I feel the same way when I try to express the fact that I don't believe in the Christian God. I could almost get killed by some people when I talk about my doubts. Makes me want to believe even less than I already do.

Interesting how that negative reinforcement seems to backfire.

I do not speak for everyone, but I will not chastise you. I will not chastise anyone that believes in Zeus or Apollo either. But if you ask me a question or propose a begging statement, I will query. This is not chastisement IMO.

Because people often assume that their conclusion is true to begin with and don't have any evidence to back them up.

You can. Nobody's stopping you. Do what you want on your own time, on your own property.

What you can't do is impose your views on others. Or at least, some people are finally objecting to that, and are, for the first time in history, armed with the ability to prevent you from doing so. You can't use schools, hospitals, and other government buildings and programmes to impose your views on others. What's unfair about that?

Fundamentalists are the problem, they hate non-fundy Christians almost as much as they hate atheists. They are as dangerous as they are stupid... the rest of humanity should unite in condemning fundamentalism.

Have your say I'll listen. I may not agree but I'll be happy to listen.

God will sort out everyone in the end.

Lol, sister Jean, the one who blocks everone who has a different opinion. The only pro-choice "nun" alive! Lol

Which end? death? armageddon? are you sure that god hasn't already done the sorting in your mind?
So you're saying that I could be wrong about God...you could be wrong about God...?

I believe in God so if I am wrong and He does not exist, what have I lost? I won't even know that I was wrong. If you do not believe in God and are wrong.....well, you stand to lose a lot more than I do, don't you?

"Are you sure that God hasn't already done the sorting in your mind?" No, I believe in God's mercy. He knows our hearts.

Hi Sweetpe.

That's just Pascal's Wager.

It is not terribly convincing to atheists, because it's a false dichotomy: how do you know your religion and god are the right one? You don't. It just happens to be the one your parents indoctrinated you with. If Islam is correct, you're screwed. If Judaism is correct, you're screwed. Ditto for Hinduism, the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Vikings, Aztecs, etc through the thousands of gods and religions that humans have invented.

By this logic, you will have to convert to every religion that humans have ever invented just to cover all your bases, and all the various hell-threats that are out there. And that might be difficult, because a lot of religions are mutually exclusive. Are you planning to do so? You can't convert to ALL of them.

http://atheism.about.com/od/a...

No that is not correct. God is God, and however you worship is an honor to him. I don't want to convert all of them. The fact remains that I will lose nothing if I am wrong and you will lost it all. Good luck with that. I will pray for you.

"The fact remains that I will lose nothing if I am wrong and you will lost it all."

Time and money are not "nothing". I know people who are quite poor and who give much needed money to pay for priests who are much wealthier than they are. And the amount of time invested in gods and religion could be spent on other things. A lot of "believers", for example, sleep in on Sunday mornings!

The likelihood of any of the various religions that threatens torture to non-believers being correct is so unlikely that it's not worth losing sleep over. I don't worry about the Christian hell-threats any more than you worry about the Muslim ones, and for the same reason: there's no rational reason to do so.

It's quite rude to tell someone you'll "pray for them", in the same way that you meant "good luck with that" as an insult as well. And here's what the Bible says about people who brag about their prayer:

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Matthew 6:5-6

I'd say "good luck" with that "reward", but I'm not mean or rude like that.

She blocks everyone.

I know. She needs to see my friend Father Corapi for confession, he will straighten her out.

I'll avoid making any lewd comments that I might make based on that statement!

Your sick.....Lol

I have no problem as long as people don't preach AT me,I try to show love here without preaching