(August 27, 2012 at 6:55 am)Zen Badger Wrote:

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(August 27, 2012 at 6:01 am)greneknight Wrote: The usual question that I get asked is why I am a Christian. It's obvious. I was brought up a Christian and I've been an altar boy since I was 5. Naturally I would be a Christian. If I had been born in Saudi, I'd be a Muslim altar boy today. Anyway, this simple truthful answer offended many Christians in Christian Forums. I can't understand why it should offend anyone. They are also furious with me because I said there was no evidence or logical argument for religion and faith is totally blind. I was surprised by their anger and asked them what evidence they had. They became even angrier!!! I've never offended so many people in so short a space of time as I did in CF. I'm glad I don't live in the US if the Christians there are so weird.

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Pfft, just today I got banned from a christian discussion group on Facebook just because I asked where in the NT does Jesus condemn homosexuality or same sex marriage.

Not even a reply, just banned.

P.s Hi from Western OZ.

I would STILL like to know WHY some "cock in a frock" would create a myth that involves a bloke traipsing around the country side with 12 other blokes and NOT have intimate relations with ANY WOMAN EVER!

Sounds like a blessing of Same sex marriage/ homosexuality to me and the xtians WORSHIP this?

Jesus certainly wasn't the only gay in the villiage.

(August 27, 2012 at 5:44 am)greneknight Wrote: Oh, there is a resident Christian here?

Ah, we have many christians here actually, but the one I was referring to is our only (known) Poe, who brags to be a 'True Christian™', a hilarious person.

(August 27, 2012 at 6:26 am)KichigaiNeko Wrote:

Thanks!!!

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(August 27, 2012 at 6:27 am)Gambit Wrote: Welcome to the forums. I am a lapsed Christian, Satanist, Deist, Agnostic, Atheist and a few others that I can't remember. A Jesus of all faiths, fundie of none; that's me in a nutshell.

Thanks, Gambit!!!

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(August 27, 2012 at 6:55 am)Zen Badger Wrote:

(August 27, 2012 at 6:01 am)greneknight Wrote: The usual question that I get asked is why I am a Christian. It's obvious. I was brought up a Christian and I've been an altar boy since I was 5. Naturally I would be a Christian. If I had been born in Saudi, I'd be a Muslim altar boy today. Anyway, this simple truthful answer offended many Christians in Christian Forums. I can't understand why it should offend anyone. They are also furious with me because I said there was no evidence or logical argument for religion and faith is totally blind. I was surprised by their anger and asked them what evidence they had. They became even angrier!!! I've never offended so many people in so short a space of time as I did in CF. I'm glad I don't live in the US if the Christians there are so weird.

Pfft, just today I got banned from a christian discussion group on Facebook just because I asked where in the NT does Jesus condemn homosexuality or same sex marriage.

Not even a reply, just banned.

P.s Hi from Western OZ.

Hi, yes, it's US fundamentalism. My vicar told me that half of all Americans believed the world was created 10,000 years ago or some such figure. He insisted it was half and he wasn't exaggerating.

Welcome mate, but can I just say you are too good to be true?

(August 27, 2012 at 8:30 am)Norfolk And Chance Wrote: Welcome mate, but can I just say you are too good to be true?

Thanks!!! Not sure what you mean but thanks anyway.

Welcome to AF Greneknight. I am curious as to why you still believe even though you accept you are only religious because you were brought up to be and that there is no evidence for the existence of god(s).

(August 27, 2012 at 8:35 am)Tobie Wrote: Welcome to AF Greneknight. I am curious as to why you still believe even though you accept you are only religious because you were brought up to be and that there is no evidence for the existence of god(s).

Hi Tobie,

Thanks. Please feel free to ask any question you may have. I'm very open about my religion and I like talking about it and be challenged to new ideas.

I believe because I always have. It's very hard to change what I have always done. I have been an altar boy for more than half my life. But I acknowledge there is no evidence for God and not just that but there is no rational argument for him either. I have explored all the arguments of Christian apologists but they are bunkum. William Lane Craig is a liar. Ravi Zacharias is a fool and a parrot. Dinesh D'Souza is the same. I only know these people because I see them on youtube. I have heard of Stobel but he doesn't seem to be on youtube. I think you have to read his books.

I only stopped believing in Santa Claus a few years ago. Even when my friends said he didn't exist, I wanted to believe in him because I thought I wouldn't get nice things if I didn't. I did suspect my dad was behind this but I didn't want to probe.

But God is different because unlike Santa Claus, there are lots of adults who believe in God. I know that's a silly thing to say. Just because many adults believe in God doesn't make it true. Rationally God isn't true. But my belief is pure blind unthinking faith.

I know feelings don't mean a thing but I get a funny feeling whenever my vicar consecrates the Eucharist. I was told it's because of the Real Presence of Christ but it may very well be because I was told it was the Real Presence of Christ that I now have this strange feeling like something important is happening.

Religion has a lot to do with upbringing and your childhood. It's really very much a cultural thing. These are things that make people in Christian Forums hate me and accuse me of being a troll and an atheist in disguise. Haha.

(August 27, 2012 at 5:23 am)greneknight Wrote: Hi folks,

I'm a Christian and an altar boy in the Church of England. I'm currently in another country because my dad is in the foreign service and he has to come here.

Actually I'm already fed up with Christian Forums which I joined two weeks ago and got a 3-day ban for not being fundamentalist enough. My vicar warned me that US Christians are largely fundamentalists and they're extremely judgmental and unkind. I experienced it firsthand. My only crime was I offended fundamentalists by raising points I read from Bart Ehrman's book. They accused my vicar of being a wolf in sheep's clothing because it was he who lent me the book.

Anyway, I have this niggling feeling that atheists are nicer people than fundamentalists. Anyway, I have a liberal education and [/size]a liberal upbringing so I like diversity in life.

Glad to meet atheists in this forum.

Cheers,

greneknight

Hi, friend. Welcome.

Hi, Greneknight. I'm another newbie here. I've found the place is pretty welcoming and friendly so far, so I'm hoping you will, too (and that it will continue to be friendly and welcoming after everyone here realizes I'm completely insane).

(August 27, 2012 at 6:01 am)greneknight Wrote: The usual question that I get asked is why I am a Christian. It's obvious. I was brought up a Christian and I've been an altar boy since I was 5. Naturally I would be a Christian. If I had been born in Saudi, I'd be a Muslim altar boy today. Anyway, this simple truthful answer offended many Christians in Christian Forums. I can't understand why it should offend anyone. They are also furious with me because I said there was no evidence or logical argument for religion and faith is totally blind. I was surprised by their anger and asked them what evidence they had. They became even angrier!!! I've never offended so many people in so short a space of time as I did in CF. I'm glad I don't live in the US if the Christians there are so weird.

I love those answers you gave them! I've told a lot of people over the years that I'm far less concerned with exactly what a person believes as much as why they believe it. I've talked to Christians who will chalk up evidence of their faith to some goofy coincidence that they're going to blame on divine intervention or something. I've talked to ones who seem to fall for Pascal's wager. I've fallen for others who, after hearing their description, don't even realize they've fallen for the same brainwashing techniques used by doomsday cults.. So to hear someone who has actually been able to ask themselves those hard questions and come up with honest and intelligent answers is extremely refreshing.

And, honestly, I've seen the damage fundamentalists can do. It's easy to just make fun of them and hate them, but I don't know if I have that luxury. See, my partner, who I love very much, well, he's a trans man and he comes from a fundamentalist Mormon family. He's not out to them yet and it hurts him, but he's terrified that when he tells the, his family will abandon him. As much as it frustrates me to see him go through that kind of pain, he still loves his family and I can't demonize them for that. I guess it's good in that it gives me a little balance in my perspective of them and it's good to note that they aren't as extreme as they could be (they point out the extreme branches of the Mormons like the FLDS church s examples of extremism that they don't subscribe to and that they think are crazy). It's kinda interesting that most fundamentalists, and not just religious fundamentalists either, can always point to another fundamentalist and say "I might be extreme, but they're even worse!" Wonder what the people at the end of that chain say?