to wonder if posters on here would refer to Islam as "a load of old tosh"..

[OhdearNigel]

...in the same way that they think it is acceptable to ridicule Christianity. If a poster had started a thread about considering joining a mosque I wonder how many people would be prepared to post that Muslims were a bunch of bigoted fools due to their religious belief on homosexuality ? Or that a Hindu's beliefs were, to quote " a load of old tosh" ? If you don't think that would be alright to post, it's not alright to post it about Christianity either.

Why don't we all try to be nice to each other?

how is it bad form asking someone to back up their accusations of personal attacks?

Coco....You're pregnant, possibly tired, emotional, uncomfortable and full of raging hormones....hide the threads that piss you off and find something nice to look at.

Is this your first baby? How many weeks are you?

Join www.achica.com They have amazing sales for baby stuff, gorgeous baby stuff.

It's not racism to say that a language is a load of old tosh, OP.

No matter the religion.

Got to say that whenever I see NormanTebbit saying something like "let's all just be nice" I do a big LOL.

a nice Norman Tebbit. Ha ha ah. (the actual person, not the poster obviously)

Look, I have a religious belief. I think that astrology is a load of tosh. If I'm going to be able to say that, I have to accept that other people can think, and say, that my beliefs are a load of tosh. Why not?

I don't particularly like it when I am called dim, because I think that is a) getting towards being rude and b) not completely evidence-based, but saying religion is tosh? Meh.

Anyone willing to say atheism is tosh?

Posie - stop the faux concern about coco and drop it. I think you've all had your fun now

And I am very nice.

Norman, fuck off.

I just reread that she is very pregnant and thought that she may need a get out, a little breather.

All had our fun.

oh forgot the ....does that change the sentiment?

atheism is tosh, agnostic is where its at!

I have nothing against faith of whatever ilk.

I do however object to the following:

• People of faith who believe that I am doomed to hellfire and bug me on my doorstep and in the streets so that I can be 'saved'. I'll take responsibility for my own afterlife, or lack thereof

• People of faith who believe that it is perfectly OK to act in accordance with the tenets of their faith when that means not acting in accordance with the law

• People of faith assuming that those who have no faith are incapable of morality

I have no problems at all with people having beliefs - after all, I agree that atheism is a belief too. I cannot prove that there is no God, just as believers cannot prove that there is. However, I do have problems with the societal structures that always seem to spring up out of faith - organisations where human nature comes to the fore, often in its worst manifestations, and the inevitable result is the abuse of power. I believe that faith should be kept strictly between the believer and the deity of their choice.

I'm always polite to people who accost me to spread their message. Sometimes, if I have time, I will engage in discussion and we always end up agreeing to disagree. If I do not have time, or am not in the mood, I will offer up a polite 'no thank you' and gently shut the front door, or walk away.

I think the reasons Christianity is perceived as fair game are complex. Familiarity is certainly a factor, as is the fear of being perceived as racist. However, the rise of evangelical Christianity, with its emphasis on proselytising, is also part of the problem. Not only do some of them get in people's faces (which is a very un-British thing to do), they also seem to be trying to bring religious practice into the forefront of politics and legislation. This worries a lot of people, and for very good reasons. Our laws are by no means perfect, but I would not wish to live in a world where homosexuality was once again illegal, where women could not be priests and where discrimination on the grounds of faith was permitted.

It would be nice if everyone could be civil to each other - I certainly try, but sometimes fail - but I do not accept that atheists are inherently ruder and nastier than Christians. There are unpleasant extremists on both sides - I wish there weren't.

No seeker. Now that suggestion is bad form"

Why on earth? You say you have been personally attacked. I see no evidence of it and ask you to show me. Bad form? How?

Just leave it seeker. For goodness sake going through every post in this past year that attack christians and c+p by specific posters is going to cause an almighty ruckus. With me on one side. Not rocket science is it?

Unless you would enjoy that then leave it. I CBA anymore.

Secularism is so normalised that it's in our face all the time, we've just stopped noticing it...

"I dont care what people belive or wear as long as they dont arrive earnestly on my doorstep to tell me about it"

Coco. Just to answer your post a while back, I'm clearly not religios but I am a bloke. So I do put up with a fair amount on MN. A recent thread was called ' all men are bastards ' . So I know what it's like being insulted here. Often I'm totally ignored on threads because I'm a bloke.

Such is life. I make my point in anti men threads and move on.

I think people feel quite justified about knocking Christianity because it has had a fairly free reign in getting uninvited in roads into our lives.

MrGin the problem is if you have been insuslted for over a year, I suppose there comes a point where enough is enough!

If people feel angry at Christianity as whole that doesnt really excuse attacks on individuals as many of us are actually quite nice, fair people ;but we do have a backbone too and people seem a little horrified if dare stand up for ourselves! Maybe if people were respectful in the first place everyone could learn something from each other which is far more valuable and healthy.

I do see a lot of anti-men posts on here too at times so feel your pain :(

MrGin it's a shame to tar all Christians with the same brush. I have never knocked on anyone's door to tell them what to believe. How do you think reasonable, ordinary Christians feel to have their quiet beliefs constantly "knocked" just because some other people take it too far?

The problem with these religious discussions is that it impossible to get the religious to actually say what they believe in.

So I am quite happy to say to anybody that believes that The Bible/The Koran is true and the word of God that that is (a) tosh and (b) incomprehensible because of all the inherent contradictions in those books.

Tell me what aspects you believe in and I will happily and reasonably politely discuss them with you.

I would be easily persuaded that believing that doing unto others as they would have done unto them is not tosh but, I will need a lot of persuasion, for example, that the following are not tosh:

1. Creationism
2. Virgin birth
3. Resurrection
4. Homosexuality is a sin
5. Eating prawns is a sin (which is in the same part of Leviticus as 4 which suggests that if you believe in 4 you should really believe in 5 as well)

This thread needs more Mormons!

My brother says:

Religion is like a Penis. It's OK to have one, it's OK to be proud of it - It's not OK to wave it around in public, loudly proclaiming it's the only one or the best one.

And it's definitely not OK to ram it down children's throats.