Clearing up a misconception atheists have about practicing Christians

[Penelope]

I don't find that as true at all.

We probably know different sets of people.

Seems believers want to control people more.

 

[Meriweather]

You say you know good muslims and being muslim is better than being atheist.

Now I am truly irritated. I grew up with atheists in the family. I married an atheist also from a family of atheists. I have NEVER said that being a Muslim (or Christian or Jew or Buddhist or Hindu, etc) is better than being an atheist! Growl.

 

[sealybobo]

You say you know good muslims and being muslim is better than being atheist.

Now I am truly irritated. I grew up with atheists in the family. I married an atheist also from a family of atheists. I have NEVER said that being a Muslim (or Christian or Jew or Buddhist or Hindu, etc) is better than being an atheist! Growl.

Do you believe humans are causing global warming?

 

[Meriweather]

Seems believers want to control people more.

Grin. I see the same trait in atheist. Probably part of the human condition. Substitute teaching taught me a different philosophy. Working for numerous different teachers, it did not take me long to catch on things could be done in many different ways and all these different ways could be equally effective.

Some things are right. Some are wrong. Most are merely different and based on preference. Relaxing and observing teaches that the greater majority of people will do the right thing, and on their own, can figure out their own way forward.

 

[Meriweather]

Do you believe humans are causing global warming?

Don't know. There were great changes in climate long before humans became a factor. What I do know is that government cannot do anything about climate. If our government can take care of our rain forests; it they can take care of the pollution pouring into and out of the Far East, I am all in favor of that. Do I believe government can do anything about these things? Doubtful. They can't even get children back in the classroom. Private organizations can. Perhaps government should call on private organizations to help with pollution in the Far East and managing rain forests and then bow out. All they seem to be able to accomplish is stirring up mud and playing political games. Wish they would go join the reindeer who are known to be adept at reindeer games. Maybe they could learn something from that exercise, and in the meantime get out of our way.

 

[sealybobo]

Do you believe humans are causing global warming?

Don't know. There were great changes in climate long before humans became a factor. What I do know is that government cannot do anything about climate. If our government can take care of our rain forests; it they can take care of the pollution pouring into and out of the Far East, I am all in favor of that. Do I believe government can do anything about these things? Doubtful. They can't even get children back in the classroom. Private organizations can. Perhaps government should call on private organizations to help with pollution in the Far East and managing rain forests and then bow out. All they seem to be able to accomplish is stirring up mud and playing political games. Wish they would go join the reindeer who are known to be adept at reindeer games. Maybe they could learn something from that exercise, and in the meantime get out of our way.

theres another problem with Christians. They’d rather have a big daddy telling them how things are going to be. Not how a democracy works. I’d rather we the people be in charge. We farm the work out to private businesses when it makes sense but they aren’t in charge we are.

You guys like your leaders telling you what to do. In fact I bet many of you would appreciate a putin type leader. As long as he shares your “values”

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but many atheists believe that “religious” people foolishly follow a book of rules, for baseless reasons.

No, you are probably right about that.

I feel differently. I think people are generally a product of the time and place they are born. I think most people, not being religious fundamentalists, use the religious texts for self affirmation. Their morality and ethics are generally due to the genetic accident that is the time and place of their birth, then they "retrofit" the religious texts to their already fully formed morality and ethics.


In this way, we have improved our culture, our morality, and our ethics over the past millennium -- largely due to secular enlightenment and reform -- while the Bible has not changed. Lots of change, but the same Bible. It is proof positive of what i am saying.

 

[Meriweather]

theres another problem with Christians. They’d rather have a big daddy telling them how things are going to be. Not how a democracy works. I’d rather we the people be in charge. We farm the work out to private businesses when it makes sense but they aren’t in charge we are.

You guys like your leaders telling you what to do. In fact I bet many of you would appreciate a putin type leader. As long as he shares your “values”

That is not well thought out. There are not enough priests, ministers, rabbis, spiritual leaders etc. to provide anything more than general guidance.. They can start us on our way; they can continue to encourage and teach.

I look at it this way: The contraption I buy comes with instructions. The instructions do not build the contraption, I do, and that take my own understanding and talent.

"Our" leaders cannot tell us what to do--they have little or no knowledge of our individual lives. That is our responsibility. You are hands down wrong about wanting a Putin-type leader. We embrace personal responsibility. Government gets in the way.

 

[sealybobo]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but many atheists believe that “religious” people foolishly follow a book of rules, for baseless reasons.

No, you are probably right about that.

I feel differently. I think people are generally a product of the time and place they are born. I think most people, not being religious fundamentalists, use the religious texts for self affirmation. Their morality and ethics are generally due to the genetic accident that is the time and place of their birth, then they "retrofit" the religious texts to their already fully formed morality and ethics.


In this way, we have improved our culture, our morality, and our ethics over the past millennium -- largely due to secular enlightenment and reform -- while the Bible has not changed. Lots of change, but the same Bible. It is proof positive of what i am saying.

Like how it approved of slavery because back then slavery was ok

 

[sealybobo]

theres another problem with Christians. They’d rather have a big daddy telling them how things are going to be. Not how a democracy works. I’d rather we the people be in charge. We farm the work out to private businesses when it makes sense but they aren’t in charge we are.

You guys like your leaders telling you what to do. In fact I bet many of you would appreciate a putin type leader. As long as he shares your “values”

That is not well thought out. There are not enough priests, ministers, rabbis, spiritual leaders etc. to provide anything more than general guidance.. They can start us on our way; they can continue to encourage and teach.

I look at it this way: The contraption I buy comes with instructions. The instructions do not build the contraption, I do, and that take my own understanding and talent.

"Our" leaders cannot tell us what to do--they have little or no knowledge of our individual lives. That is our responsibility. You are hands down wrong about wanting a Putin-type leader. We embrace personal responsibility. Government gets in the way.

No you guys like a leader who’s tough and makes the unpopular decisions. Reagan bush 2 and trump types.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Like how it approved of slavery because back then slavery was ok

"Approved" is too weak a word. The Bible literally gives instructions for doing slavery "the right way".

Similarly, saying the Islamic holy texts give "approval" of female genital mutilation is too weak. The texts literally contain instructions straight from Muhammed on how it should be done.

 

[Disir]

Because at the time these texts were written you were enslaved if you lost a war.

 

[sealybobo]

Because at the time these texts were written you were enslaved if you lost a war.

Something we wouldn’t do today.

 

[Disir]

Because at the time these texts were written you were enslaved if you lost a war.

Something we wouldn’t do today.

Well, "we" might not but it is very much a continued practice in other areas of the world.

 

[sealybobo]

theres another problem with Christians. They’d rather have a big daddy telling them how things are going to be. Not how a democracy works. I’d rather we the people be in charge. We farm the work out to private businesses when it makes sense but they aren’t in charge we are.

You guys like your leaders telling you what to do. In fact I bet many of you would appreciate a putin type leader. As long as he shares your “values”

That is not well thought out. There are not enough priests, ministers, rabbis, spiritual leaders etc. to provide anything more than general guidance.. They can start us on our way; they can continue to encourage and teach.

I look at it this way: The contraption I buy comes with instructions. The instructions do not build the contraption, I do, and that take my own understanding and talent.

"Our" leaders cannot tell us what to do--they have little or no knowledge of our individual lives. That is our responsibility. You are hands down wrong about wanting a Putin-type leader. We embrace personal responsibility. Government gets in the way.

I watched Selma last night. It took white preachers from all over America to get southern Christians to stop denying blacks the right to vote.

Your leaders have more power than you know. Look at pat robertson and joel whatshisname. Jim baker. Very powerful

 

[sealybobo]

Because at the time these texts were written you were enslaved if you lost a war.

Something we wouldn’t do today.

Well, "we" might not but it is very much a continued practice in other areas of the world.

Funny there are so many Christians in America but very few in the part of the world Jesus supposedly lived.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Because at the time these texts were written you were enslaved if you lost a war.

Or you could just be sold into slavery, if you were non-Israelite. Because my Bible tells me so.

 

[Disir]

Or you could stop interpreting everything as a literal interpretation of instructions today.

 

[Meriweather]

No you guys like a leader who’s tough and makes the unpopular decisions. Reagan bush 2 and trump types.

We look at it this way. We pay attention to the candidates who make promises to do this or to do that--things over which we as a citizen have no power. Election after election we see the person who takes power keeps very few--indeed if any--promises. I never could do a thing to get the Embassy moved to Jerusalem. I could not do a thing about regulations being piled on businesses. I could not do a thing about southern border security. I voted for someone who said he could. And he did. Not once did President Trump tell me what to do, he simply told me (and the nation) what he would do. We vote for people who actually do something, because we see ourselves as doers in our own minuscule part of this world, this life.

We tend not pay much attention to people who tell us all they are going to do for us...free health care, free college, free childcare, free birth control, free, free, free. We can take care of ourselves, our lives, our business just fine. We watch as government mostly makes a mess of their real responsibilities to this nation. They cannot even get along with one another--weaklings unless everyone marches in lockstep with one opinion.

The Democrat machine in particular shone a light on how weak they are. They couldn't work with, let alone assist, a non-politician who stepped into the Presidency. Shame on them.

 

[Disir]

Because at the time these texts were written you were enslaved if you lost a war.

Something we wouldn’t do today.

Well, "we" might not but it is very much a continued practice in other areas of the world.

Funny there are so many Christians in America but very few in the part of the world Jesus supposedly lived.

And the point?