This Has to Stop

[emjay]

Mine was just a general comment really, but with his post reminding me of him at his best... brought on by the fact that this thread has made me miserable and angry, and I've lost a friend through it (ie you)... so nothing to lose really by getting it all out of my system. Nothing much else to say though... I think I've got most of my ire out of my system.

I'm sorry this has effected you so negatively...

I think the little spat between us stemmed from my own misunderstanding and not from any real sentiment on our parts. I'd like to still consider you a friend if you'll forgive me.

Well basically I periodically get angry with theists and then it turns into tunnel vision, stereotyping and all that. But I don't like it when I get like that... anger is a miserable state to be in... I'd much rather be in a Buddhisty type of mindset... it just sometimes I'm less mindful than I'd like to be and when it's like that it's hard to get out of.

The problem with this particular issue is that as AFTT47 said earlier in the thread, atheist and theists are always going to be at odds over this issue. So there's two choices really; live in anger over this issue and throw the baby out with the bathwater (ie Christian friendships)... over something we're never realistically going to see eye to eye on, or just try and move past it.

I see you've rerepped me... but I wouldn't be in such a hurry to do that, because I still stand by what I said. But it was never meant to imply that I thought you were an abuser, or potential abuser. But just that this is something that comes from exposing a child extensively to any worldview. Ie if I was a parent I'd like to think that I would also practice what I preach and not over-expose my child to my atheistic worldview... and thus let them reach adulthood and decide for themselves with as little prior bias as possible... if they then chose to look into theism I would have absolutely no problem with that. But the main thing is, that they are fully capable of full rational thought and fully informed decision-making before they are exposed to this sort of information... that whatever beliefs result come through the front door as it were, as a result of their own curiosity and endeavours sans any outside-influence, rather than through the back door as result of familiarity, bias, repetition etc.