If this had been a Christian sign...

[collegetrumpet2010]

Christianity has never been what it's supposed to, it's been distorted from day one. It's a good idea, has some nice feel-good stories to it, but if people were to take a long hard look at things...there would be a big drop off in membership, that goes for a lot of religions too

I agree with part 1. Man has messed up Christianity from day one with the picking and choosing.

Secondly, I'm a little concerned that people think of Christianity as "feel-good." That's where many Christians including myself have fallen and still continue to do so. Christianity's purpose is not to feel good nor is it to make people feel good. It's about living like Christ did along with serving and loving him, which is something I really haven't been doing lately. There's a big difference between serve and love. Example, by obeying your boss, you serve him/her but do you love that person?

[1inStripes]

God Bless your heart R13.

[Counts]

It's not being a hypocrite when I don't claim to live by a book and religion that tells you not to do it. Of course it's judging, I judge people

What? One of you MAIN points against the "Small minded Christians in this area" is how judgmental they are however when a mirror is held up to you it turns out you "by your own definition" are just as small minded......IMHO a more "open minded" person might ponder the irony in that and question whether all these people and groups are actually not as different as i may have 1st thought and that all sides could take away lessons for the others that disagree with there world view.........A more "closed minded" person would say that the rules do not apply because....well because I am right and the others are just to ignorant and closed minded to see it to see it!

I have to put up with Christianity the most in this country with everything shoved down my throat

And yes you do the same thing with your athilistic views.......You have to see that you lack of religion is in fact your religion and when you push that on others it is no different to them than a Jahova wittiness knocking at your door is to you



One last thing you mentioned that you are a fan of Buddhism

"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.
Buddha "

"Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.
Buddha"

"You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.
Buddha "

I am NO expert in Buddhist teachings but it seems to me that one would find peace in allowing others to follow there own beliefs in peace because attacking there views would do nothing but invite attack back on the attacker giving no one peace which is completely against what the Buddha seems to have been trying to teach

[Gotch]

Kinda throws your 49/50 a day estimate out too when half say "this is the first time this has happened to us" or along those lines. One was posted twice btw, one was teenage girls who painted " i like mailboxes" on their mailbox, one wasn't even a church sign..they were prop 8 signs(which I don't have the least bit of sympathy for them) and there were I think 4 I counted that just had to do with race(race of the church leaders) and not religiously motivated. And the last one looked like nothing but a car that hit a sign. While some were disgusting and some were stupid, that doesn't back up anything you've said, as in the christian message/signs is attacked multiple times daily...esp. when your examples are spread out over years. Also that the claim that they aren't reported on or ignored, which you contradicted yourself.

If you were to ask the pastor of the church near my home if his sign has ever been vandalized he would probably say no, because it hasn't been while he was there, but it has been at least three times. My estimate stands.

LOL @ "YOU" not having any sympathy being a criteria for counting the event. That's pretty good. The sign was placed there by a church or church group and was attacked because of it's message by someone just like you who had no sympathy. A pretty good example in fact.

You apparently just glanced at some of the links. For instance the Korean church that had racial slurs painted on it's van also had things like "Jesus is dead" painted on it. Examples stand.

My search showed hundreds of examples, I just posted the first few.

If you will noticed all of these events were reported by the LOCAL media. My argument stands.

[R13]

What? One of you MAIN points against the "Small minded Christians in this area" is how judgmental they are however when a mirror is held up to you it turns out you "by your own definition" are just as small minded......IMHO a more "open minded" person might ponder the irony in that and question whether all these people and groups are actually not as different as i may have 1st thought and that all sides could take away lessons for the others that disagree with there world view.........A more "closed minded" person would say that the rules do not apply because....well because I am right and the others are just to ignorant and closed minded to see it to see it!





And yes you do the same thing with your athilistic views.......You have to see that you lack of religion is in fact your religion and when you push that on others it is no different to them than a Jahova wittiness knocking at your door is to you



One last thing you mentioned that you are a fan of Buddhism

"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.
Buddha "

"Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.
Buddha"

"You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.
Buddha "

I am NO expert in Buddhist teachings but it seems to me that one would find peace in allowing others to follow there own beliefs in peace because attacking there views would do nothing but invite attack back on the attacker giving no one peace which is completely against what the Buddha seems to have been trying to teach

When you cut the quote down and don't finish it, but what did the rest of that quote say?

on their actions and their choices(and I'm not talking about my idea of bad actions and choices), not just because their Christian or whatever.

Now try to say that's being small minded, you cut off the quote purposely to make it fit with what you're saying. I said I just them on their actions, not assumptions like the ones I'm talking about, big difference.


Of course it's my belief and how am I pushing it down anyone's throats? Have I said their wrong for what they believe? No. Do I try to pass laws that effect peoples personal lives negatively because I think I'm right? No. Do I tell people they're going to hell for not believing what I do? No. Do I look down people because they believe in God? No. Do I think people who believe in God are automatically bad, untrustworthy people because they believe in God? No.

So I'd really like to know how it's being shoved down anyone's throats? Do I state my opinion? Sure I do, that's not shoving it down anyone's throats, but those examples above are.





I'll say this again, I don't know how you guys manage to keep getting that I have a problem with what people believe personally. I do not care what God people believe in, don't care, let them worship a cat for all I care. I DO NOT care. My problem is when they attempt to control others lives with things like legislation and putting religion in public places where it has no business. I listed what my problems are with the religion and how some act within that religion, but do I have a problem with anyone believing in God? Absolutely not. They're the only ones I've seen who have the problem with others not believing what they do.

And I like Buddha(the original buddha) because he taught all about being good to others(like Jesus), but also promoted free-thought. That only believe something if you think it's right and agree with it, not just because he or anyone else said. Also there's not the hypocrisy and it isn't an industry like other religions like Christianity. There's no real heaven or hell either, so people who follow it, actually do so because they want to...not to cover their bases after death. He also doesn't demand credit and praise, it's the perfect religion really. And he's not a God or doesn't claim to be, there's no worshiping, it's all about being a better person.

If you were to ask the pastor of the church near my home if his sign has ever been vandalized he would probably say no, because it hasn't been while he was there, but it has been at least three times. My estimate stands.

LOL @ "YOU" not having any sympathy being a criteria for counting the event. That's pretty good. The sign was placed there by a church or church group and was attacked because of it's message by someone just like you who had no sympathy. A pretty good example in fact.

You apparently just glanced at some of the links. For instance the Korean church that had racial slurs painted on it's van also had things like "Jesus is dead" painted on it. Examples stand.

My search showed hundreds of examples, I just posted the first few.

If you will noticed all of these events were reported by the LOCAL media. My argument stands.

Your estimate never stood in the first place, since you were basing it off of 1 church, estimates don't work like that. Doesn't stand now, didn't stand before. Pastors know about what's happened to the church beforehand anyway, so I doubt he would have no knowledge.


It's not a church sign, it's prop 8 signs that the church bought and put up everywhere throughout the area. I don't count it because it promotes bigotry and I don't really care about any church who promotes that. Bad things happen to people like that.

I read them all, you cherry picked the Korean one because that's the only one that backs up what you're saying. Even though it was more racially motivated more than anything, when "Chink Mobile" is written on it.


So what? All of the stories on both sides are by local media, the national media chooses to pick up some stories and some don't. Don't sit here and pretend that Christian incidents never make the national news either. Your claim was that they never make the news, period...that's obviously wrong. Play that whole Christians are the victim thing all you want, doesn't change reality.

[Gotch]

My "estimate' started out as sarcasm directed at your incredulous attitude toward anything that doesn't fit your world view, no matter how reasonable and obviously true it is. Despite that, it is probably fairly accurate.

No, pastors do not usually know much at all about minor bits of history surrounding the building that they serve in. That's an absurd claim.

The only reality you see is the one that fits perfectly within your own ideology.

[R13]

Okay, started as a joke, you still stand by it, it's still wrong.

That's not really something minor, it's not like who sat in the 3rd row, April 14th, 2002. That would be minor. Filling a pastor in about the church he's going to be leading about several vandalism incidents is pretty common I would say.

Or just the way things work and who the victims usually are and who's trying to control things.

[Gotch]

Yeah, I stand by it. I think it's probably a low estimate.

No, I doubt anyone ever told the current pastor at the church around the corner. "You do realize that in 1969, 1974 and 1987 someone spray painted your sign don't you!!!!!!?????" "Be afraid, be very afraid!!!!" Get real.......

How many post do you see from people professing to be Christians announcing how much they hate atheists and agnostics? You have developed a radical, irrational hatred of Christians, and you want them to know it.

[R13]

I think it's high.

Of course they wouldn't say something stupid like that. But saying "We've had a history of vandalism." is extremely logical thing to tell him. Yeah, get real. Though the fact that the last act was so long ago, it makes your point even more irrelevant.

And when have I ever said anything to that nature? That's right, I haven't. Never said anything of the sort and nothing I've said about Christianity has been off base.

[Counts]

When you cut the quote down and don't finish it, but what did the rest of that quote say?

on their actions and their choices(and I'm not talking about my idea of bad actions and choices), not just because their Christian or whatever.

Now try to say that's being small minded, you cut off the quote purposely to make it fit with what you're saying. I said I just them on their actions, not assumptions like the ones I'm talking about, big difference.


Of course it's my belief and how am I pushing it down anyone's throats? Have I said their wrong for what they believe? No. Do I try to pass laws that effect peoples personal lives negatively because I think I'm right? No. Do I tell people they're going to hell for not believing what I do? No. Do I look down people because they believe in God? No. Do I think people who believe in God are automatically bad, untrustworthy people because they believe in God? No.

So I'd really like to know how it's being shoved down anyone's throats? Do I state my opinion? Sure I do, that's not shoving it down anyone's throats, but those examples above are.





I'll say this again, I don't know how you guys manage to keep getting that I have a problem with what people believe personally. I do not care what God people believe in, don't care, let them worship a cat for all I care. I DO NOT care. My problem is when they attempt to control others lives with things like legislation and putting religion in public places where it has no business. I listed what my problems are with the religion and how some act within that religion, but do I have a problem with anyone believing in God? Absolutely not. They're the only ones I've seen who have the problem with others not believing what they do.

And I like Buddha(the original buddha) because he taught all about being good to others(like Jesus), but also promoted free-thought. That only believe something if you think it's right and agree with it, not just because he or anyone else said. Also there's not the hypocrisy and it isn't an industry like other religions like Christianity. There's no real heaven or hell either, so people who follow it, actually do so because they want to...not to cover their bases after death. He also doesn't demand credit and praise, it's the perfect religion really. And he's not a God or doesn't claim to be, there's no worshiping, it's all about being a better person.

Look I can only look at what you yourself have posted in the past in order to push your view (And it does come off to me at least no different than a regular church goer telling me i need to get saved)

I THINK it can be safely assumed that you do not "KNOW the actions and choices" of all or even most of the Christian people in SWVA because in all honestly that very idea is laughable so YOU make a blanket JUDGMENT of them based on your pre-conseved ideas and that is a VERY human thing to do I think everyone to some extent trys to rationalize the world to fit with what they believe to be true but you can never truly grow as a person till you can see these things from several points of view because when you do that you realize that there are very few 100% right or wrong issues in the world and that the truth is somewhere in between a vast majority of the time.

If you truly do not believe in a god I can understand that you see the religious majority in our area as a a silly bunch of Dogma following sheep that can be used as fodder for those who crave power and are willing to exploit those people........But until you can understand that Someone who is tring to follow the Christian teaching has a need to share there faith with others (Which will bug you as much as them hearing your beliefs in no god will bug them) you will never fully be able to understand the situation.