Who are the other Christians on here?

[Beth Aven]

Hahaha. Gatto, your posts are so long I don't read them! :D But I DID notice that last sentence. Thank you. Apology excepted =)

[P is for...]

(P, if you follow this thread, feel free to chase me out of here. Same goes for the rest of you.)

why on earth would i do that when i've already encouraged to you practice stating your views in a more neutral way? (you've improved exponentially, i might add. let it never be said that P refuses to give credit where credit is due. albeit reluctantly on occasion.)

[PiF]

Absolutely nothing wrong with being in the god squad

if it soothes you, directs you, comforts you then any religion for that person can be seen as a massive positive

However

Like many of lifes choices they will not be welcome by all and as such posting about them in a public forum that is not mostly religious will...from time to time, see some differences of opinions and you have to be realistic about that and understand that

it also means however in the ideal world

just because another doesn't agree it doesn't mean you should go out of your way to be nasty just for the sake of it

modern day religion ..with the exception of islam..is in the decline as people see faiths less and less relevant

i wouldn't slag off someone for being religious..unless they tried to convert me

[Beth Aven]

Gee whiz. I'll say this for the 10th time. If people don't like Christianity, then why the CRAP are they even on this thread? I wanted to meet fellow believers. Not get opinions on whether Christianity is or is not nonsense (which it is not, thank you very much).

[Sally]

What is slightly more perplexing is why Jews do so well with respect to Christians, with respect to questions about Christianity. Obviously, Jews are a minority religion in the United States, around 2% of the population, Christians approaching 80%. It's understandable that a minority religion would be better informed of the majority religion than the other way round; the minority is more likely to encounter majority than the other way round, to have to deal with the majority and so on. (Interestingly, the demographics in Israel are very nearly reversed; I'd be interested in the data if a similar poll were done, there.) So this would explain why Jews might know more about Christians than Christians know about Jews; there is no surprise, nor irony there. The irony is in the fact that, apparently, Jews know more about Christianity than the Christians do. That strikes me as especially remarkable, and a bit odd. I wouldn't say it reflects great expertise on Christianity among Jews; rather the widespread ignorance among Christians, about their own faith (e.g., half of them not knowing the Gospels and, as Henny pointed out, more than half of Protestants not knowing Martin Luther). Though only 57% of Jews got the Maimonides question (compared to 6% of Christians and 19% of atheists).

Here's why non-Israeli Jews know about Christianity:

1. For about a thousand years, Jews were regularly forced to participate in religious "debates" by the Church, in which priests demanded Jews to prove why they stayed Jews instead of becoming Christians. Jews who didn't know each religion were killed.

2. For several thousand years, Jews have needed to determine what Christians believed so that they could literally save their lives by claiming they were Christians. That was especially important during the Inquisition and during the Holocaust while Jews were trying to pass as "Aryans". If they messed up on the theology, they were killed as being apostates (former Jews who were baptized but practiced Judaism in secret).

Why Jews know more about Christianity than Christians: because the Christians aren't worried about being persecuted by Christians. They don't have to particularly care about gaining encyclopedic knowledge. They only know what they want to know, which often is very little.

As far as Israeli Jews, no one's trying to convert them, forcibly or otherwise and they don't have to be religious Jews in order to keep their culture going. They can be religious, or atheist, or whatever they want because it's a Jewish state (kind of like people don't have to be fervently practicing Muslims in the dozen or so officially Muslim countries). Many Israeli Jews don't grow up as religious Jews.

Why no more than about 60% of Jewish respondents aren't familiar with Maimonides I don't know, except that some Western Jews are cultural Jews, not religious, and Maimonides was a religious sage, not an historical figure like Moses.

And Kaitlin, we post on this thread because we can. I'm sure that even though we non-Christians have been posting, you've gotten a decent count of the Christians on AVEN. At least of those who care to post. (See Gatto's post about the unreliability of polls.) Don't get so upset; this is AVEN and we do this kind of thing on every thread.

[Nico-Nico Friendo]

As much as I like a good debate, and as much as I personally think Christianity is nonsense, this thread was originally asking who on AVEN is a Christian. That is all.

I'm an atheist, and I think some of the other atheists on this thread don't really need to be in it. This isn't a thread about debating religion and who's right, so: Down doggies! (And kitties -- Gatto knows who I'm talking to!)

[PiF]

Gee whiz. I'll say this for the 10th time. If people don't like Christianity, then why the CRAP are they even on this thread?

One thing I've noticed here, is that quite often people start threads, and then act as though they own them, and become outraged when anyone has the gall to disagree. Often, expressions of outrage are followed by demands of the moderators to lock the threads. Sometimes, posters, in an apparent preemptive measure, entreat would-be respondents not to disagree. This always works wonderfully, especially on the internet.

or..if you don't want to have the general public involved...don't put it into a general public forum

[LonePiper]

As much as I like a good debate, and as much as I personally think Christianity is nonsense, this thread was originally asking who on AVEN is a Christian. That is all.

I'm an atheist, and I think some of the other atheists on this thread don't really need to be in it. This isn't a thread about debating religion and who's right, so: Down doggies! (And kitties -- Gatto knows who I'm talking to!)

Yes, but it wouldn't be the first time a thread has gone off-topic! ;)

That being said, I think there's plenty of threads out there to discuss religion without having to reign on Kaitlin's parade.

I agree with the people who argue the point that this is a public forum, and any thread made does not belong to the OP - anyone can post anything they want there.

Can, but not necessarily should. Keeping threads relevant (except for JFF!) and respecting the OP is a matter of manners, not rules. And if you ask me, being bad mannered is worse than merely breaking the rules.

[BLANK BLANK BLANK]

Gee whiz. I'll say this for the 10th time. If people don't like Christianity, then why the CRAP are they even on this thread? I wanted to meet fellow believers. Not get opinions on whether Christianity is or is not nonsense (which it is not, thank you very much).

This was pretty much inevitable, the moment you posted the original post. Mentioing the fact that you are a Christian on an internet forum makes every Atheist think he/she has to tell you why they think you're wrong. Personally I really wish this wasn't the case and I'm sorry your thread got turned into this, but there's nothing I can do about it now. I don't know they keep claiming that we are trying to convert them, but that they never shove their religious opinions down our throats.

[The7thSage]

I'm a Christian. Just not your stereotypical kind (I like people of the same sex in that way and feel nothing wrong with it, don't believe in fundamentalist doctrine about creation, hell, have a rather 'different' idea of Revelation, etc, etc). I find inspiration in other religious philosophies. I think church is completely overrated. Well, you get the picture. I'm certainly not very hardcore about it, anymore, after having gone through a lot of psychological stuff that was not fun, but I have more faith than not, I guess.

[Gatto]

Gee whiz. I'll say this for the 10th time. If people don't like Christianity, then why the CRAP are they even on this thread? I wanted to meet fellow believers. Not get opinions on whether Christianity is or is not nonsense (which it is not, thank you very much).

This was pretty much inevitable, the moment you posted the original post. Mentioing the fact that you are a Christian on an internet forum makes every Atheist think he/she has to tell you why they think you're wrong. Personally I really wish this wasn't the case and I'm sorry your thread got turned into this, but there's nothing I can do about it now. I don't know they keep claiming that we are trying to convert them, but that they never shove their religious opinions down our throats.

Uh, you just joined this site. So you probably don't remember Shadow Girl. Most of her posts were along the lines of "save yourselves from hell", in any topic, even the most tangentially related, whether it be on the Dalai Lama or Barack Obama. She kept this up for years before, finally, getting banned.

[Jethro]

To elaborate on Gatto's post, some of the people who where most vocal against Shadow Girl's behavior are now acting the same way toward people who have done nothing to harm them. I'm a Christian btw.

[Inevitable]

To elaborate on Gatto's post, some of the people who where most vocal against Shadow Girl's behavior are now acting the same way toward people who have done nothing to harm them. I'm a Christian btw.

Mmmm... quote an example please.

[BlackJacq]

I'm Christian. Well, kind of a watered down version of one. I have my faith in God, but I don't find church to be a necessity when its just some older man telling me how to live my life.

Concerning the atheists out there, telling a Christian they are wrong or that their religion is stupid/nonsense puts on the same level as the Christian bigots who force their religion down everyone's throats or that think that Christianity is the only one and that all others are going to hell. I understand that some of these 'Christians' annoy you, and have brought about hatred or any kind of dislike for the religion, but not all Christians are like that. Some of us know that not everyone wants to hear about our faith.

Back to my beliefs, I input some Wiccan concepts into my own life. I got the idea from my Wiccan/Christian friend. Also, I have a firm love of science which kind of makes me backwards as hell, but what can you do? :lol:

[Beth Aven]

Hey, I have a question for everyone. Well, I saw a Buddhist thread. Should I go on there and bitch like you guys did to me?! OR. You guys could move to that thread. But nevermind. NOTHING is more fun than tearing down Christians right?! <_<

[Gatto]

Hey, I have a question for everyone. Well, I saw a Buddhist thread. Should I go on there and bitch like you guys did to me?! OR. You guys could move to that thread. But nevermind. NOTHING is more fun than tearing down Christians right?! <_<

Personally, I don't like fun. I find it undignified. But the thing nothing is better than, for me, would be snuggling cats. If I were going to have fun with something, that would be it.

[PiF]

it never ceases to amaze me when people come in here , been here 5 minutes then start getting shitty when the site isn't all about just them..but coming in and within a relitively short time stamping your feet up and down will see you not in a good light basically look like a spoilt child

kaitlan..the fact you even mentioned tearing up another thread shows it's largely your way or no way

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

PPPPPPPPPPPPPUUUUUUUUUUUUBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBKLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

FFFFFFFFFFFFFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Jethro your claim is incorrect

some of us do not have a god in our lifes ..so by your comment we are not allowed to say that or get involved in a religious thread?..interesting

perhaps there is a way forward

recently aromantics wanted a forum of thier own..there simply wasn't enough aromantics to open or justify one...similar to christians

they did however open a post that was then pinned as a aromantic place to go to

perhaps we should have that? a pinned topic for christians? dunno?

[Samael]

As much as I like a good debate, and as much as I personally think Christianity is nonsense, this thread was originally asking who on AVEN is a Christian. That is all.

Indeed

Personally I identify as an agnostic though, so in general I stand between a theist and an atheist in religious matters. The religion itself doesn't matter really, since I consider them all equally wrong :o

[Almagest]

As much as I like a good debate, and as much as I personally think Christianity is nonsense, this thread was originally asking who on AVEN is a Christian. That is all.

Indeed

Personally I identify as an agnostic though, so in general I stand between a theist and an atheist in religious matters. The religion itself doesn't matter really, since I consider them all equally wrong :o

I'm actually an agnostic theist--someone who believes in God but acknowledges that it is impossible to know if God exists. ^_^ I really do take a leap of faith on this matter. :P

[Henny]

As much as I like a good debate, and as much as I personally think Christianity is nonsense, this thread was originally asking who on AVEN is a Christian. That is all.

Indeed

Personally I identify as an agnostic though, so in general I stand between a theist and an atheist in religious matters. The religion itself doesn't matter really, since I consider them all equally wrong :o

I'm actually an agnostic theist--someone who believes in God but acknowledges that it is impossible to know if God exists. ^_^ I really do take a leap of faith on this matter. :P

You are agnostic towards everything, in that sense.

[Almagest]

As much as I like a good debate, and as much as I personally think Christianity is nonsense, this thread was originally asking who on AVEN is a Christian. That is all.

Indeed

Personally I identify as an agnostic though, so in general I stand between a theist and an atheist in religious matters. The religion itself doesn't matter really, since I consider them all equally wrong :o

I'm actually an agnostic theist--someone who believes in God but acknowledges that it is impossible to know if God exists. ^_^ I really do take a leap of faith on this matter. :P

You are agnostic towards everything, in that sense.

True. ^_^ It's that Theory of Knowledge class I took in high school...

[Sally]

Hey, I have a question for everyone. Well, I saw a Buddhist thread. Should I go on there and bitch like you guys did to me?! OR. You guys could move to that thread. But nevermind. NOTHING is more fun than tearing down Christians right?! <_<

Go right ahead to the Buddhist thread, Kaitlin. You can post wherever you want as long as you obey the TOS.

I agree with Gatto -- nothing's as fun as cats.

[Beth Aven]

No Sally, I won't. Cause I'm not a jerk and I respect other people's views. Hmmmmmm, let's see now...

[Shiloh Black]

No Sally, I won't. Cause I'm not a jerk and I respect other people's views. Hmmmmmm, let's see now...

Coming from a secular culture, I know that Christianity (and religion and general) has a gigantic bulls-eye painted on it. The worst thing you can do is react. It fuels people who are just looking to pick an argument with others based on their faith. I'm not saying that certain comments in this thread were not unwarranted; but continuing to draw attention to these is just about the worst thing you can do.

So let's digress for now and return to the main topic of the thread: Aven Christians.

Personally, I'd love to get involved with some form of outreach to the Pride community at my school... I feel like it's something I'd be especially suited for in terms of ministry, seeing as I've experience with being non-heteronormative. There are many in the GLBTQ community, I think, who have questions about Christianity and are curious about it but are too afraid of finding out more because of some negative messages sent by certain religious figures... I'd love to be helpful in this area! Anyone ever heard of groups like this before?

[ShahidAfridiBOOMBOOM]

It was really the christians themselves who got this thread off topic. Ok so one atheist answered the question of why you don't meet many christians nowadays in a slightly blunt manner but then it was mostly christians over-reacting and accusing all atheists of rudeness that has led to this thread being de-railed.

[BLANK BLANK BLANK]

Well done for adding more fule to the fire TFI fridayoak.

[Nameless123]

It's called an opinion, and everybody is entitled to state theirs.

[BLANK BLANK BLANK]

Then Kaitlin is entitled to her opinion that Atheists changed the topic of this thread to "You Christians are wrong and I intend to prove it!" As am I.

[PiF]

may I remind those that get delicate about thier faith

not everyone who disagree's with christianity is atheist..it's easy to say some one who disagrees is

I'm spiritulaist in that I believe something exists but would not have the audacity to claim it's one god above another

members in aven aren't anti christian...they are opiniated..I believe some christians are too

[Sally]

may I remind those that get delicate about thier faith

not everyone who disagree's with christianity is atheist..it's easy to say some one who disagrees is

I'm spiritulaist in that I believe something exists but would not have the audacity to claim it's one god above another

members in aven aren't anti christian...they are opiniated..I believe some christians are too