Seloan wrote:
But as Americans we are religous.
Speak for yourself. There are millions of Americans who are not religious. There is a separation of church and state for a reason. Personally I would consider myself to be spiritual, although in many ways I find religion loathsome. It is an institution historically based around money and power. The people who go to church nowadays (and I know this because I was Christian for a majority of my life), rarely use it as a time of true fellowship. It is a gossip circle. People who carry on conversations with other people simply because they share similar beliefs and it makes them feel comfortable. There is the same amount of fellowship to be found in the members of the Nets basketball team conversing with one another.
Additionally, I find that people not involved in the Christian church to be far more moral and accepting of other people than those who follow religion. The church represses people so they naturally react in the opposite direction. That is why most of us probably knew the "hypocritical religous girl/guy" in high school that was more promiscuous than everyone else. I'm not going to get into the validity of Mormonism, but they generally have many of the same precepts of morality that Christians do, i.e., don't lie, don't steal, don't kill, etc. The population of Utah is roughly 70% Mormon, yet Salt Lake City has one of the highest crime rates in the country. Guess which state has the highest reincarceration rate in the USA? Utah. Surprising? Not really.
People who go to church need direction in their life. They cannot find it on their own, so they ask for help from someone else. I am not saying their isn't a God, or that I don't believe in Jesus, but I am saying that someone in South America who doesn't devote himself to Christianity is going to some ficticious place called Hell. Where exactly do you draw the line for people who go there? If they have asked for Jesus' forgiveness and made him their personal savior? How about the person who is raised in a family practicing Hinduism, are they simply screwed? Even if they are told about Jesus, and they understandably don't alter their life because some missionary suggested it. Do they go to Hell?
I do not believe that an all-loving and compassionate being - traits Christians largely believe God has - would ever send anyone to a place called Hell.
Most people who call themselves Christians who I have known are just as "sinful" as I am - they just have a self-imposed sugar coating of righteousness.
I find it disgusting how most Christians bastardize Jesus' words and beliefs, choosing to judge other people and warp what I believe he truly stood for. What makes me even more disgusted is how a majority of these religious people vote for Bush. Simply amazing. I don't know how you people could find a guy who better represents the opposite of what religion could be.
Seloan wrote:
We don't support gay marriages, that doesn't mean that we are anti-gay. It simply means that we read the bible occasionaly and know that marriage is a holy thing, while being gay is not.
Being gay is not a holy thing huh? It is just as holy as being heterosexual if you want to go into that territory. If you went out of your way to actually do some research beyond what your pastor and the Bible tells you, you would learn about how genetics effects sexual preference. BEING GAY IS NOT A CHOICE. That being said, how can you blame someone for something that they were born with? It is like saying that someone with good eyesight is holy, but someone with poor eyesight is a sinner, and should be discriminated against.
I'll ask you a simple question. Are seagulls capable of sinning?
I assume you answered no, if not, we can have a separate debate about that one. Now, how is it that there are plenty of gay seagulls? Is it a choice? How about the hundreds of other species of animals out there that practice homosexuality? Is it simply there preference? Hmmm. Let me tell you something. Because of people like you, many of the young gay people in our society are very ashamed of who they are. Because of people like you, they are afraid to be honest, and afraid to BE WHO THEY ARE. Very Sad.
Seloan wrote:
It is sickening, to me, that you would not allow a baby to be born.
And it is sickening to me how you would let a baby be born to a crack ***** who was raped, and forced to raise a kid in some 3'rd world L.A. apartment, living off of breadsticks. Boy that kid is gonna have a great life. Get real - there is no such thing as "black and white" morality.
Seloan wrote:
So next time you accuse us of being anti-anything...remember that if we are, you must be anti-religion.
Damn right I'm anti-religion, and proud to have seen the light.