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The difference is Christian advertising usually isn't meant to antagonize or offend people. The billboard was carefully designed to be a slap in the face to Christians who celebrate the birth of Christ almost on the level of mockery. They wanted it to offend Christians.
Oh B. S. I already posted just a couple of examples of "Christian" love expressed on billboards.
How is saying that you don't have to go to church, and to be good a slap to anyone? It is a fact. No one has to go to church, and everyone should be good.
Oh B. S. I already posted just a couple of examples of "Christian" love expressed on billboards.
How is saying that you don't have to go to church, and be good a slap to anyone? It is a fact. No one has to go to church, and everyone should be good.
How do you know those billboards were put up by Christians? We get told we can't judge who is and isn't a Christian...why are you suddenly able to?
The difference is Christian advertising usually isn't meant to antagonize or offend people. The billboard was carefully designed to be a slap in the face to Christians who celebrate the birth of Christ almost on the level of mockery. They wanted it to offend Christians.
Well, they totally failed because it didn't offend me.
Kids going to bed hungry offends me. Inferior schools offend me. Our elderly being cast aside and forgotten offends me.
A billboard put up by atheists does not offend me. In fact.... it is the First Amendment in action. I am not offended by the First Amendment.
I think he does a good job of maintaining a non-biased neutral position. But I guess the definition of a fundamentalist is anyone who doesn't agree with you.
To be honest, that is not what it means to be a fundamentalist. By any useful definition of religious or fundamentalist, GldnRule is neither. And I am pretty sure he understands that. My point is not about his religious beliefs, but about the logical and semantic games he uses to try to support his position that Atheism is a religion, his Gnostic Pantheism, and his idea that fundamentalism is just people who are passionate and invested in something.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffbase40
Stereotyping is historically the first main step towards persecution of a group.
Eh, I think it is probably a necessary but not sufficient condition. I mean democrats and republicans ( and whigs, and populists, and bull mooses, and green party folks, and libertarians, ad nauseum) have been stereotyping each other viciously for the entire history of our nation, but we have seen very little actual persecution coming from it. Of course there are numerous examples of stereotyping leading to, or at least facilitating actual persecution. Slavery, antisemitism, the Red scare, every single wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, the Native American genocide, Jim Crow, sodomy laws, etc...
I don't think that Christians as a whole are in much danger of becoming a persecuted group in the United States any time soon...
How do you know those billboards were put up by Christians? We get told we can't judge who is and isn't a Christian...why are you suddenly able to?
Well, one of them has the name of the reverend who put it up, Rev E. F. Briggs. Another has the web site of a christian group. Generally the sponsor of a billboard has their name or website somewhere on it. It really isn't difficult to determine who put it up.
I think he does a good job of maintaining a non-biased neutral position. But I guess the definition of a fundamentalist is anyone who doesn't agree with you.
Stereotyping is historically the first main step towards persecution of a group.
You mean like this?
Quote:
"Typical atheist" - enjoys bashing and mocking Christians, actually thinks mockery and bullying are a good thing as long as it is against Christians, enjoys tearing down the Bible and people's faith, completely negative if you don't agree with them 100% and believes respect as to be earned first which usually entails bowing down and agreeing with them.
Well, one of them has the name of the reverend who put it up, Rev E. F. Briggs. Another has the web site of a christian group. Generally the sponsor of a billboard has their name or website somewhere on it. It really isn't difficult to determine who put it up.
How do you know they're Christians?
Again, I ask because I get told all the time that I can't judge who isn't a Christian...how do you know who is a Christian? And why would you suggest that all Christians believe as those groups do?
If we use your tortured logic, I can freely admit, everything is a religion. Because anything that is, ever has been, or ever will be important to someone, or any person that is especially talented or skilled counts as a god, and to acknowledge the existence of a god means that you are religious... Kind of makes the idea a bit, useless for conveying information though, doesn't it?
Of course, I think your logic is deeply flawed, and a foolish attempt to use semantic trickery in order to feel like you are "winning", which incidently is what your entire religious position appears to be... But hey, you can believe what you want, I was just pointing out that you might want to be consistant...
So we can sum up, GldnRule has now admitted that, by his own standards, he is a religious fundamentalist.
Which brings me back to my original points from several years ago. If one uses "Gldn-logic" one quickly find that all words are ultimately meaningless, and therefore the truth value of any statement conveys no information, and is also ultimately meaningless blather.
This is why I fundamentally reject your underlying logic, and still maintain that word mean things, and map to ideas. It is the ideas that are the important thing, and language should be used to clarify not obfuscate. There are such things at metaphor and hyperbole, and to communicate meaningfully one must be aware of the distinction.
So based on my method of using and understanding language, I would argue that neither you, ol' Goldbritches, or myself are religious, but I can see how you has been backed into the corner of thinking of yourself as a fundie. But of course you can't agree with me without your entire worldview falling to pieces, so I am pretty sure you will try to find a way to embrace being a religious fundamentalist pantheist.
-NoCapo
NOW...let me be clear. MY Fundamental position is logical. If GOD=ALL, then if anything exists, God necessarily exists. Since something exists...God exists.
This is in comparison to y'alls illogical Fundamental position of NO EVIDENCE=NO GOD...when my logical position proves that to be wrong.
So...in summation. My Pantheist Religion believes in a God that unequivocally and undeniably exists. Thus...my Religion PROVES that God exists....and now we can just get rid of those ignorant concepts of Atheism and Agnosticism. THAT is a Fundamental Fact!
I hope you are all hip to that now.
Again, I ask because I get told all the time that I can't judge who isn't a Christian...how do you know who is a Christian? And why would you suggest that all Christians believe as those groups do?
Easy, look up the names or groups.
Oh, I forgot, only you are able to say who is or isn't a "true Christian".
Oh, I forgot, only you are able to say who is or isn't a "true Christian".
The No True Scotsman fallacy. Gotta love it.
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