Christianity ruins families.

[Elok]

The whole wedding is going to be a cluster ****. My mom outed me to the extended family via email (I did NOT ask her to, or want her to)..but she insisted it was best to do so before the extended family got shocked I was there with a guy.

My extended family in Ontario is...hickish. All from small towns, very "faithful", work in factories, etc.

I suspect I will need to be drunk early and often.

Uh, that last bit sounds like a very bad idea. Most of what needs to be said about the family has already been said, except I'd say the mother is unusually extreme. My Buddhist brother's in-laws are the most out-there believers I've met, and they can be pretty judgmental, but even they don't refuse to talk to them. Also, if your brother and sister-in-law are planning to have kids, this shunning BS is going to pretty well vanish when the first one pops out. I won't guarantee it or anything, but few mortal women have the power to resist a baby grandchild.

[MOBIUS]

None.

Yes, but I'd probably want to switch churches. Though (*knock on wood*), I don't see that happening .

I can't believe you supposedly religious types think it's OK to chop and change religions and denominations out of some personal whim or because of chasing some tail, or because it doesn't work out etc...

[Asher]

Uh, that last bit sounds like a very bad idea. Most of what needs to be said about the family has already been said, except I'd say the mother is unusually extreme. My Buddhist brother's in-laws are the most out-there believers I've met, and they can be pretty judgmental, but even they don't refuse to talk to them. Also, if your brother and sister-in-law are planning to have kids, this shunning BS is going to pretty well vanish when the first one pops out. I won't guarantee it or anything, but few mortal women have the power to resist a baby grandchild.

Being drunk is never a bad idea.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I can't believe you supposedly religious types think it's OK to chop and change religions and denominations out of some personal whim or because of chasing some tail, or because it doesn't work out etc...

If you consider yourself non-denominational, you aren't changing religions or denominations. You are simply worshiping at another church. Heck, I think Christians should go to different denomination services to see what other places are doing and the liturgical differences. We tend to go to a youth service at a Pentacostal Church (help out at kids church on Sundays at the same place), but went to an Episcopalian Church for Christmas Eve service - and it was beautiful.

[Jon Miller]

I can't believe you supposedly religious types think it's OK to chop and change religions and denominations out of some personal whim or because of chasing some tail, or because it doesn't work out etc...

You don't understand Christianity.

I, catholics, Anglicans, Metro Community (I think this is what MrFun is?) members are all Christians, as are other denominations. (Some people talk about whether a group that doesn't believe that Christ was God are Christian or not, but this doesn't really matter.)

You won't find a single denomination where all of it's members are in 100% agreement with all other members of that denomination. Even the denominations that are not part of the ecunimical movement!

Changing denominations is not the same thing as changing religions. The two are not at all similar. Rather it is like changing from a capitalist who thinks that the state should provide welfare to disabled only to one who thinks the state should provide welfare to disabled and the elderly.

JM

[rah]

I can't believe you supposedly religious types think it's OK to chop and change religions and denominations out of some personal whim or because of chasing some tail, or because it doesn't work out etc...

I don't have a problem with this. I've seen people change denominations because they didn't like their local priest or the location of their church. Why shouldn't a person be comfortable or take advantage from it. It's not like they're all that different.

[Jon Miller]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenism

Except those who practice remnant theology, most denominations to a greater or lesser degree (Catholics are lesser) consider all of Christianity as the Christian church.

By the way, I do consider doctrine important, but not so much that I don't consider Imran, Elok, and MrFun my brothers in Christ.

JM

[Snotty]

(snipped liberally)

I started going to church because my girlfriend is a big believer (though the rare good kind of Christian, who loves everyone and is not really interested in condemning people to Hell, though she does believe it exists).

It was so totally unlike other Christians I knew. They were completely loving and accepting, even though they knew I was an atheist

I think it is because of the stress on love that true Christianity has. That notion of loving everyone, even your enemy, is so absolutely powerful and the people that try to live for that ideal have such inner joy and peace, that I'm just scratching the surface on.

FWIW, my girlfriend put absolutely NO pressure on me to accept Christianity

The most dangerous kind of christians IMO, sounds very much like the ones that 'got' me over to the dark side. And now I find I am part of the group responsible for all suffering and destruction on the planet

[MOBIUS]

You won't find a single denomination where all of it's members are in 100% agreement with all other members of that denomination. Even the denominations that are not part of the ecunimical movement!

Which is my main point about Religion. Not only are there lots of completely different religions believing in completely different stuff - but people within their own religions believe in different stuff...

People have been making stuff up for millenia just because they have the arrogance to decide what they should believe in or not.

Clearly there is/are no God/Gods*, because if there was/were then there would be only one unified religion...!






*See, religious people can't even agree on whether there's on God, or whether there's a pantheon of the ****ers!

[Jon Miller]

You are not thinking this through. Probably because you have never had a religious experience. Try it and see.

JM

[MOBIUS]

Religion is illogical - the fact that there is such a proliferation of different religions proves that very point!

Talking of thinking things through, JM, think this through: You are a Christian, which means your beliefs exclude all other religions - if you believe in Christianity, you therefore cannot believe in any other religion. What arrogance (for want of a better word) made you qualified as a mortal being to choose one particular religion and decide it was any more 'real' than any other religion - why is your religion any better than any other? Because you as a mortal decide it is...?

Basically you're just another atheist with the only difference being that you disbelieve one less religion than true atheists!

[Imran Siddiqui]

MOBIUS not thinking something through?!! I'm shocked!

[MOBIUS]

You're the one who believes in an imaginary being...

[MOBIUS]

In fact, you're the one who swapped believing in one imaginary being for another just so as you could get your leg over...

[Snotty]

In fact, you're the one who swapped believing in one imaginary being for another just so as you could get your leg over...

If ever there was a good reason do so then, then thats definately the one