Are you here for converts?

[The GM]

Maybe I should make this a poll. But here's the question. Other than a few notable exceptions, (Zaayrdragon and Kitty Chan instantly come to mind) our fellow posters of faith do not participate in each other's threads. For instance, you never see Riddick calling Icchius(sp, sorry man!) to the carpet or something similiar. At times, it feels very much like the faithful vs the faithless, and even though the faithful may not agree w/ each other's philosophies, they leave each other alone prefering to talk to the faithless instead.
Is it just me, or is this a pretty accurate observation of what happens here in R&P?

 

[apoger]

That's a fairly accurate assessment.

I suspect that the faithful prefer not to think about the multitude of other faith based alternatives, as the concept that there are numerous equally vaild "faiths" is very threatning.

 

[jmercer]

Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll raise my eyebrow a bit here. I post in a lot of these threads...

Of course, I'm not here to convert anyone to anything.

 

[The GM]

Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll raise my eyebrow a bit here. I post in a lot of these threads...

Well, as do I.
However, I do tend to keep my beliefs to myself. Not because I'm ashamed of them, but they just don't seem relevant most of the time.

 

[jmercer]

Well, as do I.
However, I do tend to keep my beliefs to myself. Not because I'm ashamed of them, but they just don't seem relevant most of the time.

Yep, there's that.

Plus truthfully, I'm more interesting in understanding where the other person's coming from than promoting my own beliefs. Heretical or not, as far as I'm concerned, all religions are equally valid (or invalid, depending on one's POV. )

 

[jmercer]

All right - I've been thinking this for some time now, so I might as well put it here out in the open. (Not that it's anything particularly astonishing or anything)

I believe a lot of the more vocal pro-religion writers are trolls and/or socks... or both. In example, you never see Jambo and 1inChrist get into it in a thread, or even so much as post in the same thread.

Same goes for some of the others, particuarly the "hit and runs" that show up from time to time. I think that's a part of your answer right there.

 

[Marquis de Carabas]

I think it's accurate, and, unfortunately, not very surprising. Believers often view other believers as misguided but well-intentioned, whereas non-believers are evil or just plain ornery. This is a generalisation, of course, and there are many exceptions.

For my own part, I remember as a child getting the distinct impression that there was a hierarchy in the world that went something like this (I was raised southern baptist):

Southern Baptists
Other Baptists
Other non-Catholic Christians
Catholics
Other monotheists
Other theists
Atheists, Agnostics, etc.

Of course, the official belief was more akin to--

Southern Baptists
The Hellbound

--but it seemed the farther down the first list you were, the more likely you were to draw fire from the church.

 

[farmermike]

Could it be because that depending on ones frame of mind,what is god can change and also be quite different from someone elses god,leading to a variety of faith based explanations.Could be just a matter of letting someone else handle it.

 

[Iacchus]

I am not here to "rip" into religion ... just to present my own perspective. Which, is really all any of us can do.

 

[El Greco]

Let's say believers are castle defenders whose beliefs are being attacked by the battering ram of skepticism. Now, imagine two castles which are far away from each other (as often happens with the philosophies of believers). There's no attacking or defending potential in that topology. The only thing they can do is send carrier pigeons to each other.

 

[jmercer]

Could it be because that depending on ones frame of mind,what is god can change and also be quite different from someone elses god,leading to a variety of faith based explanations.Could be just a matter of letting someone else handle it.

FarmerMike - in some cases - probably, in fact, for the "silent majority" - I think you may be right. There's something else contributing to this, too, I believe.

Early on when I joined the forums, I got involved in a thread where I revealed I was Catholic. Now, it turned out to be a VERY civil thread, and I couldn't have gotten a more positive impression of the major posters here because of it. At the time, however, it was probably one of the most nervous things I've done on the Internet - especially considering the environment I chose to do it in.

There is a significant factor of intimidation in the forums concerning some subjects... and religion is very much one of those, methinks.

 

[jmercer]

Let's say believers are castle defenders whose beliefs are being attacked by the battering ram of skepticism. Now, imagine two castles which are far away from each other (as often happens with the philosophies of believers). There's no attacking or defending potential in that topology. The only thing they can do is send carrier pigeons to each other.

Good point.

From my perspective, I simply don't feel I have the right (or the knowledge) to say to anyone "I'm right and you're wrong" about religion and God. (And that includes atheists and agnostics - for all I know, they're right.)

I have to say I've gotten a much better education on religion here at JREF than any other source or place I've had access to in the past... and that "broadening" has only increased my feelings about only challenging others beliefs if I'm willing to challenge my own. (Which I am, and I do, regularly. )

 

[The GM]

Good point.

From my perspective, I simply don't feel I have the right (or the knowledge) to say to anyone "I'm right and you're wrong" about religion and God. (And that includes atheists and agnostics - for all I know, they're right.)

I have to say I've gotten a much better education on religion here at JREF than any other source or place I've had access to in the past... and that "broadening" has only increased my feelings about only challenging others beliefs if I'm willing to challenge my own. (Which I am, and I do, regularly. )

I'll give you a hearty amen to that...but you're still going to Hell.
Just kiddin'. I have no idea if you will or won't. Maybe you'll go to puppy land. Who knows?

 

[jmercer]

Puppy land? Nah. If I'm not going to the Christian heaven, I at least want to go to the Muslim version...

The other main attraction in Muslim heaven is the unlimited sexual pleasures. Moshay quotes one Hadith (official Muslim tradition) that says, "The lowliest of the inhabitants of paradise will be he who has eighty thousand servants, seventy-two wives..." The Koran speaks of virgin maidens who will be enjoyed by men with enhanced sexual stamina.

 

[geni]

Same reason you don't get many termination reactions going on at the start of a free radical polyimerisation.

 

[Z]

What Geni said.


???


Well, it seems to me that anytime Iacchus and lifegazer end up in the same thread, it either drives everyone else batty or away.

Ian, of course, is too certain of his own correctness to bother participating in another believer's threads.

And, of course, there's no point in preaching to those who have their minds made up... only to those who might still be reached, you know, like all those idiot Atheists...

 

[The GM]

So Zaayr,
Out of curiousity, (damned curiousity!) what would you say to someone who you wanted to join your church/coven/temple/I'm not trying to be an ass, I just don't know what it's called/group?

 

[Odin]

I want to see Jambo and 1inchrist post in the same thread.
(Its happened before but Jambo left and 1inch took over. I mean at the same time.)

 

[Z]

So Zaayr,
Out of curiousity, (damned curiousity!) what would you say to someone who you wanted to join your church/coven/temple/I'm not trying to be an ass, I just don't know what it's called/group?

In our case, it's called a Temple. In other cases, it's called a coven, or a group, or a temple, or a dozen other names... but our Tradition calls it a Temple.

If they wanted to join, I'd schedule a time to meet my wife (the priestess); we'd talk over beliefs, etc.; I'd arrange for them to observe and/or participate in a ritual; and at each and every step, let them understand that not every group is right for a particular person. Each person must find his/her own path to Deity, whatever path that may (or may not) be.

Since our group only takes dues on an entirely voluntary basis, and we sell nothing, and we demand nothing, I don't feel at all bad about our temple. Our few restrictions on behaviour amount to, "Don't deliberately cause harm to yourself or others," and "Don't try to tell other people what to think or believe."

That's about the long and short of it.

 

[The GM]

Our few restrictions on behaviour amount to, "Don't deliberately cause harm to yourself or others," and "Don't try to tell other people what to think or believe."

That's about the long and short of it.

thats a religion i could actually live w/.