Do you feel like religious people are unfairly judged? [Spirituality & Religion]

@BitterSweetPotato Didn't you just say goodnight? Just can't help yourself, huh? 😂

@latinbutterfly I couldn’t sleep, out of the excitement! I had a lot of fun here tonight 😌

@Elessar Well, if you go back through history, you will find that Christians were persecuted by the Romans at one point:

[quote]Although it is often claimed that Christians were persecuted for their refusal to worship the emperor, general dislike for Christians likely arose from their refusal to worship the gods or take part in sacrifice, which was expected of those living in the Roman Empire.[/quote]

[quote]Christians were first - and horribly - persecuted by the emperor Nero . Christians were first, and horribly, targeted for persecution as a group by the emperor Nero in 64 AD. A colossal fire broke out at Rome, and destroyed much of the city.[/quote]

@latinbutterfly Good point. I think they were seen as extremists, and as such treated no different than any other treat to the stability and order of society back then. An approach that repeated countless times in history, even as of recently, especially in regimes. However, we're comparing something that happened locally and sporadically within circa two centuries (I suppose, only after they were thought to have caused some uprest, like in the case of the 64 a.D. fire they were presumed to have started), which ended with ceasing the prosecution, legalizing their religion and even them being recognized as the official religion of the Empire - over something that happened systematically, over the course of almost two millennia, purely for doctrinal reasons, even against people who identified as believers no less.

Also, information we have from back then is heavily revised by almost two millennia of Christian dominance, so I don't know how much of that can be trusted and taken as irrefutable. A lot of Roman literature has survived up to these days thanks to rewritings operated by monks, who could have potentially altered them in the process.

@latinbutterfly [quote]you will find that Christians were persecuted by the Romans at one point:[/quote]
Not quite, the Romans only took action against the rabble rousing christians attempting to cause dessension.

@LadyGrace Hell is in our minds. People who know that are not afraid of death.

@Elevatorpitches Hell is a very real place, described in detail in the bible. If you don't believe that, that's up to you, but I believe God's Word.

@LadyGrace "God" tells me I'm ok what what I know and also ok with what I still have to learn.

OK?

Judge not lest YOU be judged.

@BitterSweetPotato Agree wholeheartedly. Religious people can be incredibly small-minded and judgemental. As a christian I'm constantly dismayed watching it.

@SweetMae Wow, that was so shallow of him.

@JoePourMan It was his loss.

@SweetMae Very true

@Miram So true. 😂 Who comes out with the judgment attitude? The usual suspects.

@CountScrofula

There is no excuse to support terrorist acts anywhere. People have influence because others support them.

Nothing tricky about understanding that killing civilians is wrong, even as someone who suffered the consequences of wars waged by the west. It is very simple and should be a universal moral

Hamas even killed their own people when they were Fath supporters. It is not fine to think all their acts are right just because they are hiding behind a cause.

Lot of Palestinians in Gaza don't support them anymore. They are corrupted and violent.

What is dangerous about supporting terrorists acts without joining in? They exist because of the normalization. When you raise your children to believe it is okay to kill civilians, simply because you think you are victim, you are just raising a future terrorist. It is yours, you made him/her.

There isn't a single terrorist out there who doesn't think themselves a hero getting justice, does not mean they are. They are just savages with an agenda and shouldn't be glorified.

And when it comes to Saudi Arabia, it is not just the west that supports it, most Islamic countries do and have including the population. Their second generating source of money is Islamic tourism. Every year millions of Muslims go to Saudi and spend billions. It is 20 percent of their GDP.

The wealth of Muslims world wide is being used to butcher Muslims.

This is the only part I agree with [quote] individuals practising their own religious beliefs without harming anyone can get a lot of shit for it and should be treated with the compassion and kindness due anyone.[/quote]

@Miram You're really putting a lot of words in my mouth here and jumping to some ludicrous conclusions.

I'm not defending Hamas. I am not saying that only western nations support Saudi Arabia. I am not fucking [i]glorifying terrorism[/i]. You're so eager to start pigeonholing me as some guilty liberal trying to claim that all anti-Muslim sentiment is racist, and I'm trying to make a different point from that.

What I am saying here is that I am tolerant of religious beliefs because I think it is basic humanity to show respect to people trying to live their life in the way they think is just. Generally, these are not people with power who can actually cause great harm in their lives. And if they happen to sympathize with one side in a great cycle of violence (such as with Israel/Palestine) then I may disagree but I get it too.

My comment on terrorism is because the word does a great deal of legwork to just say "bad guy" in broad strokes, and I think reality is more complicated than that. Hamas are obviously terrorists, but the reason they exist in the first place is worth interrogating. Hell, the Turkish government decries the DUP in Rojava as terrorists, and they're an anarchist-feminist movement that refuse to execute even ISIS prisoners.

And importantly - I'm a white man from a Christian background. I'm an atheist, but I do not have the upbringing or education in Islam to comment too much on it. Anti-Islamic sentiment among white people is really just knuckle-dragging racism for the most part of people making broad statements about a gigantic religion they do not understand.

Also in Canada, it's not like Islam is some sort of nascent political force ready to take over. Christianity is dominant here, and Christian norms and Christian ways of doing harm to people are of FAR greater concern.

My ire and my energy is devoted at [b]those in power[/b], and yes - religious beliefs when in a position of power can cause unbelievable human suffering.

I can, at the same time, respect someone's religious beliefs while also recognizing how dangerous those beliefs would be if I was subjected to them involuntarily.

@CountScrofula

[quote]I'm not defending Hamas...I am not glorifying terrorism[/quote]

I know. I wasn't saying you are defending Hamas or glorifying it. I was responding to the example you made of a Muslim family supporting Hamas to make the point that it is a complicated issue. There are lot of people in the west who support Hamas and I was addressing it.

Understanding and learning about Islam is possible for everyone. It is not an impossible task seeing that in Islam everyone is expected to join the religion.

I do agree that there are racists who attack Muslims but I also think that shouldn't stop people from caring about the minorities who are negatively affected by the religion, everywhere not just in Islamic countries. Social problems are just as relevant, they don't have to make it to the political arena.

I apologize if my comment was offensive, it wasn't my intention to make you or anyone else think you are the one in support of Hamas. ❤️

@Speedyman You like to attack, blather, go totally off topic, and accuse others of your shortcomings. If you had honestly said that you feel more comfortable with fantasizing I could respect that. You're the most ridiculous person on all of SW.

@DecafD Everyone can believe as they want. I have no issue with that.

@Nika2002 well as you don’t know what you’re talking about, calling other people ridiculous it’s a bit ridiculous. Your problem is people like you go on about things you know nothing about and will not be corrected by anybody then get offended when somebody tries to tell you😊

@LadyGrace That is very true. That actually does make me think of myself differently, now. Thank you for responding ❤️.

@latinbutterfly ❤️🤗

@LadyGrace 🤗

@BitterSweetPotato Are you being serious or sarcastic? 🧐🤔

@latinbutterfly What do you think?

@latinbutterfly Obviously sarcastic.

@Tinkles but then they are religious, aren't they?

@Tinkles if it's religious faith, I think that's valid

@LadyGrace I don't get why some people can't just respectfully disagree 🤷🏻‍♀️. I guess some aren't mature enough to do that.

@EarthlingWise Well stay tuned! 😃 I expect to see more changes and perhaps a new branch of Islam being born gradually until people are prepared to dump it altogether and stop lying to themselves.

@BitterSweetPotato In the West, for many families, with every generation religion became more of a set of social rites, until people thought of other rites.

@EarthlingWise I was actually going to add this to my previous comment. That perhaps Islam is going through the same phases Christianity went through. That with time people will take it less seriously. I don't think we are THAT close to this happening though.. I may not even see it in my lifetime.. but I can say that definitely there are changes happening, and a good portion of the younger generation is detaching from religion gradually.

@EarthlingWise nope, already politics made sure of that. 😬

@JBird ☹️

@JBird I am sorry to hear that 🤷🏻‍♀️.

@Emosaur I’m not specifically talking about the earth being round. I’m talking about being disrespectful to someone’s beliefs whether that be their belief in God or another higher power, their belief in what the afterlife is, how they absolve their sins, etc. You are differentiating between science and religion. I’m speaking of “beliefs”....based on “faith” and not fact and science. What I’m trying to stress here is that there’s a line that’s drawn when someone starts openly disrespecting an individual (targeting if you will) for their religious beliefs. It’s religious harassment.

@Emosaur exactly and that’s what I mean. You don’t hate them for believing in something different and you don’t cross the lines into harassment unless someone is confronting you as well. I agree with you. I believe if someone says that beating their wife is part of their religion, then 1. This isn’t religion and 2. I do have a problem with this. Your answer is exactly what I was looking for. That people have enough respect and decency to not hate or pick on someone for their religious beliefs just because or for the mere sport of it. The line that’s cross is when a religious belief becomes conflicting or harmful. Thanks for entertaining me so long on this. I was in no way trying to attack your criticisms, but more so trying to understand you. You, of course are allowed to say whatever you want on a public site. I was merely interested in your train of thought.

@Lostpoet like in an audable voice?

@Dolimyte No, a feeling

@Lostpoet that's different from your conscience?

@LadyGrace This post is too good now to get rid of it! 😂

@latinbutterfly 😂😂😂 No doubt!!! 😂😂

@SW-User No, really. But experience has taught me over and over again that discussion is actually not possible with most people calling themselves believers. And worse still, even basic respect and courtesy is hard to be found.

@SW-User [quote]I think if you claim to know, you are by default not using reason.[/quote]

Then that means if you [i]know[/i] the chair you are about to sit on, is perfectly sturdy because you built it, you're not using reason?? This is why we have God's Word. In 1 John 5:13, Jesus said, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, [u]that you may know[/u] that you have eternal life." He didn't leave us to guess. But again....that's up to the individual whether they accept that or not. Faith is not guessing. It's RESTING in Him, as He works on our behalf. Talking to God is like talking to a friend on the telephone.... we may not see Him on the other end, but we know He's listening, because we see thecredultscof answered prayer, not coincidence, and He's never "too busy" to take our call. God honors a believing heart, and when we have faith, it allows Jesus to work miracles in our lives. He saved my daughter from dying, when the doctor gave up on her. She had even made funeral arrangements. Prayer works.

@SW-User [quote]One can say we can't know if something that only exists on a metaphysical plane not detectable by the empiricism of the senses and still believe in it, [/quote]
If it's undetectable, it cannot have any effect on us so whether or not it exists make absolutely no difference.

@LadyGrace i am much better thanks. i am out of the covid isolation wing. i have a lot more energy, not as depressed or anxious. have not been retested though.

@ladycae Oh honey!!!! I've been praying for you!! I'm soooooo happy to hear that. You're a strong women, but then you have a mighty God on your side. 👆️👍️

@LadyGrace amen lady grace. please pray for my pastor who has been in the icu since march with COVID related respiratory issues. he is a wonderful, strong man of God and should God choose to take him home my church will need the grace to accept God's will. Thanks for your prayers for me. He was surely with me.

@EarthlingWise [c=#359E00]not really, some people speak because they understand. Anyway.. i got enough of this, i leave now[/c]

@YukikoAmagi You're welcome.

@EarthlingWise [quote]Most atheists know a lot about religions.[/quote]
That's often why they're Atheists.

@Abstraction very intelligent answer

@Roadsterrider Yet that shouldn't stop us from being a Christian. That's just the way the world is, and how Jesus was treated, as well. He warned us about this. They will think what they think, regardless. That doesn't affect our relationship with God, and never will. We'll still remain faithful to the end.

@LadyGrace I agree, just comparing what the non-believing world expects from someone who professes a belief in Christianity. Their opinion doesn't have anything to do with my belief or faith.

@Roadsterrider Yes...I believe that about you. I understand where you were coming from. That's good.

@bijouxbroussard Unfortunately it happens way too often in the church. a church should be at least one place where someone can go and feel at home to be open about things. Humans are humans though, matter where you go. Judgmental, hypocritical, just plain rude.

@SW-User They hold [i]themselves[/i] to that standard.

@SW-User All because of one single person, can you believe it? 😂 And yes, I definitely agree with you on that.

@canusernamebemyusername Exactly. One incident where an extremist goes nuts and commits a heinous act, can give the entire group a bad reputation.

@Elevatorpitches No. They shouldn't. They should be able to discuss things in a mature manner, but some don't follow the rules.

@LadyGrace SW is the place for people who can't follow the rules..or won't.

I would have been kicked off every other forum by now.

@Elevatorpitches Hahaha. Well, some do follow them, and thus the reason for the listing of them, but as you mentioned, some won't. Such is life. ☺️

@Indy74 Thank you, my friend 🤗.

@Emosaurlet it go emo.life is too short to get so bent out of shape over some thing so paltry and insignificant. besides no likes grammar nazi's

@Emosaur i.ve never been much into labels because i think they tend to be decisive. except for lesbian/gay which i love and am very proud of. but you may be right about being a diet rather than a theist.