All I really desire is freedom FROM religion. - No offense has been intended

[Logical]

I think some here misunderstand my intent as being a hater of people who are believers. If you have been around a long time you would have seen me defend many different religious types from the bigotry of so called Christians.

I personally believe there is a creator(s) but I also suffer from the illogical nature of the idea where did they come from?

So being as we are approaching a religious season for most religions I select this time to apologize for any hurt I may have caused any of the posters on this BB who mean well.

This is a thread not intended to stir the shit so hopefully it can stay in the Lounge.

[Chieficus]

Originally Posted by frazod

Sounds like a great place for my religion=masturbation theory.

Religion is like masturbation. If it makes you happy, by all means, partake. But keep it to yourself, and spare me the details. And try not to get any on me.

Interesting...

The thing is: some people think that Christians should just keep to themselves, sit at home in their favorite chair curled up with their leather bound book, and not bother the world. But... when you live with a worldview where people who do not repent and come to faith in Christ are heading towards an eternal hell, you believe that all humans share an equal and intrinsic worth simply for being human, and God has commanded you to be loving and share the Gospel, then you have a hard time just sitting back and keeping out of other people's lives...

If I come up to you on the street or talk to you on your porch and you tell me, "Go away," that's fine--it's your choice, I'll go... But I'm not going to hang back, never approach you, and be worried about offending you...

[jidar]

Originally Posted by Chieficus

Interesting...

The thing is: some people think that Christians should just keep to themselves, sit at home in their favorite chair curled up with their leather bound book, and not bother the world. But... when you live with a worldview where people who do not repent and come to faith in Christ are heading towards an eternal hell, you believe that all humans share an equal and intrinsic worth simply for being human, and God has commanded you to be loving and share the Gospel, then you have a hard time just sitting back and keeping out of other people's lives...

If I come up to you on the street or talk to you on your porch and you tell me, "Go away," that's fine--it's your choice, I'll go... But I'm not going to hang back, never approach you, and be worried about offending you...

and that, is precisely why so many people complain.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by jidar

and that, is precisely why so many people complain.

Exactly.

I don't come to your door and try and convince you that god doesn't exist. Please return the courtesy and leave me to my eternal hell. Thanks.

[Chieficus]

Originally Posted by jspchief

Exactly.

I don't come to your door and try and convince you that god doesn't exist. Please return the courtesy and leave me to my eternal hell. Thanks.

Hey, if I ever show up, you can always slam the door in my face...

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by Chieficus

Hey, if I ever show up, you can always slam the door in my face...

Yea, and maybe if my barking dog wakes my napping daughter again I'll just let him out to imbed the fear of god deeply into you, and jesus can sew your ass up at the pearly gates.

Your statement shows a clear disregard for my peace, time, and privacy. That's precisely why I harbor ill will towards you people.

[jidar]

Originally Posted by Chieficus

Hey, if I ever show up, you can always slam the door in my face...

hahaha
Honestly I've never been that bothered by it. That sort of thing had pretty much nothing at all to do with my decision when I gave up on faith.

I'd just politely tell you 'appreciated, but no thanks'.

[Braincase]

I like the old "judge not lest ye be judged" line of thinking. I guess for GoChiefs, he doesn't have to worry about being judged, so he's free to judge whatever he damn well feels like.

My opinion is that he's as asshat. And he'll neg rep me for saying so, and probably call me a hypocrite, saying that I judged him, when in fact, all I did was offer an opinion based on his past actions.

[noa]

Originally Posted by Chieficus

Hey, if I ever show up, you can always slam the door in my face...

Are all the godless heathens who live in the remote areas of this world condemned to eternal hell because you can't make it to their doorsteps to show them the light?

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by noa949

Are all the godless heathens who live in the remote areas of this world condemned to eternal hell because you can't make it to their doorsteps to show them the light?

Yes, there's probably some man in a remote tribe in some jungle that's never done anything but live his life as a good husband and father that's going to burn in eternal hell because he didn't give 10% of his monthly bananas and monkey teeth to the molester in the biggest hut in the village.

[Chieficus]

Originally Posted by jspchief

Yea, and maybe if my barking dog wakes my napping daughter again I'll just let him out to imbed the fear of god deeply into you, and jesus can sew your ass up at the pearly gates.

If it works for you...

Originally Posted by jspchief

Your statement shows a clear disregard for my peace, time, and privacy. That's precisely why I harbor ill will towards you people.

If you get that upset over someone knocking on your door, then I'd say your ill will runs a little deeper than concern for your peace, time, and privacy...

[ChiefFripp]

Originally Posted by Logical

I think some here misunderstand my intent as being a hater of people who are believers. If you have been around a long time you would have seen me defend many different religious types from the bigotry of so called Christians.

I personally believe there is a creator(s) but I also suffer from the illogical nature of the idea where did they come from?

So being as we are approaching a religious season for most religions I select this time to apologize for any hurt I may have caused any of the posters on this BB who mean well.

This is a thread not intended to stir the shit so hopefully it can stay in the Lounge.

I'm like you and believe that humans (atleast at present), can't possibly understand something like the universes' creation/creator. It would be even more impossible than getting an ant to describe the pyramids . It's like asking when time began or what's outside of the universe. These questions simply cannot be answered by the human mind. I mean when you give a monotheist God sex organs, what does that tell you? We create myths for things we can't possibly understand which is why I believe God was created in Man's image...not the other way around.

But I do believe in God. I really have felt the presence of what I would like to think of as benevolent higher being. When you look at the universe, it's very hard to believe that certain things just happen at random, without some higher intelligence guiding them. I have accepted the fact that I am a lower being to this higher intelligence and that the truth will or will not be revealed to me according to its wishes/design. Ego is what makes the human race feel like we are privy to this information.

However, the good thing is. If a being is truly of a higher nature, then it is by default what most humans would be considered good. I doubt a creator of this magnitude would be evil or indifferent.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Chieficus

Interesting...

The thing is: some people think that Christians should just keep to themselves, sit at home in their favorite chair curled up with their leather bound book, and not bother the world. But... when you live with a worldview where people who do not repent and come to faith in Christ are heading towards an eternal hell, you believe that all humans share an equal and intrinsic worth simply for being human, and God has commanded you to be loving and share the Gospel, then you have a hard time just sitting back and keeping out of other people's lives...

If I come up to you on the street or talk to you on your porch and you tell me, "Go away," that's fine--it's your choice, I'll go... But I'm not going to hang back, never approach you, and be worried about offending you...

Well, I'm glad you don't know where my porch is.

I have no problem with religion at a fundamental level - instilling base values and character (if it's used that way, as opposed to, say, teaching children it's okay to strap on a bomb and blow children of the wrong god up). But I thoroughly believe that the more organized religion is, the worse it gets. Good luck naming an organization that has caused more suffering and reeruned the advancement of our species more than the Catholic Church. I'd really like that 1,000 or so years back. Oh well. No star trekking for me, I guess. Darn.

I see religion (ALL OF THEM) for what it is - a tool for good or evil. It can be used to instill sound values or bend gullable fools to the will of the charismatic. Right or wrong, for better or worse, I have my own views on God, Jesus, heaven and hell, and I really don't care to hear anybody else's at this point.

As for the idea of all non-Christians burning in hell because they haven't been saved, well, sorry, I just don't buy into that. What of the untold millions (billions?) of people who have lived and died since Christ's time who were simply never exposed to Christianity? I am supposed to believe that they all now roast in hell because of geography or upbringing, regardless of how they lived their many lives? Think about it - that's simply preposterous. We are what we're programmed to be by our parents and our communities; it's always been that way. And good and evil certainly transend any human notions of religion.

[Chieficus]

Originally Posted by jidar

hahaha
Honestly I've never been that bothered by it. That sort of thing had pretty much nothing at all to do with my decision when I gave up on faith.

I'd just politely tell you 'appreciated, but no thanks'.

That's how I find most people to be who don't want to listen. To which I say: "Okay, thanks for your time," and move on...

Though I do understand how some can get really annoying--those who come and try to put their foot in your door and won't go away... heck, I'll even slam the door in their faces...

[HonestChieffan]

Read your post and still have no idea why you made it, why I should care, or why you feel a need to bring this up.

If those who do know Christ and have accepted him were to make posts like this pronouncing our beliefs, people like you would strongly and loudly object.

[Chieficus]

Originally Posted by noa949

Are all the godless heathens who live in the remote areas of this world condemned to eternal hell because you can't make it to their doorsteps to show them the light?

I'm a Calvinist... my views on that is that God is sovereign and He's going to save whomever He desires to save--He simply uses us as the mouth pieces. Now as such if there are some godless heathens living in a remote area that He wants saved, He'll get a messenger of the Gospel there. On top of that, given the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18ff, I think we should do what we can not just to stand on door steps but also to get people into those remote parts, but ultimately, in the end--the results are up to God.