Bigotry

[Ryndel]

Here's my little rant on my experience with religious bigotry.
I'm a devout atheist, I'll just say that from the start. There are many websites out there that say crap like "Atheism was developed by the devil!" (which reminds me of Bobby's mom in "The Waterboy". "I invented elecricity! Thomas Edison is the devil! Foosball is the devil!") and "All atheists are hellbound". Well, all that crap combined with the shit I get day after day at my school (thank god it's summer vacation where I only have my family to pester me about religion), I've learned one thing.
Every single christian I know is a huge bigot.
Every single goddamn one of them. They ALL pester me about "Coming back to the flock" and "Being saved", even my 13 - year old brother, who's a devout christian just like my parents! My teacher had me sent to summer school because I receieved a C- in her class (mainly because I was too busy putting up with all the bullshit from the christian students), and added on about 20 more requirements to the grad standard I had to do during the course of it. She's a devout christian. All of my friends (fortunately, we're all of a blend of religions) avoid religious discussion at all costs, and I commend them for that. The girl I was dating broke up with me once she learned I was an atheist. I'm DREADING my family's vacation to Florida this summer, mainly because I'll have to tell my EXTREMELY christian grandparents about my being an atheist! So I'll just ask here: does any christian here think atheists AREN'T in need of salvation or misguided (or whatever kind of bullshit you want to sugarcoat it with)?

Sorry if I offended anybody, but I had to get that off my chest. So there's my forty bucks (I would say "My two cents", but the rant was too long. Maybe it's actually $34.75, not including tax... )

[Chewbacca]

Man, thats tough. I'm no Christian by christian standards, but I hafta say that their are Christians out there that care very little about telling other people what they should believe in or how they should worship. I'm almost as bad as an Aethist, I'm a Shaman, which is a fancy word for a Witch. I encountered alot of peer group pressure when I was in school, primarliy from Mormons, who had recriuted my dad and tried doing it to the whole family, but they are all very similar in thier scare tactics and peer pressure. Just hang on! In the long run You become an adult and a citizen and it doesnt matter and ultimately can decide to go your own way in life or just accept that your family is that way. In the long run its up to your family to learn to accept you for who you are and respect your beliefs. I wouldnt blame them for being that way, for they to are under peer pressure from the church. Some Church adults put fear into parents saying if your child doesnt get saved he will go to hell and its all the parents fault for not raising the child right so they will go to hell too. Its amazing how the fear of eternal damnation will make someone behave, but its all in the head.

My friends were all I had at the end of my trials to get away from all that oppresive smothering dribble about rotting in hell or living in sin. My friends dont care what I beleive either, but like me for just being me, thats why they are still my friends afetr all these years. Thats whats real in life in my opinion, If you have that, you can still consider yourself a lucky person.
Peace.

Ryndel, I know where you're coming from with this. I've felt the same way time and again, I used to think that there were no rational christians, and I eventually found myself disliking anyone who even looked like they might be christian.
I've met few people as level-headed and rational as Cerek the Barbaric here at IW. And he's a christian. I'm not gonna say any more than that, but if you have a chance to get into a dilogue with him, do. It's refreshing to meet somebody who is both christian and reasonable.

I too am Shamanic, though it is somewhat different to Witch IMO.

I know a few Christians that aren't complete butts. Unfortunately, with any religion, you will get unreasonable fanatics, and their actions reflect on the rest

[/)eathKiller]

hmmm... well Atheists don't need salvation, but they won't recieve it either, it shouldn't be anyone's business to pester them. If they want to live that way then so be it. I've already done research on Atheists and can clearly see that they get exactly what they want out of life, absolutley nothing, in the end. But they exist after death still, in a sense of "bliss" and from what i've been told they pretty much end up in pseudo-eden. *shrug* So i don't care man, if thats what you want to do with your life go on. I'm not stopping you. Noone should. Biggotry is a sin in the bible, and those who challange you aren't anything like myslef. I'm a christian, I think the fact is that many other christians are too afraid to admit that there are other beliefs and they want to make THEIR number the best. It's like a warring nation without any legal boundaries and members of it's army which exist everywhere... But if you want my own feeling about this situain: in the great war of life, It's better to be a pacifist... ^_^

[johnny]

Dude, for what it's worth, you're not alone in this. I'm just like you and i'm glad !

[Horatio]

I'm not particurlaly any religion, although my father is a devout Roman Catholic. I got A LOT of trouble for this when I was around 10, because our history teacher was teaching us about the history of England. You know it, the one where Catholics are evil and must be purged by throwing one on a bonfire every so often. When it came to Bloody Mary, I was getting so much sh*t from my classmates cos of my dad's religion that I was pretty close to giving somone a slap upside their head.
I really don't mind drinking beside a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Sihk or Buddhist, but I've seen some pretty huge bigots that bordered on KKK members out there. Brr

[The Hunter of Jahanna]

I have got you beat by MILES , Ryndel. I get all kinds of crap from christans because of how I look , nevermind that I dont believe any of their religous spoutings. I have been told on several occasions by different people in different cities that because of my piercings , tattoos and blue hair that I am going to burn in hell. They spewed forth some effluvient about defaceing the bodies temple or some other such nonsense. I have found that trying to educate them about body mods is like talking to their God , you can say a lot but you never get anywhere. I have also found that if they follow you and try to "save your soul" the frequent application of "the finger" tends to make them go away. Much like waveing a cross at a vampire. I also have to say that in my experience that Yorick and Cerick are HUGE exceptions to the rule. They seem to openminded in a very unchristan kind of way. Maybe we should all take up a collection and get them a TV network?? Then there would be some intelegent voices in christan programming.

[johnny]

Originally posted by The Hunter of Jahanna: I have got you beat by MILES , Ryndel. I get all kinds of crap from christans because of how I look , nevermind that I dont believe any of their religous spoutings. I have been told on several occasions by different people in different cities that because of my piercings , tattoos and blue hair that I am going to burn in hell. They spewed forth some effluvient about defaceing the bodies temple or some other such nonsense. I have found that trying to educate them about body mods is like talking to their God , you can say a lot but you never get anywhere. I have also found that if they follow you and try to "save your soul" the frequent application of "the finger" tends to make them go away. Much like waveing a cross at a vampire. I also have to say that in my experience that Yorick and Cerick are HUGE exceptions to the rule. They seem to openminded in a very unchristan kind of way. Maybe we should all take up a collection and get them a TV network?? Then there would be some intelegent voices in christan programming.

Someone actually came up to you and held it against you that you have tattoos and piercings ?????

[Legolas]

Originally posted by Ryndel: (thank god it's summer vacation where I only have my family to pester me about religion)

Interesting choice of words there

As for me, I'm on your side. Although I doubt I'm christian enough for it to 'count' [img]smile.gif[/img]