[Rumor]

10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!

6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."

3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.

2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

*duck and cover*

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

*duck and cover*

God's smite-rays, much like atomic blasts, are unable to penetrate the protective shielding of a school desk made with American Labor™.

[The Left]

agrees with Elton John, Christianity should be banned.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by The Left 

agrees with Elton John, Christianity should be banned.

I wouldn't go that far.

People can choose whichever religion that they want. When it is forced upon others or atrocities are committed in the name of (insert religion here), that is what should be banned. Not the religion itself.

[The Left]

problem is all religion itself...

at its most general incarnation religion is just a feeble minded persons acceptance of being told what to do and to accept being put upon.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by The Left 

problem is all religion itself...

at its most general incarnation religion is just a feeble minded persons acceptance of being told what to do and to accept being put upon.

The problem is people, plain and simple.

If gathering together and worshipping a god is what inspires people to do good things, who are you to take that away?

[The Left]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

The problem is people, plain and simple.

If gathering together and worshipping a god is what inspires people to do good things, who are you to take that away?

the problem is those "good things" are just tools of oppression.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by The Left 

the problem is those "good things" are just tools of oppression.

Wow. You're a piece of work.

[lpkmckenna]

Gee, and "the left" wonders why their ideology doesn't catch on.

Familiar with the phrases "freedom of religion" and "intellectual liberty" ???

BTW Rumor: hilarious list.

[BlueSky]

Make way for the Kevinator.

[TheWOAT]

Funny list. The good thing about science is that not everyone can become a scientist, while anyone can join a religion. Christianity needs better quality control.

[Railroader]

Pretty much all ten except 3, 2, and 1. And 5 as well I guess.

It amazes me how much time non-Christins spend thinking about Christianity. But it cheers me up to think you guys are doing all you can to deny the truth.

[ironknee]

great list

i got a question about the whole "speaking in tongues" thing...are they speaking in a real language that someone, besides the speaker, on planet earth would recognize?

like, "oh she just said chicken wings patio furnature!"

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

It amazes me how much time non-Christins spend thinking about Christianity.

How delightfully self-centered of you. Tell me, did you ever find it odd how much time certain non-mulsims on this board spend thinking about Islam? And has been noted, America (among others) is a country of mostly christians; why wouldn't non-christians notice christianity once in a while, considering it's shoved down our throats biannually?

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

How delightfully self-centered of you. Tell me, did you ever find it odd how much time certain non-mulsims on this board spend thinking about Islam? And has been noted, America (among others) is a country of mostly christians; why wouldn't non-christians notice christianity once in a while, considering it's shoved down our throats biannually?

I found this from someone that goes by Athena. It has something directly to do with America being founded by Christians.

Originally Posted by Athena

MYTH 1: The US was founded on Christian principles.

TRUTH:

This is incorrect.
The Constitution never once mentions a deity, because the Founding Fathers wanted to keep their new country "religion-neutral." Our Founding Fathers were an eclectic collection of Atheists, Deists, Christians, Freemasons and Agnostics.

George Washington, the Father of our country, and John Adams (Second President of the USA) CLEARLY stated in the 1796 Treaty of Tripoli: "The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian Religion.”

G.W. rarely attended church and instead followed a popular 18th century philosophy called Deism—a Star Wars-esque philosophy that believed in a cosmic energy or big-ass universal "Force." The dictionary says that Deism is "a system of thought advocating natural religion based on human reason rather than revelation," that had nothing to do with Christian principles.

James Madison, original mastermind of our Constitution, was an Atheist to the core who loved skewering Christianity. In 1785 he wrote, "What have been [Christianity’s] fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution.”

Thomas Jefferson, who sat down and authored The Declaration of Independence, rarely missed an opportunity to laugh at Christianity. In a letter to John Adams in 1823, he wrote: "The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus…will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter."

More ammo: In 1814, Tommy J. wrote about the Bible's Old and New Testaments, "The whole history of these books is so defective and doubtful -- evidence that parts have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds.”

In fact, it was President Jefferson himself who first wrote (to a Baptist church group in 1802), "The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between Church and State." Therefore, when Jefferson talked about “Nature’s God,” the “Creator” and “divine Providence ” in the Declaration that he wrote, he was being a hippie and referring to a general cosmic energy-- not the Christian God.

America is not a Christian nation. Period. Our Constitution derived from the post-Christian Enlightenment values of reason and truth...never from the paranoid yammerings of that otherwise compassionate cult leader who ****ing died in the Middle Eastern desert 3000 years ago.


MYTH 2: US Conservatives tend to be patriotic, ethical Americans; liberals tend to hate America and are immoral.

TRUTH:

Liberals aren't the traitors to America. In fact, conservatives who insist on sending American troops into the Iraqi slaughterhouse to watch some blood-n'-guts "towelhead" ass-kickin' are the traitors. Most of them could care less about our troops, no more than Mao or Stalin cared about the safety of their own soldiers. In the neocons' view, these young boys and girls are expendable test dummies. They're dying for virtually nothing, so that the hicks in the Bush Admin can make good on their campaign promises to their buddies from the petroleum and infrastructure-rebuilding industries. By revving up the Arab threat, these MFs can scream "national security" and "freedom" as smokescreens, while getting their hands on a diminishing resource: Middle Eastern fossil fuels, which power everything from your lightbulbs and computer that you leave on all night, to your stupid gas-guzzler pickup truck.

Pro-war conservatives are the traitors to America. With only 29% of the public approving of Bush's policies now, it took a full 5 years for America to finally wake up in bed next to this disgusting fact.

Do liberals hate America? No, in fact they care so much about the USA that they fight so aggressively to make it better. They're not anti-American; they're just anti-stupidity. Do liberals hate American policies? Sometimes, but only the self-destructive ones that threaten human rights, liberty, democracy, justice, inquiry, excellence and reason-- the values that our country was founded upon.

As for conservative moral superiority? Frauds. Think of the child-molesting priests, money-scamming televangelist preachers, Jack Abramoff's friends in the Bush Admin, gay-hating Jesus lovers, the Christians who beat up the professor who opposed intelligent design, human rights violators like Lynndie England and her Abu Ghraib hick officer pals, Tommy "Scandal-icious" Delay, Scooter "Leaky" Libby, the entire K Street Project meant to hire only Republicans, FEMA's Michael "Yer doin' a heckuva job" Brownie, and so on.

Oh and by the way, conservative Red states have a divorce rate 27% higher than the liberal Blue states, the per capita rate of violent crime in Red states is 49 per 100,000 higher than in Blue states, the top 5 states with the highest rates of alcohol abuse are Red states, and the per capita rate of gonorrhea in Red states was 41 per 100,000 higher than in the Blue states. Time to unshelf the antibiotics for our "ethical," "God-fearing" conservative friends with their "traditional family values."


MYTH 3. The US has a liberal media.

TRUTH:

This is a paranoid Republican myth.
Reality check: the US media is a mix of liberal, centrist and conservative voices. Also, the US media is largely owned by 10 corporations who frequently push pro-conservative agendas to the American public. Evidence:

1. Even Republican Pat Buchanan confessed, "For heaven sakes, we kid about the liberal media, but every Republican on earth does that." Neo-conservative pundit Bill Kristol also said, "I admit it: the liberal media were never that powerful, and the whole thing was often used as an excuse by conservatives for conservative failures."

2. A 2005 study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics found that "coverage by public television and radio is conservative compared to the rest of the mainstream media." Why? Partly because only four major corporate networks control American TV news-- up to 75% of the audience share. The "Big 10" media conglomerates who control the bulk of the entire US media are: AOL Time Warner, Disney, General Electric, News Corporation, Viacom, Vivendi, Sony, Bertelsmann, AT&T and Liberty Media. Yes, we have National Public Radio, but compare its public reach to that of Canada's CBC and the United Kingdom's BBC.

3. Eighty percent of all US newspapers are owned by corporate chains.

4. Liberals are virtually non-existent on talk radio stations nationwide. Rush and Dr. Laura, eat your hearts out.

5. Conservatives are very well accomodated for across FOX News, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, the New York Post, the American Spectator, the Weekly Standard, the Drudge Report, the National Review, etc. Even so-called "bastions of liberalism," e.g. the NY Times, MSNBC, WashPost and NPR make a concerted effort to be "fair and balanced" by bringing in right-wing views like those of David Brooks, Joe Scarborough, Tucker Carlson, Charles Krauthammer and Cokie Roberts to have their say in these forums, respectively. This is in stark contrast to FOX News' claims to unbiased objectivity, which were easily demolished by Robert Greenwald in 2004.

6. Contrary to what some paranoid Republicans claim, most journalists are centrists, not liberals. A representative sample of 141 US journalists and bureau chiefs were asked in 1998, "On social issues, how would you characterize your political orientation?" Answers: Left 30%, Center 57%, Right 9%, Other 5% . Next question, same sample: "On economic issues, how would you characterize your political orientation? " Answers: Left 11%, Center 64%, Right 19%, Other 5%. Also, look at the total number of think tank citations in major newspapers, radio and TV transcripts: Conservative TTs: 7792, Centrist TTs: 6361, Liberal TTs: 1152.

7. Eric Alterman summarizes a 1999 research study from the academic journal Communications Research: "Four scholars examined the use of the 'liberal media' argument and discovered a fourfold increase in the number of Americans telling pollsters that they discerned a liberal bias in their news. But a review of the media's actual ideological content, collected and coded over a twelve-year period, offered no corroboration whatever for this view."


MYTH 4. The US doesn’t need improvement compared to other countries; it is the greatest country in the world.

TRUTH:
Wrong again. I'll only cite the statistics here.

USA Ranking on Adult Literacy Scale: #9
(#1 Sweden and #2 Norway)- OECD

USA Ranking on Healthcare Quality Index: #37
(#1 France and #2 Italy)- World Health Organization 2003

USA Ranking of Student Reading Ability: #12
(#1 Finland and #2 South Korea)- OECD PISA 2003

USA Ranking of Student Problem Solving Ability: #26
(#1 South Korea and #2 Finland)- OECD PISA 2003

USA Ranking on Student Mathematics Ability: # 24
(#1 Hong Kong and #2 Finland)- OECD PISA 2003

USA Ranking of Student Science Ability: #19
(#1 Finland and #2 Japan)- OECD PISA 2003

USA Ranking on Women's Rights Scale: #17
(#1 Sweden and #2 Norway)- World Economic Forum Report

USA Position on Timeline of Gay Rights Progress: # 6 (1997)
(#1 Sweden 1987 and #2 Norway 1993)- Vexen

USA Ranking on Life Expectancy: #29
(#1 Japan and #2 Hong Kong)- UN Human Development Report 2005

USA Ranking on Journalistic Press Freedom Index: #32
(#1 Finland, Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands tied)- Reporters Without Borders 2005

USA Ranking on Political Corruption Index: #17
(#1 Iceland and #2 Finland)- Transparency International 2005

USA Ranking on Quality of Life Survey: #13
(#1 Ireland and #2 Switzerland)- The Economist Magazine ...Wikipedia "Celtic Tiger" if you still have your doubts.

USA Ranking on Environmental Sustainability Index: #45
(#1 Finland and #2 Norway)- Yale University ESI 2005

USA Ranking on Overall Currency Strength: #3 (US Dollar)
(#1 UK pound sterling and #2 European Union euro)- FTSE 2006....the dollar is now a liability, so many banks worldwide have planned to switch to euro

USA Ranking on Infant Mortality Rate: #32
(#1 Sweden and #2 Finland)- Save the Children Report 2006

USA Ranking on Human Development Index (GDP, education, etc.): #10
(#1 Norway and #2 Iceland)- UN Human Development Report 2005


So much for those "socialist" Europeans and those "backward" Asians, hm?
We can do better than this.

Miscellany:
*Only 18% of Americans own passports and bother to travel outside of the US.
* 85% of US soldiers in Iraq believe that they are there to get revenge for 9/11.
* New international student enrollment in US grad schools has decreased by 6%, because of xenophobic post-9/11 US visa restrictions, jacked-up tuition fees and better educational opportunities in the EU and Asia. So no, not everyone wants to come here anymore, because it's become a land of incredibly limited opportunity, and we've lowered our educational standards.


MYTH 5: The US government loves to help other countries.

TRUTH:
This is a myth. The US government tends to be motivated by interests, not humanitarian principles.

Denmark gives the most amount of its GDP (1.01%) to developing countries; Norway gives 0.91%; the Netherlands give 0.79% and so on until the end of list, where the USA sits. Yes, America ranks DEAD LAST in foreign aid at a pathetic 0.1% of its GDP, compared to the other 21 nations listed as developed nations. The idea that the US government is a heroic bunch that runs around the world helping the poor and the disempowered is not backed up by the evidence. We have one of the stingiest governments on earth.

Most Americans believe the US spends 24% of its budget on aid to poor countries; the actual amount is well under a quarter of 1%. Our country also ranks #5 on asylum-seeker acceptance rates (#1 is Denmark and #2 is Canada).

For you self-congratulatory, redneck-inspired conservative ****wads who will start to say, "B-b-b-but you're anti-American! M-m-m-moonbat! G-g-g-god bless the USA!" I answer, "Go **** yourself. We can do better." Stop blindly believing everything your president tells you. Come back to us only when you start realizing that the $400 billion your president has allocated to his Roman Empire-style military overstretch could be better spent on correcting the sociopolitical and economic problems in the arenas that I've listed above.

For you liberal ****-heels who will start to say, "Yeah! Right on!" I answer, "Grow some ****ing balls." That goes for women and the LGBT community too, and don't call me a sexist either: I'm more than comfortable with being a female, but I believe balls can be useful in situations like these. Instead, stop apologizing for being the "liberal elite," and start championing un-abashed excellence in everything, not mediocrity. Help your reps and senators take back Congress, and stop dithering while the political tides are turning in your favor right now. The conservatives are terrified now; TAKE advantage of that. And don't waste time trying to explain rational things to any homophobic Christians, or hyper-patriotic losers who wave and cheapen our American flag only for a self-esteem buzz, or those testosterone-filled, gullible, culturally-ignorant military recruiter robots who lack even a basic intelligence. THEY CANNOT BE REASONED WITH. They don't understand statistics, elaborate charts, legislative proposals or complicated scientific explanations. Just let them go. Let them go.

In the meantime, stop being SHEEP and get up and do something before some bright and ambitious Chinese, Indian and the European students grow up to be international leaders and make your lazy, self-absorbed kids irrelevant on the world stage.

If this is a reasonable manifesto, click "best of," upper right-hand corner.

Athena

[TheWOAT]

"*Only 18% of Americans own passports and bother to travel outside of the US."**

Bother? People don't bother to leave a tip, or courtesy flush, but traveling requires cash and permission from your employer... Its easier to visit other countries in Europe than Americans to visit other states in the US.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

I found this from someone that goes by Athena. It has something directly to do with America being founded by Christians.

Eh, that's fine, but it doesn't even address whether the founding fathers were predominantly christian, only whether their documents were. I was talking about American society, which is predominantly christian, both now and in the 1700s. And that's not even what either of us said. We both said a nation of (mostly) christians, not a christian nation. Also, you should probably cite your source, and take out all that other distraction that has nothing to do with religion; it's just inflamatory and not relevant.

[- - e r i k - -]

Funny that how the largely secular coutries of Scandinavia and other Nordic countries seem to top every list position. Shouldn't God in his infinite wisdom have smoted us a long time ago?

Maybe he's just testing you. You know, like with those fossils

[medicineman]

Instead of attacking, you should thank us. If we didn't exist, you'd have to find someone else to hate.

[Kevin]

Top Sign You're a Fundamentalist anti-Christian bigot.

1. You actually think this represents Christians.

Oh and rule 8 violation.

[ebuddy]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

I've never been outraged at anything suggested by others. If they're curious about my faith, I'm happy to oblige. If they believe in a thousand other gods, I hope nothing more than that they have ample prayer time for each. I'm to be a "light that shines" not a hammer that thumps.

9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

Hmm, they sound ironically similar to me. That said; my faith is not in mankind and as such should not take the findings of man a personal afront to me. Likewise, I've been insulted by the Bible. The purpose of it in many cases is particularly to "dehumanize". I wouldn't expect you to understand, but I'm happy to explain if you're curious.

8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

Interestingly, faith in this "Triune God" has facilitated the orchestration of immense aid provided to those who've been traditionally laughed at such as the inferm, the elderly, the handicapped, the mentally ill, and the poor. This occurs in many parts of the country that adhere to the teachings of polytheism; places in the world the secular have long-since forgotten. Really, the only things I laugh at are feeble arguments such as the ones intended to flame-bait those of faith. Posts riddled with generalizations not founded in fact, but simpleton vitriol.

7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!

My face does not turn purple. My face turns solemn and sober, but it does not utter indictments against all those of that faith. That said, we are not comparing the atrocities committed in ancient Egypt with those being committed today in almost every region of the globe. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. They indicate an Old and New Covenant (agreement, relationship) with Creation. One requires the other to exist. If man is required to exact disciplinary action upon those it deems destructive, why could a god not then exact His own upon His creation?

6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

I've not once laughed at one of any other faith beit in man or a god or many gods.

5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

It would be a waste of time looking for little loopholes in something as dynamic as the "established" age of the earth which changes as our understanding of data changes. I'm willing to accept the age of the earth as it is commonly "accepted" by the scientific community. You should not construe the rantings of a few in Christian "leadership" as representative of the whole of the Christian collective; fundamentalist, maximalists, minimalists, or otherwise.

4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."

"eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering" is a misinterpretation of the Biblical text by one who tries to suggest a superior understanding of it. I, as a fundamentalist Christian, am not qualified to deem who is and who is not worthy of "Hell and Suffering" because I too am a sinner and the wage of one sin is death. It behooves me as a fundamentalist, to not laugh at others' faiths, not judge others' salvation, and not coerce my faith upon another in building a foundation unlikely to withstand doubt. "Sheol" is the absence of God. It is therefore logical that one who does not believe in God will be absent of Him. If this is a sorrowful state, I hope I've been able to effectively avoid that state and for any curious, have enabled them also to avoid that state. What that state is entirely, I have no idea.

3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.

Why must the disciplines of science be relegated as a field designed to "convince me otherwise"? Because you feel this is its intent??? I suppose any idiot who casually glances a cover of National Geographic would be qualified to tell me what science is and what it is not? By the way, I've seen many an educated "idiot" profess the degree of faith that would have them "rolling on the floor" speaking in tongues. Isn't this the very mockery and intolerance this post was supposed to be directing at the fundamentalist Christian?

Do you also laugh at and mock the Hindu practice of the Dusshera rituals in which "possessions" are enacted to bring about an agreement between a commune deity and its royal family? Are they idiots to you as well? What makes you (or evilbible.com as it were) more tolerant of Hinduism and other religious practices than fundamentalist Christians are?

2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

Please cite for me the 0.01% figure as the accepted "success rate" for answered prayers among the fundamentalist Christian.

1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.

It seems the intellectual qualification necessary to make this point is the ability to copy-paste a list from a website. Of course, the mockery contained within including the use of the word "idiots" when referring to religious worship also indicates an augmented degree of tolerance and loving. I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible to question the tenets of Christianity in this way without being an absolute hypocrite.

By all means tell me what religion gave rise to this degree of enlightenment, tolerance, and compassion?

[Kevin]

I just want to learn how to be condescending and belittling so I too can be an atheist.

Oh wait, I think it's already happening.

I feel the need to pat myself on the back now and tell everyone how I am much smarter than people that believe.

Maybe while I am attempting to convince myself, others might buy it as well.

[nonhuman]

In fact, it was President Jefferson himself who first wrote (to a Baptist church group in 1802), "The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between Church and State." Therefore, when Jefferson talked about “Nature’s God,” the “Creator” and “divine Providence ” in the Declaration that he wrote, he was being a hippie and referring to a general cosmic energy-- not the Christian God.

Thomas Jefferson was a hippie?

[Kevin]

I would say that was a stretch and a half.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by Kevin 

I just want to learn how to be condescending and belittling so I too can be an atheist.

Oh wait, I think it's already happening.

I feel the need to pat myself on the back now and tell everyone how I am much smarter than people that believe.

Maybe while I am attempting to convince myself, others might buy it as well.

Everyone has the potential to be condescending and belittling. I know that I at times have a hard stop stopping my self from stooping to that level but, on the whole, I think that I generally do a pretty good job of being an open-minded and even compassionate atheist. Although I think you, in particular, are well aware that I can go either way at times....

[ironknee]

looking down my nose: we are smarter.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

How delightfully self-centered of you. Tell me, did you ever find it odd how much time certain non-mulsims on this board spend thinking about Islam? And has been noted, America (among others) is a country of mostly christians; why wouldn't non-christians notice christianity once in a while, considering it's shoved down our throats biannually?

Thank you.

OK, show me on here where non-Muslims constantly start posts mocking Muslims. Where people are obviously making fun of them. It ain't happenin'.

And who on here is shoving Christianity down your throat? 99.95%* of all Christian related thread are started by non-Christians.

*a rough estimate, I'll admit.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

OK, show me on here where non-Muslims constantly start posts mocking Muslims.

You said thinking, I said thinking. There is no constant mocking of christians here either.

And while we're at it, why do non-democrats keep starting threads about democrats? Why do non-criminals start threads about criminals, and why do non-smokers start threads about smoking? Why do non-scientists start threads about science? Why do non-teachers start threads about education? Your initial complaint was childishly naive.

And who on here is shoving Christianity down your throat? 99.95%* of all Christian related thread are started by non-Christians.

*a rough estimate, I'll admit.

ahem

[aristotles]

Should we come up with a top ten list for bigots in denial?

1. You feel the need to post bigoted top ten list in an effort to stave off your insecurity in your disbelief of God.

*Pictures Rumor rocking back and forth in a corner mumbling: "God does not exist, Jesus is not the son of God" over and over again.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

You said thinking, I said thinking. There is no constant mocking of christians here either.

And while we're at it, why do non-democrats keep starting threads about democrats? Why do non-criminals start threads about criminals, and why do non-smokers start threads about smoking? Why do non-scientists start threads about science? Why do non-teachers start threads about education? Your initial complaint was childishly naive.

No constant mocking of Christians in here? Perhaps you should read the first reply to the thread you link to. You are the one doing it!!!

The only one being childishly naive here is you. Comparing Christianity to politics et al.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

ahem

Thanks for the ammunition. Talk about naive.

[Sayf-Allah]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Funny that how the largely secular coutries of Scandinavia and other Nordic countries seem to top every list position. Shouldn't God in his infinite wisdom have smoted us a long time ago?

Maybe he's just testing you. You know, like with those fossils

IIRC two of those Nordic countries aren't secular (no division of state and church).

[Sayf-Allah]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Thank you.

OK, show me on here where non-Muslims constantly start posts mocking Muslims. Where people are obviously making fun of them. It ain't happenin'.

And who on here is shoving Christianity down your throat? 99.95%* of all Christian related thread are started by non-Christians.

*a rough estimate, I'll admit.

Have mojaberdeemarden on ignore?

[King Bob On The Cob]

Oh please continue, I must know how savage and unenlightened I am. Please show me the way.

Anyways, I call shenanigans on your America sucks list. Sorry, as soon as I started reading about how bad our socialized healthcare is, I knew it had to be put together by someone hell bent on giving the government more control.

Here's a hint: When you give a government control it rarely gives it back and usually it gets corrupted and bloated.
Plus, if you want our schooling to go up, we need to get into another Cold War fiasco. The only way to really convince our government that we need better education is to have enemies who have better education and could possibly beat us with military technology. Go get them tiger.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Sayf-Allah 

Have mojaberdeemarden on ignore?

Sure I see threads critical of Islam, but none openly mocking like these anti-Christian thread do.

I have nothing with valid criticisms of my religion, but openly mocking it just shows ignorance.

[aristotles]

Originally Posted by Sayf-Allah 

IIRC two of those Nordic countries aren't secular (no division of state and church).

Thanks for pointing that out. It highlights how some people on the internet paint people with a broad brush without doing any research whatsoever.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

No constant mocking of Christians in here? Perhaps you should read the first reply to the thread you link to. You are the one doing it!!!

OMG! Once a year the Xtians get a taste of what they dish out during the rest of it! Poor bastards.

The only one being childishly naive here is you. Comparing Christianity to politics et al.

So Christianity is somehow above it all? (But Islam is not?)
Lest ye forget:
"Politics, war, religion, party bickering, etc. Please check straw men at the door."

Thanks for the ammunition. Talk about naive.

You're the one who somehow thinks one can live in America and not notice christianity. That thread is the epitome of the proof to the contrary. Salty didn't even realize that CHRISTmas was Christian, rather than a part of his own personality. A lot of people think that, and about twice a year they make sure you don't forget it, no matter who you are.

Any American who doesn't mention Christianity once in a while is like a fish who doesn't mention water. It's written on the currency, for christ's sakes (fyi, that's an American expression, not a religious one). For you to suggest otherwise is absurd.

[King Bob On The Cob]

Uncle Skeleton,

I'm sorry you feel that way, but know that I have to hear continuous complaining about how Christians are putting people down on just about every forum I visit. Most of the people also harp on how stupid we are for having beliefs that cannot be proven through trial and error. (This happens in real life once you start talking to "enlightened intellectuals" in college)

So, we call you evil, vilify you, and bitch about people trying to stop Christians from celebrating their holidays in public. This causes the people that dislike Christians to point and shout that we're putting them down and how stupid we are.

Vicious circle, eh?

[christ]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

... for christ's sakes (fyi, that's an American expression, not a religious one).

Bollocks. It is a profanity that is profane precisely because of the religious nature of the subject.

... and it is an Anglo-Saxon expression, not an American one.

... and it should have a capital 'C' to avoid implicating innocent bystanders.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

OMG! Once a year the Xtians get a taste of what they dish out during the rest of it! Poor bastards.

I have no idea want you're ranting about here. Explain it if you want, but I am not really interested.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

So Christianity is somehow above it all? (But Islam is not?)

Huh? See above.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

Lest ye forget:
"Politics, war, religion, party bickering, etc. Please check straw men at the door."

Oh the irony.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

You're the one who somehow thinks one can live in America and not notice christianity.

You wouldn't have noticed here if some anti-Chriatian wouldn't have brought it up.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

That thread is the epitome of the proof to the contrary.

Actually it's proof of the contrary.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

Salty didn't even realize that CHRISTmas was Christian, rather than a part of his own personality.

Strawman?

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

A lot of people think that, and about twice a year they make sure you don't forget it, no matter who you are.

Bull. You can celebrate Christmas and never have a single mention of the reason for it.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

Any American who doesn't mention Christianity once in a while is like a fish who doesn't mention water.

INCLUDING the ant-Christians.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

It's written on the currency, for christ's sakes (fyi, that's an American expression, not a religious one). For you to suggest otherwise is absurd.

Well golly. Is America a religious country or not? You don't like it, go to some other country where there isn't a religious presence. Until then, too bad for you eh?

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by christ 

Bollocks. It is a profanity that is profane precisely because of the religious nature of the subject.

... and it is an Anglo-Saxon expression, not an American one.

... and it should have a capital 'C' to avoid implicating innocent bystanders.

Uncle's never let the truth get in the way of the fallacies he spouts.

He'll never admit he is wrong. I certainly don't expect him to acknowledge it here

[aristotles]

I am sick and tired of these anti-religious bigots. I have too often fallen for flamebait threads like this. We Christians should realize that nobody can be argued into faith. Faith is a god given gift, a personal journey and a matter of the heart and soul, not the head.

I wish we could have an ignore list feature on this board but I will take the following steps to increase my calm.

1. Ignore Rumor, Red Rocket and other agitators on this board and others.
2. Disable viewing of sigs and Avatars. I am now well aware that that certain individuals create offensive sigs on purpose.
3. Avoid obvious flamebait threads.

I would suggest that any of my fellow Christians here on the board do the same. We should not feed the trolls. By taking the bait of these trolls we only succeed in loosing control of our tempers and end up projecting a poor image of Christianity to the world. This is exactly what they want because it feeds their ego and reassure them of their preconceived notions of Christians.

If we can learn to not feed the trolls, they will eventually give up and move on or start asking genuine questions about the faith. By answering questions about faith in a calm manner, we will be able to better represent Christ to the world. We should endeavour to set a good example of Christianity.

Peace be with you my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Ari.

*edit* I did not see the ignore list option. Bye Rumor and Red_Rocket.

[Peder Rice]

I think that atheists by and large grow, at times, furious with members like aristotles, because of an apparent refusal to accept logic and reason in light of immense and mounting data against religion. I liken it to kindergarten asking someone why they did something only to hear the reply, "Just because."

Uggh. Nothing is more grating.

I am an atheist because logically both scientifically and philosophically, all religions always fail miserably under the scope of scrutiny. And with every new bit of scientific information that surfaces (be that information collected in the realm of physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, or even historical), it corroborates with past information to make an even more damning case against Christianity, Hinduism, et al.

In spite of that, religion still dominates the thoughts of Americans; so blind and unwavering is the devotion to religious thought.

It's like hearing, "I believe in religion just because."

Uggh.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by Sayf-Allah 

IIRC two of those Nordic countries aren't secular (no division of state and church).

Uhm, having a state church has nothing to do with the personal beliefs or non-beliefs that the majority of the population subscribe to.



But your timing is immaculate. The Norwegian church council just voted in the separation of church and state. One down…

[medicineman]

Originally Posted by Peder Rice 

I think that atheists by and large grow, at times, furious with members like aristotles, because of an apparent refusal to accept logic and reason in light of immense and mounting data against religion. I liken it to kindergarten asking someone why they did something only to hear the reply, "Just because."

Uggh. Nothing is more grating.

I am an atheist because logically both scientifically and philosophically, all religions always fail miserably under the scope of scrutiny. And with every new bit of scientific information that surfaces (be that information collected in the realm of physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, or even historical), it corroborates with past information to make an even more damning case against Christianity, Hinduism, et al.

In spite of that, religion still dominates the thoughts of Americans; so blind and unwavering is the devotion to religious thought.

It's like hearing, "I believe in religion just because."

Uggh.

Perhaps you haven't thought about it as much as you think you have. Begin with the word 'belief'. A belief, by definition, does not require your consent or mark or approval.

If your life revolves only what can be seen and tested, I pity your poor life. And just what is it that you think you see? You see nothing, only what your mind can interpret from signals received via your optic nerve. How true do you 'believe' that to be? Can you replicate your visual experiences through multiple minds?

At the end of it all, allow me to think and believe what I wish, and I will allow you to do the same.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by medicineman 

Perhaps you haven't thought about it as much as you think you have. Begin with the word 'belief'. A belief, by definition, does not require your consent or mark or approval.

If your life revolves only what can be seen and tested, I pity your poor life. And just what is it that you think you see? You see nothing, only what your mind can interpret from signals received via your optic nerve. How true do you 'believe' that to be? Can you replicate your visual experiences through multiple minds?

At the end of it all, allow me to think and believe what I wish, and I will allow you to do the same.

Alternatively:
If you require the aid of an external force to see the beauty and majesty of the universe, I pity your poor life. And just what is it that you think you see? You see nothing, only what others have told you that you can see. How true do you 'know' that to be? Can you not see that it's more amazing that things as they are have arisen without an intelligence behind them than if there was?

[Taliesin]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Thank you.

OK, show me on here where non-Muslims constantly start posts mocking Muslims. Where people are obviously making fun of them. It ain't happenin'.

And who on here is shoving Christianity down your throat? 99.95%* of all Christian related thread are started by non-Christians.

*a rough estimate, I'll admit.

It has to do with being familiar with something. You are right, there are not that many threads trying to poke fun about Islam, because in order to make fun of something you need to be familiar with it.

Atheists here are familiar with christianity and therefore can easily poke fun.

That said, most threads about Islam here are fearmongering, for that being familiar with Islam is not necessary.

Taliesin

[Sayf-Allah]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Uhm, having a state church has nothing to do with the personal beliefs or non-beliefs that the majority of the population subscribe to.

That's true. But a nation isn't secular if they have a state church that's protected by the constitution.

But your timing is immaculate. The Norwegian church council just voted in the separation of church and state. One down…

... at least two still to go.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by Sayf-Allah 

That's true. But a nation isn't secular if they have a state church that's protected by the constitution.

... at least two still to go.

Having a state church has no meaning when no one attends or even cares.

[Sky Captain]

That said, most threads about Christianity here are fearmongering, for that being familiar with Christianity is not necessary.





The Capt'n