No one is an atheist

[Watson]

What the hell difference does it make to my point of WHY they showed up to church??? The point is they KNOW they are possibly subjecting themselves to a preacher.

Likewise, when you go outside and walk around in public places, you should know you are possibly subjecting yourself to those same people, because they have as much freedom as you do to speak their mind in public. Unless you think that allowing people that freedom is bad?

Nice splitting hairs. Oh and if you prefer to not be called an idiot. ok. I know you like to call yourselves sheep ... is that better? Sheep.

Nice job dodging the question so you could take a cheap shot and call me names. I didn't say I don't want to be called an idiot, I asked what is wrong with being an idiot. Twice. And you failed to answer the question both times.

provide evidence. LMAO ... I was born and raised in the christian system.

The 'Christian system'? And what, pray tell, is the 'Christian system'? Yes I am asking you to provide evidence, what is so funny about that? You'd ask me the same in reference to God. Your 'evidence' is bunk at best. This:

By age 18, I had attended 19 different churches regularly (not including visiting churches). I'm a goddamn expert at spotting lunatics. And fundies are LUNATICS!!

is not evidence at all. First of all, Fundies =/= all Christians, nor Christianity itself. Second, you've just displayed an immense amount of arrogance in saying that your experience makes you 'a goddamn expert' at spotting lunatics. All you've proven is that you posess a deep anti-Christian bias, and that you allow it to color your perspective without proper consideration of other viewpoints. You're spouting your opinion as fact, buddy. You've let your experience with Christians in the past lock the doors of the future for you.

And you call me the sheep.

I draw YOUR attention to your own definition. What about your #2 has ANYTHING to do with discussion. I can't argue with someone who simply says that two COMPLETELY different words mean the same thing. Maybe YOU'RE the lunatic. Preaching (even according your definition) is not discussing and it is NOT welcome in this DISCUSSION forum.

Do I really have to do this?

2. To advocate, especially to urge acceptance of or compliance of that preacher's agenda.

1. Consideration of a subject by a group; an earnest conversation.
2. A formal discourse on a topic; an exposition.

When you hold an 'earnest conversation', on a topic, you generally have your own views or beliefs on the subject. You present them, you preach as in: (2. To advocate, especially to urge acceptance of or compliance of that preacher's agenda.) them, and then you listen to others as they present their viewpoints on the matter. Here:

Also, a discussion forum is an open, public place for exactly that; discussion. A discussion forum should be a place in which one brings their beliefs to the table and expresses them as openly as possible, then listens to and critiques or debates with others' thoughts on the matter being discussed. The first part sounds like preaching to me.

Still sounds like there will be 'preaching', albeit in a loose sense, going on.

Oh I see ... I got it. All that "harmless" door to door witnessing and and handing out salvation tracks and trying to get children to go to bible camp ... that's all just for fun.

Why have you put the word harmless in quotations? You have not provided any evidence nor demonstrated in any way that door to door witnessing, handing out salvation tracts, or trying to get children to go to Bible camp are harmful acts at all. But yet here you are, implying with quotation marks that these things are, in fact, harmful. tell me, how are any of these things harmful at all?

You don't actually want to change anybody's faith or make anyone see your own precious "light".

Your words, not mine.

You preach because you want it out there, you want to change people

No shit.

and you WANT to jam it down our throats.

It depends on your idea of jamming it down throats. Your definition of this seems to be 'being a believer in any way, shape, or form. Especially in public!'

Yes, multiple times I have been accosted by Christians and so have my friends and several times it actually was outside a rock concert. I justify basing my entire opinion of the christian demographic because I went to churches that contained 100s and 100s of those exact same people. I was one of your dirty little flock of sheep.

You still can't justify basing your view of all Christians on those '100s and 100s' of people, dude. There are millions of Christians throughout the world! '100s and 100s' is a tiny percentage of those people, not nearly enough to base an opinion on.

Hey, you ever think that the very reason you've met very few Buddhists is BECAUSE they aren't out pushing their religion down everyones throat.

No, I think it's because very few Buddhists live in the small Illinois town I live in. And even if they were out attempting to spread their religion, what would be the problem with that? As long as they were being civil and respectful about it, it shouldn't be a problem.

They respect other people's rights not to be PREACHED at. Actually you made my point for me. Thankyou.

Actually, there is no right to 'not be preached at' in public places. Public places are exactly that; ]public. Anyone can say anything as long as it does not present a 'clear and present danger' to anyone else. At least that's how it is legally phrased in the US. Do you live in another country?

Nobody does arrogance like Christianity.

I dunno, you're giving them a pretty good run for their fuckin' money.

Apparently for everyone in your religion ... absolutely nothing.

Hey you wanna talk about side-stepping, bro?

I can't argue with a man who admits that he's an idiot.

I never said I was an idiot. I asked what is wrong with being an idiot. And you have failed to answer that question twice now. Hey you know what though, here:

"I know that I know nothing." -Socrates

I'm guessing, by your standards, that makes Socrates an idiot. Right?

You and your religion are a plague and maybe 1000 years from now people will look back on it as they look back on Zeus and Apollo. A funny fairy tale to laugh about.

How are we a plague? I'm a pretty nice person. I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt when I meet them and make friends with as many people as I can. I go to school and I don't get great grades but at least I admit it. I exercise moral judgement, I like to make people laugh, I eat sleep and shit the same way you do, Cinjin. And yet I have had to walk you through this as though you were a small child. And you're calling me arrogant? Do you really want to talk about arrogance, when you put yourself on a pedestal above approximately 2 to 3 billion people who adhere to the teachings of Christ (aka 'Christians') just because you think differently than they do?!

With all due respect? Go fuck yourself.