Christian answering questions too!

[drfuzzy]

However, lots of Catholics don't believe the Protestants are real Christians and visa versa

Correction. Catholics aren't that exclusive anymore. Mainstream Protestants aren't either. It's largely the American brand of evangelicals who think to be the only real christians. And the ones falling to their proselityzing all over the world.

Well true - Pope Francis is more welcoming.  He's a lot better than Pope Benedict Arnold, who flatly said that only catholics were real christians and that only catholics would go to heaven.

[abaris]

Well true - Pope Francis is more welcoming.  He's a lot better than Pope Benedict Arnold, who flatly said that only catholics were real christians and that only catholics would go to heaven.

It's been quite a long time, since they didn't consider protestants real christians. Several centuries actually.

[Jackalope]

@OP

I've got a question.

What makes you or any other Christian think we give a rat's ass about your religion?

Are you not in the Christian section of an atheist forum?  The Lord says the He will draw all to Him.

That doesn't exactly answer the question, does it? I'm fully aware that we have a Christian section to the forum.

Let me phrase it a little more directly. Why do you suppose that Christians come here to talk to us? Why did you?

[Edwardo Piet]

So we have two new poes already.

So, we have Wryetui the silly bastard and we have PETEROSE/TERSEPOE, When is LOBSTERLOVER/VERBOSETROLL turning up?

[Jackalope]

So we have two new poes already.

So, we have Wryetui the silly bastard and we have PETEROSE/TERSEPOE, When is LOBSTERLOVER/VERBOSETROLL turning up?

I sure don't know, but LOBSTERLOVER apparently isn't aware of Leviticus 11:10.

[PETE_ROSE]

Are you not in the Christian section of an atheist forum?  The Lord says the He will draw all to Him.

---

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I never could get into Black Flag, heavy but just not it for me.   However, I did catch a lot of his spoken word stuff.

---

Bold: well, "The Lord" sure has fucked up that drawing all bit, hasn't he?  I mean, as of 2012, the Washington Times reported 2.2 billion people on the planet claim to be some variety of christian.  However, lots of Catholics don't believe the Protestants are real Christians and visa versa, then there are the Orthodox groups and the groups like the Quakers, and all of the schisms that think the others have it all wrong.  AND there are approximately 6 billion people on the planet today that are not Christian, so most Christians think all of those are going to hell, and it doesn't bother them one tiny little bit.  Not to mention the billions of non-Christians who have died over the past two millennia, and the unknown billions who lived before a band of Habiru split off from early Canaanite tribes . . . 
   Yeah, that's a whole lot of NOT drawing to himself, and hell is going to be a really crowded place.

No question here but I do sense a bit of hostility.  I cannot help but empathize with many of your points; I surely desire the evidence to me more profound at times.  I will not address the fate of the billions of others on the planet, but I will note that each of us in our mind need to ask ourselves, given the information we have, and giving due diligence and more than a cursory examination, do we believe the assertions of Christ and the bible to be true.  Based on that answer proceed according to one's own chosen path.

[TheRocketSurgeon]

Bold: well, "The Lord" sure has fucked up that drawing all bit, hasn't he?  I mean, as of 2012, the Washington Times reported 2.2 billion people on the planet claim to be some variety of christian.  However, lots of Catholics don't believe the Protestants are real Christians and visa versa, then there are the Orthodox groups and the groups like the Quakers, and all of the schisms that think the others have it all wrong.  AND there are approximately 6 billion people on the planet today that are not Christian, so most Christians think all of those are going to hell, and it doesn't bother them one tiny little bit.  Not to mention the billions of non-Christians who have died over the past two millennia, and the unknown billions who lived before a band of Habiru split off from early Canaanite tribes . . . 
   Yeah, that's a whole lot of NOT drawing to himself, and hell is going to be a really crowded place.

No question here but I do sense a bit of hostility.  I cannot help but empathize with many of your points; I surely desire the evidence to me more profound at times.  I will not address the fate of the billions of others on the planet, but I will note that each of us in our mind need to ask ourselves, given the information we have, and giving due diligence and more than a cursory examination, do we believe the assertions of Christ and the bible to be true.  Based on that answer proceed according to one's own chosen path.

She has quite a bit of hostility. She was recently fired by a Christian who discovered she is an atheist. Hard to blame her.

If I may presume to speak for her, I think her point had more to do with the fact that the "truth of the scriptures", which each individual Christian comes here and asserts separately, is in fact myriad and diverse, with many groups thinking the other groups are going to hell and only their version being right... the other group says the same about the first, of course. What we see as nonbelievers is that all the religious people of the world think the others are all wrong (except their little clique, however big it may be), and they all make mutually-exclusive claims. The obvious conclusion is that it's all made up. 

We, too, have "given due diligence and more than a cursory examination". Not only the members of the board, here, but atheists in general, tend to know significantly  more than Christians do about their scriptures and the history thereof.

I started to link you to an NPR article about the study that showed this, but I decided a Christian source was better. Here y'go.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/201...s-that-bad

[PETE_ROSE]

Are you not in the Christian section of an atheist forum?  The Lord says the He will draw all to Him.

That doesn't exactly answer the question, does it?  I'm fully aware that we have a Christian section to the forum.  

Let me phrase it a little more directly.  Why do you suppose that Christians come here to talk to us?  Why did you?

I cannot speak to the motivations of other Christians, moreover I might question their sanity for thinking they could match wits with this bunch!  There are more than a few here that would shred most professing Christians I know.
 
 I am here for a few reasons.  Foremost I am here to follow the command of Christ in taking the message to the world.  I want to converse with intellectual people and be challenged with some of the more difficult questions we all have regarding Christianity; thus hopefully giving me a better understanding and strengthening my faith.  I have friends and family that are nontheists.  I have had a positive rapport with them and we have discussions that don’t involve yelling, bickering, and a lot of the animosity that is prevalent in many conversations on religion.  Many people judge Christianity by the poor, unbiblical and hypocritical examples of it in the world.  I hope to do better.
 
I see a lot of intelligent people in the forum –one person stands out in particular- that are obviously educated, well spoken, articulate and above all good people; I have studied the bible and some science, believe Christ to be who he proclaims to be, believe what the bible says to be true, and considering the eternal ramifications I want to do something to assist people in making an informed choice.  At one time I shared almost every single objection or complaint with religion, the bible, God, Christians, that I have heard so far; so I feel that I can relate to some here.
 
Plus the absence of spell check in the forum coupled with the propensity around here for the grammar police to call someone out, I hope to improve on my writing skills.

[drfuzzy]

No question here but I do sense a bit of hostility.  I cannot help but empathize with many of your points; I surely desire the evidence to me more profound at times.  I will not address the fate of the billions of others on the planet, but I will note that each of us in our mind need to ask ourselves, given the information we have, and giving due diligence and more than a cursory examination, do we believe the assertions of Christ and the bible to be true.  Based on that answer proceed according to one's own chosen path.

She has quite a bit of hostility. She was recently fired by a Christian who discovered she is an atheist. Hard to blame her.

If I may presume to speak for her, I think her point had more to do with the fact that the "truth of the scriptures", which each individual Christian comes here and asserts separately, is in fact myriad and diverse, with many groups thinking the other groups are going to hell and only their version being right... the other group says the same about the first, of course. What we see as nonbelievers is that all the religious people of the world think the others are all wrong (except their little clique, however big it may be), and they all make mutually-exclusive claims. The obvious conclusion is that it's all made up. 

We, too, have "given due diligence and more than a cursory examination". Not only the members of the board, here, but atheists in general, tend to know significantly  more than Christians do about their scriptures and the history thereof.

I started to link you to an NPR article about the study that showed this, but I decided a Christian source was better. Here y'go.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/201...s-that-bad

Thanks Rocket.  Yes, I have been submitting job applications and I AM crabby.  I should go make a cup of tea and CHILL.  Thanks for always being clear and well spoken.

[TheRocketSurgeon]

Plus the absence of spell check in the forum coupled with the propensity around here for the grammar police to call someone out, I hope to improve on my writing skills.

If you access this forum via a web browser, you'll note that it does have spell check... words that it does not recognize appear with a red, wavy underline until corrected. It's not 100%, and doesn't help with the difference between, say "hear" and "here", but it's quite useful. I don't use the phone app, so I don't know if that works the same way.

But thanks for making the effort! I worked as a copy editor for the school newspaper and yearbook, part time, my last year of college... so I appreciate not having to flinch! hehe