Christian answering questions too!

[drfuzzy]

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.

Taking the message of Christ into the world.  Well, most of us are well aware of the message, since the majority of us were raised Christian.

Most of my friends are Christian.  The one that I respect the most simply lives his faith.  He will tell you what he believes only when pressed, and then in the gentlest way possible.  He often ends with "but I don't expect you to follow this, it is my path".   The vast majority of Christians who show up here have only one goal in mind (no matter what they claim) to change our minds.  I run into one of those, and yes, I do heap scorn upon them.
Some of our theists here are like my friend.  I hope that you will join their ranks.  I will step back and watch.

[abaris]

I will step back and watch.

Which I'm doing too, since I'm not even sure, if this person is legit.

[TheRocketSurgeon]

I will step back and watch.

Which I'm doing too, since I'm not even sure, if this person is legit.

He feels legit to me. Seems like a nice guy. I think we gave him too much guff when he inadvertently stepped over a few invisible lines, prior to understanding why we reacted to some things the way we did. I say we give him a chance. We can't exactly complain that theists treat us all the same, and then turn around and do it to them. A more plausible explanation for why they all sound so similar is that they're being fed poor information about the nature of atheists/atheism, and they don't realize how a particular form of proselytizing sits with us because most of us already know the "good news" he's here to tell us about. He appears to be learning and adjusting, as we'd have to do if we wished to participate in the culture of a Christian forum without being jerks.

Pete, you can go a long way toward demonstrating some good will by explaining to "God's Child" in the thread I'll link you to, below, why telling us we weren't truly Christians is an asshole move. His responses to you will be most educational, I think, in explaining to you directly why we react as we do (even unfairly, sometimes) to people who come here to proselytize. I refer specifically to this post, from a series of exchanges you're of course free to read:

http://atheistforums.org/thread-42677-po...pid1265752

[abaris]

He feels legit to me. Seems like a nice guy. I think we gave him too much guff when he inadvertently stepped over a few invisible lines, prior to understanding why we reacted to some things the way we did. I say we give him a chance.

Oh, I give him a chance, but something feels off with this one. The reason why I keep looking at this thread but no longer reply to what he says. Let's look at his continuing performance if he manages to change my mind. Maybe it's just his weird use of tags putting me on edge, but I don't feel like wasting my time and effort on someone who hasn't convinced me yet to be what he claims to be.

As opposed to the majority of theists here.

[Jackalope]

Pete, you can go a long way toward demonstrating some good will by explaining to "God's Child" in the thread I'll link you to, below, why telling us we weren't truly Christians is an asshole move.

[TheRocketSurgeon]

He feels legit to me. Seems like a nice guy. I think we gave him too much guff when he inadvertently stepped over a few invisible lines, prior to understanding why we reacted to some things the way we did. I say we give him a chance.

Oh, I give him a chance, but something feels off with this one. The reason why I keep looking at this thread but no longer reply to what he says. Let's look at his continuing performance if he manages to change my mind. Maybe it's just his weird use of tags putting me on edge, but I don't feel like wasting my time and effort on someone who hasn't convinced me yet to be what he claims to be.

As opposed to the majority of theists here.

Okay, okay, I'll sign off on your Skeptic Card™.

[TheRocketSurgeon]

Pete, you can go a long way toward demonstrating some good will by explaining to "God's Child" in the thread I'll link you to, below, why telling us we weren't truly Christians is an asshole move.

Hahaha! Yep, it's a trap.

But I think it would do him a world more good to see what we experience, directly, rather than having us all try to explain it to him.

I am, of course, giving him the benefit of the doubt as to his true nature and intentions, here. But I'd rather be soft-hearted and get burned than be hard-hearted without cause.

[PETE_ROSE]

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

 I would think anyone would understand her hostility given her circumstance.  I am saddened to hear that, and I wish I could right that obvious wrong.  I beseech people often to not judge Christianity by it’s negative and un Christ-like practices.  You yourself were convicted of a crime in which you were innocent and spent nearly a decade in prison.  Do you think we should scrap the entire legal system in America because of this?   
 
  I see your statement about Christian groups all professing to have the correct version and condemning everyone that does not attend the Southside Baptist Apostolic Church of the Heavenly Mediator New Macedonia Deliverance Tabernacle of Prayer Faith Anointed Temple of the Living God; that they are going to roast their nuts in the fires of hell for eternity.  I have not made any such exclusive claim.  Yet!
 
 I disagree that upon the examination of the evidence that the obvious answer is “it is all made up”.  Also, I would contest that everyone here has given Christ and the bible due diligence and more than a cursory examination.  I have little doubt that you have sir.  Moreover, I would say you are smarter than myself, obviously better educated, and have good reason to have come to the place you are.  I do not hold this as the case for all others here.  Hardly.  My experience is that most atheists and detractors to the bible hold little hard evidence to discredit it.   More often I find they have had a few (or many) negative experiences with a church, or so called Christians, or other some tragedy that has befallen them that leads them to be angry with God.  This anger often clouds their judgment and often times hinders them in their objectivity.   

I will pray that she finds employment soon and that losing this job opens a door to a better opportunity.

[abaris]

But I'd rather be soft-hearted and get burned than be hard-hearted without cause.

It's got nothing to do with soft or hard hearted. It's got everything to do with only replying to people when being convinced they are what they claim to be - as far as internet personas go.

[PETE_ROSE]

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

Such a true article.  However, I would not have disagreed with you prior to reading it.  I have found the same to be true myself.  I find just as you have, that atheists and also many Muslims surprisingly, are substantially more knowledgeable on the scriptures.