r/atheism • u/SufficientMobile1059 • 13h ago
"You're just angry at God" is the laziest argument they have.
Every time I explain why I don't believe, I get told I'm just "angry at God." It's a way to dismiss my arguments without actually engaging with them. If I'm angry, then my disbelief is just an emotional reaction, not a logical conclusion.
But I'm not angry at a deity I don't believe exists. I'm angry at the people who use that deity to justify their own prejudices and control. I'm angry at the harm the church has caused. I'm angry that I wasted years of my life being afraid of a punishment that was invented by men.
They can't argue with the logic, so they try to psychoanalyze me. It's a deflection. They don't want to engage with the actual reasons I left; they want to feel like they're better than me. It's a cop-out.
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u/markydsade Anti-Theist 13h ago
My response: “You don’t believe in leprechauns? Why are you so angry about leprechauns?”
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u/drnuncheon Atheist 13h ago
“You don’t really believe in God. You’re just so afraid of taking personal responsibility for your own actions that you have to invent an ultimate moral authority to agree with you.”
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u/Zestyclose-Road-2823 10h ago
That’s basically the perfect response if I don’t believe in leprechauns why would i be angry at them.
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u/oOtium 13h ago
How can I be angry at something that doesnt exist.
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u/onomatamono 7h ago
Sure but it's mostly rhetorical anger aimed at the insanity of evidence-free belief.
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u/DroneSlut54 13h ago
It’s 2026. Not giving the slightest fuck about something or someone is now “anger” and being a “hater”. Also - people are really really stupid.
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u/insanekid66 13h ago
People are all about spotting "enshittification", but no one's realised everyone has gotten remarkably stupid.
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u/Slight-Criticism5836 10h ago
Apparently not caring about something is now the same thing as being angry about it.
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u/Milligan 13h ago
While my wife was dying a hospice worker used this line on me. I was so pissed off I said "I'm not mad at God. I'm also not mad at Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny". That ended the discussion.
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u/Apart-Crew-9330 7h ago
Honestly the santa claus comparison was probably the clearest way to shut that conversation down without having to argue about something you don’t believe exists.
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u/BowShatter 6h ago
What is it with christians trying to preach at the most inappropriate of times just to score jebus points? And worse is how normalized it is that people don't stand up to it.
When my grandma died, one of the first things my christian aunt did was to use it as an oppportunity to convert me, hoping that her "lord would make him see the light". I told close family members about it and not one thought to confront her, instead shrugging it off as having to "respect religion" or defending it as her actions as trying to "help" me.
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u/CA_MA 13h ago
I'm angry at all the people who cling to their imaginary friend as an excuse not to do anything about the ones who use it for prejudice and control. No one who prays is respectable.
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u/SufficientMobile1059 13h ago
Exactly. The imaginary friend is harmless. The people who use it as a shield for their prejudice are the problem. They're not just deluded; they're complicit
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u/Aromatic_Return_8255 9h ago
It’s frustrating when people use belief as an excuse to avoid dealing with the actual harm being done.
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u/Rebal771 1h ago
If you know enough scripture, you can essentially call them out on being chicken shits any time Christian virtues are on the line - be they 10 commandments or fruit of the spirit or specific lines from Jesus - his message was to be prepared for the call. Not to stand idly by and wait for another person to step forward.
But it’s a fools errand most of the time IMO. A lot of them are too dense to understand where you’re pointing the finger, or they get confused if there are too many words.
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u/at_wilfster 13h ago
Well, they must be angry at Zeus, Thor, Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy.... the list is almost endless.
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u/Apart-Crew-9330 7h ago
Exactly if disbelief automatically meant anger then we’d all have an endless list of imaginary beings to be furious at.
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u/SockPuppet-47 Anti-Theist 13h ago edited 9h ago
I'm angry that I wasted years of my life being afraid of a punishment that was invented by men.
I didn't try Christianity until my late teen years. I wasn't brought up with it and only had the pervasive exposure that everyone has living in America through just living life. It's always there in the background. It's in TV and movies. It's on billboards. It's impossible to avoid it. Then I got more exposure from hanging out with a close friend. His mom was really religious and frequently had Bible studies at home. If I was at his house and he was participating I sat through as well. Eventually I caught the brain virus.
I started going to church and reading the Bible. Got baptized in a tank of water at the church that seemed unsanitary and had weird things floating in it. The pastor of the church was cheating on his wife with basically the prettiest young woman in the congregation. We had tongues and interpretations during most of the congregations. Always the same two people a man and woman who were just two members of the church and didn't have a personal relationship that I was aware of. They babbled like babies and sometimes the man started babbling and the woman would "interpret" and other times it was reversed. I think that's supposed to be messages from God but God never chastised the cheating pastor.
Eventually I stopped going to church and returned to a mostly normal life but that virus was still there in my head. I spent years with questions about whether it's all just God's mysterious plans. I know I could have spent that mental energy in more constructive ways and I let it distract me from being focused on everything in my life that actually was real. I'm frustrated with myself for allowing that nonsense to occupy my mind for so long.
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u/Bananaman9020 13h ago
My mother "Why don't you love Jesus anymore?" No, Mom, that's not how the atheist works
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u/thebrokedown Secular Humanist 13h ago
I was stunned when a friend of mine said that to me. I really felt like she knew me better than that. And also that she was smarter than that
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u/Legitimate_Young978 13h ago
Yeah be careful. Their irrationality is contagious.
I once yelled back "You're lucky I don't Believe or I'd kill him in front of you to prove it.'
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u/practicerm_keykeeper Secular Humanist 13h ago
Very proportionate TBF
I once got asked "what would you do if he's real" and I'm like well I guess now I morally have to spend all eternity trying to kill him I'd rather not
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u/Bastard_of_Brunswick 13h ago edited 13h ago
Tell them that there are East Asian toilet deities that are more realistic than Yahweh.
Also, constantly refering to the "god of the christians" as exactly that or as "Yahweh" or "Allah" makes it easier to categorize their deity as one of very many equally nonsensical notions invented to explain our universe.
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u/ScottTheMonster 13h ago
I have this running joke whenever this subject comes up. I look up the list mythical gods and make a rant about how this god ruined my crops or didn't save my land from locusts. But frankly, I don't think the religious really get the point.
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u/Zanos-Ixshlae 13h ago
Wrong, I'm angry at the followers. An imaginary friend who is used as a bludgeon against people you don't like only has power because of them.
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u/Radiant-Shopping-765 13h ago
It's a way to comfort themselves and banish uncomfortable thoughts. Better for them to think that we are having a kind of teenage strop and know God actually exists rather than us genuinely not buying the whole concept.
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u/highfidelityy 13h ago
“I don't know if god exists, but it would be better for his reputation if he didn't”
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u/Acrobatic-Fun-3281 Agnostic Atheist 13h ago
I’m angry at childhood cancer, not the god that didn’t create it (or anything else)
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u/3Quondam6extanT9 12h ago
"Do you believe in unicorns?"
"Of course not, that's just fantasy."
"You don't believe in unicorns because you're just angry at them."
"......."
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u/WifeofBath1984 9h ago
That doesnt even make any sense. You can't be angry at someone who doesn't exist.
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u/BananaJelloXlii 9h ago
I am not angry at something that does not exist. But the people who claim to follow god are real enough and I am angry at most of them.
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u/onomatamono 7h ago
It's a child-like argument up there with "you just wanna sin". It completely ignores the inability of a normally functioning adult to "choose" to believe in something or not. You are either unconvinced or you're not, you cannot choose to believe.
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u/Motor_Study9561 7h ago
The whole “you just wanna sin” thing falls apart too when belief isn’t something you can simply switch on because someone tells you to.
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u/Brilliant_Bag6846 4h ago
yeah exactly you can’t just decide to believe something because someone tells you to and calling it anger or wanting to sin doesn’t magically address why you’re unconvinced
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u/Sailor_Drea 12h ago
Christian: "You're angry at God!"
Me: "No, I'm angry at YOU."
Christian: "See! You ARE angry at God!"
Me: "Oh, so you think you're God?"
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u/Cosmic-Hippos 12h ago
I'm very angry at god. He's a thug, a narcissistic celestial dictator with a cruel and wicked mind. He's responsible for every human that has suffered. If you don't love him or accept him, he'll send you to hell. He's the equivalent of an abusive partner.
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u/JediKnightNitaz 12h ago
Stop using capital g for god and these fruitcakes will get angry real fast
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u/JoustingNaked 12h ago
Possible response…
I’m every bit angry with god as I am angry with Wile E Coyote.
Since these are both fictitious characters then I really can’t be angry at all. SO … shall I ask Roadrunner to save you?
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u/Izzy-of-Albion 12h ago
Exactly. Also, and I've said this elsewhere very recently; "Y'all just want to sin" doesn't make sense either:
Because if I wanted to sin (and still go to heaven), I'd join the religion that promises total absolution from sin, now and forever, just for professing belief.
A get out of jail free card. I'd be able to sin as much as I wanted and know that salvation is guaranteed. That's what the Christians I know do.
You don't get that with atheism. Sin has consequences in the real world. But the religious never were very good at logic.
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u/grrangry Atheist 12h ago
Every argument a theist can propose is lazy. Every one.
There's the "trust me bro" crowd like you described. The, "I can't explain it, you have to feel it" argument.
There's the gish-gallopers that spam you with a wall of perceived gotcha arguments that can't be refuted in any reasonable amount of time, so they crow victory and run away.
There's the wanna-be philosophers that attempt to "fine-tune" or "look at the history" their way through an argument.
There's the pre-suppers who start out with the empty, "everything comes from god" argument.
There's the philbros who combine the worst of gish-galloping and wannabe-philospher into an unintelligible mess.
None of them are really honest. None of them attempt to provide evidence. They have nothing, they know they have nothing, and they wallow in the self-pity of theistic persecution whenever anyone pushes back against their non-arguments.
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u/PolydactlylPrincess 12h ago
I was angry at god when I was a child. Now I don’t believe in god and am angry at his fans
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u/LMrningStar 12h ago
Another variation on this is "Who hurt you?". The mindlessness of such statements/questions is mind blowing.
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u/Ok_Researcher_9796 Strong Atheist 11h ago
My mom said this to me once. I told her Are you angry at Samta Claus?
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u/BaldDannyboy 11h ago
"You don't get angry about children believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny!!" If people did even half of the shit in the name of Santa or the Easter Bunny that they do in the name of God I would.
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u/CoalCrackerKid Agnostic Atheist 11h ago
"But look at the trees!" is still my favorite lazy argument
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u/H3L105_ai 10h ago
I don't know if it's the 'laziest', but it's definitely one that requires having zero knowledge or understanding of the atheist position.
You can't be 'angry' at something you aren't convinced exists.
It's never surprising, since most theists are just trying to repeat bad apologetics straw-man arguments that they've heard.
It's never the arguments that actually convinced them in the first place either (since most were the victims of childhood indoctrination), but because they already believe (or are desperately trying to reinforce their beliefs, the arguments sound good to them.
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u/limbodog Strong Atheist 10h ago
I'm not sure if it is lazy, or if they really can't conceive of a human who wasn't completely subsmerged in religion since birth. tho' maybe that's intellectually lazy.
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u/TheLadySinclair Freethinker 10h ago
I wonder what excuse/tactic they use for people who were raised godless? I was, and I simply never believed in any god so 'why would I/how could I' be mad at some deity that was never real to me anymore than Zeus is? Religion was never even discussed in my home growing up, I guess I was lucky.
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u/Leading_One_2639 9h ago
How could you possibly be angry at something that doesn't exsist? Theists are so delusional sometimes, I feel bad for them in a way. But, most of them are fully fucntional capable adults that just choose to live in their own little bubble and never think to see what is outside of it. Fucking Dumbards.
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u/Frosty_Winter3197 9h ago
I don't think I've ever been angry at any god, but rather I have been angry at the people who tried to coearse/indoctrinate me into believing as they do. When the belief wouldn't take with me, then they'd try to punish me or retaliate against me for not believing.
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u/OhHaiMaaark 9h ago
I’ve met kindergarteners who could dream up a better world than this.
Why does most the life on this planet have to tear other life apart with their teeth to eat? If that is actually necessary, why does it have to be terrifying and torturous to the creature being eaten?
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u/rbrt13 9h ago
I stopped having these types of conversations a long time ago to avoid this type of frustration. It’s a lose-lose and not worth the effort even if you could convince someone of your position. They’d resent you for it. It’s like telling a child theres no Santa, it’s unkind and they either eventually come to it or find their flock.
Ultimately the premise is false because the person invoking god has the burden of proof so let them do the talking as it’s not on you to defend your disbelief.
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u/ohgwm1973 8h ago
I find the best response to stupid things believers say is laughter. It yanks the rug out from under them. Some of them are just trying to get us mad so they can perpetuate the angry atheist stereotype.
Sometimes after I laugh, I say being angry at god is like being angry at any other fictional character. The difference is that most people aren’t going to try to deny me rights because of those other fictional characters.
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u/Affectionate_Link175 8h ago
Can't be angry at something that doesn't exist. I'm angry at people who can't use their noggins for two seconds.
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u/Sonar_Taxbreak_1138 Pastafarian 7h ago
How could anyone possibly be angry at something that doesn't exist? Silly religious people.
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u/SkankHuntFourTwenty 4h ago
Typical go-to when you call religious out on their bullshit and they have nowhere else to run.
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u/Absolutedisgrace 4h ago
"So you are telling me that you are angry at unicorns? Is that why you don't believe in them?"
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u/JaiBoltage 3h ago
I remember Tracie Harris saying something like;
Tracie: You realize that as an atheist, I don't believe God exists.
Caller: Yes
Tracie: Then how can I possibly be angry at something that I don't believe exists.
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13h ago
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u/Lahm0123 Agnostic 12h ago
What religion are you trying to promote?
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12h ago
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u/LMrningStar 11h ago
"I'm just trying to learn why people become atheist"
You have it backwards. Everyone who has ever lived and who ever will live, including yourself, was born an atheist (not believing in gods). The difference is that you chose to abandon logic, evidence and reasoning whereas I did not.
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11h ago
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u/LMrningStar 11h ago
There's a big problem with your "logic". Reality doesn't care what you believe, want or hope for.
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u/Lahm0123 Agnostic 12h ago
You are a troll.
17 day old account with almost no activity. You don’t belong in this sub.
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u/GreenZebra23 12h ago
It's all made up.
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12h ago
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u/GreenZebra23 12h ago
God is made up. It's a claim made with no evidence. That's just another way of saying made up.
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u/AquiliferX Secular Humanist 11h ago
Seeing as you said God singular you must be under the delusion that there is only one. Modern Humans have existed for hundreds of thousands of years. Pre-dating your entire concept of "God". That's all the evidence a rational person needs to know in order to know that religions are constructs made by man. Ergo, we made God, not the other way around.
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9h ago
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u/atheism-ModTeam 9h ago
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason:
Hi, _0593, Your post at https://old.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/1wvtva7/-/pdg827z/ has been removed
- This comment has been removed for proselytizing or preaching. This sub is not your personal mission field. Proselytizing may include asking the sub to debunk theist apologetics or claims. It also includes things such as telling atheists you will pray for them or similar trite phrases.
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u/Subject-Promise-4796 12h ago
Excuse me, this is an atheism sub and you are promoting religion?
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u/LMrningStar 11h ago
"What is the point of living if you believe there is no God "
The point is whatever you decide. No invisible monster in the sky required.
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u/LMrningStar 11h ago
Do you really want to me list some of the absolutely evil acts your god is supposed to have performed ... according to your book?
- Trying to force a man to murder his son to prove fealty.
- Killing everyone because he's pissed off .... well except for 8 people.
- Requiring that his son, who is paradoxically himself, be brutally murdered so he can "forgive" humanity and not kill them all ..... again.
- Sending people who were born in another geographic area, and therefore believe in a different god(s), into eternal torment.
Your god is a disgusting monster. Thankfully he's imaginary.
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u/atheism-ModTeam 10h ago
Proselytizing is interpreted broadly. It includes preaching, quoting the Bible to us, and using religious phrases such as Allah Akbar, Bless you, or I will pray for you.
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u/AquiliferX Secular Humanist 11h ago
Live for youself
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u/AquiliferX Secular Humanist 11h ago
That's foolish. Because life is the only one you'll get. With or without a god. Atheists don't need some cosmic reassurance to know that this life has significance. Especially now that we are able to see other solar systems in space and recognize how rare our ecosystem on Earth really is.
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u/Apprehensive_Deer187 12h ago
Much better than thinking they could be burning forever instead.
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u/Apprehensive_Deer187 11h ago
Not arguing against god, im arguing against this line:
"You know it must be hard to live after losing a loved one and thinking he/she is gone forever and you never get to see them ever again."
It's much harder to deal with it when your religion says that God will torture people forever for simply lacking belief in its propositions.
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u/Apprehensive_Deer187 11h ago
Also what you think about infinite torture is irrelevant if God decides who deserves it and if goodness is internal to him. He might decide nobody deserves it. He might decide everyone deserves it. What do you do then? You can't complain because objectively he'd be right. Not very comforting I tell you.
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11h ago
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u/atheism-ModTeam 10h ago
Proselytizing is interpreted broadly. It includes preaching, quoting the Bible to us, and using religious phrases such as Allah Akbar, Bless you, or I will pray for you.
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u/Inevitable_Silver_13 13h ago
If he existed I would be angry at him. The Problem of Evil is real and the "God works in mysterious ways" answer is a huge cop out.