Cut it out, happyheathen. Even if Poly’s primary reason for posting here is evangelical, that doesn’t preclude his actually considering a lot of us friends.
Every now and then you might want to consider that Christians aren’t the enemy, as a whole…
jayjay
Hey! - I get to tweak, same as Poly
Although I know Poly will probably defend certain posters over there, I think jayjay’s assessment is spot on. I have quite a few posts over there but I’m currently taking a break from that board because of the venom (ironic that complaints about venom are in the Pit here).
That being said, I will probably go back because I’ve been told by at least one former poster there that my arguements, along with others such as Poly and jayjay, helped persuade her that she was wrong about homosexuals and has changed her outlook on us.
And remember, kids: [url=“http://www.theonion.com/onion3823/youth_pastor.html”]Hel
And remember, kids: Hell is not Disneyland. It is, however, accidentally sending a post in mid-type.
It must be tough, Poly, having to evangelize in two directions at once.
The point, happyheathen, to my activities on both boards is that I’ve found something very worthwhile in my relationship with Christ, which I want to share, to the extent and to the openness that each person, almost all of whom I respect and many of whom I consider friends, is willing to hear about it, and my reasons for believing as I do.
In short, if you knew I was a SF fan (which I am, hence the indicative – 
to the grammar police), and had read a SF novel that left you alternately hysterical and pensive, would you not be willing, out of friendship, to encourage it to my reading? Now raise the stakes to all-time happiness, joy, contentment, enthusiasm for life, and you get my POV.
I have no more intention of pushing the evangelicalistic POV that you need to “find Jesus to save yourself from eternal torment” than I do of pushing my particular political views. But to the extent that I can share the experiences (or parallels to them appropriate to your life) that have made me the guy whose posts you find interesting – knowing that I was a total jerk some years ago – then I think that I have something worthwhile to contribute. I don’t “cavre notches on my Crucifix” (aside from the San Damiano cross, I don’t own one) and I think you know that – and were just tweaking me to see how I’d react.
Well, now you know.
Jayjay and Homebrew, there’s a lot to be said for your analysis – but also for the open-mindedness of many less vocal posters. Navigator posted {Deleted. Lynn}
In short, to the extent that you two and a few others withdraw your voices, there’s less of the POV that you, CJ, Christina, and a few others including myself are trying to express, and more of the right-wing glurge. Likewise, what Ben and a number of others are trying to do in the Order Here First on why evolution and the Big Bang make sense within a theistic system is vitiated when they tend to “give up” and allow the Creation Science contingent to dominate.
Nobody promised you a rose garden, to coin an expression. 
Just the opportunity to promote the truth and fight ignorance. Same deal as here.
Poly, I’ve searched for 'gator’s comments you mention, but I’m unable to find them. Please send a link. I’d be interested in reading his comments.
See, this is how evangelism can work - sharing without pushing down people’s throats or being arrogant about it. Evangelism doesn’t have to be “repent, sinner, or yer gonna burn” or any of that stuff that gives evangelical anything - not just Christianity - a bad name.
I’m a pagan, but I enjoy hearing about the faith journeys that others make. If anyone ever reconverts me to Christianity (big ‘if’, but never rule anything out), it’ll be someone like Polycarp, not a “repent or else” evangeliser.
Polycarp, the deleted item was not posted, but was in a private conversation, which Navigator asked me to delete. I know that sometimes it’s hard to remember what has been posted and what was private conversation.
Lynn
Lynn and Homebrew, with reference to the deletion: I had misremembered what Navigator had to say (which Lynn deleted, as being on open board, when it was in a private discussion. I asked Navigator to alert Lynn to that fact and to request it be deleted at both his and my request. He did so. I apologize to him and to all present for the invasion of his private conversation.
For reasons I don’t wish to go into in public, but which might come to mind relative to what’s been discussed, I’d now ask that this thread be locked.
Before this thread is locked, I’d like to add that I’ve enjoyed posting here, as a Christian, and I’m glad that I found the PP due to Poly’s link a while back.
I’ve always been taught that evangelism is to be done by example. You do what you’re supposed to that people say “Wow! That person is so great-I want to be like him!”
That’s why I stay Catholic-because so many people I admire are.
For those who are interested, the original thread has spawned a new one for discussion of whether dishonesty is a pervasive problem at the PP. Since people at the SDMB periodically debate whether the PP is truly devoted to fighting ignorance, I thought I’d provide a link here:
http://thebruces.stormbirds.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=10000&perpage=15&pagenumber=1
-Ben
Here is something I am wondering about. And although I registered at the PP, I have never posted.
I read the original thread, and it appears to me that some of the posters seem to feel that anyone who is active on the SDMB is doomed. Because …well, I don’t really understand why. So, if there are some of us who are Christians…and there are many MANY more of us than most of you know…if we choose to abide by the law of love and interact with people as PEOPLE instead of as HEATHENS…choosing to allow GOD to judge, since “judge not that ye be not judged” is a tenant of our faith (or should be, IMHO)…so, it appears that if we choose to love instead of judge, some people think we are doomed?
I don’t know what to think of all this sometimes. I mean, the God I worship is a God of love. Yes, He judges. BUT…He has instructed US that if we have a log in our own eye, we are not qualified to judge someone who has one also…and since every sin is the same in God’s eyes, and ALL of us sin, we ALL have logs in our own eyes. The faith I believe in, which I believe is supported by the Bible, does NOT give ME the right to judge anyone who does not believe the same things I believe. It is NOT MY PLACE to judge my fellow man. The day I am perfect? THAT is the day I will have the right to judge anyone else.
Please don’t hold your breathe, waiting for that day…because it will never, EVER happen.
I believe that this position is supported by the Bible.
How can it be wrong to interact here? If people don’t agree with us, it is their right. Would it be better to restrict yourself to interacting only with people who agree with you? What kind of stupidity is this? I just don’t get it.
It DOES appear to me that Christians are denigrated on this board. Other belief systems are allowed without ridicule or PROOF. Wiccans are allowed to be Wiccans. Atheists are allowed to be atheists. Buddhists are allowed to be Buddhists. Christians are treated as though they are mentally deficiant. It happens often, and although it is sometimes subtle, it appears to me to be quite invasive.
Christians are quite often treated like idiots. I don’t like that. It makes me angry. But it doesn’t make me feel like insulating myself against people who have anger against my faith or just don’t believe in my faith. Other people have a right to their opinion.
I just wonder, sometimes, why there is so much anger toward Christians, when other belief systems don’t seem to stir up all this…enmity?
I disagree, Scotticher. There are many well-respected posters that make no secret of their Christian faith: Polycarp, Jodi and Libertarian spring quickly to mind. However babbling fools like Friend of God do get their hats handed to them, sometimes with their heads still wearing them.
Yes, there are many people here who are well-respected posters who make no secret of their Christian faith. Perhaps we should ask THEM if they feel their Christian faith is consistently denigrated?
Perhaps I should ask if I am a well respected poster who has made no secret of my Christian faith? Because if I haven’t, and if I am not a respected poster, then I have been doing some things VERY wrong and would serve my faith best by fading quickly into the sunset? And this is in NO way a defensive post. I am sincere.
Scotti -
Wiccans have come under attack for being Wiccan on this board in the past, and probably will again in the future.
I dunno about Atheists, but then again that’s not my particular focus, so I wouldn’t necessarily notice. Same with Buddhists.
I won’t deny that there are a handful of posters who are particularly virulent/vocal about their feelings WRT believers (some of them not Christian specific, mind you). They are not the majority by any stretch, though I can see where it might get to feeling that way.
As far as your last post - I haven’t interacted with you personally enough to know how your witness goes (I didn’t know you were Christian), nor to know if I respect you or not.
So far, you haven’t done anything to make me retract my inherent respect for you as a human being, if that helps.
I also wonder if Christians here are not more frequently held to a higher standard of proof for their religious beliefs than are adherents of other religions.
I have to totally agree with you here. Not only do I myself also not feel like being insulated, but I’ve investigated the Christian faith more as a result of being here than I would have had I remained in an environment where I was surrounded by Christians. I hope that that will translate into my becoming a more loving and effective follower of Jesus.
Scotticher, I must say your post has resonated with me, and I thank you for it.
FWIW, people have persistently raised two complaints about the SDMB, generally without ever attempting to offer any proof:
**1.) Christians are a minority on this board, and atheists/agnostics are in the majority. **
Once, in response to this complaint, we conducted an informal poll and found that Christians actually are in the plurality here.
2.) This board has a bias against Christianity.
I’m willing to admit that such prejudice, if it exists, won’t be as apparent to me as it would be to a Christian. Let me point out a few things, though:
a) there are more Christians here than members of any other religious group, so naturally you’ll see them criticised more often.
b) members of other religions have been treated similarly to Christians for similar comments. For example, we had some Muslims here who went through the whole fundie bit- evolution is wrong, the Koran is infallible, etc. We treated them just like we treat Christian fundamentalists who offer similarly vacuous arguments. However, see “a” above. Since we’ve only had five Muslims here that I can remember, whereas we’ve had plenty of fundamentalist Christians…
c) Christians are in the majority in America, and I would argue that some Christians exhibit rude or stupid behaviors that derive from that fact, thus bringing them in for more criticism. One could speculate that if you’re a member of a minority religion, particularly atheism, agnosticism, or Wicca, then you probably converted to that religion from Christianity after a period of religious searching. Since Christianity is the default position, it unfortunately may have become the dumping ground for all the nincompoops who can’t think for themselves. Moreover, people in the majority are more likely to act like they own the place, and to be rude as a result. How many Hindus do you see arguing for “In Gods We Trust” on the money? If the situation were reversed, and atheists had been in a 95+% majority for several generations, there would be no Left Behind, and probably no creationism as well. In such a parallel universe, virtually all Christians would have read the Bible, and probably would have read Thomas Merton and C. S. Lewis, too.
I stand corrected…I have never seen this happen, but I will be happy to take your word for it. Perhaps it is as you say…since it is not my particular focus, I haven’t read the threads where this happened.
I don’t think they are in the majority either. And maybe I am not expressing what I think very well. I guess it sometimes seems to me that intolerance for Christian belief is ACCEPTED by more people here than intolerance for other beliefs. I may be wrong, and maybe I am too sensitive. I don’t know…I just know what it looks like to me.
Thank you, honey…it has been pointed out to me by a friend that that last post was going to be misinterpreted, and I can see why that is. I didn’t mean to say “respect me or I am leaving” (and I can hear people all over the globe saying to themselves…“Well, don’t let the door hit you on the butt on your way out.” ) I guess I can’t explain very well, either. But I’ll try. See, I am not ashamed of my faith. I am also not interested in debating my faith with anyone…I don’t enjoy debating, I am lousy at it, and I really hate conflict. I believe what I believe, and no one is going to change my mind. I am also not going to change anyone ELSE’S mind by debating with them about it. So I have had a tendency to not mention it much. My friends know what I believe. I thought that was enough. But I have been thinking lately that by staying silent when I see what I perceive to be “Christian bashing”, maybe I am allowing people to believe that I agree with it, or something like that. Not that anyone who doesn’t know me is likely to care, but…this is just something I have been wrestling with in my own mind. That second post was sort of an offshoot of all that discussion I have been having with myself. And I should have KEPT it to myself.
Thank you, lel. I appreciate your comments and I agree with you.
Ben…Thank you for your thoughtful comments. Definitely food for thought. And yes, there are many people who exhibit behavior that makes me cringe…some of it actually under the Christian banner, some of it incidental- but when someone claims to be a Christian, I guess I expect certain things. And spewing hate is NOT one of them. Again, just as I don’t feel that I have the right to judge people of other or NO faith, I don’t feel I have the right to judge other Christians either. But…well, as I said, sometimes (especially on issues such as homosexuality) I just have to shake my head and wonder how one could reconcile the faith I believe in with all that hate.
Anyway, thanks to the three of you for discussing this with me. I really appreciate your comments.