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Can Atheists Imagine?
- Thread starter Reverend Rick
- Start date
MaddLlama
Obstructor of justice
True, emotional torture is way more effective,
lilithu
The Devil's Advocate
Evangelism simply means to spread the "good news." There are people who are actually searching for a faith, and if no one tells them about it, they won't know. I've lost count of the number of times I've heard someone say, "I've been looking for UU all my life" or "I've been a UU my whole life but I just didn't know it." If you truly believe that you've found something that would benefit others, then it would be selfish to keep it to yourself.
Evangelism is not the same thing as trying to coerce, cajole, badger, bribe, trick, or even argue someone into your religion. (Altho it has widely become these things for certain "evangelical" Christians.) That's just wrong.
Smoke
Done here.
An unverifiable claim at the very best, and -- considering that Evangelicals generally reject the actual teachings of Jesus -- one that seems highly unlikely to be true.
There are harms other than physical; Evangelicals have gone to great lengths to cause civil harm to people who don't follow their religious teachings, especially lesbians and gay men. Even the claim that they wish no one any physical harm seems disingenuous, considering that American Evangelicals have overwhelmingly supported our unprovoked invasion of Iraq, resulting in the deaths of over 600,000 people so far.
MidnightBlue, I'm sorry you find us evangelicals so offensive. We are more concerned with your eternal soul than your short time here on earth.
As far as the Iraq war, I would rather fight our enemies on their soil than on ours. I guarantee that if we elect a sympathiser into office and bring the boys back home, they will follow us and attack us here on our soil. I know you believe if we leave them alone they will reciprocate, but you are very wrong about this.
At least our children are safe from harm for the time being.
As far as the Iraq war, I would rather fight our enemies on their soil than on ours. I guarantee that if we elect a sympathiser into office and bring the boys back home, they will follow us and attack us here on our soil. I know you believe if we leave them alone they will reciprocate, but you are very wrong about this.
At least our children are safe from harm for the time being.
Smoke
Done here.
People often claim a higher purpose as an excuse for the evil they do. It's rarely convincing.
Of course you would. But how did Jesus say we should treat our enemies?
I'm sorry your not convinced. I would hardly think spreading the Gospel is evil.
We all know what happened to Jesus.
PureX
Veteran Member
They would attack us here if they could. They attack us there, instead, because it's easy. It would not be so easy for them to attack us here, especially if we could devote some of the resources being wasted in Iraq to protecting us at home.
I think your threats are false in that they would attack us here right now if they were able to.
Secondly, so according to you we are destroying another nation just to create an easy access battlefield for the terrorists? Huh? When did this become the way the United States does things? When did this become the way evangelical Christians think we should be doing things? Iraq has done nothing to us, and was not planning on doing anything to us. Why is it OK for us to turn their country into a waste land for fighting foreign terrorists, and killing many thousands of innocent Iraqis in the process?
And when did evangelicals become war-mongers? When did Christianity begin promoting violence as a way of solving our problems with people?
I think a lot of American Christians have truly and deeply lost their way. They have fallen for the lies of war-mongers and their lust for violent revenge. They've fallen for the lies of hate-mongers who claim that death is all our enemies will understand or deserve. And they've fallen for the lies of heretics that claim that Jesus wants us to destroy our enemies: that we are waging a "holy war" against the forces of evil. When the real evil is in the deliberate misrepresentation of Jesus' life, death, and massege of love and forgiveness to all mankind.
It should be the evangelicals calling for peace, and for forgiveness for our enemies. It should be the evangelicals setting the example of Christ, and counseling the nation toward a non-violent, love based responses to our enemy's hatred toward us their violent outbursts. It should be the evangelical Christians among us that understand most of all how important it is NOT to respond to violence with violence. And yet it's they who argue the loudest for blood, and more blood, and more blood. It's they who council us to kill and kill and kill until all opposition is annihilated.
Perversity has covered their minds and hearts. They praise evil as good and good as evil. And they can't see what they have become.
Autodidact
Intentionally Blank
To assume that you know better than Midnight what he should believe is inherently offensive. How does this sound. If I want to know about your religion, I'll ask you. That way you don't have to worry about forcing your views on anyone else. As history has shown, this all too easily slips over the line into killing (torturing, imprisoning, discriminating against...) people who refuse to accept the good news. As for my eternal soul, how do you know I have one? How about if you let me worry about me and you worry about you.
derail alert! Better start a new thread in a different forum.
Autodidact
Intentionally Blank
Depends how you spread it...also whether you have any reasonable grounds to believe it's true. Answering someone's question is fine. Beheading Jews for refusing to accept Christ as the Messiah, not so good.
No, we only know what some second and third hand accounts SAID happened to Jesus. We don't even know for sure whether there ever was such a person.
No one is forcing or imposing on you. Simply say, no thanks and evangelicals will move along.
Don't blame the derailment on me. I responded to the Iraq thing, I did not enter this into the debate.
lilithu
The Devil's Advocate
Terrorist attacks have increased dramatically since we invaded Iraq and you still think we're safer because of it. :cover:
That's not an answer to MB's question: what did Jesus teach us about our enemies?
You just made my point Purex, they attack us there because it is easy. If we were not there, they would come here just like the Mexicans do.
Not all Christians are war mongers nor do they believe violence is a solution to our problems. I am not a spokesperson for all Christians.
A men
MaddLlama
Obstructor of justice
Sure.
"Turn the other cheek. Unless, of course, you think they'll actually hit you. Then, just go ahead and slug 'em."
Which gospel was that from?
Autodidact
Intentionally Blank
Really? No evangelical Christians ever pester any non-believers? Never do anything negative to people who disagree with them, such as demonizing them, or even murdering them? Never try to impose their religious beliefs on others, including at the U.S. Airo Force Academy? Never preach loudly on public streetcorners?
I know. Still, it is a de-rail. I guess I like things neat.
We have not been attacked on our soil since before we went to Iraq, so you just made my point.
Jesus taught us that you end up dead by being a pacifist.
MaddLlama
Obstructor of justice
So let me get this straight, you condem me for not turning the other cheek, but you do not follow the tennants of the Christian religion either?
I have to be perfect while you can choose to not believe anything or choose a designer religion?
I have to be perfect while you can choose to not believe anything or choose a designer religion?
What does Druidism teach about turning the other cheek MaddLlama?
MaddLlama
Obstructor of justice
So, expecting a person to make an attempt to follow what their religion teaches is expecting them to be perfect?