Do you feel threatened or uneasy about the religious population

[DTCwordfan]

Personally I do not as most religious people keep their views to themselves and if that is how they feel about their God, so be it.

However I do have a problem with the type of evangelical person that pontificates to others, tryng to force their views on to them, the Jehovah's Witness type, some of the "bizarre" minority religions who take to the street with the "End of the world is nigh, convert to Jesus" type messages.

I do not have an issue with folk who are well-read and can construct a good aregument, well founded on their beliefs and creeds but i can not stand those who blithely cut and paste texts from others' web sites. Isn't this rather disingenuous of them and doesn't it risk devaluing their religion and those who are learned and respected practitioners?

I also have an issue with people blatantly lying about their religion, and those not being straight up and rather subversive in their avoidance of being being challenged, such as we are finding on here.

Are they not debasing their religion in doing this?
What will their God and Satan think of them?

What do you think?

[sandyRoe]

For someone of simple faith to come into the lions den that is AB is to show considerable courage. The sophists may sneer, but it's heartening to see people promote their religion with such zeal.

[Truthabounds]

If you feel threatened or uneasy, I can only conclude you are not happy with your own beliefs. I am quite happy with mine. I don't mind the fact that all the atheists on this site take a dig at me and my beliefs. I find it exhilarating in that the more I have to defend my faith, the more I am encouraged and strengthened.

[DTCwordfan]

But then why "force" them on others and in such public forums such as this?

[DTCwordfan]

And why be disingenuous about your Church and who it is?

[sandyRoe]

The martyrs of Christendom gave their lives for their faith. To be the subject of obloquy and vilification here because of ones faith is nothing in comparison.

[DTCwordfan]

So they enjo/get a perverse pleasure from the verbal flagellation?

[VHG]

You dont get people who like fishing going round knocking on people's doors asking them to convert to fishing do you.

I dont like it when people "catch" religion and then dont feel happy unless they are spending all their time trying to convert everyone.

When I see these people in the high st standing on a platform with a megaphone going on about religion, I feel like asking why they dont go and do something useful like visit sick people in hospital or help with a charity.

Many of them are sad people with little in their lives so they feel it gives their life purpose if they "preach" to everyone else.

Anyway, what is so great about religion, the Catholic church has had to pay out millions in America to people abused by priests. Something to be really proud of eh !

[jno]

atheists and the faithful alike promulgate their beliefs here, with considerable zeal on both sides; they are free to criticise each others' threads or ignore them. That's the internet all over.

[jno]

VHG, don't confuse religious belief with the behaviour of the officers of one church. An idea is not responsible for the people who hold it.

[naomi24]

Jackthehat, I had my doubts about one of them, but I'm now convinced you're right. We do have an 'unholy Trinity' here.

[Mosaic]

eeebluddyell. This is the 21st century. We are rational sentient beings.
AB....lion's den? gerraway.
How refreshing though to see that modern-day commitment to martydom is not confined to Islam...good on yer Truthie, let's hope it never comes to anyting more testing than trolling.

[sandyRoe]

Mortification of the flesh has its place. What pleasures some take from verbal flagellation is a matter for themselves and their confessor.

[Old_Geezer]

To continue to do the wrong thing is nothing to be heartened about. The problem is folk thinking that because they believe something they are morally obliged to convert everyone else to the same way of thinking. Not through any reasoned argument, but by merely quoting beliefs held on blind faith. Any ridicule in response is just an attempt to indictae what they do is not right, and in the hope that they realise they should stop.

[missnemesis]

I agree with you entirely jno, trouble is they never seem to feel the need to 'ignore' one another on here.

If you are on the street where someone is shouting down a megaphone it's pretty hard to not hear. Online however it is different and no one is being forced to read/reply to these postings. IMO one is every bit as bad as the other.

[Old_Geezer]

But no, I don't feel threatened, although i may feel a little uneasy at a large western nation such as the US apparently drifting away from science and reason towards myth as the way of 'understanding' and acting.

[flip_flop]

I don't feel threatened or uneasy.

If I feel anything it is probably pity.

[Truthabounds]

VHG://When I see these people in the high st standing on a platform with a megaphone going on about religion, I feel like asking why they dont go and do something useful like visit sick people in hospital or help with a charity. //
I agree and that is why it is something I don't do. As to helping others - yes I do. I belong to a charity organisation that does not advertise its good deeds as do all the others. We do not want glory or fame and yet we have a good name with those we do help. We are worldwide and not in just a small corner. We assist in all things whether it be distributing food and medical supplies, comforting those in distress or rebuilding after tsunamis, earthquakes etc.etc.

[Truthabounds]

Oh, BTW something I forgot.
We do this absolutely without any charge whatsoever. We are all volunteers and get no pay and if anyone donates - every single penny goes into the charity and nothing is skimmed off.

[rowanwitch]

I have friends who are JWs and Christadelphians...but they don't seem anything like the ones we get on here... they just have a set of rules they try to live by which while strict seem as good as any other set imposed by a belief structure... The JWs do their door to door... because they feel it a duty the Christadelphians don't like swearing etc but we have agreed to disagree on religion... or they would probably be obliged to kill me... because it's in the bible.... The mormons however (we have a temple fairly nearby) are a pain... saccharine sweet but as persistant as dog poo in the tread of your trainers....

[Davethedog]

Jno I don't have any beliefs to "promulgate".

I argue here because of the arrogance of the Theist, the smug belief in something that if you were told it by a six year old you would smile knowingly.

The fact that theypromote thier own diety at the, bigoted, detriment of any other let alone patronising the athiests.

DT yes I feel uneasy, it worries me that those who are elected always go to church, it worries me that Tony Blair was a commited Catholic and may have used religion as a basis for some of the decisions he made. It worries me the way the media attacks extremists in all religions except the christian ones. It worries me that religion is seen as a paragon despite the evidence showing that it isn't.