who wants "________ for christ" threads

[dan de man]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ im just seeing if people want theses threads

[podzol]

Hi guys,

Does this have to be such a point of controversy?

I would hope everyone here on the forum feels at ease to post about their interests. Replace Christ with good cooking, greek mythology, airplanes, or birding and we can see that the threads are just people reaching out trying to find commonalities.

I think if we just left the bible thumpers alone, their threads would be enjoyable places for them to speak about their ministry through their hobbies and that's that. I haven't gotten the impression that any of the riding for Jesus people are in the act of converting others, just looking for people to share with. What harm are they doing? They certainly are not making life ore difficult for non christian riders, just ignore their threads like I ignore news stories about celebrities. I don't go reading them intentionally and get all fired up about what not.

It's kind of like the whole gay marriage thing. What harm do their practices do? None. What good does it do? some! Let them be. They are people, they have a right to pursue happiness.

I wish it could be all PC and we had some Unicycling for Buddah, Allah etc threads, but the Christians are more voiciferous, which is, indeed, a part of accepting the gospel. Just let them be and it will be a non-issue.

[NordicUni420]

i totally agree

[harper]

Ask not what one wants, ask what one will tolerate in order to freely express their own views. The intolerant wouldn't allow threads on religion, politics, music, or skateboarding because there is only one, known, central pastime: unicycling.

[Pantelis]

I think it is annoying that everyone gets angry at each other for these people Uni for Christ, i mean im Atheist but i dont see why you should put religousness in unicycling but whatever works for you.

[UNIquelyCanadian]

While the idea of a Christian unicyclist's group seems good. All these threads don't seem to be much besides initiating Christian bashing fests!

[Catboy]

Unicycling is my religion...

[monkeyman]

While the idea of a Christian unicyclist's group seems good. All these threads don't seem to be much besides initiating Christian bashing fests!
That's Blake's point...she says to just leave it alone.

[forget_your_life]

all these threads have turned me away from the lord, i will now join team Satan.

HAIL SATAN!

[forrestunifreak]

I voted no.

Why did there have to be another thread about it?

[BillyTheMountain]

Ask not what one wants, ask what one will tolerate in order to freely express their own views. The intolerant wouldn't allow threads on religion, politics, music, or skateboarding because there is only one, known, central pastime: unicycling.

Don't unicycle for Me, do it for your self, or your fellow humans

I agree with both Harper and Jesus, above.

Billy

[Seager]

My problem when this originally came up was the spamming of the forums with it. Now, it's down to 1 or 2 threads. Leave them alone. This thread just makes it worse.

There is nothing wrong with what they are doing now.

[JUNGAUNI]

It's kind of like the whole gay marriage thing. What harm do their practices do? None. What good does it do? some! Let them be. They are people, they have a right to pursue happiness.

what are you talking about that is just plain wrong to be gay and anyone who disagrees need real help :mad: :mad: :mad:

[podzol]

Ha! I knew I'd irritate someone with my tolerance.

Turn the other cheek, Jungauni.

[milk]

I'm not really bothered about it, though I am curious as to exactly what Christ gets out of your unicycling. :confused:

Oh, and one more thing, a question for all you religious types: Heaven has God, Hell has Satan, who does Purgatory have? Just curious.

[harper]

Oh, and one more thing, a question for all you religious types: Heaven has God, Hell has Satan, who does Purgatory have? Just curious.

BillyTheMountain.

[dan de man]

Im just asking this to see who wants them not to make some sort of statement

[Jerrick]

I dont mind them at all.

What I dont like that much, is when people get really mad about them, or when they make joke thread about it that spam a whole page on the forums.

And this thread, I dont mind, cause you just asking who likes them, and who doesnt, and I think the answer is gonna be. Theres gonna be people that like them, people that dont care about them and just ignore them, or people that hate them, and should ignore them, but dont, and just feed the flame that burns them.

[Gilby]

what are you talking about that is just plain wrong to be gay and anyone who disagrees need real help :mad: :mad: :mad:

So let me get this straight. Discriminating against gay people is right, but if society discriminates against any minority you fall in it's wrong? Just want to make sure, because, the most scarely thing about the proposed ban on gay marriage, is that all of us are next. Everyone. We will have our rights stripped from us because we are different in some way from the norm. All of us are different from the norm in some way, so all of us will be discrimated against by society and our legal system. If a law like what's proposed actually gets passed, all I can hope for is that other countries will allow the rest of us to seek asylum in a country that actually supports freedom.

[phlegm]

Discriminating against gay people is right

What?! :confused: :D :p

[Seager]

He's just 13, he's not going to get it. He's just repeating what his parents think at that age. Give him a few years before you try to reason with him.

[muzzle]

What?! :confused: :D :p
he was making a point.

[forget_your_life]

Beelzububba, forgives you..

[andycookuk]

what are you talking about that is just plain wrong to be gay and anyone who disagrees need real help :mad: :mad: :mad:

If I was the President of Earth

I would have you exiled.

[BillyTheMountain]

I'm not really bothered about it, though I am curious as to exactly what Christ gets out of your unicycling. :confused:

Oh, and one more thing, a question for all you religious types: Heaven has God, Hell has Satan, who does Purgatory have? Just curious.

You obviously haven't read your Bible. GOD wants you to unicycle. That thread has been quoted somewhere in JC recently.

[dan de man]

He's just 13, he's not going to get it. He's just repeating what his parents think at that age. Give him a few years before you try to reason with him.
I took an IQ test MY MENTAl age is some where around 15-16

and I do get it people:p (heheheh)

[dan de man]

and my parents all agree w/ what your saying

[monkeyman]

I took an IQ test MY MENTAl age is some where around 15-16

I feel insulted
:p ;)

[wobbling bear]

Frankly I do not know how to respond to this question.
I come from a culture where exposing publicly religion/charity and so on is a severe breach of etiquette verging on utter bad taste. -that does not mean you shalt not practice those but that this is strictly private domain-
So I was irked the first time I saw those threads ... then I cooled and tried to consider that we are a worldwide forum , so let things flow with one provision: initiators of those threads shoud be aware that what seems "natural" to them is considered "bad taste" to others ...
Should I abstain from topics that may be felt as offensive for other cultures I know ? I will try but dunno If I've not already sinned .... I will not abstain from controversy and arguments: I just will try to convince within bounds where arguments may be effective.
In facts those XXX for Christ are just as if an alien from outer space came to me and asked "do you shmilbliksfxzkkxsize?". I would not mind once but not if it became a recurrent subject (specially if I thought that shmilbliksfxzkkxsization was a very private thing).

[johnfoss]

This is JC. I think the idea is people can write about whatever they want. Nobody is making you read it. In fact, time spent reading here is time that could be better spent doing lots of other things. Don't read threads about topics that annoy or don't interest you.

I think it is annoying that everyone gets angry at each other for these people Uni for Christ...
I only get annoyed when the proponents of this call people "gay" and do similar un-Christian-seeming things. Unless gay-bashing is a good Christian value?

[yoopers]

I only get annoyed when the proponents of this call people "gay" and do similar un-Christian-seeming things. Unless gay-bashing is a good Christian value?
Very wise, John. I share your annoyance even of those who share my faith. The Christian Bible is explicitly clear on it's stance on homosexuality. It is equally clear that Christianity is a faith based on love, which is not the same as tolerance by the way. Biblical love says that no one of any persuasion is to be 'bashed'. I am always annoyed when a proclaimed Christian demotes the faith by un-Christian behavior.

[Jerrick]

I agree, in fact, the only time I have really noticed this is from Skrobo (no offense) but at least 3 timeI think have I seen him say "thats gay."

As for me, I dont even remember when I "bashed" on someone, I know a few times when i was jokingly saying "you suck" or something along those lines, but I would laugh about it, the person I was saying it to was laughing with me, and we both knew that it was a joke, thats really the only "bashing" I have done in quite a long time.

[trials_uni]

what are you talking about that is just plain wrong to be gay and anyone who disagrees need real help

So what your saying is that we should shun them from the right to love another because of somethign thats beyond their control??

What some people may not get is that people dont "choose" to be gay or lesbian, they just are. Its the way they were made. Now they can choose to hide it from others and pretend to be "normal" but the fact remains that they are still more attracted to the same sex wether they want every one to kno or not.

[mscalisi]

I don't question that your faith is based on love. Of course, I still think it's wrong and oppressive and has no place in government.

You tried so hard to stay out of this didn't you?

Very wise, John. I share your annoyance even of those who share my faith. The Christian Bible is explicitly clear on it's stance on homosexuality. It is equally clear that Christianity is a faith based on love, which is not the same as tolerance by the way. Biblical love says that no one of any persuasion is to be 'bashed'. I am always annoyed when a proclaimed Christian demotes the faith by un-Christian behavior.

[mscalisi]

As much as people can write about whatever they want, they can also disagree with whatever they want.

Just because a person has the right of free speach doesn't mean that I don't have the right to refute what they are saying.

This is JC. I think the idea is people can write about whatever they want. Nobody is making you read it. In fact, time spent reading here is time that could be better spent doing lots of other things. Don't read threads about topics that annoy or don't interest you.

[monkeyman]

I don't question that your faith is based on love. Of course, I still think it's wrong and oppressive and has no place in government.


No actually, Christianity is not oppressive at all...Christians (some) are oppressive...in the same way Islam is not oppressive, but some Islamic people are.

[mscalisi]

The nature of faith is that people believe what they are told by their church, or what they read in their bibles.

So christians have ideas about homosexuality (broadly speaking of course, exceptions exist) not because they've thought it through and researched it, but because they believe what their church says.

So it doesn't really matter that it's been pretty strongly proven that homosexuality is innate, people of faith will believe what they are told by their church without questioning it.

So while the people are the one's who wind up carrying out the oppressive actions, they are programmed by their teachings of their church.

No actually, Christianity is not oppressive at all...Christians (some) are oppressive...in the same way Islam is not oppressive, but some Islamic people are.

[phlegm]

The nature of faith is that people believe what they are told by their church, or what they read in their bibles.

The nature of education is that people believe what they are told by their teachers, or what they read in their textbooks.

So it doesn't really matter that it's been pretty strongly proven that homosexuality is innate, people of faith will believe what they are told by their church without questioning it.

Keep in mind that Christians believe that sinful nature is innate too. Innateness does not necessarily imply goodness.

[mscalisi]

The nature of education is that people believe what they are told by their teachers, or what they read in their textbooks.

...for better or for worse. Good teachers teach their students to question what they are told.

Keep in mind that Christians believe that sinful nature is innate too. Innateness does not necessarily imply goodness.

Of course not. However, heterosexual christians who would ask gay people to oppress their sexuality for the rest of their lives really don't have any inkling of the magnitude of what they are asking. ..and god help christian-born gays. There never was a more self-hate inducing environment than to desire nothing more than that which will send you to hell.

The truth is, there is nothing wrong with being gay. Yeah, it's pretty obvious that it sort of circumvents the process of reproduction, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The only logic people have for deciding that being gay is wrong is because that's what their church says.


edit: Shouldn't we carry this conversation on in one of the other religion/gay marriage threads?

[phlegm]

...for better or for worse. Good teachers teach their students to question what they are told.

And thus we have the field of Christian apologetics...

Of course not. However, heterosexual christians who would ask gay people to oppress their sexuality for the rest of their lives really don't have any inkling of the magnitude of what they are asking.

Yes, homosexuality is a complex cultural phenomenon, and it's a HUGE undertaking to leave the culture that validates you. I think the undue levity with which such a request is made is more generally due to heterosexual ignorance than with being a Christian. We heterosexuals can be victims of cultural forces too, but true Christian love can overcome the problems of our culture.

..and god help christian-born gays. There never was a more self-hate inducing environment than to desire nothing more than that which will send you to hell.

So Christians are all self-haters? We all desire sin. That's our nature. The Christian distinctive is that our hope is in Jesus Christ's reconciliation with God on our behalf.

The only logic people have for deciding that being gay is wrong is because that's what their church says.

So what? What is your logic for deciding that being gay is not wrong? Before you pull out your science card, science reallly has very little, if anything at all, to say about ethics.

edit: Shouldn't we carry this conversation on in one of the other religion/gay marriage threads?

Not necessarily. This is JC. We can talk about whatever and emote whenever we want. :p

[monkeyman]

The nature of faith is that people believe what they are told by their church, or what they read in their bibles.
Actually, most (almost all) Christians that I've come in contact with don't take the Bible word for word simply because it's the Bible...

...for better or for worse. Good teachers teach their students to question what they are told.

And good preachers teach people to have their own personal relationship with God and worship Him in the way they feel is best.

[yoopers]

You tried so hard to stay out of this didn't you?

Yes, I did. :)

[BillyTheMountain]

No actually, Christianity is not oppressive at all...Christians (some) are oppressive...in the same way Islam is not oppressive, but some Islamic people are.

So while the people are the one's who wind up carrying out the oppressive actions, they are programmed by their teachings of their church.

Monkeyman: You said it ALL! Thanks.

Mscalisi: People aren't programmed by their church. They select a church that tells them what is congruent with their own beliefs.

You're suggesting the Vatican could start preaching Homosexuality is Great, Not a Sin, and everyone would suddenly be re-programmed.

But it don't quite work that way.

[mscalisi]

Your point is taken.

Still, I submit that generally people are born into a faith and don't necessarily choose it in the I'm-going-to-research-all-religions-and-pick-the-best-one-for-me sort of way.

I think if the vatican DID come out with a pro-gay stance, they would sway a great amount of people (into accepting homosexuality, not becomming homosexual). Unfortunately, I don't think we'll get to test our hypothesis anytime soon.


Monkeyman: You said it ALL! Thanks.

Mscalisi: People aren't programmed by their church. They select a church that tells them what is congruent with their own beliefs.

You're suggesting the Vatican could start preaching Homosexuality is Great, Not a Sin, and everyone would suddenly be re-programmed.

But it don't quite work that way.

[wobbling bear]

This is JC. I think the idea is people can write about whatever they want. Nobody is making you read it. In fact, time spent reading here is time that could be better spent doing lots of other things. Don't read threads about topics that annoy or don't interest you.

agreed! that's why I like JC!
this said I can't help reading topics that interest me and be bothered by "attitudes" .... but learning to be not bothered is good for me! So I'll continue to read threads I do not approve of. That will soothe my own "attitudes"

[Zzagg]

I felt pretty guilty after a quiet "offensive" post I wrote on the last "____ for christ" thread. I admit that Yoopers was right and John is right too, I shouldn't read the posts i "can't bear"...
This said I completely agree with Woobling Bear.
wouldn't you feel a bit fed up if people around there kept on creating threads like "___ for Satan"? How long do you think you could see (not browse) those threads on JC? please answer, I'm curious.
This said I have to admit I'm narrower minded than I thought (way to go!):o

[monkeyman]

Heh, to just about everyone who posted after the 1st page (including me):

[johnfoss]

As much as people can write about whatever they want, they can also disagree with whatever they want.
Your point is well taken.

And apologies to everyone for unintentionally diverting this thread onto the gay thing (based on a Skrobo post from a different thread).