(January 1, 2019 at 7:28 am)Amarok Wrote:

Quote:What makes them a cult?  You keep saying they are, but no reason to believe it.  People in a building and singing = Cult?

Sigh I already explained this . It's yours to reject .

Quote:We've heard the "Christianity is dying" nonsense so many times throughout history.  Guess what?  It doesn't die.

This doesn't follow that because at time X Christianity dying turned out to be  false does not mean in Y it isn't true . Not to mention no one said all of Christianity is dying only it's dying in country or region X . So this is kind of a straw man. 

Quote:In 303 A.D. Diocletian not only stated it, he ordered that all scriptures be destroyed.  In 306 A.D. Constantine the Great showed up, defeated his rival, took the throne, and changed all that by decree.  Nothing has changed.  People make claims against, and they fail.

Also this does not follow that because in time X it didn't die does not mean in Y it will not die .

But it hasn't happened, so why assume?

(January 1, 2019 at 7:33 am)T0 Th3 M4X Wrote:

(January 1, 2019 at 7:28 am)Amarok Wrote: Sigh I already explained this . It's yours to reject .


This doesn't follow that because at time X Christianity dying turned out to be  false does not mean in Y it isn't true . Not to mention no one said all of Christianity is dying only it's dying in country or region X . So this is kind of a straw man. 


Also this does not follow that because in time X it didn't die does not mean in Y it will not die .

But it hasn't happened, so why assume?

Accept it is happening in a few regions in Europe  Christianity is shrinking (please note it's growing elsewhere) and the church to pub is an effect of this . Will it totally die out maybe not but it's definitely on the decline .

(January 1, 2019 at 7:22 am)T0 Th3 M4X Wrote:

(January 1, 2019 at 7:04 am)Amarok Wrote: A fact . And them being a cult makes them a cult . They are a cult in a building .

---

That's straw man the 

The fact Christianity is dying in Britain is why the church is now a pub.

What makes them a cult?  You keep saying they are, but no reason to believe it.  People in a building and singing = Cult?

We've heard the "Christianity is dying" nonsense so many times throughout history.  Guess what?  It doesn't die.

In 303 A.D. Diocletian not only stated it, he ordered that all scriptures be destroyed.  In 306 A.D. Constantine the Great showed up, defeated his rival, took the throne, and changed all that by decree.  Nothing has changed.  People make claims against, and they fail.

Religious affiliation (%) in the UK according to the censuses 2001–2011

  Christianity
  Islam
  Other religions
  Not religious

See that blue line, that's people identifying as Christian going down by 10% in ten years that seems to be the definition of a religion dying out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_i...ed_Kingdom

To the question of what' s a cult and what' s a religion -----


In a cult, there' s one son of a bitch at the top that knows the whole thing is a sham.

In a religion - that guy died.


..

(December 30, 2018 at 1:06 am)ResoluteBaptist Wrote: I find the church in my life indispensable.

I grew up in the same church..around  the same people, the same happy and joyful families.

The same families are there..and the boys and girls I grew up with now have a few little  boys and girls of their own.

Every sunday we congregate for fellowship, and faith. We have an identity. We are Christians.

We'll listen to Pastor Phillip get up on the altar and preach the word of God.

After service we will all go out and socialize. The men (that includes me and the fellas) will go to one corner and talk about sports, guns, whiskey, cigars politics (we all love the Trumpeter!). Obviously none of it fit talk for ladies.

The ladies..are a real show. Dressed in their sunday best, they go to another corner and talk about..oh  I don't know.... fashion, flowers, their children, their men...you know..typical girl talk

Then the boys and girls will be outside..the boys playing tag and touch football, and the girls skip a rope and ( he loves me.. he loves me not). Why just last Sunday I saw little Billy Turner get down one knee to Elizabeth Wilksley. He had a bouquet of dandelions, daffodils and wild honeysuckle as a gift to her. Two little charmers who don't know what trouble can come of love  .

See the thing is..there is a lot of life, love and growth in a faith community. How do you atheists have it?

Now I don't wanna tar all ungodly folk with the same brush but I've done a bit of online research and seen all the manner of trouble non believers can get into.

The male atheists Ive heard tend to drink up a storm and get in fights, acting like drunkards and fools. The young atheist women...well lets just say they aren't the kind of girl any man would want to take home to meet his mother.

I think the reason for atheist sadness/bummy behavior is that they can't cope with life without God. If life is sad..or life gets you down and you don't have God...seems the only solution for folks is to drink, smoke, despair or masturbate to pornography the whole live long day.

Please enlighten me.

Thanks y'all.

Your belief is a crutch. Your desire is what makes you think you need a god and a religion. There are lots of dead religions you don't buy, and even current religions you dont buy.

Our species is far older than any written religion or nation. 

I am sorry someone sold you the myth that because we don't buy a god claim or follow a religion, that are saying are lives are empty. We have our ups and downs and some atheists do better than others sure, but we are not basing any good or bad that happen in life on old mythology. 

Our lives have meaning between the time we are born, to the time we die, and we, as individuals make our own meaning. We are NOT fatalistic or pessimistic for saying the ride ends. I still enjoy life, I still feel love, and still value common law and non violence. 

You go to a movie knowing it ends, but you still go. You read a good book knowing it has a last page, but you still read it. You go to a music concert knowing it plays a last song, but you still go. You go to a sporting event knowing one team will win and one team will lose, but you still go. You get a pet cat or pet dog, you enjoy them while they are alive, they die, you mourn for a while, but you get another one. 

Life does not have to be infinite to appreciate now. And morality is not an invention of any religion, it is in our evolution. I think there are good people all over the world, of every religion, I simply do not agree that our species ability to do good and be good is a magical thing handed down from above.

The fuck is atheist logic, Max? He gave one example. He even said, “for example,” I believe.

I heard if a christain uses logic, their head will explode.

Probably a myth
It would be kinda gullible to believe something so extraordinary without any evidence.
And yet it would seem that the gullible christain masses do indeed believe it.

As an atheist, I'm skeptical.
It's probably not true.

OP, you're a dick.

(January 1, 2019 at 9:49 am)downbeatplumb Wrote:

(January 1, 2019 at 7:22 am)T0 Th3 M4X Wrote: What makes them a cult?  You keep saying they are, but no reason to believe it.  People in a building and singing = Cult?

We've heard the "Christianity is dying" nonsense so many times throughout history.  Guess what?  It doesn't die.

In 303 A.D. Diocletian not only stated it, he ordered that all scriptures be destroyed.  In 306 A.D. Constantine the Great showed up, defeated his rival, took the throne, and changed all that by decree.  Nothing has changed.  People make claims against, and they fail.

Religious affiliation (%) in the UK according to the censuses 2001–2011

  Christianity
  Islam
  Other religions
  Not religious

See that blue line, that's people identifying as Christian going down by 10% in ten years that seems to be the definition of a religion dying out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_i...ed_Kingdom

Lower percentage doesn't = dying

There was a similar conversation on here about two weeks ago about how it has been dying in the United States, but that wasn't the case.  The overall number of "religious" was increasing, while the percentage was decreasing.  That has more to do with changes in population density and changes in other categories. For example, if you get a 1% increase with atheists, you're going to lose that percentage everywhere else.  You percentage increased, but there are still more people adhering to Christianity, Islam, Etc...

If I have a iceberg and 10 penguins are sitting on it, the population is 100% penguin.  If I add 8 more penguins, and 2 polar bears, the population is now 90% penguin and 10% polar bear.  The population increased, the number of penguins increased, but the percentage of penguins dropped.  As we add more variables, those percentages will continue to change, but that doesn't mean the penguins are going to end up at 0 percent.  That is unless you ask the polar bears and it's dinner time, then the result may change.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, god. I believe in god, because thinking is hard. It's easier to sheep my way through life.