The Black Vault

I see what you mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8qIFzm1bOk

Couldn't make out what they were talking about, but I failed to see the 'hate' in that exchange. I guess anyone can hang a label.

http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/cwhbcv3-98.html

It seems there are some people who have put much thought into how to deal with "hateful" christians. No amount of their toil will change the words in my Bible.

I think it is a very good post, Very Good.

I also grew up with a fundamentalist pentacostal father, not my mother though, they were polar opposites, but it was definitely an influence...I also rebelled in my teens, and then came back to it on my own terms later....and then realized the immense folly inherent to most if not all forms of dogmatic legalism in terms of religion (or most anything).

As a person who fully believes in God, yet doesn't particularly get too worked up about "legalism" and "tradition", I can accept all the people in my life as living the life they choose to live....I may not personally agree with things about some people, but then again I dont have to live in their shoes, they do. I don't beat people up if they don't particularly believe in the concept of God, but then again I will at least make an attempt to hold a reasoned conversation with them about how i feel, and acknowledge their positions as valid as well (if they are).

Ultimately, I think Christianity in particular has shot itself in the foot over the years one too many times about its very incessant way of trying to put God into this neat little box, and have all these elaborate rituals and legalism practices that really (if there be a God) probably do not matter in the least to "him".

Afterall, to the atheist historically i think it is more about the God that religion "creates" than whatever God there may "actually" be...two different things to me.

I always borrow a line from a fellow I consider fairly wise:

"I never really hated one True God, but the God of the people I hated."