Predict the 1st Banning for uncivil behavior in the new Religious Threads...

[ChristianPatriot]

I respect your life choices, Cathy. I really do. They make me very sad, but I absolutely acknowledge your right to believe or not believe. I won't say I feel sorry for you, because you're a grown woman fully capable of making your own decision, but as Dave has pointed out, it makes me take a step back and take a look at my life and strive to be a better example of grace and love.

 

[Harleyrider_50]

Crazy that a service would include such things. Catholic beliefs ( I believe what I'm about to say is related, but I may be off) is that only those who truly believe Jesus is the Way and still turn their heart from Him are the "sinners" which it sounds like you've heard Atheists compared to. I fully expect to see Atheists, Agnostics, Jews, Muslims, etc. in the afterlife. Only believers who turn away willfully are thought to be doomed to an eternity separated from Grave.

Sorry that jerks act that way towards you, my friend.

I would'n sweat it, cuzz ya won't.......trus'me..... hahahahaha.....
been damn near's close as ya can go....without actually go'n......an' they's NUTH'n 'ere......no magic lights......no familiar faces......NUTH'N.....

 

[CathyInBlue]

Thing is, as Paul mentioned, it's not really a matter of, as Ghandi put it, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Even if every Christian I ever encounter conducts themselves in a meticulously Christ-like manner, I could still not conscience becoming a Christian. It's the source material, the Bible. As Paul said, it's horrendous. I would have to believe so many impossible things to believe in the whole of the Bible, and if I'm to pick and choose what parts of the Bible to believe in and what parts to set aside, why choose to believe any of it and set it aside as a whole?

So, by all means, INGOers, if you are a Christian, be the best Christian you can be. If you are a Jew, be the best Jew you can be. If you are a Muslim, be the best Muslim you can be. If you are a Hindu, be the best Hindu you can be. My best friend in grad school was a Wiccan and she was the best Wiccan she could be. I'll just sit over here being the best Atheist I can be. Just don't tie your best to me in any way.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Thing is, as Paul mentioned, it's not really a matter of, as Ghandi put it, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Even if every Christian I ever encounter conducts themselves in a meticulously Christ-like manner, I could still not conscience becoming a Christian. It's the source material, the Bible. As Paul said, it's horrendous. I would have to believe so many impossible things to believe in the whole of the Bible, and if I'm to pick and choose what parts of the Bible to believe in and what parts to set aside, why choose to believe any of it and set it aside as a whole?

So, by all means, INGOers, if you are a Christian, be the best Christian you can be. If you are a Jew, be the best Jew you can be. If you are a Muslim, be the best Muslim you can be. If you are a Hindu, be the best Hindu you can be. My best friend in grad school was a Wiccan and she was the best Wiccan she could be. I'll just sit over here being the best Atheist I can be. Just don't tie your best to me in any way.

Fair enough. I see the same righteous, loving God in the Old Testament as I do in the New Testament. It's not always pretty or fathomable, but if we could totally understand the massiveness of God, He wouldn't be much of a God. Isaiah 55:9

 

[IndyDave1776]

Thing is, as Paul mentioned, it's not really a matter of, as Ghandi put it, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Even if every Christian I ever encounter conducts themselves in a meticulously Christ-like manner, I could still not conscience becoming a Christian. It's the source material, the Bible. As Paul said, it's horrendous. I would have to believe so many impossible things to believe in the whole of the Bible, and if I'm to pick and choose what parts of the Bible to believe in and what parts to set aside, why choose to believe any of it and set it aside as a whole?

So, by all means, INGOers, if you are a Christian, be the best Christian you can be. If you are a Jew, be the best Jew you can be. If you are a Muslim, be the best Muslim you can be. If you are a Hindu, be the best Hindu you can be. My best friend in grad school was a Wiccan and she was the best Wiccan she could be. I'll just sit over here being the best Atheist I can be. Just don't tie your best to me in any way.

That is a remarkable display of insight and intellectual honesty. I find it both amazing and frightening the number of people who don't understand that the Bible must be either accepted or rejected, otherwise you are using it as mere source material for forming your own religion. Under the freedom of thought recognized implicitly in the First Amendment in addition to the clearly expressed freedom of religion, I do not disparage anyone's right to make up their own religion, but it is still dishonest to pick and choose parts of a religion and claim to be a practitioner of that religion.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Fair enough. I see the same righteous, loving God in the Old Testament as I do in the New Testament. It's not always pretty or fathomable, but if we could totally understand the massiveness of God, He wouldn't be much of a God.

 

[Dead Duck]

Thing is, as Paul mentioned, it's not really a matter of, as Ghandi put it, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Even if every Christian I ever encounter conducts themselves in a meticulously Christ-like manner, I could still not conscience becoming a Christian. It's the source material, the Bible. As Paul said, it's horrendous. I would have to believe so many impossible things to believe in the whole of the Bible, and if I'm to pick and choose what parts of the Bible to believe in and what parts to set aside, why choose to believe any of it and set it aside as a whole?

So, by all means, INGOers, if you are a Christian, be the best Christian you can be. If you are a Jew, be the best Jew you can be. If you are a Muslim, be the best Muslim you can be. If you are a Hindu, be the best Hindu you can be. My best friend in grad school was a Wiccan and she was the best Wiccan she could be. I'll just sit over here being the best Atheist I can be. Just don't tie your best to me in any way.

I guess praying for you is out of the question?

 

[mrjarrell]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to CathyInBlue again.

Both Cathy and Paul's situations mirror mine and led me to the same place, albeit through a circuitous route. None of them out there appeal to me, (although the religions of the American Indians and the heathen communities are nicer than many). A reading of the bible, (different versions of it) led me to the conclusion that it was just not going to be my cup of tea. More horror, abuse and cruelty in the book than a Cthulhu novel. It's much more comforting accepting reality and not the superstitions of various cultures. And it doesn't take a book or any form of deity to be a good person. Being a good person is its own reward.

 

[BugI02]

CIB if you had a TI-99 avvailable to you in grade school you are yet young to declare what the course of your entire life will be. I was much like you as a child. I am an engineer and consider myself a scientist. I did the whole living comparative religion thing. As I've said in other threads I still admire many of the tenets of buddhism. i studied Kenpo and Kendo. My parents had tried to raise me baptist but it didn't take. It wasn't until I was in my late fourties that I was once again drawn to 'the people of the book' by the seeds that were already planted.

Proverbs 22:6King James Version (KJV)


6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Both Cathy and Paul's situations mirror mine and led me to the same place, albeit through a circuitous route. None of them out there appeal to me, (although the religions of the American Indians and the heathen communities are nicer than many). A reading of the bible, (different versions of it) led me to the conclusion that it was just not going to be my cup of tea. More horror, abuse and cruelty in the book than a Cthulhu novel. It's much more comforting accepting reality and not the superstitions of various cultures. And it doesn't take a book or any form of deity to be a good person. Being a good person is its own reward.

I could be a real wise guy and suggest that there are some crime-rich environments which need evangelized with this message!

 

[CathyInBlue]

That is a remarkable display of insight and intellectual honesty. I find it both amazing and frightening the number of people who don't understand that the Bible must be either accepted or rejected, otherwise you are using it as mere source material for forming your own religion. Under the freedom of thought recognized implicitly in the First Amendment in addition to the clearly expressed freedom of religion, I do not disparage anyone's right to make up their own religion, but it is still dishonest to pick and choose parts of a religion and claim to be a practitioner of that religion.

Truly, thou art touched by his noodly appendage.

I guess praying for you is out of the question?

No. Just pointless. And for whatever reason, I feel stressed when someone feels compelled to tell me that they're gonna pray for me. I bear no one any ill-will for whatever they choose to pray for, even if it's me. Just keep it to yourself. I also feel a little pained when a tragedy strikes an INGOer and a thread is started, "Add us to your prayers". Partly, it's sympathy (or as close as a borderline psychotic can get) for the victims of the tragedy, but also because there's nothing that I can do as an Atheist to publicly commiserate. "I'm praying for you." would be an outright lie and "You're in my thoughts." is just about the most insanely vapid thing I could say. So, I tend to avoid them wholesale.

 

[Dead Duck]

No. Just pointless. And for whatever reason, I feel stressed when someone feels compelled to tell me that they're gonna pray for me. I bear no one any ill-will for whatever they choose to pray for, even if it's me. Just keep it to yourself. I also feel a little pained when a tragedy strikes an INGOer and a thread is started, "Add us to your prayers". Partly, it's sympathy (or as close as a borderline psychotic can get) for the victims of the tragedy, but also because there's nothing that I can do as an Atheist to publicly commiserate. "I'm praying for you." would be an outright lie and "You're in my thoughts." is just about the most insanely vapid thing I could say. So, I tend to avoid them wholesale.

Ok, I understand.
I'll keep you in my thoughts then...

 

[CathyInBlue]

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

That's kinda what I'm doin'. My childhood was an emphasis on learning, which included science. I learned the sciences of cosmology, evolution, and quantum mechanics growing up, so, yeah, that's the course my life is going. If you can prove a belief scientificly, it's science. If you believe something you can't prove scientificly, it's religion, until you can prove it. Either way, good luck with it

.

Ok, I understand.
I'll keep you in my thoughts then...

 

[ATM]

Cogito ergo sum

 

[IndyDave1776]

Cogito ergo sum

One day Descartes was in a restaurant and the waitress asked if he would like more to drink. He answered, "I think not" and he promptly disappeared.

 

[mbills2223]

One day Descartes was in a restaurant and the waitress asked if he would like more to drink. He answered, "I think not" and he promptly disappeared.

I dunno if I should boo or laugh lol

 

[IndyDave1776]

I dunno if I should boo or laugh lol

Sometimes you laugh at the joke. Sometimes you laugh at the badness of the joke. The way I see it, either way, I made you laugh!

 

[CathyInBlue]

Sometimes you laugh at the joke. Sometimes the joke laughs at you.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Sometimes you laugh at the joke. Sometimes the joke laughs at you.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

If you can prove a belief scientificly, it's science. If you believe something you can't prove scientificly, it's religion

All history is religion.





Now where's that darn purple button.