'Left Behind' devotees are secret anti-semites

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You are failing to see that peope can separate their personal opinions of an individual and their relgious beliefs about another person's religious beliefs. Furthermore, I have NEVER seen any Christian speak of other Christians as "my people" and non Christians as "not my people," as if refering to some sort of ethnocentric group. I've seen people treat prostitutes or people who choose alernative lifestyles badly, but not ethnic groups based on whether they accept Christ or not, unless you are refering to the era pre-1950s. But again, I've seen Jews, Muslims, Buddhists do the same damn thing.

"Going to hell" isnt a put down; it's a statement based on actions that no one can decide for the individual but themself. People are taught to "love the sinner, hate the sin", sin taking on various meanings. It's not a statement to pass judgment, but rather, as I've always seen it, an effort to purify an otherwise "unclean" soul. To parallel this, have you ever seen the movie Dogma? In the end the angel who wronged God stood in front of her and what was put forth was the idea that God is pure and nothing impure can exist in his presence scientifically, or in the terms of physical matter- so the very voice of God would shatter the fragile human to pieces, because the amount of purity physically cannot exist with anything impure. So in the movie, when God spoke, the angel blew to pieces. So, what if the Christians beleive it in that sense: it is physically impossible to not accept Christ and therefore be impure and enter into heaven or one would cease to exist, the goodness of god will overwhelm you. The impure soul cannot physically exist in the full presence of God in heaven. Instead of looking at it as an insult, try to see where the other people are coming from. I have a suspicion most religons feel this way as well, so why the bitterness against Christians? It's not a personal put down, it's just the system of belief.

But I take it you are basically saying you cannot be friends with someone unless they totally believe anything you believe, or else they are hypocrites?

Maybe people should lighten up a bit.

Just to remind a few, Buddhism isn't actually a religion...

It's a philosophical religion. Some interpretations of Buddhism doesn't really appear like religion, this is true.

However, I would doubt a South Asian Buddhist would agree with his practice not being called a religion, especially those who converted to separate themselves from the Caste system.

Heaven is the abode of God, its also the abode of the New Jerusalem that will rule Earth as a government when the Kindgom we pray for in the Lords Prayer comes.

Jesus told his diciples and those "who would die I death like mine", that is, the Saints or the Holy ones, that they would rule as kings with him over the earth.

The Earth will be back to its original condition with Man looking after it, "the Meek will inherit the earth and they will find equistite delight in the abundance of peace", says Psalms.

Niether destination proves man has an eternal soul however, to get to either destination you depend on the "ressurection", where Jesus buys back your life from death with the price of his life that he gave, then you are re-created.

Go easy on her. She just wants to protect God's Chosen from her wicked gentile brethren.

Buddhism is a belief system and a way of life; there is no God as such, no worship, no set dos-and-donts other than to live a life of peace and do no harm to any living things, be as good as you can, etc etc... anything else is cultural. You can be Buddhist and Christian, Buddhist and whatever else - they aren't mutually exclusive.

Yes, you need to be lighten up a lot.

Let me be clear: I am atheist, I believe in no god and I have problem in having religious friends. However I don't think someone who see me as 'sinner destined to be cooked in an oven' would respect me enough to be a friend with me how matter he pretends to be nice with me.



It's because ,my dear, few Christians ever read or follow exactly their holy book, same case for Muslims and Jews.
Anyways, I think you are either lying to yourself or you are lying or you live under a rock or you live in a society of Christians who never read their bible, I have seen some religious Christians say that non Christians are going to hell, I live in a country of 40% of its population are Christians btw .

Amen, if that's not an inappropriate word in this context! The whole wrath thing doesn't resonate with what the majority of the world's mystics have experienced of God, either. Many of them have either had to temper their message considerably to avoid upsetting the established religious authorities around them, or have been explicit about what they experienced and ended up killed or otherwise silenced. What they experienced was ultimate Reality as unconditional love. Which for some people, is a very dangerous idea. Can't have people claiming you don't have to do or believe anything to be loved by God...they'd be out of a job!

Back to the thread, a bit...Eschatology - the study of end-of-the-world beliefs - fascinates me. The variety of beliefs there have been down the ages, and the reasons why people hold them. But when it actually starts to get serious and people are making real plans to destroy the Dome of the Rock mosque (whether the local Islamic population like it or not) and rebuild the Temple...then you're getting onto dodgy ground, I think. And, leave the Holocaust out of it -
what the Bible is explicit about is that the events of the Apocalypse will involve God killing billions of people in various horrible ways. And yet at the end of it all God will triumph and a tiny fraction of all the people who ever lived will be 'saved'...so that somehow makes what will be the biggest genocide in history a good thing?

(And of course, the 'saved' get rescued before the carnage starts and get to witness it all from above. As a character in the novel Good Omens points out 'Well, if that's your idea of a morally acceptable time...')

I can't believe in this kind of scenario. Can't, not won't - I simply have a gut reaction that this is not the way things are, that the universe cannot possibly be set up this way. I find myself rather more in tune with Buddhism on this. Actual questions of how the world ends (or begins) are dismissed as irrelevant. But, there are beings, the Bodhisattvas, who've attained enlightenment, but who, out of infinite compassion for other suffering beings, vow to stick around and help every being that exists to attain enlightenment as well. And to do whatever it takes. For aeons, if necessary. And nobody gets left out. Now that's unconditional love.

I know Buddhists who would very disagree with you. You're just explaining one group of Buddhists, certainly not Mahayana.

I'm describing every Buddhist I've ever met and lived with, from six different countries...

Yes, and you should know that there are different sects in Buddhism not making them entirely universal. Some are theistic while others are not. Certainly, many of them live by a set of principles.

I attended a christian university, I've been around christians all my life (bible belt of the usa). Yes there are those annoying ann coulter types who dont treat people as they should be treated, but these types dont acount for everyone, that's for sure.

Let me ask you : Can you every truly respect a religious person, even though you may have scientific proof that said religion does not exist?? Or will it always be in the back of your mind how "stupid" they are?

To assume that everyone has some sort of alterior motive where they are pretendng to like you but make fun of you as far as where your soul is going is ridiculous. It almost sounds childish for someone to say "nanana boo boo you're going to hell and im gonna use you every chance I get". Who does that?!? And I never said "you are going to hell" was something Christians never say, what I said was to assume because someone believes in that ,that they are antisemitic or hate you and simultaneously just want to use you or "your people" is untrue. I've had tons of friends of all religions (buddhist, scientologist, athiest, pagan, christian, muslim, jewish, agnostic) that I respect and they respect me . Heck, even my boyfriend is athiest. We just disagree on religious issues and that's all. Maybe things are just different here.

The point here is that you cannot guess what a person thinks of you or even if they respect you from their religious beliefs. It'd be more reasonable to judge from their actions.

I have no problem with religious people, I am aware what childhood brainwashing did to them. I don't follow a book that tell me that the religious people are unclean,heretics ,blasphemers , going to hell ...so I am very neutral toward them as long they are neutral toward me....but can they be neutral toward me once they know I am atheist ? can they love me as they love their fellows? how far can they respect me? Based on my experience, non of the true Christians and Muslims would do. A christian like Ragtime or parakeet for example dislikes me double for being an Atheist + from a Muslim family.



What you are failing to understand that 90% of Christians don't follow their holy book , the real Christians are people like Ragtime...Christians who look down on other religions.
Same for Muslims which 90% of them don't follow their holy book exactly ...only Bin laden-like are the true Muslims who exactly do what their holy book instruct them.

You, like most Christians and like many Muslims too, live in illusion , you are a fake Christian , a Christian who believes in an ideal humanism idea about her religion and you think that your view is the 'true' merciful message Christianity. If you dig deep into your religion well you will find out that your god has no mercy and no respect for any non Christian after death.



Oh again .... you don't do that because you are not a true Christian but people like Ragtime and parakeet do it all the time.



I live in the middle east and it's maybe it's the most location crowded by religious people on earth, I don't know where exactly you live but I am sure that such people I described (the real religious people) exist almost everywhere.

Your bf is atheist, aww how cute ....do you accept the idea that your dear god will put him on fire? . Aren't you trying deep inside to 'save' him from this 'dark fate' ?



Exactly, I judge them by their actions, by their way of thinking and by what they say. Just observe Ragtime's posts for instance.