People Want Other Beliefs Forced On Them

you're damn skippy I'm going to get mad...I DON'T force my path on ANYONE..I DON'T ask for "proof"....I DON'T do any of those things you mentioned so YES I'm going to get ticked off when my wishes arent respected....God COULD pop up in front of me and STILL I wouldnt change my path...I could care less whether or not ANY high power exists, my path is what has been right for me for yrs and that will never change... As for homosexuality...thats a topic all on its own and has nothign to do with religion at all..thats about HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUALITY...which SHOULD be talked about openly, frequently and so on..When I stand up for Gay rights etc its got NOTHING to do with my personal spiritual path..its got EVERYTHING to do with the fact that gays are just as entitled to the same respect, rights, dignity, acceptance etc etc as any hetero....As much as I realize that for many against it its a religious thing, the bottomline to me is HUMAN rights TRUMP RELIGIOUS rights every time..

You're generalizing. Non-believers may lump all Christians together at times, but you're doing the same thing here. I may not be a Christian, but I tend to co-exist quite peacefully with people of many different religious paths. Can't we all just get along and SHARE our ideas?

I'm not forcing my beliefs on anyone. I'm happy to believe in what I believe and let others believe what they want to believe. The only time I tell a person they are wrong is when they tell me I'm going to hell for not believing in what they believe. I'm not going to ask anyone for proof here either cause I have heard it all before and it didn't change my views then, won't change them now.

First, Christians often do force their beliefs down people's throats. You can believe whatever you want to believe, just don't get in my face about it. And don't use YOUR belief system to create legislation to decide the lives of people who may not believe the same thing (in terms of evolution, paganism, homosexual views, etc). Second, God popping up in front of me isn't forcing me to believe. It's providing me with proof. Belief and certain knowledge aren't quite the same thing. I might believe that there is a god, but as long as he remains elusive and up in the clouds, so to speak, I'll just have to take somebody's word for it. If he decided to show up one day, then I'd be like "Well, yeah, he exists. He's over there getting us a cup of coffee so we can have a chat." I don't necessarily want people to believe what I believe, but I do like to debate. And I don't lump ALL Christians together. I'll say "many Christians believe" or "a lot of religious people think", etc. Because just because many people do something doesn't mean all people do. I'm Christian, but what I believe is on a whole other side of the spectrum from what a lot of other Christians believe. I feel religion is largely a personal thing, and should be kept personal. There are those who wear their beliefs on their sleeve like some badge of sacrifice in an attempt to appear more pious than others. There are those who wield their bibles like swords and use what I believe is a reference guide to how we should live our own lives as a weapon to dehumanize and judge others. My beliefs are my own, and pertain to my own life and how I think I should live it. If someone wants to live their life differently, then that's because that's what their beliefs tell them. And as long as they're not hurting anyone else, I'm okay with that.

etnad0, Don't you get it? It's a game....You have to learn the rules, understand the players, and know who YOU are and how you fit in the game. When you begin to figure all of that out, you won't let those discussions get to you - OR the people who don't play fair. Just laugh it off, make your opinion known and get on with living. You will find, when you are drawn into the discussion, you will fair better if you stand your ground in honesty or - just leave those kind of conversations alone. Those type discussions aren't really asking for your honest opinion - based on what you believe in. They are asking for a response so their numbers and income rise. If they aren't asking for that, they are those who are intended to either confuse you, or just plain get you upset. (Just like people in the real world). It's just up to you who you respond to and how. These people don't really want to know the answers to their questions. They are asking questions to get a response - not an answer. You can play the game or you can let them get you upset. They're not looking for change. You have to expect it........or pack up your marbles and don't play........Just some friendly advice.

smiles.... good for you for getting your quota of posts on a topic. I hope you get some good responses to your topic that you actually like this time. :)

You make some very good points. I agree - people who want freedom FROM religion have no more rights than people who want freedom OF religion. We are all free to believe or not, but my expressing a belief isn't the same as forcing my belief on someone - yet, forcing me to maintain silence on whether I believe IS forcing someone else's belief on me. Belief (faith) isn't knowledge (although it is sometimes described as the knowledge of things not seen), so requesting proof of something taken on faith is idiotic (although I do recall my own agnostic questionings of a similar nature). It shouldn't be illegal to express a belief in God, regardless of whose god it is. That is true freedom of religion. And it shouldn't be illegal to NOT believe. But, no one should be allowed to deny believers the right to say they believe, whether they be Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim or Druid.

I think it works both ways. Neither the Christians nor the non-Christians are going to change anyone's mind, so we should learn to live with differing views and respect eachother. I think the non-Christians probably get annoyed when Christians knock on their doors and try to convert them ... whereas non-Christians don't doorknock to do the opposite! Each to their own, and whatever blows your hair back!