All religious people are starting to be critisized

reply to post by Simplynoone


You could be right, which is why I said it appears to be that way instead of saying that it is that way. It could just be that the Christians we do have on ATS that post in topics about Christianity, heck and post Christian messages in topics that have nothing to do with religion, are just very outspoken about it.

[heck and post Christian messages in topics that have nothing to do with religion,]


It isnt a bad thing to try and view things from anothers pespective especially on a topic that we think could relate to prophecy .. ....or what we are going through in this life .
I like threads that offer alternative contributions because it is a challenge and it makes this place more interesting ..dont you think ? If everyone agreed there is no challenge then to the view and we all learn more during challenges ..We read more ..we study more on whatever subject we are on etc ...that helps stimulate our brains and is a good thing ..keeps us all alert doesnt it lol ....at least I think so ..........
When I was on Christian message boards ...it would get pretty boring when all they do is agree on most things in opinion,views and ideas ..then all they can post to eachother is AMEN >.....which is not very challenging is it ?


[edit on 19-11-2008 by Simplynoone]

Hopefully the institution of religion will naturally fade away into our history books. I have no hate unless something is done in the name of a religion and it affects people other then themselves in a negative way. The only thing I feel toward overtly religious people is a slight pity but definitely no hate.

reply to post by Simplynoone


Alternative contributions are one thing, posting just to preach when the topic is not related to prophecy or religion in any way, shape or form is another. I enjoy a good discussion on religion on occasion, especially since I'm not religious in the least. I enjoy discussing why someone believes what they do, and enjoy gaining new understanding on their thought processes. But when it happens in a thread where it clearly does not relate to the topic is, in my opinion, nothing more than an attempt to hijack a thread to preach at people.

Originally posted by crazyjames65
I am sorry and I am not going to tell people they have to go to church
neither. It is a choice if one wants to go to church, not a demand.

What the hell? Why does somebody with a "faith with God" is 100% a christian and needs to goto church everyday. I am a someone who does have "faith with God", and I am not a christian. I do not care to follow the bible. The bible was invented and twisted by man. I know God and Jesus is there in the 'Kingdom of God', because of my own 'personal experience'. I also do belive in being 'Children Of God', not a labeled "Christian".

Criticism and Attack:

Mild

Non-Christian: "your Bible was written by man"
Christian: "you are a sinner"

Medium

Non-Christian: "you are brainwashed by your religion"
Christian: "you are a Godless sinning heathen"

Hot

Non-Christian: "All Churches should disappear"
Christian: "You deserve to be tortured in Hell for all of time."

Based on this unbiased scientific study, it is clear Christians actually start off a little more mild, but finish with a lot more fire

Originally posted by crazyjames65
Thank you Grandma and all the other good people here, I was starting to think that no one had an idea was I was trying to say.

That's pretty offensive, to be honest.

It's fairly obvious that when you use the word 'good' you actually mean the Christians who are agreeing with your posts and are posting similar things.

Here's some serious clues: Christians don't have a monopoly on 'good' - the two aren't as synonymous as you'd like - and it's post like yours that are drawing criticism of both Christians and their expression of faith in the first place.

Ohh whoa is me! The 92%+ Christian majority of America lives forever under the unrelenting oppression and tyranny of the single digit agnostic minority! My heart bleeds for each of you, all of the terribly oppressed, mistreated and discriminated against Christians! Quickly! To the multimillion dollar, tax exempt Jesus liar! Before their buses come by with those most disagreeable messages of materialism!

*single tear

reply to post by princephilip


thats the cutiest alien never seen! the best post in this louzy thread.

Originally posted by darkelf
reply to post by crazyjames65

 

Religion is they newest target for haters because all other targets have been deemed politically incorrect. Yes many horrible acts have been committed under the banner of religion, but that doesn't mean that religious people should be held accountable for the acts of others.

Keep in mind that religion, like all other beliefs are simply opinions. No two people will ever agree on everything. As long as it is the belief and not the person being attacked, I can live with that.

the reason it is being critized, is that the supposed sayings of mythical a god are now being put into law, which others must live by. thus, opinions turn into legal dictates. this is why america got away from england in the first place, and why we set up a constitution.

[edit on 20-11-2008 by jimmyx]

reply to post by darkelf


and frankly i'm getting tired of "end of the world" , "apocolypse" type of rhetoric. can't religous people talk about getting along with our fellow man? talk about bringing different people of different religions together? why not try and speak and act in a godlike manner, to work out problems instead of simply implying someone is "evil" because they do not agree with you. trying to divide people and preach some type of religous dogma is what is upsetting to some people.

Originally posted by whiterabbit85
If not for religion, the first world war would simply have been an assassination, followed by localised skirmishes.

I have agreed with you in the most part, but this I don't agree with. How did religion have anything to do with WWI?

reply to post by jimmyx

Originally posted by jimmyx
reply to post by darkelf

 

and frankly i'm getting tired of "end of the world" , "apocolypse" type of rhetoric. can't religous people talk about getting along with our fellow man? talk about bringing different people of different religions together? why not try and speak and act in a godlike manner, to work out problems instead of simply implying someone is "evil" because they do not agree with you. trying to divide people and preach some type of religous dogma is what is upsetting to some people.

I’m unsure where I spoke in apocalyptic rhetoric, but for most Christians, we are in the “end times” so in is on our collective minds. Even non-religious people know that something is up. If you don’t like a post, simply do as I do and skip over it. And Christ told us to love one another, so yes we should be trying to “get along” with our fellow man. The laws and rules in the Bible are guides to how we should conduct our own life. They are not meant to use as a bat to beat others over the head and tell them how ‘bad’ they are.

We have as much of a right to voice our views and opinions as you do to bash them.

The main problem I have with religions is the killings in Gods name and the wars that are caused by separation of mankind.

I feel that the masses are being deceived to place a need for blood on the hands of God. I worry that truly, the masses will not know Thee or understand Thee...I dont criticize, I share my most personal inner most thoughts and feelings that come from my spirit, just as others do. I dont take offense when another soul try's to explain to me why they follow a certain way...I learn from it, sift through it and come out a better person because of it.

Religions want to say 'there is only one way'.....I have found many ways to connect to Thee most high. To say there is only one way....like through the blood sacrifices (dont forget, that is what Christians claim Jesus was, a required blood sacrifice)...could be going against the majesty of Love, the one who needs nothing but your pure heart.

I look at myself as a part of Thee...and I look at everyone as a part of Thee...so all of you are my other selves, we are all a part of Thee.

I fear that truly the world is deceived. Even the Elite...all in the words 'blood requirement'. Sure, Ive read about this, and could back up this thought with the scriptures, which Ive done for a number of yrs. I guess my soul grew out of those thoughts and was ready for a deeper understanding of my Higher Self....through humble living and to not feel the need to be so full of myself that I know all the details of the works of God.

People that truly care for the other selves mostly discuss the conflicts with the beliefs out of caring that as many souls are able to return to Thee as possible. Yes, some discuss the conflicts for joys of feeling like they know something you dont....I discuss the conflicts because I fear for the lost souls. Same reasons Christians discuss my conflicts with me, they fear Im a lost soul. No difference really, between my discussions and Christians discussions.

I want and hope for as much as the lost light of Thee to be found and brought back to Thee. Im not looking for gratitude from others or reverence over any other self. We should discuss these things, it helps us weigh and measure our thoughts and feelings on the subject. I dont take offense when a Christian tells me Im missing the point to the Bible. Pls dont take offense when I say, there is a major point missing in the Bible.

Peace,
LV

Originally posted by Simplynoone
[The difference is that there appears to be a larger Christian population here at ATS than any other religion, therefore there are many more threads devoted to Christianity in general.]

You are absolutely spot on.
My criticizm is of all religions.
God knows I love to get into it with scientologist and wiccans, but they are very thinly represented here, whereas christianity has an almost omnipresent quality in ATS threads.
Another factor in the targetting of Xianity is that the majority of posters on ATS are American, and the overwhelming religion in America in Xianity(whatever denomonation or division), so people who have unfavorable interactions with religion tend to find that it is christianity that gets blamed, when in reality, it could have been almost any other religion. There are some specific behaviours and dogmas that are specific to Xians and their church, but on the whole, religions are the same thing, and believers exhibit similar behavior traits. Of course you won't see Xians bathing the Ganges, or muslims hanging up red and white socks at christmas, but you get the idea.

The earlier analogy about Santa Clause is absolutely correct, from the standpoint of someone that does not believe in religion. Th religious will argue 'but santa isn't true, we all know that, but the bible is true and our religious stories are true'. And that there is the crux; all religions believe they are correct, even religions and denominations that contradict each other! You have no grasp how infantile it is to the non-religious. It's like different denominations of Santa-believers arguing about the wether he should be clothed in red and white or green and white. How many reindeer there were, the mechanism they used to fly, the importance of Rudolph, what behaviors you had to exhibit to get your presents at the end of the year, and to what locations he would fly!
You cannot deny that children believe in Santa, and they believe this because they are told it by peers, and it is re-enforced within the social group of the child. The exact same process happens with religion, but they never get to the bit where they tell the children that it is just a story.

Even non-religious people know that something is up.

Not particularly on-topic, so apologies to OP.

On the contrary, from what I can gather from talking to both religious and non-religious about this possibility of a forecoming destruction, both seem to exhibit slight paranoia, and even slighter maniacal tendencies. For the majority of doom and gloomers, the behavior seems attributal to a lack of excitement in their lives. Like how housewives will watch the drama of a soap opera to counter-act mundanity in their daily existence.
The majority of people I know do not even consider an imminent meltdown - the events of today are just as they have always been, and will continue to be. Some are religious, some are not.
What is interesting though, is a number of the non-religious still apply the ideas and scenario of the bibles apocalypse to their views of what is going on in the world. Evidence of this can easilly be found in multiple threads on ATS. I can only surmise the reason for this was because of failed previous indoctrination. This biblic fear scenario is deep rooted in their mind, and it is because it was planted there when they were sucseptable to those influences, that it has a tendancy to surface later in life.
The events of today are arguably no different in scope and impact than the times of 10 or 100 or maybe 1000 years ago. This same reaction will be still be occurring 10 or 100 or even 1000 years now. It just serves to get some drama in peoples lives.
The religious of course use it as a tool to re-affirm and confirm their conviction that what they believe is true, and they will use it as a tool to extend that re-affirmation to to both the non-religious, and the religious who are wavering in their faith. Again, there are multiple examples of this behavior around too. And the cause of this apocalypse will change over time. Right now, the cause is the global economic melt-down. 20 years ago, it was nuclear war. Before that famine, and before that disease. Whatever the worries of that generation are what will be used to extend the idea of 'the end of times'. The ' end of the world' also serves as an attention grabber, due to the dramatic nature of the possible scenario, and some people will use it just to satiate their need for attention.

[The main problem I have with religions is the killings in Gods name and the wars that are caused by separation of mankind. ]


Believe me ...when I say that many of us believers are just as disgusted with this as you are ....and I am pretty sure that there are more than just a few of us who would agree with you on that ..........

If they are doing EVIL in the name of the Lord ..then they are NOT CHRISTIANS ...and they dont read the whole bible then ..because Jesus said ..IF MY KINGDOM was of this world I WOULD TELL YOU TO FIGHT FOR IT ...but since his kingdom is not of this world ..we are not asked to fight for it ....
We are to be IN this world but not a part of it ...

I HATE WAR ..and I am against killing *(even in self defense) and I am even against the death penalty .
regardless of what some of our supposed fellow christians believe ...that does not mean we all back them on it ..because I sure dont ...

[You cannot deny that children believe in Santa, and they believe this because they are told it by peers, and it is re-enforced within the social group of the child. The exact same process happens with religion, but they never get to the bit where they tell the children that it is just a story.]

Can you honestly sit here and tell me that other parents (Nonchristian) do not teach thier children their beliefs when they are young ?

reply to post by Simplynoone


First, can you please make use of the quote button when quoting someone else's post? It's a bit difficult to know who said what otherwise. Just a friendly request for easier readability.

Now on to the question you posed, I can't speak for anyone else but in my house we don't generally talk about religious beliefs. I have two small children, and the oldest knows who Jesus is but we have not had any talks about how me and my husband feel about religion or what we believe. I feel that neither of them are old enough to make their own decisions about religion just yet and I won't be making those decisions for them.

If they ever ask or bring up the topic, which won't happen for awhile since the oldest just turned 6 and the youngest isn't even walking yet, then I will be happy to have a conversation with them about it and tell them what I think and why. Until then, I'm not going to force my beliefs on them nor will I force my beliefs on them when they do ask. I don't care what flavor of religion you follow, forcing your beliefs on a child and telling them that your version is right and all others are wrong is not right.

My husband and I had decided that we would not tell our children there is a Santa because we both feel it is an unnecessary lie, but family members decided they needed to be told there is one anyway. So rather than crush a small child with the truth which would be needlessly cruel, we now have to wait till he's old enough to not be too upset about it.