Quote:
Originally Posted by DixieGal
You all know me and know that I am proud to be a Christian - why don't you join me in gratitude to our Savior, Jesus Christ, for dying for us and paying the price for our sins?
I keep a copy of the Holy Bible on whatever device I may be using, including my office computer. I work for a state and federally funded university, and am proud that the doctors and nurses and staff with whom I work have the courage to pray at the bedsides of the children they are caring for. We use our computers to share "daily devotions" emails at work.
I would prefer that my judges and elected officials base their principles on the Holy Bible, instead of anything else. Even without faith, surely no one can deny that the Golden Rule and Ten Commandments are clear instructions for living a life of good morals.
I work with Hindus, Muslims, and Jews. When they tell me that they ary praying for me, I appreciate it. And I know they appreciate being remembered in prayer by the Christians. I feel blessed to be a part of such a fine group of people.
This thread is a waste of time, having originated from a heart filled with hatred and intolerance. Instead of attacking mssmith, we should accept her and hope that by association with this wonderful group of MRers, she will learn to appreciate the beliefs of others without compromising her own faith. I hope this will be the final post to this thread and that it will disappear into obscurity very quickly.
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I respect your beliefs, and consider you a good friend. However, I can't join you in gratitude to Jesus simply because I don't believe that he died for any reason whatsoever. Not for my sins, not for your sins, not for anyone's sins.
I would prefer that my judges and elected officials base their decisions on the law. Not on the Christian Bible, not on the Muslim Koran, not on any books written hundreds or thousands of years ago. Do I want someone who really believes that "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" to be making decisions that will impact my life? No.
In addition, "morals" are a distinctly religious animal. I prefer ethics myself, and would rather live an ethical life than someone else's idea of a "moral" one.
As to Christians, Muslims and Jews, well, you all worship the "God of Abraham" so I would certainly hope that you appreciate each other's prayers. I don't even feel bad about people of those faiths praying for me, if that means they are sending the energy of good thoughts in my general direction. If they are asking a god-figure that I don't believe in to do something for me ... well, no point telling me about that because I'm a non-believer of the first order.
The Ten Commandments are not something I find compelling ... at least not all of them. Since I had a biological father that was a complete jerk, a commandment ordering me to "honor" him is (and always was) a bit of a hoot. Likewise a commandment demanding that I have no other gods but the God of Abraham. Not going to happen. I like the "thou shalt not kill" one ... but considering all the wars going on between the three major religions that worship the same god, well .... I'll take that one with a grain of salt too. I prefer "thou shalt not commit murder" and "thou shall not hunt for sport" .... those really work for me.
The Golden Rule? Well, that's an essential part of the Buddhist philosophy. Sort of the "what goes around comes around" .... "cause no suffering lest ye suffer" idea. Which is why Buddhists don't have missionaries ... the idea is that trying to convert someone who is happy in their own beliefs to another way of thinking is to cause suffering, and therefore, wrong.
But ... no, I don't look for people with whom I associate or for whom I vote to be "good Christians." I look for them to be good people.