Freethought & Rationalism Archive

bonduca · 07-21-2002, 10:32 AM

I believe that David Mathews is honestly an insufferable, conceited ass.

And Tricia - Big hugs to you, girl. From your behavior on this thread, you have my respect and admiration.

Anunnaki · 07-21-2002, 11:21 AM

Tricia,
It looks like you found out that talking to David Mathews is about as useless as drawing a face on your ass and bending over in front of a mirror.

You`re a smart kid. Have you ever checked out the library here? It`s full of answers and info you won`t get from your church.

07-21-2002, 01:53 PM

Tricia: I can understand that you are going through all sorts of turmoil at the moment. As a long-time happy atheist, I hope that one day you will see the light and realise that you really don't need religion and are stronger without it.

But at the moment, You don't have to take any big steps. Furthermore, atheism isn't irrevocable: you could always reconvert to xianity or some other form of religion. I would advise you now not to worry about defining yourself in terms of your beliefs. You have grown away from the particular form of xianity you started from. There is no need to rush into anything new, but you could certainly explore different faiths.

When I was your age, I embarked on a religious quest and went to all sorts of sects to see what they believed and to try to find out why. It was very interesting. In my case, the more I looked, the less I was inclined to believe, but you might be a bit different.

I would suggest you try to relax about where you are now, but don't give up on learning. Despite what many xians claim, atheists don't really reject a god they believe in. They just realise that they don't believe. As long as you think god might exist, you may worry about being punished by him. But would a just, loving god really punish you for using the brain he endowed you with and having reasonable doubts? If you continue with your quest, it might take you years before you come to a firm conclusion, but that is much better than just trotting off to church because of a fear of hell or because you are worried about public opinion.

Furthermore, although I decided at the age of 17 that I was an atheist and humanist and haven't wavered since, I still don't feel I have finished learning about all sorts of things connected with either religion or humanism. The world is a fascinating place. Good luck!

David Mathews · 07-21-2002, 02:52 PM

Hello Tricia,

I am happy to have helped you in this time of difficulty for your faith.

What church do you attend?

What are its doctrines?

Thanks,

David Mathews

Dajah · 07-21-2002, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tricia:
Wow.

And Dajah, thanks for sticking up for me, you truly are a good friend.

(oh, BTW, you can come over next week or something when my room is finished being painted and recarpeted.)

edited to add an apostrophe. wow, what horrible grammar I have when I'm angry.

[ July 21, 2002: Message edited by: Tricia ]

Anytime Dear.
Too many times ppl have taken bullets for me so it was about time I took some for someone else.
your room is gonna rock chicky!

Beware of Sny... : Devil: I bow to you Sny!
<img src="graemlins/notworthy.gif" border="0" alt="[Not Worthy]" />
Wait til Flannel hears about what horrid grammar you have....

(j/k)

*lol*

~Daes Dae'mar Queen~
Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
Kitty The Cat
Dajah Kisubo
and the many other names I have that I dont feel like typing
~Confederate Goth Rock Princess~

edited to fix the stupid smiley

[ July 21, 2002: Message edited by: Dajah ]

Tricia · 07-21-2002, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by David Mathews:
Hello Tricia,

I am happy to have helped you in this time of difficulty for your faith.

You suck.

What church do you attend?

First Baptist Church.

What are its doctrines?

Could ya be a bit more specific?

Thanks,

Whatever,

David Mathews

[ July 21, 2002: Message edited by: Tricia ]

ansarthemystic · 07-21-2002, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RufusAtticus:
Mythologically, the OT god is same god that's in the NT, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, and some other religious writtings.

However, the nature and personality of that god varies a lot. It's a very interesting task to try to see how divine personalities changed and how that reflects on changing cultures and different authors. You can see the same thing in other cultures with deep litterary history. I think there are similar changes in Indian and Greco-Roman writtings over the years. Basically, Christianity isn't as unique as its ethno-centric believers what you to think.
With respect to Christianity, my main problem is that so many of its adherents prefer to follow the militaristic OT God instead of Jesus's God. I find it so odd that so many gentiles follow a god that only cares about the Jewish people.

~~RvFvS~~

[ July 20, 2002: Message edited by: RufusAtticus ]

Actually, the NT god seems to be trying to undo the damage of the OT god, therefore I think they are the same. However the gods of other scriptures are NOT the same.

Some people think that all religions are different interpretations of the same being. But this begs the question, what is one to think if these interpretations directly contradict each other? Are we speaking in emic or etic terms as the anthropologist might say. Are we to tell people that what they actually believe is not what they say they believe? The Israelites understood that there were other gods, but these gods were not their god or the "true god". This is why I say that monotheism is the worship of one god and not the BELIEF in one god.Otherwise there would be no need to mention worship of other gods.It would be either theism,agnosticism, or atheism. Not christianity, islam, judaism, hinduism, atheism, etc....

Sometimes the gods are identical and people just have different "understandings" of it. Other times people relly are worshipping different beings. One can even say that all religions might in fact be worshipping the same being, since all the gods are imaginarey being, they are all worshipping NOTHING.

IT'S POSSIBLE.

However, as a muslim I will tell you that Allah and Jehovah are not the same.

peace and blessings

HelenM · 07-21-2002, 03:13 PM

Tricia, if your church is part of a denomination rather than independent Baptist, you could just post David the link to the website of the denomination - the doctrines will be on there. I expect they have a website. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention has a site, for sure.

That is, if you want to

love
Helen

Tricia · 07-21-2002, 03:16 PM

Yeah, but it has the name of my town in it, and he could be a stalker.

Sincerely,

~Tricia

Dajah · 07-21-2002, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tricia:
Yeah, but it has the name of my town in it,

*cough find another website about the same denomination of your church and post that cough*

yeah we have issues about names of towns....

07-21-2002, 02:55 PM	#86
Tricia Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: College Station, Tx Posts: 675	Originally posted by David Mathews: Hello Tricia, I am happy to have helped you in this time of difficulty for your faith. You suck. What church do you attend? First Baptist Church. What are its doctrines? Could ya be a bit more specific? Thanks, Whatever, David Mathews [ July 21, 2002: Message edited by: Tricia ]</p>

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07-21-2002, 10:32 AM	#81
bonduca Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: . Posts: 1,653	I believe that David Mathews is honestly an insufferable, conceited ass. And Tricia - Big hugs to you, girl. From your behavior on this thread, you have my respect and admiration.

07-21-2002, 11:21 AM	#82
Anunnaki Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: I`ve left and gone away Posts: 699	Tricia, It looks like you found out that talking to David Mathews is about as useless as drawing a face on your ass and bending over in front of a mirror. You`re a smart kid. Have you ever checked out the library here? It`s full of answers and info you won`t get from your church.

07-21-2002, 01:53 PM	#83
DMB Guest Posts: n/a	Tricia: I can understand that you are going through all sorts of turmoil at the moment. As a long-time happy atheist, I hope that one day you will see the light and realise that you really don't need religion and are stronger without it. But at the moment, You don't have to take any big steps. Furthermore, atheism isn't irrevocable: you could always reconvert to xianity or some other form of religion. I would advise you now not to worry about defining yourself in terms of your beliefs. You have grown away from the particular form of xianity you started from. There is no need to rush into anything new, but you could certainly explore different faiths. When I was your age, I embarked on a religious quest and went to all sorts of sects to see what they believed and to try to find out why. It was very interesting. In my case, the more I looked, the less I was inclined to believe, but you might be a bit different. I would suggest you try to relax about where you are now, but don't give up on learning. Despite what many xians claim, atheists don't really reject a god they believe in. They just realise that they don't believe. As long as you think god might exist, you may worry about being punished by him. But would a just, loving god really punish you for using the brain he endowed you with and having reasonable doubts? If you continue with your quest, it might take you years before you come to a firm conclusion, but that is much better than just trotting off to church because of a fear of hell or because you are worried about public opinion. Furthermore, although I decided at the age of 17 that I was an atheist and humanist and haven't wavered since, I still don't feel I have finished learning about all sorts of things connected with either religion or humanism. The world is a fascinating place. Good luck!

07-21-2002, 02:52 PM	#84
David Mathews Banned Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: st. petersburg Posts: 622	Hello Tricia, I am happy to have helped you in this time of difficulty for your faith. What church do you attend? What are its doctrines? Thanks, David Mathews

07-21-2002, 03:13 PM	#88
HelenM Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Ill Posts: 6,577	Tricia, if your church is part of a denomination rather than independent Baptist, you could just post David the link to the website of the denomination - the doctrines will be on there. I expect they have a website. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention has a site, for sure. That is, if you want to love Helen

07-21-2002, 03:16 PM	#89
Tricia Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: College Station, Tx Posts: 675	Yeah, but it has the name of my town in it, and he could be a stalker. Sincerely, ~Tricia

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