Have you heard about the Mars One project?

[Minimalist]

Really? Of course the Bible is the root of all evil. That makes sense.

Do you have a legitimate concern, or are just gonna jump straight to Christian-bashing?

Xtian bashing IS a legitimate concern. I know you think you are OH-SO-SPECIAL because you have an invisible friend named jesus but I don't give a shit about you or your delusions.

Are we clear, now?

[Mac Arthur]

No, apparently we're not clear! You may not give a shit, Minimalist, but unless you mean to act like a stereotypical church boy, you should get to know a person before you condemn them.

I don't call myself a Christian, but I have many close friends & family that are, and I will defend them just as strongly as I will defend my atheist friends & family. Why? Call me crazy, but I don't believe in burning bridges over a minor disagreement. They're good people and I care for all of them.

Every night I look up at the stars and dream of this "pale blue dot" we live on - all of us. Every king and servant, every atheist and Christian; we all live and die together. This inspires me. More than any mission we've ever undertaken, Mars One will show that humanity is just that. By setting aside our differences for this common goal, or better yet, understanding and learning from our differences, we will show the world that what we can accomplish together is far more beautiful than what we can accomplish against ourselves. This is why I applied.

[Violet]

I cannot wait to see them fail

[Minimalist]

I don't call myself a Christian

Um...

Christian Deist

So you have invented your own bullshit? Sorry. That gets you no points.

[ITChick]

Arthur, take a deep breath. I'm sure your Christian friends are great people - mine are as well. But they certainly do believe some crazy stuff!

Mars project sounds very cool- what would be cooler than having a colony on another planet.

I do feel that the money could be put to better use though.

[Edwardo Piet]

So you have invented your own bullshit? Sorry. That gets you no points.

Same as all the other bullshit then, just more original because it isn't passed down by many many, MANY idiots. Did I say idiots? I meant people.

[Violet]

Mars project sounds very cool- what would be cooler than having a colony on another planet.

Hmmm..... how about having an environment here to test what it'll be like 'out there' without having catastrophic failures? Let's do that repeatedly, I say. We can use that shithole called Arizona. That'd be cooler than setting a bunch of dead people on another planet.

[pineapplebunnybounce]

@Mac Arthur, do you not think that religion is a dangerous thing in an environment so conducive to psychological breakdowns with minimal/nonexistent law enforcement?

[Captain Colostomy]

@Mac Arthur, do you not think that religion is a dangerous thing in an environment so conducive to psychological breakdowns with minimal/nonexistent law enforcement?

As long as they leave the co-pilot seat in the command module empty for Jesus, what concerns could possibly arise?

[Mac Arthur]

Lol! Minimalist, my point is that my beliefs are very far from your hateful description. Not all of us fit cleanly into a label; seeker might be more appropriate than christian deist. I've spent a fair amount of time carefully studying other religions, arguments for & against, etc, and weighing it all with my own reason. So yes, as HalcyonicTrust put it, my bullshit comes from just one idiot.
But we digress.

@ITChick, the money would be better spent elsewhere? I argued the same not too long ago; Earth has many problems. Take drought for example; my local area has been hit by it for the past few years now, and in poorer countries drought also brings famine. But Mars is harsher than any Earth desert; if we can pull water there, we can pull water anywhere here.

@Violet Lilly Blossom, we have and are doing that repeatedly. NASA, Roscosmos, Mars Society, etc are all operating analogue stations to test things like isolation, desert/cold, and diet on small crews. There's only so much testing you can do, though. Half a century is high time for the real thing.

@pineapplebunnybounce, I think ignorance, intolerance, fear, hatred, and the like are dangerous in any environment, but individuals vary. I know some religious folk that are kind & understanding; I know some nonreligious folk that are more judgmental than your average church-sheep. So really, it doesn't bother me if the candidates are religious or not. What matters to me is that they have patience, are able to work as a team, and are able to respect the beliefs/thoughts/opinions of their crew mates, regardless of whether they agree with them.
Mars One has indicated that they'll be looking for this in Rounds 3 & 4, likely by putting the teams of four in analogue stations as previously mentioned.

Personally, I'd like to see a diversity of beliefs on this mission. Showing that these four "representatives of humanity" can differ and yet work together for a higher goal would be an eye-opener for those back on Earth. I'd hope it would break some tension and help us learn to settle things in a mature manner.