Hello

As some of you may have noticed, I am not a religious person, and I am having a hard time understanding an alarming trend in religion, and for the most part christianity and the amount of intolerance they seem to have for people with opposing view points and life styles. So I am here to ask you all to try and explain what happened and why it seems to be this way.

I personally don't want to change anyone's opinion about religion and don't really want to have an effect on their ability to persue happiness.

So now the question

Why is it becoming so fashionable for religious people, especially christians to force their views on everyone elses life ?

Abortion, gay marriage, birth control pills, assisted suicide, removing feeding tubes and the like.

I guess I have a second question

Why do these same people feel it is their responsiblity to make these dicissions for the entire country ?

This isn't a flame against anyone's belief. I just really don't understand the rationality behind this complete intolerance for other people to do what they want with their lives, just because it's not what you or your god would do.

I am really interested in hearing what the people of faith think about this and hope not to have a flame war.

Christians want abortion to be illegal because they believe it's murder. They don't want the concept of marriage redifined because it's an important part of their core beliefs. Other than that, I'm not sure how you feel that christians are trying to force their beliefs on you, at least no more than people on either side of, say, the gun control issue are trying to force their beliefs on you.

I also tend to think there are just as many people out there (and I'm not necessarily referring to you) who find it fashionable to dislike people of faith. I recently sat through half a meal with some people who were having a conversation about how anyone who is a christian is a total idiot.

It's really just human nature to look down on people who don't think the way you think or believe what you believe. Christians, being humans, are prone to the same kind of behavior.

__________________
Welcome to Philadelphia. Here's how you can help us make our great city even better:

• Write to your state and local elected officials
• Report suspicious activity to the police department

I have no hate towards people of faith. It's their choice and their right to do what they want, and I have no right to tell them they are wrong in choosing that way of life.

My question is simple. Why is there no tolerance ? Why do they feel its their responsibilty to make sure their beliefs are the only ones acceptable?

From what I remember their faith teaches that the father god gives all people free will to do what they want. And ultimately he will have final judgement over all of us.

I don't understand why they want everyone else to live by their religious standards.

I also want to say that I know its not all christians that feel this way, but inlue of what happened in the election and the issue with the pharmacist now not filling prescriptions because it goes against their beliefs, I am trying to understand the thought process of the people that are trying to force their beliefs on other peoples lives.

I am not asking for anyone to give up their personal beliefs, just stop pushing them on other people.

All of the Abrahamic religions are missionary ones: Islam: Judaism, Christianity. They all believe in the same god, with some er minor differences but they won't accomodate alternative viewpoints. So you get Jihads and Crusades. Fundamentally they don't support alternative view points so squabbling over the particulars is a mute point. There isn't a significant history of tolerance of other religious view points in any of the above faiths so don't expect any in the short term.

Other belief systems like say Buddhism can easily accomodate alternative view points and fit nicely into a wide variety of political systems.

Wikipedia has a decent entertaining and brief overview of the history of Religion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...ry_of_religion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Crusades
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Buddhism

__________________
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard. - H.L. Mencken

Well, in the example of abortion, you have to look at what they actually claim to believe - that abortion is murder of a human being. If you believed that society was allowing certain kinds of murders to happen legally, and that really bothered you, wouldn't you feel moved to try to stop it?

I believe completely in allowing a woman to have control over her own body, but I think it's important to try to understand the perspective of the other side. I think many of the truly devout anti-abortionists don't see what they're doing as imposing their beliefs on others, but rather as trying to save lives.

There are all sorts of possible retorts to this, of course, such as what about the children after they're born? What about the life of the mother? Etc. etc. - and the anti-abortionists have no answer for this. Their movements are also sometimes led by cynical political opportunists who seem much less concerned with the ethical principle involved than in assembling a power base.

But you have to start with the belief.

I have the most problems with those who's values are not consistent, whether based from an active religious view or a secular one.

Thus, Roman Catholics who oppose abortion AND oppose the death penalty will seldom get criticism from me. I may not agree with them but I respect the consistency of that view.

I have lots of problems with those who seem to pick and choose - one from column A and one from column B. The ones who oppose the taking of a fetal life but are happy to put someone to death in adulthood.

Unfortunately, many of the evangelicals seem to be part of the latter group.

__________________
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

Right, Bush for example. No one wants abortion. There are alternatives, say contraception. The anti-abortion anti-contraceptive stance is intellectually indefenseable and bankrupt IMO. I had to stand inline for 20 mins to get into the movies the other night there are plenty enough people around.

Of course with the recent population explosions in Islamic countries and the population implosion among the caucasions in the U.S. and Europe one has to wonder about the real intention of these messages, say from the pope to Italians....'spread your seed'. Sometimes when you look deeper you see a desire to value only newborn caucasion life, they discard death row inmates and the young from other cultures.

__________________
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard. - H.L. Mencken

Fergie good question...I myself am somewhat religious (i.e. pray, 100% believe in God, no church though) and I think abortion is wrong too, btu I realize that I live in America, where my brand of religion should not be imposed on others, as they are not required to believe as I believe (Isn't making all people follow the rules one religion almost like the taliban?).

We all do messed up stuff, the religious zealots out there are the worst because they may be adulterers, molesters, drunks, abusive to wives / husbands, liars, etc ( WE ALL do bad stuff "sin") but then they are against abortion (Also a sin). Having been into a few different faths, no faith really separates sin from sin. if yo verbally abuse your wife, that is a sin, and is jus as bad as any other sin. I.e. abortion.

__________________
Philadelphia SEO consultants | Ringtones|Contact Lenses

a Little tiny bit off topic, but a friend of mine that is catholic, is really against abortion. He is set that adoption is the right the way to handle this, the thing is he thinks only white girls in their teens and 20s are having abortions, and that more people want white babies then other races, when it comes to adoption

All abortion is wrong to him, but especially white girls having them.

I get so confused when I listen to him speak. Like Chris has said, he is anti-abortion but pro cap punishment and war.

John Lennon said it best, Imagine there's no heaven.......

I used to be an evangelical Christian. I went to Liberty University, which is Jerry Falwell's institution. So I'm well-schooled in Evangelical thought. What follows is going to ramble a bit. I'm not a skilled essayist, but I hope I can get the idea across.

They believe that God has uniquely blessed America because it was founded on broad Judeo-Christian principles. The Founders openly acknowledged God and asked for His guidance. Even though there was separation of church and state, the basic foundations were Christian, they believe, and the leadership and much of the populace was Christian and God-Fearing.

Now, they see the society as decaying, falling into sin and rebellion against Biblical principles. Examples would be abortion, acceptance of homosexuality, banning God from the public square (prayers and Bible reading in public schools, 10 Commandment monuments, etc.)

They believe that at some point, God will judge this country because of it's rebellion, just as He judged the ancient Israelites when they rebelled against him. They also point to Sodom and Gommora, as to what happens when homosexuality is condoned. What they are trying to do is to save the country. They are very patriotic people. They love America, they love the Declaration of Independence which, they point out, says our rights were endowed by our CREATOR, they love the Constitution, believe it or not. They want to see God's continued blessing and grace on this country, and believe it's not possible unless the country, as a whole, rejects the sin into which it's falling and turns back to God.

Ideally, they want to change people's hearts, to spark a great religious revival. Short of changing people's hearts, they believe it is their duty, as the "salt of the earth" to keep the laws and culture adhering to broad Biblical principles, though not necessarily specific Biblical commands. Again, this is so God will bless America, and not judge it for it's sin and rejection of him.

When they look back at American history, they see problems, such as slavery. But they say the broad sweep is one of a righteous people gaining favor from God. That is why we've grown from a wilderness backwater into the great, wealthy superpower that we are. This is His reward for our basic goodness in following him. God can, they say, just as easily remove his favor if we turn away from him. They are trying to keep this from happenning.

Their motives, believe it or not, are quite admirable. I suppose if one does not hold an Evangelical Christian worldview, it looks nightmarish.