Tulivu: Wow, this converesation took a nasty turn since I left. Sorry, BrianX. Not everyone in this community is very tolerant of religion. The last time I mentioned that I was Christian on this forum I was treated like
I was an intolerant idiot. I can be an idiot but people assume that because I have faith there is something wrong with me. As long as you don't act like the bigot everyone assumes you are, then the more reasonable members won't take offense. I still think your demands are impractical and not the devs responsibility but keep the faith.;)
cogadh: There's a big difference between faith and religion. I think you definitely will find that many people here do have a problem with religion (the dogma, the hypocritical rules, the corruption in the ranks, the encouragement of ignorance, etc.) but don't care one way or the other about your faith. Your faith is your business alone and as George Carlin so wisely stated in his
revised commandments: Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself!
But that is just it, Jesus Christ has told his followers to 'make disciples of every nation (Matthew 28:19), and he didn't keep His message hidden or was ashamed to proclaim it. With all due respect to Mr. Carlin (RIP), I will follow God and try my best to do His commandments.
The key lies in HOW one goes about sharing his/her faith because it does all boil down to ideas and the sharing of these ideas. One can reject it or one can accept it, that is the personal decision that everyone who hears the message (or reads about it) can make. For example, instead of beating you over the head with a Bible or making you feel guilty, or, in a very extreme case, behead you (forced conversions during the Crusades, etc), I can share my thoughts, beliefs, and ideas in a open forum with compassion and intelligence with humility not looking down on you if you do not share my same view.
I think the New Testament records Jesus doing it this way (unless of course you were indignant or disobedient in the face of miracles only God could perform, ie, religious leaders of that time that suppressed the common people). So, in order for me to share my views like Christ, I have to 'walk' very close to Him (prayer, reading the Bible, meditation on what was read, etc). God tells us to 'renew' our minds, not to remove them.
But you are very correct, in my opinion, cogadh, that religion and faith are two VERY different concepts. But, for me, I made a choice to follow a Person (Christ), rather than a religion, even though there are very beautiful things that come from and include tradition (just look at how beauty and care went into building the Hagia Sophia or the devotion and dedication that Muslims show went it comes to going to Mecca).
cogadh: There's a big difference between faith and religion. I think you definitely will find that many people here do have a problem with religion (the dogma, the hypocritical rules, the corruption in the ranks, the encouragement of ignorance, etc.) but don't care one way or the other about your faith. Your faith is your business alone and as George Carlin so wisely stated in his
revised commandments: Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself!
Tulivu: You are right about religion but there are people here that do have a problem with faith as well. However, as BrianX said there are alot of bad people out there that have left bad personal impressions of all Christians, so I don't blame them.
Yep, God truly knows His own. He also knows how to distinguish the tares from the wheat.