Are anti-religious memes effective? Do they plant seeds of doubt? I wonder about that. Cognitive science would say that we tend to listen only to information that confirms our preconceptions (confirmation bias). We disregard or ignore statements or facts that go against any strongly held belief. George Bernard Shaw said, “The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it.”
I remember seeing both Christian memes and ant-religious memes while I was still a believer. I wasn’t a fan of most Christian memes though. They typically felt rather childish. What are your thoughts? Are memes just silly and distracting? Or useful?
People’s reactions to memes can span quite a gamut. Some anti-religious memes can feel incredibly blasphemous to believers; some Christians feel guilty in finding memes (like those below) hilarious because they go against their faith; and some find them a logical slam against the Christian fable.
Here are some of my favorite anti-religious memes.
I think I like the one titled “Christianity” the best … but several of the others have messages that more believers need to see. (Of course, they would just brush them off as someone’s over-worked imagination.)
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I still waver. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because I want there to be a God but the Christian God (about 99% of the doctrine) doesn’t fit with me anymore. I just believe in being good morally and ethically. But then I get told my righteousness are filthy rags. Maybe there is a God but Christians (and every other religion) has messed it up so badly we can’t see truth at all anymore. At the end of the day, I really don’t know. I can tell you that I fear going to hell. I think about it daily. I suffer from depression and anxiety because of it and one of the reasons I don’t kill myself is I don’t want to go to hell any sooner than I have to. Yeah. my belief in Christianity has left me with so much fear. No Good News here for me.
OK. I am just writing here. But I think of my atheist grandpa. He was my mom’s dad. My own father was a violent and angry man. I was so afraid of him. I wet the bed until well into my teens because I was afraid to leave my bed. (Embarrassing!) I still am afraid of most men. I hear a belt buckle and I come close to wetting my pants. But I had my grandpa. He loved me so much and I knew it. I remember sitting on his lap and leaning against his chest. He was a bigger man and I just folded into him. I felt safe and loved. So loved. And I think about a man who loved me so much and how any God could send him to tell. How and why? But Bundy accepts Jesus into his heart and all is forgiven.
I don’t expect any answers. I am just writing my thoughts.
Hi Birdie,
Thanks for stopping by. Your comments are heartbreaking. I’m truly sorry to hear of all the fear and anguish you’ve gone through. I’m glad you had one grandpa who showed you love and made you feel warm and safe.
You talked about hell and fear, and I think a lot of us former believers can relate to that. Bishop John Shelby Spong is so right when he says that “heaven and hell were invented by the church to control people” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF6I5VSZVqc).
Something that I think you might find even more helpful is a short video called: “Realizing Hell Does Not Exist”. The animation is a little crude but the message is sound. I think you’ll really appreciate it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgj65-EfmoA
I enjoyed them all. Thanks. While I’m not into hurting anyone’s feelings, I laughed. Fav was Hitler.
My problem is wondering where I should draw the line. Do I play nice and go along? I do, so far. I would not show any of these to any believer, especially friends. That said, I will posting (first) something pro-atheist on Tuesday (9 Aug 16) and I know that I risk ruffling some believer feathers, even though I don’t see that it does that.
Overall, I like them now – except the ones that overstate their case. I don’t recall seeing many when I was a believer.
I suspect some memes may jar some believers into doubt, or maybe just plant a seed (like “that’s clever/funny, I just can’t understand god…”), while the same may offend others, and cause them to dig their heels in further.
I suspect overall they do more good than harm, and it probably takes some wisdom to maximize that…
I don’t have any proper evidence for my suspicions started here, though.
Thanks these were great.
The one that says ‘God works in mysterious ways’ when prayer is not answered speaks very much to the rationalisation of unanswered prayer. Though from personal experience I also would blame myself for not having sufficient faith and not persevering in prayer.