RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Although very controversial to many, I believe it's a very important topic.

The iron verdict of history shows that Christianity and its Western Civilization has been the greatest step forward for the betterment of mankind. The human condition has been improved immensely because of the Christian Message and the countries founded as a result.

Before it was heathen darkness, and the debasement of humanity.

I defy anyone to look objectively at history and aver that we would be better off without the Christian religion.

Yes, call it BS. We all know dismissing stuff as garbage is easier than thinking about it...

Said the same thing for Islam, "All religion is just so much BS."

It's true as the narrative explaining this weblist said anytime you attack or question something someone believes strongly in be prepared for a worthy response. Note: I said worthy and not "heated" or a "battle". Yes, Christianity is a "Sacred Cow of RIA" because of the importance to the one who believes in Christ. Sometimes the worthy response may turn heated or into a battle, but I try to avoid that because it serves no purpose. We all have areas in our lives that are extremely important; to the Christian our faith is at the top, then our family, then our friends.....

. . .the practitioners do a great job of being apologists who circle the wagons and shoot feathered shafts into the hides of other ideologies that they have little education about. . .the amount of zealotry is usually in proportion to the lack of travelling, education, and exposure to other cultures. . .this is one tasty sacred cow worthy of slaughter. . .

This is a fairly hot topic but I find as long as you don't force things down people's throat, they are pretty accepting of Christianity although they may not like it. I try not to do this because Christianity is not meant to be about force, but if I see something is wrong, I'm not afraid to pussy foot, although I do try to be diplomatic and gentle. But if someone is not a Christian or an athiest, the last thing I would do is push the subject because I accept people for who they are.

I am an athiest, but I respect people's beliefs.

Well said, Ignatius-J-Reilly! Christianity is a sacred cow on RIA, but it's said that sacred cows make the tastiest burgers. I think the key is to slay them as gently and humanely as possible. But sometimes these things don't go quietly.

It is very much the non Christians who insist that they will attack another's faith which makes this more of a sacred cow than it should be. It seems that if you do not not believe as some choose to do, then they are every bit as annoying and in your face as those who find a way to preach when reviewing sun tan oil. I keep my religious views confined to religious weblists but I will not stand by and have someone else's lack of religion shoved down my throat any more than I would expect them to tolerate religious force from me.

You only have to be around here a day or so to realize how much controversy the discussion of religion can stir up. I think it applies to all discussions of religion, but especially Christianity. There are probably lots of reasons Christianity pops up more often than other faiths, but one big reason may be due to the fact that the majority of people posting on RIA are from North America and Europe traditionally Christian areas of the world. So, therefore, I do believe Christianity is a sacred cow so to speak. But in a larger sense, and because it sets off discussion in many directions, belief systems are the true sacred cows.

Yeah, I can see this being a sacred cow for people. Who cares, I say. I will continue to attack it and other such superstitious ideologies. I think that peoples' beliefs are just as open to criticism as the way they dress or the weird sounds they make while eating. I do have a few friends who are Born-Again, and I keep my mouth shut around them because they are otherwise terrific people, but all bets are off on RIA. If you're prepared to believe in preposterous myths, then you should be prepared to have those beliefs challenged. There is nothing sacred, nothing profane, nothing absolute. Faith is not strength. Believe in nothing.

Just don't enforce it on me. Seperation of church and state. I stress that very much.

Christianity is a major sacred cow, not just on RIA, but throughout the world. No topic engenders more controversy than religion. Christianity is controversial because it places much emphasis on the value of faith in Jesus Christ, a person who was considered a minor rable rouser in his time. Little secondary evidence exists as evidence that he actually lived in the first place, therefore you must rely on the New Testament to verify his existance. Lo and behold, through translation and selective editing on the part of church councils over the past 2000 years, the language and message of the Bible has been somewhat changed. So therefore to an extent, you have to rely on theological arguments to support esoterical and religious claims, this is something variable on human emotion and faith rather than earthly substance and fact. It all depends on what sustains you. Personally I don't argue a lot about it nor do I really care. Many religious practices coincidentally has little to do with God at any rate. Politics, social conditions and history allowed for the rise of a bureaucracy to reach God. Marx was right in this respect; religion is used to control people, to elicit fear and in many cases promote a political agenda. You don't need this to reach God, not by a long shot. Some are sustained by church life and that's fine as well.