Hey FrGamble!

Quote: FrGamble

When I was an atheist you should have heard the prideful things I used to say about other's beliefs.

I should imagine the same prideful things you say about god, just in the opposite way. Or, the prideful things you say against Atheists and Agnostics. But, understand this: When you die there will be nothing and all of the time you have spent on this topic will have been wasted. The tables have turned and we are winning. We do not need to self-promote to add to our numbers; they come to us. They find it on their own and we do not use fear to get them, unlike you and your god.

Let’s be clear: I take no pride in being an Agnostic, so I don’t go around promoting it unless Christianity is brought up. Even then, my stand is Anti-Christianity not Pro-Agnosticism or Pro-Atheism. I’m aware that some people advocate in favor of those things, but I don’t see the point.

Also, just to make sure I don’t lose any friends, I take no issue with any religion EXCEPT Christianity. That’s probably only because no denominations except Christian sects publicly discuss it or try to convert me, though. None of the others have ever knocked on my door, that’s for sure.

Quote: FrGamble

When I was an atheist you should have heard the prideful things I used to say about other's beliefs.

When you were an atheist? If
you ever were it was in name
only for a very short time.
The questions and comments
you've made in the last 6 years
are like someone who has no
idea what real atheism is. It's
like the person who says he's
been to Berlin because his
train stopped their once for
10 min. He's been there but
knows absolutely nothing
about it.

Quote: Evenbob

When you were an atheist? If
you ever were it was in name
only for a very short time.
The questions and comments
you've made in the last 6 years
are like someone who has no
idea what real atheism is. It's
like the person who says he's
been to Berlin because his
train stopped their once for
10 min. He's been there but
knows absolutely nothing
about it.

Sounds very much like your experience with Christianity.

Quote: FrGamble

Sounds very much like your experience with Christianity.

Quit deflecting. Admit it you were never an atheist. When we first started talking you didn't even know what an atheist was. You thought atheism was a belief system, you thought atheists were anti-god.if you were ever a true atheist you never would have thought any of those things

No I was, we all go through stages and times where we aren't thinking right. It was a very selfish and stupid time of my life.

Make no mistake about it Atheism is a belief system based on nothing. Atheists make a truth claim that there is no God based on absolutely no evidence or reason. That is why many are anti-religion or anti-Christian like you and Mission. I think a lot of it is based on emotions and negative experiences with religion. My atheism was based on laziness, pride, and pseudo-intellectualism.

Quote: Evenbob

Quit deflecting. Admit it you were never an atheist. When we first started talking you didn't even know what an atheist was. You thought atheism was a belief system, you thought atheists were anti-god.if you were ever a true atheist you never would have thought any of those things

Oh by the way what would you say if I said, "if you were a true Christian you never would have thought any of the things you do."

Quote: FrGamble

No I was, we all go through stages and times where we aren't thinking right. It was a very selfish and stupid time of my life.

Make no mistake about it Atheism is a belief system based on nothing. Atheists make a truth claim that there is no God based on absolutely no evidence or reason. That is why many are anti-religion or anti-Christian like you and Mission. I think a lot of it is based on emotions and negative experiences with religion. My atheism was based on laziness, pride, and pseudo-intellectualism.

I’m not an Atheist, thank you. I’m an Agnostic, which means the primary difference between the two of us is I can admit that I’m not sure. I believe that there is some infinitesimal possibility that the Christians are correct, but that it’s not any more likely to be so than any other god(s) based religion. I’m not anti-Christianity because of The Bible, the Christian concept, or anything like that...I’m anti-Christianity because of the Christians.

Hating the religion in and of itself would be like hating Mother Goose, or some other story. Perhaps Penny Henny is the prophet and her, “The Sky is falling,” was not meant imminently, but rather as a prediction.

But, let me ask you a question. I don’t ask to offend, but because I want to know:

If you were a priest and came to find that another priest had been molesting a child, would you:

1. Report it up the chain of command.

2. Address him personally.

3. Contact the police.

4. Other and what?

5. Some combination of 1-4 and what?

I would also like to know your response in the context of today and also in the context of 20 years ago.

Mission, I am glad to hear you are not an Atheist.

In response to your question I would do #3. Contact police and #1. Report him to superiors.

Quote: FrGamble

Mission, I am glad to hear you are not an Atheist.

In response to your question I would do #3. Contact police and #1. Report him to superiors.

You're one of the good ones. I don't know what your station is in the hierarchy, but the cover-ups almost certainly went above your head. That's why, in my opinion, you would do well to go be a preacher at some other denomination, but please not the Baptists, Apostolics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Jehovah Witnesses, New Testament Believers, Church of God or Churches of Christ.

Mainly, just go where the White Christians aren't. Maybe the Lutherans are okay? I don't have much experience with Lutherans.

So, I guess that's kind of my perspective. Your religion did that, it went almost all the way to the top, so your continued involvement with the Catholic Church is borderline inexcusable. It doesn't represent who you are as a person at all, because I believe that you are a good person, despite your flawed belief system, but that church is not a good church. It's not a good religion.

Quote: FrGamble

No I was,

No you were not. It's like the
girl in college who attends one
Communist rally and then tells
everyone she is now a Communist.
No, she's not. Just because you
decided to take a vacay from your
brainwashing doesn't mean you
were anything but a rebellious kid.

Quote:

Make no mistake about it Atheism is a belief system

This statement alone shows you were
never an atheist. It's 100% wrong.
It's like saying unicorns don't exist
is a belief system. I was a Christian
in name only for awhile. I was
searching, I was pretending. Just
like you were pretending to be an
atheist. Once I saw the huge flaws
in the religion up close, I kicked
it to the curb without a second
thought and never had a regret.