Are all Americans religious nuts? (1628 hits)
Category: NoneRating: -0.49 on 104 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Kwame Johnson (View user info) at 2004-09-15 08:55:47 EDT
I am new to posting on Ubersite although I have been a bit of a 'lurker' for a couple of months.
One thing I have noticed is that a lot of the Americans on this site are religious or talk about God or anti-abortion etc.
I am English and although raised in a fairly god fearing family (my parents were originally from Jamaica and had those values instilled in them from birth) I have no real religious beliefs but this causes no comment in England at all.
A few American friends of mine said that I would be stigmatised in the US for being an atheist.
Is this true?
What we see over here is a lot of religious nuttery over there?
So in short are you all loons?
User Reviews
Submitted by Konerak (user info) at 2006-08-17 07:47:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
And stay down!
Submitted by Konerak (user info) at 2006-08-17 07:47:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Dammit just die again.
Submitted by Konerak (user info) at 2006-08-17 07:47:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Adventures in Kids' Entertainment: The Passion of the Honey Bear (Rating: 1.98 on 103 reviews, last by c1ndy 15 days ago)
Submitted by JMG114 (View user info) at 2004-10-12 10:25:39
http://www.ubersite.com/m/48127
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-11-03 05:53:10 (#)
Ranking: 1
i dont believe you but it was well writtien.
-2DIE
Submitted by williamson (user info) at 2005-11-18 01:54:41 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Most Americans on this site will say "No! Americans do not embrace that stupid, incoherent, utterly stupid religion."
Then again they say the same thing about the president and he's been elected twice.
Go figure.
Submitted by maiorano84 (user info) at 2005-11-18 01:34:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
And holy shit, I really gotta check these dates before I actually review for a second or third time.
Submitted by maiorano84 (user info) at 2005-11-18 01:32:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
"One thing I have noticed is that a lot of the Americans on this site are religious or talk about God or anti-abortion etc."
No, only the dipshits actually talk about those tired subjects, and they get flamed into oblivion because everybody hates everybody else. Sound like a religious site to you? No? Then shut the hell up.
Submitted by Serious_Melvin (user info) at 2005-11-18 01:28:18 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Go fuck yourself!
Submitted by The_Cyst_Master (user info) at 2005-11-18 01:19:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
No, no, no. Let's get this straight.
The North - not so much
The South - yes, in an extremely stupid gay way
The rest - who cares?
And asians don't have souls. Answer the question?
Submitted by bigbabylons (user info) at 2005-11-18 01:09:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Fuck you Jamie
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-10-08 14:55:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
IM ONTO YIOU YOU NIGEREIAN REDNECK CUNT
Submitted by DarthFaded (user info) at 2005-08-03 18:53:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I don't know about all of that jive...
What I do know is this post sucks and you would be speaking German if it weren't for the US.
Submitted by Spuds002 (user info) at 2005-08-03 18:40:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
great another fucking limey bastard on this site. its been going to shit latly, and now its farther down the crapper.
Submitted by maiorano84 (user info) at 2005-08-03 18:37:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Yes. We're all crazy.
FEAR US!!! FOR WE ARE AMERICAN!! BOOGITY BOOGITY!!
Submitted by doctorj24 (user info) at 2005-08-03 18:19:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by LexLutherin (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:29:27 (#)
Ranking: 2
http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/arguments.html#bush
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&q=george+bush+atheist&spell=1
There, I looked it up for you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm sorry, you just pointed out that George H. Bush stated that, not George W. Bush. You ignorant fool. They are two different people, two different presidents. Gosh dang you people are stupid.
Submitted by kai070169 (user info) at 2005-08-03 17:37:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
It used to be a lot worse
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-02-18 21:37:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Loki, why the intolerance?
Submitted by Unabonger (user info) at 2005-02-18 21:07:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
"You're not getting this, Jinky. I am an Agnostic Athe...ahhhh never mind."
-Schlongy
for what it's worth, i got it.
and yes, Brit Boy, if you come to America, you will be baptised the second you get off the plane. it's a ritual...
Submitted by MrRottenTreats (user info) at 2005-02-18 20:56:21 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
DO SHUT UP
WANKER
Submitted by Tigre (user info) at 2004-11-22 00:34:46 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2004-09-15 16:18:41 (#)
Ranking: 0
There are religious fanatics in every country. Sure, there are some here.
Name a country where there is no religion.
-----------
Detroit.
Submitted by RamJetMax (user info) at 2004-09-16 10:34:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Revolutionary War:
USA 1 - England 0
Submitted by JinkyWilliams (user info) at 2004-09-15 16:52:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
[lucid]
"You're more likely to be shunned in America for wearing the wrong shoes."
Roger that, sadly.
Stay orange.
--JW
Submitted by shitfuck (user info) at 2004-09-15 16:51:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this world we're thrown
Like an actor out alone
If you give this man a ride
Sweet Emily will die
Killer on the dawn
yyyyeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhh
da-da-da-da-daaaaa
da-da-da-dad-da-daaaaa
da-da-aa-dda-a
daa-da
a-ddada-a-d-d-d-daa
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-09-15 16:35:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Hey Bizdorph, did you know that gullible is not in the dictionary?
Jinky is right, you cannot be an agnostic and an atheist nor can you be a God hating atheist unless you are saying that you are not convinced one way or the other that there is such a thing as a atheist.
What?
Submitted by lucid (user info) at 2004-09-15 16:32:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
You're more likely to be shunned in America for wearing the wrong shoes.
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2004-09-15 16:18:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
There are religious fanatics in every country. Sure, there are some here.
Name a country where there is no religion.
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2004-09-15 16:08:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
You're not getting this, Jinky. I am an Agnostic Athe...ahhhh never mind.
Submitted by JinkyWilliams (user info) at 2004-09-15 15:56:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
An aetheist is "One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods."
An agnostic is "One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God; One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism."
You just can't do both.
Stay orange.
--JW
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2004-09-15 15:33:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I can be whatever I want to be. Because I'm an Agnostic Atheist. That's the beauty of it.
Submitted by JinkyWilliams (user info) at 2004-09-15 15:21:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
"This reply made me want to vomit. It also gave me cold sweats and a bad case of the runs."
Haha! Loki, looks like "Mission Accomplished" for you. Hehe.
In case you've any doubt, that's about as far from the real Loki as you get.
Stay orange.
--JW
Submitted by Bizdorph (user info) at 2004-09-15 15:12:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:00:50 (#)
Ranking: 0
My name is Loki. In real life I'm a 16-year-old conservative Christian and I believe that the earth was created in seven 24-hour days approximately 4,000 years ago by a deity commonly known as God. I believe that homosexuals, social drinkers, smokers, drug users, Democrats, and people who don't realize that they can't sing and do so anyway, will burn forever in the fiery pits of hell. I believe that everything that Dante and Milton wrote was true. I believe that Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, and anyone not born in one of the Confederate States is also doomed to spend eternity in hell. I believe that man was made in God's own image and that women are a inferior model necessary for the propagation of the species and as Freud said, only good for sex and knitting. I believe that Jews killed Jesus and for that they are also condemned to hell, but I support Israel in all cases because even though they are condemned to hell they are still God's Chosen People.
_______________________________________
This reply made me want to vomit. It also gave me cold sweats and a bad case of the runs.
Submitted by Bizdorph (user info) at 2004-09-15 15:09:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I'm more than an atheist.
I'm a misodeist (I made that word up). I hate god and everything to do with him. Well, no. I just vastly prefer to explain the world in a way that makes sense: using fact and science.
God = innacuracy.
I happen, however, to enjoy Buddhism. It's more a way of life than a religion, and Buddha was an actual man, not a guy whose existence people try to vindicate with cloths bearing imprints of faces that, when carbon dated, are found to be several hundred years out of whack. Douchebags.
Kabbalah, however, can eat my nuts:
http://www.ubersite.com/m/40981
Submitted by vodka7tall (user info) at 2004-09-15 15:07:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by trees (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:42:56 (#)
Ranking: 0
our attourney general, john ashcroft, the man who runs the criminal justice system, is a member of a very small, incredibly strict church, and believes that dancing is a sin.
----------
Where is Kevin Bacon when you need him?
TONIGHT I GOTTA CUT LOOSE!
Submitted by Schwarzes_Glas (user info) at 2004-09-15 15:03:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No comment.
Submitted by JinkyWilliams (user info) at 2004-09-15 14:56:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
[Trees]
"i forget the numbers, but WAY more people go to church here than in europe, and we have all these crazy wierd fundamentalist ideas about everything, like how the world is 10,000 years old, or that we are in a battle with satan in the middle-east."
--Interesting indeed. Even within the US, it's interesting to note that where the fewest people go to church (I think Washington was one of the top three in that list), there is the least violence, and where the most people attend church (The South), there's considerably more violence.
Isn't it ironic? Goes to show: Church attendance alone shows nothing in the slighest about one's character. As it should be, self-labels should be taken with a grain of salt, and the fruits of one's actions should dictate how that person is understood to be.
The earth being 10,000 years old is not a fundamentalist understanding (at least Christian fundamentalism). It is a theory based on interpetation of Biblical evidence, which may or may not be correct (I personally do not care. God could have taken all the time He wanted in the creation of the Earth. It could be 10,000 years, it could be longer. Makes no difference to me, except as an interesting discussion.)
As far as "battling with Satan in the Middle East" goes, it definitely shouldn't be construed as some symbolic battle between good and evil. An understanding such as this is not a correct fundamental understanding, either. While there may be adverse supernatural forces at work there, the same could be said anywhere in the world (again, according to Christian dogma).
"our attourney general, john ashcroft, the man who runs the criminal justice system, is a member of a very small, incredibly strict church, and believes that dancing is a sin. i don't understand why he hates the islamic fundies so much. they share most of the same views."
--I ran into a person a while back who said that dancing was immoral. He said that it created "impure thoughts" in him, so it was wrong for everyone. He also said that hymns were the only really right way to praise God, because all other forms of music were taken from heathen sources (regardless of the fact that hymns were also taken from "heathen" sources, and also the fact that the Bible says to praise jubiliantly and with loud instruments and such, along with other types of worship). Doesn't sound much like hymns to me. Or hyrs. (Hyuk hyuk)
Loki, that church sounds... scary. I do not espouse their methods as your family expresses them in their actions and words.
Stay orange.
--JW
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-09-15 13:11:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This is Ashcroft's outfit: http://www.ag.org
They are scary scary people. My issue with them and their ilk is that it is not in their doctrine to leave well enough alone. They are classic white man's burden. They believe that they were called by God to convert the unbelievers. Trust me on this, I have family mixed up in this mess. The analogy they use on me whenever we're having our annual Thanksgiving screaming match is that if I were drowning they would be compelled to save me whether I realized I was drowning or not. It would also appear that they must also drag people out of the water who are out for a little swim, but that's their general MO.
The order was formed around the time of the Great Depression of mostly uneducated poor people. Their message is one of simple black and white. I think this is because they were dealing with a class of people who lacked the ability to use ah what is the word I'm looking for...moderation perhaps.
What I mean by that is that they have very simple rules that must be followed at all times. For example, drinking is a sin. That is because their original followers were from the dregs where alcoholism is a huge problem. Keep in mind this was the Depression. So, the quickest way to ensure that someone does not become an alcoholic is to forbid any and all forms of alcohol.
Somewhere on here is a good rant I did when I was all worked up over some anti-choice protestors but I'll sum it up again.
I believe that the US is more religious than other countries because we were a frontier not all that long ago. Think about it this way, if you are forming a society you have to have certain rules and regulations in place in order to achieve harmony. Although these rules are in place in order to allow society to function, there are many of them that are counter to the individual good.
Take something like stealing. We can all agree that stealing is a detriment to society, however there are times when it would benefit the individual. You have to do something to convince the individual that he should not steal. How do you do that? Some of the members of society are altruistic enough to follow these rules on their own. For the rest of them, you have to find another way.
One way is to make it a crime and lock up perpetuators. The problem there is that you don't have the resources to lock up everyone or even figure out whom all should be locked up, especially in the early days when the US was a bunch of loosely formed colonies.
Since you can't lock everyone up who commits a crime, you have to use some other means of control - enter religion. You make the laws a sin. You no longer have to enforce them because you can threaten the population with eternity in hell and/or reward them with the concept of heaven. If you can get them to buy into it, you don't have to worry about what crimes you can and cannot solve because you've convinced them that there is a being who knows all even what you are thinking inside your own head.
Of course there is also the component of people's own natural fear of mortality that comes into play, but that's a whole different issue.
Submitted by JinkyWilliams (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:50:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
[Shlongy]
"No. I'm one better.
I'm an Agnostic Atheist."
--Can you do that? The two terms are mutually exclusive.
Or do you mean an "agnostic-atheist", like "north-west", as in "I am an agnostic that is more on the "no God" side of the fence?"
Stay orange.
--JW
Submitted by trees (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:42:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I live and work in a county where they don't teach evolution in the schools. It's large, a suburb of one of america's 10 largest cities, and highly affulent.
they don't believe in evolution.
the state school system tried to elimate the word 'evolution' from all science texts in our state and replace it with 'biological changes over time.'
thank god they got the sense to cancel those plans, but in the debate they mentioned that something like 6 or 7 other states already have standards like that in place. i was shocked to learn illinois, home of chicago a truly international city, was one of them.
at my office, if everyone knew you were an atheist, they wouldn't say anything to your face. but there would be wispers and people would proabably start crazy rumors about you or something.
my first job out of college we had morning prayer before we started work.
my second job, on 9/11 the guy i shared an office with, a computer engineer no less, started quoting scripture about how muslims where supposed to be our slaves and needed to be conquered in order to secure rapture. it was a passage about the fate of three brothers, but i had more important things on my mind at the time like all my friends in lower manhattan, so i didn't have the luxury of pondering prophesy.
i forget the numbers, but WAY more people go to church here than in europe, and we have all these crazy wierd fundamentalist ideas about everything, like how the world is 10,000 years old, or that we are in a battle with satan in the middle-east.
our attourney general, john ashcroft, the man who runs the criminal justice system, is a member of a very small, incredibly strict church, and believes that dancing is a sin. i don't understand why he hates the islamic fundies so much. they share most of the same views.
Submitted by JinkyWilliams (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:40:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
[Caulaincourt]
"Generalization isn't a good idea here, trust me. Even if it's just implied."
I would say especially if it is just implied. Implied statements do not go over very well here, at least when discussing this kind of topic.
Stay orange.
--JW
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:39:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
No. I'm one better.
I'm an Agnostic Atheist.
Submitted by cantrell (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:30:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Proven? I'd like to see some undeniable proof.
Submitted by Caulaincourt (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:29:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Generalization isn't a good idea here, trust me. Even if it's just implied.
Submitted by LexLutherin (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:29:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/arguments.html#bush
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&q=george+bush+atheist&spell=1
There, I looked it up for you.
Submitted by the_lone_stranger (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:18:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Here ya go!
http://www.ubersite.com/m/39866
Submitted by PersonMan (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:15:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
//George W. Bush officially states that he doesn't consider Athiests to be citizens. He holds fast and true to his statements under all circumstances. Don't beleive me? Look it up.
No, you look it up and show me.
// Trust me, I was a telemarketer.
Just trying to piss off everybody today?
Submitted by LexLutherin (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:11:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
"For NOT revoking his statments"
whoops
Submitted by LexLutherin (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:10:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Evolution is science. Science is not a religion. Everytime science discovers something that disgrees with church doctrine, they try to destroy it. Just like how they put the guy who figured out the earth isn't in the middle of the univese into banished exile for the rest of his life for now revoking his statements.
Submitted by triple_optics (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:09:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
http://www.ubersite.com/m/45090
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:06:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
The US must be the only western country not to accept that.
loons.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:06:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
theory my arse!
it is proven science!
my god man what century are you living in?
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:05:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
now that is what I mean by religious loon, thanks lex!
Submitted by cantrell (user info) at 2004-09-15 12:03:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Come on man looney because they dont teach evolutionary theory? Its still a theory and probably always will be. You are being the exact person you consider loony. And this has got to be the best thing I have ever heard.
"trust me I was a telemarketer"
Submitted by LexLutherin (user info) at 2004-09-15 11:59:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
George W. Bush officially states that he doesn't consider Athiests to be citizens. He holds fast and true to his statements under all circumstances. Don't beleive me? Look it up.
Yeah, the west is really stupid when it comes to Christianity but it depends on where. In the southern states or 'The Bible Belt' it's actually not uncommon for answering maching messages to have a quotation from the bible, and 'Praise Jesus!' proclamation followed by 'Leave a message at the beep'. Trust me, I was a telemarketer.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 11:57:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
by loons I mean the type whom don't accept evolutionary theory, teach their kids nonsense etc.
Submitted by JinkyWilliams (user info) at 2004-09-15 11:44:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
"I am new to posting on Ubersite although I have been a bit of a 'lurker' for a couple of months. "
--Ok.
"One thing I have noticed is that a lot of the Americans on this site are religious or talk about God or anti-abortion etc."
--I think everyone has views on religion. It being a pretty pervasive topic in almost every society, you can't escape it; therefore you are almost bound to have an opinion. Same with abortion. It's pushed in our faces daily by many sides, as is homosexuality. They are topics that are here, and there are people with opinions on them that differ from others. Discussions ensue. Racism, animal rights, feminism, etc. also follow suit here.
"I am English and although raised in a fairly god fearing family (my parents were originally from Jamaica and had those values instilled in them from birth) I have no real religious beliefs but this causes no comment in England at all."
--Ok.
"A few American friends of mine said that I would be stigmatised in the US for being an atheist."
--Depending on where you are going, this may be the case. However, there are other places where the opposite is true. Personally, I care much more that you know why and how you came to believe what you do than what your conclusion is. I'd rather converse with someone who has directly-opposing views to my own but has a solid understanding of how they got there than someone who happens to be a Christian who has no idea how they got there (ie they went to church because their parents had them go, and they were brought up Christian, but have never really thought about why they believe what they believe). I think you'd find the climate largely similar to the one you find in England. I went to the Art Institute of Seattle for three years, and religion was only brought up once in any conversation I was involved in outside of the classroom.
Shortly after the WTC incident you may have had a larger chance of being criticized for not "believing in God/having 'religion'", but if you turned the tables back on them and asked why they believed in God, they would likely have no good answer past "well, uh... that is to say, uhm.... ... ...GOD BLESS AMERICA! GO AMERICA WOO!"
"What we see over here is a lot of religious nuttery over there?"
--Is this a question? I don't know the answer. I sure see a lot of nuttery in general around the world, in the name of whatever the nuttery is done under. As Loki stated, there was a huge "Gourd Luvs teh America!!!11 w00t 4 us!" idealogical spree after the WTC attack. It died out quickly though because, really, I'd guess about 99% of the people who participated in it really had no change of heart and were doing it solely based on what was the "in" thing to do. Same thing with the whole "patriotic" bit. There was no new thought pattern that took root in the vast majority of those people; it was just the popular thing to do.
"So in short are you all loons?"
--Am I correct in my interpetation of this to mean that you believe that everyone who has any religious beliefs is a loon? If so, on what grounds do you make this statment? How do you define "religion"? How do you define a "loon"? And if my interpetation is not correct, what exactly do you mean?
Stay orange.
--JW
Submitted by cantrell (user info) at 2004-09-15 11:44:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Loki
I must not have said what I meant. I do not at all think that un religious people are so only to be able to "sin" without remorse. What I do believe is that a large number or the people who at one time or another were religious and turn their backs on religion do so for that reason. Maybe subconsciously but for that reason. I too live in the Bible belt/south and it is very hard to have a religious discussion with anyone here because the people only believe what their preachers tell them. I for one am not a big fan of preachers. By the way my feelings however ill written are exactly the same as yours. People will invent their own religion if the have to to keep from admitting that the way they live is wrong. Just to continue on the path of my agreement with you southern Baptist are in my opinion very nerve racking. The church of christ (southern style) is another. In my experience these guys take Christianity to another level. If you are not COC straight to hell with you. Methodist go to hell, Catholic go to hell, Mormon your not allowed in hell stay in Utah.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 11:22:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
fuck off you prick.
Submitted by Donitsu2002 (user info) at 2004-09-15 11:13:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Yes, Also we eat babies and fight each ritualistically slaughter Englishmen that come into our territories.
The country is split up into 50 or so tribes vying for power, an everyday american life consists of Sacrafice to our god (of choice of course) waging war on the neighboring tribe, eat baby, watch somebody challenge the presiding chief in hand to hand combat to the death and work our way up the totem pole.
How we get internet connections through all of this is beyond me.
Oh yeah....
Die
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 10:54:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
nigger?
that is so funny and original, did you invent that?
fool.
Submitted by squattails_mom (user info) at 2004-09-15 10:48:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
who cares?
fucking nigger
Submitted by TheRateMachine (user info) at 2004-09-15 10:48:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I am the rate machine and you have been rated.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 10:47:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
A lot of families in Jamaica (mine included) worked for the British govt for generations, they ended up more british than the british if you see my point.
my father was in the british army and his father worked in the colonial offices, they were brought up protestant and had a sstiff upper lip and everything!
rastafarianism is a lot more recent and a minority of people in reality.
Submitted by PatheticCapitalistFuck (user info) at 2004-09-15 10:37:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
"my parents were originally from Jamaica and had those values instilled in them from birth"
I was incredibly confused by this statement, so I did some research:
http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Jamaica/jamcul.html
Jamaica has several major religions: The religion most commonly associated with Jamaica is Rastafarianism. Rastafarians beleive that Haile Salassie, the former leader of Ethiopia, is their leader. Rastafraian generally are free spirted, and believe in the spiritual use of marijuana; also known as Ganja. They speak with a specific accent known as patois, and claim not to eat pork or salt.
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/rast.html
Sacred or Revered Texts: Certain sections of the Holy Bible are considered sacred, however the Rastafarians believe that some aspects of the Bible were changed by "Babylon," which has come to represent the white power structure. To greater represent the truth, Rastafarians reject the Bible used by most Christians, opting instead for a "black man's Bible," known as the Holy Piby. 4 Also, Rastafarians give special significance to the Ethiopian Holy Book, the Kebra Negast.
The loosening of Rastafari ideology has also led women to become increasingly outspoken within the movement. Women traditionally had been forbidden to play an important role in rituals; they were expected to show complete deference to males. Previously, menstruating women were not allowed to cook, and in certain areas Rastafarian women were secluded from social contact.
To summarize, the values instilled from birth were to smoke weed, not eat bacon, be suspicious of "the man", and to be prepared that once a month, mom wouldn't cook.
Shit, I'm Rastafarian.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 10:24:05 EDT (#)
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is it considered rude to ask someone what their religion is?
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-09-15 10:18:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
We do, but not that many. Those guys make Mormons look mainstream.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 10:09:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
yeah?
cool!
(about the getting laid not the mormons)
do you have jehovahs witnesses over there?
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-09-15 10:07:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I work with some Mormons, they believe some really fucked up things but they are all really nice and don't ever talk about their beliefs. Oh they will answer questions if you ask and sometimes it crops up in context. They can't have caffeine and seem to marry really young and have lots of kids, but I find them far less annoying than Southern Baptists.
Another note: A black guy with a British accent can get laid in any bar in the US at any time. I'm just sayin' - we think it's exotic and cool.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 10:06:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I see. This has been very informative.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:59:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
sandythedog are you beinf facetious?
Submitted by Duckhunter7382 (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:59:42 EDT (#)
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Well I live in America and although I'm catholic i don't really go to church much and I could care less what religion anyone is. Most of my friends are some religion or another but don't practice it much so whoever told you you'd get shit for being atheist is full of it. Yes they're are some people who are very religious and theres nothing wrong with that but the majority of the people who live here could give 2 shits what religion you are.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:56:21 EDT (#)
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yes I have anuties and uncles over there they are having a rough time
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:43:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Cantrell - consider this though, if your God is as powerful as you claim he is, don't you think he would be able to smell bullshit and know that you were not a true believer? Oh and I'm pretty sure that Pascal thought of that whole philosophy before your grandfather.
The problem, politically speaking is that the religious groups are far more organized. Politicians in this country are unwilling to come right out and say that their personal beliefs are none of your damn business because they will never get the Christian vote. If you think about it, people like me don't go to weekly meetings to affirm our beliefs, we just life our lives. You can't exactly form a voting block that way. I think this gives the appearance that the country is more religious than it actually is.
Yes the bible belt is in the south. I've lived my whole life down here, in fact I am one of the hill people. You have to know how to handle it. Most of them are good people who mean well, they're just misguided (according to me).
Then seriously, you cannot discount the effect that 9/11 had on this country. People flocked back to religion seeking some answers because they couldn't accept the fact that sometimes there are no answers. That was when the whole God Bless Fucking America business started. I think that at the core of it, people are either unwilling or incapable of understanding the complexities of the whole issue and it's so much easier to go with a good vs. evil approach.
This is all jaded by my honestly held belief that the primary purpose of religion is to control the masses. If you are a Christian, you are already gullible so you are an easier target for spin.
Cantrell there also completely over simplifies the issue when he claims that people who are not religious are not religious because they want to do certain things that religion prohibits. I dare say that despite my rather radical anti-religious views, I am in all likelihood one of the most honest and moral people you'll ever meet. The reason for this is that I formed my own moral code based on what I feel is right. Since the code I live by is one of my own creation, I'm not looking for loopholes like the people who have their moral code dictated for them are. I am never surprised at people's ability to rationalize things that they want to do even if these things are in direct opposition to the spirit of the law.
Case in point, the Bible does not expressly state "thou shalt not manipulate thy stock value, retire with millions, and then let thy former employees deal with the subsequent bankruptcy" but I believe that this type of thing is morally wrong. How many CEO's who are guilty of this very act make a big show of attending church every Sunday?
Side note: I have a friend named Bob who is from Jamaica, we call him - get this "Jamaican Bob" because goddamn we are a clever bunch. Good guy, he's worried about his family right now with all the hurricanes and all.
Submitted by shandythedog (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:39:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
isn't it ridiculous kwame!
everyone knows he went to somewhere in the middle east, bethlemhem???
anyway, i'm off to bed
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:36:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
i see.
shandythedog
jesus went to america?
that is just silly!
Submitted by Alykorn (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:32:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
deep south- pretty anything under south carolina and as far over as new mexico. People become horrified if you tell them that you haven't been to church in 14 years and then they tell you that you are crazy.
Submitted by shandythedog (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:27:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
guess what kwarme??
here is australia he have a serious candidate for prime minister who has admitied to beign agnostic
exciting eh?
or it is in this day and age
Submitted by shandythedog (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:23:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
i for one think the seppos are very level headed when it comes to religion
esp the mormans
they are the only ones with the guts to come out and say quite clearly that JESUS VISITED AMERICA
fjcking good on them i say
why should he be limited to fucking cloth head land???
just you wait, history will show whose right and whose wrong!
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:19:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:16:33 (#)
Ranking: 0
yes but can you base a belief system that your live your life by on such a (forgive me) fatuous proverb? *****
that was for cantrell
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:17:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
jailbait, that seems very simplistic. did you vote for bush becasue of his beliefs??
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:17:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
where is the bible belt?
deep south?
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:16:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
yes but can you base a belief system that your live your life by on such a (forgive me) fatuous proverb?
Submitted by jailbait (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:16:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
that may seem a contradiction in terms, god loving democracy
god being all powerful and all
but it's not
Submitted by Alykorn (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:16:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Like everywhere else on the planet you have groups.
I live in the Bible belt where you don't advertise that you don't really care if there is a god or not. Most people assume you believe in God unless you correct them and if you do you will be lectured for awhile. Just smile and tell them that Hell is a nice vacation, you'll get a good tan, they will leave you alone after that.
Then there those who don't give a shit and they are not on this planet to save everyone else.
Stay away from the Bible Belt and you'll be fine.
Submitted by Falco (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:15:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
2" REPREZENT!
Submitted by jailbait (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:15:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
look, i mean no disrespect
but the fact is our president is on the record as saying god gives him instructions
so he MUST be on our side! otherwise, why would he talk to our president??
i think basically god loves democracy
Submitted by cantrell (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:14:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Religion has the problem that, if you believe, it (Religion) feels it is the best thing for all people. Anytime you try to include all people you get a bunch of dumbasses. Half the dumbasses become religious nuts and the other half do not follow religion because it tells them all the fun things they like to do are bad. Then you get half the smart people who give up on religion for dumb ass reasons. Half the smart people who are fanatics for nutty reasons. There are very few people who truly understand religion (Christianity Islam whateverdafackever) and follow it in a responsible and healthy way. Most people who are religious, even the devout bend religion to their needs. Maybe this is a good thing about religion maybe not. I am one of those who doesn't understand it very well.
My grandfather gave me lots of advice. The best advice he ever gave me was the saying "better safe than sorry."
On that note, wouldn't you rather be a religious person and die wrong never to be the wiser? Than to be non religious and find out you were wrong and hell is really going to suck?
Risk management people.
Submitted by triple_optics (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:14:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
God is all around us.
But he still hasn't given me that extra Inch to boost it up for a massive 3"
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:12:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
how can god be on the side of one counrty??
surely if he exists he is with us all?
Submitted by triple_optics (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:11:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
http://www.ubersite.com/m/43611
Submitted by jailbait (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:11:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
cant yoou understand???? god is on OUR side here in usa.
its very fukcing simple!
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:10:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Loki that is a relief!
I had this arguement in work, I too said that the loons shout the loudest although the concept of a 'silent majority' seems unlikely in any circumstance.
Submitted by jailbait (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:09:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
mnd you , we can read books about devil worship if we want
even oprah approves
we are a society of cotnractdictios, johnshob
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:09:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
ah, the more discerning retarded racist.
I bet the tatoos on your forehead are most refined.
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:09:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Clearly I'm kidding.
There are some people in this country who are completely over the top religious wacko. Sadly, they are also the loudest. They all got a bit more cheeky after 9/11, but it seems to have more or less died down now. I've only had one really bad issue with religion at work. Here is the rant about it: http://www.ubersite.com/m/6752 (I don't work there anymore)
You are always going to have those God Hates Fags people marching around and the street preachers give the whole lot of them a bad name, but the vast majority of Christians I know are pretty much content to live their lives and let others live theirs.
Submitted by Stabkill (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:08:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I call shenanigans. This is ridiculous.
Submitted by jailbait (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:08:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
religious nuts
and very stupid as well
Submitted by triple_optics (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:08:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
i wouldn't say it's selective.
Because i don't like indian's.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:07:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
so you are a selective racist?
Submitted by triple_optics (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:06:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Nope, just dont like paki's.
My next door neighbour was from jamaica, Fantastic cook.
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:04:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
so, loki, do you deny evolution and science as well?
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:03:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Triple Optics, yes I am black? is that a problem?
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:02:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Loki do you really belief that or are you joking?
adam - that isn't very nice.
from what I have seen and heard america is the exacnt opposite of religious freedom.
free to practive it as long as it is orthodox right wing christian more like.
wouldn't fancy being a muslim over there anyhow.
Submitted by triple_optics (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:01:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
i;m for England, and the only thing i know is that you're black?
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-09-15 09:00:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
My name is Loki. In real life I'm a 16-year-old conservative Christian and I believe that the earth was created in seven 24-hour days approximately 4,000 years ago by a deity commonly known as God. I believe that homosexuals, social drinkers, smokers, drug users, Democrats, and people who don't realize that they can't sing and do so anyway, will burn forever in the fiery pits of hell. I believe that everything that Dante and Milton wrote was true. I believe that Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, and anyone not born in one of the Confederate States is also doomed to spend eternity in hell. I believe that man was made in God's own image and that women are a inferior model necessary for the propagation of the species and as Freud said, only good for sex and knitting. I believe that Jews killed Jesus and for that they are also condemned to hell, but I support Israel in all cases because even though they are condemned to hell they are still God's Chosen People.
Submitted by Adamdidit2u (user info) at 2004-09-15 08:59:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Why would you be stigmitized?
This is America, home of religious freedom.
The only thing I hate is stupid people. Tell your friend I hate him