Sheila wrote:
“Voile, yes, I do believe I know the difference between mythology and
reality, so I think it's unfair to categorize all people who follow a
certain religion as akin to being "dribbling, mindless, idiotic robots."
There are extremes to everything, though, including non-religious
viewpoints.”

Sheila, I think it’s unfair for you to suggest that I’m categorizing all
people who follow a certain religion to being mindless, idiotic robots.
I certainly don’t think of you that way. I think you’re very
intelligent and you articulate your concerns and beliefs very well.

You’ve stated yourself that you don’t take the bible ‘literally’ and
you’re perfectly comfortable in your relationship with God to form your
own personal interpretations of what you read in the bible. I’m
actually coming from a similar point of view, I’ve just taken the view
so dramatically far that I’m completely comfortable with tossing the
entire book out as having absolutely nothing at all to do with god. I
mean, I could toss a bible in a trash can and actually feel as though I
have done ‘god’ a favor.

Please note that when I referred to your perception of God above I used
a capital “G” and when I referred to my perception of ‘god’ I did my
little lower-case thing with the single quotes. For me, the god that I
know would prefer the lower case name. Why? Because, for me, god
‘wants’ us to know ‘him’ as an equal and not as a superior. My
relationship with god, is that I am very much a part of god. God
doesn’t view me as inferior being. I’m not inferior because I’m not
separate from god. I could only be inferior if I was a completely
separate entity in my own right, which I am not. If I were, then I’d
be a ‘little god’.

In any case, I understand your view of feeling personally insulted when
I put down a religion and claim that it is ‘duping’ people. Although
that’s really a poor choice of words. I don’t believe that churches are
purposefully ‘duping’ people. I believe that they are innocently
misleading them (although some religious leader may not be so innocent).
More to the point, I don’t believe that the Bible is the word of god.
Therefore what I really believe is that people are being mislead by the
Bible not really ‘duped’. I actually picked that word out of one of
your quotes earlier.

Sheila wrote:
“Why do you think that would have been a "terrible waste of time,"
James?” (i.e. in reference to Jesus dying for my sins)

Like Voile mentioned, I think it would have been in vain because I have
no sins worth dying over.

This is one major complaint I have with the whole Bible story. The
story is that all men are born sinners, and we all need salvation, and
Jesus died for our sins.

What a guilt complex that is!

I personally think that’s a disgustingly negative view of god. A
religion that’s based on the idea that all men are born into sin and the
main thrust of the religion is to obtain salvation from sin. And that
most certainly is the main thrust of the religion. Churchs almost focus
solely on Jesus hanging on a cross and the idea of people coming forward
and confessing their sins to be forgiven and find salvation.

If I were a very sinful person I might actually buy into that. But in
all honesty Sheila, I’m not a sinful person. I don’t feel like sin
should be the focal point of a belief in a god. And let’s face it, this
has been the main theme of Christianity from the very get go starting
with the Ten Commandments and onward. It’s all about morals and
controlling the actions of people via making them feel guilty and having
a need for salvation.

I just don’t see god’s main theme in life to be all about resisting the
temptations of sin and groveling for salvation. I have a need for that
kind of god because I don’t sin.

Now you may think, “How arrogant of this man to believe that he is
without sin!”

This has always been a big issue for me personally. I seriously have no
desire to sin. I don’t need to resist temptation to sin because I have
no temptation to sin. How is that fair to someone else who is
constantly tempted to do ‘sinful’ things? I’m getting off easy by not
feeling any temptations?

If you were out somewhere and you had a huge amount of cash with you and
you dropped it and I found it. My first reaction would be to ask around
if anyone lost anything. I certainly wouldn’t describe what it is that
they might have lost, but I would ask if any is missing something. If
you stepped forward and said, “Yes, I lost a large amount of cash”. I
would then hand you back your property and tell you that you should be
more careful with it.

And listen up Sheila! This is coming from a man who is living in
poverty! I could really use the money! Yet I am so honest that I
wouldn’t even take someone else’s money if I found it accidentally. I’m
most certainly not going to be tempted to outright steal.

I’m seriously not tempted by most things that would be considered
‘sins’. We hear about people cheating on each other in relationships
all the time. That thought would never even cross my mind much less be
acted on.

And that brings me to the religions concept that is often preached, “All
you need to do is think the thought and you have sinned!”

God! Talk about trying to make people feel GUILTY!

Well, I don’t have thoughts of things that I would consider to be
‘sins’, such as stealing, cheating, or doing harm to anyone in any way.
In fact, I even let people walk all over me when I sell stuff!

I don’t buy into the idea that thoughts are ‘sin’. If I see a sexy
woman and become sexually aroused, I’m not going to ask forgiveness for
that ‘sin’. That’s absurd. It’s perfectly natural for a man to become
sexually aroused when he sees a sexy woman. If a religion has to dig
that deep to make people feel guilty about sinning it’s a pretty sad
religion.

I don’t want to have a groveling relationship with god that is so sin
and salvation oriented.

Is that what god is really like? I don’t buy it for a second.

I have much more respect and admiration for god than to believe the
‘She’ could be so petty.

There, I used a personal pronoun to refer to god as much as it pains me
to do so. If I have to place a gender on god let her be a she. God is
beyond gender.

Tomokun wrote:
”Abra has enjoyed the debate as much as most of us, and he didn't take
anything said personally.”

This is true. I make every attempt to stick to the issues. About the
only thing that really upsets me is when other people accuse me of
insulting them because I’ve made derogatory statements about a religion
that they might coincidentally be associated with. But I even try to
deal with that as calmly as I possibly can.

Tomokun wrote:
“You state explicitly that your belief is that "God" as you describe the
entity is actually everything. Literally the Alpha and the Omega. While
your religion has fewer restrictions, it is arguably closer to Shinto
than it is to being your own unique philosophy.”

I’m not familiar with Shinto. However, I’ve never claimed this the
philosophy or view of “God” is unique to me. I certainly hope not! I
hope there are a lot of people out there who experience god in this way.
In fact, I’m sure there is. There are people on this very forum who
have acknowledged an appreciation of my feeble attempt to describe god
in another thread.

I most certainly do not claim to have a unique few. In fact, many
eastern philosophies have similar views at the foundation of their
religions as well. One problem with those religions though, is that
even though they have their foundation in this experiential idea of god,
they have since grown to become very dogmatic to include morals that
they believe to be associated with their picture of god. So I still
have a problem with those religion when they become too dogmatic, even
though they have foundations of a more intimate god.

As I’ve stated in other posts, I don’t see the purpose of ‘religion’ to
teach morals. We don’t get our morals from god in the form of a written
doctrine. We are responsible for our own morals. However, I will say
that our relationship with god most certainly can have an affect on our
morals. And I merely say *can* because many atheists have perfectly
good morals, yet they haven’t established a sentient relationship with
god. You can hardly establish a sentient relationship with an entity
that you don’t even believe exists.

Therefore highly moral atheist are a living testament to the fact that
humans can indeed have good morals without any help from god. And
that’s a good thing.

Tomokun wrote:
“If you think that your religion doesn't require faith, then what do you
call the basic agreement that reality exists?”

There are two ways to argue existence.

You can attempt to make a philosophical logical proof that everyone will
agree cannot be disputed. Thus you have proven to others that reality
exists to.

Or the second way to argue proof of existence is the basic idea “I
think, therefore I am”. Although, I personally would rewrite that to
read, “I perceive, therefore I am”.

In other words, I really don’t need to prove to anyone else that my
reality exists. My own personal experience of existing is all the
prove I need. It’s not necessary to prove my existence to you or
anyone else via logic.

I base everything on the experience. I have no need to prove my
relationship with god to anyone. All I need to do is experience it.
And this is precisely what I’m saying. There’s no need for anything
other than to have a direct experience with god. What more would a
person need? Thus the conclusion that written dogma is totally
unnecessary. You can’t find god by having someone else tell you what
god should be like via ancient stories of an external egotistical
judgmental god in the sky who is clearly separate from you. You find
god by simply knowing god from within.

That’s my position. Thus I see these stories of an external god to be
leading people away from knowing the genuine entity that they are very
much a part of, and leading people away from realizing that this entity
*is* this universe, (Alpha and Omega) as you say.

These religions that preach an ‘external’ image of god only serve to
make people think of this life as something less important. The earth
is just a ball of rock . Merely something to be stood on whilst they
seek salvation to go on to a better place.

My understanding of god tells me that this is the better place. The
universe is all that exists. God is here now within you. Everything
around you is directly and intimately related to you. Everything is
god. We aren’t a bunch of separate little egos waiting to be chosen by
a superior judgmental being for an eternal afterlife.

This life is it! Today is what’s important! Not some fictitious
tomorrow spent in heaven.

Yet, at the very same time, this life is not all there is. We are this
universe, therefore we will be ‘reincarnated’ many times. So it’s not
a dismal picture at all. Everyone gets eternal life unconditionally.
No need for salvation.

Yet, each and every incarnation is life! This life is one of those
incarnations and therefore, ‘this is it!’. This is why we are here.
To enjoy this incarnation of life.

This philosophy brings people down to earth.

Religions like Christianity cause people to be constantly dreaming about
a heavenly afterlife and to not appreciate this life as having much
significance in and of itself. This life is merely a fleeting ‘test’ to
get through to graduate to heaven. The whole basis of those religions
necessarily suggest that the human condition is an inferior condition.
Life is inferior. There’s something better than this to come.

Plus they really do separate people rather than making people all feel
like brothers. How so? Well the whole basis of getting into heaven is
based on personal salvation from a separate egotistical view. It’s
really every man for himself.

“If you don’t make it to heaven that’s YOUR PROBLEM A$$HOLE!”

That’s not me talking by the way. That’s just an anonymous quote of an
attitude that these salvation-based religions breed.

And for Sheila’s sake let me clearly state the I’m fully aware that
everyone who puts their faith into these religions most certainly
doesn’t take on this attitude. My point is that overall,
generally-speaking, these religions do cause this attitude to become
prevalent among the masses.

Angry? Defensive? I think you hit the preverbial nail right on the head
here. The attitudes you commented on are exactly the reason that so many
innocent people throughout history have been killed for the sake of
"religion". Veyr sad, I think & totally uncalled for.

Abra, I'm a very honest person, too. I don't go around "sinning" all the
time, either. I haven't, nor would I ever, intentionally hurt someone.
But surely I have sinned...man, by his very nature, is a sinner. We are
all imperfect human beings.

Where I take issue with you is the way you speak about people who follow
the Bible as though they are brainless. I feel you do have a right to
interpret issues as you see fit; I merely ask that you curb your
statements a bit, because lots of them are just outright insulting.

"Yet, at the very same time, this life is not all there is. We are this
universe, therefore we will be ‘reincarnated’ many times."

You state this as though it were a fact. I don't believe in
reincarnation. As a Christian, I believe I'm going to Heaven when I die.
I had a near-death experience before, and I can tell you, it further
confirmed my belief in God and Heaven (even though I didn't need further
confirmation.)

Sheila wrote:
“Where I take issue with you is the way you speak about people who
follow the Bible as though they are brainless.”

That’s always an unfortunate side-affect when you are trying to argue
that something doesn’t make rational sense. The other person can, and
often will, take as a personal insult against their ability to think
rationally.

Rather than being personally insulted why don’t they just come back with
arguments of why they believe it *is* rational to believe these things?
I mean if they believe that it’s rational to believe these things then
shouldn’t they have rational arguments to support that view?

Or, if they don’t want to argue a case for it, then why not just say so
and bow out of the conversation. Like, “I don’t need to rationalize my
religion thank you. Have a nice day, goodbye.”

Hanging around screaming that you are being personally insulted is
hardly the spirit of fruitful conversation. No one is forcing you, or
even asking you, to justify your beliefs.

You don’t need to read my posts if you don’t like my views. No one is
forcing you to read them.

I’m not asking you to change your religious views and I never have.
You are quite welcome to believe however you like. Contrary to your
feelings on the matter I have never implied in any way that you are not
an intelligent person. If you believe that I have implied that, I’m
sorry. There’s nothing I can do about that other than to tell you that
isn’t true.

"That’s always an unfortunate side-affect when you are trying to argue
that something doesn’t make rational sense. The other person can, and
often will, take as a personal insult against their ability to think
rationally."

Excuse me? Now, are you going to try to state that you just didn't
accuse me of not being able to think rationally? I beg your pardon, but
I'm a VERY rational person.

"Rather than being personally insulted why don’t they just come back
with arguments of why they believe it *is* rational to believe these
things?"

Because you can't "prove" faith. You can't argue faith with someone who
chooses to not believe in it. So, what's the point?

"I mean if they believe that it’s rational to believe these things then
shouldn’t they have rational arguments to support that view?"

Not if you're going to insist they're not "rational."

"Or, if they don’t want to argue a case for it, then why not just say so
and bow out of the conversation. Like, “I don’t need to rationalize my
religion thank you. Have a nice day, goodbye.”

For someone who claims not to "need" to rationalize his religion, you
sure spend an inordinately large amount of time doing it.

You're welcome. See ya.



Hanging around screaming that you are being personally insulted is
hardly the spirit of fruitful conversation. No one is forcing you, or
even asking you, to justify your beliefs.

You don’t need to read my posts if you don’t like my views. No one is
forcing you to read them.

I’m not asking you to change your religious views and I never have.
You are quite welcome to believe however you like. Contrary to your
feelings on the matter I have never implied in any way that you are not
an intelligent person. If you believe that I have implied that, I’m
sorry. There’s nothing I can do about that other than to tell you that
isn’t true.

Sheila wrote:
“For someone who claims not to "need" to rationalize his religion, you
sure spend an inordinately large amount of time doing it.”

I don’t even have a region.

Hanging around screaming that you are being personally insulted is
hardly the spirit of fruitful conversation. No one is forcing you, or
even asking you, to justify your beliefs.

Who's "screaming?" That's your "irrational" interpretation of someone
who disagrees with you. It seems as though you're happy as a clam so
long as people don't argue with you or so long as you feel you have
ammunition to rebut their viewpoints and to point out their
"imperfections," as deemed by you, but you seem to get angry when
someone takes offense to your blatant insults about the religions other
people follow that don't echo your personal viewpoints. And I believe
that you can effectively argue those points without belittling people.
All you have to do is make the slightest effort. It's not that difficult
to do.

"You don’t need to read my posts if you don’t like my views. No one is
forcing you to read them."

I didn't say I didn't "like" (or dislike) your VIEWS; I said I don't
like the fact you are insulting to other people's views. Even other
people have pointed that out.

"I’m not asking you to change your religious views and I never have."

I never said you did.

"You are quite welcome to believe however you like. Contrary to your
feelings on the matter I have never implied in any way that you are not
an intelligent person. If you believe that I have implied that, I’m
sorry. There’s nothing I can do about that other than to tell you that
isn’t true."

No, I never said you stated I wasn't intelligent. Wouldn't matter if you
did, anyway, because I know that I am. I don't need you to confirm that
for me.

Hello to all...

I am not nearly as articulate as most in this thread, however I would
like to address this forum, if I may. There have been many
point/counterpoint facets of this thread. The perplexity could not be
followed without intense focus. Not wanting to join without having
followed this path of enlightenment, I have carefully read and re-read
this thread.

First, I would like to thank all who joined in this discussion, for it
has been very respectful and insightful, indeed.It has been a pleasure
to read and I could only hope to add something for everyone.

I only could wish for everyone here to know the peace inside that God
has meant for people to have. For those who have a problem with the name
God...please, I mean no offense...it is, however, the only name that I
have to identify with a supernatural power...besides that, our God loves
you no matter what you want his name to be.

As a youth, raised by rednecks of the meanest sort, I learned to hate
cats...heard stories told over and over about the tortures of them. It
was all justified, and these were people I looked up to, most of whom I
know now had severe issues...not to mention egos.

So one day, in order to show how tough I was...mind you toughness and
heartless were one in the same...I partook in an unexcuseable act of
cruelty to an animal. I remember how wrong I felt while it was all
happening, yet the need to be tough, as I had been taught...prevailed.
Almost two weeks later, I was struck by a car while riding a bicycle on
an old country road...the results were permanent brain damage in the
cognitive functioning department as a result of massive contusion and
coma.What goes around comes around... huh?

Later in life, I was going nowhere fast...kids, girlfriend, no job,
drugs, etc... Mind you, earlier in life(before the accident) I was voted
"most likely to succeed", had a near genius iq (Weschler/Peabody),
gifted artist, academically gifted...had all the tools, without the
stone. This feeling of absolute worthlessness overwhelmed me
gradually.....Poor choices...my choices.

Then I looked for hope...I looked for peace....I looked for strength,
all I wanted was to end this tragedy that my life had became.I wanted to
be where I was supposed to be...which is so far from where I was.I found
all that I wanted and more in our God.

I was having a conversation with the man who led me through the prayer
of salvation one day, and I mentioned the "reap what you sow" conclusion
that I had come to believe about the cat and the accident earlier in my
life. This man looked at me and asked a simple question,

" Mike, do you love your kids?"

Kinda taken back a little I answered him with a pondering look,I am
sure "Well...yeah?"

"If one of your boys killed a cat, would you go run him over with a
car?"

"No!!!"

Our God loves us all as we are and wants us all to have peace... I do
not believe in fire and brimstone efforts... Fear tactics should be
replaced with forgiveness and love tactics. This thread is like a
diamond with the most absolutely marvelous cut...many facets
indeed...God is love! Those who find it find Him. The most marvelous,
accepted as you are, no need to look any further... peace. Mankind
corrupts it.

Live Laugh Love

Thanks for sharing that Mike, your story is very touching.

I agree with the man who told you that your accident was not payback for
what you did to the cat. Your payback for what you did to the cat was
the emotional agony that you suffered for having done it. Moreover, it
wasn’t your idea nor something you would have done on your own.

And I agree, god is love.

It may not have been his idea, but it was done of his own free will. He
realizes this, and has made amends for it. The God I know is a loving,
forgiving God. "ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God." We
are imperfect human beings and continue to be so throughout our entire
lives, but it is through God's grace -- and God's grace only -- that we
receive redemption.

Our God's grace is a beautiful thing...

It was my choice...and I knew better....I place no blame

Just for the record, here are excerpts from but ONE post in which Abra
said insulting things about people who follow certain religions:

"However these religions breed ignorance. That’s a well-established
historical fact. These religions have pitted many people against
intellectual inquiry throughout the ages. And so I despise these
religions for their negative affect on the human intellectual spirit."

Oh, they breed IGNORANCE, do they? So, you're saying that people who
follow certain religions are IGNORANT, right? If that's not what you
mean, then please explain otherwise.

"When INTELLIGENT PEOPLE (caps for emphasis) made observations that
suggested this picture was necessarily incorrect these religions
persecuted those intellectuals in many cases actually burning them at a
stake. But the intellectual observation finally could not be denied.
Eventually these religions
had to accept the truth, yet it didn’t deter them from continuing on."

What this is saying to me is that you think that people who follow the
Bible are ignorant and supersititious, basically.

"This happen time and time again with almost every intellectual
discovery ever made. Intellectual people were constantly having to deal
with the IGNORANCE of these religious dogmas all the way up to, and
including our modern era."

What is it you find so IGNORANT about people who follow the teachings of
Jesus Christ and the Bible?

"It’s completely unfathomable to me how people can continue
to cling to such NONSENSE in the light of intellectual discover."

So the Bible is NONSENSE???

"Even today religious people denounce things like the discovery of
evolution in favor of these archaic out-dated disprove dogmas."

I don't believe we evolved from apes. You're certainly free to do so. To
me, there is tangible evidence of creation. Just because I can't PROVE
it to you, doesn't make it so.

"So I personally have a very bitter view of these ignorant dogmas that
continue to blind people from intelligent inquire and discovery."

Again with the use of the word IGNORANT.

"I see them as truly a bad thing like a mental disease."

I see people who belittle someone because they hold to a religious view
as truly a bad thing, like a mental disease.

"And it’s not just the technical discoveries, but they continue to cling
to the whole SANTA CLAUSE IN THE SKY picture."

You're calling God Santa Clause in the Sky? And that's not supposed to
be meant as an INSULT?

"That god is an external thing and that the real goal is to get to
heaven, etc."

And? So what if they want to believe that?

"I hate that MYTH...

Who says it's a MYTH???

"... because it cases people to focus on a fictitious heaven
instead of THIS LIFE.

Fictitious???? Since when???

"It also causes people to become extremely egotistical in that
everything is just between them and god on a personal level."

Uhh..no comment necessary.

"Those religions have actually caused people to believe that separate
from everyone else and they look at their brethren from the point of
view of ‘every man for himself’. If you aren’t square with god you’ll go
to hell and that’s
just too frigg’in back because you must deserve it! That’s the kind of
unloving uncaring, uncompassionate attitudes that these religions
foster."

Some perhaps, but not all. Certainly not Christianity in general.

"So when I see people supporting them and preaching them, or using them
to based their supposedly ‘intellectual arguments’, it just makes me
want to throw up."

"Supposedly intellectual." Excuse me, but I've seen VERY intelligent
writings coming from theologians and others who have studied the Bible
and ...well, guess what? They can believe in the Word of God and still
manage to tie their shoes by themselves. I know ...hard to believe,
isn't it?

"And yes, it makes me angry, not at the poor soul who’s falling for it,
but at the religions themselves."

The "poor soul" who's "falling for it." If that's not an insult, I don't
know what is.

"So the anger isn’t really directed at the people who believe in these
religions, it’s actually directed at the religions for having corrupted
those believers in the first place."

Well, it's a good thing we who do believe in God have you to set us
straight...since we're so incapable of making logic-based decisions on
our own.

For nearly 49 years I've believed in the God of the Bible and all this
time I was being duped. LOL. How PATHETIC, huh?

"I absolutely hate Christianity and all similar religions."

Your prerogative.

"I see them as a plague on the human spirit. A mental disease that needs
to be eradicated so that people can finally see the truth of the
universe for what it really is, and what they really are."

No comment.

"I’m not saying that there is no ‘god’, or that there is no spiritual
element to the universe. I most certainly believe that there is. But
it’s not the dogmatic external Santa Claus in the sky."

And you know this because?

"So my anger toward these religions has absolutely nothing to do with
people’s “personal beliefs’. It’s NOT their personal belief. They didn’t
make it up. It was taught to basically in a form of brainwashing."

Hmm...

"So yes, I’m angered that so many people have allowed themselves to be
brainwashed by these ancient misguided myths that have been disproved
over an over and over again."

I'm sorry, but I don't believe I've been "brainwashed," and I'm sure
that others who follow the same or similar beliefs I do would appreciate
your calling them brainwashed, either.

"And I thank you Mike for allowing me to get that off my chest in a
non-personal manner. Although I'm sure many religious people will take
it as a personal insult just the same."

I take it as a "personal insult" only because I'm a Christian. I take it
as a general insult because you're insulting other people who are
Christian.

"And that's what makes it so sad."

Can't argue with that.

Sheila wrote:
“Oh, they breed IGNORANCE, do they? So, you're saying that people who
follow certain religions are IGNORANT, right? If that's not what you
mean, then please explain otherwise.”

No that’s not what I was saying at all, and so I’m glad that you asked
for an explanation.

You tore my whole post apart from the point of view of an individual
believer.

By my post was not aimed at the individual believer. My post was aimed
at the institutionalized religion, and the comments I made were about
them spreading ignorance over the centuries. Those are historical
facts, not my own personal opinion.

My post wasn’t aimed at you as a personal casual believer who takes your
own interpretations of things.

You just misunderstand where I’m coming from is all. You tore my entire
post apart from the wrong point of view. You took it personal when it
wasn’t intended that way at all.

Maybe I can better make my point by asking you this:

Are you PERSONALLY responsible for what the Church did to Copernicus?

Are you PERSONALLY responsible for what the Church did to Galileo?

Are you PERSONALLY responsible for what the Church did to Mendel?

Are you PERSONALLY responsible for the Inquisition?

If your answer is no to any of these questions, then why are you
PERSONALLY insulted by my posts?

No, I'm not. I AM, however, PERSONALLY offended by your stating that
people who follow the teachings of the Bible are "duped" and "ignorant."

But I think we settled this in a different forum, did we not?

You're the one who brought up the word 'duped'.

Not me.

oh but wait..I do have to address this post...

"Sheila wrote:
“Oh, they breed IGNORANCE, do they? So, you're saying that people who
follow certain religions are IGNORANT, right? If that's not what you
mean, then please explain otherwise.”

No that’s not what I was saying at all, and so I’m glad that you asked
for an explanation.

You tore my whole post apart from the point of view of an individual
believer.

By my post was not aimed at the individual believer. My post was aimed
at the institutionalized religion, and the comments I made were about
them spreading ignorance over the centuries. Those are historical facts,
not my own personal opinion.

Your post(s) stated time and again that people who believe in
"institutionalized religion" are ignorant and duped and pathetic and
yada yada yada. If you insult the group you thereby insult the
individual members of that group.

"My post wasn’t aimed at you as a personal casual believer who takes
your own interpretations of things."

Your posts/insults were aimed, from my perspective, at Christians and
others in similar religions, were they not?

"You just misunderstand where I’m coming from is all. You tore my entire
post apart from the wrong point of view. You took it personal when it
wasn’t intended that way at all."

I KNOW you didn't point me out, PERSONALLY...I've stated that many
times. But I do take personal offense to your calling Christians names
and saying they're ignorant because I AM a Christian, a "modern-day"
Christian, and one who is "falling for" the teachings of the Bible.

So either state specifically WHICH Christians you're speaking of and
specifically HOW you think it is they're being "duped" or quit trying to
claim you're not being insulting.

You even made a comment about how ignorant people are for believing in
the "Santa Claus in the Sky." Were you not speaking of today's
Christian?

Correct me if I'm misreading you, please.

I'll have to look up my original post in which I used the word, but I do
know it was an intrepretation of something you had said, and sure were
quick to embrace it.