Godless Apostate

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by AcGold

So in a world where there are hundreds of religions why is Catholicism the only one that is acceptbale to question? To go up to a Hindu, a Sikh, a Mormon and openly condemn them is entirely unacceptable but this one religion is completely fair game for society.

I'm not here supporting it, just purely wondering. What is it that compels you to try to disprove something so fanatically while society treats most other religions as untouchable?

As an entirely anti religious person myself I don't get why it's open season on this one religion. You aren't even picking on Catholicism; the religion that holds gold in a fortress and rapes children. You're picking on Christianity a more philosophical belief system than a ritualistic organization. I don't even see that discernment here. I work with a devout Catholic and everyone in the office will just unload on Catholicism with him right there, no basic human respect. I don't get it.

I regard all of them as different versions of the untrue, so none of them get a pass from me.

The difference I notice is that I typically encounter less preachiness from other faiths in normal social settings -- YMMV. Whereas the various flavors of Christianity (including Mormonism) tend to be a bit more out in the open. My girlfriend works with one who is a complete religious nutter... and a hypocrite about it most of the time.

Further, our exposure to US politics where we have seemingly normal people espouse ridiculous views -- inspired by their brand of religious dogma -- upon which they plan to base public policy puts a big crosshair on them.

But I agree that Christianity does get ragged on a bit more than other religions. We have the good fortune of living in a society where open ridicule of religion typically doesn't result in getting oneself killed. I say we should be critical of all of them as much as the opportunity presents itself.

[Brad Marsh]

So I see the last page or so has evolved into a bit of a discussion about Mormons and the Mormon faith.

I'm a Mormon, have been my entire life. I served a 2-year proselyting mission in the US, married a Mormon girl in the Temple, and have served as a Bishop of a congregation here in Alberta for the last 6 years (and counting, but that's another story!).

Mormons have a somewhat unique distinction in that they tend to be questioned not only by the Atheist crowd, but also by the larger Christian community as a whole. Sometimes it feels as though we are getting it from all sides! This is due to some unique doctrines and teachings, like the Book of Mormon, the Temple, and many others. We are a relatively small group though, about 15 million world-wide, and so when you compare that to the 1 billion Catholics that there are around the world, it may stand to reason that Catholics, or even Christianity in general, would receive proportionately more attention (good and bad) in comparison.

In terms of the comments about Mormons living (or not) the standards subscribed to by their faith, I don't think it would or should surpise anyone to know that not all Mormons actively practice their faith, and yet they may still identify themselves as being "Mormon" (and indeed they are!). Nor should it surprise anyone that there may be some who claim to practice their faith, but do not (unfortunately!). Some are even Edmonton Oiler fans!! In reality, I don't think I've ever met a single Mormon that lives their faith perfectly (myself at the top of that list). Religion by its very nature is highly aspirational.

Having said that, it has certainly been my experience, and I have known many hundreds of Mormons, many of them quite well, that they are a sincere and striving people that genuinely care about their families and neighbors. And in my experience all of that has been quite authentic - it extends well beyond any kind of clever PR campaign. They are by and large a good and moral people.

I'm personally not upset by the criticism that my faith is subject to. The vast majority of it is simply based on misunderstandings about our doctrines and practices, some of which admittedly seem quite peculiar. I've seen examples of that even in this thread.

But that's okay though. Everyone is aboslutely entitled to their opinions. In fact, the Mormon faith has what it calls "The Thirteen Articles of Faith". These "statements of belief" were written by Jospeh Smith in 1842 when asked by a Chicago newspaper what Mormons beleived. The 11th of those 13 Articles states the following: "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." My sense is that would also extend to those who do not worship at all.

My hope though, particularly for a thread like this one, is that the dialogue can continue to be respectful and thoughtful and civil. That the dialogue around Religion hasn't always taken that path is one of the very reasons this thread was started!

[Dion]

Originally Posted by 2Stonedbirds

The Mormons really do have great family values. Among other things, but they do have strong families.

The Mormons do a great job of taking care of their own members. They were also out in full force helping community members during the 2013 High River flood. They are well respected.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Brad Marsh

I'm personally not upset by the criticism that my faith is subject to. The vast majority of it is simply based on misunderstandings about our doctrines and practices, some of which admittedly seem quite peculiar. I've seen examples of that even in this thread.

I went through the entire program your missionaries teach and learned all about your doctrines and practicies. Was invited into peoples home and to fireside chats but never actualy attended any services with the church. I did it because I wanted to learn about another faith and gain a better understanding of what you believe.

In the end I rejected your doctrines and practices as some it repulsed me like baptising dead family members (missionaries suggested I could baptise my deceased father who died 6 months earlier) to the control/pressure in which the church uses to keep members accountable to the Mormon faith. There was also the issue of missionaries not being able to answer all my questions and having to bring in Elders to answer them.

The above being said I was surprised with the sincerety of the missionaries and what they believed. If it gives them a prupose and meaning in life it's hard to argue that.

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by Dion

The Mormons do a great job of taking care of their own members. They were also out in full force helping community members during the 2013 High River flood. They are well respected.

I knew one moment from university. He tried to convert me once, which was awkward.

All I can say is that I truly felt he was trying to convert me to help me - he was putting his effort in life to what he saw as making my life better.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Kavvy

I knew one moment from university. He tried to convert me once, which was awkward.

All I can say is that I truly felt he was trying to convert me to help me - he was putting his effort in life to what he saw as making my life better.

Unlike the Jehovas Witnesses, they will back off when you say to them you are not interested. I respect them for that.

[Cheese]

Religion facing extinction in nine nations.

The team's mathematical model attempts to account for the interplay between the number of religious respondents and the social motives behind being one.
The result, reported at the American Physical Society meeting in Dallas, US, indicates that religion will all but die out altogether in those countries.
The team took census data stretching back as far as a century from countries in which the census queried religious affiliation: Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.


http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-12811197

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Cheese

Religion facing extinction in nine nations.

The team's mathematical model attempts to account for the interplay between the number of religious respondents and the social motives behind being one.
The result, reported at the American Physical Society meeting in Dallas, US, indicates that religion will all but die out altogether in those countries.
The team took census data stretching back as far as a century from countries in which the census queried religious affiliation: Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.


http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-12811197

Good, spread the word folks.

[Cheese]

http://en.abna24.com/service/africa/...037/story.html

Grand Imam of al-Azhar: Atheists are seeking to undermine Islamic world

He added that one of the major causes of the spread of irreligiosity and atheism in the Islamic world is that some Muslim youth do not have the support for firm thinking and belief and cannot assess what they hear, especially since those who spread atheism spread their ideas with simple and comprehensible explanations for the youth.
Yeah well...ermm...no crap Yogi! Its a wonder guys like this don't forget how to breathe.

[Fuzz]

https://www.queerty.com/top-church-o...worse-20170712

Last week, it was reported that police raided a cardinal's apartment after neighbors reported some unholy goings on. Upon entering the unit, they found themselves in the middle of a wild drug-fueled gay sex orgy.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Cheese

Religion facing extinction in nine nations.

The team's mathematical model attempts to account for the interplay between the number of religious respondents and the social motives behind being one.
The result, reported at the American Physical Society meeting in Dallas, US, indicates that religion will all but die out altogether in those countries.
The team took census data stretching back as far as a century from countries in which the census queried religious affiliation: Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.


http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-12811197

Dr Wiener

[DuffMan]

makes sense.

[Flashpoint]

Thank heavens.

[DuffMan]

People can only pretend fairy tales, and myths are true, for so long, before logic, science, and common sense supersedes those fantasies.

[Dion]

There was this Rabbi who lived in a small Russian town at the turn of the century. And after twenty years of pondering the very deepest religious questions and spiritual issues in life, he finally came to the conclusion that when he got right down to the rock bottom, he just didn't know.

Shortly after reaching that conclusion, he was walking across the village square on his way to the synagogue to pray. The cossack, or local czarist cop of this little town, was in a bad mood that morning and thought he would take it out on the Rabbi. So he yelled, "Hey, Rabbi, where the hell do you think you're going?"

The Rabbi answered, "I don't know."

This infuriated the cossack even more. "What do you mean you don't know where you're going?" he exclaimed in outrage. "Every morning at eleven o'clock you have crossed this village square on the way to the synogogue to pray, and here it is eleven o'clock in the morning and you're going in the direction of the synoguge and you try to tell me you don't know where you are going. You're trying to make some kind of fool out of me and i'll teach you not to do that."

So the cossack grabbed the Rabbi and took him off to the local jail. And just as he was about to throw him into the cell the Rabbi turned to him and commented, "You see, you just don't know."

Fact is no one knows. We dwell in a profoundly mysterious universe. In the words of Thomas Edison, "We don't even begin to understand one percent about ninety percent of anything"."

[Senator Clay Davis]

I'll just post the first paragraph of this, and a reminder a recent poll showed Muslims are more accepting of gays than Evangelicals in America. Combined with Joel Osteen getting lit up yesterday, the last 24 hours should reiterate that American evangelicals are a unique kind of awful.

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) announced August 29th the release of The Nashville Statement, an evangelical coalition statement on biblical sexuality.

https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement/

[DuffMan]

^^^^
Snowflakes

WE DENY that God has designed marriage to be a homosexual, polygamous, or polyamorous relationship. We also deny that marriage is a mere human contract rather than a covenant made before God.

Guess my marriage is over. God wasn't there, actually, wasn't even invited, or even mentioned.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

^^^^
Snowflakes



Guess my marriage is over. God wasn't there, actually, wasn't even invited, or even mentioned.

You aren't married per their definition of marriage. Not sure why you would care

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I'll just post the first paragraph of this, and a reminder a recent poll showed Muslims are more accepting of gays than Evangelicals in America. Combined with Joel Osteen getting lit up yesterday, the last 24 hours should reiterate that American evangelicals are a unique kind of awful.



https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement/

Interesting.

I was perusing the list of initial signatories to count familiar names and faces, and this struck me. You will notice that the names on the list are overwhelmingly male—pastors of churches, seminary presidents and professors and the like. The very scarce number of female signatories include some odd descriptions such as:

Donna Thoennes
Adjunct Professor & Homeschool Mom, Biola University

Charlotte Akin
Homemaker, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Joy White
Homemaker & Assistant Professor of Women's Studies, Cedarville University

Rhonda Kelley
President's Wife, Adjunct Faculty, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Incidentally virtually none of the male signatories is advertising himself as "House husband" or "Homeschool dad."

*EDIT* I just counted and the result is pretty jarring: 153 initial signatories, and only 16 women.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by GGG

You aren't married per their definition of marriage. Not sure why you would care

Man, Am I ever glad I didn't get a tattoo'd wedding ring, then.