XPost: alt.checkmate, alt.fan.cyberchicken, alt.fiftyplus   
   XPost: alt.free.newsservers, alt.philosophy.checkmate, alt.religion.scientology   
   XPost: alt.sixtyplus, alt.usenet.kooks, can.politics   
   XPost: sci.physics, soc.men, soc.women   
   From: jgaylord1@dslextreme.com   
      
   On 3/18/2018 5:26 PM, Checkmate wrote:   
   > Warning! Always wear ANSI approved safety goggles when reading posts by   
   > Checkmate!  In article , jgaylord1   
   > @dslextreme.com says...   
   >   
   >   
   >>   
   >> On 3/18/2018 3:14 PM, Checkmate wrote:   
   >>> Warning! Always wear ANSI approved safety goggles when reading posts by   
   >>> Checkmate!  In article ,   
   >>> greghall@yacht_maester.fake says...   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>>>   
   >>>> On Sat, 17 Mar 2018 23:08:44 -0700, joy  wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>> <...>   
   >>>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> That is probably true.  However, I was referring to atheists who have to   
   >>>>> keep forcing their atheism on people who disagree with them.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> One evening I was with a group of people and one man was going on and   
   >>>>> on, in a belligerent tone, about how there is no life after death.  He   
   >>>>> just wouldn't shut up, no matter what anybody said.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> I finally said, "Well, I believe there is life after death, which makes   
   >>>>> me better off than you are."   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> He stormed over, leaned practically in my face and said, "Why?!"   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> I said, "Because if I'm wrong, I'll never know it, but if you're wrong,   
   >>>>> you could be in for one hell of a surprise."   
   >>>>   
   >>>> So, true. It's elementary logic.  Doesn't make one bit   
   >>>> of sense to be an atheist. There's nothing to gain and   
   >>>> EVERYTHING to lose.   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> You can't force yourself to believe something, just because there's a   
   >>> minute possibility that to do so would be beneficial.   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >> That is true, and that is why I don't believe that people who don't   
   >> believe whatever are condemned to hell.  I think that if people are   
   >> judged it will be based on the way they treat each other and this world,   
   >> not on what they believe.   
   >   
   > I view the "Believe or burn" threat as a pretty shady recruitment   
   > tactic, and every major religion uses it.  How's anybody supposed to   
   > know which god is the proper one to believe in?  Suppose it's the   
   > christian god... people born in other parts of the world who have never   
   > even heard of christianity are automatically doomed?  It defies logic.   
   >   
      
   Basically, Christians, Muslims and Jews all believe in the same God.   
    From there, it differs.  Christianity says Christ was divine.  Muslims   
   and Jews consider him a great prophet.  All three religions have   
   multiple sects, most with very restrictive beliefs of one kind or   
   another.  My church is unusual, although there are more of us all the   
   time.  Our motto is, "Whoever you are, wherever you are on life's   
   journey, you are welcome here."  Our pianist is Jewish.  Our current   
   pastor is gay.  I suspect that no two of us believe exactly the same   
   about everything, and that's okay.  I agree it would be ridiculous, nas   
   well as unfair, to doom the people who have never heard of Christianity,   
   including all those who were born before Christ was.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)