Abortion & Religion

Posted by Anonymous User

Re: Abortion & Religion
March 26, 2009

Registered: 15 years ago
Posts: 5,275

Quote
str8six
Everyone here knows I'm a Christian. Whatever you choose to believe or not believe in is your own business. However, I do find it ironic that (since most here are not Christians), you purposefully leave out the letter 'o' in God (Muslamah), or how you [also] disrespect Christian beliefs by typing the word God backwards or calling it a 'myth'. That is the same disrespect you're referring to regarding the disrespect of the belief, or non-belief, of your choice. It's not a one-way street. I've never read here where someone wrote: "Pa-an", or "Ju-ism" or "Mu-lim". You act as though if you type the whole word out, or properly, you're somehow going to wake up the next day and be a Christian!

I just want to point out one thing: *I* have never EVER disrespected ANY belief or non-belief of ANYONE here, calling them stupid or dumb, and I don't intend to start. Yet I have to constantly hear most on this forum incessantly bashing and degrading a religion I believe in. But I don't complain about it because my beliefs are solid and unequivocal. I guess that's why it doesn't bother me.

My understanding is that omitting the o in God is, to observant Jews at least, a sign of respect and humility, because a mere human is not worthy to utter a name that holy. Hence you see Jews spelling that name "G-d." Don't know if that is true for Muslims as well.

I have been guilty of typing God as doG and slamming Christianity. However, this is similar to the "autistic--awwtistic" debate. There are many good Christians like str8six who don't seem to impose their own beliefs on others, and I liked str8six's saying "I love God--it's His followers I can't stand" (paraphrased). For such folks, their belief enriches their life and guides them to be good people. This is analogous to the term "autistic" being used for people suffering from a genuine disability--no disrespect is intended.

Then there are those self-called Christians who show up at the funerals of soldiers to inform the grieving family that "God hates fags," or bomb innocent workers at an abortion clinic, or pass state-wide laws that restrict the lives of those who may not be Christian. Those are the only believers I have an issue with, and who irritate me to the point of mocking their seemingly hypocritical religion with sometimes childish epithets like "doG," out of frustration and indignation. This is analogous to the term "awwtistic" being used for "fake" diagnoses of probably normal kids whom the parents just aren't dealing with properly--it's a mocking term, because the mockery is warranted.

As an atheist, I have every right to believe as I wish just as Christians do. If I think Christianity is a myth, as I do, I'm not going to sell my beliefs short or lie--I have a right to express my opinion--just as Christians do, in line with their beliefs. There are no sacred cows, atheism included--we have certainly come under our share of invective, and a complete lack of respect from some believers. That's OK with me--I have my own life to live and I am confident in my beliefs, just like str8six. Just as I don't expect believers to muffle their freedom of speech by tiptoeing around the topic of atheism out of "respect," I don't have to either about religion, else I'd be selling myself short and compromising my freedom to say what I want.

In the meantime I think we can all continue discussions without bristling at any perceived slight to one's belief or non-belief. Like str8six said, if you're confident in your own beliefs, the remarks of others don't affect you. That's true in my case at least.

That's my tediously heavy and tiresome post for the day, anyways. Time to lighten up now and go make some carbonara.

Edited: whoopsie, Muslimah beat me to the Jewish usage detail.