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I also think you should share your beliefs in a respectful and caring way that does not alienate people or their own personal beliefs.
Can't run with you on this one Irish! What if I were to say that I believed black people were inferior to white people. Would you say that my beliefs should be treated with care and respect? I think not.....so why do religious people think that their beliefs should be worthy of respect from those that don't agree with those beliefs? Don't mis-understand me here. I strongly believe that everyone has a right to hold a belief....but to expect respect for the belief that they hold from another person just isn't on as far as I'm concerned!
The most curious social convention of the great age in which we live is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected.
-- H L Mencken.
We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.
-- H L Mencken
The way to deal with superstition is not to be polite to it, but to tackle it with all arms, and so rout it, cripple it, and make it forever infamous and ridiculous. Is it, perchance, cherished by persons who should know better? Then their folly should be brought out into the light of day, and exhibited there in all its hideousness until they flee from it, hiding their heads in shame. True enough, even a superstitious man has certain inalienable rights. He has a right to harbor and indulge his beliefs as long as he pleases, provided only he does not try to inflict them upon other men by force. He has a right to argue for them as eloquently as he can, in season and out of season. He has a right to teach them to his children. But certainly he has no right to be protected against the free criticism of those who do not hold them. He has no right to demand that they be treated as sacred. He has no right to preach them without challenge. Did Darrow, in the course of his dreadful bombardment of Bryan, drop a few shells, incidentally, into measurably cleaner camps? Then let the garrisons of those camps look to their defenses. They are free to shoot back. But they can't disarm their enemy.
-- H L Mencken
Can't run with you on this one Irish! What if I were to say that I believed black people were inferior to white people. Would you say that my beliefs should be treated with care and respect? I think not.....so why do religious people think that their beliefs should be worthy of respect from those that don't agree with those beliefs? Don't mis-understand me here. I strongly believe that everyone has a right to hold a belief....but to expect respect for the belief that they hold from another person just isn't on as far as I'm concerned!
The most curious social convention of the great age in which we live is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected.
-- H L Mencken.
We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.
-- H L Mencken
The way to deal with superstition is not to be polite to it, but to tackle it with all arms, and so rout it, cripple it, and make it forever infamous and ridiculous. Is it, perchance, cherished by persons who should know better? Then their folly should be brought out into the light of day, and exhibited there in all its hideousness until they flee from it, hiding their heads in shame. True enough, even a superstitious man has certain inalienable rights. He has a right to harbor and indulge his beliefs as long as he pleases, provided only he does not try to inflict them upon other men by force. He has a right to argue for them as eloquently as he can, in season and out of season. He has a right to teach them to his children. But certainly he has no right to be protected against the free criticism of those who do not hold them. He has no right to demand that they be treated as sacred. He has no right to preach them without challenge. Did Darrow, in the course of his dreadful bombardment of Bryan, drop a few shells, incidentally, into measurably cleaner camps? Then let the garrisons of those camps look to their defenses. They are free to shoot back. But they can't disarm their enemy.
-- H L Mencken
While I can understand where you are coming from, I think it is important for everyone to respect everyone's opinion. Why do we have so many wars and bad feelings towards others? Because we open our mouths and insert our feet where they don't belong!
While I am a Christian, I believe there is a right time and right place for witnessing. I know it is very important and we are supposed to "spread the good news", however, I think speaking it when it is completely inappropriate does nothing more than hurt the cause!
I think as far as spreading the news, it should be ok for someone who is fired up for Christ and has the calling to go to a public park and speak. Anyone that WANTS to listen, can! And anyone that chooses NOT to listen can merely just walk away! I think this is a good way to win souls for Christ. But to just walk up to someone in a store and start thumping them over the head with the Bible...it's just WRONG! The same thing goes with the ones knocking on the doors. I can understand knocking ONCE, but if it is CLEAR that the person is NOT INTERESTED...LEAVE IT ALONE! All that happens here is we push people further away! This is NOT the way to witness...IMHO
I try to be as respectful as possible to EVERYONE! I would be sick to think that someone was pushed further away from God because of me.
Last edited by kawgpz550; 07-11-2007 at 01:57 AM..
Reason: typo
I don't have a problem with what people believe in. It would be pretty shallow of me considering, as an atheist, I am a minority in the world of beliefs/religion. I definitely don't like dealing with "radicals", but it seems that I have met more than my fair share. To put it mildly, I cannot imagine the results of what would happen if I walked up to some people's kids and started telling them that God wasn't real. Especially right in front of their parent's face. So, I take just as equal offense if someone tries to tell me how right they really are as opposed to my own belief.
Of course, I think we all understand what we are getting into when we post on this forum and you willingly subjugate yourself to other's opinions and that is fine in my opinion. Really, if there were more places like this, both public and private, where people of all kinds of different religions can gather and explain their motives and methods of thinking, the world might be a better place. Speaking of which... we should have a CD Religion forum bbq. I'll bring the beer!!
I don't have a problem with what people believe in. It would be pretty shallow of me considering, as an atheist, I am a minority in the world of beliefs/religion. I definitely don't like dealing with "radicals", but it seems that I have met more than my fair share. To put it mildly, I cannot imagine the results of what would happen if I walked up to some people's kids and started telling them that God wasn't real. Especially right in front of their parent's face. So, I take just as equal offense if someone tries to tell me how right they really are as opposed to my own belief.
Of course, I think we all understand what we are getting into when we post on this forum and you willingly subjugate yourself to other's opinions and that is fine in my opinion. Really, if there were more places like this, both public and private, where people of all kinds of different religions can gather and explain their motives and methods of thinking, the world might be a better place. Speaking of which... we should have a CD Religion forum bbq. I'll bring the beer!!
GCS, you was actually the one I was thinking about when I made the comment above regarding going up to someone in a store. I remembered when you told about the lady in the bookstore, not too long ago!
I just think there is a right way and a wrong way to do things...and if you cannot differentiate between the two, then you should do NOTHING at all!
GCS, you was actually the one I was thinking about when I made the comment above regarding going up to someone in a store. I remembered when you told about the lady in the bookstore, not too long ago!
I just think there is a right way and a wrong way to do things...and if you cannot differentiate between the two, then you should do NOTHING at all!
Yeah, yeah ever the attention getter I am. Seriously, for some reason, I attract the crazies. It doesn't matter if it's the crazy religious people, the homeless guy on the street with a cellphone asking for money, or like the other day, the guy in the bathroom who came up to me at the urinal and told me I had a nice shirt. Yes, it happened, why? Who the heck knows! But, I have this innate ability to attract the weirdos. Maybe I should start a circus
Do you generally feel ok with other people believing a religion (or none) that is different from your beliefs?
I'll go first..I don't care what people want to worship as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others and no one is forced to be a specific religion (hence why I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state).
My biggest problems with certain groups (and they can be found in all religions) are the radicals. Not that long ago, I was in the store and this woman came up to me, touched my kids on their heads and started quoting Bible versus and telling me how the Iraq war was ordained by God to help Israel take over the Middle East so Jesus could come back to Earth and that global warming was a good sign of Jesus coming. I looked at her and told her I guess I was out of luck then since I wasn't a Christian. As a non-Christian, I would never go up to a stranger and push my beliefs on them. I have huge issues with radical Muslims. Umm, yeah, you want Sharia law, make your own country, Backwardsistan. I have huge issues with orthodox Jews. Get yourselves out of the illegal settlements already. I have huge issues with ultra religious of every group.
People who want to believe what they want to believe and can separate their ideas from wanting to install rules to force others to believe as they do, those folks I'm ok with.
I believe in live and let live as long as the exercise of my religion is not impeded or suppressed by government authority. I also believe in the "separation of church and state". The government should have no right to interfere in any religious practices or restrict any freedom of religious or secular expression in any public or private forum.
I believe in live and let live as long as the exercise of my religion is not impeded or suppressed by government authority. I also believe in the "separation of church and state". The government should have no right to interfere in any religious practices or restrict any freedom of religious or secular expression in any public or private forum.
Really? Any religious expression in any public or private forum?
So I can sacrifice slaves to Ba'al in a public park?
I've had many friends of various belief systems and they were not rude like yor pastor friend...I would have gave him back his Books and said..Thank you but No thanks...and how dare he treat you like that...Someone ask me what religion do you belong to? I said...NONE...The shock expression on ther face was a Kodak Moment...LOL...IMHO God doesnt need religion...Mankind does...If it works for you Great and im Happy for you...Blessed Be...
Really? Any religious expression in any public or private forum?
So I can sacrifice slaves to Ba'al in a public park?
Use peyote in the classroom?
Marry multiple wives?
I don't see a problem with the last one if all the wives are in agreement with it.
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and started quoting Bible versus and telling me how the Iraq war was ordained by God to help Israel take over the Middle East so Jesus could come back to Earth and that global warming was a good sign of Jesus coming. I looked at her and told her I guess I was out of luck then since I wasn't a Christian. As a non-Christian, I would never go up to a stranger and push my beliefs on them. I have huge issues with radical Muslims. Umm, yeah, you want Sharia law, make your own country, Backwardsistan. I have huge issues with orthodox Jews. Get yourselves out of the illegal settlements already. I have huge issues with ultra religious of every group.
