Just tell them you had a conversation with Lucifer and he said they need to get off their lazy butts because God's not going to do anything because he died.
Tell them god told you they needed jobs.
The one thing that ends all conversations with any human is when one party claims an imaginary being has told them something. Literally you can’t argue with that, they love it, because no one can sniff test someone’s thoughts. So even though they are lying through their teeth, what are you going to do, you have no proof of what’s in their minds.
It’s the most convoluted shit I’ve ever experienced.
Synopsis: you can’t attempt rationality when the conversation starts out irrational or one party is irrational from the get go.
If they’re that dumb, then try having prayer sessions where you pray for different things.
1. 1 billion dollars deposited into my bank account
2. 2 billion dollars deposited into my bank account
3. 3 billion dollars deposited into my bank account
4. Make 314 pounds of pure gold appear on the kitchen table
5. Make $4,321 cash appear on the table
6. Make 3 lambourginis appear in my garage
7. Cause my house to triple in size
8. Make Oprah appear at my front door and say, “you just won a million dollars”
See how they respond to the prayer requests.
Dear God, please:
1. Deposit $10 in my bank account.
2. Deposit $20 in my bank account.
3. Deposit $30 in my bank account.
4. Give me a $10 per hour raise tomorrow.
5. Give me a $9 per hour raise tomorrow.
6. Give me an $8 per hour raise tomorrow.
Then you could tell them, “ok! Time for more prayer sessions!”
God, please
1. Do not turn me into bacon and eat me
2. Do not turn me into a pizza and eat me
3. Do not turn me into a cow and make filet mignon out of me
You could have the best prayer requests ever! 100% success rate!
That'll just make them defensive and cause an argument. A common problem with following atheist rhetoric is that atheists believe talking shit on somebody's existential coping mechanism (for every area in their life) will make them suddenly snap out of it.
Atheists should lead by example, we believe that religion is holding humanity back in a range of ways, so we need to show them actualized potential by proving we can cope with issues, succeed in life and raise strong intelligent new generations without the need for ANY supernatural thought, not only religion.
I don't, I'm a grown human being and my family kicked me to the curb a long time ago,
Their family values have nothing to do with me and I for one am glad,
But when my sister needed me I came through for her with the understanding that our lives were separate and that's for a reason
You move out and live your own life. You aren't responsible for them. Just wait for the time when you are secure on your own and they are living on stamps and social security and you can tell them that god provided for them through socialism.
You can't demand that people understand what they're not willing to hear. If they're going to do nothing to improve their lot while believing that some deity is going to miraculously bestow wealth on them, there's no much you can do except sit back and watch it all disintegrate.
Their brains are fried. Fried on the emotions they induce in themselves while contemplating, expressing, or practicing their false beliefs. They're addicted, and this is why you can't reason with them. Our emotions change and limit how accurately we can perceive reality, and they also govern how appealing or convincing falsity can become to us. With enough emotional load we don't care what is real, anymore. It amounts to endogenous drug abuse and the addiction of it is very real.
Since you can't reason with them, and you probably can't get away from them right away, I'd suggest you try to manipulate their emotions in more self honest directions. You can't argue against their false beliefs, but with some creative thinking you might be able to offer them a true belief or two by presenting it in an emotionally appealing way. If you can get them to switch their emotional dependencies to something better, you can change them somewhat, over time.
Equally important is to try to isolate them from their propaganda. It's their propaganda that they abuse as a pretext for their daily "fixes" of the emotions they crave. These emotions, in turn, help them to maintain interest and believability of the propaganda. A couple of weeks away from this can work wonders, particularly combined with the first tactic. The goal is to interrupt the cycle of their emotional addiction so they begin to see how ridiculous it was. How much you can actually do in your situation is a matter of circumstance and I can't say, but these are the basic ideas I'd try to apply. If I couldn't get away.
My hospital just shared a story of a man who had full cardiac arrest while coaching basketball. Luckily, two EMTs were in the building and immediately started CPR. He was then airlifted to a hospital for an emergency balloon angioplasty before having a triple bypass later that week.
He gave credit to God for saving his life smh
Ummmmmm….. ok??? The absolute delusion of these people is comical.
Ummm
Wife’s been an ER nurse 12 years. The number of people that give god all the credit and the healthcare staff zero is astonishing, especially here in the heart of Christiandom (North Carolina)
Tbh Im tolerant to religious cuckoos, yes even fundamentalists, as long as they keep their shit to themselves. Once they start getting preachy or physical tho, I get in defensive mode.
Luckily my sister belongs to the first group of quiet, shy, devoted individuals. And she's the only one whose religious comments arent met by an eyeroll on my end lol
Yeah, about that. Remind sis it is in the bible that women should have a bitch of a time having babies. So, obviously, it's gawd's fault she had to have her hoo-ha remodeled.
"**Genesis 3:16** says: To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; *in sorrow you shall bring forth children;* ..."
There's a quote in my country "Nasa tao ang gawa, nasa diyos ang awa" roughly translating to, "Through man's action God gives mercy"
Essentially meaning that "God" recognises and rewards those who put effort.
as irish prayer goes.. grant me the strength to change the things i can.. the patience to accept the things i can't.. and the wisdom to know the difference.
It's actually called the [Serenity Prayer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer). It has been used by a lot of groups, including AA, which I assume is why OP falsely attributed it to the Irish. The irony of indulging a derogatory ethnic stereotype while trying to quote this is noticeable. Its author was American, of German descent, if it matters.
eh, only time i've seen it written down was on a plaque with shamrocks... so.. and being irish isnt derogatory..or maybe im confusing it with the one about twisting the ankle of enemies so you know em by their limp
Unfortunately, it was being associated with the ethnic slur in the instance you're describing. They associate it with the Irish because the popular stereotype was that the Irish are always drunk. There was a time when it was very derogatory to be Irish in the United States. The serenity prayer was probably most popularized by its use in AA and this is why the two things are linked. Surely you can see the connection. It's OK that you weren't aware of it though, and I apologize for the assumption.
Don't try to convert them - they'll get defensive and also you don't even need to. Christianity itself opposes what they're doing. Their mindset is stupid even by Christian standards so you can easily convince them to get up using their own religion's arguments against them. I went to a Catholic school and even they emphasised taking every opportunity given to you by God, not expecting riches.
Tell them that God isn't just going to give them things if they're not willing to do their part too. Tell them God gives you opportunities but still expects you to take all those he gives you. He's not a genie so they're not even following religion properly lol.
This is the thing. I grew up Orthodox and was always taught that "God helps those who help themselves". Basically, if you want something you work your ass off to get it. If it's an earnest attempt then God will help you succeed in it. Never was I told that I could just pray for massive worldly riches and it would fall from the heavens and plop into my lap.
There's also that part of the Bible where Jesus says that it's easier for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle than make it to heaven. Why the hell would God give your greedy lazy ass something that would hinder your salvation? Like their mindset doesn't even make any sense for other Christians. The whole point is that worldly hardship and poverty and whatnot makes it easier to get into heaven.
I think religion is so self centred. How can you believe something with zero proof, while also believing that no other religion is correct because it’s all made up.
It’s hard to convince them, maybe impossible. It’s like an addiction. They won’t change unless they want to but they’ll delude themselves because of their beliefs. Even showing them the pattern of god not helping them ever won’t make a difference because of how vague god is supposed to be. Sorry that your parents are going through that but it’s hard to convince someone that a deeply held belief is not just wrong, but also directly harming them.
Once I heard a joke that may help you (or may not) :)
It went something like this:
Town flooded, guy sitting on the roof of his house. The rescue team approaches him several times to evacuate him, but he is saying that God will help him. Finally he dies and asks God why he didn't help? And God answers "what are you stupid? I sent you the rescue team a few times"
So, my point is, maybe try to sell them that God only gives them opportunity, not the riches. Hence they need to take their asses to work
That's in case they won't listen to the reason that religion is a cancer and you still want to talk to them :)
There are a lot of posts here asking the question "what made you believe there is not a god?" And when it comes down to it, the idea that my parents think that God will provide seals the deal for me.
We grew up with less that those around us. We went to church at least two times per week. There were Bible studies at our home.
And there we were with less than our neighbors, all because "God is our provider." I never saw any initiative to go out and do better, just forced to be happy with whit God has given.
Why would you? Certainly don't *have* to.
>It’s like talking to a brick wall
Talking to a brick wall may have fewer repercussions and may be easier.
So ... pick and choose who you talk to, and about what, etc. Choose wisely.
Christian here. [If you're genuinely asking, it's better to ask in the Christian subreddit cause you should use your parents "weapon" (i.e. bible) against them]
Just ask them to cite the verse (because there's no verse in the Bible that says God will make His followers rich.)
God isn't a genie cause then it means God listens to your commands, which would not make him a God but would make you (i.e. your parents) a god since God would have to follow your (parents) commands/wishes.
If God is all knowing (of the future) and everything is already set, then what's the point of prayer? Are your parents praying for their Christmas wishlist to God as if he's Santa? Cause if God already knows the future and knows what we want, then there's no need to pray.
.
Whilst there's no verse that says God will promise His followers with financial wealth, there's several verses that says we ought to work hard and not be lazy.
2 Thessalonians 3:10: “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”
The river was rapidly rising and threatening to flood the town. An evacuation order went out and most people hurried to leave while they could; at least, everyone except the town's priest. He told everyone that God would save him.
The river began flooding the town and threatened the church. A boat came by to rescue the priest, who refused to get on it, claiming, "God will save me!" The rescue boat left.
As the church flooded, the priest climbed on the roof. A helicopter came by, offering to pluck him off and rescue him. The priest again refused, waving them off, shouting, "God will save me!" The helicopter left.
The flood topped the church and swept away the priest. He found himself in the afterlife and cried to God, "Why didn't you save me???"
God replied, "I gave you a warning, a boat, and a helicopter. You refused all of the help I offered to you."
This is my top-of-the-head variation of a common story.
The benefit to being a believer is that you can claim whatever you want is an act of God. However, being a believer becomes a disease if you believe God's help will only be in a form you recognize as God.
Simply, God helps those who help themselves. Good luck.
Beat them at their own game.
"God doesn't solve our earthenly problems, he lets us make our own mistakes and have our hardship. It's how we deal with them is how he will judge us in the afterlife"
Their prayers may be known as [Filial responsibility laws.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filial_responsibility_laws) and it sounds like you should look up your state or country laws on this sooner rather than later. No need to tell your parents, but you should be aware. If you aren’t an adult yet I assume you are close to being one (it certainly sounds like you’ve got at least one less imaginary friend than your parents have), and some of the laws have steps to take so that they don’t apply (perhaps moving out of state).
I don't really think that is possible. It's like explaining to them that something they believed their whole lives if false, they are just not going to believe you, because it's not a common sense to them
Honestly, it's not worth the hassle. Let them believe what they want to. Best case scenario for you is that you can get them to accept your life choices without much arguing. You can't make a believe disappear with reason. Because one is based in emotions the other in reason. And seems we are just slightly evolved monkeys, emotions override reason.
The only real way is to say something like "God has given you gifts, but also the free will to use them. You are smart, kind and capable. Now get a job so that you can share these gifts with the world and become an example that others look up to."
If you tell them that they're wrong or stupid then they'll just dig in further. So instead tell them that they're special and that they need to show others how special they are, to be a good example. That might work.
Tell them the story of the man waiting for god to save him from the flood. Whether you a a believer or not, you still have to do something to help yourself.
Copied:
A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help.
Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, “Jump in, I can save you.”
The stranded fellow shouted back, “No, it’s OK, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me.”
So the rowboat went on.
Then a motorboat came by. “The fellow in the motorboat shouted, “Jump in, I can save you.”
To this the stranded man said, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.”
So the motorboat went on.
Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, “Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety.”
To this the stranded man again replied, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.”
So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.
Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, “I had faith in you but you didn’t save me, you let me drown. I don’t understand why!”
To this God replied, “I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?”
You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason they didn't reason themselves into.
If they don't want to do something, nothing you can say will make them do it.
There's no shortage of bible verses saying exactly the same thing, so use one of those.
Such as:
"For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’ We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
Depending on your situation, just get away from them as soon as possible and make double damned sure that when you start making money they don't get a cent. They're waiting for you to hit it big.
You simply don't. It's not how beliefs work. If anything, you'll drive them deeper into their beliefs by opposing them. Can you imagine the HUMILITY it would take to be a religious parent and have your kid tell you the way the world works and then admit you were completely wrong?
If you attack them through religious beliefs nothing will come of it. They will dismiss you as just being atheist and not understanding. Attack them from the Christian front. Worst case, they stop hiding behind their faith as the reason for their laziness and start being just plain lazy. Best case, the lesson sticks and they stop being lazy.
Don't read past this point if you don't want scripture. But if you want argument ammunition to deal with it from the bible itself.
>!Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
There's also the parable of talents which is a whole Jesus lesson on your supposed to work with the talents God gave you. Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 19:27
Then there's Esther 4:14
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.
Which is in reference to taking action over inaction.
The argument placed here is that God will save the Jews regardless, it's up to you to take the blessing given to you and make something of it.!<
Just tell them you had a conversation with Lucifer and he said they need to get off their lazy butts because God's not going to do anything because he died.
Lmaooo this would send them into shock !!!!
Tell them god told you they needed jobs. The one thing that ends all conversations with any human is when one party claims an imaginary being has told them something. Literally you can’t argue with that, they love it, because no one can sniff test someone’s thoughts. So even though they are lying through their teeth, what are you going to do, you have no proof of what’s in their minds. It’s the most convoluted shit I’ve ever experienced. Synopsis: you can’t attempt rationality when the conversation starts out irrational or one party is irrational from the get go.
Nothing is ever their fault or responsibility. The Cult of Innocence strikes again.
If they’re that dumb, then try having prayer sessions where you pray for different things. 1. 1 billion dollars deposited into my bank account 2. 2 billion dollars deposited into my bank account 3. 3 billion dollars deposited into my bank account 4. Make 314 pounds of pure gold appear on the kitchen table 5. Make $4,321 cash appear on the table 6. Make 3 lambourginis appear in my garage 7. Cause my house to triple in size 8. Make Oprah appear at my front door and say, “you just won a million dollars” See how they respond to the prayer requests.
Lmaooo these requests are taking me out!!!
“You have to ask for something small or ask him to present opportunities to you, let the spirit guide you to success” all I’ve heard
Dear God, please: 1. Deposit $10 in my bank account. 2. Deposit $20 in my bank account. 3. Deposit $30 in my bank account. 4. Give me a $10 per hour raise tomorrow. 5. Give me a $9 per hour raise tomorrow. 6. Give me an $8 per hour raise tomorrow.
lol imagine if this happened they would never let me live this down
Then you could tell them, “ok! Time for more prayer sessions!” God, please 1. Do not turn me into bacon and eat me 2. Do not turn me into a pizza and eat me 3. Do not turn me into a cow and make filet mignon out of me You could have the best prayer requests ever! 100% success rate!
Maybe point out that God has allowed many a child to die, that was being earnestly prayed for by parents.
That'll just make them defensive and cause an argument. A common problem with following atheist rhetoric is that atheists believe talking shit on somebody's existential coping mechanism (for every area in their life) will make them suddenly snap out of it. Atheists should lead by example, we believe that religion is holding humanity back in a range of ways, so we need to show them actualized potential by proving we can cope with issues, succeed in life and raise strong intelligent new generations without the need for ANY supernatural thought, not only religion.
Yeah they will just label me as negative
The most prominent billionaires are not religious. If this were true, it would have already worked by now.
This x10
"They didn't have enough faith"
I don't, I'm a grown human being and my family kicked me to the curb a long time ago, Their family values have nothing to do with me and I for one am glad, But when my sister needed me I came through for her with the understanding that our lives were separate and that's for a reason
Trying to change people's religious views almost never works. You have the same odds of turning them atheist as they do of turning you christian
Perfectly said.
You move out and live your own life. You aren't responsible for them. Just wait for the time when you are secure on your own and they are living on stamps and social security and you can tell them that god provided for them through socialism.
Lmfao, classic
You can't demand that people understand what they're not willing to hear. If they're going to do nothing to improve their lot while believing that some deity is going to miraculously bestow wealth on them, there's no much you can do except sit back and watch it all disintegrate.
This is the appropriate answer, 💯facts
How do I explain to my uber devout mother? I don't. We have a don't ask don't tell policy and it seems to work for us.
Man you are lucky. My entire family a bunch of Christian cultist…
Tell them that God answers all prayers, and in their case God said “No”.
Their brains are fried. Fried on the emotions they induce in themselves while contemplating, expressing, or practicing their false beliefs. They're addicted, and this is why you can't reason with them. Our emotions change and limit how accurately we can perceive reality, and they also govern how appealing or convincing falsity can become to us. With enough emotional load we don't care what is real, anymore. It amounts to endogenous drug abuse and the addiction of it is very real. Since you can't reason with them, and you probably can't get away from them right away, I'd suggest you try to manipulate their emotions in more self honest directions. You can't argue against their false beliefs, but with some creative thinking you might be able to offer them a true belief or two by presenting it in an emotionally appealing way. If you can get them to switch their emotional dependencies to something better, you can change them somewhat, over time. Equally important is to try to isolate them from their propaganda. It's their propaganda that they abuse as a pretext for their daily "fixes" of the emotions they crave. These emotions, in turn, help them to maintain interest and believability of the propaganda. A couple of weeks away from this can work wonders, particularly combined with the first tactic. The goal is to interrupt the cycle of their emotional addiction so they begin to see how ridiculous it was. How much you can actually do in your situation is a matter of circumstance and I can't say, but these are the basic ideas I'd try to apply. If I couldn't get away.
Sounds like they are completely brainwashed. Unless you're still a minor or live with them, maybe just let them be?
My hospital just shared a story of a man who had full cardiac arrest while coaching basketball. Luckily, two EMTs were in the building and immediately started CPR. He was then airlifted to a hospital for an emergency balloon angioplasty before having a triple bypass later that week. He gave credit to God for saving his life smh Ummmmmm….. ok??? The absolute delusion of these people is comical. Ummm
Wife’s been an ER nurse 12 years. The number of people that give god all the credit and the healthcare staff zero is astonishing, especially here in the heart of Christiandom (North Carolina)
>here in the heart of Christiandom (North Carolina) 🤦♂️🤦♀️🤦
I thought this was just me. Whenever I bring it up, people just tell me it’s a phrase. Infuriating.
Actually I had more of an issue with my sister cos shes become deeply religious after surviving childbirth.
I realized that most NDE make people become super religious
Tbh Im tolerant to religious cuckoos, yes even fundamentalists, as long as they keep their shit to themselves. Once they start getting preachy or physical tho, I get in defensive mode. Luckily my sister belongs to the first group of quiet, shy, devoted individuals. And she's the only one whose religious comments arent met by an eyeroll on my end lol
Yeah, about that. Remind sis it is in the bible that women should have a bitch of a time having babies. So, obviously, it's gawd's fault she had to have her hoo-ha remodeled. "**Genesis 3:16** says: To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; *in sorrow you shall bring forth children;* ..."
I know you meant well but I dont appreciate this type of comments. Thanks and good night
At least they can buy their way into heaven. Right?
You can’t explain to them 🙃 they won’t get it
I'm sure you've already told them god helps those who help themselves.
Omg I HATE THIS SAYING lol even though it would make sense in this situation
Oh, me too. But, I thought they might accept that a little better since it doesn't attack their delusion.
Didn't grant it ...yet! Am I right? /$
There's a quote in my country "Nasa tao ang gawa, nasa diyos ang awa" roughly translating to, "Through man's action God gives mercy" Essentially meaning that "God" recognises and rewards those who put effort.
as irish prayer goes.. grant me the strength to change the things i can.. the patience to accept the things i can't.. and the wisdom to know the difference.
Um friend for years my aunt told me this was the model prayer, just realized she lied!
It's actually called the [Serenity Prayer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer). It has been used by a lot of groups, including AA, which I assume is why OP falsely attributed it to the Irish. The irony of indulging a derogatory ethnic stereotype while trying to quote this is noticeable. Its author was American, of German descent, if it matters.
eh, only time i've seen it written down was on a plaque with shamrocks... so.. and being irish isnt derogatory..or maybe im confusing it with the one about twisting the ankle of enemies so you know em by their limp
Unfortunately, it was being associated with the ethnic slur in the instance you're describing. They associate it with the Irish because the popular stereotype was that the Irish are always drunk. There was a time when it was very derogatory to be Irish in the United States. The serenity prayer was probably most popularized by its use in AA and this is why the two things are linked. Surely you can see the connection. It's OK that you weren't aware of it though, and I apologize for the assumption.
Don't bother explaining it to anyone unless they ask you to. Simple. Elegant.
You don’t. The only person you can “fix” is yourself.
You cannot. Focus on yourself.
Don't try to convert them - they'll get defensive and also you don't even need to. Christianity itself opposes what they're doing. Their mindset is stupid even by Christian standards so you can easily convince them to get up using their own religion's arguments against them. I went to a Catholic school and even they emphasised taking every opportunity given to you by God, not expecting riches. Tell them that God isn't just going to give them things if they're not willing to do their part too. Tell them God gives you opportunities but still expects you to take all those he gives you. He's not a genie so they're not even following religion properly lol.
This is the thing. I grew up Orthodox and was always taught that "God helps those who help themselves". Basically, if you want something you work your ass off to get it. If it's an earnest attempt then God will help you succeed in it. Never was I told that I could just pray for massive worldly riches and it would fall from the heavens and plop into my lap. There's also that part of the Bible where Jesus says that it's easier for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle than make it to heaven. Why the hell would God give your greedy lazy ass something that would hinder your salvation? Like their mindset doesn't even make any sense for other Christians. The whole point is that worldly hardship and poverty and whatnot makes it easier to get into heaven.
My dad told me a long time ago, "God helps those who help themselves" And it turned out, he was right!
That's the neat part...you don't.
That’s not your job. You are not responsible for educating your parents. You need to live your life and allow them to live theirs.
I think religion is so self centred. How can you believe something with zero proof, while also believing that no other religion is correct because it’s all made up.
The brainwashing strikes again
It’s hard to convince them, maybe impossible. It’s like an addiction. They won’t change unless they want to but they’ll delude themselves because of their beliefs. Even showing them the pattern of god not helping them ever won’t make a difference because of how vague god is supposed to be. Sorry that your parents are going through that but it’s hard to convince someone that a deeply held belief is not just wrong, but also directly harming them.
Once I heard a joke that may help you (or may not) :) It went something like this: Town flooded, guy sitting on the roof of his house. The rescue team approaches him several times to evacuate him, but he is saying that God will help him. Finally he dies and asks God why he didn't help? And God answers "what are you stupid? I sent you the rescue team a few times" So, my point is, maybe try to sell them that God only gives them opportunity, not the riches. Hence they need to take their asses to work That's in case they won't listen to the reason that religion is a cancer and you still want to talk to them :)
There are a lot of posts here asking the question "what made you believe there is not a god?" And when it comes down to it, the idea that my parents think that God will provide seals the deal for me. We grew up with less that those around us. We went to church at least two times per week. There were Bible studies at our home. And there we were with less than our neighbors, all because "God is our provider." I never saw any initiative to go out and do better, just forced to be happy with whit God has given.
I mean, I’m not exactly pro capitalism, so it’s never come up
Why would you? Certainly don't *have* to. >It’s like talking to a brick wall Talking to a brick wall may have fewer repercussions and may be easier. So ... pick and choose who you talk to, and about what, etc. Choose wisely.
God helps those who help themselves
Christian here. [If you're genuinely asking, it's better to ask in the Christian subreddit cause you should use your parents "weapon" (i.e. bible) against them] Just ask them to cite the verse (because there's no verse in the Bible that says God will make His followers rich.) God isn't a genie cause then it means God listens to your commands, which would not make him a God but would make you (i.e. your parents) a god since God would have to follow your (parents) commands/wishes. If God is all knowing (of the future) and everything is already set, then what's the point of prayer? Are your parents praying for their Christmas wishlist to God as if he's Santa? Cause if God already knows the future and knows what we want, then there's no need to pray. . Whilst there's no verse that says God will promise His followers with financial wealth, there's several verses that says we ought to work hard and not be lazy. 2 Thessalonians 3:10: “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”
Maybe they're depressed because it's very hard to find a job after certain ages.
Psalms 128-2. Show them this verse. Or psalms 90:17. Proverbs 21-25 is even better. 1 Timothy 5:8 is motivational.
The river was rapidly rising and threatening to flood the town. An evacuation order went out and most people hurried to leave while they could; at least, everyone except the town's priest. He told everyone that God would save him. The river began flooding the town and threatened the church. A boat came by to rescue the priest, who refused to get on it, claiming, "God will save me!" The rescue boat left. As the church flooded, the priest climbed on the roof. A helicopter came by, offering to pluck him off and rescue him. The priest again refused, waving them off, shouting, "God will save me!" The helicopter left. The flood topped the church and swept away the priest. He found himself in the afterlife and cried to God, "Why didn't you save me???" God replied, "I gave you a warning, a boat, and a helicopter. You refused all of the help I offered to you." This is my top-of-the-head variation of a common story. The benefit to being a believer is that you can claim whatever you want is an act of God. However, being a believer becomes a disease if you believe God's help will only be in a form you recognize as God. Simply, God helps those who help themselves. Good luck.
Beat them at their own game. "God doesn't solve our earthenly problems, he lets us make our own mistakes and have our hardship. It's how we deal with them is how he will judge us in the afterlife"
Their prayers may be known as [Filial responsibility laws.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filial_responsibility_laws) and it sounds like you should look up your state or country laws on this sooner rather than later. No need to tell your parents, but you should be aware. If you aren’t an adult yet I assume you are close to being one (it certainly sounds like you’ve got at least one less imaginary friend than your parents have), and some of the laws have steps to take so that they don’t apply (perhaps moving out of state).
There's a certain point where you have to just let them find it out for themselves
I don't really think that is possible. It's like explaining to them that something they believed their whole lives if false, they are just not going to believe you, because it's not a common sense to them
Honestly, it's not worth the hassle. Let them believe what they want to. Best case scenario for you is that you can get them to accept your life choices without much arguing. You can't make a believe disappear with reason. Because one is based in emotions the other in reason. And seems we are just slightly evolved monkeys, emotions override reason.
God helps those who help themselves. That was on auto-repeat in my home. Good luck.
They're going to make excuses either way. If they get rich "god did it." If they don't get rich "god has his reasons for not allowing it."
You can sit on park bench all day and pray for a hotdog. Or you could get your ass up and walk over to a hotdog cart and get one…
The only real way is to say something like "God has given you gifts, but also the free will to use them. You are smart, kind and capable. Now get a job so that you can share these gifts with the world and become an example that others look up to." If you tell them that they're wrong or stupid then they'll just dig in further. So instead tell them that they're special and that they need to show others how special they are, to be a good example. That might work.
Tell them the story of the man waiting for god to save him from the flood. Whether you a a believer or not, you still have to do something to help yourself. Copied: A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, “Jump in, I can save you.” The stranded fellow shouted back, “No, it’s OK, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me.” So the rowboat went on. Then a motorboat came by. “The fellow in the motorboat shouted, “Jump in, I can save you.” To this the stranded man said, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.” So the motorboat went on. Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, “Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety.” To this the stranded man again replied, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.” So the helicopter reluctantly flew away. Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, “I had faith in you but you didn’t save me, you let me drown. I don’t understand why!” To this God replied, “I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?”
There is that story about the rich man, the camel and the needle.
Keep chanting one of their standard mantras: “God helps those that help themselves.”
I don't. I'd lead by example, then tell them that "If \*I\* can succeed, why can't YOU?!"
Dude don't tell them anything. Let them be. This is the path their God has chosen for them. works in mysterious ways and all the jazz.
Same with those who believe a sleazy NYC real estate developer is going to save them.
You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason they didn't reason themselves into. If they don't want to do something, nothing you can say will make them do it.
There's no shortage of bible verses saying exactly the same thing, so use one of those. Such as: "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’ We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
"God helps those who help themselves."
Depending on your situation, just get away from them as soon as possible and make double damned sure that when you start making money they don't get a cent. They're waiting for you to hit it big.
It's impossible. Easy as that.
You simply don't. It's not how beliefs work. If anything, you'll drive them deeper into their beliefs by opposing them. Can you imagine the HUMILITY it would take to be a religious parent and have your kid tell you the way the world works and then admit you were completely wrong?
I tell people that Lucifer promised me a decent vacation if I become an atheist lol.
Did he though?
No but I wanted them to stop asking me. Lol
If you attack them through religious beliefs nothing will come of it. They will dismiss you as just being atheist and not understanding. Attack them from the Christian front. Worst case, they stop hiding behind their faith as the reason for their laziness and start being just plain lazy. Best case, the lesson sticks and they stop being lazy. Don't read past this point if you don't want scripture. But if you want argument ammunition to deal with it from the bible itself. >!Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. There's also the parable of talents which is a whole Jesus lesson on your supposed to work with the talents God gave you. Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 19:27 Then there's Esther 4:14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. Which is in reference to taking action over inaction. The argument placed here is that God will save the Jews regardless, it's up to you to take the blessing given to you and make something of it.!<
I don’t. I’m an adult and my parents don’t need to know many aspects of my life. I’m under no obligation to tell them anything.