Obdigore, on Oct 23 2008, 03:59 PM, said:
Because, Terez, there are many different threads about discussion religion, this thead is asking you what your religious beliefs are, and any explanations if you have them.
I entered this thread when Osric made, in addition to a statement about his own beliefs, a statement about his perceptions of what atheists believe. I'm an atheist, and I don't think he represented my beliefs or the beliefs of "most atheists" very well, so I posted to clarify on that point. Meanwhile Gem and Frookie were having a discussion about their beliefs, which I wasn't paying much attention to. Then Bubba posted some seriously overdramatic stuff. I don't understand the need for all that drama - a simple request for Gem and Frookie to start a new thread for their side discussion would have been appropriate.
Obdi said:
And then here you come, on your angry horse to tell people how wrong and stupid they are for believing in religion.
Where was I ever on an angry horse? Bubba posted to say that this was supposed to be a thread for talking about our beliefs, which is exactly what people were doing, and he acted as if we were doing something wrong by discussing them. So I said, fine, if you want to be that way, I think religion is dumb. That's about as simply as I can put it, but I generally try to avoid being so simplistic when discussing my beliefs, because they're a bit more complex than all that.
Anyway, obviously (for anyone that's really giving any credence to anything that I write) I regretted being so flippant about it, in response to Bubba's drama post, so I made my next post to clarify why I felt like it was needless drama. Up until that point I had only been involved in the thread to the extent that was originally intended (as per stating what your beliefs are and explaining if necessary).
So, as Bubba has pointed out elsewhere, he and I have always been friendly and I don't see any reason why he would assume that we are not just because I believe religion is dumb, or that I don't have any respect for him. I respect him, and I respect his right to believe whatever the hell he wants to - I just don't feel like I should abstain from discussing religion because there are people on the forum who are religious and might get offended. I don't get offended when people say things I don't agree with - I just argue with them. I only get offended when people attack me personally.
So to make this clear, in my post, I clarified (again - I've done it before) that I do not believe that religious people are stupid. I believe that religion is a human stupidity, but there are lots of those. But I don't dismiss people because they are religious. I have friends that are religious, and family that is religious. None of my friends are stupid (I don't like stupid people) and only some of my religious family members are stupid.
Obdi said:
If noone is trying to convert anyone, why can't there just be one single thread where people say what their views are, so we can see where everyone stands?
There is - this one. There wasn't anything wrong with this thread until the drama entered into it, with the possible exception of Gem and Frookie's discussion. For that, a polite request that they start a new thread would have been much more appropriate than the drama we got instead. After that point, there was a another nice discussion between me and Osric and Silencer that lasted for a bit, and then Bubba got dramatic about it again, saying that we were "spamming" the thread when all we were doing was having a discussion.
Obdi said:
You claim you are not on a crusade, but you come charging in everywhere attempting to make people change what they think/believe in, even in a thread that dosen't call for it, at all.
Where? Certainly not here. I usually don't make any attempt to change what people believe - their beliefs only affect me in certain situations, and my arguments are almost always about those situations (usually having to do with science or law or the insistence that everyone has a right to not be offended).
The only reason I continue to discuss this is because,
15 days after the last time I posted in this thread, you showed up to make another personal attack on me. Now, who is on a crusade? Who is spamming the thread?
Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, you and I can be friends. I thought we were friendly before this recent drama. If you're my friend, then you can speak up when I say something that pisses you off, and I'll listen, but you're not making much progress with posts like these. It could be that you don't give a shit, and that's fine too, but really....15 days after the last time I posted?
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