[BartSimpson]

Liberals are shrieking about theocracy at the very moment when religion has never been so much under attack. Theocracy? We already have a state religion: it's called liberalism. Sure, it's a religion that rejects the idea of God and reviles people of faith, but it still bears all the attributes of a religion. It has its sacraments (abortion), its holy writ (Roe v. Wade), its martyrs (from Soviet spy Alger Hiss to cop-killer Mumia Abu Jamal), its clergy (public school teachers), its churches (government schools, where prayer is prohibited but condoms are free), its doctrine of infallibility (as manifest in the “absolute moral authority” of spokesmen from Cindy Sheehan to Max Cleland), and its cosmology (in which mankind is an inconsequential accident). It even has a creation myth: Darwin's theory of evolution.

Liberals' absolute devotion to Darwinism has nothing to do with evolution's scientific validity and everything to do with its refusal to admit the possibility of God as a guiding force. They will brook no challenges to their official religion. They are Godless.

[Indelible]

don't forget that within christianity there is also left and right

[Tricks]

BartSimpson wrote:

its clergy (public school teachers), its churches (government schools, where prayer is prohibited but condoms are free

Genius, absolute genius,

[BartSimpson]

Indelible wrote:

don't forget that within christianity there is also left and right

Yes, but that's after a fashion.

The new Pope last year told Catholics who don't want to follow the teachings of the Church to get out. Be Catholic or be something else, but he won't tolerate liberal Catholics.

I also remember a lovely quote from the United Methodist General Conference of 1995 where several documents had the words God, Jesus, Faith, Trinity, Providence, and Father removed by a consensus of various committees.

The particular fellow was interviewd by CNN as to why a church would censor God & etc. and he said, "Because they don't want to offend the atheists in the church."

He wasn't kidding.

[Streaker]

Indelible wrote:

don't forget that within christianity there is also left and right

Good point!

Things may be a little different in the US but there are or have been any number of left-wing Christians in Canada: Tommy Douglas was a Baptist preacher, Bill Blaikie is another religious one. They're Christian socialists, and they have been a component of the Canadian left for a long time, much like in Europe.

[Tricks]

Alright, my take on religion. I personally don't believe it, I am an atheist to the end. I don't have any problem with religion. Frankly, it would not bother me if people were praying in public school, so what? Does it hurt anybody? I highly doubt it. The thing I don't like about religion is when people try to force it on me. I said something about being an atheist on a game, and someguy decided to start dissing me about it. That is when I don't like religion. I don't try to force people to be athiest, so I would expect the same kind of treatment. I can respect people who believe in something. I think taking things like god and jesus out of documents is rediculous. That is the ultimate for political correctness.

[Proculation]

Yeah you are more talking about atheism.
I'm a classical liberal and voted conservative and thus i'm considered right wing from my friends
But i don't believe in God.

[BartSimpson]

Tricks wrote:

Alright, my take on religion. I personally don't believe it, I am an atheist to the end. I don't have any problem with religion. Frankly, it would not bother me if people were praying in public school, so what? Does it hurt anybody? I highly doubt it. The thing I don't like about religion is when people try to force it on me. I said something about being an atheist on a game, and someguy decided to start dissing me about it. That is when I don't like religion. I don't try to force people to be athiest, so I would expect the same kind of treatment. I can respect people who believe in something. I think taking things like god and jesus out of documents is rediculous. That is the ultimate for political correctness.

I once had a chat where a young man said to me that he had freedom from religion to which I responded that I abided that so long as I was free from his lack of it.

[Indelible]

pretty pathetic IMO. there is a great division and emnity between left and right politically and it's sad this follows suit after the religious fashion as you put it and divides people of similar beliefs.
i am a leftist for the most part, but i am a christian, i believe in God and Jesus and the basic tenets of the christian faith. i wouldn't say i have a religion per se. i am not a baptist or a pentecostal or a lutheran, united, mennonite, any type of reformed (canadian, christian, dutch etc), i just believe that Jesus paid the prive for my sins. i find that anything more than that is going to interfere with what i believe because then it tends to become deeply sectarian and sometimes hostile.
i think it was friggin' hilarious when i heard some catholics (i was raised catholic) talking about the success of ecumenism and point to their growing relations with anglicans! what a joke! they were pretty much the same to begin with.
anyway, i have a whole speel on anglicanism that's pretty funny but i'll save it for later.

[Tricks]

BartSimpson wrote:

Tricks wrote:

Alright, my take on religion. I personally don't believe it, I am an atheist to the end. I don't have any problem with religion. Frankly, it would not bother me if people were praying in public school, so what? Does it hurt anybody? I highly doubt it. The thing I don't like about religion is when people try to force it on me. I said something about being an atheist on a game, and someguy decided to start dissing me about it. That is when I don't like religion. I don't try to force people to be athiest, so I would expect the same kind of treatment. I can respect people who believe in something. I think taking things like god and jesus out of documents is rediculous. That is the ultimate for political correctness.

I once had a chat where a young man said to me that he had freedom from religion to which I responded that I abided that so long as I was free from his lack of it.

Exactly, I completely agree with that. I respect people's beliefs (unless they are completely fucking crazy like denial of the holocaust, then im gonna argue ) but if someone tries to argue with me about my beliefs, then I will do the same right back.

[Ripcat]

BartSimpson wrote:

Liberals' absolute devotion to Darwinism has nothing to do with evolution's scientific validity and everything to do with its refusal to admit the possibility of God as a guiding force. They will brook no challenges to their official religion. They are Godless.

Heretics proved the world was not flat. Heretics proved that Earth was not the centre of the universe. Heretics will prove there are no Gods.

If you have so little faith that you feel you must constantly push your beliefs and claim others with different views are wrong then you are not going to like the final truth when it comes.

[Blue_Nose]

Ripcat shoots and scores.

I have all kinds of respect for people of faith, because they have the strength and courage (I'll assume) to believe in something they have no proof of.... it's not something I can do, so it might be considered a weakness on my part... I don't think my confidence in the scientific method is a "belief" in itself, but there are plenty of people who will believe blindly in so-called "liberal" stances, such that it could be considered a religion.

I'll challenge Bart, or anyone, to single out an opinion that I must base solely on "faith", being a secular humanist atheist... I don't believe in dogma, period.

[Tricks]

WTF is a secular humanist atheist?

[Streaker]

Blue_Nose wrote:

Ripcat shoots and scores.

...and has a superb avatar.

[Blue_Nose]

secular: Worldly rather than spiritual
humanist: Concern with the interests, needs, and welfare of humans
atheist: denies the existence of God or gods

I stole the expression from here, but it suits me perfectly... I'm in no state at this point to get into the details