(September 30, 2015 at 4:45 pm)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote:

(September 30, 2015 at 4:13 pm)Parkers Tan Wrote: ... which is exactly why I made explicitly clear why I say it.

You did read that part, right?

I also do this, explicitly make clear that I am not saying "God bless you", but deliberately using another term.

In French (Spanish and Italian have almost-identical words), the term is "Salut" (sah'-loo), and it simply means "health".

German is similar, meaning "good health". They are wishes of prosperity.

"(May) God bless you" is an expression of superstition, from a time when people believed that sneezing was a sign of evil spirits in the air trying to possess you, and the blessing was to ward off the evil spirits. I think that people, even Christians, would do well to abandon this concept.

Then again, I think the same of saying a blessing for the food about to be consumed (thanking God for the bounty is another matter), that the evil spirits might be cast out and the food not harm its consumers.

I wonder why more Christians don't take umbrage with the Germ Theory of Disease, since it's what destroyed those two concepts.

As I said, I do also use "salud", a habit I picked up when I lived in Spain.

(September 30, 2015 at 2:56 pm)Beccs Wrote: For me being insulting depends on the situation.

Even when a get religious people knocking on my door, I tended to be polite and say "thanks for your thoughts, but I'm not interested".

That ended one day when I had worked a 16 hour shift close to Christmas one year, finally got home at 2pm, had a shower and was just starting to nod off on the couch when there was a loud bang on my door.

Bloody Mormons.  They even ignored the sign I had put up that says "this is an atheist household.  Do not knock if you are pushing religion"

They were told to fuck off.

Holy SHIT !!, I'd like a shot at some brethren.  I'd love to ask about the 6 (so far) mutually inconsistent versions Joe Smith gave about his first visitation and why the Mormon church does NOT recognize the only version that is penned entirely in Joseph Smith's hand.


Damn, the rest of you paganistical atheist baby eaters would revere me as a God if I had me 2 Mormon pelts (unconverts) mounted on the wall in my study.

But telling them to "Fuck off" is good too.

Not as good as skinning the bastards.

(September 30, 2015 at 7:36 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: Holy SHIT !!, I'd like a shot at some brethren.  I'd love to ask about the 6 (so far) mutually inconsistent versions Joe Smith gave about his first visitation and why the Mormon church does NOT recognize the only version that is penned entirely in Joseph Smith's hand.
[...]

I thought Smith couldn't write - he could barely read. Which is why he enlisted help of gullible morons, like Martin Harris, to write down his "translation" of the golden plates.

o/` Dum dum dum dum dum... o/`

I've argued with them when they've come to my door in the past.

In this instance I was just too damned tired.

Let me get this straight...

They're the ones that believe in a god that will punish us for eternity for the simple finite crime of not being convinced he exists?

And they actually worship said deity as if this is moral?

And we're the ones being rude?!

(September 30, 2015 at 12:15 pm)lkingpinl Wrote: Stereotyping or generalizing people is always bad.  People are individuals and may choose to label themselves under certain banners, but that in no way gives anyone the right to assume what they believe or how they behave without getting to know them personally.

That's true, although religious leaders have for tens of thousands of years tried to get all their followers to believe and act in one uniform manner, with only limited success.

Except for you and Catholic Lady, the Christians who came here typically say the same things. Each new Christian who comes in parrots the same arguments I've been seeing since I first came here. So it's hard to see individuals. And to tell the truth, I don't want to see them as individuals because they have already betrayed their intentions. They might change their tactics, but their intentions will remain the same. Why should I cultivate a friendship only to find out it was based on the hope of converting me?