christian thread

Yes, I pointed that out, but a lot of voters wanted Nixon I think because Kennedy was Catholic.

I sort of have my own strange set of beliefs. I am Christian, but I admit that the scientific evidence is overwhelming. One day I thought to myself, "God must exist, but science points against the Bible". I decided that God created the Big Bang, and all science, and simply lays out of our view. This also voided a good portion of the Bible, but the New Testament remains relatively correct to me.

I like that. Finally, a Christian who admits that the Bible isn't 100% correct and every single word is true. Even today's public education, at least in the United States, disagrees with the Bible. They teach Children about the Big Bang theory, the creation of Earth, and the theory of evolution. You, sir, are one smart cookie.

Just going to point out:

and also

Also, Christianity never disproved evolution. Nobody ever said how long a day was without the sun or the moon. Odds are, the entire process is on a different time frame entirely. It can simply be said that, if you believe in such things, God orchestrated evolution and thus 'created' Adam.

Religious texts are vague so everyone can benefit from them. Nowhere in the bible did it say, "Also, if Fred doesn't worship god, kill him."
If a religion wants to interpret it like that, that is not the bible's fault. People blamed Mass Effect for a recent shooting. Even if Mass Effect caused it, is it the game's fault? Did BioWare make it with the intent of brainwashing people into killing others? Certainly not.

Thats true. But a lot of what people are taught through religious classes and/or people (who have gotten it passed down to them), is that adam and eve were made from sand and a bone (i think, something like that). What we really need in religion, is people creating PERSONAL views. I completely agree with your view, but as long as people are taught the way they are now, we will be in the minority forever.

I went to Catholic school for a bit, and then transferred to public school (best choice ever, IMO). So after i transferred, i went to Wednesday religion nights. We were lectured and taught every single time. Finally, in one of the big groups, i stood up and said "Why dont you just AID us, instead of teaching us your own views? Why dont you help us create our own?" I was told that i was wrong, and that they had the authority from god to teach us the correct views, and that the others were wrong. I said "Where does this authority come from?" They pointed to the bible. Then i said "Pick out one thing that we have been covering and please show me where you got it from." So they did. I then said "That is a personal interpretation of what you THINK is right. To me thats very wrong, to you that is very right. Please, tell me, where do you get your authority to force your personal views upon us?" So they told me that i needed to stop denying god. I told them that i didnt deny god, i denied them, and that if they think that they are god, that they need to open their eyes. So i got "expelled" (lol, oh nooooo) from the classes. That next week, 40 out of the 90 kids apparently told their parents what i had done, and they "got to quit" (direct quote) also. So now, according to the priest, im damned to hell What i, and a majority of the kids who followed me (all of the ones that always believed), learned was that when people werent telling us how to think and act, that religion was actually FUN. Yeah, i, a highschooler who goes to a largeish public highschool, just said that religion was FUN. I dont care that im damned to hell by the Catholics i know, because i know they are wrong. How can i be damned to hell because i became closer to god, and a better person because of it? Please, father Hennen, if you read this, sign up and give me one good reason why im going to hell! I do not support organized religions, usually, but i 100% support individual beliefs.

tl;dr Dont TEACH us your views, AID us on our own journey.

well i will not read all of these posts but this sums it up for me:
god is good.
that devil guy is bad.
end of discussion (on my end).

"Let the clergy damn our every emotion until every impulse is a revolution." - Alexisonfire
Your story reminded me of that song lyric.

Well, I think that this has gotten a bit out of control.
You should respect others beliefs and you can have your own, lets leave it at that.
If you don't have the same beliefs as someone else, its okay, you won't be punished.
Lets all be friends now

If you think about it, it's not that bad to think that your religion is better then everyone else's. You can think your religion is superior, but don't boast around. Respect everyone, and you get respected back. If you hate on someone, you get hated back. It's simple as that.

Of course, you will support your religion, just don't shove down peoples throats.

When my husband and I started going to the place we go on Tuesdays (it was originally on Wednesdays) we were a bit nervous because it had been a while since we had both been to a church and neither of us had great experiences in churches in the past. We sat talking to this guy and his wife, they're both in their late 30's early 40s and I remember him telling us "I don't like organized churches...I like disorganized ones." which blew us away and made us giggle. He explained it sort of like in your story.

I think this would be better if it was a bit more private. Maybe a if you are part of this SPECIFIC faith, and want to talk about faith than ask for an invite to my private conversation. Having something like this out in the open and public opens the group up to ridicule and patronizing. ALSO, there are MANY Christian faiths with completely opposite beliefs. This should be geared closer to a specific group or umbrella group, maybe Baptists in general, or a subsection of Baptists. It would go over better in the community and I think that you would enjoy it more. This could be a good place to discuss your faith or faith in general. I just don't see it as a place to try and sway/convert those to a faith or your faith specifically.

What you have encountered is typical for a so called "petty burgeois" culture - a culture with limited reach.

(I'm not really sure which words to use, English is not my mother language. I hope you can recognize and correct possible mistakes.)

Typical for such mentality:

- to feel endangered and search for security / safety in, let's say, unintelligent, immature ways, for example through social exclusion, social rejection, militarism

- that there is always (as there always is a need for) an external enemy, there is always a (virtual, imagined) border between "we" ("good") towards the "others" ("evil"). Who those "others" are can change with time and constant is only the need to distinguish and (imaginary) separate from some "others."

- there is strong need to feed the imagination of being better then "others," being superior

- pressure to keep (or feed the imagination of) (near perfect) harmony within the group. This group of "good" people "must" have the property of harmony. (Compare, if you want, with calls to declare EMC to be the best servers and the best community and admonishing anyone who would question that. "Place where everyone is happy." "We are the best!" )

- keeping up appearances and illusions, hypocrisy

- urge for (strict) rules, strictly following the rules, for "order" and "normality"

- demand for harsh or extreme punishments for "others" (if not in this world then in some hell) and own "outlaws" (compare, if you want, with permanent ban for speed/fly hack )

- need for censorship, the "true" "truth" must be protected by all means

- mistrust towards foreigners - down to xenophobia, racism

- kitsch, babbittry (Compare, if you want, with frolicking unicorns )

All (significant) religions i know of actually despise such mentality.
For example, compare the depiction of Pharisees in the New Testament - see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharisees#Pharisees_and_Christianity.

This mentality has really nothing to do with being religious, except that people with such mentality often try to find "their" "group of the good people" within a church or a sect, falsely presuming that a religion and/or a church might have a fixed, strict set of rules and measures, fixed morality which would allow them to distinguish in a childish and coward way between "good" and "evil" - and be, or just allow themselves to feel being part of the "good" group.

I often hear kids referring to Minecraft players, i.e. themselves as "good" and to creepers, zombies and other monsters as "evil." So, it's "good" vs. "evil" ... let's go kill the "evil" monsters.
But don't kill the (baby) sheep!

Honestly, every one of us, including myself, has some degree of this mentality ... sometimes

The illness starts when this mentality gets the upper hand, when a person or a group, whole community, sect, church or even whole nation departs from reason, good sense, rationality - and conscience.

The kernel of Christian belief:

It is not religion, it is the mentality of some people.
You're missing the target.

Did you mean colonel? Like the kfc guy?

I presume you were aiming at (and missing ) my post wrt kernel; and if so then, no, I did not mean colonel - as in army or kfc (yuck! ), but meant kernel (look it up if you don't understand) as spelt. If not, I don't understand your reference.

Kernel, like popcorn or a seed.

ker·nel noun \ˈkər-nəl\

Definition of KERNEL

1 chiefly dialect : a fruit seed

2: the inner softer part of a seed, fruit stone, or nut

3: a whole seed of a cereal <a kernel of corn>

4: a central or essential part : germ <like many stereotypes … this one too contains some kernels of truth — S. M. Lyman>

5: a subset of the elements of one set (as a group) that a function (as a homomorphism) maps onto an identity element of another set

Examples of KERNEL

1. There's not a kernel of truth in what they say.
2. <the kernel of your argument seems to be the inevitability of the division of that nation along ethnic lines>

Ah my lovely Panda - a mathematician?
a subset of the elements of one set (as a group) that a function (as a homomorphism) maps onto an identity element of another set

I sort of want to make an atheist thread as a retaliation to this.