Group Collects Bibles, Passes Out Porn

[Disfunction]

Originally Posted by Mood

My original voice: "Pushing views should stop"...then you say "I don't push my views until someone else pushes theirs." So I should say "Good for you"? I don't think so.

I stand by what I said. Pushing religious views is pointless. And we all know what it means to "push"...

Well, perhaps you should consider what you originally suggested.

"Atheists and Fundamentalists are equally annoying in pushing their views around. Both should just stop."

You painted ALL atheists alongside fundementalists.

That assumes ALL atheists are the same. It also assumes that all athesits are preoccupied with pushing their views around.

I said "I don't push my view until others push theirs" meaning I don't make a single mention of what I believe in until someone tries forcing their own values onto me.

If they push, then I push back so that my views might be known. You are suggesting that making my views be known when someone else is bombarding me with theirs is wrong. Perhaps you construed it as me trying to convert them just as they are trying to convert me.

If that is the case, then I will say two things:

First of all, I do not force my religious (or lack of) values on others. I personally believe that if someone can believe in something, and that belief improves their quality of life, they should by all means pursue it. No one should try to change the way they see the world if it's working for them.

Secondly, you should not judge a group so broadly without knowledge of the group as a whole. You haven't met every atheist, so implying all atheists (even while lacking the word "all", it was an implied value) push their views on others is an ignorant stand to take.

[mydnyght]

well, i hav to say that christians too run around and deliberately affend people! saying bull shit like, "you're going to hell" and the like. what the fuck is that?! as far as 'i'm aware, the only people the bible really says to look out for are false christians; but look around. christians are everywhere, attempting to convert with their hell fire. fuk that! i think it's time for some (not all mind you), to get a taste of their own mentality. and when i see it...i laugh!!

[655322]

Originally Posted by Disfunction

There are too many conflicting religious perspectives to assume that there is one true right; to assume as much on the basis of faith is like playing Russian Roulette with your soul.

So are you saying that there there may be one bullet in the barrel of Christianity that is right and true? Or that having faith will kill your soul?

I'm not a Christian, but just because the views are conflicting doesn't mean that all are untrue. There may just be a kernel of truth in Bible.

I wonder if there is one perspective on the Bible that is right and true? I wonder which one it is?

I'd probably read the Bible if it was in a Playboy.

[Mood]

Originally Posted by Disfunction

Secondly, you should not judge a group so broadly without knowledge of the group as a whole. You haven't met every atheist, so implying all atheists (even while lacking the word "all", it was an implied value) push their views on others is an ignorant stand to take.

My generalising was implied. Of course I haven't met every Atheist.

[ExistentialDisorder]

Originally Posted by 655322

So are you saying that there there may be one bullet in the barrel of Christianity that is right and true? Or that having faith will kill your soul?

I'm not a Christian, but just because the views are conflicting doesn't mean that all are untrue. There may just be a kernel of truth in Bible.

I wonder if there is one perspective on the Bible that is right and true? I wonder which one it is?

I'd probably read the Bible if it was in a Playboy.

Nobody knows what the one true religion is. The one winning ticket that will get you into "heaven" or send you down to eternal "hell." It's impossible for anybody to know for sure. You can believe whatever you want, and follow the words of whoever was the most convincing for you. It won't change anything. Religion, no matter what name brand you slap on it, is control. created by men to control other men. brainwashing them into believing what they want them to believe, and acting in accordance to how they feel people should act. there is no proof, there is only belief. You'll get the proof when you die, if even then.

Personally, I think heaven and hell are a state of mind, if they exist at all. There are basic concepts of right and wrong that are ingrained into every human being by natural instinct. It doesn't matter what that person says or does, they know deep down whether they are genuinely good or genuinely bad, and how many of those basic instincts they've violated, and to what degree they've violated them. i think that is the one true factor that determines what state of mind we enter when we die, if we enter one at all.

[Shi'ark]

Originally Posted by angel_dark_demon_bright

All I'm saying is that it is in their holy scriptures to kill all non believers.

If referring to Muslims. No it fucking well isn’t.

[mydnyght]

i have no interest in the bible...i have heard way too much hate already xnguela.

[mydnyght]

655322, i agree that there may be a kernel of truth to it; and further i believe there are kernels of truth to just about everything, yet perhaps not one path being wholely accurate. i submit, (at leaste my perspective) that the "turth" of the big picture lies within the all.

[angel011]

Originally Posted by Xnguela

Well, there is a verse that says "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

Give me a minute and I'll find it.

I found somewhere that "witch" was the wrong translation, that the original word meant something like "a person who makes poisons". I don't know if that's correct, though.

[Disfunction]

Originally Posted by 655322

So are you saying that there there may be one bullet in the barrel of Christianity that is right and true? Or that having faith will kill your soul?

I'm not a Christian, but just because the views are conflicting doesn't mean that all are untrue. There may just be a kernel of truth in Bible.

I wonder if there is one perspective on the Bible that is right and true? I wonder which one it is?

I'd probably read the Bible if it was in a Playboy.

Religious perspectives was not in reference to the bible.

[Disfunction]

Originally Posted by angel_dark_demon_bright

I do tolerate it. I don't like it, I'm sure other christians do.
I think thats why you dont hear about a christian suicide bomber.

I have heard of them; not in conventional media, though.

[Disfunction]

Originally Posted by angel_dark_demon_bright

No I understand it quite well. There are different interpretations,

Then perhaps you should consider that mine is no less valid than your own =)

Originally Posted by angel_dark_demon_bright

but maybe thats the why it was written the way it was, so that it could be interpreted differently and lead us all down the right path.
There are straight answers in it if you'll take the time to read and understand it. The life of everyperson varies which would explain why there are different meanings.

But the point I was making is that it is wrong to stomp on someone else's religion, only because you think it is wrong. If your opinion is that it's all lies then most likely there is something to it that you are not getting. It's not about how you are required to live your life, its help to handle what comes your way. Thats my two cents.

Did I ever make the suggestion that it's all lies? I don't believe I ever outright said "the bible is all lies." I believe I did say that I found holes, and if you'd like me to cite the holes and contradictions, then by golly, I will! Until then, however, I'm quite glad that you and other people can have a religion which you feel has helped you and shaped you to potentially be a more tolerant, better person who has something to help them through their dark times. Religion can be a wonderful thing to have in that respect.

The only time I ever have a specific issue with religion is when people tend to try to force their values on me. I'm not suggesting that what the atheists were doing is right, but it's definitely reminiscent of behaviours of certain Christian groups that I've seen around right here at my campus. "Here are our beliefs." That's pretty much the proclamation.

So believe what you will. Say what you will. I don't care what you, or anyone else believes, as long as you don't force your own value system upon others. Everyone should be free to choose their own path.

[TwistedKitsune]

Originally Posted by Xnguela

Exodus 22:18 KJV.

A "witch" being a pagan or a non-christian.

Yes, but that's the King James version, yuck...he skewed all sorts of things into the bible to coincide with his agenda...that line, prior to this translation (as I understand it) was merely about evil/evil people in general...

In any case, this wasn't a very good/kind way to go about voicing their opinions on the bible. On the same front however, neither is showing up at my high school spouting (in my opinion) misinterpreted passages from the bible and letting me know quite firmly that I'm going to hell for loving the people that I do. Quite simply, people generally aren't kind in telling people what they believe on touchy subjects such as this and, in all honesty, there really isn't much of a way you can go about telling people what you think without offending someone.

[TwistedKitsune]

yup, see, we ranted about this a lot in my social psychology class...we even had a day where we compaired controversial passages of the bible from version to version...it was really quite interesting and sparked quite the heated debate. I learned who I like and who I disliked in that class on that day.

[Ben Lahnger]

Originally Posted by 655322

I'd probably read the Bible if it was in a Playboy.

Yeah, that Mary Magdelyn centerspread would be hot!

i've explained before why I believe that all religions are a manmade creation designed to protect a weakness of the human ego, and all religious tomes are semi-historical tracts designed to prop up those false beliefs. It's only my opinion, but I came to that conclusion after years in the Catholic and Presbyterian churches, plus close exposure to practitioners of several other faiths.

I'll quote this from where I posted it previously in Christianity: Too Controlling?.

In World War II there was a tribe of people on a south pacific island who came to be known as the cargo cult. Allied planes flew over their island and mistakenly dropped food and supplies. The planes flew over on such a regular basis that the tribe began to worship the great silver bird that brought them food. Hence the name "cargo cult."

These people were all too willing to worship the thing that dropped the food, much like people have worshiped the sun and other phenomena in the past. My opinion is that there is a part of the human psyche that yearns for a higher power to believe in; that the idea of a purely random, chaotic existence is too scary for the mind to accept easily.

[Disfunction]

Miss Deuteronomy?

Bill Hicks would be pleased.

[Isibell]

Originally Posted by TwistedKitsune

Yes, but that's the King James version, yuck...he skewed all sorts of things into the bible to coincide with his agenda...that line, prior to this translation (as I understand it) was merely about evil/evil people in general...

In any case, this wasn't a very good/kind way to go about voicing their opinions on the bible. On the same front however, neither is showing up at my high school spouting (in my opinion) misinterpreted passages from the bible and letting me know quite firmly that I'm going to hell for loving the people that I do. Quite simply, people generally aren't kind in telling people what they believe on touchy subjects such as this and, in all honesty, there really isn't much of a way you can go about telling people what you think without offending someone.

Hallelujah and the saints be praised. (Ammusing coming from a pagan really) I totally agree...on all points.

The King James Bible- Called thus because it was a translation commissioned by King James of England. They say in the ren-fair circuit if you want to get a good accent start reading the bible. It's all right there. Other than that I have very little use for this version of this book. It's to full of propaganda perpetrated by....King James.

People and their religious beliefs- I have, for the most part, been successful in avoiding the full on nock down drag out fight with Christian zealots (the best description I can think of for those Christians who won't let you be any form of correct about anything unless you follow their specific brand of Christianity.) But I have come close many times. I spent years in the Methodist church, all but dieing, because ultimately I just couldn't buy it. Christianity as a hole, and the bible in particular, just didn't work for me. I had a problem putting my faith in something that most people believed in just because that's the way it has been done for generations, and believing every literal word of a book that is really the recording of over 500 years of oral tradition. (or at least that's the number I've heard. 500 years between the death of Christ and the first written copy of the bible. Ever play telephone?) So I went out and found something that worked for me. I built it out of pieces and things from different religions, life experience, and things I truly loved. What I came up with is close enough to Pagan that that's what I call it. Tell that to a zealot though and stand back. It never ends well.

[Disfunction]

http://atheism.about.com/od/biblegos...k/a/author.htm

An article regarding the authorship of the gospel of Mark, most widely recognized as the first written gospel of the four found in the new testament.

[TwistedKitsune]

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

i've explained before why I believe that all religions are a manmade creation designed to protect a weakness of the human ego, and all religious tomes are semi-historical tracts designed to prop up those false beliefs. It's only my opinion, but I came to that conclusion after years in the Catholic and Presbyterian churches, plus close exposure to practitioners of several other faiths.

Along a somewhat similar vein of thought, and something we've been delving into heavily in my Religious Anthropology class as of late, is the fact that many religions were evolved to shore up and reinforce the reasonings behind many things the governments of the time and area were doing. In most areas where you find a religion that involves a harsh diety who deals out punishment and the concept of a "hell" of sorts where you are punished and tortured for ill deeds you also tend to find a government that does much of the same.

Actually, along a slightly different but still related tangent, if one seriously looks into the structuring of the triads of angels accepted by many religions it can be found that they were written out by Dionysus, a member of the Areopagus, or the greek court (hence the name "Dionysus the Areopagite"). These triads as he wrote them out mimicked how the Areopagus functioned, but are now widely accepted as the way the hierarchy of angels works out. Seraphim being closest to god, the the cherubim, and Thrones, all in the first tier and so on and so forth...

In any case, and before I ramble far too much about triads and other such things. I personally beleive that religion is just humanities way of explaining things such as life and death and creation, of setting moral standards, and if we want to get down to the nitty-gritty details the basis of many religions can be seen as the same, and if not that religion, then one they evolved from, at the root of it all most known religions are very similar, if not the same in their origins. For that reason it's really difficult for me to take in and accept religious conflicts as a valid reason for anything, let alone so many of the hateful, violent, and nasty things that happen in the world today for which people use this excuse. It's just insane really, at least from my persepective.

[Kali Maxwell]

I must say this: there is no right not to be offended. And free speech, truly free speech, encompasses and protects even that which offends us or makes us angry.

Although, since this sort of behaviour often drives others to shut us down, I don't really reccommend it! In my opinion, I think that if you want your religious belief (or non-belief) to survive and be accepted, then the best way is to hold it quietly in mind and heart, and not try to use it as a weapon against other beliefs.

I used to be Catholic when I was younger, and even when I converted over to Wicca at age 13, I still kept and read through several Bibles and prayer books. I personally find it to be contradictory and at times disgusting in its proclamations. I find it to be the strongest of all those faiths which have been arrogant enough to try and destroy the beautiful diversity of our planet.

Overall, I think this group should be allowed to conduct their activities if they so wish. If you don't like it, then don't trade in your bible.

[tenet_2012]

"The essence of Christianity is told us in the Garden of Eden history. The fruit that was forbidden was on the tree of knowledge. The subtext is, All the suffering you have is because you wanted to find out what was going on. You could be in the Garden of Eden if you had just keep your fucking mouth shut and hadn't asked any questions."

-Zappa

[edible_eye]

what can i get for a koran?

swank?

hustler?

feet and legs?

[Ben Lahnger]

Just another reason to love Zappa. The way he laid that out ... brilliant!

[tenet_2012]

If god dropped acid, would he see people?

[tenet_2012]

One more post and done in this thread:

"We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I think religion stops people from thinking. I think it justified crazies. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder."
--Bill Maher