Not Christian

[infinitemonkies]

<looks around>

Normal, normal...

Nope! No normal here. What is this "normal" you speak of?

A guest at the hotel told me a wonderful expression the other day, apparantly an old saying from eastern Germany:

" 'Normal' is what the majority believes to be true, and what the minority knows to be false."

[Hyena Dandy]

I probably wouldn't ask "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" unless you had previously made some sort of Wizard of Oz reference leading into the discussion of religion. Which would be a really weird discussion.

For me, the difference between a good witch and a bad witch is whether or not you're a fluffybunny.

I'm sorta a cross between Catholic and some sorts of Wiccan, I suppose. I identify as Catholic, but I also believe in spirits and ghosts and suchlike. I don't think of them as divine... I think of them like, say, a cross. One can believe a Cross is a holy object, or one can believe it isn't a holy object. But it doesn't make sense to say they don't exist.




I certainly don't find anything wrong with being Kemetic. Personally, I'm a Catholic, but when it comes to religion, I don't care what the hell you believe. As long as you mean it when you say you believe it.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

I would liken the cross/divine representation and ghosts/paranormal events more along the lines of the cross and anomalous sensations both being tangible things. We can touch and see the cross, we can hear it hit the floor. We feel drafts, hear noises and see floaters as well. But whether the cross is a link to God or those anomalies the work of departed spirits is something justified by faith alone. The presence or absence of that faith is to each their own decision and far be it from me to tell people how to make that decision.

However, when anyone tries to push their beliefs on others I get annoyed, and that includes the instances in which one group tries to claim the whole category as in the instance of the OP. That said, none of it constitutes the truth without proof. Some people seem to have forgotten or ignored that and tried to claim an entirely different category as also their own which is, if anything, worse. Too few people are happy with what they are and try to be more, often to the point of trying to be something they're quite clearly not. It's only to be expected that the same is true of organizations. Expected, but not acceptable.

[Hyena Dandy]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to say that spirits MUST exist like chairs must exist, I was trying to explain how I believe in spirits without considering it against my religion.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to say that spirits MUST exist like chairs must exist, I was trying to explain how I believe in spirits without considering it against my religion.

Exactly. Things have their own places and as long as they don't overlap coexistence is entirely possible. All too often the conflicts between abstracts like the surreal and religion as well as sciences are unnecessary. Just trying to clarify.

[wraiths_crono]

I would have to say personally, when someone asks if i'm christian and I say no, it irks me when they say "oh i'm sorry to hear that." WHY are you sorry to hear that but not ask what i might be or the 2nd place "sorry to hear that, perhaps you just need to know that the lord loves you (continues") gah.

[Ghel]

Yeah, that reminds me of the coworker who told me it wouldn't hurt me to "get some church" in me.

[Fryk]

Ghel, have you ever sat in a church pew? It absolutely WOULD hurt to get some church in you...

[AdminAssistant]

Yeah, that reminds me of the coworker who told me it wouldn't hurt me to "get some church" in me.

Tell 'em you're allergic.

[RootedPhoenix]

I don't like how so many belief systems are not valued. They're special to someone, that should be enough. Whether or not I agree or believe in what another does is irrelevant.

I want others to allow me to worship as I wish, so I must extend that same courtesy...even if someone doesn't want to worship at all. It is their choice to do so. Protecting another's choice protects mine too.

[Ghel]

Ghel, have you ever sat in a church pew? It absolutely WOULD hurt to get some church in you...

Argh. Yeah, that brings back memories. Worse than the hard church pews, the church my grandparents went to (which my family went to when we visited) still made you kneel for half the mass. With my bad knees, that would really hurt.

[Hobbs]

I don't like how so many belief systems are not valued. They're special to someone, that should be enough. Whether or not I agree or believe in what another does is irrelevant.

I want others to allow me to worship as I wish, so I must extend that same courtesy...even if someone doesn't want to worship at all. It is their choice to do so. Protecting another's choice protects mine too.

Best answer, ever.

[Cassandra]

When I worked in the book store I was a practicing Wiccan. The New Age section was my baby to take care of and make sure the fluff stayed out of. I kept that spot stocked with educational type books, not the "turn your ex into a frog" types. I wore a pretty prominent pentacle around my neck all the time. I would get some pretty weird looks from people. I would get asked if I worshiped the devil, which would lead me into a short quip about what Wicca really is. Then I would get the whole are you Christian questions. I would touch my necklace and state no, I am Wiccan/Pagan and state the same quip. The only positive thing that happened to me with this exchange was when these questions were asked by a very devout Christian woman. After I ran through my well practice speech, she was quiet for a few moments deep in thought then said something that made my heart jump a beat and made me want to hug her. She said that she had not known that about Wicca or Paganism and that it sounded like a wonderful religion full of peace and that it was very nice to know that it was not devil worship. She even bought a book on the history of it. No one else was every really willing to think that there may be other belief systems out there.

Now I'm not sure where I fall on the spiritual/religious map. But I always get the people who immediately assume that I am Christian and will go into a long-winded thing about Christ or the Lord. I am not Christian, but I will not stop you to tell you that. I will let you go on with your speech as long as I don't hear any hate messages buried in it. I don't care what you practice or believe, just don't make it about hate.

[Fryk]

I don't like how so many belief systems are not valued. They're special to someone, that should be enough. Whether or not I agree or believe in what another does is irrelevant.

I want others to allow me to worship as I wish, so I must extend that same courtesy...even if someone doesn't want to worship at all. It is their choice to do so. Protecting another's choice protects mine too.

The problem with that is the Big Three. If you follow everything that Christianity, Islam, and Judaism says, you also have to believe in Hell for unbelievers. When you look at them in that light, it becomes downright evil (to them) to not try to convert someone to your religion, in order to save them from Hell. That's why they can't leave people alone.

[Hobbs]

The problem with that is the Big Three. If you follow everything that Christianity, Islam, and Judaism says, you also have to believe in Hell for unbelievers. When you look at them in that light, it becomes downright evil (to them) to not try to convert someone to your religion, in order to save them from Hell. That's why they can't leave people alone.

I belong to what you refer to as the "Big Three" and I leave well enough alone. Don't mind me none whether some poor bastard gets his holy's or not.