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Amazing, how the mention of hell makes the athiests start wringing their hands!! (Just kidding guys)

All I'm saying is this, and frazzled kind of beat me to the punch here. I personally think it's a strategic overreaction,almost rhetorical if you will. Its totally illogical to be offended by something that you don't believe exists. An example I can think of would be if a radical Islamist were to say something like "The wrath of Mohamed will rain down upon you" or something or some such. As a Christian, it wouldn't offend me at all, because I don't believe mohamed has any power.

or if someone were to say the bogeyman is going to get you..it has no effect on me, because the bogey man is a mythological construct.

However athiests get all up in arms and start wetting their pants(again guys I'm joking around here) when hell is mentioned. My point is that, I think it's all theatrics on their part to try to put the Christian off guard.

Now as far as the poster that took what I said, and built this straw man argument around threatening little gay kids about hell. Is an example of the hysterical reaction I have seen when ever hell is mentioned. I for one wouldn't "threaten" any children with hell, at least not in the sense of threatening.

Teaching doctrines to children, even if they may be a bit scary to them, is not the same thing as threatening them. but to be honest I don't think I would even broach the subject unless I thought the child/teenager could handle the discussion.

The problem is so many people think that all Christian parents are like the mother from Carrie.

GG

It wouldn't bother you that someone was wishing harm upon you? Hoping something bad happened?

Would you be equally unoffended if I were to say I hope you get hit by a bus?

So the problem is that you think Christians hope you go to hell?

And that you think he'll is just as real as a bus?

xole wrote:It wouldn't bother you that someone was wishing harm upon you? Hoping something bad happened?

Would you be equally unoffended if I were to say I hope you get hit by a bus?

No, because buses aren't real either

d-usa wrote:So the problem is that you think Christians hope you go to hell?

And that you think he'll is just as real as a bus?

Is this what we're getting upset about guys?

 xole wrote:
It wouldn't bother you that someone was wishing harm upon you? Hoping something bad happened?

Would you be equally unoffended if I were to say I hope you get hit by a bus?

If you told me you wished I was sent to the land of makebelieve and eaten by faeries I wouldn't be bothered at all. If you don't believe in it then its utterly irrelevant. If some ancient Greek appeared and warned I would go to Hades if I didn't change my ways I wouldn't even break my stride.

I don't know if I'm offended by people that think I'm going to hell, but I know I'm not exactly going to take moral advice from people that seem excited about the suffering of others.

I do know that the judgment of the soul is an issue reserved for the divine, and while we can make some educated guesses, the nature of Christian salvation (not to mention the other covenents) makes handicapping anybody's odds of heaven/Hell litlte more than a crapshoot.

 Polonius wrote:
I don't know if I'm offended by people that think I'm going to hell, but I know I'm not exactly going to take moral advice from people that seem excited about the suffering of others.

I do know that the judgment of the soul is an issue reserved for the divine, and while we can make some educated guesses, the nature of Christian salvation (not to mention the other covenents) makes handicapping anybody's odds of heaven/Hell litlte more than a crapshoot.

Now Now Polonius... Dont start posting stuff I totally agree with. If you keep it up there may be some sort of nuclear interspacial reaction.

GG

 generalgrog wrote:
Amazing, how the mention of hell makes the athiests start wringing their hands!! (Just kidding guys)

All I'm saying is this, and frazzled kind of beat me to the punch here. I personally think it's a strategic overreaction,almost rhetorical if you will. Its totally illogical to be offended by something that you don't believe exists. An example I can think of would be if a radical Islamist were to say something like "The wrath of Mohamed will rain down upon you" or something or some such. As a Christian, it wouldn't offend me at all, because I don't believe mohamed has any power.

or if someone were to say the bogeyman is going to get you..it has no effect on me, because the bogey man is a mythological construct.

However athiests get all up in arms and start wetting their pants(again guys I'm joking around here) when hell is mentioned. My point is that, I think it's all theatrics on their part to try to put the Christian off guard.

Now as far as the poster that took what I said, and built this straw man argument around threatening little gay kids about hell. Is an example of the hysterical reaction I have seen when ever hell is mentioned. I for one wouldn't "threaten" any children with hell, at least not in the sense of threatening.

Teaching doctrines to children, even if they may be a bit scary to them, is not the same thing as threatening them. but to be honest I don't think I would even broach the subject unless I thought the child/teenager could handle the discussion.

The problem is so many people think that all Christian parents are like the mother from Carrie.

GG

It's not the words themselves that are offensive, but the sentiments behind them.

And? I see offensive things all the time. meh.

 Frazzled wrote:
And? I see offensive things all the time. meh.

Yeah! Have you seen KFC's menu recently? Everything on it is offensive

 Alfndrate wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:
And? I see offensive things all the time. meh.

Yeah! Have you seen KFC's menu recently? Everything on it is offensive

Who'd have thought offense could taste so good?!

 Alfndrate wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:
And? I see offensive things all the time. meh.

Yeah! Have you seen KFC's menu recently? Everything on it is offensive

I would suggest you avoid ever saying another unkind word about mashed potatos and gravy.

 Polonius wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:
And? I see offensive things all the time. meh.

Yeah! Have you seen KFC's menu recently? Everything on it is offensive

I would suggest you avoid ever saying another unkind word about mashed potatos and gravy.

Sorry, I forgot they still serve their potatoes and gravy 'naked' and without chicken, cheese, and corn.

That dish has been forever ruined for me by my university, once a month we'd have 'North of Kentucky Bowls' and after I got sick of them, I'd start quoting Patton Oswalt's bit to my friends about the "sadness pile in a failure bowl" while they ate it.

 Polonius wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:
And? I see offensive things all the time. meh.

Yeah! Have you seen KFC's menu recently? Everything on it is offensive

I would suggest you avoid ever saying another unkind word about mashed potatos and gravy.

I have to aghree with Polonius on that one. I'll bite your ankles er unleash the wiener dogs yea thats it-if further disparage of that greatness is implied. Their corn used to be really good too.

Their corn used to be good, just like their chicken used to be awesome, biscuits are always good, as long as they're not hard tack. I feel like I'm waiting around for terrible heart burn, artery clogging, and digestive issues. If I wanted that I'd go get Taco Bell, at least they're quick

 Alfndrate wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:
And? I see offensive things all the time. meh.

Yeah! Have you seen KFC's menu recently? Everything on it is offensive

The makers of the double down take offense! A bacon sandwich with the bun being two chicken breasts. Come on! That's genius!

 Frazzled wrote:

 xole wrote:
It wouldn't bother you that someone was wishing harm upon you? Hoping something bad happened?

Would you be equally unoffended if I were to say I hope you get hit by a bus?

If you told me you wished I was sent to the land of makebelieve and eaten by faeries I wouldn't be bothered at all. If you don't believe in it then its utterly irrelevant. If some ancient Greek appeared and warned I would go to Hades if I didn't change my ways I wouldn't even break my stride.

It's not me that's bothered by the notion of hell. It's then notion of parents telling their children that a place of eternal unending suffering exists and they can go there for... no fething reason really.

 whembly wrote:
Maybe I'm missing the boat...

But isn't "hell" simply "not Heaven (or Paradise if you will)"?

I always thought that modern take on "The Hell" was derived from Dante's Inferno...

The issue is that isn't accepted by all Christians. Many, particularly those who insist they follow literal reading of the bible, can get quite outraged at the suggestion that there is no hell.

boyd wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:
And? I see offensive things all the time. meh.

Yeah! Have you seen KFC's menu recently? Everything on it is offensive

The makers of the double down take offense! A bacon sandwich with the bun being two chicken breasts. Come on! That's genius!

I still can't believe that is a thing. I mean, I see the ads for it and think 'how?'

 Alfndrate wrote:
Their corn used to be good, just like their chicken used to be awesome, biscuits are always good, as long as they're not hard tack. I feel like I'm waiting around for terrible heart burn, artery clogging, and digestive issues. If I wanted that I'd go get Taco Bell, at least they're quick

OK so I'm not the only one who would get heartburn strong enough to kill a billygoat. Good to know.

 generalgrog wrote:
All I'm saying is this, and frazzled kind of beat me to the punch here. I personally think it's a strategic overreaction,almost rhetorical if you will. Its totally illogical to be offended by something that you don't believe exists. An example I can think of would be if a radical Islamist were to say something like "The wrath of Mohamed will rain down upon you" or something or some such. As a Christian, it wouldn't offend me at all, because I don't believe mohamed has any power.

What you're failing to understand is that one can be offended, even if one isn't threatened.

You give the example of the bogeyman - consider someone on this forum, in absolute seriousness, believed in the bogeyman and believed he could someone it to do his bidding... and that he told you he was going to summon the bogeyman to punish you because it an appalling act of vanity to sign your post.

You wouldn't feel any threat, because you don't believe in the bogeyman, but you might, in fact you should, feel some offence that someone else has deemed that you will be punished for sins he's made up in his head.

Well, that's how lots of people think about Christians when they go on about how the rest of us are going to hell.

My point is that, I think it's all theatrics on their part to try to put the Christian off guard.

You're wrong. I mean, it may be in some circumstances, but most people don't act that cynically.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Frazzled wrote:
And? I see offensive things all the time. meh.

The question was 'why do people get offended?', not 'should I care that they get offended?'

You are free to care or not care about offending someone else as much or as little as you want. In turn, I personally don't give a gak whether or not you care about someone else's offence.

But you should at least spend the time to learn why someone else might get offended.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Frazzled wrote:
OK so I'm not the only one who would get heartburn strong enough to kill a billygoat. Good to know.

We have KFC over here, and they're basically the only place you can get southern fried chicken. All my life I thought southern fried chicken was pretty crappy, just seasoned lump of greasy chicken.

Then when I was in the US I had southern fried chicken in a restaurant. And I learned that southern fried chicken is completely awesome, and it's just that KFC is really sucky.

Do most atheists really think that:

A) Most Christians wish that people go to hell?
B) Most Christians get delight from people going to hell?

If that is something that you guys think then that might explain some of the hostility encountered.

The age old thing, that the vocal minority gets all the press, is usually the case.

I for one don't usually care what people think, it's what they do that annoys me.