Well, damn. I was getting ready to type almost exactly that.

With all due respect, I don't think it was the video that caused all the fuss. It was the bandwagon overloaded with knee-jerk "Religion is teh stoopid" posts that followed. To take the "scientist trying to find the gay genome" and turn it on its head IS funny. The militant atheism gets tiresome. The "You don't believe in anything other than what can be proven" mindset has given us many advances in life as we know it. It's valid reasoning. But - See my above post as to why I expect better from the rational crowd.

See, I agree, and I thought the video was hilarious because of the whole "gay gene" idea. What upset me the most is that after the video, on a message board that promotes diversity and respect, every single post was a bash on Christianity how it was a cancer or there needed to be a cure as if it was some sort of poison.

Frankly, I get upset at people when they use the term "Islamic Fundamentalists" in place of terrorists as if the two were synonymous. It's the assumption that everyone in a group acts the same way. I'll call it racism for the fact that "collectivism" is a term most people don't understand. If you're racist against a religious group, then you're still racist. There's no point to be on your high horse defending against those who are racist and then going back to the other side and bashing on another "race".

There's a time to be funny and lighthearted, yes. And I thought the video was funny. But it's the utter hatred of one people group that gets me strung up.

It seems as though you are saying that it's somehow wrong to disagree with a group of people, and that if you do so, you are somehow a racist. Not only are you incredibly wrong, but I find it hilarious that you are saying this while disagreeing with a group of people.

I'm not going to defend anyone in this thread but myself; having said that, if anyone found my comments about Christianity offensive, kindly step in front of a bus. You don't have to agree with me, in fact I'd rather you didn't. It'd be sad to live in a world where everyone were as hate-filled and petty as I am, getting all up in arms about a couple of comments on a website.

Strike that, it IS sad.

If it makes all of the bawlers feel better; I hate all people equally.

No, it's not wrong to disagree with a group of people, not a bit. It's the way this disagreement was stated. I encourage debate. But this "collectivism" I've been talking about is this collecting of a group of people and ridiculing them for something that the majority of them don't even agree with (in regards to Christianity specifically). I wasn't calling them racist, I was using that term because collectivism is too hard for the majority of people to understand. It's a very deep concept, one that would take too long to post on this board.

My main point was to point out the blatant hypocrisy in that some collectivism is ok and some is not. Bashing on Christianity = OK. Bashing on Blacks, Asians, Homosexuals = Not OK. What's the difference?

EDIT: to further clarify myself: I was not upset at the original comments. I was upset at the hypocrisy of the whole thing.

There's disagreement, and then there's derision, openly mocking and a total lack of respect for another's belief, even if you do find it laughable from a logical standpoint.
For someone your age, you are clearly smarter than your average bear, but- How can you be so intellectually lazy? You make no effort to find behavior than counters the stereotype and accept that there may be valid results stemming from this belief system, even if it goes against everything you hold to be real? You'd rather mock, shame throw contempt on them. Believe what you want- In nothing at all, but give those that don't believe as you a chance to make their own impressions, based upon how they act and how they treat you.

I was using the term racist in the same way.

Christianity is a choice.

Yes. It does. Thank you very much. :-P

Yes, Christianity may be a choice, but there are many who would say that homosexuality is a choice. If they think so, is it ok for them to ridicule the gays? Absolutely not.

It has nothing to do with choice, and it has nothing to do with how silly an idea is. It has to do with respect.

We look at all these people, and we get so upset at the KKK and the slave owners. But then we turn our backs and do the same thing to someone else.

I do this to Christianity only because I do it with any other belief system I find ridiculous. I'm sure you have mocked Scientology a time or two.

It sounds like you're making assumptions here. I always look for evidence on both sides of a debate before I pick one. That's the scientific way of doing things. That's the logical and rational way of doing things. I have looked; I have not found.

I'm not judging the people here. I'm judging the belief.

Well, I guess I am judging the people in the sense that anyone that believes in the load of garbage that is religion is absolutely illogical. But a lot of them openly admit that anyway.

Christianity is not a choice.

You have a choice to reject it later in life, but you generally aren't given the choice of baptism.

(Though perhaps there are some denominations that don't indoctrinate their children and do offer them free choice from the earliest of ages. If there are, please let me know so I can shake their hands.)

And, judging by a decent amount of evidence, they'd be wrong.

If they had a rational explanation for why they did so, they would.

I'm not much for respect in the sense that you are using it here. I don't like the idea of not being able to speak out against something.

We kill and enslave people? Speak for yourself there. {THIS IS A JOKE}

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was always under the assumption that baptism didn't make you a Christian, but instead 'cleansed your soul', making it possible for you to go to heaven if you ended up being a Christian.

I'm not against people speaking out against anything, I've already said that. It's the way that you do it and it's the respect that comes with it. There are many different ways to express your dissent with an opinion. Some of those are not respectful and some of them are. That's been my whole point.

hahaha I guess I should've worded my post better?

You ARE correct, but being baptized as a child generally means you're going to be attending Sunday School and later regular Services until you're old enough to make up your own mind (or not, depending on the parents and level of fanaticism).

See, this is also another reason why I get upset at the whole bashing of Christianity, because I don't fall into the typical "Christian" category, and I hate it when people lump me into it.

I still am not baptized, and it was never a requirement to get into heaven. There is only one requirement of a Christian, and that is to believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again by his own power. I'm not required to go do missions work, I'm not required to save X amount of people. I'm not required to go to church, and in fact I haven't in quite some time because I work on Sundays.

I have always had the free choice, and I chose to be a Christian, but my idea of Christianity is a far cry from many other peoples'

Ah, thanks.

I was baptized as a child, but I don't consider myself in the least to be a Christian.
I've been to church ... three? four? times in my life, and then always at the urging of my very Christian grandparents.

Actually, I haven't- But not because I don't find what I read about it to be slightly absurd- But mostly because I've never run into a scientologist that I know of and they, as a group or individually, haven't done anything to me. That's not being self-righteous, just practical. I have enough to worry about on a daily basis.


I'm going to have to take you at your word on that one. I have no doubt that you have looked at this issue- But I would suggest (just a suggestion, mind you) that you not look in the obvious places. Find those that walk the walk, not yell, harrangue or condemn. Try the soup kitchens, charities and such. Wait- I take that back. Do as you wish look where you will- Time and more data will perhaps soften your stance a little.

The illogical part I can buy. But why can't it just be a fallacy? Why a "load of garbage"? What does it pose to you that moves it into the realm of "garbage"?

Gosh, I wish we could get beyond all of this. No one is incorrect in their belief system, be it Christianity or Atheism. We all believe we are right and what we believe makes perfect sense. There is common ground, although we may not see it.