Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Are you being tolerant of my views ? Interesting that those who say be tolerant, really mean shut up.
Yes this is a free country, and I have the right to say religion is BS.
Religion brings nothing but harm, it is dangerous.
I'm not saying shut up, I'm saying have a little respect for other people. Imagine what this world would be if we were all just a little more respectful of each other- and this goes for atheists, believers, and everyone else.
to the OP: seeing as how this man looked as if he had lived a long life and was very wise, i would have asked the question in return. i would have loved to hear wether or not he believed
i love to learn!
I'm not saying shut up, I'm saying have a little respect for other people. Imagine what this world would be if we were all just a little more respectful of each other- and this goes for atheists, believers, and everyone else.
So you do not want to talk about why christians are so much more proseltising then any other group.
I'd like to start out by saying that I'd appreciate some other Atheist perspectives on this. Believers are welcome to answer, but please try to put this into my perspective before answering.
About two years ago, I was living in an apartment complex. I usually change the oil in my vehicles myself but I had nowhere to store the oil pan so I just took it to the local Jiffy Lube. For anyone who has been in one of these places, the waiting area is very small and there's usually 3-4 people in there. As I was sitting there this kindly old man walked in the door. His demeanor bespoke of someone who had been through a lot in his life and he had been wisened as to the ways of the world. He was a calm, gentle man and the best visual reference I can think of would be a Morgan Freeman. However this man was a good 20 years older. He seemed kindly and gentle but like he was lonely and looking for conversation. Some thoughts ran through my mind. Had his loving wife of many years just died? How much strife and turmoil had those wise old eyes seen? I thought to myself "There's a man who has seen a lot in his life!" He sat down across from me.
There were several other people in this tiny waiting room all reading magazines. I was the only one not reading a magazine. I was just kind of staring at the ceiling. He looked directly at me and said "Do you believe in Jesus?" I was kind of taken aback at being directly asked in front of a crowd of people...
I looked at him and replied......
Ok here's what I want to know. Before I say what my response was, what do you think it was and what would you have said? Keep in mind that this is a man who was not preaching. He wasn't trying to witness or convert. There are certain things you can gauge from the way people's body language reflect, and I can assure you this was nothing more than an attempt at starting a friendly conversation. Also keep in mind that everyone in the waiting room is "All eyes on you". What do you say in response to something like that?
For the believers, I welcome your response, but try to put yourself in the context of a kindly Arab gentleman asking if you believe in Allah, or if you can, put yourself in the Atheist perspective.
Edit: I felt it very important to note that I'm not trying to put an "I'm better than you" tone to this. I'm simply asking what your response would have been and why.
My response is..."Why do you ask?" If I don't like the answer I get there, I might walk away.
I think I would first have answered, "Believe what about Jesus?" Then, if the questioner queried you about a particular doctrinal point, you could have simply replied, "No, I don't believe that because, even if Jesus actually lived and believed himself to be the Son of God, I don't believe that Jesus was divine in any sense of the word."
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
