What's Bothering You?

[Zaresto]

My main problem lies with feminism today. I think that TheAmazingAtheist summed it up well when he said, "Feminism is the idea that we can make both sexes equal by focusing solely on the issues of one of them."

Granted, I understand that not all feminists have that mentality, but, from what I have seen, the majority do. By continuing to spout mindless rhetoric (Don't Tell ME How To Dress, Tell Your Children Not To RAPE!), barraging anyone who disagrees with ad homonym attacks, silencing dissent in general, and nonsensically clinging to outdated ideals (Let's face it, there is no longer a patriarchy in the Western World), they only gain my disdain and not my approval. Instead of acting in a way that their predecessors did, feminists today are content to bitch on their blogs about advertisements that upset them.

Some even continue to deny that there is inequality on both sides. Instead of, "Hey, have you noticed that males also have it bad in some areas of society?", many feminists are fine with saying, "Hey, Blurred Lines sounds like it's about rape! Lets blog about it!". That sort of thing shouldn't happen in a movement that is supposed to be about equality. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for gender equality, but I despise feminism.

[Gwazi Magnum]

Did you ever see the articles where they claim all sex is rape? Or where farting near a woman counts as rape?

[Brovo]

Magic Magnum said
Did you ever see the articles where they claim all sex is rape? Or where farting near a woman counts as rape?

Have you seen the one where mass generalizations based on the vocal minority of a faction or culture totally and obviously represent the entirety of that faction or culture?

There's still plenty of admirable feminists, most notable in the middle east.

Just figured I'd note that, because whilst I usually argue from the opposite viewpoint, it helps to remember not to dehumanize entire groups of people by mocking the most vocally stupid among them.

Zaresto said
My main problem lies with feminism today. I think that TheAmazingAtheist summed it up well when he said, "Feminism is the idea that we can make both sexes equal by focusing solely on the issues of one of them."Granted, I understand that not all feminists have that mentality, but, from what I have seen, the majority do. By continuing to spout mindless rhetoric (Don't Tell ME How To Dress, Tell Your Children Not To RAPE!), barraging anyone who disagrees with ad homonym attacks, silencing dissent in general, and nonsensically clinging to outdated ideals (Let's face it, there is no longer a patriarchy in the Western World), they only gain my disdain and not my approval. Instead of acting in a way that their predecessors did, feminists today are content to bitch on their blogs about advertisements that upset them.Some even continue to deny that there is inequality on both sides. Instead of, "Hey, have you noticed that males also have it bad in some areas of society?", many feminists are fine with saying, "Hey, Blurred Lines sounds like it's about rape! Lets blog about it!". That sort of thing shouldn't happen in a movement that is supposed to be about equality. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for gender equality, but I despise feminism.

Because feminism itself is a movement based on attacks. That is its functional purpose. There is an issue: Attack attack attack~

There is no more clear cut issues. No such thing as black and white anymore when women have every single major right that men have.

So now they have no idea what they're doing anymore, or what to attack, aside from vague concepts that will never be eliminated from the human race.

@OP: As for what is bothering me, lets see... Hours cut in half at my work place so I barely have enough money to afford rent and groceries. Yep, that'll do, pig, that'll do.

[Gwynbleidd]

Magic Magnum said
First off, glad to see you finally on the New Guild Dark Wind :)

Good to see you too, Magnum :) Although, I've been around, just haven't participated much in Off-Topic, etc. Been especially busy lately.

Magic Magnum said In regards to Feminism. I agree that there are still some good feminist out there. But the amount of male doninancy sort of thinking is outright rampant in some areas.

Sure, there is a thinking of male dominancy. Is it justified? I'd suggest it is, considering the history of the world. I'd also suggest there are more than just "some" good feminists out there, I'd point out there are numerous good feminists out there. Outspoken, extremist thinkers do not reflect the whole. If they are given more media attention, it is not the fault of other feminists.

Magic Magnum said Also men have to face many cultural stigmas and discrimination too. For example, do you know that a common fear of women in ECE is letting men change an infants diaper out of fear of said child being sexually abused?

Again, I'm not saying that is right. I don't condone cultural stigmas or discrimination of any kind, and the fear of women in ECE of men letting men work with infants is misguided. It's also a bit misguided to suggest that that fear should be linked to feminism. Just because someone has a fear of a man working with children, does not make them a feminist.

Magic Magnum said As for Religion. No one here is saying that atheists have a right to force their belief on others either. We're simply saying religious people also shouldn't have said right. While also noting our own personal disliking of Religion.

Granted. Yet there is an outspoken group of atheists who want to yell how stupid religious people are and make fun of them for their beliefs. As is an outspoken group of religious people who think the same of atheists. Does this make either side right? I'd firmly say no. There are good religious people and good atheist people. The quicker we learn to accept each others beliefs without imposing out beliefs on others, the faster we can coexist peacefully.

Quick note before it gets brought up, I believe religion should be left outside of the class room. Especially creationism. Unless creationism is addressed within a theology course, which is a much different discussion.

[Gwynbleidd]

Also, not to get too distracted from the OP's question…

What's bothering me is that it's spring break, yet my professors decided to give me 20+ pages of script writing to do, an eight page exam paper, 300+ pages of reading to do, and another 4 pages of assignments. What's the point of a break if you're going to do that, lol.

[Warrior in the Shadows]

Well, switching to Active Duty is gonna be a bitch. The only thing to do is embrace that it sucks and get it over with.

[Gwazi Magnum]

Brovo said Have you seen the one where mass generalizations based on the vocal minority of a faction or culture represent the entirety of that faction or culture?There's still plenty of admirable feminists, most notable in the middle east.Just figured I'd note that, because whilst I usually argue from the opposite viewpoint, it helps to remember to dehumanize entire groups of people by mocking the most vocally stupid among them.

That wasn't meant to say what all feminist think.
That was just meant to highlight some of the crazy stuff that have been said by a group of feminist before.

I still disagree with modern feminism today as a whole though for focusing on only one gender/sex when both are discriminated against.
I know sometimes people will argue "But feminism also fights for male rights just as much" in which case I say if the efforts and intentions are indeed equal why do they still feel a need to call themselves feminist?

Dark Wind said Good to see you too, Magnum :) Although, I've been around, just haven't participated much in Off-Topic, etc. Been especially busy lately.

Understandable. OT was pretty dead for a while when the Guild got up again anyways.

Dark Wind said Sure, there is a thinking of male dominancy. Is it justified? I'd suggest it is, considering the history of the world. I'd also suggest there are more than just "some" good feminists out there, I'd point out there are numerous good feminists out there. Outspoken, extremist thinkers do not reflect the whole. If they are given more media attention, it is not the fault of other feminists.

Sorry, wasn't until I read your response until I noticed the typo I made. When I said male dominancy I meant female.
Though that was mostly in reference to 1st world countries, I strongly agree there is a clear male dominancy in 3rd world countries.
Where honestly is where femenist's should focus their efforts rather than in places they are already equals.

As for media attention. I remember it was mentioned a bit earlier that those good feminist keep it secret and behind the scenes.
But if feminism was truly doing all these good things, why aren't they making it public and letting people know of the good they do?
Rather than sit back and allow the extremist to fully represent their cause to the public?

It just doesn't make sense to me. If I was a feminist and working on some law to help women and/or men I'd work my hardest to make it public so people would be aware that we still do some good.

Dark Wind said Again, I'm not saying that is right. I don't condone cultural stigmas or discrimination of any kind, and the fear of women in ECE of men letting men work with infants is misguided. It's also a bit misguided to suggest that that fear should be linked to feminism. Just because someone has a fear of a man working with children, does not make them a feminist.

The ECE example wasn't meant to claim that's what feminist think.
It was meant to highlight an example of male cultural discrimination outside of the typical points of rape/assault charges and child custody.

Dark Wind said Granted. Yet there is an outspoken group of atheists who want to yell how stupid religious people are and make fun of them for their beliefs. As is an outspoken group of religious people who think the same of atheists. Does this make either side right? I'd firmly say no. There are good religious people and good atheist people. The quicker we learn to accept each others beliefs without imposing out beliefs on others, the faster we can coexist peacefully.Quick note before it gets brought up, I believe religion should be left outside of the class room. Especially creationism. Unless creationism is addressed within a theology course, which is a much different discussion.

(Pre-Warning: I rant a bit here, and I'm unsure if my message remained clear during it. If it doesn't seem clear please say so)

I'm in a group on facebook where this is a common mindset on atheist.
So I can relate and agree that there are troublesome atheists who only add conflict to the issue at hand.

However, most cases of it I've seen were provoked.
Retaliations to religious people trying to force their religion on others in schools, throwing their children onto the street's for not believing anymore, raising their children to either feel like they are terrible people who need saving or simply without a proper explanation of science and how the world works. How Religion treat's about 10-20% of the world population as second class citizens cause of who they are attracted to.

Are these atheist reactions 100% Justified? No, they aren't.
But Religion has ruined the lives on many people, may be it through discrimination and family break ups, or simply cutting them off from a fair and unbias education.
So the anger many atheists hold towards Religion and religious people is at least understandable.

The other half of the problem is simply proof, evidence and contradictions.
Religion is full of contradictions, and rarely has any kind of valid proof or evidence for it.
Scientifically and Rationally speaking, there is no reason to treat it as fact, or teach it to others as fact.

But many religious people do in fact see it as fact, as much a fact (or more so) than Science who has tons of evidence and proof to back it up.
Also if science is proved wrong somewhere it adapts and change's their theories to fit the new information.
In Religion to highlight something wrong is called words of the devil and people get shammed for questioning what they're told to believe.

This leads to the issue where you've got all these people wanting Religion to be treated, looked at and taught with the same validity as Science.
Something which any community that prides itself on science and evidence would never allow, creating conflict.
And even if say Religion got through, you've got hundreds of thousands of kinds to choose from and you can normally only pick one without even the ones you pick getting angry.

I would agree with everyone learning to accept each others belief's, agreeing to disagree on it.
But to accept in the sense of accepting it into society as something people should live by, research by, rule by etc. is going backwards in scientific progress.

Dark Wind said
Also, not to get too distracted from the OP's question…What's bothering me is that it's spring break, yet my professors decided to give me 20+ pages of script writing to do, an eight page exam paper, 300+ pages of reading to do, and another 4 pages of assignments. What's the point of a break if you're going to do that, lol.

Well obviously cause that week off is meant for teachers to load you full of work with! :P

Honestly though, I remember hearing before that those weeks off are meant for mental health to keep suicide rates at college's and universities down.
The fact they use it as a time to stack of work for is completely contradicting to the reason we have said breaks to begin with. -.-

And I can't say for your program specifically, but I normally find the reading's are never needed for the courses.
Normally just repeat of what's already taught in class.

[StarWight]

Magic Magnum said
No problem. I get how being annoyed and disliking religion can anger or confuse a lot of people, even those not religious themselves.That's just not healthy though, for the only thing you have is blind faith in something the world has created at least tens of thousands of versions of it, all of which claims to be the one and only true God or religion.Oh I get it, I was Christian for most of my life.It's having grown up Christian that helps fuel my reasons for disliking Religion.To honestly consider one self part of a Religion, you should be reading and obeying the Bible of said Religion.To not do so... Well then you're ignoring the entire religion and honestly shouldn't call yourself a member of that Religion in the first place.So with that leaving those who actually do follow the Bible, most religions tell their followers that they're God's word is law. That God is all knowing and infinite.I makes sense for the rules man put down to change over time, we're only men. We learn, we adapt, we change. But for what God says to change? If he does change his mind later one he is either sadistic, or he isn't all knowing cause he had to change his word in the first place.Also even Religion's like Christianity aren't fully clear as to if the Old Testament is to be disregarded or not.That's just one possible interpretation of what Jesus said, and it's the interpretation most religious people choose to take cause it let's them dodge what would otherwise be a very inconvenient bullet.Even then though, the New Testament has more than enough to tear apart with including women not being allowed to speak outside of their home.You want to look at a Religion and go "This scripture's are too old, we should ignore them and do something else" be my guest. But stop calling yourself a member of that religion, cause you're outright disobeying it at that point.This is true. But let's put this in another perspective.Let's say a School put a rule in saying "You are allowed to pick on, bully, harass and abuse Girls, Gays, Blacks, Jews, Asians etc.". Would you stand for it and say "Well Assholes will be assholes may this rule be in or not?". Any half-moral person wouldn't allow a rule that outright promotes the harm and bullying of others, even if humanity has some asshole's that would act that way even if they weren't allowed to.Not liking Religion is not the same as shunning anyone who is Religious.As far as Religion vs Non-Religious even goes, it's normally the Religious people shunning the non-religious (or religious people of another religion) for not believing in their God.Non-Religious normally just show a disliking to Religion, disagree with it and tell them to stop trying to force their religion on others.Sometimes creating atheist groups and such as a place of acceptance cause so many religious people won't accept them.I'd rather avoid flame war's too honestly is possible.But I'm not going to let the fear of a flame war prevent me from being open and honest about my opinion if people ask about it.

Being religious myself, I can say that there's a LOT of people who give Christians a bad name. The bible says just the OPPOSITE of what you claim your problems with religion are, Magic Magnum. Jesus teaches us to love one another. The people he helped and spent his time with were murderers, thieves, prostitutes...because they needed direction and guidance the most. Jesus didn't shun the non-religious or look down upon them. I think the biggest problem with Christianity today are the people who sit there, with their noses in the air, acting like anyone non-religious is a piece of crap--OR come up with the stupidest shit, like "if you smoke you'll go to hell" (baptists and Catholics are big on this one, among other things).

But not EVERY person who loves and believes in God is like that. MANY of us respect people's right to live any way they choose, and follow our own faith without trying to shove it down everyone's throats. It's just that those who do, they are louder and get more media attention.

As for most non-religious people often not shunning people who ARE religious...to put it bluntly, that's bs. I can name a BUNCH of examples where this is simply not true--from taking "under god" out of the US pledge of allegiance, to telling people they aren't allowed to pray quietly in public--which to me, violates not only freedom of religion but freedom of speech. It seems to me, there is this HUUUGE anti-religion movement happening in the United States, where our rights to religious freedom are slowly being chipped away at. And a lot of atheists are incredibly rude and demeaning to those who are religious. I can speak from personal experience here.

I seldom even get involved in these kinds of discussions because often, the second I mention that I believe in God, it's like I open the floodgates to total flamage. But I can't be silent on this post, because as much as I've come to like you Magic Magnum, I have to disagree with you on this one. I may not be the perfect Christian, I may have ideas that would have me labeled a heretic in the Renaissance days , but in the end I believe in everyone's right to follow whatever God they choose and not be lashed out and bullied because of it. Likewise, I believe that no religion should bully non-believers either. I think there's room for improvement on both sides, but don't deny the fact that a LOT of non-religious people are quite cruel/judgmental/hateful to anyone who says "I believe in God."

[Brovo]

Warrior in the Shadows said
Well, switching to Active Duty is gonna be a bitch. The only thing to do is embrace that it sucks and get it over with.

Lock and load, warrior, and don't forget to take care of your rifle. If you do, it will take care of you.

Best of luck to you.

[Jannah]

I'm not going to respond to the stuff here about feminism because I know it will start a flame war. As for religion, I'm no fan of that and most people who know me know that about me. However, I'm all for somebody's right to believe as long as they don't force it on others. Unfortunately fundies are determined to do that whether it's through preaching, indoctrination, whatever. I have personally had some bad experiences with religious fundies so I know this very well, despite having been raised in a godless family(lol). Moderate religious people? They're cool with me. I have various religious friends of all faiths. I even carry quite a bit of respect for many religious figures including Jesus, Imam Ali, and Buddha.

So what's bothering me? The fact I can't do academic writing for shit and still have one more research paper to get done -_-.

[Kestrel]

The law prohibiting me from simple yet effective solutions.

[Rightful Heir]

What's bothering me? .....well, I am back being friends with a girl I've been friends with for almost 9 1/2 years...... she thought I was shacking up with her boyfriend just cause he and I started being friends.. so after they broke up, she saw how close her ex and I got and then she went after my ex, actually slept with him and then called me a bunch of uncalled for names...........................when her and her ex got back together, I backed out of the friendship he and I had cause I didnt wanna complicate things for him and wanted to respect her.....even after all the shit that happened, when it finally hit that we werent friends anymore, I cried and felt as if a part of me had been ripped away from me....................................................now that we are trying to repair our friendship again, it just feels super different (i know its not supposed to be the same as it was before all the bullshit happened....but....).. I feel as if I am walking around in a dream... almost like I dont know what's reality anymore, and its just....mentally and emotionally exhausting.

[StarWight]

What's bothering me is that I'm still feeling extremely lonely after someone I thought was good friends and I parted ways. That pain, the hurt...it's still there and it sucks. I see her name every day, and I want to PM or message...and I know I shouldn't because she pretty much made it clear we'll never be friends again. The sickest part of it all, is I never wanted us to be apart, I just wanted this person to realize they were hurting me, and care about that fact. It sucks to lose someone who was so close to you, that you felt almost like they were a part of you. That is a pain that nobody should ever have to face, but happens all too often.

[Zaresto]

LoneSilverWolf said
Being religious myself, I can say that there's a LOT of people who give Christians a bad name. The bible says just the OPPOSITE of what you claim your problems with religion are, Magic Magnum. Jesus teaches us to love one another. The people he helped and spent his time with were murderers, thieves, prostitutes...because they needed direction and guidance the most. Jesus didn't shun the non-religious or look down upon them. I think the biggest problem with Christianity today are the people who sit there, with their noses in the air, acting like anyone non-religious is a piece of crap--OR come up with the stupidest shit, like "if you smoke you'll go to hell" (baptists and Catholics are big on this one, among other things).

But not EVERY person who loves and believes in God is like that. MANY of us respect people's right to live any way they choose, and follow our own faith without trying to shove it down everyone's throats. It's just that those who do, they are louder and get more media attention.

As for most non-religious people often not shunning people who ARE religious...to put it bluntly, that's bs. I can name a BUNCH of examples where this is simply not true--from taking "under god" out of the US pledge of allegiance, to telling people they aren't allowed to pray quietly in public--which to me, violates not only freedom of religion but freedom of speech. It seems to me, there is this HUUUGE anti-religion movement happening in the United States, where our rights to religious freedom are slowly being chipped away at. And a lot of atheists are incredibly rude and demeaning to those who are religious. I can speak from personal experience here.

I seldom even get involved in these kinds of discussions because often, the second I mention that I believe in God, it's like I open the floodgates to total flamage. But I can't be silent on this post, because as much as I've come to like you Magic Magnum, I have to disagree with you on this one. I may not be the perfect Christian, I may have ideas that would have me labeled a heretic in the Renaissance days , but in the end I believe in everyone's right to follow whatever God they choose and not be lashed out and bullied because of it. Likewise, I believe that no religion should bully non-believers either. I think there's room for improvement on both sides, but don't deny the fact that a LOT of non-religious people are quite cruel/judgmental/hateful to anyone who says "I believe in God."

Well, I guess alot of Christians do cherry pick from their bible, seeing as how you claim that "the bible never says any of that". The fact of the matter is, is that your holy book is full of horrible shit, and that people like you follow it and defend it without giving it a second though, without using ANY logic. And you say that atheists, agnostics, etc. are your oppressors?

Don't bullshit me. There is no boogeyman trying to take away your right to pray in public places. The only reason I want "Under god" out of the pledge is because it violates our right to freedom of religion. The only reason I want Christianity to be separate from our educational or government systems is simply because of the fact that religions inhibit social and scientific progress. Why is there even a debate about gay marriage? Because of Christians. Why is there even a debate about abortions? Because of Christians. You see what I'm getting at.

For you to assume that we have to honor and be nice to you just because you're a Christian, you've got another thing coming, especially because it doesn't work the other way around.

EDIT: If OP wants me to make a separate thread to discuss this topic, I will gladly comply.

[Cayden Black]

My inadequacies get me down. Life gets me down. Death gets me down. Writing lifts me up.

May the beauty of the mind never lose its splendor. May the heavens we reach out to never be marred by our own hatred. We all need a dream to aspire to, that light in the dark where all else has faded away.

This is a dream, something we all should share.

[Brovo]

@Everyone: More specifically those talking about religion and feminism. Do everyone a favour and stop. It's one thing to be annoyed by it and mention it here, it's another thing to turn a thread entirely not about religion and gender issues into a thread about religion and gender issues.

Also, here's a hint for the future: Stop mimicking Thunderf00t and AmazingAtheist's way of argument considering word choice and tone. They use highly aggressive tones because it's entertaining and because they've made it part of their goal to openly question and destroy the foundations of their adversaries. It works there because the people they tend to target are irrevocable insane or awful people all-round. It's why you'll see me give no love or quarter to people like Anita Sarkeesian, but concerning people like LoneSilverWolf I give ground and work for cooperation and tolerance and peace.

tl;dr: LSW doesn't have any intention of stopping you from living the way you want to, or believing that which you wish to believe in. From their perspective, LSW sees assaults on religious freedoms in the United States. I suggest taking a minute to view things from their perspective. Even if the claims are unverified, they believe them to be real enough to warrant noting.

@LoneSilverWolf: Just to clarify though, the original pledge of allegiance of the United States did not contain religious reference. Same goes for the currency. It was done to try and fight off the influence of/unite the religious against "those godless commies" back in the cold war era.

Last I checked, people can still pray and even preach in public. Door knockers are still legal.

Personally: I find the bible to be a cornerstone of literature, we derive a lot of our tropes and metaphors to the bible. It is an important work, whether you believe it fictional or not, and has both good and bad lessons in it.

As I've said before: It's a book. Books aren't evil. It's when you add people into the mix that good or evil appears. Justify charity off of the bible (Red Cross) or racism (Klu Klux Klan).

@Everyone: Anyway, I'll ask those still arguing about this stuff, if you want, make your own thread for it... And beware the first rule of the fanatic. It will consume you after a while.

Now.

LoneSilverWolf said
What's bothering me is that I'm still feeling extremely lonely after someone I thought was good friends and I parted ways. That pain, the hurt...it's still there and it sucks. I see her name every day, and I want to PM or message...and I know I shouldn't because she pretty much made it clear we'll never be friends again. The sickest part of it all, is I never wanted us to be apart, I just wanted this person to realize they were hurting me, and care about that fact. It sucks to lose someone who was so close to you, that you felt almost like they were a of you. That is a pain that nobody should ever have to face, but happens all too often.

I feel you, mate. Similar thing is happening to me right now. It... Really hurts, to lose a friend like that. I recommend copious amounts of inspirational music and film, pick yourself back up and dust yourself off. If you want to talk about it more just let me know.

[Gwazi Magnum]

LoneSilverWolf said Being religious myself, I can say that there's a LOT of people who give Christians a bad name. The bible says just the OPPOSITE of what you claim your problems with religion are, Magic Magnum. Jesus teaches us to love one another. The people he helped and spent his time with were murderers, thieves, prostitutes...because they needed direction and guidance the most. Jesus didn't shun the non-religious or look down upon them. I think the biggest problem with Christianity today are the people who sit there, with their noses in the air, acting like anyone non-religious is a piece of crap--OR come up with the stupidest shit, like "if you smoke you'll go to hell" (baptists and Catholics are big on this one, among other things).

Jesus himself may of been a decent guy. But that sadly doesn't change what the Bible which Christianity is based off of says.

Supports Rape

Deuteronomy 21:10-14
Judges 21:10-24
Judges 19:24-25
Zechariah 14:1-2

As for murder, women degrading, racism, homophobia etc.
My family atm is yelling at me to hurry up so we can get going somewhere so I don't got time atm to pull out the quotes.

I'll link some pages of them quickly, but past experience shows that to be messy so I'll pull out specific quote's afterwards.

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Killing/
http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Racism-and-Slavery/
http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Homosexuality/
http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Women/

LoneSilverWolf said But not EVERY person who loves and believes in God is like that. MANY of us respect people's right to live any way they choose, and follow our own faith without trying to shove it down everyone's throats. It's just that those who do, they are louder and get more media attention.

I'm not against all religious people, just the way religion is used.
Though I already addressed in the post you replied to that I don't think someone should call themselves a member of ________ religion anyways if they don't follow the Bible.
Which is where a lot of my issues with Religion comes from.

LoneSilverWolf said As for most non-religious people often not shunning people who ARE religious...to put it bluntly, that's bs. I can name a BUNCH of examples where this is simply not true--from taking "under god" out of the US pledge of allegiance, to telling people they aren't allowed to pray quietly in public--which to me, violates not only freedom of religion but freedom of speech. It seems to me, there is this HUUUGE anti-religion movement happening in the United States, where our rights to religious freedom are slowly being chipped away at.

What's happening there is people fighting for the separation of Church and State which is in the american constitution.
People don't want a Religion being given special status among others by putting on their money, on the pledge etc.
America and it's founding father never wanted America to be a Christian Nation, it was Christians who later on made it that way without the consent of everyone non-religious.

Also, no one's saying you can't be religious, or that you can't pray.
What they're saying is that you can't be forcing others into your religion or be forcing others to pray.
But I can sympathize with having grown up in a country where praising God was just common practice to suddenly be told people don't like having to do that and want it to stop having to can seem like discrimination.
But it's really just fighting for the rights of everyone who isn't a Christian.

LoneSilverWolf said And a lot of atheists are incredibly rude and demeaning to those who are religious. I can speak from personal experience here.

I won't argue that part.
This is true, but I mentioned in an earlier post also how this is basically a retaliation to how Religious people demonize those non-religious.
Treat 10-20% of the population like second class citizens simply for who they're attracted to, kicking their own children out suddenly to fend for themselves cause the child is atheist or of another religion etc.

Atheist's may be rude much of the time, but I find that much preferable to the outright horrid treatment Religion causes so many people to inflict on others.

LoneSilverWolf said I seldom even get involved in these kinds of discussions because often, the second I mention that I believe in God, it's like I open the floodgates to total flamage. But I can't be silent on this post, because as much as I've come to like you Magic Magnum, I have to disagree with you on this one. I may not be the perfect Christian, I may have ideas that would have me labeled a heretic in the Renaissance days , but in the end I believe in everyone's right to follow whatever God they choose and not be lashed out and bullied because of it. Likewise, I believe that no religion should bully non-believers either. I think there's room for improvement on both sides, but don't deny the fact that a LOT of non-religious people are quite cruel/judgmental/hateful to anyone who says "I believe in God."

I just tend to be very blunt and straightforward with what I think, and learned to not be afraid of conflict.
The way I see it, if people I know can even agree to disagree with each other stances, the friendship probably wasn't true to start with (Not implying this is our case, I'm speaking in general here).

Honestly, even though we disagree I support you being vocal and standing up for what you think and believe.
We need more people willing to do that if we want to move forward in the world.

A Tattooed Girl said
What's bothering me? .....well, I am back being friends with a girl I've been friends with for almost 9 1/2 years...... she thought I was shacking up with her boyfriend just cause he and I started being friends.. so after they broke up, she saw how close her ex and I got and then she went after my ex, actually slept with him and then called me a bunch of uncalled for names...........................when her and her ex got back together, I backed out of the friendship he and I had cause I didnt wanna complicate things for him and wanted to respect her.....even after all the shit that happened, when it finally hit that we werent friends anymore, I cried and felt as if a part of me had been ripped away from me....................................................now that we are trying to repair our friendship again, it just feels super different (i know its not supposed to be the same as it was before all the bullshit happened....but....).. I feel as if I am walking around in a dream... almost like I dont know what's reality anymore, and its just....mentally and emotionally exhausting.

To put it quite bluntly, from what you've said here your friend sounds like a bitch. :/
And I don't see what made ending another friendship worth it for you.

Though I'm not there personally and just going on what you said here so take this as you will.

LoneSilverWolf said
What's bothering me is that I'm still feeling extremely lonely after someone I thought was good friends and I parted ways. That pain, the hurt...it's still there and it sucks. I see her name every day, and I want to PM or message...and I know I shouldn't because she pretty much made it clear we'll never be friends again. The sickest part of it all, is I never wanted us to be apart, I just wanted this person to realize they were hurting me, and care about that fact. It sucks to lose someone who was so close to you, that you felt almost like they were a of you. That is a pain that nobody should ever have to face, but happens all too often.

I can relate to this :P

[ApocalypticaGM]

Thought I'd throw in my biggest bother thus far. Ready yourselves for first-world problems. To be clear, I love my job and am thankful to have one!

Things that have been bothering me... Here's one of the bigger ones, then. I finished my Bachelor's in June and as of August began working part time at a local state college. The very same day I started working there, I attended a forum for a position within the Department of Homeland Security. I'd also just moved into an apartment with my fiancé with room entirely dedicated to my daughter, as she comes over from her mother's. It's been wonderful, well, except for our third game-addicted room-mate --separate issue that one. Anyway, wonderful experiences, interviewing and having medical checks with DHS, slated to begin training next month and will earn a full-time check for that. In the meantime, I have sent many applications out and received only jobs that requested very strange and/or highly inconvenient stipulations (ex. Visiting other cities for work without any travel expenses paid, WTF?). Basically, since August I have been living on a check that pays the necessary expenses and that's it. My life is pretty simple, easy to afford with three working adults, but I literally don't see an extra dollar every month. It bothers me living so close to chest. It baffles me that a college where my co-workers genuinely like me and ask my perspective doesn't have any full-time openings in almost six months. Actually, what bothers me most now that you all know this, are the people who make a point to tell me each day that they wish they had my hours, meanwhile driving to work after picking up some Starbucks and Burgerville (I take the bus and do not have cash for fast food).

[Ferret]

Sorry guys didn't mean to start a whole religion thing, if you want to keep up the debate you can make your own thread. I can already see the debate turning sour and I don't really want anything to do with it.

[Brovo]

Ferret said
Sorry guys didn't mean to start a whole religion thing, if you want to keep up the debate you can make your own thread. I can already see the debate turning sour and I don't really want anything to do with it.

It's too late, I don't think they'll listen when already asked and they didn't stop.