Proselytism and Atheism (Jesus, follower, choice, experience, atheist)

[Dirty Penguin]

Look.....We're talking about the right to free speech on this forum vs. proselytizing. Are there truly any of us trying to convert others? Nope.....I haven't seen it.

Expressing your views on anothers' deity(s) has nothing to do with attempting to convert. If it appears that way then the person (theist) may not have been all that secure in their "faith" and deep down, beneath all the spookism, had doubts anyway.

I may be one of the few atheist here that will get involved in a theological debate and stick with it for a while. I try to remember that the person I'm talking to or people I'm talking to actually believes this stuff so that's how I approach it. When I join debates from theist that seem to want to put a spotlight on atheist then it is time to express how I feel.

To my knowledge we don't knock door to door, greet you at the airports, bombard your inbox or snail mail box with solicitation to "join our cause" in a world that has gone ramped with theism....For the most part you won't even know who we are.

I will agree that there are some here and around the world that are more vocal than others. There are some that pop in on the forums here from time to time that will hit you with a one liner like...."There is no God"...or ...."Jesus was a myth...he didn't exist".....This happens in forums where all who are there may believe in said beings. But here's the flip side. If it's in a forum geared toward "General Religious Debates" or "Religious Debates" then shouldn't it be fair game for all?

If it is in "Same Faith Debates" then I truly understand and agree that we should keep out. I'm certainly "guilty" of not doing so.

Be honest with me, am I being short cited and not seeing the big picture?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by lilithu

Hey, I got Kungfuzed to check out his local UU congregation. 9 more "converts" and I get a free toaster.

You get toasters? Wow! Hey, what do you get if you convert a Mormon? A new kitchen?

[logician]

Originally Posted by Apex

Who ever said otherwise?

I believe a few have. Check out the posts on this thread.

[Jaiket]

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stone

Because you're hypocrites.

Ha! Magic. I do love an honest person.

[Scott1]

Originally Posted by Dirty Penguin

I will agree that there are some here and around the world that are more vocal than others. There are some that pop in on the forums here from time to time that will hit you with a one liner like...."There is no God"...or ...."Jesus was a myth...he didn't exist".....This happens in forums where all who are there may believe in said beings. But here's the flip side. If it's in a forum geared toward "General Religious Debates" or "Religious Debates" then shouldn't it be fair game for all?

What it boils down to for me is.....if the poster was a theist... and dropped in on thread after thread with one line attacks and offering NOTHING to the discussion, they would be banned... pure and simple..... and they should.... but just because the poster says "Jesus was a myth" does not mean he/she is any more important to this forum than the other idiot who jumps on a thread and posts "My book told me you're going to hell!".

Both should be warned and then banned no matter what forum they post their garbage in.

My two pennies.
S

[logician]

Originally Posted by Scott1

What it boils down to for me is.....if the poster was a theist... and dropped in on thread after thread with one line attacks and offering NOTHING to the discussion, they would be banned... pure and simple..... and they should.... but just because the poster says "Jesus was a myth" does not mean he/she is any more important to this forum than the other idiot who jumps on a thread and posts "My book told me you're going to hell!".

Both should be warned and then banned no matter what forum they post their garbage in.

My two pennies.
S

Calling other posters idiots is also a good reason for banning.

[Scott1]

Originally Posted by logician

Calling other posters idiots is also a good reason for banning.

Amen... that's why I'd never do it outside of a hypothetical situation.

I commend you for you manners and concern for your fellow posters.

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by MidnightBlue

Do you think there are any beliefs that are inherently harmful? Do you think you should be allowed to say what they are?

Of course there are beliefs that are inherently harmful. But they are not limited to any particular religion. You want to talk about the harm caused by a theology that vastly emphasizes the afterlife at the expense of this life? Great, I will join you. But if you start attacking Christianity or Islam as if adherents of these traditions uniformly hold this theology, I will oppose you. Because it's not right.

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by MidnightBlue

Maybe, but I don't think so. You don't seem to have any strong objection to street preachers or door-to-door missionaries, for instance, and you even mentioned having convinced someone to check out his local UU congregation.

I didn't actually "convince" him to "convert" to UU, nor did I try to. It was a joke. Hence the reference to the toaster. I do talk openly about my faith, and he was interested enough to check it out. The UU ideal is pluralism.

As for door-to-door and street corners, if proselytizing atheists actually went door to door or yelled on street corners, I would feel the way towards them as I do proselytizing theists and salesmen and activists. That is I would be somewhat irritated (the extent depending on how busy I am) but still recognize their right to do it. As for these forums, as I said before, these are religious forums; not a street corner. That of course doesn't mean that non-religious people can't participate. But if there were a sports forum and certain people kept posting over and over again about how stupid sports are, don't you think it would peeve people? Would you accuse the people who complained about it of holding a double standard against non-sports fans? And isn't there a rule in these forums against pr