Again Fatty chose sides before I entered the conversation. If he is truly interested in universal respect for everybody, he shouldn't cast his blame on only one group in the debate while ignoring the same thing from the other. If you are concerned about people 'taking sides', you should take the matter up with Fatty, as my post is only a reaction to his lopsided plea for respect. I didn't suggest to him that he take sides, he did it of his own accord before I entered. He has tacitly endorsed Christian intolerance when he chose to attack the atheists while ignoring the same fault from the Christians. He is guilty of your crime of 'choosing sides'. I just responded to his lopsided plea. If he had posted something about everybody in the thread being judgmental, I would have stayed away. But he decided to attack 'the atheists' while ignoring the equally bigoted response of people like OddsOn.
I would refuse to pledge to any god. I also refuse to pledge to a country. Sorry that is just me. I really do not see why I should pledge loyalty to a country. A country is an artificial way to make sure people know to which group they should belong. I disagree with that. If the netherland starts a war with a country and i disagree I would never do anything to help the netherlands. because i disagree with the war. I have to say that i do support Dutch athletes and teams But that is a different discussion. I think it is not good that people are "forced" to pledge to a god. I think that if a god excists that he want people to believe in him because they want to, and they worship him because they want to. and not because some stupid government/senator/ whoever forced them to do it. Just my 5 cents.
Sounds satanic. Interestingly you capitalized both God and Satan. What's your position on this really?
I think it is supposed to be capitalised as a proper name. Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Azazel are all capitalised as well.
i was catching back up to this thread and got to OddsOn. i had to stop, go downstairs, whip up some chana masala, and then come back up to resume reading. should i have made popcorn instead?
My six year old is going to be really bothered that they're changing what he learned last year in kindergarten. He'll be arguing that they are saying it wrong. I guess I'll have some explaining to do...
That is the point. Fatty is upset about people imposing on others in regard that people are upset that they have to say "under God" in the pledge. If you can't see the irony in that you have no understanding of the word.
I think that's a bit extreme view. No need to be anti-Christian ya know. Just the whack jobs that turn the myth into some sort iron-clad gosspil and then tie communism to devil worshipping and all that stuff. I think people who advocate any kind of absolute (only Christianity or Islam or whatever is the one and only truth) - are kind of delusional and it's a bit sad. But it's when it gets coupled with this idea of forcing these delusions upon others that it becomes invasive. I respect people to believe in whatever myths or stories they want if it brings them peace and happiness. But please, don't make us have to suffer hearing about how some really great myths (and they are fantastic, full of wisdom, highly symbolic, and representive of very deep and enlightened themes) are turned into merely the worship of some figure as an a literal all-powerful being. It's like someone trying to tell you that the moon is a big cookie in the sky. Sure, that's ok to believe that, but you don't have to force us to listen to it and all. I don't make anyone read Joseph Campbell after all.
Hey - don't pin the blame on me. I'm just saying that stuff should be kept at home and personal. What's the whole thing with trying to put religion in school except to try to socialize it, isolate others, and create a more hostile educational environment??? I respect Christianity. I just don't respect the bible beaters who preach the nut-job version of it.
To be fair to New Yorker, because even he deserves fairness, he isn't advocated a law saying you can't be Christian. The whole point of this thread is about a law requiring people to publicly accept the idea of God as part of a pledge of loyalty to state. It is totally ironic that some Christians are complaining that others are trying to impose their beliefs on them. They might disagree, criticize even look down upon Chirstians but no one is pressing for a law that would force Christians to publicly disavow God.
But I'm sure that you can understand how someone, reading your comment about "backwater views", could think that you were attacking Christianity.
I am glad to see some Christians in this thread realize that imposing their beliefs on some actually alienates those people. That is exactly how I feel whenever Christians tell me I am wrong, or they wish I would got to church, etc. Just makes me shy away from religion more than anything else.
that refers to ideas such as trying to force prayer in public schools and upon atheists, preventing the teaching of evolution, or that lesbians are the anti-Christ. Those are backwater views, no different the Muslims who think women are pieces of property. It's thinking that's from the middle ages and something we've graduated from as a society. I don't think Chistianity is backwater at all, I think religion is a useful tool and spirituality is a necessary component to developing a healthy self. Without it, people would be more of a mess then they are today in a world that shuns it. But I do think the "religious right" isn't the face of Christianity, but is merely a small fraction of those holding extreme views.
You capitalize God, no matter what, when referring to the Christian God, even if you don't believe, simply because it's good grammar. Frankenstein doesn't exist, but you capitalize it.
See, and I think that's tragic. You're free to make whatever choice you make. And you and I can disagree and still get along just fine. But I think there's a lot of false and harmful thought about who God is that stems from this perversion of the church. I read so much of that here and see so much of it in the world.
