Failed Conversion

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

“There but for the grace of God,’ said John Bradford in the sixteenth century, on seeing wretches led to execution, ‘go I.’ What this apparently compassionate observation really means–not that it really ‘means’ anything–is, ‘There by the grace of God goes someone else.”

Christopher Hitchens – god is not Great.

[JadeBlackOlive]

Yes, like why is one person more special than the next?

[Dang Martin]

JadeBlackOlive wrote:

Yes, like why is one person more special than the next?

That is a good question that I’d like answered. I have days, like today, where I’m actually feeling rather worthless, almost like I’m just sitting around, waiting to die. Then I think that, certainly, there MUST be at least a few hundred people out there who COULD have made a difference in the world, if only they were able to live. And yet, they die in the most horrible and often times pointless ways.

These people, in my mind, are by far more special than me.

Along those lines, sometimes I wonder what my ego would be like if I sincerely believed that the creator of the entire universe and the ruler of the underworld were engaged in an epic battle royale for the high privilege of owning MY soul for all of eternity. Like, maybe that is what a hot chick feels like. Maybe it’s what her average day consists of, where everyone is fighting to get her, but in the end there is only ONE “daddy.”

It’s strange.

After surviving that carjacking attempt, I did not feel special in the least. There were no angels, no secret messages, no comforting voice that whispered, “Hey, don’t worry yourself there. It’s ME, god, and I’m going to get you through this because I think you’re special. That, and I’m not really going to be wasting time trying to help the Patriots today.”

But it is interesting to think what the perception would have been, had I taken that 9mm bullet through my left temple. “Welp, there you have it. An Atheist who believed that he knew it all. God sure showed him. That’ll teach ’em to mess with the man.”

[JadeBlackOlive]

I am over 12 years cancer free, but many don’t make it.

My mantra is sort of….

Doctor?….clergy?

Hospital?….church?

Treatment?….prayer?

Science?….god?

No brainer, but one way or the other, I am not special.

I also never said, “Why me?”

Why not me?

 

[.]

@Reg:…. why do you not consider the evidence that led you to that belief to be totally

It is subjective and I never claimed it to be otherwise…All belief is subjective to every one of us.
Hitchens has a chip on his shoulder in many of his speeches. But in regards to the particular quote we are discussing – you cannot make a blanket statement like that and ever be even close to accurate. There are MANY examples I could conjure up of KNOWING without evidence. Does that make it by default untrue? No. Not at all…
It’s a catchy flash phrase to sell books. It’s eloquent but misguided.

[.]

@Reg

RE: How do you know this beyond any doubt? What nailed it for you?

I was pretty convinced after the first time but even more so now that it’s happened TWICE…..

[Simon Paynton]

@DangMartin –  I take your point.

All I can say is that something is almost certainly going on that we don’t know about.

[Strega]

@dansnell Dang, I’ve only just friended you.  I’d be really disappointed if you were to cease to exist just yet.  I’m looking forward to reading more from you.

[Dang Martin]

Thanks, Strega. I hope that I can add to conversations.

[_Robert_]

Simon Paynton wrote:

@DangMartin – I take your point. All I can say is that something is almost certainly going on that we don’t know about.

Bullshit Simon…. as DangMartin said an old primer is slow to fire. They are called ‘click bangs’. It can take 30 seconds or more with shitty ammo. This is why when a gun doesn’t fire you don’t look down the barrel. You point it somewhere safe until you can eject the round. The car jacker is lucky he didn’t kill his stupid self. If we are lucky, maybe he shot his nads off.

[Dang Martin]

_Robert_ wrote:

Simon Paynton wrote:

@DangMartin – I take your point. All I can say is that something is almost certainly going on that we don’t know about.

Bullshit Simon…. as DangMartin said an old primer is slow to fire. They are called ‘click bangs’. It can take 30 seconds or more with shitty ammo. This is why when a gun doesn’t fire you don’t look down the barrel. You point it somewhere safe until you can eject the round. The car jacker is lucky he didn’t kill his stupid self. If we are lucky, maybe he shot his nads off.

This is precisely what the police confirmed. They traced the gun to the original owner, who had no idea that the gun had been stolen, even though he knew he’d been robbed. The guy bought the gun for his wife. He loaded it for her, she put it in her underwear drawer, and it sat there for almost ten years, to the point that it was literally forgotten. Lots of corrosion builds up during that time.

The guy who pulled the trigger on me was originally nothing more than a cat burglar looking for drug money. He was unarmed when he happened across this gun while robbing a home. A few hours after he found the gun, he found me.

So most definitely, what happened with regard to the gun going off long after the trigger was pulled is understood.

My uncle taught me how to reload my own ammo via the phone. One thing he told me was to always wear gloves when handling primers, because the oils in your skin can corrupt them, and then I’ll end up having the same issue as my carjacker.

Ammo doesn’t last forever, so on occasion I’ll go purchase replacement ammo, and then take the old ammo to the range and blast it out (I no longer make my own). Should one not fire, then the best practice is to keep the gun pointed down range, and have someone call the range master over for help. It’s not the best of situations.

The chances of this happening with a factory round that is new is about one in a million. Once the round is handled, and it begins to age, then the chances start to shift. Ten years is a long, long time for handled ammo.

This knowledge of ammunition, combined with my lack of religious indoctrination, is why I do not feel that any god was watching out for me, regardless of whether or not that god is commercially-available for purchase.

[JadeBlackOlive]

There ya go. Explanation from one who knows what he’s talking about.

[Simon Paynton]

@_Robert_ – “Bullshit Simon….”

– you misunderstood, I was referring to my own two situations.

[Strega]

@simonpaynton Simon, please don’t tell me you are suspecting supernatural forces of working in your favour.  Please don’t.

[Simon Paynton]

@strega – those things are unlikely to be chance.  That just doesn’t stack up.

[Author]

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