The dangers of believing in the improbable...

[Beowulf]

In my youth I was a devout Christian. I would do the whole door to door thing armed with my stack of literature and hand it out. I would stand with my friends in the street handing out pamphlets and texts while people strummed their guitars and sang hymns etc.

It's not something I was ashamed off , It's something I believed at the time. I was from a small village , pop 1200 at the time and a goodly percentage of people went to church. It was just the done thing. I went to college (and later to University) where I met lots of interesting people with lots of differing views to my own, different creeds cultures and religions etc and broadened my mind somewhat. At this time I still lived my life to certain core religious behaviour. Being kind and polite, respecting peoples wishes, giving people the benefit of the doubt, not coveting my neighbours Ox (never REALLY had a problem with that one) etc but I was now questioning things. I didn't believe any more, in fact it dawned on me I never really believed everything anyway.

I went back home, bumped into my minister who enquired why I'd not been to church and bible study for a while. Told him I was at college, and eventually got round to saying I no longer believed. Talk about a change in his character.. you would have thought he'd bumped into the Antichrist. He started off with the whole fire and brimstone stuff. (I told him I was a Dungeons and Dragons role player oops!) how I was a sinner , how I'd burn etc. "Steady on" thinks I I'm still the same nice guy, polite, helpful , wouldn't deliberately hurt anyone if I could help it. quiet serene etc but because I no longer went to church I was dammed. I asked him about the other religions, Buddhism etc again.. they would all burn by his opinion.

any way long story short. I'm very non religious now. But being an open person I'm willing to allow them to believe what ever they want. I don't like people ramming it down my throat (even though I used to do it myself ) But I'm prepared to live and let live. but I equally do not like the radical NON religious types who are just as bad trying to force their world views on others. Fine I may no longer believe in God, Buddha or the Flying Spaghetti Monster but I'm prepared to have an open mind. I know enough to realise I don't know everything. I may not believe in Chakra crystals or the power of standing stones or faith healing etc but I know that "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in our philosophy"

if EVERYBODY was a little more easy going. Less prone to trying to ram their beliefs down my throat and others less prone to telling how stupid people are because they CHOOSE to disbelieve the big bang theory and that the universe is only a 1000 years old , if we all accepted each other for who we are regardless of what we believe then the world would be a better place.

.. That's my religion, take it or leave it. it's up to you.

[El Salsero Gringo]

In my youth...

{snip}

Iit's up to you.

This kind of post is exactly what we don't need on this Forum. You come on here and tell us exactly how you feel on a subject, use words we all understand, correct puntuation, and correct spelling. You use capitals in (mostly) all the right places. You even throw in a smiley to lighten the tenor of your post. I'm just fed up with people like you ramming your reasonableness down our throats. How dare you

[Beowulf]

This kind of post is exactly what we don't need on this Forum. You come on here and tell us exactly how you feel on a subject, use words we all understand, correct puntuation, and correct spelling. You use capitals in (mostly) all the right places. You even throw in a smiley to lighten the tenor of your post. I'm just fed up with people like you ramming your reasonableness down our throats. How dare you

Be careful ESG.. you don't want me to declare a Jihad on you. My army of middle-of-the-road soldiers will swoop down upon you in the most nonthreatening manner possible and then sit outside your house in our sandals and be polite to you.

Not afraid? Remember Rimmer in the "Polymorph" episode of Red Dwarf?



"Just because it's an armour-plated alien killing machine that salivates unspeakable slobber, doesn't mean it's a bad person."

Be unafraid.. be very unafaid

[David Bailey]

This kind of post is exactly what we don't need on this Forum. You come on here and tell us exactly how you feel on a subject, use words we all understand, correct puntuation, and correct spelling. You use capitals in (mostly) all the right places. You even throw in a smiley to lighten the tenor of your post. I'm just fed up with people like you ramming your reasonableness down our throats. How dare you

Well, if you insist...

That should be "punctuation. And you missed out a full-stop or question mark at the end of your last sentence.

[Barry Shnikov]

if we all accepted each other for who we are regardless of what we believe then the world would be a better place.

Apart from feeling that it's a shame you were born too late to go to Woodstock, I generally agree with that.

However.

I may be wrong, I may be right; but I feel that religion is not generally a benign force and thus live-and-let-believe does not solve all the problems.

[Barry Shnikov]

It's not my job to prove your incorrect beliefs.

If you say so.

What are they, by the way?

My point was that fundamentalists push their belief down our throats all the time. Perhaps you were on another planet on 11 September 2001 and 7 July last year.

[MartinHarper]

If you say so. What are they, by the way?

Also not my job.

My point was that fundamentalists push their belief down our throats all the time. Perhaps you were on another planet on 11 September 2001 and 7 July last year.

It is your assertion that these attacks were intended to impose religious beliefs upon me?

[Baruch]

To the neg rep poster:

This thread isn't a 'slagging off religion' thread. See if you can spot the difference.

Indeed. That would be the "Religious Beliefs" thread, not this one.

BTW, I think it's only fair for people to put their name to all rep comments they leave, whether positive or negative. If someone's going to give BS neg rep, they should have the balls to let him know who they are.

[Barry Shnikov]

Indeed. That would be the "Religious Beliefs" thread, not this one.

BTW, I think it's only fair for people to put their name to all rep comments they leave, whether positive or negative. If someone's going to give BS neg rep, they should have the balls to let him know who they are.

To be fair, the repper is probably a Silver member!! and so doesn't realise that stingy gits like me can't tell who repped them.

[Barry Shnikov]

It is your assertion that these attacks were intended to impose religious beliefs upon me?

Um, yes.

You thought they were football hooligans, perhaps?

BTW, I don't know what your job is. But if you assert that I have incorrect beliefs (which you did), what would be the reason for not setting out what those beliefs are?

Perhaps you'd like to have a go at my sartorial habits as well?

[MartinHarper]

It is your assertion that these attacks were intended to impose religious beliefs upon me?

Um, yes.

Then you are incorrect. If you look at al-Qaeda's own statements about their objectives, you'll see that persuading UK citizens like myself to convert to their version of fundamentalist Islam is not one of them.

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_.../Al-Qaeda.html

Al-Qaeda seeks to incite a global jihad (holy war) to overthrow regimes with predominantly Arab or Muslim populations that al-Qaeda considers corrupt and anti-Islamic.

In other news, the IRA doesn't want me to convert to Catholicism.

[El Salsero Gringo]

Perhaps you'd like to have a go at my sartorial habits as well?

Is that offer really open to anyone, or just to Martin?

[Dreadful Scathe]

Then you are incorrect.

No he isnt. Killing others in the name of your religion is certainly quite an imposition of beliefs in my book, even if its only a mild inconvenience to you

[Dreadful Scathe]

They could, if they really felt like it, not impose their beliefs by accepting other people have their own beliefs too. perhaps.

[ducasi]

No he isnt. Killing others in the name of your religion is certainly quite an imposition of beliefs in my book, even if its only a mild inconvenience to you

what does it mean to impose your beliefs on someone else? Does killing them impose your beliefs, or just make you a murderer?

[MartinHarper]

Killing others in the name of your religion is certainly quite an imposition of beliefs in my book

Given that dead people can't believe anything, I guess they're imposing a lack of belief. I don't suppose that's what you meant.

There are people in the world who genuinely have religious beliefs imposed on them. We in the UK are lucky enough not to be among them.

[bigdjiver]

...There are people in the world who genuinely have religious beliefs imposed on them. We in the UK are lucky enough not to be among them.

Opening hours for supermarkets for 1.

[Barry Shnikov]

Then you are incorrect. If you look at al-Qaeda's own statements about their objectives, you'll see that persuading UK citizens like myself to convert to their version of fundamentalist Islam is not one of them.

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_.../Al-Qaeda.html


In other news, the IRA doesn't want me to convert to Catholicism.

Trying to persuade English or American people to convert to Islam isn't the only way of imposing your beliefs on them. Good grief. You can impose your beliefs on someone by restricting their freedoms in any way at all.

I'm sorry but you just don't seem to be thinking clearly. If I believe that p!ssing on people is great, I don't have to persuade other people to do it to impose my beliefs on them, I simply p!ss on them.

[Barry Shnikov]

Is that offer really open to anyone, or just to Martin?

Just him. The point being that haling from Worcester he is as likely to have detailed information about my fashion sense as he is about my 'beliefs'.

Why, what's wrong with my clothes?

[Barry Shnikov]

There are people in the world who genuinely have religious beliefs imposed on them. We in the UK are lucky enough not to be among them.

What are you, living in a parellel universe?