yea hes smart

I am sorry you feel that way kaerbear. Religion is an enormous issue in today's society-especially if you are living in a country where the leader said God spoke to him and told him to invade Iraq, and women's reproductive rights are on shaky ground because of the religious. Actrocities are commited by religious leaders and organizations, and while many evil things are done by non-religious individuals, the dictoctomy of the religious committing these crimes makes it all the more important to discuss. The developing power of the religious sect makes it very important for people to be educated on religious beliefs.

Debate forums all over the internet consistantly discuss religion; it's not just ehealth. You have been a very good poster to show the other side of the religious extremist views; I would like to see you get more involved in the religious debate threads and perhaps people's opinions will change.

Additionally, there is a difference between saying "Religion X stinks" and "You stink". I think it is important to understand the difference.

I hope you post s'more.

If you want to restrain the religious right, those crazy "christian" men and women who tell us God tells them to bomb people, kill people, then you need to promote Catholicism as the one true Christian faith, that when Bush says God told me to invade iraq and the Pope says - God does not want you to invade Iraq, that puts pressure on Bush, makes him look like a mad man.

Bush is a madman. This is nothing new.
I rather like my countries view of freedom of relgion. Ya know guest my wiccan system does not say the Two told bush its ok to invade Iraq either.
In fact it says "Do as ye will an it harm none."
Kindly keep conversion attempts to that door knocking stuff..just not my door m'kay?

There is no "one true religion" it doesnt exist. What exists is each person's perception of their belief system. I am pretty sure that if god wanted all abortion performing physicians dead he's perfectly capable of doing the job himself; if he diddn't like Iran he's capable (all powerful isn't that the gig?) of eliminating them; If he didn't like my kind I am sure he is capable of getting rid of us..
What is wrong with acceptance? I don't think wicca is the one true way; it is my way but that doesn't mean I think you should come play in only my sandbox.

This is why there are religious debates, kaerbear.

Not to mention the fact that, yes, this debate doesn't allow harassment or negativity towards people because of their sexual orientation, but that is precisely the problem that many people have with religion these days.

Jinks Jesus always said do not test God.

I don't care what Jesus said since I'm not Christian.

Jesus also turned water into wine does that mean i can too?

**i think i can i think i can..*

no your not God!

Kaerbear;

I appreciate your sentiments on this issue. I understand how difficult it is to read the things posted about religion and be religious yourself. I think there are benefits to discussion regarding religion. I agree that debates should remain civil and respectful of the feelings of those involved. I am sorry if I have not lived up to the duties placed upon me as a moderator of this forum. If anyone feels personally attacked, please do not hesitate to send me a PM. I can't possibly read every post in every forum, and I am sorry that one of them slipped through my radar. They don't all appear to moderators anymore, so we can't comb through every post like we did before. Please do send me a pm if you ar anyone else for that matter believes they have been treated unfairly or someone has overstepped their bounds (even if its me). That was a note from the moderator.

This one is from me:

I think that there are several posters on this site who have become jaded against organized religion in general, particularly here in the states where things have changed so much in the last eight years. We are having our freedoms stripped away from us by an evangelical zealot, and it frightens us. Also, some of us have attempted the christianity route and found it not to mesh with our core values. Personally, I do not even pretend to know that I have it all figured out. I don't. And I don't think any of us can be 100% certain of anything until we personally have our end and then we get let in on the big joke as well. This is what bothers me. When I tell people about my beliefs, I have been often told that I need to be "saved", that i am "lost" or "confused" and simply need to be shown the way. It gets old, but I understand that the people doing this are simply doing what they believe in their hearts to be the right way to be a christian or whatever. I do not go around suggesting to people that they relinquish their faith and follow me in my spiritual quest, because I find that disrespectful. But it happens to me and to people like me all the time. I actually admire people like you, meblonde, and my cousin who have good solid faith in a belief and are willing to defend it without being condemning toward others. Sometimes I get caught up in thinking that you are a minority of people, but I think that you are in fact the majority of christians out there. The loud ones who do the things I have listed above-condemning people, scraming at them about Jesus, picketing funerals, etc just stand out so much that it seems to the untrained eye that THAT is what christianity is all about.

I am sorry if my posts have offended any of you in the past, perhaps they were a rebuttal to angry rhetoric or something. It is very very hard to be of a minority religion in the US-especially in light of our current leader being a little non-traditional where faith and politics goes. I want desperately to believe that this administration does not reflect the core of the religious population. Because to believe otherwise is very very scary.

Anyway, that's just how I feel about it.

Very nice Silyukchick,

It is so often true in many areas of people that you always have a hand few that give others a bad impression. Some people ruin it for others, so to speak! I never tried pushing my faith on anyone because that was done to me and I never liked it. But I will stand true in my faith, just as others do in their beliefs. I too like to think the majority of people that are Christians act in a respectful caring, loving way. Because if you are Christian or not, the bottom line is, that is what life “should” be all about. If we don’t have that, what do we really have in this life?

I've experienced that too and I've actually had an altercation with a woman in a parking lot for following me. It's very condescending to imply that one needs enlightenment because they don't follow your beliefs.

But yeah....I can ignore the crazies.