Free Will my ass. And these so called "Miracles" that many believe in???????? There is probably an excuse for that as well.
So they broke the Jewish law that they had not seen yet, because Moses broke the tablets before they had a chance to. How can they break a law that had not been implemented yet? Kind of sucks to be one of the Jews murdered for not knowing that a deal had recently been struck by your leader on a mountaintop, whose penalty for not following was death.
Bitter, no. Uncomfortable that the majority of Americans still base their lives on the myths of an ancient middle-eastern tribe, yes. Although I think that if most people grew up in the crazy fundamentalist church I grew up in, they couldn't help but be bitter. Emotional abuse under the guise of religion is still abuse.
And therin lies the rub. Abuse is not dependent upon religion, it is dependent upon man. Man can warp and pervert any system and unfortunately, religion is not excluded. Why are you so worried that a majority of Americans believe in God? Do you feel persecuted? Do you think the majority of these people are going to stone you? Burn you at the stake? The majority seem quite content to lead a happy, loving, compassionate life with their families and with others. Citing examples of the fringe is not proof that Christians are bad. There are bad people in every walk of life. It's a pity you were raised in a non loving Church but that does not make all Churches bad.
regardless of polls, dont believe for a sec that anywhere near a majority of americans do much because of religion.
Do you believe the Christian God is a sky wizard, or are you wondering why other people would worship what they perceive to be a sky wizard? I don't believe God is a sky wizard. I don't believe God has a white beard. If you do and that is why you are rebelling against God, I think you are harboring a very limited idea of God and should research the beliefs of other religions.
No, I just want to believe that god is the white bearded wizard if he exists. If he is anything like how he is portrayed in the old testament, then he is indeed a terrifying being.
I agree that not all churches are bad. I actually attend Sunday School and services every week in a Methodist church, which was a refreshing change of pace from the fundamentalist churches I grew up in. I enjoy going and am an active member, so thats not the issue. I certainly don't think all christians are bad, and that's not who my problem is with. My problem is with those who take the bible literally, because the concept of interpretation and moderation does not apply to them, and that's really who my comments are geared towards. As far as being persecuted for being atheist, there was a recent poll that something like 80% of Americans would never vote for an atheist for office. I can't buy beer in my city because of the Baptists. Fundies tend to be repressive to gays. The supression of science is led by christians wanting to inject the false doctrine of creationism. I've seen many fundies choose to neglect critical issues affecting their health and families, with the assumption that god will take care of it all. Not that I'm crying over these things, and of course noone is going to stone me, but there is very certainly an anti-atheist pattern of thought, at least in the south.
I know these people exist, but I don't know any personally. Extremism in all it's forms is a bit scary. Although most guys would disagree when it's comes to breast size. Unless you are running for office(why would you?), it shouldn't be a problem and you can drive and get your beer. Try atheism in a Muslim country. Running for office might be the least of your worries.:lol: Gays have more rights today than ever. And continue to improve their social standing. Looks like it's working out. And yet, the majority of Christians don't reject science but find a way for science and their faith to co-exist. This can't be a bad thing. Darwin said nature will select them for extinction. We should all be swimming in the deep end of the gene pool. And a Christian would probably feel repression in your house, as he/she would be a minority. You would expect him to act accordingly, and to respect your beliefs. You have to accommodate the community you live in, or move. If people don't sell beer on Sunday, it's not because of God, but because of a moral code they believe is inspired by God. But this code is not universal. Plenty of Christians sell, drink, dance, even fornicate on Sunday. Just move to where the people are more in line with your expectations of morality and not so uptight. It can't be that hard.
