So, I've been noticing a lot of talk on this site about the general idea of God. Personally, I try to stay out of this (especially from what happened in a stream I used to attend), but I would like to speak for myself. I grew up in a Christian family, my mom being very bible loving and having 2 baptist pastors in the family. As a kid, I would go to Sunday School and Christan camp on a regular basis. It wasn't until I was around 14 until I actually started questioning my own religion, and completely left religion after reading The Bible. Since then I've been switching back and forth between Atheism and Agnosticism. I am currently Agnostic (which means you aren't completely sure that there is a deity), and I have been so for a year now, which is the longest time I've had a religious label I've had since I was a Christian. I have learned to love the free will you have when you aren't apart of religion rather than worry about a deity "sending you to hell" just because I'm gay, or because I like to eat shrimp. And if I do end up dying and there is a God and a afterlife, that same God is all loving right? So, I have nothing to worry about.
Enough funny contradictions, lets get on to my mixed relationship. So, I try not to be a militant person as I once was anymore and I feel that in some situations especially this one, I have succeed. My current boyfriend is Christian himself and we have had no problems whatsoever with it. One of the things that I hate is militant people (both Atheists and Christians mainly) that judge there mate on beliefs. There is a reason it's called a belief and it should never be forced under any circumstance. Now when it comes to marriage, I do really want to get married someday. Marriage to me means more than us being "under holy matrimony". It means more than a priest or pastor reading out from The Bible. Marriage is a commitment to be together forever. I know there are divorce but if you take a look at divorce in America, it's more about money and pointless objects. I am almost positive that the divorce rate of a true married couple that is divorced for other reasons is very low. Love to me is (for the most part) unconditional.
I hope you don't mind if I share this. I'm not very reticent about my views of Christianity. I was once a devout Roman Catholic, but after reading the Bible in its entirety AND (and this was the crucial part) learning how it was written, I left the Church. By and large, most people know absolutely nothing about this religion they profess their faith in. It's overwhelmingly true that people are Christian only because it's culturally prevalent, if we lived in ancient Greece most of the same people would worship Zeus, if we lived in Scandinavia during the age of the Vikings they'd all be worshiping Odin and Thor, etc. I'm actually not an atheist or agnostic, I'm a theist. Because of a few spiritual experiences I've had I'm completely 100% sure that there is "something else" (I don't know if that's a god, or gods, or what), but I'm also a strictly logical person so I can't follow any religion because I've studied the histories of almost all of them and none of them make any sense or are based in logic when you get right down to it.
But my boyfriend of three years actually identifies as a Christian, is completely aware of my views, and it's caused absolutely no friction despite several in-depth conversations of each other's perspectives. It's entirely possible to have strongly contrasting views without having a remotely negative view of someone. My view of Christianity is about as negative as you can get without actually being hateful, but it hasn't been a problem at all for him or a lot of Christian friends (who are also well aware of my views.)
I hope you don't mind if I share this. I'm not very reticent about my views of Christianity. I was o
That's great! A lot of people in this world grow up to be just like them (which is not a good or a bad thing). I imagine it's more rough being Catholic and switching than being Baptist/Methodist/Alliance Christian and switching. (my mom commonly switched churches back and forth). And I am the same way about Christianity myself. I would like to study and research other religions and compare them to Christianity. But I do agree with you. ^.^
That's great! A lot of people in this world grow up to be just like them (which is not a good or a b
I did that too, the traditional "raised Christian and isolated from other sources of information" phase, then when I questioned it (it contradicted itself) I turned to the bible and read it (unlike most Christians) and was an atheist by the end.
I get along well with many religious people, though. Atheist =/= Anti-theist, of course. All it takes is for people not to shove their beliefs down other's throats, or use their personal beliefs as a excuse to hate and judge others. That doesn't just hold for religious beliefs either, look at all the vitriol there has been this year based on people's political beliefs.
And MLP, sure it's an enjoyable show, but the zealotry of the 'bronies' and intolerance they have shown to non-fans over the cartoon is really not okay. The recent re-imaging of the MLP-fandom as "loving and tolerating" everyone is a total joke, just three months ago I had long-time friends telling me I didn't know how to be a good friend because I hadn't learned how from MLP...yeah.
/rant.
Anyway, I don't envy your mate's position. He would be forever apologising for the conduct of other Christians and justifying the contradiction of being a homosexual yet following a religion that says that's evil. Sure, many interpretations of Christianity are about love not hate...but the denominations most of us encounter are the loud and judgemental ones for whom Christianity means a personal relationship with hating fags. It sucks that your mate will need to constantly distance himself from people like that before getting up to square one from which he can explain his own position.
I did that too, the traditional "raised Christian and isolated from other sources of information" ph
Yeah. The problem with him is that I highly doubt that he (my boyfriend) is really interested in dwelling into skepticism. He believes what he wants to believe for the most part however if he would read the bible, I am sure he'd become more of a Deist then anything else. He had 2 encounters with his sexuality (one being his old white supremacist friend from High School who is an Atheist himself and another of a 14 year old girl that was brainwashed by her parents) and it honestly doesn't bother him too much. He just removes them and blocks them from his life. I have seen different christian churches who welcome homosexuals to there congregation, although these are a lot harder to find.
Yeah. The problem with him is that I highly doubt that he (my boyfriend) is really interested in dwe
