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?

[jno]

Davethedog, you've included half a dozen beliefs in your post: the belief that those who are elected always go to church, the belief that they are bigots, and so on.

As you are entitled to.

[Davethedog]

They are not beliefs they are facts.

If you belive in the chritian god you are saying I am right nad the muslim or buddhist or hindu is wrong. You have know proof what so ever to back this up, this is bigotry.

Name me one leader that doesn't go to church?

[jno]

nor I, Eddie, but this is a popular atheist "belief".

Davethedog: Stalin. A fine example of the virtues of freethinking atheism.

[naomi24]

I have.

[flip_flop]

Eddie, Jno.

If you ever happen to be near the junction of Green Lane and Footscray Road in New Eltham, South East London on a Good Friday morning, you will see some megaphone preaching.

[DTCwordfan]

Or in many a Scottish town on a Saturday night - several of the "Free" sects

[DTCwordfan]

and yes, I too have a conceptual issue with some of our leaders being in Church and then making decisions based on such morality and reasoning.

Don't forget the other half of the "Tony" show, namely the Texan cowboy, Mr GB - Junior.

[Davethedog]

Jno - Relevance? Hitler was a religious man

[Davethedog]

Don't know what happend there.

Stalin was a dictator in a communist country so perhaps I should quantify my first statement by saying in a democracy.

[DTCwordfan]

ok Hitler came to power via democracy, but he wasn't exactly democratic....

[venator]

The way to deal with these people, such as the "unholy trinity" is to ignore them. don't reply to their strange questions and they will shrivel up & go away.

If, as Naomi suggests, they are Christadelphians, who are encouraged to post online, they feed on our reactions.

[Davethedog]

But it helps pass the day.

[venator]

True enough, dave, and I suppose a good rant against the loonies of this world stops us from kicking the dog...

[venator]

Go on then, Dave - would you say that following Nietzsche's teachings and reinventing a Germanic tradition of chivalry constitutes a religion?

[jomifl]

An example of why we should feel uneasy about religion is that the USA supports Israel without question in every atrocity it commits against the palestinians simply because the lunatic fundamentalist christian majority believe that the coming of Zion(Israel in their minds) is a pre-requisite for them all to go to paradise. Hence we have the unrest in the middle east, suicide bombers popping up (sometimes literally) everywhere, the Iranians trying to build nuclear weapons and the growth in muslim extremism. The amount of suffering caused by a silly relgious notion has caused even more suffering than catholic priests have achieved.

[dzug2]

<<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. >>

Really? Surely the idea influences or even dictates their behaviour? I'm sure those committing the abuse were convinced that it was justified.

[LazyGun]

I am uneasy about the religious fanatics around the globe. Overall, the influence of religion may be waning, but possibly because of that, you get pockets of fanaticism and zeal that can be frightening.

As for those that continue to evangelise - its a public forum, so they are within the rights - but that doesn't give them a free pass, and it does give those of us who dislike said views the opportunity to argue and rebut the arguments.

It worries me that we have some quite influential characters around the globe ( charismatic preachers, politicians etc), who, despite their professed piety and belief in god, continue to lie and dissemble to further their cause. How they can square that with their religious beliefs I fail to understand.

Sandys continuing defence and admiration for these evangelisers continues to amuse me though. It takes no courage to cut and paste screed from the fruitloop websites ; It takes no courage to create sockpuppets intended to bolster your arguments. It takes no courage to ignore argument and rebuttal and create yet another thread with yet another trite little homily. Once again, Sandy promotes this vision of the gentle religious types, valiantly staving off the predations of the nasty atheists, which, as anyone who frequents this site knows, is cobblers ;)

[DTCwordfan]

I agree with you lazyGun - I have no problem with well argued and reasoned debate and there are several folk, naomi being one, who will wilingly and sensibly debate with them. No issue there at all and that to me is where sandy's position is "reasonable."

But when it becomes "cut and paste," almost moronic and ill-thought through utterances, panderings to some cult, then it does become an issue - almost the brain-washed trying to brainwash. They should be then challenged.

The fact that they are seem to place mistruths, deviant behaviour to avoid asking direct questions about what faith they are supporting, that they are acting duplicitously in spawing second and third nom-de-plumes is high irritating and quite unnecessary. But also an expression of how uncertain they are of themselves and their faith.

[sandyRoe]

Eddie51, any Friday at about noon the Rev Ian Paisley can be seen in front of the City Hall in Belfast bellowing through a loudspeaker.