- Feb 21, 2024
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Hi all! Scooter here. I am a Christian but I enjoy discussing various views about religion. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone.
Hi
- Thread starter Scooter
- Start date
AgnosticBoy
Open-minded Skeptic
Welcome to the forum Scooter!
Feel free to jump in any topic or start one up.
Same here. I enjoy discussing Christianity, but I also like to learn about the Eastern belief systems, like Buddhism.
Feel free to jump in any topic or start one up.
Hi, welcome to the group. Even though I’m an atheist and/or agnostic, I have Christian projects such as:
1) I want churches to be an example of best practices as far as safety and responding to sexual abuse. Instead of the standard institutional response of deny, deny, deny [which might be a very human first reaction], and then active cover-up which is where the real harm comes,
2) I think we should be decent and nice to Jehovah Witnesses, to keep the door open for them to rejoin more mainstream Christianity, and
3) I was very impressed with the Christian movie Miracles from Heaven (2016) about a family with a child facing a serious medical challenge. It got me thinking about the rightness of letting a family know that you’re keeping them in your prayers. But the wrongness of suggesting to parents that they somehow aren’t praying hard enough ? ! ?
So, yeah, I’m a pretty active person with a lot of projects going on.
- Feb 21, 2024
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Hello Multicolored Lemur. What do you mean you have projects going? Do you speak at churches about sexual abuse and JW’s?
AgnosticBoy
Open-minded Skeptic
In my view, Christianity as an organized religion hasn't some credibility issues. However, on an individual level, I've met plenty of Christians that are genuinely good people and good thinkers about their faith. I'm trying not to confuse these good Christians with some of the bad Christian leaders that are running Christianity at the organizational level.
AgnosticBoy
Open-minded Skeptic
@Scooter
Just out of curiosity, are you into Christian apologetics? Do you have a favorite apologist?
During my teen years, I came across Christian apologetics and that was a big introduction to a brand of Christianity that embraced an intellectual side of Christianity. I still left Christianity later on (I remain an agnostic). Either way it's a fascinating field to study up on.
Just out of curiosity, are you into Christian apologetics? Do you have a favorite apologist?
During my teen years, I came across Christian apologetics and that was a big introduction to a brand of Christianity that embraced an intellectual side of Christianity. I still left Christianity later on (I remain an agnostic). Either way it's a fascinating field to study up on.
- Feb 21, 2024
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I do enjoy apologetics. I don’t really have a favorite apologist though. I like researching issues and questions. I find it reinforces my faith.
What made you leave Christianity?
What made you leave Christianity?
AgnosticBoy
Open-minded Skeptic
I think there are two big reasons.
1. I realized that I don't have enough evidence to say that God exists. The signs and evidence that I used to go by as a Christian did not unambiguously point to God - they could mean something else or they weren't enough to say that it is God.
2. This kinda goes with #1. I don't want to be in a position where I accept something as true before having all the evidence in. The believe first or having faith approach that Christianity is based on doesn't work for me.
I'll also say that unlike some ex-Christians, I don't hate God, the Bible, nor Christians. I accept that some of Jesus's teachings are priceless. I accept that some supernatural events happen. I accept that atheists can also be unreasonable. Their level of skepticism can be unreasonable/impractical.
I probably should have put “projects” in quotes. It’s just means issues which I care about, that I’ll talk about with friends and acquaintances in a respectful way.
In particular, with sexual abuse, I think we men need to make it clear to other men that we don’t appreciate abuse of women or teenagers. That we don’t grudgingly “admire” the men who do this.
And believe it or not, some men who are abusers seem to think other men admire them. They need to be disabused of that notion.
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With Jehovah Witnesses,
when I see them out with their literature chart in public, I’ll be polite in like a 1 to 3 minute conservation. Short and sweet is my goal.
For example, one time the lady had a publication which talked about peace within families or something like that. I said, “Families can be tough.” She said, “Especially large families.” And we shared a little laugh.
Yes, I took the publication. JW publications often have great illustrations. I later leafed through it and put it in the recycling bin, just like I would do with a newspaper that I had purchased.