Morality...........

And of course the usual erroneous postulation of " anger" , the typical fall back position.

And you might wish to spare me the SDA sctick , don't you think it's a bit arrogant of you to assume that I'm unaware of the above? . ....rather significant that you seized upon the SDA facet rather than the Pentacostal facet , which way a person goes with that one says a great deal.


And frankly you missed the point. YEAH it is " about Free Speech" , and I'm hardly the only one who has had enough of being shouted down by the Fundy Xtian cadre and labeled as " lesser".


There is *no* way around this , the whole basic issue comes down to the *judgementalism* of stating that others have NO morals based solely upon the thin criteria of worship of a specific deity , thus demoting said others to less than human and setting the stage for all the abuses , social and otherwise.

Keep in mind The Golden Rule , Christians don't care to be judged , extend the same courtesies , likewise keep in mind The Great Commision , kinda hard to bring The Gospel to All Men if you ticked a buncha them off 'cause you clearly think you're better than they are.


By the way , and just so folks know where I stand , I *won't* live in a theocracy , and I'll fight against any sort of theocracy just as I will against the abusive bloated parasite that is our current incarnation of "govt".


As for " civil " , sure it could have remained " civil " , IF I had set still for the blanket postulations as regards me personally , my moral character etc , however if I HAD set still for it you'd have a different problem because the " good christians" such as Jim and Larry would be up to figurative burning in effigy and " stoning " by this time , I've seen it a thousand times prior.


And if one cannot see the religious right clamoring for the imposition of a theocracy then one is blind.


Again.........I've tossed " talking points" out by the dozen , all ignored , even you ignored the possible SDA talking points in favor of attempting to construct an insult about it.

And quite ironic that you drug up one with JAMES White in it , since in the general context of SDA James White meant little or nothing beyond heading Pacific Press..........it was EGW that was the despot and socalled " Prophet" , you could well have addressed her abusive edicts , heretical doctrine etc.etc..


Instead it's the usual " shut up you're non christian "......


By now we could well have been discussing Fitzgerald , Dubuiosson and religion as social construct and touching upon theological influences on a given locales moral and ethical code.


But instead it's the typical caterwauling with the " stone the unbeliever" crowd leading the way...............torches and pitchforks at 11.


All to obfuscate the facts as regards a system of control.

 

There are plenty of non christians on here. You're just being rude. Personally I could give a crap what your views on faith and religion are. I could give a crap what anyone's views on it are as long as they don't try and force them on me. I am a live and let live kind of person. Spare me your pseudo intellectual babble. Are you trying to break gun kid's record for the fastest time to get booted off the monkey? You want to talk prepping? Pull up a branch and we'll talk. Right now you are being as insulting to the religious people on here as you say other religous people in your life have been to you. Think about that for a minute... How did it make you feel when people behaved that way towards you? My views on what you have to say are now clouded by anger even though I would have agreed with your original point that it is possible to be a moral person without being religious.

 

As a non-Christian "recovering Catholic" who is also politically conservative, a prepper and a patriot of sorts, I can certainly sympathize (or, at least, empathize) with one who gets tired of the condescending arrogance of some Christians toward those who do not share their beliefs.

As I remember, this thread "grew" from a comment made by one of the Christian members who portrayed anyone who did not share his beliefs as "immoral". Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon position or statement by those who wear their "faith" as a badge to prove their own morality.

To me, the so-called "Golden Rule" is a basic truth whether attributed to a mystical being or standing alone as a rational conclusion. The fact that such a truth exists as a tenet of a religion does not mean it does not exist outside that framework. The fact that one must expect the same treatment from others that they give to others is (to me at least) self-evident...like most of the principles that once attracted me to Christianity. However, these principles are not beliefs I hold as a result of faith in a mystical being or a result of religious teachings, but rather areas where tenets of various religions happen to parallel my own personal conclusions and "morality".

While these parallels were much of what attracted me to Christianity when I was younger, the two are certainly not contingent upon each other.

Those of you Christians who become irate and offended when those of us who do not share your faith seem to criticize those things in which you believe could possibly do well to review that "Do unto others..." tenet when tempted to characterize us as immoral.

 

I'm not being remotely as insulting to " religious people " as they are when they start playing their divisive games.

And please spare me the talking to me like a child , I don't * again* have need of your primer as regards social behavior.

Quite simply it comes down to " the religious : ( as you put it) exercising the same common courtesy as they demand from others.


And for one who " just wants to talk " you're more than a but snotty an insulting yourself , rather like you're playing a " psuedo -intellectual" game .......see *you* didn't want to " discuss" anything whatsoever , you wanted to jump in as a johnny come lately and tell *me* " HOW it is".

And quite frankly the concept that your " anger" is supposed to matter to me when it's accompanied by the ad hominem within the above is rather amusing.

It usually is quite amusing when an individual runs on about " discussion" while failing to " discuss" anything of note.

Now did you have something that *actually* addressed the topic? from ANY direction , doctrinally , conceptually *any* direction. Or are you just going to issue orders and tell me how you " don't care"?

 

Everyone who has replied has been met with contempt and condescension--even the mods who have just given warnings. People have been quite courteous so far (in general). This tone is not the norm around here...if you want to keep making some point, there are plenty of forums for that. You should be right at home at Survivalist Forum Survival Gear SHTF and TEOTWAWKI Articles

I think we can all collective spare you our opinions/suggestions/discourse by:

 

A few things my religious beliefs say on the subject:

"The world is good. Prosperity is good. Life is good, and we should live it with joy and enthusiasm. We are free to shape our lives to the extent allowed by our skill, courage, and might. There is no predestination, no fatalism, no limitations imposed by the will of any external deity."

"We do not need salvation. All we need is the freedom to face our destiny with courage and honor."

"We believe that morality does not depend on commandments, but rather arises from the dignity and honor of the noble-minded man and woman."

 

*If you would have read it you would have seen that I did agree with your original position. Its your delivery that sucks the big one. I am not issuing any orders I am just making a suggestion.

 

I thought about the though shalt not kill one a great deal when I was deployed and also during the last TDY I went on. When I had an incedent happen to me I was ready and quite willing to take a life before the person who attacked me ran for theirs. Honestly if I had a gun at that moment I would have emptied the clip into them. It is good knowing that my fight or flight response is tuned at least initially to fight but it made me take a good hard look at myself. I went from walking back to my barracks all happy to ready to kill in a millisecond. That scares me about myself. It makes me wonder if I am truly a good person or just going through the motions.