Reanimator

What you are saying makes perfect sense...if you hold the bible as the infallible and sacred word of god, which atheists do not. You are not the first person to come here and outline our biblical destiny and, believe it or not, all of us realize that we probably would be going to biblical hell...and koranic hell and toranic sheol, etc, etc, etc.

A lot of us at IIDB, including myself, are former christians who became atheists after sometimes painful deconversions. We've put a tremendous amount of thought and "soul searching" into any number of topics theists like to throw at us. To us you are just another christian who doesn't understand how atheists think, and it is very difficult (and frustrating on boths ends) to have any meaningful conversation when you come in to our boards and refuse to meet us on our terms.

Julian

This thread contains some of the most intensely stupid posts I have ever seen around here. I am fairly incredulous after reading them. We have come along way from being thrown to the lions when a simple request to abide by the rules of a forum constitutes persecution.

If this thread doesn't develop some kind of substance be prepared for some more persecution as I throw this thread, and its mind-numbingly ignorant comments, into the ~Elsewhere~ arena.

Emperor Julian

Kosh

So far, no "secular" sources.

Please state your "Roman and Jewish sources".

I'll fire up the BBQ....

Clivedurdle

As hell is for eternity, do atheists get to taste all the different hells of the different religions?

Kosh

Maybe it's like one of those multi-passes for the ski areas? Enjoy 4 different
Hells for the price of one! Free shuttles provided.

Sven

If only someone could tell me the difference between "preaching" and "evangilizing[sic]".

It's something different to tolerate beliefs of others and actions of others. Just in case you not noticed.

Yes, many Christians have persecution complexes like this - maybe a leftover from Rome in the first and second century?

Yeah, if I made up a new religion, I certainly won't add something like "You will be mocked for your beliefs" in my story.

I really wonder if some people have any idea what "suffering" actually means.

Yes, I'm sure Christians were hated a lot between, say, the year 400 and 1800.

How so? Got a time machine?

And you of course have countless sources for this claim...?

This isn't everyday life. This is a discussion board. If you choose to participate, you agree with the rules. So don't whine later that you don't like them. This is just silly.

OK, now this thread is ready for somewhere ~else.

Amaleq13

Your thread that was closed involved no topic of "discussion" that would be appropriate for this forum. Enforcing the rules of the forum does not constitute "preaching".

Your faith is irrelevant here.

Attempts to share your faith and convince others to join your "pernicious superstition" are considered preaching and against the rules here.

Attempts to demonstrate from the evidence of the relevant texts that a particular interpretation should be accepted are entirely appropriate and welcome here.

Your last thread was immediately closed because it contained no rational argument based on evidence but was, instead, a sermon.

Complaining about moderator action within the forum is also against the rules. The appropriate place for that is the IIDB Questions, Problems & Complaints forum.

Amaleq13, BC&H moderator

PS If you decide to engage in an appropriate discussion here, I suggest you choose a single point rather than try to address a broad range of claims as you've done here.

Avatar

We understand it quite well. Do you?
Do you understand that the Bible is clearly saying some people are going to hell and some are going to the new city in the new earth?
I understand that this is what you think it means. Other Christian denominations would disagree with you.
It is not a fact. It is a claim. Demonstrate how this is a fact.
Since when can an omnipotent being NOT do anything?
I don't know. Isn't "bearing false witness" a sin?
Right. Sure. Or maybe we just can't stand the self-rightious bloviating.
Except for the tiny detail that there are no actual eyewitness accounts to any of the supposed events...
In a short simple answer...no. There are no contemporary accounts of the events described in the Bible. Everything in the Bible is second-hand or even further accounts from oral history and mythology...written decades after the supposed events.

Avatar

Being asked to follow the rules of the forum is persecution?

I remember a cartoon from somewhere. It featured a Christian and a normal guy. The Christian had a stick in his hand and started rapping the normal guy with it. The normal guy asked the Christian to please stop hitting him. The Christian screamed "I'm being persecuted!"

Tell me...why do so many Christians have these persecution fantasies? It's as though they actually want to be persecuted and be made into a martyr for their cause. Why? Self-appointed martyrs are really irritating to be around.

David B

MotG, if this was a Christian forum, and you were an atheist posting in the manner you have posted, I'd be astonished if you were still welcome to post at all.

As far as I am concerned, you are welcome, but to continue to do so it will have to be within the rules of the forum. I like discussions with Christians - and for that matter with people of other religions, and those who may believe in the supernatural without believing in any religion.

Some pointers.

When introducing a topic, think carefully about which you think is the appropriate forum for it. For example, if you are to claim that the existence of people implies that there must be a god that is active in the universe, this forum is not the one to examine this claim in. I'd suggest Philosophy for that.

Try to make your posts - particularly opening posts - address one point at a time. Perhaps you might want to address the nature of hell as described in the bible. You might want to discuss early secular documents which you think give some historicity to Jesus's alleged existence. You might want to discuss whether the bible is inerrant. You might want to discuss whether the alleged eyewitness accounts of Jesus in the bible are in fact eyewitness accounts, and/or whether they are consistent with each other. You might want to attempt to establish the existence of a soul that survives death. All these questions, and others, I've gleaned from just one of your posts in this thread.

Should you start a thread, and get responses - this sounds silly and obvious, but you wouldn't believe how many people don't do this - READ the responses - and reply to what is actually said, not to some preformed idea of what someone who disagrees with you means.

I'd suggest, also, before jumping in at the deep end, reading through some threads which appear to be in your field of interest first. Read some of the sticky posts at the top of each board. Read some of the content of Internet Infidels - that is to say, not the boards.

Then by all means, start topics, or reply within other threads. If the latter, though, try to respond to specific points, rather than jumping in with loads of generalities.

Now - you seem to have an interest in secular documents which allegedly support the truth of the biblical accounts of Christ.

This is just the forum for those.

We've had a recent thread on that very topic.

I'd suggest you read it - perhaps then respond within the thread, or start a new thread on one particular point which you may take issue with.

Welcome to the boards. We tend, most of us anyway, to be polite to, and even respect, those Christians who present their views well, keep to the point, and respond to points made against them. With evidence, logic and preferably both.

Those who ignore points made against them, and keep spouting on about the same things even when they have been clearly refuted, don't do so well.

Good luck.

David B