What if agreement isn't the goal?

[Frostbit]

Oh, please invite me there! As a gay lefty 2A advocate who loves church music and can't stand loudmouth aggressive atheists, I bet I get kicked off in a record time. Don't you miss Nova in places like that?

Remember the guy on the SPiT forum that would always reference the flying spaghetti monster whenever religion found its way into a thread?

[Frostbit]

Oh, please invite me there! As a gay lefty 2A advocate who loves church music and can't stand loudmouth aggressive atheists, I bet I get kicked off in a record time. Don't you miss Nova in places like that?

Can I watch?

[scott]

I don't think you ever knew Mike who worked for the power company, whom Nova, Frostbit and I knew on the old St Petersburg Times bulletin board. I believe I've mentioned him here, at least in passing.

Mike was a devout, albeit fairly uneducated, Christian. Member of one of those TV megachurches, very fundamentalist. His authority for everything he believed about Christianity was his Bible study leader at church. Not saying that a person can't productively study the Bible on their own, but I looked the fellow up, and he had a junior college degree in early childhood education and no theological training at all. Nova, with his Catholic education and lively interest in both philosophy and comparative religion, used to upset poor Mike quite regularly; I mostly stuck to debating him on politics. In both areas, there was no gray area for Mike. If "Pastor Danny" told him that God was going to send all the homosexuals, atheists, non-Christians and "idolaters" (read: Catholics") to Hell, that was all there was to it.

The thing is, Mike was a really sweet, decent person. He would get very riled up in some of the more contentious threads, and very frustrated that many of us didn't accept his "absolute truth." But it also broke his heart that he couldn't make me see the error of my ways, because he equally firmy believed that 1) I was a really good mother to HRH and 2) I was going to Hell and probably taking her with me, unless someone else led her to Jesus. Poor dear, it really worried him, and while I appreciated his concern, I couldn't help him with it. We really liked each other, though.

As for a duty to introduce non-believers to (their concept of) God, the assumption that we have never been introduced to the concept is as patronizing as the assumption of some atheists that believers are all ignorant, superstitious yahoos. I'm not offended to be invited to someone's church or Bible study, but it does tick me off to be hounded after politely declining. Sometimes the best we can achieve is to agree to disagree, and that's OK. You want to pray for me? Have at it; just don't harangue me to listen or join in (and you don't).

Amen

[scott]

Oh, please invite me there! As a gay lefty 2A advocate who loves church music and can't stand loudmouth aggressive atheists, I bet I get kicked off in a record time. Don't you miss Nova in places like that?

I want an invite too! If nothing else than to watch Celeste.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

Remember the guy on the SPiT forum that would always reference the flying spaghetti monster whenever religion found its way into a thread?

Steve, IIRC. I admit that I find the cult of the FSM amusing, much as I proclaimed myself a Bokononist in my youth, but only as an amusing diversion, not as a weapon against those who want to discuss their belief system in a civil manner.

[Frostbit]

Steve, IIRC. I admit that I find the cult of the FSM amusing, much as I proclaimed myself a Bokononist in my youth, but only as an amusing diversion, not as a weapon against those who want to discuss their belief system in a civil manner.

I remember him as an unoffensive Bok. Pretty well read as I recall. Who was the big marijuana legalization guy? He must be thrilled now.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

I remember him as an unoffensive Bok. Pretty well read as I recall. Who was the big marijuana legalization guy? He must be thrilled now.

OK, THAT was Steve. I'm not sure who the other one is that was into the fsm. I guess I conflated them in my memory.

[scott]

OK, THAT was Steve. I'm not sure who the other one is that was into the fsm. I guess I conflated them in my memory.

Just think about this Celeste. You bringing Frosty here resulted in a very good friendship. I've known you longer but I've spent time with Jim and Joyce multiple times. I'm glad you invited him here.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

Just think about this Celeste. You bringing Frosty here resulted in a very good friendship. I've known you longer but I've spent time with Jim and Joyce multiple times. I'm glad you invited him here.

Did I do that? I did not remember. I thought Nova brought us both to NU at the same time.

[scott]

Did I do that? I did not remember. I thought Nova brought us both to NU at the same time.

Nope, you brought him to the group. You, Nova, and I had already gotten beyond our partisan positions and started talking about the stuff on which we agreed, then Frosty showed up being, well, Frosty.

[Frostbit]

Nope, you brought him to the group. You, Nova, and I had already gotten beyond our partisan positions and started talking about the stuff on which we agreed, then Frosty showed up being, well, Frosty.

Not sure I wanna know what the definition of that is.

[80zephyr]

The reason I am mystified by this is simply my own difficulty understanding the "Triune God." Jesus is God, "made manifest." Is Jesus different than the God who walked with Adam?

Do Christians need an intermediary? Protestants don't pray to Saints of to Jesus' mother.

Sometimes I think addressing Jesus is simply less austere than addressing God, and I've heard that idea preached, and examined in the one Bible study class I really appreciated. I was told, for example, that the word Jesus used for "Our Father...." was really the familiar at the time, comparable to "Dad." That rattles me a bit, but maybe so.

And why even pray to God, if the only way to him is thru Jesus? Then why did Jesus himself teach us the Lords prayer?

Mark

[80zephyr]

Oh, please invite me there! As a gay lefty 2A advocate who loves church music and can't stand loudmouth aggressive atheists, I bet I get kicked off in a record time. Don't you miss Nova in places like that?

I spent at least the first 10 years of my forum life on liberal forums. The first one was called...liberal forum, and when that one went flat, I went to "on the left".

I wanted my beliefs to be tested by those that didn't believe as I did.

Mark

[phillygirl]

I spent at least the first 10 years of my forum life on liberal forums. The first one was called...liberal forum, and when that one went flat, I went to "on the left".

I wanted my beliefs to be tested by those that didn't believe as I did.

Mark

I spent about 7 days on Liberal Underground. I was kicked off. I tried to portray myself as a prolife Democrat. I was kicked off during an argument about a boyfriend who had caused an agreed upon abortion on his girlfriend by beating her in the stomach with a baseball bat.

[Newman]

I was booted off Democrat Underground, surprise, but that was among my first ventures into online discussion. I was booted off NextDoor, then asked back but never responded. What a nest of nit-picking ninnies it was. Maybe still is, I don't know. I dropped out of Facebook early in covid-time. I still see clips from lefty friends there through my wife's account, but I have zero interest in wasting time there. I have enough bad habits.