Too many Atheists...

[Melchisedec]

[quote name='Nathan' date='Oct 20 2005, 02:24 PM']You know what I mean, Einstein. Do you often visit Christian messageboards in an attempt to spread your atheistic views?
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Not unless I was personally invited. Such as in this case.

[StatingTheObvious]

If you tell an aetheist to 'go to hell', does he hear it?

[1337 k4th0l1x0r]

I say its all the teenage angst and emo music that is the culprit.

[StatingTheObvious]

Melchisidec,
I scoped your website. The Candle one. You've got to be kidding. Atheism is faith that what isn't seen, can't exist. Your definition of Faith, with it being devoid of reason, tells you that. Faith is the reasonable extropulation of what is known and identified as not known.

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

I feel that i must share this.

I have encountered a variety of people who have a variety of beliefs. Although, the majority of people i encounter are catholics of some sort, my experience is not limited to that.

But one thing i have found common among all young adults who have fallen away from their faith, is pain.

We tend to think of things in the narrow terms of someone making the simple decision to leave faith, because they disagree with it. or rather that they are brainwashed. I do believe that these things do happen, but i don't think that the majority of people fit this description.

What i mean by pain is this. I will have a light discussion, that becomes deeper with a non practicing non believer of any sort. The conversation might start off with things that they disagree with about the faith. But as the conversation progresses, i find that they are wearing a mask of "intellectual inquiry" or "spiritual expirementation" or whatever have you, to hide their shame, pain, guilt, or general hurt. What it usually comes down to, is people end up walking away from the church or God, because someone who they associate with God, has let them down. Usually it is their pastor, or other church minister. But the most frequent one, is hypocritical parents who force them to go to church, but never practice the faith authentically themselves.

YOU SEE I BELIEVE YOUNG PEOPLE WANT CONSISTENCY, AUTHENTICITY, AND INTEGRITY. Those who practice faith, do so with those princeples. They want to be the saintliest of Christians possible. I believe that those who have walked away, FEEL christians to lack in those areas. I also believe that people who live the MTV lifestyle of partying, sex, drugs, what i have seen, is they dont believe authenticity exists. In fact they have given up on all hope for something good altogether.

SHALOM

[zealousrap]

[quote name='MC IMaGiNaZUN' date='Oct 21 2005, 05:20 PM']I feel that i must share this.

I have encountered a variety of people who have a variety of beliefs.  Although, the majority of people i encounter are catholics of some sort, my experience is not limited to that.

But one thing i have found common among all young adults who have fallen away from their faith, is pain.

We tend to think of things in the narrow terms of someone making the simple decision to leave faith, because they disagree with it.  or rather that they are brainwashed.  I do believe that these things do happen, but i don't think that the majority of people fit this description.

What i mean by pain is this.  I will have a light discussion, that becomes deeper with a non practicing non believer of any sort.  The conversation might start off with things that they disagree with about the faith.  But as the conversation progresses, i find that they are wearing a mask of "intellectual inquiry" or "spiritual expirementation" or whatever have you, to hide their shame, pain, guilt, or general hurt.  What it usually comes down to, is people end up walking away from the church or God, because someone who they associate with God, has let them down.  Usually it is their pastor, or other church minister.  But the most frequent one, is hypocritical parents who force them to go to church, but never practice the faith authentically themselves.

YOU SEE I BELIEVE YOUNG PEOPLE WANT CONSISTENCY, AUTHENTICITY, AND INTEGRITY.  Those who practice faith, do so with those princeples.  They want to be the saintliest of Christians possible.  I believe that those who have walked away, FEEL christians to lack in those areas.  I also believe that people who live the MTV lifestyle of partying, sex, drugs, what i have seen, is they dont believe authenticity exists.  In fact they have given up on all hope for something good altogether.

SHALOM
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very interesting...hypocrisy in my mind is the #1 reason people leave the church, or don't join

[photosynthesis]

[quote name='1337 k4th0l1x0r' date='Oct 21 2005, 05:49 PM']I say its all the teenage angst and emo music that is the culprit.
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it's not just teenagers that are leaving the Church.

[quote name='MC IMaGiNaZUN' date='Oct 21 2005, 06:20 PM']What it usually comes down to, is people end up walking away from the church or God, because someone who they associate with God, has let them down.  Usually it is their pastor, or other church minister.  But the most frequent one, is hypocritical parents who force them to go to church, but never practice the faith authentically themselves.
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I think that this is key. Catholics need to start being Catholic outside Mass. Kids aren't getting a good portrait of what orthodox Catholicism looks like because they've never SEEN it.

[Cow of Shame]

[quote name='Melchisedec' date='Oct 20 2005, 01:02 PM'] I'm not sure how MTV and such brainwashes kids away from religion. Last time I watched it, it was filled with nothing but cheesey teen reality shows like Laguna Beach. I'm not entirely sure how that leads to brainwash. You see the rise of the religious, I see the rise of the secular. We agree to disagree.
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Yay! Someone who doesn't automatically attribute all the problems of our society on stupid tv!

Now, if we were talking Survivor, then sure....I could get on the bandwagon. ...TOTALLY brainwashes the youth away from a Godly lifestyle.