You're walking down a dark alley . . .

[~A.Pure.Heart~]

If you were walking down a dark street at night in the rough part of Chicago and you saw ten young men walking towards you, would you feel more comfortable if you knew that they had just come from a Bible class?

Yes, theoretically, I would feel more comfortable passing a group of young men I knew had just come from a Bible class.

Why? Because if they've just come from a class where they're learning about God through God's word, right and wrong, sin and consequences, heaven and hell, singing about God, praising God...they're probably less likely to commit ungodly acts that would put me in danger. And if they're saved (which most young people who go to Bible study seem to be), they have the Holy Spirit to tell them what's right and wrong.

But, as a Christian woman I understand that it's also my duty not to be a stumbling block to the weak or young in faith, by being a temptation to sin, by being in that situation to begin with.

 

[sekhemsahu]

I answered "no." My reasons are much the same as many other answers already posted; vague question, Christian does not automatically mean good, etc.

 

[justanobserver]

I am very surprised at the results of this poll. We can't agree that devout Christians are less likely to beat you up than your average rough-street ghetto dweller? I'm shocked.

No where in your OP do you say they are christians nor do you break it down to "actual Christians, not just 'cultural Christians'". All you say is 10 guys walking from a bible study.

Now you amend it by saying that we are to assume we know they are devout christians coming from a bible study and working a new church mission in a rough part of town.

if this is so, then folks would obviously know them to some degree, perhaps on a first name basis as having met them before since they are doing missions work.

Why would anyone feel any concern from personally knowing 10 men and who they are????

Naaaaah. lets go back to the ORIGINAL OP of your commenting that 10 men just coming from some allegged bible study that no one knows who they are or that they are or are not christians and no one knows why they are in that part of town. I would not have any reason to trust them. why?? Because I do not know them. Some of the most hatefilled people I ever had the displeasure to meet are christians. One or two I have met here at CF. Why should I think any of the 10 in your OP will be any differerent?

 

[Tigg]

Well, I was just adding that because in the OP I meant actual Christians, not just 'cultural Christians'.

That's not an opinion, that's just a fact!

I can't trust "actual Christians" because I have no way of knowing intent in any given moment. And I would have to be God to know all ten men's intent etc. I hate to report, sadly, I am not God. <Big huge grin plus a laugh> I do recall the BTK killer, who to all appearances, was a "good" Christian that shocked all in his church to find out his true character. I am not singling out Christians for being bad news. I am sure there are many examples of all faiths and those with no faith, being rotten people.

You do pose an interesting question though. All, Christians and those of any religion who profess goodness, should so walk the walk that no one would feel threatened under the what if you made. Sadly reality says otherwise.

-Peace-

 

[KarateCowboy]

No where in your OP do you say they are christians nor do you break it down to "actual Christians, not just 'cultural Christians'". All you say is 10 guys walking from a bible study.

Now you amend it by saying that we are to assume we know they are devout christians coming from a bible study and working a new church mission in a rough part of town.

if this is so, then folks would obviously know them to some degree, perhaps on a first name basis as having met them before since they are doing missions work.

Why would anyone feel any concern from personally knowing 10 men and who they are????

Well it is now obvious that I underestimated the ability of people to split hairs, nit-pick, be smart-alecks, and miss the glaringly obvious.

Naaaaah. lets go back to the ORIGINAL OP of your commenting that 10 men just coming from some allegged bible study that no one knows who they are or that they are or are not christians and no one knows why they are in that part of town. I would not have any reason to trust them. why?? Because I do not know them. Some of the most hatefilled people I ever had the displeasure to meet are christians. One or two I have met here at CF. Why should I think any of the 10 in your OP will be any differerent?

I see, so I guess that means all are that way? Why are you even here at this site? Is it just to stereotype us and offend us with your stereotypes and judgementalism? You obviously don't know that many Christians or you wouldn't making just inaccurate judgements. It reminds me of the racist who says "Maybe black people are equal to whites, but I know that they drop out of high school at a higher rate than whites, so I have no reason to believe they are equally intelligent".

 

[Caylin]

I am very surprised at the results of this poll. We can't agree that devout Christians are less likely to beat you up than your average rough-street ghetto dweller? I'm shocked.

As a lesbian transsexual atheist, it is most likely a group of christians that would beat me and leave me for dead.

 

[HannahBanana]

If you were walking down a dark street at night in the rough part of Chicago and you saw ten young men walking towards you, would you feel more comfortable if you knew that they had just come from a Bible class?

Nope, not at all, since I know that religious people can be just as violent and criminal as non-religious people. (Fred Phelps is a perfect example of this, as are the religious folk who bomb abortion clinics.)

 

[HannahBanana]

Yes, theoretically, I would feel more comfortable passing a group of young men I knew had just come from a Bible class.

Why? Because if they've just come from a class where they're learning about God through God's word, right and wrong, sin and consequences, heaven and hell, singing about God, praising God...they're probably less likely to commit ungodly acts that would put me in danger. And if they're saved (which most young people who go to Bible study seem to be), they have the Holy Spirit to tell them what's right and wrong.

But, as a Christian woman I understand that it's also my duty not to be a stumbling block to the weak or young in faith, by being a temptation to sin, by being in that situation to begin with.

Just because a person learns about the Bible does not mean that they're going to put its words into action. Plus, what about the people who are devout Christians, yet think that killing or beating up gays or women who have gotten abortions is okay? Face it, even the most devout Christian is just as likely to commit a crime as an atheist is. Being a Christian does not equal being a good person in all cases.

 

[HannahBanana]

I am very surprised at the results of this poll. We can't agree that devout Christians are less likely to beat you up than your average rough-street ghetto dweller? I'm shocked.

Then why do so many Christians willingly beat up non-Christians, women who have gotten abortions, and gays? Face it, reading the Bible doesn't automatically make people less likely to commit crimes. It teaches some good lessons on morality, yes, but people actually have to decide to act on those lessons, which is definitely not a given, especially not in today's society.

 

[KarateCowboy]

As a lesbian transsexual atheist, it is most likely a group of christians that would beat me and leave me for dead.

Wow, such a disconnect from reality. So tell me, given that roughly 40% of the US are professed evangelical Christians, how is it that you manage to stay alive? The lies grow so old . . .

Nope, not at all, since I know that religious people can be just as violent and criminal as non-religious people. (Fred Phelps is a perfect example of this, as are the religious folk who bomb abortion clinics.)

Way to stereotype. You know, the bigotry gets a little old. You sound like Malcolm X talking about the 'white devils', only with Christians. Let me guess, I bet you think that all black people live in 'the hood' and listen to rap music and talk about 'hizzoes'? And everyone from the South listens to Merl Haggard and spends their free time sitting on the porch in a rocking chair? Oh, and all Australians wrestle crocodiles and carry bowie knives, right? Maybe we shouldn't let people from the middle east into the US because they all want to blow us up, right? People irritate me the way they buy into any stereotypical BS that the media feeds them.

 

[HannahBanana]

Wow, such a disconnect from reality. So tell me, given that roughly 40% of the US are professed evangelical Christians, how is it that you manage to stay alive? The lies grow so old . . .


Way to stereotype. You know, the bigotry gets a little old. You sound like Malcolm X talking about the 'white devils', only with Christians. Let me guess, I bet you think that all black people live in 'the hood' and listen to rap music and talk about 'hizzoes'? And everyone from the South listens to Merl Haggard and spends their free time sitting on the porch in a rocking chair? Oh, and all Australians wrestle crocodiles and carry bowie knives, right? People irritate me the way they buy into any stereotypical BS that the media feeds them.

I wasn't stereotyping. I didn't say that all Christians acted that way, I just said that they were capable of acting that way. (Notice that I said "can be" rather than "are." That should've been a dead giveaway that I wasn't stereotyping.) Way to twist my words.

EDIT: And no, I don't think that all black people act the same, just like I don't think that all Christians act the same.

 

[KarateCowboy]

I wasn't stereotyping. I didn't say that all Christians acted that way, I just said that they were capable of acting that way. (Notice that I said "can be" rather than "are." That should've been a dead giveaway that I wasn't stereotyping.) Way to twist my words.

EDIT: And no, I don't think that all black people act the same, just like I don't think that all Christians act the same.

No, I understand your words exactly. Most Christians are very peaceful people and have never even been in a fight, that is the reality. Even I who have done martial arts most of my life only started doing so because in school I got bullied a lot (always by non-Christians, for the record) and have not been in a physical confrontation in eight years.. You are taking the actions of one or two extreme and unusual specimens and projecting them onto a broader population. The fact that you don't even have anything to back up your statements only further reveals the bias in your statements. It's like taking the ten percent of Muslims who approve of suicide bombing and because of that saying that you would be afraid to go on a plane with a muslim because "experience has shown us that Muslims are capable of suicide bombing". It's the very same thing. And now that I've busted you on it you're trying to weasel your way out of it. "Ooooh, well, I said Muslims are capable of suicide bombing, not all Muslims are capable of suicide bombing"

 

[HannahBanana]

No, I understand your words exactly. Most Christians are very peaceful people and have never even been in a fight, that is the reality. Even I who have done martial arts most of my life only started doing so because in school I got bullied a lot (always by non-Christians, for the record) and have not been in a physical confrontation in eight years.. You are taking the actions of one or two extreme and unusual specimens and projecting them onto a broader population. The fact that you don't even have anything to back up your statements only further reveals the bias in your statements. It's like taking the ten percent of Muslims who approve of suicide bombing and because of that saying that you would be afraid to go on a plane with a muslim because "experience has shown us that Muslims are capable of suicide bombing". It's the very same thing. And now that I've busted you on it you're trying to weasel your way out of it. "Ooooh, well, I said Muslims are capable of suicide bombing, not all Muslims are capable of suicide bombing"

I'd like proof, please of the supposed "fact" that "most Christians are very peaceful people." Because if that were indeed true, we would not have so much violence and hatred coming from Christians themselves in the United States. (Here's proof of this. Notice how it says that 72.6% of hate crimes are those against GLBT people. I'm guessing that a large amount of those crimes were committed by Christians, since they are known to be the biggest anti-gay organization in the US.)

 

[KarateCowboy]

I'd like proof, please of the supposed "fact" that "most Christians are very peaceful people." Because if that were indeed true, we would not have so much violence and hatred coming from Christians themselves in the United States. (Here's proof of this. Notice how it says that 72.6% of hate crimes are those against GLBT people. I'm guessing that a large amount of those crimes were committed by Christians, since they are known to be the biggest anti-gay organization in the US.)

This is exactly what I am talking about. Never mind the fact that Christianity is a religion of peace. We're going to just go and assume that Christians are guilty of a bunch of crimes that we know nothing about. And since the overwhelming majority of suicide bombings are done by Muslims, we can only assume that the majority of Muslims endorse suicide bombing. I like how you pull out that nice big number. Not only did you misquote the number --the 72.6% includes attacks on people for being heterosexual(actually, it's perceived sexuality), but you claim that the majority of them are perpetrated by Christians without any sort of factual basis. You want to blame Chrisitans for it, so you do. That is the same type of attitude that facilitated lynchings of blacks in the South. "That negro dun lookt at mah wife, occifer! I bet he dun touched 'er too! Let's lynch 'im!"

 

[HannahBanana]

This is exactly what I am talking about. Never mind the fact that Christianity is a religion of peace. We're going to just go and assume that Christians are guilty of a bunch of crimes that we know nothing about. And since the overwhelming majority of suicide bombings are done by Muslims, we can only assume that the majority of Muslims endorse suicide bombing. I like how you pull out that nice big number. Not only did you misquote the number --the 72.6% includes attacks on people for being heterosexual(actually, it's perceived sexuality), but you claim that the majority of them are perpetrated by Christians without any sort of factual basis. You want to blame Chrisitans for it, so you do. That is the same type of attitude that facilitated lynchings of blacks in the South. "That negro dun lookt at mah wife, occifer! I bet he dun touched 'er too! Let's lynch 'im!"

Okay, fine. Maybe I am biased against Christians, but I'm only reacting to what I've seen the general Christian community do in this country. Maybe if you, along with other Christians, started a campaign to totally and completely stamp out Christianity-related violence in this country, I would be able to have a better opinion of Christians.

 

[Tigg]

As a lesbian transsexual atheist, it is most likely a group of christians that would beat me and leave me for dead.

Sadly, I agree with your statement. Disagree with the gay community all you want but the right to be safe is the same as for all the rest of us. I base my belief on the few gays I have known and the Matthew Shepherd case (http://www.wiredstrategies.com/shepardx.html)
and a case in my own community where a family had to literally move as their son was gay. As to the issue of crime being committed because of being atheist, I don't know. I do know that googling tends to bear out your stement of despicable people hurting, beating and killing those who are gay.

OT - as I said I would not trust a group of ten approaching me. Even one coming toward me, I would be on guard. Wonder when their bible study ended. 3 AM? <big grin> But then what would I be doing out at that hour? Lol. Take care all!

-Peace-

 

[TooCurious]

I am very surprised at the results of this poll. We can't agree that devout Christians are less likely to beat you up than your average rough-street ghetto dweller? I'm shocked.

It sounds as though you were setting up something you thought was a rigged question, and are now disappointed when you find out that it wasn't.

The fact is, you didn't ask how people would feel if they knew that the ten men were pacifist, good-hearted, equality-loving philanthropists. You only said that we knew they had just come from a Bible study class. The one by no means implies the other. No amount of goalpost-moving will change that.

The situation you described is one in which I am in a dangerous setting. In such a situation, I'm not going to think about what the majority of Christians are, or whether my fears are fair or non-judgmental. I'm going to think about the worst-case scenario, because my life and safety are on the line. I think that's true of many others here. I imagine it being even more true for people in Dracon427's situation, because while it's "most likely" that the fact that the approaching ten men are Christian means they are less of a threat to her, there is also the chance, however small, that that fact makes them much more dangerous to her specifically. And in a potentially life-threatening situation, it's far better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Flame]

Good question! However, as a Pastor I learned early that because someone goes to Church, does not mean it is who they are or what they represent. My ministry for a while was to bikers. I went to the rallies etc. not in a judgemental role but to have fun all the time letting folkis know what i stood for. (if you want to know more about that e-mail me) Since then I have stated several times that in fact, i'd just as soon be around bikers as Christians in that if i am with Bikers, i know who i am with, If i'm with "Christians" you can never be sure. As for feeling better or not..................I have faith that who or what ever they are, God would protect me. If in fact i was jumped and pummeled, I could only assume the E.R. Doctor or x-ray tech need to be wittnessed to!

 

[HannahBanana]

I have faith that who or what ever they are, God would protect me.

That's nice and all, but it's not realistic in the slightest. If it were, then no one would ever die as a result of Christianity-related violence, and that is clearly not the case.

If in fact i was jumped and pummeled, I could only assume the E.R. Doctor or x-ray tech need to be wittnessed to!

Way to be intolerant. Your religion is not the only one that teaches peace and tolerance of others, so don't act like it is.

 

[ScMay]

Most Christians are very peaceful people and have never even been in a fight, that is the reality.

How about I correct your statement to improve accuracy. "Most people are very peaceful and have never been in a fight, that is the reality", the qualifier of 'Christian' is unnecessary and implies that Non-Christians are more violent than Christians which is not supported by facts.

Even I who have done martial arts most of my life only started doing so because in school I got bullied a lot (always by non-Christians, for the record) and have not been in a physical confrontation in eight years..

Well there is something we have in common, except I stopped martial arts after a few years and I'm an atheist. I have also only been in one 'fight' when I was about about 10 were I got punched in the gut (thus martial arts - since then I just bluff my way out without even using it). So what's your point?

By he way I was bullied when I was at Christian high school (Massive predominance of Christianity didn't seem to do much), I also have taken quite a bit of verbal abuse from very 'devout' Christians. So what are you trying to imply? Just come out and say it.