Will God be obsolete in 100 years?

[satinbutterfly]

While many Christians do believe that, not all of them do. I, for one, do not. The two do not go hand in hand.

So you're the type of Christian who chooses what they want to believe out of the bible and still call it Christianity?

John 14:6

 

[BornReady]

But I'm content to believe as I do, and let the atheists trash the theists, the fundies trash anyone that ain't them, and so on.

Before you are too hard on atheists, you should understand they are a tiny minority in the US. There is much prejudice against them. Some people don't even consider them Americans and think they should be kicked out of the country. Most Americans would vote for a homosexual before an atheist. The religion bashing that you witness is a reaction to this prejudice. Forums like this one are a safe place for atheists to vent.

 

[Panacea]

I did my venting already (on another forum a year ago), it's out of my system.

 

[doombug]

Before you are too hard on atheists, you should understand they are a tiny minority in the US. There is much prejudice against them. Some people don't even consider them Americans and think they should be kicked out of the country. Most Americans would vote for a homosexual before an atheist. The religion bashing that you witness is a reaction to this prejudice. Forums like this one are a safe place for atheists to vent.

The New Atheist movement is causing alot of this so called "prejudice". I don't have anything against anyone's beliefs but if someone feels the need to "vent" by telling lies they shouldn't get upset when these lies are challenged.

 

[Leananshee]

So you're the type of Christian who chooses what they want to believe out of the bible and still call it Christianity?

John 14:6

According to some Christians, I suppose so. But generally those would be the fundamentalists, and I don't study them anyway. I'm a Christian who believes there are godly people in every faith, and I could back that up biblically, even using the passage you quoted, just not taken out of context as posted. There's one I let have it recently who put up a website about heresy, claiming all must decry people who believe this, this, and this. I told her she was trying to elevate herself to God's throne by standing in judgment of others, she was moving Christianity back several hundred years, and it was people like her that drove people from the faith rather than drawing them to it.

Before you are too hard on atheists, you should understand they are a tiny minority in the US. There is much prejudice against them. Some people don't even consider them Americans and think they should be kicked out of the country. Most Americans would vote for a homosexual before an atheist. The religion bashing that you witness is a reaction to this prejudice. Forums like this one are a safe place for atheists to vent.

There are atheists out there who make it their crusade to bash anything theist who have nothing to do with forums. Why bash anything? Why define yourself by what you hate rather than what you are? There are fundies in every faith (or lack thereof). Why join up with that mindset?

 

[Johnfromokc]

I did my venting already (on another forum a year ago), it's out of my system.

Interesting how that happens - the venting. It took me a while once I realized religion was just so much bullshit to get over all the time wasted even thinking about hell, sin and all the other guilt ridden concepts pushed by organized religion.

Now, I primarily voice objections to religion in government. I don't much care which imaginary figure anyone prays to as long as they do it privately and don't attempt to force it on the rest of us through government.

 

[BornReady]

According to some Christians, I suppose so.

I think that pretty much describes everyone. You're just honest enough to accept it.

There are atheists out there who make it their crusade to bash anything theist who have nothing to do with forums. Why bash anything?

Don't get me wrong. I'm opposed to bashing people's humane religious beliefs. Many people draw comfort and strength from their beliefs. I don't wish to stand in the way of that. But maybe until you've been a minority then you can't really understand what's it like. If you were born into slavery, separated from your parents as a boy and made to work long hours and live in complete poverty. Then I could forgive you for drawing the conclusion that white people are assholes. Even though that wasn't true. Not all white people were assholes. Atheists don't have it as bad as slaves. I'm just using an extreme example to help you understand.

If all religious folk were like you then religion would be nothing but a positive force in this world. And that is my dream.

 

[zen]

I think that pretty much describes everyone. You're just honest enough to accept it.



Don't get me wrong. I'm opposed to bashing people's humane religious beliefs. Many people draw comfort and strength from their beliefs. I don't wish to stand in the way of that. But maybe until you've been a minority then you can't really understand what's it like. If you were born into slavery, separated from your parents as a boy and made to work long hours and live in complete poverty. Then I could forgive you for drawing the conclusion that white people are assholes. Even though that wasn't true. Not all white people were assholes. Atheists don't have it as bad as slaves. I'm just using an extreme example to help you understand.

If all religious folk were like you then religion would be nothing but a positive force in this world. And that is my dream.

Atheists as a minority that suffers from prejudice. Hmmmm...never looked at it that way. If anything, I think Atheists would be treated like the retarded kid that doesn't know any better.

But all of this is a discussion on the current state of affairs re: religion, acceptance, anti religion, intolerance, and visa versa. I haven'[t really seen the discussion stay on track with respect to the OP. Not that I care that much, I like most of the points raised here.

 

[BornReady]

Atheists as a minority that suffers from prejudice. Hmmmm...never looked at it that way. If anything, I think Atheists would be treated like the retarded kid that doesn't know any better.

Not really. Atheists are typically thought of as willfully evil by religious bigots. In a recent American poll, atheists were the group parents would least want one of their children to marry. Some Christians would like to run them out of the country. Apparently they're even worse than illegal immigrants. Thank God this prejudice has decreased in recent years. But atheists still rank lower than homosexuals in American polls.

And there's no question atheists are a minority in America. They're about 5% of the population. But some say it's the fastest growing group in America.

 

[Leananshee]

I've been trying to keep with the OP in saying that all religions and philosophies evolve, and what were minority opinions at one point sometimes become the norm. I was a minority in liking Unitarian theology in a predominantly Baptist area, then a minority in liking Christian theology in a Unitarian church, then a minority supporting the right to choose and opposing teaching creationism in school in a Baptist church. And I really still don't know what I am, just what I believe, and it doesn't really mesh with anything I've seen out there. I think a hundred years from now there might be a home for those as conflicted as I am, but I sure don't see it now.

 

[Johnfromokc]

I've been trying to keep with the OP in saying that all religions and philosophies evolve, and what were minority opinions at one point sometimes become the norm. I was a minority in liking Unitarian theology in a predominantly Baptist area, then a minority in liking Christian theology in a Unitarian church, then a minority supporting the right to choose and opposing teaching creationism in school in a Baptist church. And I really still don't know what I am, just what I believe, and it doesn't really mesh with anything I've seen out there. I think a hundred years from now there might be a home for those as conflicted as I am, but I sure don't see it now.

Check out Secular Humanism:

http://www.secularhumanism.org/

 

[Leananshee]

Except for one thing - I actually believe in God. I'm just too conservative for the Unitarians and too liberal for the Baptists. I do like with Unitarian churches the atheists, agnostics, secular humanists and various theists can all have coffee and talk after the service.

 

[Johnfromokc]

Except for one thing - I actually believe in God. I'm just too conservative for the Unitarians and too liberal for the Baptists. I do like with Unitarian churches the atheists, agnostics, secular humanists and various theists can all have coffee and talk after the service.

Keep thinking and you'll eventually overcome that conservatism.

 

[Leananshee]

LOL! Conservative to a Unitarian maybe. Maybe I oughtta check out United Church of Christ. I hear they're on the liberal side. For Christians, anyway.

Maybe then I won't be the only Baptist with the bumper sticker that reads, "God, please deliver my from Your Followers."

 

[Johnfromokc]

Here's a couple churches you might consider:

http://uctaa.net/


and:

http://www.venganza.org/

 

[Johnfromokc]

 

[Leananshee]

Ha! I love COFSM.

What do you call an apathetic agnostic?

Don't know, don't care.

 

[doombug]

I don't know if I'd call Atheism a religion but New Atheism is definitely a hate group.

 

[HK]

What do you call an apathetic agnostic?

Don't know, don't care.

Hey, I'm actually a Reverend of the church of the Apathetic Agnostic

 

[zen]

Thank God this prejudice has decreased in recent years.

Oh the irony....lol