Do you accept Evolution? Why or Why not

[bimmylee]

ManusJustus said:

bimmylee said:

ManusJustus said:
Religious people shouldn't be given a 'get out of stupidity' free card because they believe in a deity.

If I do something stupid, say design a bridge with weak supports that cost less, should I get a 'get out of stupidity' free card when the bridge collapses because I believe in making money.

Maybe if you were more condescending and pompous, those stupid religious idiots might respect you and start caring about your opinion.

Why should I have to be 'nice' to the most intolerant and ignorant people in the world?  I grew up in the rural Bible Belt and no one hesitated to tell me I was going to hell for accepting mountains of evidence for science.  I didn't even know that a perosn could go to hell for believing in black holes (different people actually told me that).  I'm tired of Christians and Muslims alike preaching to me about how I am incorrect in my thinking and this will somehow lead to some fantastical punishment.

I'm also not naive enough to believe that anything I say on an internet forum will change anyone's mind.  So I'll continue to consider stupid people as being stupid until they earn mine and other people's respect.  When I do stupid things, I expect the same treatment in return.

Wow, I had no idea you grew up around such influences. For the record, the belief that any one specific action/sin can automatically send you to hell is not biblical at all. I don't know where those people were getting their information about hell, but it certainly wasn't the Bible. Sorry you had to hear such things. They're certainly not true. God doesn't force Himself upon people. If a person dies and ends up in hell, it is not because he was "sent" there by God.

You have every right to feel exasperated. Nobody should be preached to about going to hell; that doesn't accomplish anything for anybody, and it angers me that there are people out there who quickly turn others off to Christianity because of this kind of self-righteous talk.

As for this forum, I'd say that anything a person posts has the potential to influence the thoughts of someone else, just like reading an editorial in a newspaper has the potential to influence the reader. But if we're belittling each other all day, the chance for intelligent debate dies rather quickly. (Believe it or not, you are quickly becoming one of my favorite people on this site to debate things with.) I would simply suggest to not outright call a person or a group of people "stupid" (even if you truly believe they actually are)... but that's up to you.