Botheration, yes they are bothersome but just imagine how bothered god would be by their antics if she existed.

The good side is that having those views on a discussion forum like this where rebuttal (and the much valued lampooning) can occur has it's good points. The thoughtful can see where the messages of hate lead, they can see what happens when people start to get desperate for the supernatural and take it all to seriously.

You never know, some who have been sucked into that stuff may start to question when they see how much of what they are told about non-believers and their values is marketting spin.

R0bert

I don't have a problem with people having belief systems that run their lives.

But the reality is that their god-related opinions make little sense to the rest of us, filtered as they are through the lens of their religion. This is a form of holier-than-thou exclusion, and is so often accompanied by a painful self-righteousness that it is unsurprising that non-GBs become exasperated.

On the occasions when they feel they can contribute without surrounding their pronouncements in the mysterious fog of their belief systems, their opinions are of course as valid as anyone else's.

What does distress me, and causes me to react in print, is when they use their particular religious code as the basis from which to attack other religious codes. For some reason, they tend to do this intemperately, without recourse to logic, and - most often - with malice aforethought.

Even then it isn't the religious bit that hacks me off, but the vitriol with which they attack other belief systems. Without the "protection" they feel their religion provides, they are nothing but foul-mouthed stirrers and trouble-makers.

And Boaz, your protestations are rather disingenuous, to say the least.

>>1/ It is suggestive that 'godbotherers' are less valid human beings.
2/ It implies they have nothing useful to contribute.
3/ It suggests that 'non' God-botherers are by default 'correct'.
4/ It suggests non Godbotherers are normal and GB's are subnormal.
5/ Its arrogant.
6/ Its rude.
7/ Its bigoted. "It doesn't matter what you say.. its stupid"<<

You very carefully, and probably deliberately, miss the point, as always.

None of these objections is valid, except to your own personal paranoia.

What the author points out - and the rest of us readily recognize - is that it doesn't matter where a topic begins, as often as not it will descend into an argument over scriptural interpretation. You yourself cannot resist plonking in irrelevant extracts from the Bible at every turn.

As indeed, you just did.

And since this habit renders the thread of interest only to other godbotherers, we view it as "hijacking", or "sidetracking".

Capeesh?

Not only on this Forum.

I was halfway through reading the first post when there was a knock on the front door.

Opened it and there was the local Jehovah's Witness bloke with their magazine.

Well said Perecles....can't add much to that except..

This is a political and current affairs forum. Religious types constantly assert that they have no part or interest in political affairs, (like The Bretheren) because their persons (and their souls) will be taken care of both in this life, and the next life. Uh huh. By that argument, I can't understand why they bother with this forum. But its a free country....or so I'm constantly told by the pollies. But lets not go into whether we are truly free - I'll get sidetracked into Orwellianism.

Is there an "ignore" button on this forum? If not, why not?

*goes to check it out*

Boaz asks:

"Yikes.. Stephen... is that me ?"

Yep BOAZY, that's you.

But take heart, you are not the only opinionated ignoramus posting here. There are the so-called "progressives" like CJ MORGAN who can be relied upon to hijack any discussion of ISLAM with their screams of "racist" and who dismiss any critic of that IMPERIAL AUTHORITARIAN IDEOLOGY as members of the "WHACK-A-MOZZIE BRIGADE."

We have self-proclaimed atheists who still worship at the altar of the GREAT GOD MARX and whose true religion is simply ANTI-AMERICANISM. Anybody who is agin America must be good they believe. In previous era they would have allied themselves with STALIN but now they're stuck with MUHAMMED.

Then there are the reflexive ISRAEL HATERS and the almost equally obnoxious ISRAEL DEFENDERS.

Come to think of it BOAZY, compared to some of the people here you're ALMOST SANE. I mean I've never seen you post anything quite as OUTRAGEOUSLY DECEITFUL as IRFAN YUSUF'S efforts.

BOAZ_David asks,

"Yikes.. Stephen... is that me ?"

Yep, it's you BOAZY.

But, take heart, you are not the only opinionated jackass posting here. Look at so-called "progressives" like CJ MORGAN. They can be relied upon to hijack any discussion of ISLAM with their screams of "RACIST" and to dismiss critics of that AUTHORITARIAN IMPERIAL IDEOLOGY as members of "the WHACK-A-MOZZIE BRIGADE."

Then we have all the self-proclaimed atheists who still worship at the altar of the GREAT GOD MARX and whose true religion is ANTI-AMERICANISM. If you're agin America you must be good. In a bygone era they would have allied themselves with STALIN. Now they're stuck with the modern trinity of MUHAMMED, FIDEL and CHAVEZ.

There are also the REFLEXIVE ISRAEL HATERS and the almost as obnoxious COMPULSIVE ISRAEL DEFENDERS. Almost any discussion can be hijacked for that agenda.

Come to think of it BOAZY, compared to some of the people posting here you're almost sane.