Now I know how jesus felt on the cross (ouch my wrist!)...

The BBQ Pit
1

whew! just got done reading my Very Own Thread! Dedicated just to me! Aww you guys shouldn’t have … really.

Well I’ll respond to some of it.

Let me say this first. I don’t deny that Polycarp might be a great, nice, humble, intelligent, tolerant soul. But I still maintain that his twisted version of christianity is a spit in the face of all the real christians out there who dedicate their lives to the teachings of the bible (however ignorant this may be). I’m sure this isn’t polycarp’s intention, but the fact remains.

Now my little diatribe, while midly inflammatory, was not unprovoked. He starts a debate thread on christianity, then whenever one brings up a point to debate, Polycarp says something like “Oh yeah, well I don’t believe in *that *part of christianity” or "Well I agree with you there " etc etc. Simply put, he does not possess christian viewpoints (except a select few which he has skillfully chosen to be undebateable), and thus, I believe he was in error even starting a christianity-based debate. So I voiced my dissatisfaction with this, and his views in general. What you guys misconstrued as heinous (my labeling half-ass christians as polycarps) I felt was slight elbow-jabbing and nothing more.

I’m upset that someone as intelligent as Polycarp claims to be a christian. He would be much more valuable on my side, the side of reason, but he wastes his intelligence in the stagnant festering pool of myth, and to see such intelligence squandered pains me greatly. He is a paradox: an intelligent christian. But there are as many intelligent christians as there are Sasquatches. This leads me to believe one of two things:

  1. Polycarp is not intelligent
  2. Polycarp is not a christian

I choose #2.

Jodi, you need to chill the fuck out. Perhaps you’re one of the half-ass christians I described and the truth just got to you. Or maybe you’re just on the rag. While you stew in anger, I simply giggle. Release the negativity.

ArturoBandini – heh. I appreciate you pointing out the stupidity of all those who waste precious energy over my words. You are funny as shit and I look forward to more of your posts.

DPWhite – thanks for your kind words. If Jesus helps teach you love for others, then go for it. Just remember that some of us can believe in these same principles and totally discount the whole jesus thing. We do it for ourselves. As for liberal theology, I find it an oxymoron.

And to the rest of you bashers, you all just make me laugh. Go find a worthy cause to devote your time and energy to.

Once again: I’m not debating that Polycarp is a great wonderful person. I’m sure he is everything which you all claim he is. Just because I find fault with one aspect of him does not mean I don’t think he’s a good person.

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I’ll just sit in the corner contemplating the irony of your username.

Throw in a few slurs and you could quite possibly be a little more idiotic and offensive, but it would take some doing.

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Replace ‘X’ with christian, kike, faggot, nigger, chink, etc. Doesn’t matter who you’re talking about, a broad generalization like that makes you look like an idiot.

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“like” an idiot? You’re generous.

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I try :wink:

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Wondering why OP didn’t just respond in the thread about himself, instead of creating a new thread.
Hmmm.

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So Polycarp doesn’t conform to a definition of Christianity which you have adopted as a matter of convenience. How shocking. I’d be sorry for you if I thought you were genuine.

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because it’s locked, jackass.

there’s something you can ‘hmmm’ about

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And, of course, everyone should know this right off the top of their head, because we’re all oh-so-fascinated with your views and their repercussions. I was going to offer my critique of your views, but hawthorne beat me to it, and with some eloquence. I suggest you go out and talk to some real Christians, both liberal and conservative, and actually listen to what they have to say. You might learn something–and as a student, isn’t that what you want?

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Uhh no, not really. First off you’re confusing racial slurs with religious labels. I could never say that there are no intelligent Chinese people, because a Chinese person can subscribe to any religious or intellectual doctrine.

However, I can definitely proclaim christians as unintelligent, because I can easily conclude that one who thinks that the world is 6000 years old (as real christians do) is not intelligent.

Race is not religion. Get a goddamn clue.

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Er, have you ever tried asking those Real Christians[sup]TM[/sup]? You know, the ones you talk about so much who believe the Bible is literally true? A good number of them know Poly, and have never even hinted that his beliefs were “a spit in the face” of theirs. Sooo…perhaps you can stop being offended for them, hmmm? Unless, of course, your offense was simply a useful excuse for acting like a ass.

Apparently at one time you thought through your beliefs long enough to decide to reject Christianity and chose atheism. Sadly, since then you seem to have put your brain in a box on a shelf and forgot about it. You wish to define Christianity in one narrow way: you believe a Christian must believe the Bible is literally true in every instance, and that a Christian is almost invariably stupid. Yet, the finest Christian AND nonChristian minds throughout the centuries have not believed so. Perhaps it is your defintion that is in error, here?

I do understand where you are coming from here, although I think you are misguided, and quite frankly, using your tenuous understanding of Christianity as an excuse to act like a really offensive, closeminded twit. If you truly believe a Christian must believe the Bible is literally true in every instance in order to be considered a Christian, I suggest for your own edificaton that you start a GD thread about it so that Christians can weigh in as to why they believe that, say, the six days of creation as metaphorical, or why they believe they can eat pork, and so on. If you inquire respectfully you will be treated with respect; if you act like a ass, you’ll get treated like one.

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You might have mentioned that in the OP and saved us all a little work.

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Well, I used to think that I was a Christian. But I know I’m not a fundamentalist, and I like to think I’m not a moron, so I guess I’m not allowed to be a Christian, as that might conflict with Eternal Student’s prejudices. So, I suppose I’ll have to go and stand in the corner with Polycarp…

… which, come to think of it, is not such a bad corner to be standing in. (Though, to be sure, I am not worthy.)

But, sort of seriously, Eternal Student; you might want to consider why intelligent people like Polycarp do believe in Christianity (or any other belief system, for that matter). Answering that question would improve your own insight into the minds of believers, wouldn’t it? And that would be a good thing.

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No, actually, I’m not confusing anything. What I am doing, or attempting to do, is press the point through to you that making general statements about very large groups of people is pointless. Not everyone will fit mold A. Religion is also something that, most often, one is born into. How different is that from race? Plus, a ‘faggot’ is not a race. It is a sexual orientation.

As for what ‘real christians’ believe, which denomination are we talking about again? Where in the bible does it say the Earth is 6000 years old? Does the Pope advocate this believe? I’d say the Pope is as close as you can get to a ‘real christian’. Geocentrists (YES, THEY STILL EXIST!) believe that the Bible advocates geocentricity. The Vatican advocates a heliocentric point of view.

Your arguments seem baseless.

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DNFTT

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So your definition of Christianity is that by definition they are unintellegent.

Since Polycarb is a brilliant individual, in your (and I’m beging kind here) mind, he is not a Christian.

You’re welcome to it, babe. You can sit and think the world into your own boxes all you wish. Just don’t be all that surprised when the world does whatever the hell it wanted to in the first place.

I am free to operate on the definition of an hour being 47 seconds. The bus schedules just don’t run on my time, and I will continue to not be able to read the bus schedules or catch the right bus at the right time. And no one but me is going to be crying when I start throwing fits about the damnable bus that is never on time.

Define words however you wish. Its communication that counts, and you are failing to communicate with any amount of accuracy.

“Black people are stupid. All of them. A smart guy with dark skin isn’t a *real[/r] Black person in my mind because I defined the term so.” Race may not be religion, but what you are doing is faulty when used in any context.

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Look at that Strawman go, mo.

Yawn. Please explain in full detail why a real christian cannot believe in any way in the metaphorical or allegorical nature of the bible?

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::rolleyes::

Look at the word.

Christian.

Christian.

Christian.

As in Follower of Christ.

See? There you have a definition! Christian = Person who believes that Jesus Christ is the son of God. It’s that simple.

“Except for the whole jesus thing i’m totally a christian,” and except for the whole intelligence thing you’re totally a genius.

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Isn’t this just a variation of the “No true Scotsman” fallacy? Christians seem to have a variety of viewpoints on a matter of subjects. It’s a 2000 year old worldwide religion. I guess the question I’d ask is, what gives you the authority to decide what true Christianity is? For example, most Christian religions believe that infants can be baptised. Baptists believe only adults can. Some believe that baptism is neccessary for salvation, other that it’s not. Unitarians deny the existance of the trinity, while most Christians accept it. With such a diversity, why have you, who seem not to be Christian, made yourself the authority on what Christian viewpoints are?