Why Religious People Irritate Me.

I was posting on a web forum, as you do, when I noticed a post concerning someone's reasons for believing in religion. I was interested, as the reasons for what I consider to be blind faith are often interesting. I read the topic and was quite aghast at it's contents. I'll let you read for yourself:

"I'm christian. You may not believe why, but it actually came from having an experience with a demon. Most christians testimonies come from something like asking for help if they just crashed their car and they suddenly find a good car for an extroidinairily good price. This was alot different.

When I was once sleeping over at a friends house, I remeber we were talking about theoretical powers of the brain, such as communication through dreams. We were going to test it by putting our heads together to hopefully link a 'shared' dream. As I am a mild insomniac, I take about 2-3 hours to fall asleep. Anyways, as I was trying to fall asleep, I remember hearing whispering voices from the basement. My friend's older brother's room was down there, so I assumed him and his friend were staying up late playing videogames or something. But it didn't sound like just 2 people talking. It turned into a murmur of a whole crowd whispering in the basement. That's when I woke up my friend to ask if Jamie was even down stairs. Apparently he was working late in his afternoon shift that day. And so, I reliezed the only possible explanation was demons. I remember the voices growing louder, as if the crowd was surging up the stairs. I prayed to God to cast the demons out and give a blessing of holy protection over the house. In seconds, the voices had stopped.

From then on, I didn't bother with scientific explanations or the like; nothing can make me forget something like that, something clearly supernatural from happening."

Let's dissect this statement one piece at a time.

Firstly, note the shield against any sceptics quickly followed by an utterly outrageous claim.

Then, they attempt to make their claim more prestigious than others, by citing how other claims are meaningless.

Then we enter into the main body of text, note please that they start it off by revealing their astuteness at swallowing utter tripe, "communication through dreams". Further demonstrating their inability to accept rational thinking, they then test it by having a "shared dream".

Now, they reveal a possibility of mental problems, by admitting that they suffer from insomnia.

Then we have the actual "experience", while in a state of near unconsciousness, a mental state conductive to experiencing waking dreams, they claim to have heard "the whispering of a whole crowd" from the basement.

Now, having eliminated the possibility of a person causing the noise, they then disregard any other possible explanation, and pick the most unlikely explanation possible.

"And so, I reliezed the only possible explanation was demons" This really sums up the whole thing. Not even pausing to consider that in all likelihood, it was merely the wind, which they imagined sounded like voices. Even if they insist it must be a paranormal event, why demons? Surely it could have been the angels giving you a mission from "God".

Then, they claim that the whispering grew louder, and they prayed for it to stop, at which, the noises ceased.

Not simply a gust of wind blowing past then?

Finally, the part which irritates me most: "From then on, I didn't bother with scientific explanations or the like; nothing can make me forget something like that, something clearly supernatural from happening."

So, you decide to ignore all the vast amounts of well documented evidence against the existence of "God" just because of one highly questionable "clearly supernatural" event?

You base your entire faith around that?

And that dear reader, is why religious people irritate me.