One thing ive learned over the years is that hate and discrimination has two ends. One extreme on one end, and another extreme on the other. Fundamentalist christians have been this up and coming thing for a few years now, and it progressively becomes worse and more widespread over time, like a cancer.

You know, i don't live very far from this monstrocity.

I refuse to step foot on the property. Organized fundamentalist christian groups takes in millions of dollars a year, they pay no taxes, and they always want more. It's quite the industry, on top of brainwashing people, and getting involved in poltics. We have seperation of chuch and state for a reason.

The biggest problems i have with these people:
- They play the "help im being oprressed!" card, when it is infact they who seek to oppress others.

- At every opportunity they seek to force their dogma upon others,

- they think that everybody should beleive as they do and actively seek to make that happen.

- They have no respect for anyones beleif's but their own.

- They preach tolerance when they have none.

They're hipocritical, deranged and condescending. Whats amazing about it all, is why some of these christian groups don't understand why some people are turning, decidedly anti-religious.

Well then perhaps you ought to reread it Joe because it is anything but a generalization. Maybe the athiests i have met in my 48 years represent the worst part of the group I dunno, but i am as entitled as anyone else in drawing conclusions based on personal experience.

Religion was perverted hundreds of years ago. The true teachings of Jesus got drowned out by the "white noise" of the power seekers who used religion to climb to power.I seriously doubt Jesus would be very happy with what Christianity has become.

I also feel that the "message" began to change as soon as he died. There is no doubt in my mind that the Apostles put their own "spin" on Jesus' teachings.

My Aunt and Uncle are both Deacons in the Episcopalian Church,(Spelling?) and even they think alot of Christians have gone too far in their hate and intolerance for anything or anyone "different" from them.

I am an Atheist,but I have the utmost respect for my Aunt and Uncle. I also respect Jesus the man. I also respected Pope John Paul II,but I can't say I have much respect for Pope Benedict,he has too many skeletons in his closet.

As an Atheist I'm not troubled by "One Nation Under God" or "In God We Trust",and it actually bugs me when other Atheists get so bent out of shape over it. To me,those phrases represent tradition not some mandated religious thing.

For me,what it all comes down to is this if you respect me and my views than I'll respect you and your views. I don't care if you are Christian,Jewish,Islamic,Bhuddist,Hindu,Wiccan a Satanist or any other religion. Show me some respect and you'll get mine.

Yes, and especially Paul gave it all a spin that served his interest: to move himself into the centre of athority. People are wrong when considering that Nietzsche was against relgion in general, he was against simple miracle believing, against the distortions of Christoian faitzh as you described it, and against a view that sees the single individual being the centre of all universe to whose spritual health and uniqueness all laws of nature shall bow - and espeically Paul was shreddered to pieces by Nietzsche whom he labeled the exact opposite of Jesus.

Okay, here I am 180° reversed, I do not like or respect John Paul II. a bit, and respect Benedict much more. Not because I agree with his belief, but for honestly being what he is and what - as a pope - he should be, and for his more substantial demand for reciprocity regarding the West's many favours towards Islam, and for being a smart, sharp thinker .

Those tradtions are just merely 50 years old! Not before massive catholic campaigns these mottos were added to the American money, and the pledge of allegiance! That was in the nineteen-fifties. they are not part of the founding intentions or the american history before that time! Seen that way they illustrate religious dogmatism marching and interfering with politics. Some months ago we had an air force thread and how the air force has been infiltrated by the religious right, it is a symptom of a similiar sneaking process, as I see it.

Yes, we agree again on this. I would prefer the way Sailor Steve once put it both so simple and so convincing: I have no problem with anybody who does not raise problems to me. what colour somebody paints the walls inside his home in is not interesting for me. Just when he starts to trying to force me to sit there, or pushing it down my throat that I have to paint my own walls the same way, or when he tells me at every damn opportunity how great it looks, and that nothing looks better and that he cannot understand how others could paint their walls in different colours - that is when I start growling.

Hello August,
... i mean i really did not want to post here again, but since i am adressed directly, but :damn:

Originally Posted by August
"God isn't brought to us by human institutions like the church Catfish. That's like saying daytime is brought to us by the weatherman."

How unctuously. Indeed i exactly meant this kind of "argueing". I am not sure which religion you chose, if not your parents already did it for you.
You are right, literally: "God isn't brought to us by human institutions like the church" - like any curch or religion i should say. Why is one in need then to have it explained by a priest or whatever ? And why do those priests tell everyone "if you behave in this way, you are doing good, if you take that way, you are wrong" etc..
They decide for you, if you let them, instead of god and your own free will, and call themselves god's attornies in fact.

I could call every creationist atheist because he is obviously not believing his own eyes god gave him. Ah, a test. God put the fossils into the earth's strata as a test for mankind to believe nevertheless ? Believe me, a god that is so close to mankind would have had better things to do. Not that i believe in such a notion.
Do you think people who torture believe in god ? It was almost a precondition in the middle ages. What do you think in what name they did what they did ? Don't you think they probably abused god's name as those TV priests and almost every religion does it today ? Do you think scientology is a religion ?

You are not even able, nor have you the right, to tell anyone he is an "atheist" or whatever, if he differs from your point of view. God or belief, faith in anything is not for an exclusive club, however named.

Thanks and greetings,
Catfish

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able, and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God.

Epicurus

;)

Hello,
logical deduction err well, those damn ancient smarta$$es knew it all before lol. And I sure would once again like to have a glass of Samos wine (they even drink wine in the bible).
Apart from Epikur it is sometimes good to remember that those cultural values we like to refer to as christian are indeed the successors of the greek philosophy, and their roman successors.

Golly, i know i have been absent for a year but Skybird you have 9000 plus posts ?!

Greetings,
Catfish

Working my way towards my 5th star! :D Those 41 posts missing... pah, peanuts...

Wow so many questions. Let me try to answer them:

Why is one in need then to have it explained by a priest or whatever ?
I don't know, everything is explained to everyone by someone eventually. There is little we figure out on our own.

And why do those priests tell everyone "if you behave in this way, you are doing good, if you take that way, you are wrong"
Depends on the behavior i'd think. Is it wrong to tell someone not to steal for example?

Do you think people who torture believe in god ?
I would expect that like any other sub group some do and some don't.

What do you think in what name they did what they did ?
I don't understand the question. If the first word is "why" then I would say probably for any number of reasons, including, but not limited to they thought they were doing Gods will.

Don't you think they probably abused god's name as those TV priests and almost every religion does it today ?
Yes I do.

Do you think scientology is a religion ?
My good friend Skybird doesn't think so. Personally i don't know or care very much.

------------------

Like I said Catfish, God is not an invention of religion. Religion, imo, is nothing but a human attempt to explain something that our minds cannot fully comprehend and like all human endeavors has it's flaws.

Much of what we think of as 'Christian Values' do indeed draw on earlier pagan values.

Early christianity was edited and changed so that it would not offend Roman sensibilities, allowing it to be easily assimilated into existing Roman society and later adopted as the state religon. For example many, if not all, of the overtly Jewish elements of early Christianity were done away with. The sabbeth was moved from Saturday to Sunday to coincide with worship of the sun god Apollo, who was associated with the Christian god by the Romans. Festivals had their dates changed to coincide with existing, pagan feast days. Christmas is a notable example. There was an existing Roman festival celebrated on 25 December so the Emperor Constantine declaired it as a festival to celebrate Jesus birth, it also slotted in nicely with other pagan winter solstice festivals.

From what I read a lot of pagan festivals were co-opted by Christianity. Its a rather effective tactic.

Judging by the pictures, this sect believes in bestiality :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Yep easter is the same it was a celebration of the pagan Goddess Easter.


http://www.nobeliefs.com/easter.htm

didn't read this whole thread but try "Jesus Camp", "Worship Bush" and Westboro sites :D

I don't understand one thing one thing about majority of Christians. They believe that god is jesus but also that jesus is the son of god. Pretty stupid if you ask me.

Being an Aussie, I had to laugh at the Kangaroo character :rotfl: