Dont confuse Christianity with religion

[The Spanish]

I'm an atheist, which means that I don't believe in any of the 2,700 Gods that have been worshipped over the years. (not even Thor!)

Christians are nearly atheists, as they don't believe in 2,699 of the Gods that I don't believe in.

I think the OP is trying to say there is a difference between spirituality, which is essentially harmless, as it is an individual choosing to ignore, despite overwhelming contradictory scientific evidence, in the idea of an external creator, and religion, which is a control mechanism and is exploited by its leaders to divide and rule amongst the general population, and encourages intolerance of a variety of issues that the religious leaders deem to be abominable ( Abortion, Homosexuality, Equal rights for blacks, women etc.)

sorry EP but that did make me chuckle.

 

[The Spanish]

I'm an atheist, which means that I don't believe in any of the 2,700 Gods that have been worshipped over the years. (not even Thor!)

Christians are nearly atheists, as they don't believe in 2,699 of the Gods that I don't believe in.

I think the OP is trying to say there is a difference between spirituality, which is essentially harmless, as it is an individual choosing to ignore, despite overwhelming contradictory scientific evidence, in the idea of an external creator, and religion, which is a control mechanism and is exploited by its leaders to divide and rule amongst the general population, and encourages intolerance of a variety of issues that the religious leaders deem to be abominable ( Abortion, Homosexuality, Equal rights for blacks, women etc.)

double post

 

[BadFish]

Unless you have used the words "homosexual", "gay" and "heterosexual" to your children, then your children remain unaware that your friends are homosexual and assume they are "best friends" like your children's own best friends. The minute you try to explain that your friends are "in love" with each other, then you have to explain that concept and all it entails, including love, sex and marriage.

So the fact that I have explained that I am 'in love' with my wife means that I have explained the concept of sex to them?

I have explained that they are in love. I have explained that they are not allowed to get married and all without mentioning anything to do with sex or many of the other things about being in a relationship that they are too young to understand.

So no you are wrong, I don't have to do anything.

I would still appreciate an apology for insinuating that I have abused my children by discussing these things with them.

 

[Nibble]

HovaGirl is quite old fashioned and thankfuly her views do not reflect those of a society that is changing for teh better. Of course it's healthy to explain to your child, at the right time that two men/women can love each other. It's not Hovagirls fault, just an older generation combined with a heightened ignorance. Child abuse, ha! What rot!

 

[Westdene Seagull]

you're absolutely correct, it certainly is human nature, and as a "new" christian I guess I will have to learn to accept being lumped together with all sorts of wrong'uns.

personally I think that the big religious institutions, such as the Vatican, do more to put people off religion than to attract them to it and I really don't see the point in them. Some of the actions of the Vatican I find utterly disgusting. I think I'm lucky as I've found a church that is really close to my house with a brilliant leader and loads of great people in it. Were it not for that I doubt I would've stayed past the first week.

Given your other posts in this thread I'm going to make an assumption here ( bad I know ! ) but am I correct in assuming you belong to some sort of evangelical church like the Church of Christ the King ?

I ask as my experience of this type of church is worse than any experience I've ever had with the "traditional" church Vicar of Dibley style. I belonged to a Venture Scout Unit and made no effort to hide I was agnostic ( now atheist ). Four or five of the other members were invited by a friend to a CCK service and suddenly became hooked. I didn't have a problem with it - they were old enough to decide for themselves - but what I DID have a problem with was the less than subtle attempts to "convert" me - strange I was the only unit member openly admitting I didn't believe and I was the only one constantly invited to the church "events".

Years have passed now but these people have all moved away, together, to start a new church ( happy clappy style ). One of their parents even asked their son why he was doing it and he then effectively refused to talk to his parents again - apparently his church family were not to be questioned. On the odd occasion I gave in and went to the "event" I'd been invited to the sickly false niceness was awful. Needless to say, I have never again stepped into one of these new churches and never will.

 

[Nibble]

Teaching children about homosexuality is child abuse. Children don't need to know about sex at a young age, and then they only need to learn stuff piecemeal from their parents, one stage at a time, as seems appropriate for their age and the questions they ask. To teach them about homosexuality before they have even left junior school, is just to muddy the waters, because they are still learning about life itself, never mind how babies are made, or about same-sex love affairs. As teenagers, with all the confusions that being a teenager entails, their sexual curiosity is rife, and that is the time to teach them about sexuality in the widest sense of the word.

Bobbins. You remind me slightly of the Mother in Carrie.

 

[BadFish]

Given your other posts in this thread I'm going to make an assumption here ( bad I know ! ) but am I correct in assuming you belong to some sort of evangelical church like the Church of Christ the King ?

I ask as my experience of this type of church is worse than any experience I've ever had with the "traditional" church Vicar of Dibley style. I belonged to a Venture Scout Unit and made no effort to hide I was agnostic ( now atheist ). Four or five of the other members were invited by a friend to a CCK service and suddenly became hooked. I didn't have a problem with it - they were old enough to decide for themselves - but what I DID have a problem with was the less than subtle attempts to "convert" me - strange I was the only unit member openly admitting I didn't believe and I was the only one constantly invited to the church "events".

Years have passed now but these people have all moved away, together, to start a new church ( happy clappy style ). One of their parents even asked their son why he was doing it and he then effectively refused to talk to his parents again - apparently his church family were not to be questioned. On the odd occasion I gave in and went to the "event" I'd been invited to the sickly false niceness was awful. Needless to say, I have never again stepped into one of these new churches and never will.

This sounds similar to a fella I work with who has never said very much abut his upbringing in some kind of odd church (my inference). But he does often talk about escaping and getting out into normality.

 

[Bodular]

So the fact that I have explained that I am 'in love' with my wife means that I have explained the concept to them?

I have explained that they are in love. I have explained that they are not allowed to get married and all without mentioning anything to do with sex or many of the other things about being in a relationship that they are too young to understand.

So no you are wrong, I don't haveto do anything.

I would still appreciate an apology for insinuating that I have abused my children by discussing these things with them.

I will have an apology too thanks its not abuse, when they ask why their friend has 2 mums I would rather teach them about being truthful than lie to them

 

[Nibble]

Given your other posts in this thread I'm going to make an assumption here ( bad I know ! ) but am I correct in assuming you belong to some sort of evangelical church like the Church of Christ the King ?

I ask as my experience of this type of church is worse than any experience I've ever had with the "traditional" church Vicar of Dibley style. I belonged to a Venture Scout Unit and made no effort to hide I was agnostic ( now atheist ). Four or five of the other members were invited by a friend to a CCK service and suddenly became hooked. I didn't have a problem with it - they were old enough to decide for themselves - but what I DID have a problem with was the less than subtle attempts to "convert" me - strange I was the only unit member openly admitting I didn't believe and I was the only one constantly invited to the church "events".

Years have passed now but these people have all moved away, together, to start a new church ( happy clappy style ). One of their parents even asked their son why he was doing it and he then effectively refused to talk to his parents again - apparently his church family were not to be questioned. On the odd occasion I gave in and went to the "event" I'd been invited to the sickly false niceness was awful. Needless to say, I have never again stepped into one of these new churches and never will.

A member of my family is a member of one of these organisations. I have attended their "service" once or twice. There seems no harm in it but they are quite keen on dedicating a lot of time to promoting DVD's, books and of course Tithes. They also have a lot of ways to pay tithes going as far as having flat screen pay stations in the lobby. Not my thing.

 

[El Presidente]

Does that make you nearly a Palace supporter?

As nearly as you!

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Teaching children about homosexuality is child abuse. Children don't need to know about sex at a young age, and then they only need to learn stuff piecemeal from their parents, one stage at a time, as seems appropriate for their age and the questions they ask. To teach them about homosexuality before they have even left junior school, is just to muddy the waters, because they are still learning about life itself, never mind how babies are made, or about same-sex love affairs. As teenagers, with all the confusions that being a teenager entails, their sexual curiosity is rife, and that is the time to teach them about sexuality in the widest sense of the word.

Good grief - here we go again !

I have three children - 11, 9 and 6 - the 11 year old understands about where babies come from and about sex, the 9 year old has an idea but not the in's and out's of sex ( pardon the pun ! ) and the 6 year old understands about boyfriends and girlfriends.

ALL of them understand that boys can have girlfriends and boyfriends and the same for girls. It hasn't effected them in a negative way at all as we've ensured they see same sex relationships as normal as heterosexual relationships. It's made them accepting of this and hopefully, once the older bigoted generation die off, it will make the city a nicer place to live for everyone.

 

[Biscuit]

If you're telling me having Christian morals are not a religion, I'd wholeheartedly agree. Christianity however is a religion and it seems daft to argue otherwise!

 

[Superphil]

Its a bonjuk isn't it? (I have no idea how to spell that word) - and as far as I know, more of a good luck charm than a religious trinket...

Surely 'Good Luck' is faith driven? The Nazar is said to ward off the "Evil Eye", it's mentioned in the old testament, as well as in Sufi and Islamic texts. Religion seems to be at the heart of it.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Surely 'Good Luck' is faith driven? The Nazar is said to ward off the "Evil Eye", it's mentioned in the old testament, as well as in Sufi and Islamic texts. Religion seems to be at the heart of it.

You've started something now !!!!! It will only take someone to mention triangles and we're doomed ...... damn !!!!

 

[skipper734]

Good grief - here we go again !

I have three children - 11, 9 and 6 - the 11 year old understands about where babies come from and about sex, the 9 year old has an idea but not the in's and out's of sex ( pardon the pun ! ) and the 6 year old understands about boyfriends and girlfriends.

ALL of them understand that boys can have girlfriends and boyfriends and the same for girls. It hasn't effected them in a negative way at all as we've ensured they see same sex relationships as normal as heterosexual relationships. It's made them accepting of this and hopefully, once the older bigoted generation die off, it will make the city a nicer place to live for everyone.

As one of the Older supposedly bigoted generation, I suspect that we think the City or Borough of Brighton and Hove was a much nicer place to live before say, the University was built, as a purely random date. It seems to have gone downhill since then, from my point of view. But then I'm probably a bigot simply because of my age.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

As one of the Older supposedly bigoted generation, I suspect that we think the City or Borough of Brighton and Hove was a much nicer place to live before say, the University was built, as a purely random date. It seems to have gone downhill since then, from my point of view. But then I'm probably a bigot simply because of my age.

OK, fair point - that should have read "bigots from the older generation" and it tends to be older people who are "homophobic" although I'd agree not exclusively.

 

[tezz79]

Unless you have used the words "homosexual", "gay" and "heterosexual" to your children, then your children remain unaware that your friends are homosexual and assume they are "best friends" like your children's own best friends. The minute you try to explain that your friends are "in love" with each other, then you have to explain that concept and all it entails, including love, sex and marriage.

Lol "all it entails" ?
No wonder you think it's child abuse if your idea of explaining love to a child envolves telling them erotic stories before bed time & giving them a quick run down of the Kama sutra.
There ways of being subtle & tactile when explaining things to young children.
"Child abuse" oh the drama

 

[Bhafcman]

To me this begs the question: Are they doing it for the right reasons (I guess that it is better than not doing it at all)?

I like to think that i am similar to those people you describe yet am not religious, my reason....because I think it is the right way to act.

anyway takes all sorts, I know many Christians and they are wonderful people. I also know many atheists and they are wonderful people too. In fact most people I meet are wonderful and it doesn't really matter what they believe.

Thats all well and good but then where did sin come from if it wasn't Adam and Eve's fall if it were

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

Given your other posts in this thread I'm going to make an assumption here ( bad I know ! ) but am I correct in assuming you belong to some sort of evangelical church like the Church of Christ the King ?

I ask as my experience of this type of church is worse than any experience I've ever had with the "traditional" church Vicar of Dibley style. I belonged to a Venture Scout Unit and made no effort to hide I was agnostic ( now atheist ). Four or five of the other members were invited by a friend to a CCK service and suddenly became hooked. I didn't have a problem with it - they were old enough to decide for themselves - but what I DID have a problem with was the less than subtle attempts to "convert" me - strange I was the only unit member openly admitting I didn't believe and I was the only one constantly invited to the church "events".

Years have passed now but these people have all moved away, together, to start a new church ( happy clappy style ). One of their parents even asked their son why he was doing it and he then effectively refused to talk to his parents again - apparently his church family were not to be questioned. On the odd occasion I gave in and went to the "event" I'd been invited to the sickly false niceness was awful. Needless to say, I have never again stepped into one of these new churches and never will.

nope, i go to st. peter's....a CofE church

our vicar openly welcomes being questioned

 

[del strangefish]

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
Mahatma Gandhi