Isn't it true that the more a group tries to censor it's members, the more suspect it is?

[TruePathFinder]

If your system of belief cannot stand up to scrutiny and if you strongly discourage your members from investigating all avenues there is something wrong. Cults come to mind. Christianity comes to mind. For example, North Korea has a suspect government, therefore it prevents its people from knowing more and seeing more. In case they rebel. The US has a more transparent and stable government. Democracy is healthy and people can think and see for themselves.
Christian forums prevent atheists from speaking out. Christians discourage transparancy and free investigation. They warn their members that satan can get a hold on them if they investigate too much. Atheist forums and ex Christian forums however value all knowledge.
I am therefore implying that Christianity exists by hiding truth from its followers. It indoctrinates and holds prisoner with threats of eternal punishment.
What is your opinion on this matter?

 

[4consideration]

If your system of belief cannot stand up to scrutiny and if you strongly discourage your members from investigating all avenues there is something wrong. Cults come to mind. Christianity comes to mind. For example, North Korea has a suspect government, therefore it prevents its people from knowing more and seeing more. In case they rebel. The US has a more transparent and stable government. Democracy is healthy and people can think and see for themselves.
Christian forums prevent atheists from speaking out. Christians discourage transparancy and free investigation. They warn their members that satan can get a hold on them if they investigate too much. Atheist forums and ex Christian forums however value all knowledge.
I am therefore implying that Christianity exists by hiding truth from its followers. It indoctrinates and holds prisoner with threats of eternal punishment.
What is your opinion on this matter?

I'd agree that any belief system that does not allow it's members to look outside of it, may do so because the beliefs would not stand up to scrutiny. You have a point there, but I would not go so far as to say that is so for all of religion -- or for all of Christianity.

Regarding forums, that is a separate issue. I think a private enterprise, like a forum -- whatever the intended membership -- has the right to limit discussions as it sees fit.

A private forum, whether it be of a religious, political, social, etc. focus will likely find itself having to remove conversations of people that go to that location with the specific intention of disrupting the conversations of those members.

 

[Mock Turtle]

If your system of belief cannot stand up to scrutiny and if you strongly discourage your members from investigating all avenues there is something wrong. Cults come to mind. Christianity comes to mind. For example, North Korea has a suspect government, therefore it prevents its people from knowing more and seeing more. In case they rebel. The US has a more transparent and stable government. Democracy is healthy and people can think and see for themselves.
Christian forums prevent atheists from speaking out. Christians discourage transparancy and free investigation. They warn their members that satan can get a hold on them if they investigate too much. Atheist forums and ex Christian forums however value all knowledge.
I am therefore implying that Christianity exists by hiding truth from its followers. It indoctrinates and holds prisoner with threats of eternal punishment.
What is your opinion on this matter?

The good folk at this forum are some of the best I have come across in allowing all sorts of opinions from both sides - very good moderation I think too. I can't comment on any other religious forums though. Even here, we are separated in many ways so that conflict doesn't occur - the various different faith forums - but that hardly matters as long as a mix is allowed on the forums that do encourage debate from all sides. There are worse religions that Christianity for squashing debate.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Christians discourage transparancy and free investigation.

A few? Some? All?

The OP is little more than childishly ignorant, biased drivel.

 

[TruePathFinder]

A few? Some? All?

The OP is little more than childishly ignorant, biased drivel.

Thank you. It was my experience in church.

 

[TruePathFinder]

This drivel is very close to my heart. I was discouraged from reading dangerous material when I was a Christian. I have visited several christian websites and was muted an d banned for speaking the truth.

 

[TruePathFinder]

I was threatened with hel.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Thank you. It was my experience in church.

That is no excuse.

 

[TruePathFinder]

That is no excuse.

You have bad manners and are insensitive and obtuse. You're not even a christian.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

You have bad manners and are insensitive and obtuse. You're not even a christian.

On May 15th I'll be celebrating 14 years here, and this is this first time I've been called obtuse. The puerile ad hominem is underwhelming but your originality is noteworthy.

 

[Audie]

A few? Some? All?

The OP is little more than childishly ignorant, biased drivel.

For equal time, you should head over to the nearby
thread on "why do atheists have to be..."
and make the same comment.

 

[David T]

If your system of belief cannot stand up to scrutiny and if you strongly discourage your members from investigating all avenues there is something wrong. Cults come to mind. Christianity comes to mind. For example, North Korea has a suspect government, therefore it prevents its people from knowing more and seeing more. In case they rebel. The US has a more transparent and stable government. Democracy is healthy and people can think and see for themselves.
Christian forums prevent atheists from speaking out. Christians discourage transparancy and free investigation. They warn their members that satan can get a hold on them if they investigate too much. Atheist forums and ex Christian forums however value all knowledge.
I am therefore implying that Christianity exists by hiding truth from its followers. It indoctrinates and holds prisoner with threats of eternal punishment.
What is your opinion on this matter?

Values all knowledge. Ha... Atheism doesn't exist without religion, religion exists without atheism. There is a fact for ya. So since atheism is "fact" based please bend reality in disagreement. As you bend reality to fit your perceptions remember you are being an identical match to what happens in religion. Which btw is "normal".... btw the anthropocene epoch is old and is 100% a consequence of science.... another fact. Science is not independent of consequences. To fantasize it is, is called dominionism in religion. who are nut jobs btw.

 

[bobhikes]

If your system of belief cannot stand up to scrutiny and if you strongly discourage your members from investigating all avenues there is something wrong. Cults come to mind. Christianity comes to mind. For example, North Korea has a suspect government, therefore it prevents its people from knowing more and seeing more. In case they rebel. The US has a more transparent and stable government. Democracy is healthy and people can think and see for themselves.
Christian forums prevent atheists from speaking out. Christians discourage transparancy and free investigation. They warn their members that satan can get a hold on them if they investigate too much. Atheist forums and ex Christian forums however value all knowledge.
I am therefore implying that Christianity exists by hiding truth from its followers. It indoctrinates and holds prisoner with threats of eternal punishment.
What is your opinion on this matter?

Any group or organization is suspect. The people in said group rank whatever the group does higher than other activities; whereas, they find people outside the group inferior in some ways.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

If your system of belief cannot stand up to scrutiny and if you strongly discourage your members from investigating all avenues there is something wrong. Cults come to mind. Christianity comes to mind. For example, North Korea has a suspect government, therefore it prevents its people from knowing more and seeing more. In case they rebel. The US has a more transparent and stable government. Democracy is healthy and people can think and see for themselves.
Christian forums prevent atheists from speaking out. Christians discourage transparancy and free investigation. They warn their members that satan can get a hold on them if they investigate too much. Atheist forums and ex Christian forums however value all knowledge.
I am therefore implying that Christianity exists by hiding truth from its followers. It indoctrinates and holds prisoner with threats of eternal punishment.
What is your opinion on this matter?

Agreed.

Perhaps the most damaging thing to happen to Christianity in modern times was the Internet. The church has lost control of the discussion, and is now the target of scrutiny and criticism. That's what all of this blow back directed at atheists is about. You're new here, so you might not have seen how many threads there have been lately demeaning atheists.

In America, many Christians are trying to censor the outside world by sending their children to religious schools or home schooling them. They are also being encouraged to avoid sending their children to college :

• "You know, what makes women stupid is college. Because college makes everybody stupid. Because fools say in their heart that there is no God. And it's an atheistic fool system - it's not a school system, it's a fool system - that teaches Humanism and atheism and Agnosticism and godlessness and blasphemy against the Lord Jesus Christ." www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/02/16/christian-hate-pastor-steven-anderson-the-bible-makes-you-smart-college-makes-you-dumb/

• "God almighty hates book lerners (sic)" http://i.imgur.com/zjV1rgy.png

• The Jehovah’s Witnesses Told Them Not to Get a College Degree; Now, They’re Struggling

• "While the public school system continues to degenerate into a drug-stupid, sex-oriented, illiterate morass of misfit, Marxist clones, the homeschool movement is producing intelligent, clear-thinking, confident citizens ready to stand in the middle of cascading corruption and declare their allegiance to God and family." Jumping Ship (Part 1) - No Greater Joy Ministries

 

[columbus]

You have bad manners and are insensitive and obtuse. You're not even a christian.

Don't worry.
Jay has most of RF on <ignore>. He won't even see this post, he has had me on ignore for years.
He probably already has you on ignore as well. It works for me, it'll probably work for you as well.
Tom

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

On May 15th I'll be celebrating 14 years here, and this is this first time I've been called obtuse. The puerile ad hominem is underwhelming but your originality is noteworthy.

I wouldn't call you obtuse. Other words come to mind... but not obtuse. You're welcome.

 

[stvdv]

Thank you. It was my experience in church.

I totally understand you my friend. I went to a few Baptist (and similar) churches in Holland, and had the same experience with all of them. So naturally coming here I was also very biased. So for sure not your fault. A donkey doesn't walk into the same stone twice [I gave the Dutch christians like 10 chances; they messed up all 10]. But today I decide to make a fresh start here and give the Christians a new chance. At least there are so many different denominations, all with different views. So I look at it now a little different, and seen here very friendly Christians; result I am getting already little more friendly too

 

[David T]

If your system of belief cannot stand up to scrutiny and if you strongly discourage your members from investigating all avenues there is something wrong. Cults come to mind. Christianity comes to mind. For example, North Korea has a suspect government, therefore it prevents its people from knowing more and seeing more. In case they rebel. The US has a more transparent and stable government. Democracy is healthy and people can think and see for themselves.
Christian forums prevent atheists from speaking out. Christians discourage transparancy and free investigation. They warn their members that satan can get a hold on them if they investigate too much. Atheist forums and ex Christian forums however value all knowledge.
I am therefore implying that Christianity exists by hiding truth from its followers. It indoctrinates and holds prisoner with threats of eternal punishment.
What is your opinion on this matter?

Absolutely I am always getting forum rules violations. Clearly religious forums is a cult.

 

[Woberts]

Absolutely I am always getting forum rules violations. Clearly religious forums is a cult.

This man knows the truth.
*grabs pitchfork*

 

[Mock Turtle]

On May 15th I'll be celebrating 14 years here, and this is this first time I've been called obtuse. The puerile ad hominem is underwhelming but your originality is noteworthy.

Still a bad-mannered git though.