TV shows =/= reality ( see: Reaper ). Now you really are sounding like an escaped mental patient.. :whistle:

Then that makes you a poor christian at best, if you insist on calling yourself religious yet don't believe in following the dogma laid out for you- beleiving in god for the sake of it/ as a safety net for when you die just takes us back to that old 'scared of dying/ illogical' demote poster.

It's amazing how many people turn to religion later in life when A) something bad happens to them- bit late by then to repent your sins and hope you wont burn in hell fire for all eternity, or B) they don't kinow what they want to do with their life so turn to religion for guidance C) some other silly reason because they can't make up their mind or start worrying about their/ their families mortality.

I know of several guys who turned to religion when they had near-death experiences or were diagnosed with a terminal illness, that's hardly a good reason to start believing the almighty is mad at you and you should start paying him more attention.

Get a grip, get a life, and stop worrying about what happens when it's over ( see: Jim Jefferies video posted earlier ).

I guess that's where I fall on it. I really don't care what anyone believes, and I don't have any campaign to convert anyone one way or the other. Jesus, Allah, Buddah, Zenu or Flying Spagetti Monster, I think they are all a bit nuts, but whatever gets you through the day, and the whole world is nuts anyway.

EG: the gay stuff at issue

I don't care who you want to marry. You want to marry some dude? Knock yourself out. I don't care, it doesn't effect me, and heteros have already made a mockery of marriage anyway with a 50%+ divorce rate, so they should hardly be talking. Esp all these preists and religious types, seeing as so many are closeted homos anyway...

What I don't like is how quickly and often religion is used to to make laws and public policy. I don't think .gov should be butting into people's personal lives and approving or disapproving who you want to live with and marry. I think its quite sinister how many politicians pull out the bible to rile people up on some dumb issue to try and get votes.

Why are we even arguing about gays and the military and marriage? Oh, because some Pol thought it would make a great wedge issue to help turn out conservative votes so he could be re-elected. ***cough, Bush, cough* 2004*** So much for freedom, self-determination and personal responsibility...


Not that the Left hasn't done it in history, but it seems to be an essential tool of right-wing politician's modern election strategy is to go bible-thumping.

So far we got one former front runner calling homos slaves, and running a clinic to "pray the gay away" funded in part with questionable use of tax dollars. Another surging wannabe promising to force american muslims to take "loyaly tests" and ban them from serving in his govt. You have two Mormons being attacked by evangelicals for being cultists and fake christians. There was Rick Santorum (ha!) telling an active duty gay soldier in Iraq that he should go back into the closet and he would see to it as president, meanwhile the audience is booing the soldier b/c he's gay and not one of the lionhearts on stage thinks to defend the soldier, who is in a war zone fighting and potentially dying for his country, but is not entitled to respect b/c of what he does in his own personal time.
Then there is current ~front runner Rick Perry. Wow, buddies with all sorts of wacky extremists to even start on.

Now while there are many respectable Christians (and non-Christians) out there who are very thoughtful, charitiable and temperate people, there seems to be a fairly large mass who want to impose autocratic religious rule on everyone, and are signifigant enough that they are constantly pandered to. There are tolerant Christians, but they are not the people who really have the power.
Its the others I worry about and really feel no motivation to show them deference or admiration for their courage and "faith." I'd just rather everyone STFU on the religious stuff and let people live their lives as they wish. We have enough other problems as it is to go starting needless fights and divisions.

Neil, all I can tell you is your conclusions lack logic for the most part. They are based on broad assumptions and little fact. Even when told differently you try and lump everyone into one mold so that you can dismiss them. It's obvious to me there is something more to your anger against Christianity however I won't pretend to know why.

While your cartoons and little poems may make you feel better they lack any reason or fact. They play upon stereotypes and others need to feel superior to those who believe in God.

For the most part, you make the same mistake as those you claim to differ with so much. You try to put everything into a little box of your understanding and that is it there is nothing more.

Finnster, you on the other hand seem to think that the only belief system that matters is yours. If anyone differs then it has no place in society. Very dangerous thinking there. "if it weren't for all those other people things would be just peachy". Sounds a lot like what others have used in the past to validate genocide and murder. Your partisan rhetoric is just plain silly. It's all the other guys fault. Yeah, keep kidding yourself. You are acting just like the ones you claim to so vehemently disagree with. Plenty on the both sides are trying to control life's every facet. But it's okay as long as your side is the ruling class right? That kind of thinking is what leads us into tyranny.

If you really think the eradicating some other group(s) will solve the worlds issues you are very naive. The core issues are always still there.

Well I'm both impressed and confused that you've taken " I really don't care" and "I'd just rather everyone STFU on the religious stuff and let people live their lives as they wish. We have enough other problems as it is to go starting needless fights and divisions" to mean a pro-genocide agenda.


I'm tired of the crazies. I'm not the only one either. Gov Chris Christie is tired of the crazies and judging by the polls, a good number of people are getting tired of all the nonsense and hate, as well as the current bunch of loons who wish themselves to be the political elites.*

*To their credit, I don't think Ron Paul, Romney, Huntsman or even Gary Johnson have really tried to book tickets on Crazy Train. Christie would prolly just get ran over by it if he actually tried to get in front of it.

I hope that everyone here does realize that by attempting to push your own view points and possibly get some sympathy or aggreement, you are in fact attempting to make YOURSELF feel better about your own view points...

Just throwing that out in case anyone was trying to fool themselves into thinking they are 100% correct.

I do often laugh at the old testament, cause I have read it in its entireity (talk about a hard read, makes shakespeare easy), in order (taking things out of context would put me on the same plane as the religious wackos) and it just keeps contradicting itself. I understand that it is a tool to keep people in line, and that it was written in a totally different language and at a completely different time of human existance. So it may vaguely apply right now, IF you interpret it a certain way... There is the rub, you should not be interpretting gods words, they should be pretty clear.

Did the OT work? Humans are still on the planet, so I guess it had some positive effects? Looks like it got the Jews somewhere?

As for the parables, well they are there so that church elders can interpret them to mean whatever they want, and thus use this to steer their masses to feel guilty and pay more when the plate goes by. Notice how the preist/preacher/minister cannot just read the bible out loud and the congregation just gets the meaning? No chance, he then has to spend 45mins "explaining" how matthew 123:1245 (or whatever verse) is a direct order from god that he needs money to buy a new mercedess/add a wing to the church building/or buy raffle tickets.

As far as good old fashioned direct rhetoric goes, the 10 commandments are about it in the bible. Everything else seems like modern day lawyers wrote it so they can find a loophole or something when necessary.

Here is my take on the origins or christianity:

So Jesus may well have existed and done everything that the new testament claims (save for the "miracles", as I am not a beliver in magic). Not a difficult thing to belive, a guy who walks around pointing out the current corruption in his church (he was a jew after all) and generally attempts to get people to be more moral. We have people that do this today, so very beliveable.

Ok, so since the new testament was not written down at the time, and did not really get finalized till 300ad by the now organized catholic church, we can pretty much guarantee that a little enblishment was added here and there. They were humans, after all.

Here is where I get way off the beaten path. So christianity catches on, the romans adopts i, and generally the jewish faith takes a back seat in popularity. I think that the creators of the catholic church were just the same leaders of the jewish faith attempting to put a new spin on their old idea and Jesus and his teachings were a great thing to hide behind. Look at the catholic dogma, it is very similar to the Jewish dogma, and it does sometimes irectly contradict Jesus' teachings in the NT. So they moved from one name to another, but kept the corruption and money and power grabbing ways they had already perfected.

And for all the christians who are not catholics, consider that your various religions came directly from catholicism. So they are all based around the same thing.

Just my thoughts on the matter. I am not an expert at anything, but can often see the forest despite the trees blocking my view.

Feeling better about yourself & your point of view now? :lol:

Said the christian, who's whole belief system is based 100% of faith and 0% on facts or any physical evidence what so ever.

How handy it must be to believe in something that requires no proof or evidence what so ever, and then when someone challenges it you just resort to the old 'you must have issues to be angry at the church' line to try and cast dispersions on why I am so against adults with imaginary friends ( nope, was never molested by a priest or hurt in any way by the church- I just don't like to see young people and vulnerable people brainwashed and lead down the garden path by those who would make grand promises, yet have no proof of being able to deliver on them ).

The demotes and videos are based 100% on fact and reason and observation, they require no backing up, and they certainly aren't attempts to make myself feel better or superior than christians, who would just cast yet more dispersions when faced with the truth of the world. You might wanna re-watch all those videos with a more open mind, vs sticking your fingers in your ears and claiming I just trying to do the devil's work or something else stupid like that..

As for little box of understanding; nope- it's a giant great bog box with no lid, unlike christanity which is totally closed off from new ideas and understanding- if you were a real practicing christian that is. Science is all about gaining a new understanding of the universe; religion is all about saying god is responsible for everything- you need to look at those demotes more closely to see the massive flaws in your own statements.

I am not feeling all that great, I cut my finger quite deep this weeked, and I think I fractured my big toe. So I am gimping around and I keep dropping stuff with my left hand. Other than that, thank you Jesus!!!

jeez, I just remembered why I hate this place.

I think this conversation has run it's course.


Neil...stop being dogmatic, you've made it very clear that you think God is a crutch for the weak man. Thats fine, your entitled to free will.
*One question though, if some one was holding a gun to your face with you strapped chair and you heard a bang. What would be your last thought? about whats on the other side.

Texas...refer back to what i wrote to neil....you cannot show someone something thing they don't want to see. This goes both ways, for both you and neil.

PBO...You have no need for God correct? I under stand this is due to you being Australian, But answered the question for me.


Now RELIGION is bad, very bad. 90% of the religions to day are either a feel good faith(Buddhism, don't quote me on that)
Work related faith, pay your way to heaven(Catholics)
Spirit worship, bribe your way in by helping your dead relatives ghosts(any oritental religion...and is found in all jungle tribes and the stuff that goes down in africa)
And various cults.

Definition of true Christianity is simply saying a prayer to God, repenting of you sins and believing on him. Thats it It's free, you don't have to do any thing, you don't have to confesses your sins to a pervert in a box. And you don't have say a chant, you don't have to go to mass, You don't have to buy your way into of heaven, you don't have to do all that stuff that Roman Catholics have added to Christianity centuries ago.

As a Baptist I can trace my faith right back to Jesus him self, The Catholic church cannot....what they don't want the masses to know is that a Roman Cessar made the Catholic church in an effort to gain favor with the large population of baptists in Rome at the time.(it didnt work) This is fact ....Plain and simply with the info that you guys have presented, it obvious that the Catholic church has extorted and killed million and millions of people.

And here's a fun fact, Did you know that before and after the Crusades Baptist were hunted down and slaughtered like animals and a large majority fled to muslim countries were they sought refuge and fought back along side the muslims(they were fighting the catholic at the time)

Do not confuse that Church from Hell, with what a Christian really is.

At this stage of my life I've never felt the need to revisit what I was taught from a young age - might change in the future, who knows?

I'm not sure where you're going with the "this is due to you being Australian" line but it'd be nice if you didn't swear because my kids are often around me when I'm reading RCM threads

Sorry i could have worded that part better, were I was going with the Australian bit is that your whole country is not overlyinterested in God believe the expression is "she be good mate". I didnt mean to offend

You'd be surprised about Australia, there are increasing numbers of anglo people "finding God". We're also arguably one of the most multicultural countries so you're just as likely to see a mosque as you are a church as you are a synagogue...From Wiki (sorry for being lazy) "At the 2006 Census, the most common responses for religion were Catholic (29.1%), Anglican (17.9%), Eastern Orthodox (4.3%), Islam (3.9%), Buddhist (3.7%) and Uniting Church (3.4%). 14.1% declared no religious affiliation, the lowest amount for any state in the nation. In total 64% of respondents declared themselves to be Christian"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Sydney<sup id="cite_ref-abs_4-0" class="reference"></sup>


BTW the expression is "she'll be right mate" & no offence taken

So what would happen if.....well to make it easy I will just call it the "tarzan syndrome". If a person grows up not knowing, seeing, or speaking to another person for his entire life, and he dies, does he go to hell because he did not believe in god?

Where did all the water go from the flood?

Is it possible that Mary got laid by some dude and got pregnant? Using "immaculate conception" as an excuse so she would still be thought of as a virgin?

How did Noah get 2 of every land animal on a boat? Were they all miniature sized?

How come all this impossible stuff happened thousands of years ago? Nothing impossible happens nowadays.

So what would happen if.....well to make it easy I will just call it the "tarzan syndrome". If a person grows up not knowing, seeing, or speaking to another person for his entire life, and he dies, does he go to hell because he did not believe in god?

I have asked this to just about every well trained and schooled religious person I have come acroos and the majority day that that person will go to heaven...

Where did all the water go from the flood?

Back behind the gaint damn that god created just over the edge of the earth (keep in mind the world is flat, do not listen to those "evil scientists")

Is it possible that Mary got laid by some dude and got pregnant? Using "immaculate conception" as an excuse so she would still be thought of as a virgin?

Nah, they just put that in in 300ad when the council of micenia (sp?) assembled the bible, in fact that is when all of the hard to belive stuff got put in. In all likely hood Jesus had a father.

How did Noah get 2 of every land animal on a boat? Were they all miniature sized?

No it was a big boat.

How come all this impossible stuff happened thousands of years ago? Nothing impossible happens nowadays.

Sure it does, a black Kenyan man beat a white woman and an old codger out to become the president of the USA!!!

Modern day miracle??????:lol: Gold......

Hi.Looks this one'll run & run.I'm not really clued up on the bible(had to read it in detention) .But it's caused a lot of trouble for a lot of people,Ireland for 250 years, of various factions slaughtering each other. I don't understand why people want people to worship at thier church/synagog/ etc.Wouldn't that mean if they worshipped hard enough,when they died they'd have enemies in heaven? Why do people want others to worship thier god? Why not keep it to you & yours? The bit about burning in hell (basically all christianity) is made to scare people into fearing doing anything the priest says is wrong (when they can freely *ugger little boys,then repent & alls well with god) .So can I go around doing what I feel like ,repent,& I'll get a welcoming from St peter??? I don't think so.Contradictions don't bode well for any organization. I can't see why people who aren't starving/at war need something to rely on,that hasn't proven itself.A gun WILL protect you & your family,How can a picture of a 2000 year old hippy? Also ,aren't religious people supposed to live a less lavish lifestyle,the vatican is one of the richest states in europe, & virtually no one lives there,,,,? The classic billy graham,wanted to build a religious disney land,in HIS name! Baffled? I am ;)

Back to the OT...
 

Westboro iDiots use iphone to announce Jobs' funeral pretest on twitter.

Christ they are dumb. I hope his body reanimates long enough to strangle them.

Scratch my first post- when they turn up outside your school Bigsteel, make sure you run the lot of them over, then back over them, then set them on fire if there are any survivors.

Or, pay a homeless guy $100 to do it for you ( use a false name and wear a mask when meeting him to arrange it ).

No, seriously...

People like these extremist "christians" make me so angry, they should burn in their own little hell. With more torture and flame.

YEAH!

Thomas