That Christians, and anyone who isn't an Atheist for that matter, is not a 'Free' Thinker. I may believe in Christianity, but that doesn't mean I'm not a free thinker! I made a choice to be a Christian which means I freely chose to be one. I was not forced to be one. Even as a Christian I can freely think. Can someone explain to me how the term 'Free' Thinker only applies to Atheists?

By being a christian you by into certain beliefs based not on facts but on feelings, dogma, authority and tradition. All this is contrary to the very definition of free thinker.

It matters not that you 'chose' the dogma and tradition of christianity to follow.

You may find it offensive, but there you go.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought

Quote:Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or dogma. The cognitive application of freethought is known as 'freethinking', and practitioners of freethought are known as 'freethinkers'

(June 24, 2011 at 1:24 pm)TheologicalThinker1 Wrote: That Christians, and anyone who isn't an Atheist for that matter, is not a 'Free' Thinker. I may believe in Christianity, but that doesn't mean I'm not a free thinker! I made a choice to be a Christian which means I freely chose to be one. I was not forced to be one. Even as a Christian I can freely think. Can someone explain to me how the term 'Free' Thinker only applies to Atheists?

Maybe, but what about Christians who don't believe in homosexuality? I'm Christian but I still believe people are born like that. I think a lot of Christians are closed-minded when it comes to some things, but I try not to be...

(June 24, 2011 at 1:32 pm)goodone Wrote: Maybe, but what about Christians who don't believe in homosexuality? I'm Christian but I still believe people are born like that. I think a lot of Christians are closed-minded when it comes to some things, but I try not to be...

There may be hope for this one.

(June 24, 2011 at 1:31 pm)downbeatplumb Wrote: By being a christian you by into certain beliefs based not on facts but on feelings, dogma, authority and tradition. All this is contrary to the very definition of free thinker.

It matters not that you 'chose' the dogma and tradition of christianity to follow.

You may find it offensive, but there you go.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought

Quote:Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or dogma. The cognitive application of freethought is known as 'freethinking', and practitioners of freethought are known as 'freethinkers'

Then you're not a freethinker either, no? You have no scientific proof that a God doesn't exist, so you would be in the same boat as us. Really, the only ones who are freethinkers would be agnostics because they neither deny or accept the theory of a god or gods existing.

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(June 24, 2011 at 1:34 pm)downbeatplumb Wrote:

(June 24, 2011 at 1:32 pm)goodone Wrote: Maybe, but what about Christians who don't believe in homosexuality? I'm Christian but I still believe people are born like that. I think a lot of Christians are closed-minded when it comes to some things, but I try not to be...

There may be hope for this one.

I agree with goodone; not all Christians hold Medieval views about life.

(June 24, 2011 at 1:34 pm)downbeatplumb Wrote:

(June 24, 2011 at 1:32 pm)goodone Wrote: Maybe, but what about Christians who don't believe in homosexuality? I'm Christian but I still believe people are born like that. I think a lot of Christians are closed-minded when it comes to some things, but I try not to be...

There may be hope for this one.

should be. I have relatives who are gay. They're just like everyone else. I've always thought it pretty low how some Christians can diss gay people and say it's a 'choice'. I'm going off on a tangent though...

(June 24, 2011 at 1:39 pm)goodone Wrote:

(June 24, 2011 at 1:34 pm)downbeatplumb Wrote:

(June 24, 2011 at 1:32 pm)goodone Wrote: Maybe, but what about Christians who don't believe in homosexuality? I'm Christian but I still believe people are born like that. I think a lot of Christians are closed-minded when it comes to some things, but I try not to be...

There may be hope for this one.

should be. I have relatives who are gay. They're just like everyone else. I've always thought it pretty low how some Christians can diss gay people and say it's a 'choice'. I'm going off on a tangent though...

Indeed; don't worry, though, I doubt the mods will ban you for being open minded.

(June 24, 2011 at 1:24 pm)TheologicalThinker1 Wrote: That Christians, and anyone who isn't an Atheist for that matter, is not a 'Free' Thinker. I may believe in Christianity, but that doesn't mean I'm not a free thinker! I made a choice to be a Christian which means I freely chose to be one. I was not forced to be one. Even as a Christian I can freely think. Can someone explain to me how the term 'Free' Thinker only applies to Atheists?

You said in your introduction, you were a christian from birth. That means you didn't choose. If you were born in Palestine you would be a Muslim, tel aviv, a Jew etc.

Free thinker applies to me and other atheists because we are not locked by religious dogma. We don't do what the churches say, we do what we know to be right.

We believe in evolution (generally) and we definitely do not believe the Jewish Zombie who is his own father born to a virginal mother, who died, came back to life 3 days later, walking on water nonsense.

A freethinker who uses simple reason understands that this is not possible.

To put mildly, a freethinker is someone who is a thinking person, who doesn't need a poorly written fairy tale to tell them right and wrong :-). Anyone who genuinely believes desert goat herder nonsense, is not a thinking person.

A Freethinker thinks for him or herself, rather than thinking what they are supposed to think according to someone else. It's as simple as that, really.

(June 24, 2011 at 1:43 pm)5thHorseman Wrote: You said in your introduction, you were a christian from birth. That means you didn't choose. If you were born in Palestine you would be a Muslim, tel aviv, a Jew etc.

Free thinker applies to me and other atheists because we are not locked by religious dogma. We don't do what the churches say, we do what we know to be right.

We believe in evolution (generally) and we definitely do not believe the Jewish Zombie who is his own father born to a virginal mother, who died, came back to life 3 days later, walking on water nonsense.

A freethinker who uses simple reason understands that this is not possible.

To put mildly, a freethinker is someone who is a thinking person. Anyone who genuinely believes desert goat herder nonsense, is not a thinking person.

Please don't resort to belittling my beliefs and calling Jesus a 'zombie'. Yes, but I could have changed my beliefs later in life, but I didn't. I believe in evolution too, and I don't believe all of what the Bible says to be true, only some of it. I made a choice not to believe in the ridiculous things in the Bible. Doesn't that make me a freethinker by that logic? I still hold true to my belief that Agnostics are the only freethinkers, though. In any case, I have to leave now, I look forward to talking about this later with you all.