Yes, I am new here

[Orbit]

The name is Kyle and I am a pagan. I don't have much tolerance for Christians, as sad as that may be to hear, because I have not met a single one who ever had any tolerance for me. In the end, the Christian way always seems to be focused on the "me" rather than the "everyone".

Still, maybe Christians here are different? It's worth a shot to find out, right?

Other than my religious affiliation, I am a single father of two kids. I work too much for their benefit, but what parent wouldn't?

Welcome! I wouldn't generalize about Christians, around here at least we discuss stuff tolerantly. You'll see.

 

[PureX]

Resentment is normal....Christians, Muslims, atheists, capitalists,
commies, Ameristanians, conservatives, liberals, homos....all are
resented by someone here....& most here resent one of those
groups. So the OP has a great opportunity to fit right in. And in
some of us, resentments have evaporated over time.

Sure. But 'feelings aren't facts'.

 

[sun rise]

Welcome to RF

 

[PureX]

If christianity does not want to clean up its own act then there's a problem right there.

Christianity is not a person. It has no "act" to clean up. It is a huge collection of people who believe a wide variety of things related to God. There is no one in charge of it. There is no singular "act" being engaged in on it's behalf. So who do you imagine is supposed to be determining and 'correcting' it's behavior?

If Christianity were a race instead of a religion, would you be spouting off this same nonsense? Would you be assuming that the entire race perceive itself as one entity and hold itself responsible for some singular intent? How could that even be possible?

If they won't take responsibility for what christians do in the name of christianity, (well the bad bits anyway, they love to take collective responsibility for the good bits) then there's a problem right there.

I don't see any of this happening. I don't see anyone claiming any responsibility for the actions of collective Christianity, good or bad. Who have you seen doing this?

I am not blaming all, just the bad apples and trust me, i have met far more bad apples than good ones.

Of course you're blaming them all. You just spent this whole post doing exactly that. And the fact that you have met some bad apples is neither here nor there, since there are bad apples in any grouping of humans you could possibly choose to assemble.

 

[JustGeorge]

The name is Kyle and I am a pagan. I don't have much tolerance for Christians, as sad as that may be to hear, because I have not met a single one who ever had any tolerance for me. In the end, the Christian way always seems to be focused on the "me" rather than the "everyone".

Still, maybe Christians here are different? It's worth a shot to find out, right?

Other than my religious affiliation, I am a single father of two kids. I work too much for their benefit, but what parent wouldn't?

Hi @TheKyle !

Good to meet you!

There are some really nice people of all religious affiliations on these boards, and I hope you get the chance to meet some of them.

There are some other people of all religious affiliations on these boards, and I'm certain you'll meet them, too, if you stick around.

But together, we all manage to make this forum an interesting place.

Hope to see you around!

 

[tarasan]

Greetings!
You'll find some tolerant Christians here. I regularly
mock their religion, taunt them, & even tie their shoelaces
together when they're not looking. Yet they're civil &
friendly to me. (But don't pour pickle juice into their
hot chocolate.)

That was u !!! I had to hop all the way home buddy I told u I am very easily deceived!!

......ohhh I see what I did wrong....

 

[ChristineM]

Christianity is not a person. It has no "act" to clean up. It is a huge collection of people who believe a wide variety of things related to God

Groups have acts so stop sloping your shoulders. There are guidelines, hell there are even rules.

There is no one in charge of it. There is no singular "act" being engaged in on it's behalf. So who do you imagine is supposed to

The group maybe?

If Christianity were a race instead of a religion, would you be spouting off this same nonsense?

If parts f that race deserved to be faced with the consequences of their actions do you not think it up to the nation (by rule of law) to curtail that action. So you see your straw man simply does nothing to your claims

Would you be assuming that the entire race perceive itself as one entity and hold itself responsible for some singular intent? How could that even be possible?

Again, i im not accusing all christianity, show me one post where i have and i will accept that. If you cannot do that do i get a public apology?

I don't see any of this happening. I don't see anyone claiming any responsibility for the actions of collective Christianity, good or bad. Who have you seen doing this?

Of course you don't, because no one is,the bad apples can do whatever they want in the name of christianity just so long as it doesn't tarnish the whole.

Of course you're blaming them all. You just spent this whole post doing exactly that

Bulloop, i challenge you to provide evidence or apologise.

And the fact that you have met some bad apples is neither here nor there, since there are bad apples in any grouping of humans you could possibly choose to assemble.

So you don't consider bad christians to be somewhat hypocritical? You excuse bad christians because they are just another group?

 

[Valjean]

Welcome, O Kyle.
So... to echo @WalterTrull, what is it that defines you as pagan?

 

[PureX]

So you don't consider bad christians to be somewhat hypocritical?

Why are bad Christians any more hypocritical than anyone else?

You excuse bad christians because they are just another group?

I'm not excusing anyone. I'm just pointing out that you are treating a huge and disparate group of humans as if they were one entity. And they aren't.

 

[ChristineM]

Why are bad Christians any more hypocritical than anyone else?
I'm not excusing anyone. I'm just pointing out that you are treating a huge and disparate group of humans as if they were one entity. And they aren't.

If you dont know what christianity means then i see your problem

I have been specially in stating certain limiting parameters, you won't accept that fact because it doesnt suite you.

I wonder if you would give the same vague leeway to atheists. Oh thats right, i remember now, you consider atheists all the same but it seems christianity can be disparate, i wonder why you apply different rules to different groups

 

[SigurdReginson]

Welcome, @TheKyle!

I find Christians seem to come in all shapes and sizes, much like the rest of humanity. Some are good, some are bad, and the other 99% fall somewhere in between.

I hope that you can find a better experience here than you have in the past, and maybe expand your experiences further... I'd even invite you to go to a purely Christian forum just to test your own experiences to see where that goes.

 

[Heyo]

If you dont know what christianity means then i see your problem

Nobody knows what Christianity means. I'm with @PureX on this one. "Christian" is a word devoid of all meaning. I have searched and asked for a defining characteristic but there is none. There is no group coherence, no leadership, no common tenets.

 

[Revoltingest]

Nobody knows what Christianity means. I'm with @PureX on this one. "Christian" is a word devoid of all meaning. I have searched and asked for a defining characteristic but there is none. There is no group coherence, no leadership, no common tenets.

A "Christian" has accepted Jesus Christ as their lord & savior.
That's been a good working definition for me.

 

[PureX]

A "Christian" has accepted Jesus Christ as their lord & savior.
That's been a good working definition for me.

And what does that mean?

 

[TheKyle]

Welcome Kyle.
Just so we have some context, could you tell us what you mean by pagan? I find the dictionary not too much help: "a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions." Pretty broad brush there. I find myself covered by that definition, but it doesn't say much about me.

I can gladly expand. I'm a solitary practitioner, never really got into the coven thing, and I consider myself pagan mainly by the act of distancing myself from Christian ideology. Yeah, there's Wicca and Witchcraft and Neopaganism, but I liken myself to one close with nature. We live out here in the country, not too far from town.

 

[Revoltingest]

And what does that mean?

It means what I said...no more...no less.
I believe that @Katzpur found my definition acceptable.
She could weigh in, being more knowledgeable about such things.

 

[ChristineM]

Nobody knows what Christianity means. I'm with @PureX on this one. "Christian" is a word devoid of all meaning. I have searched and asked for a defining characteristic but there is none. There is no group coherence, no leadership, no common tenets.

Except what the bible teaches them

 

[WalterTrull]

I can gladly expand. I'm a solitary practitioner, never really got into the coven thing, and I consider myself pagan mainly by the act of distancing myself from Christian ideology. Yeah, there's Wicca and Witchcraft and Neopaganism, but I liken myself to one close with nature. We live out here in the country, not too far from town.

Yeah, nature's cool. So many reflections, so many hints and clues about reality. I keep trying to understand more.
I think these could be a few of the clues:
Everybody dies? Illogical.
Our bodies heal themselves. Wow!
We can communicate. I guess we must not be separate.

 

[PureX]

It means what I said...no more...no less.
I believe that @Katzpur found my definition acceptable.
She could weigh in, being more knowledgeable about such things.

It's nothing but "more or less". What does that even mean: "my lord and savior"? It seems to mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. And as far as I know, there is no ultimate authority deciding what's the right interpretation for everyone. Nor could there be.

 

[Revoltingest]

It's nothing but "more or less". What does that even mean: "my lord and savior"?

I'd rather not wade into language that others are more familiar with.