Hi there

[darwinschihuahua]

Cards->table. I'm an atheist. I was raised by holier than thou pentecostal whackjobs in a rural Pennsylvania hellhole town, went along to get along as kids do and then was a closet agnostic or maybe lukewarm believer from the age of 10 onwards, due to all the obvious problems with Christianity that I'm sure you've all heard before and won't bore you with again.

So, I find this UR, Universalism thing to be an interesting phenomena. I do realize it is not the same as new age "all religions are the same" type teachings that the fundies would associate you guys with, those people seem unable to understand anything beyond the strawmen that get banged into their heads every Sunday.
From where I stand it seems that the whole universalism question highlights a set of contradictions in the bible that for whatever reason are not highlighted in the usual "freethought" literature. Anyways, I'll come back tomorrow, I hope I can provoke some intersting discussion, since you guys seem like a reasonable bunch for still believing in the other cardinal doctrines of the christian religion.

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: Welcome.....you won't be the first atheist to come here and break bread with us, and by the grace of God you won't be the last. Pull up a chair and dig in......
Blessings.... :welcome: :newb: :dbook: :Book:

[Beloved Servant]

darwinschihuahua — isn't that devolution?

[jabcat]

Hello.  Thanks for introducing yourself, and hopefully your stay here will be a good and helpful one.  James.

[Paul Hazelwood]

Cards->table. I'm an atheist. I was raised by holier than thou pentecostal whackjobs in a rural Pennsylvania hellhole town, went along to get along as kids do and then was a closet agnostic or maybe lukewarm believer from the age of 10 onwards, due to all the obvious problems with Christianity that I'm sure you've all heard before and won't bore you with again.

So, I find this UR, Universalism thing to be an interesting phenomena. I do realize it is not the same as new age "all religions are the same" type teachings that the fundies would associate you guys with, those people seem unable to understand anything beyond the strawmen that get banged into their heads every Sunday.
From where I stand it seems that the whole universalism question highlights a set of contradictions in the bible that for whatever reason are not highlighted in the usual "freethought" literature. Anyways, I'll come back tomorrow, I hope I can provoke some intersting discussion, since you guys seem like a reasonable bunch for still believing in the other cardinal doctrines of the christian religion.

Looking forward to it.

[thinktank]

O H No an aethist. Quick blow the trumpet, call a fast, weep now ya widows, assemble the knights and bolt up the doors and inform the king :icon_king:.

I bet your glad we live in the 21st century. :thumbsup: Although if your anything like me you probably would love to witness the majesty of a real knight, unless its trying to kill oneself though :mshock:

Welcome :welcome:

[WhiteWings]

darwinschihuahua — isn't that devolution?

Nope. Darwinism is a hoax (not saying other types of evolution are)

:welcome: DC

[Beloved Servant]

WW,
I know it's a lie.

The oxymoron is in the name darwinschihuahua.
See, a chihuahua is the species bred down from the sublime to the ridiculous of it's regal, gray wolf ancestry.

[WhiteWings]

Cards->table. I'm an atheist.

I've reread your post a few times and my feeling is that you are not an atheist but someone that hates manmade doctrines and the ways they are thaught. You didn't leave church because you don't believe but because the wackjobs in hellhole town.
Am I totally wrong with that conclusion?

[WhiteWings]

WW,
I know it's a lie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLxSVBDZMHw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOpg1ZgVly4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkFYx3TDMhs&feature=related