Question for the Christians

[hiddenhome]

Just wonderin' 'n' musin' like. Do you ever get fed up or feel uncomfortable with the amount of blasphemy on the main boards? I've been noticing it more and more recently. I don't know why people think that this isn't offensive or unpleasant. I don't think they'd do it to other religions Makes me wonder why people are so vehemently anti Christian, then keep making these references. Also, can't understand why people can't equate a religious person's love for God to an atheist's love for their family and children. They wouldn't like to be insulted over their love for their dcs, but quite happily take the pee and dish it out to the faith people. Sometimes they're even hostile and aggressive about it. I find the boards quite slack liberally minded, but don't know why they don't extend this liberalism to everyone. If you truly choose equality, doesn't it mean that the equality should extend to those you don't agree with and even actively dislike?

I know we're supposed to take it as part of being a Christian, but was just wondering how others felt really.

[headinhands]

Well from reading on the boards here god isn't concerned with telling his believers about his punishment schedule anymore. It's more should they move to this church or that etc. Except he's simultaneously telling person a to go to church b and person b to go to church a.

[LineRunner]

I can actually understand better the Old Testament Iron Age context of socially depleting wars, stratified societies and differential access to resources. You knew where you were with Isaiah.

[DoubleGlazing]

"how do you reconcile the hatred between the faiths"

Some people use religion as an excuse to hide behind and twist its meaning. That says more about them than the religion though.

[headinhands]

I was referring to jjkm saying that all faiths lead to god. The old testament paints a different picture though where genocide was everyday and people who even suggested they try out other faiths were put to death quickly. If god doesn't care what faith you follow to reach him why would he order the deaths of people of other religions?

[Starwisher]

" I love my children it's because in evolutionary terms the parents whose brains released oxytocin when interacting with their children were naturally more likely to rear their offspring to childbearing age and in turn those offspring were more likely to again release an amount that made successful long term child rearing viable seeing as there was a genetic link."


So explain how people love children not related to them? Adopted, or fathers who believed a child was theirs when Infact the father was another man and so on, etc etc

[headinhands]

Same thing, in evolutionary terms a society who gelled better had more chance
of survival.

[Starwisher]

You said a genetic link released oxytocin

[headinhands]

I didn't mean the the 'genetic link' comment in that they loved the child because it was related to them but that their children were genetically similar as in their levels of oxytocin

[Starwisher]

An offsprings oxytocin level always matches the parents?

[headinhands]

So in natural selection terms the ones with higher levels of oxytocin had more kids getting to have kids and then those kids were more likely to have the same propensity for producing a level of oxytocin to an equal level whereas those who had poor oxytocin levels had a poorer track record and any offspring of theirs that did survive would likely have the same lower level of oxytocin and so on so you can see how the picture spans out to naturally favour those who generally had the higher hormone level

[headinhands]

Probably not always but enough to form a pattern Of course I assume a lot here from my scant knowledge of evolution and natural selection.

[MrsMcCave]

Ah, mumsnet, how I've missed you. From blasphemy to oxytocin in 85 easy steps.

[headinhands]

Sorry. Maybe we can find a a way to link the two thus getting back to the actual topic?

[IAmBooyhoo]

i'm an atheist.

i have in the past (and sometimes recently if i'm honest) have said things like "Jesus christ!" or "for god's sake" when exasperated. i think for me it is because growing up, these were the things that were said on such occasions so i never actually thought about the fact that they were associated with christianity. it was only really when i joined MN that i started thinking about what i was actually saying and how it could be offensive to others that i stopped doing it (mostly, sometimes i slip up). interestingly though, these words (used in the context of swearing and blaspheming) were all learned from the most religious person i know, my mum. she is devout roman catholic but these were her phrases of choice when she lost her temper with us.

i do agree with hiddenhome that i have never heard anyone use 'allah' or 'mohammed' or any other 'gods' in that way. perhaps though that is more to do with the fact that britain is a christian country and for many people, it wouldn't have been common or natural in their homes to have said "for mohammed's sake" as it wasn't a word in common usage (in their homes) just as it wasn't in mine but god was. if that makes sense.

[headinhands]

It is interesting. I'm agnostic and I've never exclaimed 'Jesus Christ' but it's learnt behaviour from my church days. I do say oh god' though. I even said it out loud at a toddler group at a Baptist church by accident when I saw 1 year old ds knocked flying by a much older child. One of the helpers came over to check he was okay and I apologised for any rude words i might have uttered and she said the blasphemy bit was worse than the other word which was sh*t I think.

[headinhands]

Hm, so what happens to someone who is interested in doing right just out of a basic sense of humanity but has no belief in god at all. Another point, you say god is kind and hears their prayers. How does that square with the 26'000 starving children?

[mathanxiety]

"how do you reconcile the hatred between the faiths"

Because there will always be individuals of every creed and none with poles up their arses Because folks is folks.

[seeker]

But why does God get the credit for the good stuff, but people get the blame for all the bad stuff?

[seeker]

"head Those kids will be no worse off in the next life for it, but if one were to arrogantly assume God will just take care of them, and neglect to provide the help they are capable of giving, that person will eventually have to answer for it, and will sorely regret it. Given the choice between the two, I'd rather be the starving child, personally."

So even though there are thousands of good people working their arses off to try to make things better, it's not enough for God to step in and lend a hand.

[seeker]

So how has he stepped in in Somalia, Darfur.....I could list the places, but I won't. How did he step in to protect the victims of child abuse by his priests? how did he step in to protect the children in that Belgian bus crash? Where was he during the Holocaust?

[seeker]

So it's another case of "well, if you don't understand it's no use me trying to explain it to you"?

This is the really big issue I believe most people have with Christianity- or with religion in general. If there really is an all knowing, all benevolent omnipotent all loving god, why does he treat the people who love him so badly?