Evan!
Well-Known Member
Discussing religion gets us into trouble because beliefs are rooted in faith. Blind faith. So arguing is pointless and it does nothing but piss some people off.
If merely discussing religion, and the validity thereof, pisses you off, then perhaps it's time to reevaluate your faith itself. I've got much more respect for someone who can argue about/for their beliefs, even the unsupportable ones, than I do for those who use the "it's all about faith" argument as an excuse to avoid having to actually talk about their beliefs.
One thing I can't stand is when people claim that a belief is "off-limits" because it's based on faith. Claiming exemption via "Faith" (belief without evidence) is little more than a self-advantageous get-out-of-jail-free card, wherein people with certain unsupportable (rationally speaking) beliefs think that they can win the argument every time by playing that card. And while this (obviously) isn't the place for such discussions, I do think it's more than within reasonable limits to have a chuckle at the expense of someone who induces suffering on themselves for purely irrational reasons, then asks others for "help".
/
Anyway, my dad (who's been sober for near'n 20 years) likes to deprive himself of things. Depriving himself of alcohol was a good thing, no doubt (he was a bad alcoholic), but in the 20 years since then, he takes turns temporarily depriving himself of bread, sugar, cigarettes, etc. He always goes back (never to alcohol, of course), but he really does seem to get something out of this self-inflicted suffering. I guess it's just a personality thing. One can't help but wonder whether this is a more widespread psychological issue. When I saw the OP post his "HELP" message, I thought of my dad...and I wondered whether it was the same kind of thing, wherein the suffering is used as a mechanism to gain sympathy and admiration from others. Either way...have a drink. Induce suffering some other way.