ban religion from everyday life...

[IHateSpeedBumps]

we are all delusional

Yes you are delusional
Glad you understand.
I am just tired of all the religious nuts spouting lies everyday thinking they are doing something good.
Enjoy spending the rest of eternity rotting underground like everyone elso

[Jesus is my pilot]

I am just tired of all the religious nuts spouting lies everyday thinking they are doing something good.

Yes, those terrible Christians doing terrible things like helping those in need and telling people why they are doing those giving acts. They should be ashamed for being the most charitable people the world has ever known. Ban them... or better yet, burn them!

I hope for your sake that you are actually doing good out there. If you're just another whining internet atheist that would be very sad.

Blessings,
JIMP

[IHateSpeedBumps]

They should be ashamed for being the most charitable people the world has ever known.

I do not know what christians you know, but most of them i see are not charitable or nice. They are some of the most stuck up self centered people i know.
It could be a south thing.

[Jesus is my pilot]

I do not know what christians you know, but most of them i see are not charitable or nice. They are some of the most stuck up self centered people i know.
It could be a south thing.

You should get out more, or at least do some research. I'll say it again, Christians are by far the most charitable givers of time, money and resources that the world has ever known.

If I limited my view of atheists to what I saw on the internets I wouldn't have a very high view of them. Thankfully, I know a few atheists in real life that aren't the mean spirited angsty losers that are too often found on internet sites like this.

Blessings,
JIMP

[jettafan[atic]]

You should get out more, or at least do some research. I'll say it again, Christians are by far the most charitable givers of time, money and resources that the world has ever known.

If I limited my view of atheists to what I saw on the internets I wouldn't have a very high view of them. Thankfully, I know a few atheists in real life that aren't the mean spirited angsty losers that are too often found on internet sites like this.

Blessings,
JIMP

With blanket statements like that there will always be examples to support and examples to disprove your assertions. I wasn't going to comment on that until I saw a special on what's going on in Uganda right now. (Vanguard on Current TV) Apparently homosexuals have never really been liked over there but were allowed to just live their lives for the most part. Recently though American Evangelists have been taking trips to preach against homosexuality in Uganda. They're preaching that the gays are on a mission to destroy the heterosexuals, and holding conferences to warn about and how to combat the "gay agenda." They invited members of the Ugandan parliament to their conferences and sermons and the result is a law on the books that makes being homosexual illegal. The consequences of being a homosexual in Uganda is either life in prison if the state goes easy on you or public execution. When non Christians think of the work that Christians are doing these are the examples that all too often come to mind. I felt sick hearing the hatred and hypocrisy that these supposed Christ followers were spewing. Even though I know that not all, or even most Christians hold those viewpoints their voices seem to be the loudest and there's no shortage of these examples of hatred being spread by people who claim to follow Christ.

My mom is one of those giving, charitable, and loving Christians that you talk about but through her I've seen another breed of "Christian." She works for a company called Life Promotions, every year they put on a big Christian music festival with guest speakers and stuff like that. This last year was a huge problem because one of their scheduled guest speakers was Jim Wallis. Jim Wallis' message is that we as humans need to come together to help those in need. It's a pretty familiar message considering it's one of the main things Jesus preached about but this whole other breed of "Christian" came out of the woodwork. People started calling in and sending emails to my mom accusing them of having a demonic communist scheduled to speak, she received a call from a guy who seriously said "I hope god sees the evil you are planning on having at Lifest and goes all Katrina on your organization. I hope there are casualties, and wounded, and broken equipment; I hope the entire festival comes down on you sinners!" These ignorant, angry, hateful people seriously believed they were doing gods work by trying to get Jim Wallis not to come and speak about giving, and caring for your fellow man.

I'm not arguing that there are good Christians out there, it's just that the ones that get heard the most are generally the worst examples.

[patrikman]

Oh JIMP, you must live in a nice little bubble. All of the "christians" I know are some of the cheapest, most racist, close minded, elitist, obnoxious, homophobic (ironic isn't it) and hypocritical people I have ever met.

[Jesus is my pilot]

You won't catch me denying the fact that there are people who call themselves Christians and still do terrible things. This is part of the human condition and is a cornerstone of the faith... that we are broken sinful people and need something to rectify our relationship with a perfect sinless creator. It's the whole point of Jesus. It's also something Jesus spoke quite a bit about... the cultural believers that call themselves people of the faith but act like turds.

The fact still remains that Christians are the most charitable people the world has ever known. While there are internet atheists whining about how mommy forced them to go to church when they were young or how a guy with a fish sticker totally cut him off, there are Christians giving their lives to help those in need. I implore all of you, myself included, to get out and donate time and resources to those in need locally and around the world... just don't be surprised if you run into more than a few Christians out there.

Blessings,
JIMP

[patrikman]

I think you are full of ****.

[Jesus is my pilot]

I think you are full of ****.

Was there something I said that was difficult for you to understand or are you just too bitter to have a reasonable conversation on the topic? Either way, I pray for you to be blessed with both wisdom and peace... something we can all use. If you ever want to talk about your angst feel free to drop me a line.

Blessings,
JIMP

[patrikman]

Was there something I said that was difficult for you to understand or are you just too bitter to have a reasonable conversation on the topic? Either way, I pray for you to be blessed with both wisdom and peace... something we can all use. If you ever want to talk about your angst feel free to drop me a line.

Blessings,
JIMP

You can keep your "teachings" to yourself. One can be perfectly at peace with himself and his surroundings without religion and lies. Please don't pray for me, I don't need your blessings.

[IHateSpeedBumps]

i guess no real surprise that those who 'promote' religion so vigorously are the same ones unable to grasp even a fundamental definition.

Well they do tend to be the less educated "educated" people.

And JIMP would you pray for a Muslim because of their choice in religion? How about a Buddhist? Or someone that worships the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Or are you only concerned for praying for us Atheists?

[Jesus is my pilot]

Less educated huh? So, smarty, what's your education? Are you as educated as the Christian doctors recently killed in Afghanistan for their faith? Fear not, I won't hold your lack of education against you or your atheism. Education is important but it's a simple statistic that most people are not educated.

Everyone needs prayer, myself included. I pray today you are blessed with the grace to forgive yourself.

Blessings,
JIMP

[jettafan[atic]]

Hey JIMP, I'm not gonna lie when I first started posting in the ask an atheist thread I still held a lot of anger towards Christians and I know that came through in my posts. Since then I've managed to let a lot of that go. I'm still angered at / scared of the things religious fundamentalists say and do but I wanted to thank you for at least seeming to be one of the good examples of Christians. You catch a lot of flak in these threads but instead of getting angry and preaching at us or being a bible-basher you post things like you hope that we can resolve our issues and let the anger go. We may not agree on spirituality but if more Christians were examples of the love and acceptance they pretend to preach then the world might be a better place. So thanks man, just wanted to let you know that you've got my respect.

[plynch]

I'm sorry I missed most of this. and jimp the fact that you have jimp as your screen name on an automotive site puts you up there with jam's mom on detroit rock city, or carries' mom. what you have and are attempting to "bless" everyone with is a classic bull$hit blanket post with all your humble jesus load of $hit. what modern science calls what you have when you pray or hear gods will:

Schizophrenia
Definition
Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder (or a group of disorders) marked by severely impaired thinking, emotions, and behaviors. Schizophrenic patients are typically unable to filter sensory stimuli and may have enhanced perceptions of sounds, colors, and other features of their environment. Most schizophrenics, if untreated, gradually withdraw from interactions with other people, and lose their ability to take care of personal needs and grooming.

the C.B.N. is the most corrupt, dillusional, homo-fearing bunch of psyco's ever to be allowed in one place. bill maher and his doc. asked the question- if and its a big if, god does exist and is all powerful, why would'nt he just vanquish evil and end it? jesus freak says "he will" bill ask whats he waiting for?---silence....crickets.... I think if we could re-write history it would be a much cleaner story with out religion

[IHateSpeedBumps]

Christian doctors recently killed in Afghanistan for their faith

And how many people have been killed for their faith by your people? Some people would just call that payback

[IHateSpeedBumps]

Just a little light humor for you JIMP

[Jesus is my pilot]

Hey JIMP, I'm not gonna lie when I first started posting in the ask an atheist thread I still held a lot of anger towards Christians and I know that came through in my posts. Since then I've managed to let a lot of that go. I'm still angered at / scared of the things religious fundamentalists say and do but I wanted to thank you for at least seeming to be one of the good examples of Christians. You catch a lot of flak in these threads but instead of getting angry and preaching at us or being a bible-basher you post things like you hope that we can resolve our issues and let the anger go. We may not agree on spirituality but if more Christians were examples of the love and acceptance they pretend to preach then the world might be a better place. So thanks man, just wanted to let you know that you've got my respect.

Thanks for this comment, I appreciate it. We're all just people trying to find our way. It's unfortunate that there are those on both sides of the fence that try to make us hate each other in what should be an honest pursuit of Truth by all.

Blessings,
JIMP

[Jesus is my pilot]

Thanks for the diagnosis, Dr. Plynch, I'm glad someone was finally able to study the billions of Christians that have lived over the centuries and wisely grasped the unifying feature that binds them together... schizophrenia.

In an effort to redeem your angsty post, I'll answer the question that Maher posed (I hope you understand that Maher had no interest in actually getting an accurate answer). God allows evil because he allows free will. God doesn't want to control us like robots, though he could, He chooses to let us pick our own path.

Ihatespeedbumps, feel free to answer my question any time you like.

To the both of you, I hope you realize how angry and derisive your posts come across. There is no need for this, your angst only hurts you. I'm sorry that at some point a Christian hurt you.

Blessings,
JIMP

[plynch]

hahaha. you really are too much... no christian ever hurt me.. though, I've attended service at pretty much all of them... baptist, mormon, (yes the women sit seperate from the men during service) catholic mass, non-d, and penticostle= ****ing lunatics... I thought I was going to lay that mother****er out if he didnt shut up the babbling $hit. I'm not angry at normal X'ans just the crazy ones (like you) that don't want to see that the bible is just "wishful & hopeful" thinking at best... its all chaos... always was... never any plan..... sure everone likes to think there is "something better" or a "higher power"... but that is just what it is..... wanting..... well want in one hand and $hit in the other and see which one fills up first..... I feel sorry for them and the wasted time and breath... there's really so much more to do with your time than going to service..... scratching your balls for example.....

[cryption]

Just to throw in a thought ... but world peace and a global program to colonize the universe will never happen as long as religion exists.

The biggest thing that separates people is religion. It's the root cause for the majority of wars in history, the root cause for most terrorism (not all), and will keep us from exploring space on a massive scale. We need the resources of a planet to go to another solar system, and earth will never unite around a single religious belief, especially if the possibility is there to "show" that belief to others.

Likewise, the religious based terrorism and war will be a thing of the past.

What divides us as humans more then religion? We are all basically the same, regardless of where we come from.

[cryption]

You won't catch me denying the fact that there are people who call themselves Christians and still do terrible things. This is part of the human condition and is a cornerstone of the faith... that we are broken sinful people and need something to rectify our relationship with a perfect sinless creator. It's the whole point of Jesus. It's also something Jesus spoke quite a bit about... the cultural believers that call themselves people of the faith but act like turds.

The fact still remains that Christians are the most charitable people the world has ever known. While there are internet atheists whining about how mommy forced them to go to church when they were young or how a guy with a fish sticker totally cut him off, there are Christians giving their lives to help those in need. I implore all of you, myself included, to get out and donate time and resources to those in need locally and around the world... just don't be surprised if you run into more than a few Christians out there.

Blessings,
JIMP

I bet the Hindus have the Christians beat. I've never met a Hindu what wasn't a genuinely nice person



Most of the Christians I meet aren't the most charitable in the world. Most are typical Americans ...

[Mtl-Marc]

I don't think it could happen, it is just too much a part of who that person is. Of course we could always introduce people to the teachings of Dr Walter Freeman

tap tap tap tap tap

[TurboZen]

evolution is an established fact, the theory attempts to explain that fact. anybody that does not accept that after being taught the facts are deluding themselves or just too stupid to understand it.

religion is wishful thinking at best.

I like the first amendment. So I wouldn't ban religion. I think education and critical thought should eliminate it.

I've never seen are read where creationism has won a debate using facts.

[Spitzbergen]

Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion are both protected under our constitution. Regardless of the stupid crap people say and do, those freedoms are what makes the USA a great country. I lived in the UAE for a year or so and knew many Muslums who would give me the shirt off their back if I asked for it. I can say the same for many of the other people I know, regardless of their race or religion. Don't let a few "news worthy events" cloud your judgement.

[rexxmann]

There are a some issues in this thread I'd like to address...

First, evolution (Darwin's Theory of...) is not an ism. That is to say it is not a doctrine. Therefore "Darwinism" is a meaningless word that helps sell Intelligent Design aka creationism as a viable alternative. The alternate equivalent to creationis0m is atheism. Evolution is a scientific theory and not comparable to creationism mainly because one is testable and the other is not.

Second, evolution is not strictly a "fact". Evolution is a scientific theory that is supported by 150 years of evidence and testing and re-testing. This a fine but highly important difference that seems totally lost on many people. Science cannot prove a negative (non-existence). Science needs evidence and a testable theory. Supporters of creationism love to jump on evolution touting it as an un-proven theory, but the reality is that the evidence in favor of evolution is so overwhelming it is almost laughable that there is still a debate. I say "almost" laughable because the fact there is still a debate is frankly a scary prospect for the long-term future of the human race.

Third, JIMP states that...

Christians are by far the most charitable givers of time, money and resources that the world has ever known

I find this statement highly suspect, especially since it is said in such a way that implies it is an established fact. There are many very charitable Christians just as there are many charitable people of all faiths and beliefs. It is worth noting that most of the Western World has a predominantly Christian heritage. In other words, Christians are the wealthiest of all religions and therefore most able to give time and money. On a related note, I find a lot of Christian charity work leaves a bad taste in my mouth because it is rarely ever unconditional. Too often aid is offered in one hand and a bible in the other. The idea that all good Christians must preach their faith to everyone they meet is the ultimate in spiritual pyramid schemes.

[kOnwater]

I bet the Hindus have the Christians beat. I've never met a Hindu what wasn't a genuinely nice person



Most of the Christians I meet aren't the most charitable in the world. Most are typical Americans ...

hm..Never heard of this then eh?
http://www.aina.org/news/20080905212459.htm

[2Cor]

Some atheists do have faith in atheism (strong).

[Jan PL S6]

keep your religion to yourself and enjoy it in your church/temple/mosque with other believers..

Exactly. Practice what you preach and keep your beliefs to yourself. That goes for atheists as well.

[VR6Now]

I would love to live in a world... or even just a country where religion was banned from everyday life.

No religion in politics, no religion on TV, no religious expressions in public offices...

wouldn't the world just be a wonderfull place?

keep your religion to yourself and enjoy it in your church/temple/mosque with other believers..

Sounds like you would've enjoyed the former Soviet Union, China after the revoltion, Nazi Germany, or North Korea.

[VR6Now]

Oh JIMP, you must live in a nice little bubble. All of the "christians" I know are some of the cheapest, most racist, close minded, elitist, obnoxious, homophobic (ironic isn't it) and hypocritical people I have ever met.

Sadly, I see alot of this type of self professed 'christian'. There's little Christ-like behavior in them. Out of one side of thier mouth, they say abortion is murder and we need to protect innocent lives. Once they are born into less than idea situations they suggest that we de-fund the schools and state orphanages they would attend and denigrate thier parents for being poor and irresponsible. Speaking of generosity, I heard it said they are the worst tippers. The bible say love thy neighbors as thy self but they seem the first to demonstrate ugly and hateful behavior. They seem to be quick to bare false witness for personal and political gain. Greed and selfishness is not in short supply either.

By thier definition, Jesus was NRA member and capitalist who was anti-union, anti taxes, and pro-small government. God is an American living in Texas and he drives a pickup truck. In other words, they super impose thier beliefs upon Jesus instead of the reverse. Its fine if you believe these things but decouple it from Christianity because that isn't what it is about.

But make no mistake. Religion is not the real problem. People are the real problem. If there were no religion, people find other things to be devisive, combative and violent. People have fought and killed over politics, ideology, race, ethicity, class, nationality, economics, political power, and sports teams. Anyone who thinks religion is the root cause of conflict, confusion, and strife is extremely delusional and needs to get out more. Religion is just like any other construct. It can yield good or bad outcomes. Quit blaming religion for man's inability to get along with each other. It seems to be inherent in the species.

[chads]

Sadly, I see alot of this type of self professed 'christian'. There's little Christ-like behavior in them. Out of one side of thier mouth, they say abortion is murder and we need to protect innocent lives. Once they are born into less than idea situations they suggest that we de-fund the schools and state orphanages they would attend and denigrate thier parents for being poor and irresponsible. Speaking of generosity, I heard it said they are the worst tippers. The bible say love thy neighbors as thy self but they seem the first to demonstrate ugly and hateful behavior. They seem to be quick to bare false witness for personal and political gain. Greed and selfishness is not in short supply either.

By thier definition, Jesus was NRA member and capitalist who was anti-union, anti taxes, and pro-small government. God is an American living in Texas and he drives a pickup truck. In other words, they super impose thier beliefs upon Jesus instead of the reverse. Its fine if you believe these things but decouple it from Christianity because that isn't what it is about.

But make no mistake. Religion is not the real problem. People are the real problem. If there were no religion, people find other things to be devisive, combative and violent. People have fought and killed over politics, ideology, race, ethicity, class, nationality, economics, political power, and sports teams. Anyone who thinks religion is the root cause of conflict, confusion, and strife is extremely delusional and needs to get out more. Religion is just like any other construct. It can yield good or bad outcomes. Quit blaming religion for man's inability to get along with each other. It seems to be inherent in the species.

+1 billion

[DUTCHMANia]

Sounds like you would've enjoyed the former Soviet Union, China after the revoltion, Nazi Germany, or North Korea.

Let me guess. You think Obama voters are commies too right?

[VR6Now]

Let me guess. You think Obama voters are commies too right?

Actually, I don't. I don't know where one would make the leap in logic to make such a presumption but based on your OP, I'm not surprised. I'm sorry that I don't fit into your simple (or simplistic) little scheme on how the world works.

I was simply making the connection between current and former governments which shared similar perspectives to yours on religion and yourself. If you want, I'm sure that I could be much more detailed and explicit to eliminate any confusion you may have.