What's with the hostility towards Christians?

[That One Girl]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

all I would like is an explanation, I believe these people are within their full rights to free speach when they say these things, and I don't want to insult anyone.

It's not just Christianity, but every religion, least that I've seen.

'Nuff said, imo.

[dore]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

Hey, most of the atheists who try to argue against the bible have no idea what they're talking about so it's not like it'd be hard for you Christians to win the argument.

[Tokzic]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

I guess what I would like to know is why? what's the reason for all this?
all I would like is an explanation, I believe these people are within their full rights to free speach when they say these things, and I don't want to insult anyone.

Here's why I'm anti-religion (not just christianity).

On a day-to-day basis, when confronted with new information, we decide for ourselves the validity of it. If we find it to be true beyond a reasonable doubt, we define such information as knowledge (there is no such thing as true knowledge, as we can't be sure of anything).

All religions have a common thought pattern. When someone accepts that they can believe in a religion, they are placing the status of knowledge upon something which does not have enough validity to be escalated to that status. This is unintelligent by definition. It is detrimental to your ability to operate in daily life.

ESP, for example, is an unintelligent thing to place a lot of merit in. There is a man, whose name I forget, who has publicly offered one million dollars to anyone who can display supernatural abilities. No one has come close. This effectively limits the plausibility of the existence of ESP to near 0, close enough that I can say I "know" it does not exist.

Christianity, by example, is an unintelligent thing to place a lot of merit in. Every claim that its text makes does not have a scrap of real world evidence to claim it. Several of its claims - in fact, pretty much any that can be counterclaimed - can be proven wrong. The lifespan of the world. The existence of Jesus Christ. Noah's ark. Wrong beyond a reasonable doubt.

You're probably itching for the quote button, but on an individual level, I don't care how stupid people are. If someone wants to make dumb decisions for themselves, I don't care.

Where it begins to become a problem is where it affects me on a large-scale basis.

People's beliefs and morals affect their attitudes and decisions. For example, religion tends to be joined with conservative ideals. And since we live in a democracy, I needn't demonstrate that when a large amount of people have sway on my life, and their belief system is flawed and illogical, they have lots of chances to affect my life in a counterproductive way. I do not like that people with corrupt views are changing my life for the worse.

Furthermore, it's a self-replicating virus. Parents teach their children. Crazies try to recruit other people. IQ can be manipulated and I don't like when people are damaging it intentionally. People who could be spending their time on Earth contributing to its development and benefiting it are instead damaging it and holding it back.

Understand?

[Squeek]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

To add to what Tokzic said, the main problem a lot of anti-religion folks have is that the people who believe in talking snakes, resurrecting duders who are their own fathers, and people putting 2 of every species of animal on the planet onto a single boat are the same people who run our country.

Does religion affect their judgment? Hell yes it does. Is it positive or negative? My vote is on negative. Nobody would oppose gay marriage if it weren't for religion. The discussion of abortion would be a no-brainer if it weren't for religion. Stem-cell research would never have been stifled had it not been for religion. We get ourselves so hung up on these decisions because they're matters where religion and society clash.

And you know what? The founding fathers of our country knew that this would happen and they fought to prevent it from happening. The religious right eventually won out though, and now religion is stuck inside our politics. I'm so glad Obama understands what happens when religion and government mix and has undone a lot of religion-centered things that our old president put into place. Hopefully science can progress now that the bans on stupid religious matters have been lifted.

[tsugomaru]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

You know not all Christians are uptight prudes, I just saw the picture and thought it was funny.

This.

I find I have more problems with jackasses than actual Christianity. I have plenty of Christian friends and I respect their choice in religion and they respect my opinions. When people start pressing their beliefs on other people, then we have problems.

~Tsugomaru

[NFD]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

http://www.tofulator.com/2009/04/02/captioned-youtube-charles-mansons-epic-question/

[ieatyourlvllol]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

Liberal theist here...

The hostility develops because religion as an institutionalized practice typically gives rise to an unwillingness to accept challenge from opposing fronts (e.g. atheists). Particularly in the Southern U.S. (where I live), theists are often taught to hold unquestioning faith without much regard for the implications of science. As a result, they tend to outright deny legitimate arguments rather than offering an earnest rebuttal. Unfortunately, due to their prevalence, these "irrational" theists compose most of the image of religion, which has consequently become an object of contempt. It's a bit disheartening for "rational" theists such as myself, although the modern era is seeing a rise in the popularity of personalized religion.

Similarly, atheism is also unfairly antagonized since some people (from both sides) misinterpret it as an attempt to argue against a belief itself instead of what the belief actually entails (e.g. the existence of a deity).

At any rate, the important thing to know is that a belief has significance because it can be challenged. If you don't have to defend something, what is its worth? Quite clearly, faith in the purest philosophical sense requires the ability to defend and maintain a belief, not just to espouse it. Without this dimension, although faith can still have practical value, it is essentially devoid of meaning.

[dean_machine]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

If you have time to spend about 40 minutes to watch a video about the validity of the bible, please watch this: mms://wm-ondemand.abacast.com/church53/03-08-09.wmv
Skip about 20 minutes of the way through, but please watch to the end if you do watch it.

[Dr Tran]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

biased video is a trustworthy video

[Tokzic]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

I think a good reason why is because the Christian faith is offensive to anyone who doesn't accept that they are going to judged for their sins and go to hell. If one chooses not to believe in Christ and follow his ways, they're going to Hell because they have sinned (which is turning away from god's commandments which is the same as not choosing to do what we know is right because God's law is in our hearts) and on Judgement Day God judges us acording to our deeds.

But Jesus paid the price of our sins for those that believe in him, and will be made right in God's eyes.

Nobody cares about being judged when they don't believe in it. It's not offensive. If I told you that, when you die, the Overseer Unicorn Xegon will Impale evildoers with his Horn of Judgment, how would you react? Okay, well, that's how we react when you tell us we're going to hell.

Why do you talk of your religion like it's fact when there's no evidence whatsoever? It's really pretentious.

Also the Christian belief is higher than any other in the whole world so it's even easier to attack Christians.

Wrong. Islam is the single largest denomination.

Unless you mean "high" as in "better" in some way, in which case you've got a big head.

Also, stop trying to play victim. Nobody's singling you out. Everyone in this thread, and everyone who is anti-religion, doesn't have a particular hatred towards christianity. You're just like any other religion.

If you have time to spend about 40 minutes to watch a video about the validity of the bible, please watch this: mms://wm-ondemand.abacast.com/church53/03-08-09.wmv
Skip about 20 minutes of the way through, but please watch to the end if you do watch it.

This is about hostility towards religion and anti-religious sentiments. This isn't about whether or not your religion is right. Frankly, I don't care to watch an hour of the same flawed, nonsensical arguments I hear regularly from christians who have duped themselves into thinking there's rational thinking involved in faith.

[sp1nzoK]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

I don't judge religious people, it's actually a good thing if people can get strength to go on from religion even if it's unrational.

I'm an apatheist myself and I really hate God personifications. In my opinion if there is a God it should be synonym for the Universe and its laws.

To quote Richard Dawkins:
"I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world."

I hate the fact that people live scared, cowering in front of their Gods, ashamed of sins and so on. I'm not blaming religious people as a whole, many, many of them are very intelligent and reasonable people but there are the ones who don't live their life to the fullest because of the illusion of Hell. To me death is the nothingness I was born of, maybe I will live on in memories, but my factual presence is not there. Death is indeed scary, that's why I hate people who live with their eyes closed.

Moral code exists without religions too and frankly monotheistic religions are about the same God, yet each religion argues with other religions that they have the "correct" religion.

EDIT: I'll just edit these things into this post

-If God is omnipotent, ruler of cosmos, creator of everything; why would he care about prayers? Why would human specifically be "his image", out of the billions and billions of star systems that might have inhabitants of their own?
-If there is a God; why do people assume God is good?
-Human nature isn't a constant, nearly everyone if not everyone has both good and evil side to them
-A lot of people are brought up as christians, even if they are only name christians - whatever they do does stamp the christianity in the statistics, so it's useless to claim christians being more "clean" compared to other religions or irreligions.

[funmonkey54]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

Well, I am Christian, but I will come at this point from an outside perspective.

Personally, I believe that religions as a whole state that there is a definite right or wrong. The idea of a definite right or wrong means that not everything people do is ok. Which is against our nature. We want to be ok with what we are and everything we do and not be judged in any way, shape or form. The idea that something would judge us out of our control is unappealing to say the least.

So, obviously, the most simple way of avoiding this within our own minds is to completely deny its existence. Ideas such as "seeing is believing" and such make that easy in our minds to simply say nothing exists because we have not personally seen it. Although, there is hypocrisy in that seeing as how we believe in many things we are just told and have not yet seen. (Such as nearly everyone believes that there is a Taj Mahal and yet very few of us have actually seen it) But, at the same time, there is arguable hypocrisy within and standpoint we take. So, the easiest way out is to not take a stand and just ignore the existence of all of it.

[fullmetal_alchemist027]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

The only reason I'll attack a religion is when you get those over-zealous bastards who push every aspect of their being on you, trying to force you to change because "You're following the wrong path."

I couldn't care less about what YOU believe in, so long as it doesn't interfere with MY persons.

I think it's a good thing that some people can draw their will to continue from something like religion. To the right person, it does them good. But a lot of us don't need this, nor do we want it. It seems like, more and more people will follow religions blindly, having absolutely no argument to support their beliefs other than "It's the right way" or "Insert opinion and use it as fact here."

One major issue that seems to plague me when I'm followed by said people, is my beliefs on hell and heaven and such. Just because I don't believe Jesus Christ is my savior, I'm apparently going to hell. This is just stupid. If I don't believe in what YOU believe, I guess I don't have the right to an afterlife (if it does exist). I guess the other few billion people who aren't [insert religion here] don't get to either.

TL;DR - Stop pushing your religion on people, learn to see the world with open eyes, and above all, stop being a freaking idiot about things. (not directed at any one person, incase it crossed someones mind.)

[Bolth mannn]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

The only reason I'll attack a religion is when you get those over-zealous bastards who push every aspect of their being on you, trying to force you to change because "You're following the wrong path."

I couldn't care less about what YOU believe in, so long as it doesn't interfere with MY persons.

I think it's a good thing that some people can draw their will to continue from something like religion. To the right person, it does them good. But a lot of us don't need this, nor do we want it. It seems like, more and more people will follow religions blindly, having absolutely no argument to support their beliefs other than "It's the right way" or "Insert opinion and use it as fact here."

One major issue that seems to plague me when I'm followed by said people, is my beliefs on hell and heaven and such. Just because I don't believe Jesus Christ is my savior, I'm apparently going to hell. This is just stupid. If I don't believe in what YOU believe, I guess I don't have the right to an afterlife (if it does exist). I guess the other few billion people who aren't [insert religion here] don't get to either.

TL;DR - Stop pushing your religion on people, learn to see the world with open eyes, and above all, stop being a freaking idiot about things. (not directed at any one person, incase it crossed someones mind.)

i agree with this.

I want to bring up something else. dont think im being a zealot or anything.

christianity teaches you to be on a good path, to have respect for your own life. for all I know the bible could be the biggest conspiracy in the world, but it sure helps the youth of the world understand themselves and have respect for their own wel-being. You never see proper christians involved in suicides, violent rampages, drunk bashing, or being on Ice or anything of the sort.

most people who don't believe in anything at all are lost and couldnt care less about their life, always wondering if theres anything more. christianity gives you that hope. it helps you believe that your on earth for a reason. god* might not be real, but it definately makes the earth a better place.


*I would like to mention here that im not eliminating every other religion by saying god, all religions give you some sort of purpose. i dont support some of the muslims or whoever they are that blow themselves up to get into 'heaven'

[-11-]

Re: What's with the hostility towards Christians?

Personally i don't care if people think we were created by god or we come from monkeys as long as you don't try and persuade me that its fact beause it looks as though its all based on faith to me.