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Most of this is due to the negative image of Christians the media has been running nonstop since the 60s.

You’re watching a movie or sitcom. Which of these two guys will be the bad guy? The priest or the black lawyer who defends homeless rights? The minister or the gay guy? When was the last time you saw a remake of a bible story on TV? If you did, was it Old Testament or New? When you play Final Fantasy Tactics, are you shocked when you discover the church has a dark secret, and is actually a corrupt conspiracy? What about when you play Final Fantasy X? What about Final Fantasy XI? Corrupt churches and churchmen has become a trope far beyond the reality of the situation, which is honest, good people trying to do God’s business as best as they can.

The church has been a giant punching bag for the last 40-50 years. It’s a testament to the goodness of the church that opinion moves away from it so slowly. But nowadays, many Christians are hesitant to even label themselves Christians, because doing so identifies you with the giant straw man that has been erected over the last 40 years. Hence most of the people you’ll meet in the USA that identify themselves as Christians are the ones that have kind of “snapped” and are aggressive about it. Two days ago at the mall there was a guy walking around with a t-shirt with several paragraphs on his back talking about how gays are going to hell (I live in San Francisco, mind you). At my college, a radical fundamentalist would come to the campus once or twice a year, stand in the middle of the commons, and call all the women there whores, and challenge people to debates. I found it distasteful, but interesting nonetheless. Most people don’t know why they believe the things they know, or the reasons for the things they do — they do them simply because they are popular or trendy. I’d debate with him whenever he’d come, and would sometimes back him down. He didn’t get upset though; he was happy whenever someone could put forth a rational argument.

I consider sites like this one to be indicative of all of the above. It’s a direct offspring, or concentration, of the hostility towards Christianity that has been coming from the media in the last 40-50 years. I’d guess that the preponderance of atheists, for all they profess rationalism, were (either consciously or unconsciously) more influenced by the fashionability or popularity of atheism, or by negative personal experiences towards God or the church, than by reasoned, rational thought to adopt their philosophy.
Which is one of the reasons why I have a low opinion of atheists and atheism in general. If you’re going to profess a rational philosophy, have a rational philosophy, FFS.

Toleration is the sign of a reasoned mind. (Not uncritical acceptance of all beliefs, as “tolerance” has come to mean these days.) Sites which exist simply to make fun of others’ beliefs (www.religiousfreaks.com) is testament to the lack of wisdom and reasoning of the operator thereof.

In general, a Christian is a good, decent person. Did you go to a church when you were in the states, or did you simply observe those who professed Christianity in public? As I said, there is a difference in the two populations. This is in contrast, of course, to the atheist, who is in general an embittered, and often cruel or mean, person.

If one had to choose a philosophy solely by the outcome that it has on its adherents, it’s self-evident which is superior.

The phrase “a woman’s right to choose” is flung around way too much — I totally agree with BJT. IMO the fact of the matter is that we just plan don’t have the tools to know for certain when life begins. What abortion-activists take this to mean is that its ok to terminate the fetus as long as we don’t know if its actually a human being.

I mean think about it… What makes us human? What makes us alive? How can we possibly tell with certainty that life begins at the end of the 2nd trimester, when the umbilical cord is cut, when the sperm enters the egg, when the hearts starts beating, when a toddler says his/her first word, when we hit 18 (in the states) and can be legally independent, or any other time?

My argument against abortion is this… Consider what you’d do if you owned a building and wanted to tear it down because it was in the way of something else you wanted to build there. However, you are way less than 100% sure about whether or not anyone is currently in the building. Would you tear the building down? If there was someone in the building at the time, are you liable for that person’s death? In this situation, US law (among many other countries) would prolly charge you with criminal negligence or something… In any case, I think you’d be held accountable for that person’s death.

My home country (Greece) while relatively conservative, does not have such an organized and passionate group of people who’s only goal is to fight abortion rights and homosexuals. Sure, they will say that both are unacceptable but that’s as far as it goes. I generally had much respect for religious people in Greece because they focused on the issues that matter and simply because they were nice people.

However, as the years passed in the US, I started *disliking* religious people. At the time I didn’t think too much about and I didn’t compare the religious folk from home, to the ones in USA. The side effect of this was that I would also automatically dislike the religious people I’d meet in Greece whenever I came back for winter/summer breaks.

Now that I moved back home, I’ve noticed these differences and, once again, I’m mostly positive towards religious people, even though I’m not very religious. I think religion can be beneficial to society if it’s “done” right. Clearly the way it’s done in America only polarizes the nation, distances the “slightly-religious” from religion, and does not have any beneficial effects on society. I applaud this minority Evangelical group for trying to make their religion a positive force in the world.

Kalihmera steven Your opinion is very clear indeed.I understand you very well.Lets have some uzo and some greek music and have fun.Good people like you makes people good and bad people makes people think negatively as you told in your message.being religious doesnt make people good or angel also being agnostic or atheist doesnt make people bad ones.Ancient greek was totally different so as Spartans Homosexuality was a normal way of love but killing was a bad thing.You are Greek so you know alot more than me about the history.Some organisations tell people to be conservative and want to rule the others freedom and this is unaccepteable.This war drums for the clash of civilasations is just foolish.I have raki for you and you have uzo for me.Maybe some politicinas and organisations want a war I just want those evils to find another planet to immigrate so that they can fight kill destroy eachother without Women children and normal people.I dont have a gun factory but I have people that I love and there are also people like you that I ve never meet but very happy to learn from you you have a nice decission over all.
For me freedom is the only rule I am a heterosexual and think that those organisations must check their opinions on the facts such as homosexuals and freedom.they told that they are doin it because its right and they are conservative I say Being ghay is dangerous where as being a gay is not for other people.Tolerated minds are always welcome.I dont know anywars started by the gays but We all know those conservative people fight alot and still talkin about to send their children to eachother.
Love and Peace a Turkish friend of you.