Rushianbeing

Yup, my kindred spirit, I do exactly as you do. I figure if anyone catches me, that means they're not doing it right!

spacedOut

In hindsight, I believe your point does have merit regarding my situation. At the time the Pastor went all out claiming that he welcomed agnostics, atheists, etc. - anyone who was seeking answers. One of his sermon titles was "Intellectual Objections to Christianity", so from the surface it appeared that he was sincerely inviting an open conversation.

However, during the actual series it became clear that his intent was to "shore up the defenses." In other words, to give the members of his congregation ammunition to refute the unbelievers. And while not saying it in so many words, he gave the impression that he thought anyone who did not come to the same conclusion he had based on the evidence presented, was an idiot.

More than anything, I believe this experience was a disappointment for me. Coming from a conservative Christian background (I now consider myself agnostic), I was looking forward to a meaningful discussion with the pastor. But I guess encouraging the practice of thinking for oneself is not high on any pastor's list of priorities...

Hubble head

A man is accepted into a church for what he believes and he is turned out for what he knows.

-Samuel Clemens "Mark Twain", American author and humorist

If you want to get together in any exclusive situation and have people love you, fine- but to hang all this desperate sociology on the idea of The Cloud-Guy who has The Big Book, who knows if you've been bad or good- and CARES about any of it- to hang it all on that, folks, is the chimpanzee part of the brain working.
-Frank Zappa, American musician

lpetrich

Porno-movie reversal charges? How does that work?

Booze? They are the ones who consider CH3CH2OH consumption such a big sin, right? But if Jesus Christ could turn water into wine, they could turn water into whisky.

And isn't watching porn something like committing adultery in one's heart? I suppose that if one only wants to watch the action, one is not really lusting after anyone.

Stolen towels and bedsheets and other such stuff? And they are the ones who wave around the Ten Commandments all the time?

Pyrrho

Of course. That is the true function of all of the arguments for the existence of god as well. No one who examines them fairly and without bias will ever come to believe in a god through them.



Well, of course they don't want people thinking for themselves! That would be freethinking, and that is something that organized religions of all kinds intensely dislike.

The purpose of the discussions is to keep people in the fold, and to add anyone who can be added. It is not to get them to become independent thinkers, which would be counterproductive. There are many verses in the Bible telling you that you need to believe. You are not commanded to be reasonable.

And, of course, most religious people (like others) do not realize when they are unreasonable. If they did, they probably wouldn't be unreasonable.

Rushianbeing

Pyrrho, thanks for your thought-provoking posts, I'm really enjoying reading all this!

Pyrrho

You are quite welcome. And thank you for your kind words.