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Request from a Christian.
RE: Request from a Christian.
Dragonspride1995 Wrote:Listen guys and gals. You keep asking me to justify my beliefs, or comment on the beliefs of others. That's not what I came here to do. I would like to hear of your negative experiences with Christians. I would also like if possible you clarify what denomination they come from.

If you hadn't mentioned how unaware you are of Christians committing misdeeds in the name of their religion, people wouldn't have made the effort to compensate for this deficit in your education. Keeping the thread on topic starts with you. There's nothing more effective you can do to keep the thread on track than sticking to the subject yourself.

Dragonspride1995 Wrote:As per my beliefs and the teachings of the Bible the only way into heaven is through Jesus Christ. Now if I may ask you a question. Is it moral to censor someone's speech, and stop them from professing their beliefs?

It depends on the circumstances. I don't even have any power to censor anyone's speech in most circumstances. Certainly, asking someone to refrain from saying something to me is a far cry from censoring them.

I manage a department at a big corporation. If one of the people who report to me was professing their beliefs in a way that was disruptive to their or other people's work, it would be my responsibility to remind them of their obligation to adhere to company policy as a requirement to work here.

A government employee should refrain from associating their religion and their function in government, especially in regards to people's children. A public school science teacher should teach accepted science, not her denomination's take on 'what really happened'.

Dragonspride1995 Wrote:Ok, Thank You for your opinion. I am curious though; I thought atheists didn't believe in hell.. err lacked belief in it.

That doesn't prevent it from being an insult, with the 'and that's what you deserve' being inescapably attached to such a comment. The line between 'you're going to burn in hell forever' and 'you should burn in hell forever' is infinitesimally thin.

Many Christians take the position that it is not their place to predict the fate of other people's souls. It's not like Jesus said 'Whatever you do, don't forget to tell people they're going to hell if they don't convert'. Jesus, whether he was a real person or just a character in a story, had excellent advice on how to reach people that is largely ignored by most modern Christians (and was often historically ignored by them as well). I find it ironic that Christians are contributing to their own decline by ignoring the advice of their deity.

Rhondazvous Wrote:What would Christianity be without hell?

Universal Universalism, I suppose.
I'm not anti-Christian. I'm anti-stupid.
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RE: Request from a Christian.
To the OP: First, most people are reasonably decent to me, and in South Carolina, most people are Christians. But it probably helps that you can't tell I'm an atheist by looking at me. I had some JWs bug me even though I let them know off the bat that I'm an atheist, but after the third talk I've never heard from them again. My Pentecostal family is highly focused on reconverting me, so that's all I hear when I'm visiting; but I try to take it in the spirit with which I hope they intend it. My dad is hoping that I'll see what's what when the apocalypse comes.

But Second, we had some visitors from an atheist/humanist charity come down to help repair flood damage. One of them had a sticker on their car, I think it read 'In the beginning, man created God'. Their bumper was vandalized and all of their tires were slashed. In Charleston a guy got beaten up for posting flyers to an atheist event. A guy who wanted to be a Notary Public had to take his case to the SC Supreme Court because the state wouldn't allow an atheist to hold public office. In family court, atheists are likely to be considered less fit to be parents.

There's only one open atheist in all the state legislatures in the country added together, in a country alleged to 'shun Christians'.

Good luck with the book, no one would like it more than me if Christians became more likely to treat others the way they'd like to be treated themselves. I speculate that their behavior will improve as they become more of a minority. Being a strong majority tends not to bring out the best in people.
I'm not anti-Christian. I'm anti-stupid.
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RE: Request from a Christian.
(January 6, 2017 at 3:46 am)Mr Greene Wrote:
pocaracas Wrote:Interesting...
That's not the story of Portuguese colonialism I was sold.
To get at Islam by the back door.... so go around the African continent and arrive at India...uhhh?! wut?!

Well, in a way, that merchant path did strike a blow to the Arab-controlled land path from India/China to Europe.
me Wrote:They looked to go around Africa in the first instance to hook up with Prester John who they thought would help them retake Jerusalem, the Levant and Egypt from the heathen musselmen. It was an attempt to continue the reconquista.

Of course over time that goal morphed into subjugating the African heathen and exploiting them for profit.
Got a source for that?

I'll look into the details tomorrow, but it is what I was taught in school and have read elsewhere as well.
Urbs Antiqua Fuit Studiisque Asperrima Belli

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RE: Request from a Christian.
Where did you grow up / go to school?
Quote:I don't understand why you'd come to a discussion forum, and then proceed to reap from visibility any voice that disagrees with you. If you're going to do that, why not just sit in front of a mirror and pat yourself on the back continuously?
-Esquilax

Evolution - Adapt or be eaten.
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RE: Request from a Christian.
(January 6, 2017 at 6:28 pm)Mr Greene Wrote: Where did you grow up / go to school?

Ireland.
Urbs Antiqua Fuit Studiisque Asperrima Belli

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RE: Request from a Christian.
Catholic school?
Quote:I don't understand why you'd come to a discussion forum, and then proceed to reap from visibility any voice that disagrees with you. If you're going to do that, why not just sit in front of a mirror and pat yourself on the back continuously?
-Esquilax

Evolution - Adapt or be eaten.
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RE: Request from a Christian.
(January 6, 2017 at 6:28 pm)Mr Greene Wrote: Where did you grow up / go to school?

Cutting in, define "grow up".
I don't have an anger problem, I have an idiot problem.
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RE: Request from a Christian.
(January 6, 2017 at 8:48 pm)Mr Greene Wrote: Catholic school?

Aren't they (nearly) all?

Don't answer that, Dept of Education rules state that a school has to have a religious ethos before it can open, and it won't give funding unless this is in place prior to the school opening. Therefore you've got the crazy situation in an arreligious country over 90% of schools are run by the child raping catholic church.
Urbs Antiqua Fuit Studiisque Asperrima Belli

Home
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RE: Request from a Christian.
I suspect they may have over emphasized the crusader mission, doing a bit of background digging it looks like that was a motivating factor for King Manuel, a number of his inner circle and importantly Afonso de Albuquerque however other leaders of Portuguese expeditions seem to have had more financial motives.
Quote:I don't understand why you'd come to a discussion forum, and then proceed to reap from visibility any voice that disagrees with you. If you're going to do that, why not just sit in front of a mirror and pat yourself on the back continuously?
-Esquilax

Evolution - Adapt or be eaten.
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RE: Request from a Christian.
(January 3, 2017 at 1:18 am)AFTT47 Wrote: DragonsPride1995,

You seem to be convinced that atheism is a result of atheists being treated badly by Christians. That might be true in some cases - it certainly doesn't help your cause - but for the most part, atheists are atheists because they have critically examined Christian claims and come to the logical conclusion that Jesus = Santa Clause for adults. It has nothing to do with the behavior of "bad Christians". As I said, that doesn't help your cause but the elephant in the room is that the claims of Christianity are batshit insane. That is the primary reason for the existence of atheists. Your claims of Jesus have all the credibility of The Great Pumpkin in the Peanuts Halloween show.

Some Christians are indeed assholes but they are not the primary movers of atheism. Atheism exists (and is growing) because no religion makes credible claims. You're all spouting crap equivalent to The Great Pumpkin. It's that simple.

I would again suggest trying to avoid saying "Most atheists are atheists because we examined Christian claims". No, since atheists exist in every nation, and since atheist is not a bloodline nor is a molecule of DNA, it is also possible for someone to be born and raised in Iran, only to eventually say to themselves "I don't buy the Koran anymore". It is also possible for someone to be born in and raised in India as Sikh or Hindu, to later end up saying "I don't buy those claims anymore". Buddhism too.

Humans leave one position for another in all directions worldwide to some degree, most stay in the religion of the society they are born into. 

But yea, I do reject the fantastic claims of the bible, from the first page to the last, and the middle section that gives rise to the Jesus character is as equally absurd as far as logic as Thor or Apollo. But I take the same approach with all all religions and all fantastic claims. 

I have run into self proclaimed atheists whom have very shallow reasons they don't believe, that is possible sure. But for the most part, the vast majority of atheists didn't leave a religion out of spite or anger or take on that label as a clueless angst rebellion but for the core reason, that the claims are not matching up with what we know about reality. 

In agreement with you, just a slight modification to consider. I have conversed with atheists all over the world, whom have left the religions they grew up in. Iran, Saudi Arabia, India, Mexico, South Korea and black atheists too.....ect ect ect..... Leaving any religion is possible, it can be done for emotional reasons, or pragmatic reasons but the best and core reason would be lack of evidence and no need for it in any case.
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