Kirk Cameron Attacks Stephen Hawking

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Wow.

Yes...racism where people were physically harmed and prevented from doing what they wish and the ability of those who believe in god to hold their heads in prayer and affect NO one else...are almost exactly the same thing.

No...really.....they are.

What's next? Hitler?

Deflect, deflect.

I'm only referring to water fountains, nothing else. You're argument is that if it doesn't hurt anyone, it's not a big deal. If the student should shut up and let the school board enforce a prayer, then it's not much of a leap to believe you'd argue that a minority should shut up and drink from his own fountain. Same water, what's the harm?

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Sure it is.

No idea what else it is about actually.

This kid is preventing the rest of his classmates from being part of a prayer that occurs at graduation based on his "stressing" because of it.....pretty straight forward.

Teenagers being forced against their will to conform with the majority of their peers isn't stressful?

[Gozer]

Originally Posted by flames85

I said there are radical atheists and radical christians.

False equivalencies should be challenged. They propagate falsehoods.

[moon]

Originally Posted by transplant99

No one is harmed by prayer...but we cant have prayer because someone claims it harms them.

The goofiness of such a claim stands on its own merits.

No one is harmed by not having the prayer.

If those religious nuts want to pray they are free to do it on their own without breaking the law and having a prayer for everyone.

Seems odd to force something that can be done individually on a group of people that don't want it.

[flames85]

Originally Posted by photon

There was a time when far more people believed in some other god or gods than you do.

ok, show me some numbers backing this claim up..

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Some people get it...some dont.

You show me how you can be harmed by someone else praying to an entity you dont believe exists...I will engage you in debate...but as of now? Not a chance. Stupid is stupid.

That's it, run away..

transplant99's argument is equivalent to him suggesting:

You show me how you can be harmed by someone being forced to drink from a separate water fountain...I will engage you in debate...but as of now? Not a chance. Stupid is stupid.

[moon]

Originally Posted by flames85

ok, show me some numbers backing this claim up..

You seriously need numbers to prove that Christianity hasn't been the major religion in the world throughout history?

[photon]

Originally Posted by transplant99

This kid is preventing the rest of his classmates from being part of a prayer that occurs at graduation based on his "stressing" because of it.....pretty straight forward.

No, he's preventing a Christian prayer from being delivered as part of the graduation ceremonies which celebrate the graduation of all the students, including ones not Christian.

If the students want to pray, they can.

As I said, evaluating his stress isn't reasonable or fair, maybe he's been persecuted by his peers for years for his lack of belief?

It really doesn't matter, I would agree with you yes one prayer does not, all else being equal, constitute a huge discomfort. But something that causes little harm in small amounts can cause large harm in large amounts.

What's the point of having a secular society?

[Flames_Gimp]

we should do away with the term Atheist. I am a Rationalist!

If we want mankind to evolve we need to get past this stumbling block that is religion!

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by flames85

ok, show me some numbers backing this claim up..

Christianity (and Judaism) are not the oldest religions that ever existed. Other religions existed long before Jesus allegedly walked the Earth. Before the Old Testament was even written, millions of people worshipped gods of other ancient religions.

[puckluck]

The point being missed is it's not only atheists that most likely disagree with this.

Is every single student in that school either Christian or an atheist?
What about the other religious students of other religions? why should they be forced to listen to a prayer they do not believe in?

[photon]

Originally Posted by flames85

ok, show me some numbers backing this claim up..

Um, there used to be a time when Christianity didn't exist.

Christianity has been around in various forms for 2000 years.

People have been around for 250,000 years.

[flames85]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Christianity (and Judaism) are not the oldest religions that ever existed. Other religions existed long before Jesus allegedly walked the Earth. Before the Old Testament was even written, millions of people worshipped gods of other ancient religions.

like i said, show me some facts, im not saying your wrong. like someone said earlier, the burden lies with the person making the claim. (not that i agree)

[flames85]

Originally Posted by photon

Um, there used to be a time when Christianity didn't exist.

Christianity has been around in various forms for 2000 years.

People have been around for 250,000 years.

Show me facts?

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Teenagers being forced against their will to conform with the majority of their peers isn't stressful?

What are you talking about? No one is making them "conform" to anything. Unless the spoken word is "making to conform", in which case I sure hope they stifle the valedictorian at the same time!

The ONLY thing they have to do...is sit quietly and listen to whatever is being said...no one is making them believe it and no one is making them live it...as far as peers go at any rate.

There is a thing called common sense that gets tossed out in all these debates...everyone is free to do and think as they wish regardless of whatever else someone else says. In fact you and I are doing that very thing right now. I am not harmed by your differences and your vociferous defending of them, and vice-versa.

See?

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by photon

Um, there used to be a time when Christianity didn't exist.

Christianity has been around in various forms for 2000 years.

People have been around for 250,000 years.

Haha! I know what argument is likely to come next.

You silly silly man. There are worms all over the place!

[photon]

Originally Posted by puckluck

The point being missed is it's not only atheists that most likely disagree with this.

Is every single student in that school either Christian or an atheist?
What about the other religious students of other religions? why should they be forced to listen to a prayer they do not believe in?

Exactly.

The prayer itself isn't the problem, it's the implicit message that "this is the ideology we support over the others, this is the one that's right".

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by longsuffering

That's it, run away..

You are a liar and I would request that you fix the quote I did not make and if not I would ask moderators to do so and then ban this person for mis-representation of something i never said and would never condone.

[Gozer]

Originally Posted by flames85

like i said, show me some facts, im not saying your wrong. like someone said earlier, the burden lies with the person making the claim. (not that i agree)

Possibly my favourite post in the history of the internet.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by flames85

like i said, show me some facts, im not saying your wrong. like someone said earlier, the burden lies with the person making the claim. (not that i agree)

Do you think that humans have been worshipping the God of Abraham since the dawn of time?

Abraham, the father of the monotheistic Jewish faith (and by extension Christianity and Islam), is said to have lived around 1900BC. There are many polytheistic religions that pre-date that time.