How did you end up here?

[Alizera]

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

Thanks...I've just been curious about this.

 

[gwenmead]

Greetings.

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

I was writing a college thesis on art and mythology. I recognized the intersection between religion and myth, and decided to look up a few religious fora and ask for people's thoughts on what myth and mythology are, just to get a small sampling of ideas from actual religious adherents. It was very helpful, incidentally.

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

I joined to get the aforementioned input. I stayed for a number of reasons: I found some interesting discussions, I met some interesting people, and I like to keep an eye on how Christianity plays out in the day-to-day lives of believers. Especially since Christianity is the dominant religion in my culture.

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

What I've seen here at CF has been a reminder of why I left Christianity, and why I don't return (and most likely never will). I don't consider that particularly negative - it's more neutral, really - from another POV that might be a very negative thing indeed.

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

Atheism is not a religion, despite being classified as such here, and despite the rather vociferous claims of certain religious individuals. But for the sake of the question: I occasionally browse atheist fora, and am a member of a forum for ex-Christians.

Thanks...I've just been curious about this.

No worries. I hope this small set of answers helps to satisfy your curiosity, along with whatever answers anyone else offers you.

 

[SiderealExalt]

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

I don't remember, I think I heard about it through another forum if I remember correctly.

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

The forum is(or rather WAS) more diverse when I first joined and you got to see a neat spectrum of opinions. So it was interesting.

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

Not really either way. My opinion in generally is mildly negative, but it's been nice to see some of the more socially active and activist Christians I like around here. So it's been a give and take.

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

No, and that area that is there is shrinking.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

Word of mouth, but nothing specific. CF was pretty big, and almost impossible to overlook.

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

I have a Christian background myself. But not the fundamental/evangelical type which tends to have quite a loud presence on the internet. I guess I just wanted to make sure that the more reasonable Christians haven't died out yet. Come to that, there is a non-committal, almost latent interest of mine in religion(s). (There already three reasons)

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

I have pretty much come to the conclusion that "Christianity" is quite unintelligible, or, in other words, that "Christianity" covers a very wide spectrum. And that it goes so far as to make it impossible to hold one view of it.

Some is quite (and surprisingly) OK, some is as bad as expected, but some is simply beyond even my worst dreams. Maybe ±0 overall?

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

I guess you can yot down a yes for that. (Although "religion" is a bit off ...)

 

[vajradhara]

Namaste Alizera,

thank you for the post.

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

i was personally invited to join this forum by the previous owner. i lament the economics that forced him to sell.

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

the previous owner thought it wise for Christians to actually know something about the other religions of the world, thus, he endeavored to create a space on this forum for our participation.

on a personal level, it is hard to see so much misinformation spread about ones religion without saying something... especially when it seems that much of the misinformation is simply repeats of things which have already been explained. one can only hope that a being with a serious mind reads the information and considers revising their opinion.

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

well... let us simply say that this forum has demonstrated the negative qualities of many Christians more than their positive ones. i don't know if that speaks of the religion but it certainly speaks for its adherents.

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

no, i moderate the Eastern Religions and Philosophies section of the largest Interfaith forum in the UK but i don't participate in a strictly Buddhist forum.

metta,

~v

 

[katautumn]

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

I first found it in 2001 when I was struggling in my Christian faith.

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

Not applicable in my case, as I was a Christian when I joined.

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

I can honestly say a little of both. For every ten posts here that make me shake my head and remember why I left Christianity in the first place, there will be one post made by a Christian that makes me realize there are some believers who do not hate me because I am not one of them.

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

Only two, and I do not participate at them often as they don't tend to get a lot of traffic. The rest are either predominantly non-theist or general discussion forums.

Thanks...I've just been curious about this.

Not a problem. Hope my responses helped.

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

Some rabid Christian proselytizers started to swamp the forum I attended previously, to the point where any discussion became virtually impossible without some moderator stepping in and deleting the "You'll all go to hell if you don't turn to Christ"-posts, which of course only convinced the self-styled missionaries that they were persecuted and thus strengthened their efforts.
So, I started to look for a Christian forum that contained a section for Non-Christians, enabling some more fruitful and sensible discussion between different religions. Back then, CF was that kind of place, and NCR hadn't yet turned into the "Muslims are evil"-subforum.

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

I quickly found out that discussing with people who did not share my point of view was much more fruitful and rewarding than "preaching to the choir", that is, debating people who pretty much agreed with me on everything. I like the notion of putting my own position to the test, pitting it against divergent positions to see whether I'm right or wrong or somewhat inbetween. I've learned a lot, both about myself and about what others believe, and I continue to do so. The same could never have happened if I had stayed at a place where everyone basically argued from the same position.

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

Both, I think. Christianity isn't monolithic, and probably never was. I've seen the best and the worst of its incarnations, yet all in all, I'd say that I have a much more differentiated and level-headed understanding of Christianity than I did before coming here.
That said, my aversion to any kind of fundamentalism/totalitarianism has increased, and I note with horror that this madness seems to spread in my own country as well.

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

As I don't belong to any specific organized religion, I'd have to answer that with a "no".

 

[Futuwwa]

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

To me, there is no Christianity, only Christians. Since I do not believe any variant of Christianity is true, any argument for why one particular branch that self-identifies as Christian would objectively be any more Christian than another is fundamentally meaningless to me.

There are good Christians and bad Christians, I leave it at that. I have met my share of both here.

 

[Arthra]

Alizera wrote"

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

I really can't remember now it's been a few years...

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

Well I only particpate in the "non-Christian" portion of CF.

For one thing I enjoy interaction with people who have different ideas and so you have here everyone from say Orthodox to Catholic to Protestant..(mostly literalist Bible interpretations but some more symbolic) as well as atheists, agnostics and an assortment of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus so it's stimulating and enlightening to interact with such a cross section of people.

For another thing you have to learn and research things Ithink you just can't always respond off the cuff and that makes it more valuable I think.

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

I've been aware of the wide spectrum of Christian believers for some time but here you have opportunities to interact with that spectrum. Most of the interactions here are far more negative and dogmatic I would say than the interactions I have in my daily life... that is most of the Christians I personally interact with in the "real" world are much more friendly and open for the most part.

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

Yes, there are two Baha'i Forums and one that I moderate myself..also there are three inter-faith forums that I frequent and one of these I also moderate.

Thanks...I've just been curious about this.

Your welcome!

- Art

 

[Alizera]

Thank you everyone for your replies!

It seems a lot of people here have a negative view of Christianity. What could Christianity, or Christians, change to give you a more positive view?

 

[gwenmead]

It seems a lot of people here have a negative view of Christianity. What could Christianity, or Christians, change to give you a more positive view?

Tough question. A few thoughts:

Christianity isn't a monolith. There are a few common core doctrines, enough that it's possible to distinguish a Christian from, say, a Muslim; but sometimes even those come into question (many Christians don't count Mormonism as a branch of Christianity, for instance, while others do). Within Christianity as a whole, there are a number of major divisions, and then denominations within those; each has a somewhat different flavor, a different doctrinal emphasis, a different way of interpreting Scripture... and then, of course, there's the microcosm of every individual Christian and how they as a Christian interpret and live their Christianity. So to say how I think Christianity should change, well - that's a bit tricky. Am I talking about Calvinists, or Arminian Christians? Coptics or Protestants?

With that caveat in mind, I think Christianity has changed over time anyway, and continues to change, simply because religions are part and parcel of the cultures they come from, and cultures change. The Christianity Americans follow today isn't the same as the Christianity their ancestors followed 500 years ago, or 1500 years ago, or 2000 years ago, and it will not be the same 500 years from now (if it lasts that long).

That said, I can think of a few things that I would find positive, if they happened. Just keep in mind that I am thinking mainly of American Protestant Christianity in the 20th/21st centuries, and I recognize that there's a great deal of variety going on.

I always appreciate Christians who approach their faith as a faith of love and compassion, and who actually live that way. I appreciate Christians who treat others with civility and kindness. I wish there were more who did so.

I would probably regard Christianity more positively if I could tell that it really did make its adherents significantly better humans than the average population - better educated, more compassionate, more humble, with greater moral integrity, what have you. As it stands, I've met decent people and awful people from so many backgrounds and walks of life, and it's clear to me that faith can really have very little to do with the overall decency of a given human being. The playing field is level, so to speak, and Christianity does not stand out from its teammates. No religion does.

I would think more positively of Christians if more of you were better educated about your religion (its history, its writings, its Scripture) and had a better understanding of things like logical fallacies and good apologetics techniques. This isn't to say that there are no intelligent, well-educated Christians, because there certainly are - I can think of several on CF, and several more I know offline. But it's embarrassing to watch a debate between an atheist and a Christian and realize that the atheist knows the Bible better than the Christian does.

Note that this is also a problem with other religions and with non-believers too: really knowing how to conduct an intelligent debate is a lost art. Atheists or pagans or Hindus or Buddhists can offer stupid logical arguments just as easily as Christians can. So I recognize this isn't isolated to Christianity by a long shot.

There are probably a couple of other things, but it's still morning here, I haven't had coffee, and I've already rambled enough. Thank you for reading.

 

[anatolian]

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

google

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

curiousity

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

negatively

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

yes but more active here I am.

Thanks...I've just been curious about this.

greetings..by the way your name sounds like turkish.

 

[vajradhara]

Namaste Alizera,

thank you for the post.

It seems a lot of people here have a negative view of Christianity. What could Christianity, or Christians, change to give you a more positive view?

well... nothing, frankly.

if a being really accepted the teachings of Jesus and put them into practice in their life it would transform their being. this is why, for instance, Buddhism considers Christianity a valid spiritual refuge. Christianity, for it's part, cannot admit any other religious practice which, of course, makes it exclusive and elitist. from a Dharma perspective such notions are quite unusual.

by and large, though, i think people reflect themselves rather than their ideology irrespective of which ideology that they espouse. mean people will remain mean even if their religion advocates a different point of view.

metta,

~v

 

[Futuwwa]

anatolian, if you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all

 

[anatolian]

anatolian, if you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all

Salam.Is it about that post or another one?

 

[Futuwwa]

Your last post. No need to be snarky. If you have had negative experiences with Christians, tell her your troubles. She is nothing but friendly, you should answer in kind.

 

[anatolian]

Look at the question.The question is not about Christians it is about Christianity.I think she is asking if I tend to Christianity after joining CF or otherwise.I have understood better that Islam is the right path after the researchs I've made after joining CF.

 

[FreeSpirit74]

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

When I first came here, I was dabbling in Christianity, and I was going through a very hard time, and I came here to get some advice about the problem I was dealing with. I was under another name at the time, and rarely visited. So, when I came back at a later time, I created the user name I use now.

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

At the time, I was going back and forth between Christianity and being an Agnostic. IIRC, I never even used a Christian icon, but the Agnostic one. When Paganism found me, I stayed, because of NCR and the knowledge that there were others here like me. Other Christian posters are fine with me as well, for the most part.

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

My views have been negatively affected, I'm afraid. Not so much of Christianity, but my views of some of the followers of the Christian faith have been affected. There is such a double standard on this board, starting with the obvious: that the religious "majority" has a sub-forum on "Christian Persecution" ... I don't know what to think about that, other than Christians are freaked that they no longer have the spiritual realm to themselves. They never did, really, but other forms of religion and spiritual approachs to life are becoming more and more accepted, and that scares certain people. And it is becoming very unacceptable for them to treat NC believers as outsiders or people to be forcefully converted. And a lot of Christians don't like that very much. Well, too bad.

Another hot area for me is when the topic DOES turn to a subject like Wicca or Paganism. I spend most of my time in the Womens' Discussion forum - the willful ignorance on display that I have personally been witness to is just... beyond me. And when you try to correct the blatently incorrect viewpoints, you get accused of proselytizing. That happened to me on a thread where the OP was openly asking for information on Wicca and Paganism. I told what I knew, and then pointed her to some sources where she could find more info. *I* was accused of proselytzing.

I just got a Staff Warning last week because a thread on Halloween got rather out of hand. I posted some info correcting some of the posters' assertions that it is about Satanism, that it is a "dark" holiday and evil, and I pointed out the roots of the holiday, and challenged another poster to defend their assertions with legit sources and info. I never got a satisfactory answer.

I'm cool with the other posters in WD, as long as the subject is NOT religion.

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

Yes.

 

[Eudaimonist]

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

Five years ago, I was posting at an atheism-themed messageboard, and someone had posted a link to an interesting thread at CF.

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

Because atheists are stigmatized in American society, and so I undertook it as a personal mission to represent atheists at CF to help dispell those stigmas.

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

Both!

I have met both wonderful Christians and Christians who are like monsters out of hell. I am astounded at the wideness of the range.

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

I own and moderate a Yahoo e-group that is specifically for Eudaimonists. I also post at various atheist and multifaith message boards.

Thanks...I've just been curious about this.

Thanks for asking.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Fuzzy]

To all the Non-Christians here at CF, how did you find this forum?

A Google search, possibly using the terms "Christian" and "debate."

Why did you choose to join a Christian forum even though you are not Christian yourself?

Intellectual stimulation, curiosity.

Has this forum positively or negatively affected your views of Christianity?

My views of Christianity? Neither. Though I would point out the anonymity afforded certain forum members by virtue of free accounts lets them speak a little more...robustly than if they had to, say, rent a store front and set up their own church.

Are you a part of a forum that caters to your own specific religion?

Yes, but it deals more with logistics of planning get togethers than debate or discussion.