Here's an idea;

[Vizio]

Originally Posted by sanspeur

According to your apologetic web site's definition of religion, then my bowling team is a religion, and you know as well as I do that is nonsense.

Why don't you tell us in your own words why you think not believing in god is LIKE a religion?

Does your bowling team assemble to talk about religion? Do the members evangelize?

[sanspeur]

Originally Posted by Vizio

Does your bowling team assemble to talk about religion? Do the members evangelize?

No, we talk about bowling...Does your congregation assemble to talk about bowling too? When I'm with another atheist we talk about a lot of things that one or the other of us may be interested in, but I do not remember ever talking about religion.

It is only here on this forum that I come in contact and converse with the religious, and being an honest person I cannot let untrue things pass without comment. The religious are on a par with conspiracy theorists when it comes to dishonesty.

[Vizio]

Originally Posted by sanspeur

No, we talk about bowling...Does your congregation assemble to talk about bowling too? When I'm with another atheist we talk about a lot of things that one or the other of us may be interested in, but I do not remember ever talking about religion.

Yet...you identify yourself as an "ATHEIST". By definition that means one without a belief in God. You then proceed to come onto religious message boards to proselytize.

It is only here on this forum that I come in contact and converse with the religious, and being an honest person I cannot let untrue things pass without comment. The religious are on a par with conspiracy theorists when it comes to dishonesty.

Why do you bother to come to the "religion and Spirituality" board? You wouldn't see us here if you didn't frequent the boards.

[sanspeur]

Originally Posted by Vizio

Yet...you identify yourself as an "ATHEIST". By definition that means one without a belief in God. You then proceed to come onto religious message boards to proselytize.


Why do you bother to come to the "religion and Spirituality" board? You wouldn't see us here if you didn't frequent the boards.

I have explained countless times why I refute some of the religious nonsense...(not to proselytize) Too bad you've missed it.

proselytize: Convert or attempt to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another.

When have you ever seen me proselytize?

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by GldnRule

This makes me wonder even more...why would anyone want the Atheists to leave this board? They add the fun, wit, and spice to these threads.

I agree. (Though for a really fun time.... invite a Pagan.)

[mordant]

Originally Posted by Vizio

Yet...you identify yourself as an "ATHEIST". By definition that means one without a belief in God. You then proceed to come onto religious message boards to proselytize.

Why do you bother to come to the "religion and Spirituality" board? You wouldn't see us here if you didn't frequent the boards.

Just to be clear, and you may fully realize this, atheism is a disbelief in any and all gods, not just God, as in, your particular god. That is an important distinction. We happen to be discussing your particular God because that's what you're into, but we are equal opportunity unbelievers, so to speak.

I can only speak for myself but the first place I visit on this site is the atheist board, where a lot of theists hang out anyway, and it didn't take me long to realize that the general religion board has a lot of the same sort of debate. I personally don't bait or start threads attempting to debunk theism but I do participate when I have something to say.

It's true that some of my fellow atheists are on a mission to debunk theism. But that no more constitutes proselytizing than when a theist comes onto the atheist board all excited to share what they think is an airtight refutation of atheism. That is simply debate. If the theist attempted to recruit us to their faith, THAT would be proselytizing. In the other direction, we atheists have nothing to recruit anyone to, really ... I suppose if I happened to belong to some atheist organization and I solicited people to join it, that would be kind of like proselytizing but it's still a bit of a stretch -- there is no atheist "church" to recruit into. What would constitute proselytizing from an atheist to me if I were a moderator would be this:

Not proselytizing: "I think you are making god up"
Proselytizing: "You need to quit believing in god and leave the church"

The line that should not be crossed, I think, is telling people what they should / must do rather than simply debating ideas.

By the way, Vizio, I think you acquit yourself fairly well here, I don't agree with your belief-system and have made no bones about it, and I think you delude yourself -- but you don't cross any lines as far as proselytizing that I've seen, and you keep things calm and respectful -- more than I can see for some of your interlocutors, some of who are clearly baiting you. To me that creates heat rather than light, and I appreciate that you do not reciprocate. As a preacher I am sure you recognize youthful hubris when you see it, and are wise enough not to feed it. Atheists and theists alike are capable of growing out of that sort of thing. Thanks for not taking it as an excuse to demonize / dehumanize / dismiss all of us.