An Apology to All

I would like to make an apology and also put forward my thoughts on something.

Firstly, I want to apologise to all the Christians that come to this forum. I, amongst others, have not only questioned your beliefs, but I have questioned your state of mind and pretty much made you out to be irrational. This includes Yorick and Cerek. I certainly didn't come to this forum to have arguments with people, and put other people down, but I have ended up doing this regularly. I came here to have some fun, and make some friends.

Personally, I will still add my thoughts on some of the more touchy subjects, but I will no longer direct comments as personally as I have done in recent times.

It seems to me that there have been an awful lot of threads of a religious nature of late, and maybe this should be cut down. I mean, no-one's opinions seem to have swayed whatsoever. I think it is very important to think about these things at some point in your life, but I hurt someone very close to me, by treating them the same way that I have treated some of my religious friends at IWF. With a lack of respect.

Avi.

[dizzy]

Thanks, thats why I stay out of thsoe "disscussions" if they can be called that not becaus eof you (don't get me wrong) but because people can't get along and just talk, instead of bash. Thanks Avi!
No offence taken, no offence even seen.

[ 06-22-2002, 08:21 AM: Message edited by: dizzy ]

[johnny]

First of all, i don't think anyone around here would hold that against you, no matter what the argument is or was. You are a very nice girl and that will certainly not change because of a few statements in a thread. Your opinion is yours and yours alone, and you should never feel the need to apoligize for your feelings, unless you directly insulted someone. I know how you feel about religion, and you share the same feelings as i do, so know you're not alone out there.

[Leonis]

Avi, as a Christian, I have not taken offence to your comments and thoughts in any of the religion discussions. (Maybe I missed something?)
I've felt you're someone who desires honest, intelligent discussion. I appreciate what you've said here though ,as it is the only thing I've been offended by here (coming from someone else), the perception that because of my belief in God, I must not be logical, intelligent, rational etc...
I enjoy the debates, and enjoy them even more when we treat each other with mutual respect.

Thanks for your bold post. It took a lot of courage. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[John D Harris]

Miss Aviendha Ma'am
I have not been offended. I learned a long time ago if my toes get stepped on they're not where they are suppose to be, and if they are where they're supposed to be they can't get stepped on.

[ 06-22-2002, 01:14 AM: Message edited by: John D Harris ]

[johnny]

Avi, do you really feel that bad about things you said in threads about religion ?

Originally posted by johnny: Avi, do you really feel that bad about things you said in threads about religion ?

Well Johnny, I had a very similar conversation with someone I love very much. I put forward the same point of view, and saw the pure hurt that I caused them. It took knowing someone personally for me to realize it. I think it is one thing to put forward an opinion, but it is something else to put down someone else's. I have been guilty of crossing the line, hence my apology.

Thank you for your nice words!

[johnny]

Avi, i'm sure that person knows it wasn't your intention to hurt him, or her. We both are not too long around here to claim we truly know almost everyone on IW, but you'll have to agree that the ones we do know are all nice people, so i think your apoligy wasn't really needed. The fact that you did it anyway says everything about the kind of person you truly are, but i'm sure everyone else here knew that already. Avi, you can't change how you feel, and if you feel the need to expres yourself in whatever thread, by all means do so, we love you no matter what (at least i do).

Originally posted by Aviendha: ...I had a very similar conversation with someone I love very much. I put forward the same point of view, and saw the pure hurt that I caused them. It took knowing someone personally for me to realize it. I think it is one thing to put forward an opinion, but it is something else to put down someone else's. I have been guilty of crossing the line, hence my apology. ...

Experience is a wonderful teacher isn't it? [img]smile.gif[/img]

Growing is a good thing, so put behind you any guilt you might be holding on to for what you consider "past transgressions". No one here will hold it against you, esp if they are truly Christian...it would go against the belief in forgiveness. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I personally feel no need for any apologies from you but I thank you for the courage you put forth to come out and say that you can understand the other side of the argument in some way.

[Mouse]

This may be an appropriate time to repost something I kept from a thread a while back. It is one of the best statements of the principles of civilized debate I have seen. Though it approaches this matter from the perspective of religion, it's basic message is one we should all consider.

Originally posted by Cerek the Barbaric: quote: Originally posted by Absynthe: Seriously, though, excellent site, very balanced and informative, and a good discussion too. Cerek, it's awfully nice to discuss things with people of different faiths who are level-headed and avoid insults and name-calling. Far too many discussions of various faiths degenerate into rants and angry epithets.

Thank you for the kind words, Absynthe (and sauceman too).

I started debating theology with a good friend of mine who is a devout atheist about 1 1/2 years ago. He is very intelligent and an extemely good debater, which means he was VERY good at finding "holes" in the Christian theology.

At first, I used to get quite angry over some of his responses, but I eventually realized that his questions were forcing me to truly examine my faith. WHY did I believe what I did?

In the end, it strengthened my faith rather than weakened it, because I did find justification for (and a better understanding of) my beliefs.

However, one of the BEST lessons I learned was to RESPECT his view, even though I disagreed with it. This is an area I feel most Christians could improve in.

When we are faced with opposing theologies, doctrines, or practices, just screaming that the offender is going to burn in Hell is not only disrespectful, it's also counterproductive.

If I show no respect for their beliefs, why should they respect mine?

They won't. They will simply reject my viewpoint out-of-hand.

On the other hand, if I treat them with respect, they will usually return the favor...then we can have a PRODUCTIVE exchange of ideas and beliefs. Maybe I will plant a seed of curiousity that will prompt them to look at Christianity in a different light. Maybe not. But at least they may be more willing to listen to further arguments in the future.

I'm still trying to win souls for Jesus, I'm just not thumping non-beleivers in the head with a Bible to do it.[/QUOTE]Thank you, Cerek, for the above - I hope you don't mind me reposting it. I would hate to think that people feel alienated from this GD Forum because of real or imagined slights. Respect each other's views and things will generally run smoothly.

[ 06-22-2002, 03:49 AM: Message edited by: Mouse ]