And that’s one of the benefits of being an atheist - we get to accept that all religious groups are acting in good faith (pardon the pun) with regard to their worship and beliefs. There are two different issues here - the actual beliefs and practices of particular religions (eg Catholicism and Islam), which can be described accurately or inaccurately; and then we have a collection of beliefs about those beliefs, that members of a different religion (eg Fundamentalist Christian) hold.
To give an illustration, the White Identity Church has beliefs that modern Jews are the spawn of Satan and act accordingly. This belief is wrong, and examining Jewish practices can show that they are objectively wrong. Making a statement that this belief is part of the Christian Identity world view is not only not wrong, it can help to explain the underpinnings of the hatred at the base of that religion.
Or maybe they had the bad luck to run into me when I haven’t had my caffeine. Someone who met me in that state might have reason to think my parents were Satan and a particularly grumpy polar bear…
Bullshit. You don’t know the answer. You have no idea what most religious people think and feel, except maybe the imaginary ones you’ve created to justify your ignorance.
Look, many, many religious people (and just about all the believers I know) do indeed wonder what they’d believe if they’d been born in a different culture. I was actually encouraged to ask this question often during my four years in Catholic high school. Some of us fell away from the faith because of this questioning. A small number eventually converted to other faiths. But we did ask.
My particular brand of Christianity (a large one, not a minority faith at all) does not punish people emotionally for doubting, but rather accepts doubt as a part of life and faith. My church tells us that faith comes and goes, and that as long as we keep seeking it and remain open to it, we’re OK.
We are well aware that if we’d been born in Mongolia, or wherever, we probably never would have found our way to our current religious beliefs. And we don’t think that Mongolians are damned because they’re not Christians.
The vast majority of Christians, by the way, do not believe that Christians of other denominations, or non-Christians, are not saved. They just don’t. Get your facts about what people believe right before criticizing those beliefs.
Saintly Loser: Your response to the ignorati is outstanding. However, I must point out an error. There are Mongolian Christians in both Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia.
By that same token one expects that on the issue of Christians, it is self-evident that their god is not God, for if it were they would be Jews ? :rolleyes:
Jesus (purportedly) came as a prophet from the god of the Jews, with a new deal and a new message. Muhammad (purportedly) came with a third - and final, according to him - deal from that selfsame god. Islam recognizes the truthiness of both the Talmud and the Bible, accept the reality and message of Jesus and Moses, all that jazz. They happen to also believe they got the latest firmware patch, and as such are free to disregard obsolete data.
And the Mormons…and Christian Scientists, and Seventh Day Adventists, and Branch Davidians, and whatever the hell Harold Camping was…all got even more recent updates.
It’s an ongoing process. Each successive renovation of scripture doesn’t require a whole new God. If so, there’s gotter be just dozens and dozens of 'em by now.
(Sort of like the Thor Brigade in the current Marvel “Battleworld” stories.)
(“Frog Thor” isn’t a whole lot more silly than the “God Hates Fags” version of God.)
Even the communion wine at Catholic masses? I seem to recall (in fact, I’m pretty sure) that the Catholic Church requires that the wine actually be wine, not some denatured version, or grape juice.
