coplex yes complicated nah. but what do i know?
Ask an atheist (the second coming)
- Thread starter Ziggy Stardust
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coplex yes complicated nah. but what do i know?
IdiotsOpposite
Boom, headshot.
Are you agnostic or gnostic?
Borachio
Way past lunacy
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I would, I think, describe myself as agnostic. But from various things people have said here, I'm not so sure.
For me, agnostics simply do not know. So that must mean we are all agnostic, unless people are keeping something really secret. But this is hardly the conventional use of the word, I am told.
By gnostic do you mean someone who does know, or someone who believes?
Gnosticism is something else entirely that I'm not qualified to talk about.
For me, agnostics simply do not know. So that must mean we are all agnostic, unless people are keeping something really secret. But this is hardly the conventional use of the word, I am told.
By gnostic do you mean someone who does know, or someone who believes?
Gnosticism is something else entirely that I'm not qualified to talk about.
IdiotsOpposite
Boom, headshot.
Someone who believes [in God] is a thiest. Someone who is certain about what he believes in is a gnostic.
EDIT: I'll reply to the rest of the post after work.
I know it seems obvious now, but honestly, 30 years ago people held the idea of Nessie seriously. They didn't assume she existed, but thought it was possible.
GhostWriter16
Deity
Ask an atheist: What's your opinion of Christianity, like, in general? (And I'm not asking whether you think its true, obviously.)
What's your opinion of Ante-Nicene Christianity specifically, if you know anything about it? (Most Christians think of that as like our best period
)
What's your opinion of Ante-Nicene Christianity specifically, if you know anything about it? (Most Christians think of that as like our best period
)
Ask an atheist: What's your opinion of Christianity, like, in general? (And I'm not asking whether you think its true, obviously.)
What's your opinion of Ante-Nicene Christianity specifically, if you know anything about it? (Most Christians think of that as like our best period
Firstly:
I don't know anything at all about various cults of christianity beyond what living in the USA forces on everyone. Distinctions between Ante-Nicene and Post-Nicene (if that's even the correct schism?) fall far beyond my bailiwick. As a non-christian, it's really not my job to keep up with the latest in celebrity gossip about who's in and who's out as far as your cults are concerned.
That said, my opinion of christianity is that it's a horrible religion. If you're going to look at all the religions available, and choose just one to force everyone on the planet to abide by, Christianity is among the worst. On the surface it claims to be all about helping the poor and stuff, but from my personal experience almost NO christians actually do that. I don't doubt the same could be said of other religions, but that's not the issue here. Christians, by and large, don't practice what they preach. The few that do, don't preach. Those are the only ones I have respect for.
The only rational reason for people to choose to continue to call themselves christians (which is not at all the same thing as actually LIVING as christians) is because they happen to have been born to families that - for one reason or another - have found themselves on the winning-er side of local economic contests. In other words, people who call themselves christians feel that they need to for social / economic reasons. Not all, of course... but the vast majority. Otherwise we'd see hundreds of millions of white western 'christians' shucking off gobs of income towards poverty relief programs, flooding the international aid stations with volunteers, and so forth. But we don't see that. Instead, we see things like the USA being the very most stingy nation when it comes to international aid. Classy, for a culture that routinely claims a christian mantel when trying to gain the moral high-ground.
If christians didn't find themselves so readily able to justify slavery, inequality of ethinic groups, inequality of women, hierarchies of authoritarianism, patriarchy, deserving punishment of 'sins' of poverty or ignorance, or just about any other intolerant view I've seen self-proclaimed 'christians' vociferously adopt on this forum; then perhaps I'd be able to be persuaded that christianity has some inherent worth.
But, NO. I haven't seen that. All I see from christians is bigotry, hate, judgementalism, false sanctimoniousness, and on and on. Rarely to I see comments that indicate a Jesus-like sympathy for people. And this is so strange to me - does it mean that I myself have more compassion that the Jesus these vocal christians idolize? How fracked up is that?!
Maybe these self-identifying christians behave differently in their every-day lives, but from what I see here - christians are awful people. And I don't believe that people start out awful: which means that as far as I'm concerned christian culture teaches people to be bad.
I'm sure there are exceptions, and I'm sure that not all self-identifying christian people on this one specific video game forum are not as nice as non christians... but those who choose to speak up give the entire group a very bad image.
[/my_2_cents]
Zack
99% hot gas
It it makes the believer (meaning a specific individual who believes in Christianity) a genuinely happier and better person, it's awesome.
If it makes the believer (meaning about a specific individual who believes in Christianity) a genuinely less happy and/or worse person, it's poo.
EDIT: Take a look at this (language), specifically the last part.
Abegweit
Anarchist trader
Why do you claim to be an atheist in view of the fact that you clearly worship the state?
Zack
99% hot gas
Because I am a godless communist who hates football and loves kickboxing puppies.
Abegweit
Anarchist trader
I wasn't talking to you. However, if your thing is beating on puppies, then I understand. You are scum. Utter total scum. As for your claim to be a godless communist, that is nonsense. Communism is a religion. And a particularly dirtbag one at that. Notably, communists take pride in kickboxing innocents.
Because purple is more than seven.
History_Buff
Deity
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2001
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- 6,529
Ask an atheist: What's your opinion of Christianity, like, in general? (And I'm not asking whether you think its true, obviously.)
What's your opinion of Ante-Nicene Christianity specifically, if you know anything about it? (Most Christians think of that as like our best period
The system of beliefs in general is extremely odd, and at times very creepy. The practices, particular the actual services, are very creepy once you think about what they're actually doing to your brain. Very tribal. But I'm pretty sure most, if not all older religions are like that.
The different types of Christianity of course have their own flavor. Most mainline Protestants seem to me to be the most palatable, although Catholicism seems to have recently overtaken them in pragmatism. In 100 years Catholicism might be a great religion (removing the sky-god worshipping part of course). Evangelicals are the much scarier lot, but some of that is the culture it's bred out of.
Ante-Nicene Christianity doesn't strike me as particularly different from modern Christianity (minus the Religious Right American types). Governed by the customs of the times, as these things are. If there's something specific you'd like me to comment on, I'm happy to oblige.
GhostWriter16
Deity
I know a couple of orthodox Catholics who insist that traditional orthodoxy is on a resurgence, so I guess we'll find out who's right
Oh, and we're glad you are scared of us
Just the incredible, probably crazy to the modern mind, dedication. I imagine if you haven't read about them you wouldn't really know about them (And there are people who know more about them than I do, lot's of them) but basically, it was Christianity before the Roman state took it over...
MagisterCultuum
Great Sage
The term Ante-Nicene does not refer to any particular "cult" or denomination within Christinaity, and it certainly wouldn't fall under the category of "the latest celebrity gossip." It is not really a schism, but a chronological distinction. The term simply means "before the Council of Nicaea," which was called by Emperor Constantine in the year 325. Basically, he is asking what you think about the church when it was a persecuted and fairly subversive minority religion, before it became a powerful institution with close ties to the state.
History_Buff
Deity
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2001
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- 6,529
But your problem there is almost certainly selection bias. The only ones worth writing about in preserved records would be the ones doing wacky stuff all the time.
GhostWriter16
Deity
That's not an invalid point but it doesn't totally bail out in Christian history. Granted, its probably SOMEWHAT true, but the more persecution that goes on, the more radical (In the sense of "Being willing to lay down their lives") Chrisitans goes up, and moderates go way down.
Or just read what MagisterCultuum said, he explained better than I could
Global Skeptic
King
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2012
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- 618
That's not an invalid point but it doesn't totally bail out in Christian history. Granted, its probably SOMEWHAT true, but the more persecution that goes on, the more radical (In the sense of "Being willing to lay down their lives") Christians goes up, and moderates go way down.
Or just read what MagisterCultuum said, he explained better than I could
But if you look at history that is not particular of Christianity. You could, not that you Have to, start looking at western culture in general and then beyond. In short and in a somewhat over-simplified way western culture is not Christian, it is a mix of Greek, Roman and Christian traits.
