Did you know it's possible to be an atheist and talk about religion without using condescending language like "fairytale"?
It's true, you know!
I know zero people personally who have a faith and have a problem with science.
Not one.
But if you listen to some people, you'd think we were all creationist weirdos who think the devil put fossils in the ground! 🤣
@stueytheround That's the whole thing....
@stueytheround once had a conversation with a presbyterian missionary who had been in thailand for 30 years. asked him "how do you be a missionary in a buddhist country?" he smiled and said " sometimes your job as a missionary is to help a buddhist be a better buddhist." as a buddhist, i believe the reverse is also true. by the way, buddhists are not allowed to proseletize. you can answer questions, but never tell people what they should believe or say their religion is wrong
@Iceman_Bob I like that missionary!
I like what Paul said in one of his letters about always being ready with an answer when questioned. This seems to me to be the best way to share a faith.
I'm not religious anymore, but however anyone gets through this insanity called life is all good (as long as it doesn't harm others) 🩷
@ExecutiveFunction404 100% and I feel the same way about folk with no religion. Let's just get through life together.
@ExecutiveFunction404 @stueytheround
Unfortunately, it does harm others, IMO.
I was looking through some codes, ordinances, and statutes today. How the heck can people living in North Carolina possibly deal with anything related to government when they must first swear on "holy" books and magical beings who will smite us down? They're friggin nuts and they insist everyone be as loopy as them if they want to get anything related to government done.
@Priestess I agree that when religion claws its way into government like that, it's very dangerous.
Between ordinary individuals, it doesn't have to be that way and in my experience it *mostly* isn't.
*Militant* antireligionists can be equally dangerous. The worst of them would gladly take away your right to practice *any* faith. Including paganism/witchcraft.
@stueytheround @ExecutiveFunction404
I'm heading to bed now, but during the day I'll share 3 sections of a statute that NC still has on the books from "The Dark Ages" which I had to make some sense of. I was trying to get some info about new ordinances which reference old statutes from colonial times.
G'nite.
@Priestess Goodnight. Looking forward to reading them. Rest well. @ExecutiveFunction404
That's why I said as long as it doesn't hurt others (or force beliefs on others, which is harmful). I won't blame everything the christofascists are doing on every devout christian. The religion teaches peace & acceptance. It's been hijacked by hateful people, but those people are just the worst, most annoying, loudest minority. I don't blame the *other* victims of christofascism, christians who love thy neighbor & live as Jesus taught.
@stueytheround I don’t have a problem with people’s beliefs but I do have a problem with people trying to impose those beliefs on everyone else. Sadly, we have people in this country that want to turn our democracy into a theocracy. THAT I will fight against to my dying day.
What is grinding my gears, is that there are, to my knowledge, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Pagans of a variety of kinds here on coso.
None of whom feel the need to prosletyse and tell folk what to believe.
However, the same doesn't apply to militant antireligionists. Oh no! They'll evangelise for atheism at the drop of a hat, with zero consideration for the rest of the community.
There's no need for it.
I've stated my beliefs in my pinned posts.
No need to bang on about it!