"Christians Answer!"

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

In my web-surfing over the last few days, and thanks to a link from someone, I found myself a Christian message boad that caught my interest; they have a forum set asside for non-believers to ask questions about the faith. So that's exactly what I did, I sat down and

[Purrcatnip]

very cool! :huddle:

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

Eep, I hit enter too fast. Continuing my train of thought:

I sat down and typed up a few posts, totally expecting to be banned on sight as had been done to some other people who visited there in the past. It would be relevant to point out that this is the same site that asamananara went to and got banned for having a little ditty in her sig that the admin didn't agree with. I was shocked by how open-minded these people are, and willing to discuss things and even accept opposing opinions without consternation!

I just figured that with all the bad hype against christians that I see on this board all the time, stereotyping and labeling them as closed-minded and hateful, it was the least I could do to point out a case where this isn't true. If anyone cares to check it out yourself, I'm this same name Gently Gazing Eyes on http://www.bibleforums.org.


[ Edit: Parsed the URL. ]

[asher]

so what sort of questions did you ask the christians
:colorful:

[asamananara]

I'm glad you had a more positive experience there than I did;
it just goes to show how a few bad apples can sour your cider.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

You can look in the "Chirstians Answer" forums to see what exactly has been said so far but I started three threads there.

1. Is Heaven Boring? - A discussion about the nature of an infinite place filled with perfect people.
2. Are games that have occult bad? - Talk about Diablo, Nox, D&D, Final Fantasy, etc.
3. Is Heaven physical, mental or emotional? - Talk about the constancy and/or variability of their view of heaven; do they think it changes, does ti have geography, etc.

Mainly I just ask little nit-picky things that have always bugged me, and I try to do it in as respectful a way as possible.

[Cyberhawk]

Kewl. :)

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

I'm glad you had a more positive experience there than I did;
it just goes to show how a few bad apples can sour your cider.

Yeah it does. I would point out that, after carefully reading the rules, what you did was in fact against their rules. They don't want any non-Christians to share their non-Christian beliefs because it's non-topical and it's against their better judgement to expose the community to it. I spoke with an admin about this, and it turns out there are people who talk about such things, but you have to have a certain post count before you're allowed to do it. I didn't ask about this, but I figure they assume that a new member who is going on about non-Christian things is just there to cause trouble.

In fact, according to their testimony, I'm the first pagan to come there who hasn't been trying to preach against Christ. This just goes to show how uneducated and crass our own people can be; by our people I mean, people who call themselves pagan. They were all just as surprised by me being nice as I was about them being nice.

:boing:

[asamananara]

... if you're the first, then I suppose that makes me "crass
and uneducated"? lol... okay.

[Morrighana]

Thanks for posting that link! I wondered about the nature of the place after the other thread about it; it's good to know that it is not *all* bad ;) I read the site rules, and they definately helped to clarify the responses that Asa~ mentioned.

Edited to add(because I'm slow, and all those posts showed up before I hit Post!): Asa~, I don't think GGE meant to say that you were crass and uneducated, but you really didn't follow the forum rules... so, they naturally assumed you were one of the trolls. *shrugs* I'm willing to bet they get a lot of them, I don't think it's a personality judgement against you, they're just protecting their community.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

... if you're the first, then I suppose that makes me "crass
and uneducated"? lol... okay.

That's not what I meant. :lol:
I mean, if they have a had a history of offensive pagans coming there, it speaks volumes as to how many people there are out there who just get into the pagan thing for shock value and to try to offend others. I'm sure your situation was just a misunderstanding.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

Thanks for posting that link! I wondered about the nature of the place after the other thread about it; it's good to know that it is not *all* bad ;) I read the site rules, and they definately helped to clarify the responses that Asa~ mentioned.

Edited to add(because I'm slow, and all those posts showed up before I hit Post!): Asa~, I don't think GGE meant to say that you were crass and uneducated, but you really didn't follow the forum rules... so, they naturally assumed you were one of the trolls. *shrugs* I'm willing to bet they get a lot of them, I don't think it's a personality judgement against you, they're just protecting their community.

That's my theory; they probably deal with tons of punk/goth pseudowiccans who run around thinking they worship Satan, and that it's a neat idea to offend people and shock them. When they saw Asa~'s post, they probably just assumed from being used to it.

[asamananara]

Which makes me wonder how many other genuine seekers were
also "assumed" to be troublemakers without intelligent discrimination
by the admins. I'm curious... how exactly did I violate the
forum rules?

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

Which makes me wonder how many other genuine seekers were
also "assumed" to be troublemakers without intelligent discrimination
by the admins. I'm curious... how exactly did I violate the
forum rules?

A very valid point; the only thing I can think of that seperates me is the fact that I expressly put in my introduction thread and in a private correspondance with the admins that I had no intention to preach my beliefs to others. I even promised that, in the event of someone asking about my beliefs (which has happened a couple times already), I would inform said person that this place (bibleforums.org, not MW), is not a proper venue for discussion of non-Christian things.

How you violated the forum rules was two-fold, albeit nit-picky on both. Firstly and purely on the judgement of the admin in question, you had non-Christian things about yourself for all to see; this was the first violation of the rules, violating the "don't advertise non-Christian ideals" rule they have. Secondly and compounded on top of the first, you 'talked back' to the admin according to your testimony. In my opinion, giving an explination of your intentions and complying with what is asked isn't a violation of the rules but I can see how someone arguing a case against you could find that in the rules. Like I said, it's nit-picky and I don't think it's just, but it -is- there and it is their forum.

I'm curious, were you banned or did you just leave?

[asamananara]

I wasn't banned that I know of... I just never bothered going
back. I am not the kind of person who will prostrate myself
and cover my face in shame to gain approval; once it is made
clear that my presence is not welcome, I have no reason to remain.
(edited to add:)
I approached them honestly, and told them where I stand.
I never assumed that they would accept that, or approve.
So be it. There are alot of people in the world, and I
see no point involving myself in a dialog which demands
I assume an inferior position... if two people cannot meet
eye to eye, then there is little to be gained.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

I can fully understand that.

[Djiril]

I know some people here have dissed it, but if you want a Christian forum where you can talk about your beliefs, give Theology Online (http://www.theologyonline.com/vbulletin/) a try. It can be entertaining if nothing else.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

I just might try it. :)

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

Went there, and the whole place seems based on arguing; not my ideal place.

[Juniecat]

I tried theology online after reading Asa's first post about her experience, and I was INSTANTLY turned off by the fact that the side bar on the main page was a poll "Who makes the most foolish posts?" With a list of a bunch of their members. I checked out some of the posts by these people, and everything I found (Admittedly, I didn't find all that many) were posts that in any way, questioned Christian doctrine. So, I was doubly bothered that anything not Christian is automatically foolish, and that said Christians (who, according to their own teachings are supposed to be people of supreme kindness) would create a poll designed entirely to mock others, and then put in on their primary page.

:rant:

*Snark*

[Eowyn]

I am glad (like the rest of the others) that you got a possetive people replying and so... Too bad I really really dont have it.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

I tried theology online after reading Asa's first post about her experience, and I was INSTANTLY turned off by the fact that the side bar on the main page was a poll "Who makes the most foolish posts?" With a list of a bunch of their members. I checked out some of the posts by these people, and everything I found (Admittedly, I didn't find all that many) were posts that in any way, questioned Christian doctrine. So, I was doubly bothered that anything not Christian is automatically foolish, and that said Christians (who, according to their own teachings are supposed to be people of supreme kindness) would create a poll designed entirely to mock others, and then put in on their primary page.

:rant:

*Snark*

There's a word for this, that's synonymous with Christianity.
That word is hypocracy.

[Phoenix Blue]

Admin Mode

No bashing of other religions or personal Paths is allowed in this community.

Calling hypocrisy synonymous with Christianity constitutes a violation of this rule and is not acceptable.

[Aine of the Fae]

I found a very interesting Christian forum and have had some wonderful conversations. It's called (brace yourself) exwitch. The link is http://www.exwitch.org Basically the idea is that it's a place for Pagans turned Christian (are there really that many?) to share their testimony with others. No conversion attempts, in fact my little logo under my name is Resident Pagan, placed there by the admins! As long as you're not rude and place it in the right forum, you can ask about almost anything. We've had discussions about tons of stuff that probably wouldn't be allowed on other Christian boards. And it's not a case where all the mods are copies of eachother either. They disagree with eachother. One of the big topics right now is Harry Potter, one mod thinks it should be banned, another mod thinks as long as it gets kids to read it's ok. It's actually a fun place to be with a lot of Christians and quite a few Pagans as well.

[Aine of the Fae]

I went to the Bibleforums and am reading through their rules. I always read the rules before joining a new board, don't want any embarassing oopsies. Anyway, one rule kind of made me laugh: No Blasphemy, cultic material or links to immoral sites This is a Christian board. If you do this you will be banned immediately and reported to your ISP who may even take further action against you. I'm sorry but I don't know of any ISP who would take action for posting "cultic material" and if they did, oh well, I really wouldn't want to be with them anyway. What the Christian church views as "cultic material" is sold daily at Borders.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

Sorry PB. And there's my quarterly violation of forum rules. :(

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

velvetmirage:

Thanks for the link there buddy, I plan on visiting it and seeing about it; I've got a lot of time to pass until the holidays get here and I figure what better way to do it than to be spending hours on message boards? Oh yes, that forum rule made me laugh too. There are ways around it, for example; anything that is blasphemy in the form of a statement is ignorance in the form of a question!

:boing:

[MoonDust]

We believe Christians have a right to their own little corner of Cyber Space where the name of Christ is glorified.


That's cool. Not my my cup of herbal tea though

[Ben Trismegistus]

How you violated the forum rules was two-fold, albeit nit-picky on both. Firstly and purely on the judgement of the admin in question, you had non-Christian things about yourself for all to see; this was the first violation of the rules, violating the "don't advertise non-Christian ideals" rule they have. Secondly and compounded on top of the first, you 'talked back' to the admin according to your testimony. In my opinion, giving an explination of your intentions and complying with what is asked isn't a violation of the rules but I can see how someone arguing a case against you could find that in the rules. Like I said, it's nit-picky and I don't think it's just, but it -is- there and it is their forum.
Still, it's an odd rule. It would be incredibly difficult to have a theological discussion of any kind without stating your theological beliefs. It would be a different matter on MW, because you could say "I'm Christian" and everyone would know (more or less) what you believe. But to go on a Christian forum and say "I'm pagan" would be a completely vague and uninformative statement, therefore leaving no room for discussion.

Additionally, I fail to see how stating one's religious beliefs is synonymous with "advertising" them. Although even our own people have that same irrational reaction. I'm still bothered by the situation with NozzleMan over in the T&P forum. He was genuinely interested in what we had to say, and stated his own (Christian) beliefs as a point of reference, a starting point for a conversation. And he was blasted by certain forum members for "prosyletizing". If we want people to have open minds, we need to have open minds too.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

The sad thing though is the level of ignorance these people have of pagan faiths; one person there who's really intelligent and with whom I enjoy discussing made the statement that "a star you see on flags or your teacher gives you for doing good is a lot different from a pentagram; pentagram is an upside-down star used to summon demons!" and then he linked to an artistic drawing of an upside-down pentacle with an inverted cross in it, and a ram's skull impaled on it, surrounded by candles. They don't even know what they're hating.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

Still, it's an odd rule. It would be incredibly difficult to have a theological discussion of any kind without stating your theological beliefs. It would be a different matter on MW, because you could say "I'm Christian" and everyone would know (more or less) what you believe. But to go on a Christian forum and say "I'm pagan" would be a completely vague and uninformative statement, therefore leaving no room for discussion.

Additionally, I fail to see how stating one's religious beliefs is synonymous with "advertising" them. Although even our own people have that same irrational reaction. I'm still bothered by the situation with NozzleMan over in the T&P forum. He was genuinely interested in what we had to say, and stated his own (Christian) beliefs as a point of reference, a starting point for a conversation. And he was blasted by certain forum members for "prosyletizing". If we want people to have open minds, we need to have open minds too.

I agree with you entirely on this issue. It's an odd rule, but there again it's their little domain so they get to call what they want on it. The place is a Christian forum however, mainly devoted to scripture study, testimonials and various other ways in which the Bible is related to everyday life; thus the name Bibleforums.org as their domain. This as opposed to a theological debate forum.

[SylverStar]

Well I joined the forum. I need more Christianity in my like. ;) Too many of my friends are Athiest or Pagan. I'd like to learn more. I haven't posted anything yet but I probably will later this week.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

Look forward to seeing you post. But be aware that these people are really uppity when it comes to anything that can be misconstrued as evil influence; by me trying to explain the mathematical difference between a hexagram and a pentagram, I roused some responses via PM's.

[Juniecat]

I'm extremely interested in this site exwitch...a good friend of mine who was pagan for years recently converted to Christianity when she had her first run-in with Mr. Pagan Psycho (we all know they're out there...in EVERY religion) and I know she has a hard time with the attitude a lot of her new spiritual companions have about her old ones...I think she would really enjoy a place where she could talk to people who share her beliefs and don't automatically hate people who share her old ones. I think this kind of interaction is exactly what the world needs more of. Different religions work for different people, and if we can create and environment where there is more understanding between religion people may just start to realize that it's okay to be friends and have different means of being close to the divine...whatever divine that may be.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

I agree with ya Junie

[wintermagick]

I found a very interesting Christian forum and have had some wonderful conversations. It's called (brace yourself) exwitch. The link is http://www.exwitch.org Basically the idea is that it's a place for Pagans turned Christian (are there really that many?) to share their testimony with others. No conversion attempts, in fact my little logo under my name is Resident Pagan, placed there by the admins! As long as you're not rude and place it in the right forum, you can ask about almost anything.

It's true... I'm a resident Wiccan on the site. I found the site a while back because I had wondered if there were any dissatisfied Pagans that ever went back to their childhood Christian roots. Didn't know exactly how to go about looking for that, so I typed Ex Witch in a search engine and TADA there was this site.

Sabre
:RuNew:

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

Amazing how that works eh?
I'm a Resident Pagan there now! :D

[Juniecat]

Maybe it's because I am a Christian-to-Pagan convert so I don't need to go to a site like exwitch for information purposes, but I went there and I don't think I'll ever go back there again. I know the doctrine...and the doctrine says "if you are not Christian you are going to burn in Hell forever." (That, by the way, is the reason for the constant attempts at conversion...if you believed someone was going to burn forever, wouldn't you try to do something about it?)

I left Christianity behind (while still tremendously respecting it as a path if it works for you) because I was very deeply bothered what felt to me like the very serious wrongness (I don't think that's really a word) of a "loving God" that would condemn people to hell because they don't worship a certain name. Ugh...I wish I hadn't gone there...all it did was stir up the old feelings of guilt and fear ("What if I'm wrong? What if I WILL burn in hell forever?!?!?") I have worked so hard to eliminate those feelings...

I think I'm going to cry...

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

Maybe it's because I am a Christian-to-Pagan convert so I don't need to go to a site like exwitch for information purposes, but I went there and I don't think I'll ever go back there again. I know the doctrine...and the doctrine says "if you are not Christian you are going to burn in Hell forever." (That, by the way, is the reason for the constant attempts at conversion...if you believed someone was going to burn forever, wouldn't you try to do something about it?)

I left Christianity behind (while still tremendously respecting it as a path if it works for you) because I was very deeply bothered what felt to me like the very serious wrongness (I don't think that's really a word) of a "loving God" that would condemn people to hell because they don't worship a certain name. Ugh...I wish I hadn't gone there...all it did was stir up the old feelings of guilt and fear ("What if I'm wrong? What if I WILL burn in hell forever?!?!?") I have worked so hard to eliminate those feelings...

I think I'm going to cry...

There now it'll be alright.
Need a shoulder to cry on?
PM me if you need to talk or want to share your feelings.

[Juniecat]

I guess I had just forgotten what it felt like to feel completely motivated by fear of consequences...I'll tell you what, I think being Pagan has made me a better person, because now when I strive to be a good person, who works for the good of others, it's because I want to...I just want to help...not because I think I am working towards some kind eternal retirement plan or because I am afraid that with every sin I step one foot closer to the flames. I mean, maybe I'm crazy, but I've always thought that motive was almost as important as the action itself, if not just as important.

[Aine of the Fae]

I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of someone choosing to go back to Chrisitianity. People leave Christianity because of the many, many contradictions. Has that changed? Have those contradictions miraculously been solved? Last I checked they hadn't.

But what's nice about exwitch.org is that, while they are committed to conversion (as a Christian you kind of have to be...) they aren't overly aggressive about it and they allow you to express your viewpoints.

[Valkie]

I just wanted to point out that not all christians are pig-headed bigots. There are alot of people in this world who are still searching for what is right for them, and if they are in a predominately christian society, that would be the first thing that they turned to. I called myself christian for years, AND was one of those pig-headed bigots, because that was what I was taught by the church. It was my own soul searching that lead me to the pagan path, which was ironically introduced by the fanatical christian church I was part of!

You want to know what feeds the hatred and contempt that the 'born-again' christian shows a pagan? Check out a christian book store some time. I remember buying such a book when I was in my holy rolling days. They say it's about the new age. They had everything from Smurfs to Transformers being listed as tools of the new age movement to 'destroy our young'.

No, not all christians are bad. That's like saying every witch is evil, or that we worship the devil :hehehehe: . It's the fanatics that you have to watch out for.

Valerie

[Teshuva3D]

I just wanted to point out that not all christians are pig-headed bigots. There are alot of people in this world who are still searching for what is right for them, and if they are in a predominately christian society, that would be the first thing that they turned to. I called myself christian for years, AND was one of those pig-headed bigots, because that was what I was taught by the church. It was my own soul searching that lead me to the pagan path, which was ironically introduced by the fanatical christian church I was part of!

You want to know what feeds the hatred and contempt that the 'born-again' christian shows a pagan? Check out a christian book store some time. I remember buying such a book when I was in my holy rolling days. They say it's about the new age. They had everything from Smurfs to Transformers being listed as tools of the new age movement to 'destroy our young'.

No, not all christians are bad. That's like saying every witch is evil, or that we worship the devil :hehehehe: . It's the fanatics that you have to watch out for.

Valerie
I just went to the exwitch.org site..and although I can respect the folks here who enjoy visiting it...the first testimonial ( by the founder ) kind of turned me off..this person speaks of how she had been a follower of an egyptian trad and a leader of the pagan community for several years..then one night she dreams about Jesus..and the next night..and then she says to God to prove that He really wants her...well,every pagan I know already believes in,and follows, some form of God already..he/she might call It God or Goddess or whatever but I've yet to see a pagan who does NOT believe in some kind of force behind the universe...or am I wrong??
The point I'm poorly making is that in her testimonial she kind of infers that paganism to her meant that even though she worshiped a multitude of deities....that wasn't the same thing as "God" ???? Which,to me, means that she is using her incorrect intrepretation of paganism as the fuel for her conversion to christianity..and furthermore her ministry..
I mean no offense to anyone here who likes that site..I'd just like to know what other folks think of the founder's testimonial???
Blessings,
Tesh

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

I guess I had just forgotten what it felt like to feel completely motivated by fear of consequences...I'll tell you what, I think being Pagan has made me a better person, because now when I strive to be a good person, who works for the good of others, it's because I want to...I just want to help...not because I think I am working towards some kind eternal retirement plan or because I am afraid that with every sin I step one foot closer to the flames. I mean, maybe I'm crazy, but I've always thought that motive was almost as important as the action itself, if not just as important.

I can understand where you're coming from and I agree with you. To me it's a far better person who does good out of one's own good will than by fear of punishment for lack of being good, or out of the will of another as a blind servant.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

But what's nice about exwitch.org is that, while they are committed to conversion (as a Christian you kind of have to be...) they aren't overly aggressive about it and they allow you to express your viewpoints.

Yep that's why I like them. You can inquire about their opinions and not fear being able to express your own.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of someone choosing to go back to Chrisitianity. People leave Christianity because of the many, many contradictions. Has that changed? Have those contradictions miraculously been solved? Last I checked they hadn't.

My guess is insecurity and fear of what they can't quite fathom; they can't prove that Hell doesn't exist so it eats away at the back of their minds until they snap and go running back for protection from it. And no the contradictions haven't been solved; they just get argued to not exist.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

No, not all christians are bad. That's like saying every witch is evil, or that we worship the devil. :hehehehe:

There's a difference here. Christianity being full of biggots is something that is reinforced by their own dogma and doctrines as displayed all throughout history. Pagans worshiping the devil is just a misconception, for which no evidence exists beyond Christian propaganda. But then of course, all the angsty teen goths who decide to dabble into the 'occult' and who run around yelling "I'm a witch I'll curse you!" probably add to that; this is only in recent times however.

[Cyberhawk]

That's nice. I'm a biggot now is it? Apparently some you think that you can't say anything against pagans because of a few bad eggs. But it is perfectly ok to say that Christianity is full of biggots.

sigh... I guess somethings will never be different wherever one goes.

[Valkie]

There's a difference here. Christianity being full of biggots is something that is reinforced by their own dogma and doctrines as displayed all throughout history. Pagans worshiping the devil is just a misconception, for which no evidence exists beyond Christian propaganda. But then of course, all the angsty teen goths who decide to dabble into the 'occult' and who run around yelling "I'm a witch I'll curse you!" probably add to that; this is only in recent times however.

True, but with the Christian dogma and doctrines fueling the misconceptions, and a christian dominate society, those misconceptions are held as truth.

Exp. I live in an area that has a good amount of pagans in it. probably no where near the amount of proclaimed christians, but still a good amount. Recently, there was a news report of animal abuse that the local stations picked up on. There was a woman, probably not quite right in the head, that had rented out an apartment for just her cats. She lived somewhere else and there were more than 50 cats in this 2 bedroom apartment. She still came by once a day to try to take care of them, but with that many it was pratically impossible. Anyways, animal control came in to rescue them. Because they found a pentical in the apartment, the news station said that 'Satanism' was suspected.

All of the negitive that the pagan community gets may be because of Christian dogma, but they are the ones screaming in the streets to make sure that everyone knows their POV. I've yet to see a pagan on the side of the street screaming that the church is full of #%&%. Don't get me wrong, I know that that isn't the pagan's way. But it doesn't do much for public relations.

And Cyberhawk, just because Christianity is full of bigots, doesn't mean that you are one of them. Maybe my POV is skewed. I came from a very fundimentalist, very charismatic sect of christianity, where if what you practiced as a christian wasn't to the letter of the bible, you weren't being 'christian' enough. There was no tolerance, there was no grey. according to the teachings that I use to follow, a good 75% of the Christian community were still going to hell. I came from the extream, which is what most of the pagans are confronted with when they talk about a Christian coming after them. The group that I came from were Holier-Than-Thou bigots, and they considered every other christian group bigots. I know that not ALL Christians are bad, I put that in my previous post. But I do still think that it is full of bigots.
Valerie

[Cyberhawk]

I've been called a lot of things. By both sides. I really couldn't care less if some pastor says I'm not Christian enough, or that my faith is lacking because I question the bible. (Why? Because to me, only God has the right to judge me as good enough or not.) But I feel very uncomfortable when people simply generalise that Christianity is full of biggots. Because Christianity is the path I follow. Would you like it if I said, "Pagans are full of something horrible, but not you?" Would it be ok to say that Germans are full of jewhaters, because of 'history'? Maybe you won't be offended, but I have a problem with anyone who makes generalised statements just like that.

Your unfortunate experience with that group of Christians has obviously colored your views. Although your bitterness against this group is understandable, beware that it may cause you to prejudge / pigeonhole someone based on their beliefs before they can say anything.

Good day to you.

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

I've been called a lot of things. By both sides. I really couldn't care less if some pastor says I'm not Christian enough, or that my faith is lacking because I question the bible. (Why? Because to me, only God has the right to judge me as good enough or not.) But I feel very uncomfortable when people simply generalise that Christianity is full of biggots. Because Christianity is the path I follow. Would you like it if I said, "Pagans are full of something horrible, but not you?" Would it be ok to say that Germans are full of jewhaters, because of 'history'? Maybe you won't be offended, but I have a problem with anyone who makes generalised statements just like that.

Your unfortunate experience with that group of Christians has obviously colored your views. Although your bitterness against this group is understandable, beware that it may cause you to prejudge / pigeonhole someone based on their beliefs before they can say anything.

Good day to you.

A very valid point you make sir.

[Valkie]

I've been called a lot of things. By both sides. I really couldn't care less if some pastor says I'm not Christian enough, or that my faith is lacking because I question the bible. (Why? Because to me, only God has the right to judge me as good enough or not.) But I feel very uncomfortable when people simply generalise that Christianity is full of biggots. Because Christianity is the path I follow. Would you like it if I said, "Pagans are full of something horrible, but not you?" Would it be ok to say that Germans are full of jewhaters, because of 'history'? Maybe you won't be offended, but I have a problem with anyone who makes generalised statements just like that.

.

gee, that sounds an awful lot like what I put in my FIRST post.

[Phoenix Blue]

Admin Mode


Christianity being full of biggots is something that is reinforced by their own dogma and doctrines as displayed all throughout history.

I've already stated that bashing others' religious paths is not allowed. Just because I didn't immediately close the thread does not mean you get to continue bashing Christianity.

Thread closed!