He was asking for it.  I'd have popped his head on a stick.  

LOL  i think that punishment was saved for those who didn't build a parapet on their roof

I'd hope nobody would be too offended by this thread.


I'm very much ofthe opinion that "whatever get's you through the night" is alright by me so long as it involves nobody being hurt (unless it's consential )


The only problem is when what get's one person through the night condemns another for who they are.


It seems to me that for God to hate gays (amongst other things) is pretty strange... Isn't s/he supposed to be the almighty creator ?


An almighty creator who hates his/her own creation ?


Seems a bit twisted.

LOL

Blizzie

I think that athiests in their way are as intolerant as religious types who have bigoted views. It seems "the in thing" to knock religion but YAY atheism is cool.
Now don't get me wrong - I can say with my hand on my heart I am not religious - neither am I atheist.
If you are an atheist then you are more than entitled to your point of vew but so are xians and moslems and all the other religions.
Rule of thumb - back to the waterbabies and "do as you would be done by".

My sentiments exactly

Well that's why we all have free will and a choice in the matter. Your opinion of it is just that, an opinion. Faith can not be described in terms of opinion, any more than the concept of love or of beauty. You simply feel love, see different beauty and experience faith in other things than Christians, Moslems, Jews or Buddhists.
Even among various faiths there are differences, my father is a Sephardi Jew (originating from Spain & Portugal) and he doesn't really understand Ashkenazi Jews (originating from Eastern Europe). He also isn't an automatic fan of the State of Israel. Similarly, I don't really understand Charasmatic Christians and their desire to speak in tongues or claims of healing the sick...and then even in the secular world there is division, in the LGBT world there is always debate on who is included and what look or style you want to portray. So, I say again, it's free will and choice...so if Dave wants to go by the 'book' then he is free to do so. And if wearing a hijab is my choice...so be it Amen

I am not of that opinion 

We have a reason to knock religion though.  I appreciate it's churlish to point it out but so much misery, war and death is caused by religion and people saying what pretty much boils down to 'my god is better than your god'  that some people think that the world would be a better place without it.  There are a lot of peaceful religious types but their support of religion allows the extremists to continue.  I don't care, in general, what people believe as long as it does not have a negative effect on others and religion has massive negative effects (just ask one of those people dying of AIDS in Africa because the pope thinks condoms are a bad idea, or the relatives of one of the people killed in London on the 7/7 bombings) and so I feel it is important to try and explain that religion is a bad thing and that it should not be propagated.  Do as you would be done by - yes I would, I would like people to be tolerant and open-minded as I try to be but this is not the way with religion.

Consensual?

Fair points but to many people religion is as important as breathng - no I am not talking about the extremists but ordinary people.  It is more than a belief, it is their culture and way of life. YOU feel that religion is a bad thing - someone else would disagree.Would you therefore ( in an ideal world) ban religion? That would make a lot of people miserable and you wouldn't stop them believing anyway.Many have tried throughout history but the devout will always prevail.And also have you ever tried to persuade a believer that God does not exist? Just won't happen.

Humans cause the misery, Religion is their justification. It can be the way. Many 'religious' people are open-minded and tolerant. I think Gandhi (Hindu) was, Luther King (Baptist Christian) was and Yitzhak Rabin (Jew) was. They all got assassinated by people who were not ready to hear truth and reconciliation, like in Northern Ireland until this week.

In an ideal world people would have lives that wouldn't need to be built around the idea that they may actually have a good life after they die which, in essence, is the main premise of most religions.  They would have a happy life here and not have to hope that there's something better somewhere else because we don't need a god to explain away stuff we didn't understand, as an example just pulled out of the air, thunder and lightning, because we understand the world a lot better.  Instead of needing to hope and pray for our relatives we have better medicine.  I wouldn't ban religion because in an ideal world I wouldn't need to because people wouldn't need it any more.

That's the point.  Religion is a mask, an excuse, a falsification of responsibility.  People choose the way they live their lives, not religion.  Even now, christianity as it was originally conceived is an obsolete concept because it has diversified so far from the 'word of god' as stated in the bible.  It is humankind creating a false shackle for itself and using a god as a justification for behaving in a bigoted and small minded way.  Atheists believe we are responsible for our own morality and we think it's important to 'do as you would be done by' without the a supposed deity looking over our shoulder or the bribe of going to heaven when we die.  We do it because it's right to treat other people well and not for any other reason.

Well, I'm not here to convert anyone, and although my faith is strong it is constantly tested. I have faith in science and I have faith in medicine....but when my son spent 2 weeks on life support in February this year and no doctor in the UK could figure out what was wrong with, I have a belief that the prayers and love from his family, Church and school friends gave him the strength to pull through until a diagnosis was made. His subsequent recovery was even described as a 'phenomenon' by a Consultant who has seen her fair share of recoveries. It could have made the difference, I believe it did 
I agree with Voltaire...he said "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him".
I'm exhausted now. Peace be with all of you  (feel free to take the piss).

Yet you still have to follow the man made Laws of the Land...even Civil Law.

Awww wifey
I will get intoxicated with you anytime....we are happy despite the Church never condoning our relationship! Now roll me another fat one so I can get all spiritual

I'm not taking the piss, honestly I'm not and I can see it is a comfort to you.  My husband has been seriously ill twice in the last three years and our consultant said to us the first time it was a miracle his organs hadn't failed.  But I have never felt that needs to be attributed to a god, good things happen, bad things happen.  Incidentally, I don't believe in luck either.

I understand the comfort to be found in prayer, when Steve was ill, I also felt the need to get it all out and express the hope that he would be well and that's what a prayer is.  You need a voice in the darkness and emptiness to try and gain some feeling of control over the situation.

I don't take the piss, but I do try to explain why I feel religion is wrong and that's all I'm doing.

I found the whole conversation laughable, I think he did himself more harm than good not justifying his comment...well he did in a way, his sister is a lesbian! Therefore he couldnt possibly be a bigot...could he? My head hurts

Ref: Suzy

quote:

Yet you still have to follow the man made Laws of the Land...even Civil Law.

Precisely.  Those are man-made laws, they come from man and not from God, they come from innate human morality and from our own sense of what is right and wrong and not what the bible tells us (else we'd be stoning raped women and still keeping slaves)

And that's all that really matters 

*sigh*

And those laws have a foundation in Mosaic Law, and people are still getting stoned to death and keeping slaves. Some of the slaves are kept to make Secular Pornography. People/Humans are the problem, not the other way round. That's my point.

Suzybean...


I'm sorry if you feel a little attacked it was certainly not my intention.


I think it must be great to have your faith, in truth I wish I did but... would be lying to say so.


Wishing you only well. 


C.O.

Yes. 'scuse the typo.

Oops, sorry!

I was just adding in the sensual bit!

I didn't feel attacked or threatened Comrade. Thanks anyway ....the thread is about being judgemental, and I try not to be but I (sometimes) am. As you can see for yourself, even on this thread even those with no self declared faith can be judgemental too. If wishing to put someone's head on a spike isn't bad in Biblical proportions then I don't know what is 

 Dont you lot just do communion anymore?

After Communion they have tea and cake, but I slip out the side door to pick up a few bits from M&S....I am also a believer in M&S ready meals by the way 

Dont swear at me woman...I can put up with your GOD habbit, but M&S?!
*goes to file for divorce*

I believe in M & S ready meals too

See LLF we have a found a place of commonality  And we all watch Big Brother too, so it is entirely possible to worship at many altars 

Pay the money you owe me, and you have your divorce  If we have to live on ready meals, then only M&S will do.

Trollop....You Fresh Foods Freak 

Suzy, as far as I am concerned we differ on one point - we have far more in common than to get stressed about thist one thing

My RL Best friend is very much a christian but it's not a problem to me, I don't agree with some things she does but then I am sure she does not agree with some things I do either but  being friends is about getting over that and concentrating on the important stuff I hope you don't mind that I have tried to debate this with you today and I hope you don't feel that I have been judgmental, I do feel it's important that we can air a range of views in a mature way here on Gaga xxx

LLF...this is no problem to me. I have always learnt more from people that are different from me. My own parents are both (at the same time) different colours from me. My father is a white Jew, my mother is a Black/African Presbitarian Christian. I have 3 brothers, one is a Buddhist and the other one is a converted Jew (the Jewish religion passes through the mother) and the other one is a pain in the arse 
We all manage to get on, and I have been happily married to a Tory Atheist who can't stand Big Brother for 12 years 

suzybean, I think you are a star. How refreshing that on can debate this subject in a mature and sensitive fashion. I am very aware that some atheists are more than happy to "ram their beliefs down my throat" whereas I prefer to keep my faith to myself as it is very personal to me. I am not judgemental and have stood up to bigots who refuse to acknowledge that gay people are all God's children and should be treated with respect. I have a gay cousin, I have gay friends, I have friends whose children are gay. It makes me happy that I can have such a close and loving relationship with these friends and relatives.

Talking of some atheists On Saturday I got called a " Holy effing Jesus Christ cnut" by one of them. How's that for "ramming their beliefs down my throat"