much to digest. He's got to have something to whine about. 

 

That's so confusing. Does Steve really think that God is surprised when one of his followers gets a terminal disease? That God only has/had a plan for that one person to evangelize every human they ever met, and to do it relentlessly until they give in -- but this God shockingly had nobody else planned to follow up or handle future opportunities, or walk the path of life with those folks after that one person died? Everybody has to say 'yes' on or before the death date of one person -- or all is lost?

Man, if a sudden terminal disease happened to me (and I am a person of faith) I'd accept the sense of comfort that comes from believing in the kind of God who has got details like that handled -- and pass on in peace and gratitude. That's one of the things faith is for: for being able to let go of control, guilt, shame, and perfectionism. It doesn't give me a heavy heart like that!

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

Ugh. This one pokes a nerve with me a little bit. My dad was fortunate to get a year after his cancer diagnosis. Once he recovered from surgery, he spent his time with family (as a much as possible under the Covid situation at the time), and he spent time doing things he loved. He went cross country skiing once or twice a week that winter. He didn't consider exercising his body and spending time with skiing pals a waste or a sin. 

Then again, my dad's method of demonstrating his Christianity and love was to do things. To help his family, to serve his church. Not to corner people and badger them. (He did however have some God-botherers impose themselves on him and my mom near the end. I guess he was the wrong type of Christian for them. )

[Xan]

Oh, stuff it, Steve.  I have stage 4 cancer and have had it for about 4 years.  I'm doing well and still using various chemotherapies but I haven't wasted one minute of my life trying to convert other people to my beliefs.  How dare he try to make anyone with limited time feel guilty about not proselytizing.  Life is for living and being a loving, caring human.  It isn't to be carelessly squandered in service to one specific religion.

Sorry.  Usually Steve just annoys me.  This one made me angry.

[hoipolloi]

2 hours ago, Xan said:

Life is for living and being a loving, caring human.  It isn't to be carelessly squandered in service to one specific religion.

Agree 1000%. 

If Steve is worried about someone's -- his? -- imminent demise, he would do better to repent of alienating so many people with his relentless & self-righteous proselytizing. He could have chosen to be the kinder & more caring person who serves others without the expectation of a return, but he didn't. 

[theologygeek]

12 hours ago, HeartsAFundie said:

Every three months a bus runs from our area to a very nice casino about an hour away.  My husband and I will go, and we always bring my elderly widowed dad with us.  For $35-$37 each we get the bus ride and $20 free slot play.  When we get there, my husband usually roams free, but I stick with Dad, who has mobility issues, the entire time.  Dad only brings what he feels he can afford to lose.  I usually bring about $100-$150 but end up pretty much breaking even most of the time as I am a very conservative gambler; if I put $20 in the machine and win $10, I cash out the $30 voucher and put it away to redeem at the end, so I know I am at least coming home with something.  My husband is a little more daring with his money, but usually comes home with at least something.    When my money is done, so am I and it's time to cash out the vouchers to count my spoils.  And Dad always insists on paying for lunch because we pick him up to take him to the bus stop and bring him home after the bus drops us off.   

This may sound strange, but these casino trips have turned into valuable bonding time for me and my father, and I very much look forward to them.  I know when my dad passes it will be very, very, hard for me to return to that casino with only my husband.     

Not gonna lie, it was very hard going to the casino the first time after my father died.  I cried.  I put his picture on the slot machine though.  It was like he came to the casino too. 

[kpmom]

Why does Steve, and fundies like him, think if they just pester people over and over they will finally *accept* Jesus?

If grown adults with minds of their own want to “reject Jesus” is it really any concern of Steve’s?

Bothering people will likely have the opposite effect. 

 Religion seems like such a personal thing to me, I don’t understand fundies and the way they think. 

[hoipolloi]

1 hour ago, kpmom said:

Religion seems like such a personal thing to me, I don’t understand fundies and the way they think. 

If god-bothering isn't a sin it sure as hell should be.

I wonder if Steve will post a conference report.

[Black Aliss]

On 3/8/2024 at 2:56 PM, anniebgood said:

This week Steve is worried about being diagnosed with a terminal disease and realizing he didn't have time to convert everyone he met with.  It's just again to much to digest. He's got to have something to whine about. 

Or is he vague-posting? Perhaps he himself was diagnosed with a terminal disease.

[hoipolloi]

I've always heard the aphorism that no one lies on their deathbed saying, "Gee, I wish I'd spent more time at the office."

It makes me wonder if True Christians™️ like Steve lie on their deathbeds saying, "Gee, I wish I'd harassed more strangers about Jesus."?

[Coconut Flan]

Carry on here: