Proverbs,

You’re right in saying there’s nothing wrong with healthy debate, lobbying government or peaceful demonstrations, but that it's gone too far when people decide to personally attack those who disagree. In fact I agree with most of what you’ve said. Does Dawkins really call for a ban on religion? I think that’s unrealistic. I simply want believers to acknowledge their personal beliefs (whether in god or allah or buddha or the flying spaghetti monster) are theirs and theirs alone.

You’re also right to say Richard Dawkins cannot prove there is no god. The salient point here is he’s not the one espousing supernaturalism.

Thanks for your comments Bennie.

I agree, my faith is my own. However, it became my own when someone talked to me about their faith and I made it my own. A lot of us are grateful that someone took the time to talk about their faith with us. I have friends who were drug addicts, suicidal, alcoholics, prostitutes and so on. They all say that believing in a God who is personal and who cares about them saved their life. It gave them a sense of purpose, destiny and a reason to live.

If I am on the wrong track I hope there are those will NOT keep their opinion to themselves.

Ybgirp’s post proves your point about personal attacks.

He knows nothing about me and yet assumes that because I hold to a particular point of view, I must be mentaly deficient, irrational, and have been brainwashed and indoctrinated.

Ybgirp also seems to suggest that anyone is free to share their opinion on this site but when Christians do it they are trying to convert people.

A debate is nothing more that two people trying to convert each other into accepting their point of view. It could even be said that you are trying to convert people into believing there is no God.

That’s fine, you are free to do that and I don’t have a problem with you doing it.

I have often seen Christians singled out and come under personal attack (eg ybgirp’s post) because they dare express their opinions.

People express opinions everyday.

So, is it just me or do christians seem to get criticised a lot more than anyone else for expressing an opinion.

It makes me wonder what is so threatening about the Christian message that gets people so personal and nasty and start making unfounded accusations about someone’s mental capacity?

If we are comfortable with our position then we should have no problems debating it. I say, bring it on.

Can’t we share our differences without resorting to name-calling and personal attacks. Who knows, we may learn somethin

Oh, come on, Proverbs... If I insisted there was a little old invisible woman living under the Sydney Harbour bridge who could read the minds of every human on the planet and could influence their behaviour, at the same time keeping the entire universe [which she had made] on track, the stars in their constellations and the planets in their orbits... would you believe me? I think you would first poitely ask me for proof, and then, when I couldn't provide any, would say I was seriously deluded.
And yet my story is not one jot different from the one you believe, so you shouldn't be surprised if rational people doubt your sanity.

“Is it just me or do christians seem to get criticised a lot more than anyone else for expressing an opinion?” Fair question. One muslims might also be entitled to ask. What opinions DO Christians have? Is their worldview consistent with what is taught in the bible?

It isn’t enough to call oneself a Christian or muslim or Buddhist or whatever if it only provides a platform for intolerance. For sure, “If we are comfortable with our position then we should have no problems debating it. I say, bring it on.” What I don’t get, is how some people seem comfortable when they’re clearly very sick.

"........my story is not one jot different from the one you believe, so you shouldn't be surprised if rational people doubt your sanity."

".....how some people seem comfortable when they’re clearly very sick."

Your story does not compare in the slightest

We are NOT talking about an invisible old lady living under a bridge. We are talking about a historical figure. There is more credible documentation to prove the esistence of Jesus than there is to prove the existance of Plato.

We are talking about a religion that has grown from 120 people gathered in a room after their leader had died to more than 2 Billion believers world wide in the last 2000 years.

We are talking about a religion embraced by some of histories greaters scholors, scientist, inventors, explorers, statesmen musicians and the list goes on.

We are talking about a religion that thrived despite severe persecition by the communists in the Soviet Union and Other Eastern block countries. China now has an estimated 80 million Christians despite continued and well documented persecution. Why would people willingly sacrifice their life rather than deny their faith?

Maybe there is a little more to this than you think. After all do you know everything there is to know? Is there really nothing greater than ourselves? Frankly it would take more faith for me to believe, for example, that something as complex as the human eye simply happend to evolve without intelligent design or intervention. Normally anything left to its own resources deteriorates not improves (just look in your fridge).

With a third of the worlds population refering to themselves as Christian I would suggest that those who consider Christians to be mentally unstable are acctually in the minority.

In fact more than 90% of the world population adhere to a religion of some sort. Then again maybe there is nothing out there and everyone is deluded except for a select handfull who think the rest of us are fruitcakes

Look at the state of the world, Proverbs... overpopulation, global warming, and the destruction and desecration of humanity's sole means of survival -- the biosphere from which we evolved. And when you've stopped to think a little, ask yourself whether the humans who are fouling their own nest and causing their own extinction can be sane. Then understand that for the most part, the countries that caused this horror have been ruled by christians. Do any bells ring? Don't you wonder if people who believe in omnipotent supermen in the sky should be permitted to rule the planet?
By the way... there are no historical records of christianity's Jesus or his miracles that would be accepted in any court. The Romans, who kept records of everything, do not mention such a fellow. It is inconcievable that his exploits could escape some mention. there were, and still are, hundreds of blokes called Jesus, but none to whom supernatural powers have ever been reliably attributed by eyewitnesses.