Can't hurt to hear it again. Besides, I can't read minds. As far as I know, Worth still thinks everyone's got a personal vendetta against Christianity.

Yeah, dude, I covered that. And Worth understands (for the most part).

No other religion attempts to gain followers as fervently as Christianity. And the great majority of Christians prosetylize the wrong way. Nobody appreciates being told they believe the wrong thing.

I just got back from a large Christian gathering in Seattle and I heard things that bugged me more than anything, even though I've reconciled with Christianity at large. For instance, people would say that you can believe whatever you want and be whoever you want...provided you believe in Jesus Christ. "By Grace, Through Faith" was a big catchphrase, meaning you can't get to heaven simply by being a good person. If hearing that annoys people like my girlfriend, who is a fairly good Christian, then imagine how an atheist or a Buddhist will react upon hearing it.

When was the last time a Jew came up to you and shoved a Torah in your face? How many Muslims do you see preaching on street corners? Where are all the Buddhist gatherings and Hindu aid organizations? Like it or not, Christianity is the unofficial face of religion for the unchurched. And it's not an especially pretty face.

Worth, Christians like you and my girlfriend are a rarity, the silent minority of Christianity. All others are either blatant hypocrites, preaching the "bad news" to whoever is unfortunate enough to be near them, or apathetic bystanders, who act good in church and around their parents, but forget it all when they go to school or hang out with friends. Now, I really don't have any problem with the latter (heck, I'm one of them), but the former can really turn people away from Christianity. I'm of the belief that you needn't be a Christian to be somehow rewarded for whatever good you do in life. If you're a good person, you'll die and go to heaven, Nirvana, Valhalla, or what have you.

But the people who actually go out and try to convert the unchurched to Christianity see it a different way. If you don't believe in God exactly like they tell you to, you're going to hell, and that's it. At this gathering over the weekend, I was told that if you skip church to go to a picnic, that's opening up the door for Satan to come in and make you a drug-addicted rocker who dabbles in witchcraft. Pure bullshit, but that's what some Christians believe. And it's what they tell everyone else.

That's why everyone harps on Christianity. If someone has a quarrel with a Jew, Hindu, Muslim, or any member of a non-Christian religion, it usually doesn't have to do with being forcefully converted. But the majority of Christians shove their beliefs down the collective throat of the rest of the world. And as I said earlier, no one appreciates that.

Hopefully that clears things up a bit.

Yeah. When I said "covered" I meant, when they lay out the statistics of religion, all the denominations you listed fall under the category of Christianity. Which is why it always seems to large and overbearing to the outside.

quote:

Originally posted by Euterpe:
It's because Christianity is so large. It covers every religion inside of it (Catholicism, Protestants, etc.) so it gains the most attention.

I really have nothing to argue with about the content of your post but I wanted to point something out to you. It doesn't "cover every religion inside of it" and there is no "etc." after Catholicism and Protestants. Christianity is made up of Catholics and Protestants. There is no different religion - it is all Christianity - just different denominations. Now, I like to say that it's made up of Catholics, Protestants, and Mormons but that's not really accurate because Mormons are considered to be Protestant since they are not Catholic.

I think you probably knew all of this and just worded it wrongly in your post but I wanted to make sure because there are a lot of people with misconceptions about a Christian vs. say, as Lutheran when a Lutheran is a Christian. You know what I'm saying?

It's because Christianity is so large. It covers every religion inside of it (Catholicism, Protestants, etc.) so it gains the most attention.

Also, Jews and Atheists and Buddhists aren't really activists as readily as Christians are. Mostly, these religions stick to themselves. But because Christianity has such a reputation of rampant missionary work, it often gets targeted for negative attention.

quote:

Originally posted by Euterpe:
Atheists don't have television shows. Atheists don't have flocks of hundreds. Atheists don't have activists who stand outside the capitol to protest progressivism. Atheists don't tell leaders of countries' that their afflictions are the hand of God. Atheists dont think their beliefs should be law. Atheists don't think their way is the only way. Atheists don't have a history rooted in fear, oppression, and murder.

Do you see where I'm going with this? Christians can do great things for the world, and by and large they try (and do), but until you can weed out the lunatics abusing the dogma (i.e. Pat Robertson) it'll have a bad image.

I understand that but it still makes me so angry that it seems like either everyone has it out for the Christians or the Christians have it out for everyone else. In my mind, the world of religion is split into Christians and Buddhists and Hindus and Jewish folk and atheists, etc. But in everyone else's mind it seems like the world of religion is split into Christians and everyone else. This atheist is complaining about Christians being mean to him or whatever but atheists and people of other beliefs have been mean to me before too. It's not like it's just the atheists getting picked on. It's not even just the Christians getting picked on. Everyone has been criticized for their beliefs by someone else. I just wish Christians wouldn't get accused of being the only ones to do this when they get picked on too.

quote:

Atheists don't have television shows. Atheists don't have flocks of hundreds. Atheists don't have activists who stand outside the capitol to protest progressivism. Atheists don't tell leaders of countries' that their afflictions are the hand of God. Atheists dont think their beliefs should be law. Atheists don't think their way is the only way. Atheists don't have a history rooted in fear, oppression, and murder.

And isn't that a shame. *note: Not sarcasm*

Atheists don't have television shows. Atheists don't have flocks of hundreds. Atheists don't have activists who stand outside the capitol to protest progressivism. Atheists don't tell leaders of countries' that their afflictions are the hand of God. Atheists dont think their beliefs should be law. Atheists don't think their way is the only way. Atheists don't have a history rooted in fear, oppression, and murder.

Do you see where I'm going with this? Christians can do great things for the world, and by and large they try (and do), but until you can weed out the lunatics abusing the dogma (i.e. Pat Robertson) it'll have a bad image.

...and I wasn't even talking to you but to the author of the original post.

No Worth, I wasn't attacking Chrisitanity as a bad idea, I was attacking the National Association of Evangelicals, and in particular the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, which I found to be a ridiculous portrait of Christianity, and merely commented upon it.

Why the HELL does the title say "Respect each other and deal with belifes" (I think that is supposed to say beliefs) when the entire post is about atheism and Christianity??? There other forms of beliefs, for goodness sake. It should say, "Christians and Atheists should respect each others' beliefs" or something to that effect.

I am sick and tired of it always being Christians. We're always the bad guys. Well, you know what, I wish that atheist wouldn't fking tell me that my God isn't real. So there.

Having just discovered what actually happens in some of the more 'progressive' American Evangelical churches, I am shocked and horrified. No wonder the theory of evolution is questioned, and no wonder there are many people who dislike Christianity on here. In England, Chrisitianity is rather different.

I would have thrown peanuts at them.

But that's just me.

I would've played music to it.

Someone knocked on your door for 3 hours? I call that dedication.

I understand that it is in some faith to spread the word of God but many over do it. They knock on someones door for about three hours trying to teach them even if people say go away. It happened to me. NOt only that but it just sometimes isnt necessary like soupfarie15 said, just not in the same words, to go up to someone and say hi I'm ___, are you a Christian?

I just dont agree with the fact that everyone has to fight, that no one can settle for I'm a Chriatian or I'm an atheist now leave me alone.

quote:

Most Atheists respect the Christians and don't go around trying to spread the religon of nothing.

It is rather difficult to spread a belief in nothing, since there is nothing to spread, and it is necessary to disprove God, which is uphill work.

quote:

Why can't you respect peoples desicion to belive what they want to belive and you belive what you want. Why?

Partly because your relgion might tell you otherwise, or else your passion moves you to try and bring others round to thier view. Like anything and any issue, people can be persuaded either way.

AMEN SISTER! This gets into the subject of Freedom of Speech and Intelligent Design and all that jazz, but personally the world is not black and white and either should this argument.

quote:

That is all there is to it. No one is ever, ever going to win this battle. EVER.

Lol no one is going to wave their white flags. I'm a Christian but I'm not going to sit around the computer or whatever and complain about the atheist. It's their choice, and not my business really. People are giving the church a bad name. Plus it's not a very nice thing to do "Follow me or you'll go to hell!" I don't know about you but I don't walk up to people and say "Hello, my name is Katie. Are you Christian?"


Katie

Thank you.