I found my anti-blog at Serv Da Lerd. There's a few reasons why I thought this blog would qualify as an antiblog to mine.
A: This guy is blogging from the same town I am.
B: He's a youth pastor at a local church.
C: I can't stand people purposefully mispelling words. It makes me physically ill to see it.
D: His writing is mostly pastes and copies from The Bible. (I do that too, sometimes. But, I usually post the evil verses. He picks his verses from The Bible Cafeteria.)
The real reason I posted this hat tip is because this guy is what many people in my town are like. I wanted to show you guys an example of what I am up against.
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28 comments:
Congratulations on finding your own personal nemesis! I've just popped over there and called him out on his use of the 2 Timothy.
My personal nemesis is probably the guy who takes the orders at our local pizza restaurant. Just once, I would like to get a pizza that is:
warm
what I ordered
here within 20 minutes
But I suppose when one orders food from one's archenemy, one has to live with the consequences... I'll bet He-Man never got takeout from Skeletor's Burger Mountain.
yunshui,
He deleted your comment! Oh Noes! Someone disagreed with him!
Typical christian reaction to dissent. Censor it and ignore it.
Heres my response in his comments. I'm sure it'll be gone soon.
"Yunshui had a point. Though I really don't think it matters a whole lot whether Paul actually wrote 2 Timothy or not.
BTW, is it a good response to ignore dissent rather than to counter it with an argument of your own? Just wondering if ignoring someone is a good way to lead him to Christ?"
Now, I have to go over there, too.
Yunshui sparked the moderation. But at least he'll read what we write.
The poor good shepherd is now feeling truly persecuted.
Ya know, I'm going to leave him alone. He obviously doesn't want any atheist responses. If I was in his position I'd be happy to get those kind of responses, but not everyone wants to be debated. You guys do what you want and have fun. I pop in every now and then to see if you have dropped any comments before he deletes them.
Serv da Lerd sounds like a (mangled French) fungal disease. Maybe we should all pitch in to send the guy some ointment?
Here's a wee godless/satanless video you may enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m6qC6FCiY0
http://nostradamusa.freehostia.com/
Atheist? We can fix that...
DM,
Here's your URL code as a link.
http://nostradamusa.freehostia.com/
That way we don't have to copy and paste it into the browser. All we have to do is click.
DM,
Your link brought up a blank page in IE7 on Vista Home.
http://nostradamus.atspace.com/
try again
My "censor it and ignore it" reaction is simply done because I know that you are simply looking for a debate. I am all for discussion with people that I have developed a friendship with and respect, but debating with a complete stranger is pointless in my opinion.
The fact that someone disagrees with my posts is fine with me, but you have to understand that it is my blog and is written with a specific audience in mind and that I am only voicing my opinion and my beliefs. (And have not forced anyone to read it).
I strive to live my life as close to Christ's teaching as I possibly can, but I know that I fall short every day. But it is not my objective to argue people into a relationship with Christ. I know that it is pointless. I simply hope that by living my life according to Christ's teachings to the best of my ability, then that is the only chance that I have in leading others to Christ. I know that there is nothing that I can say that will persuade anybody to come to Christ, only what I do; just like there is nothing anybody can say to cause me to abandon my faith in Christ.
"You're friends don't need an explanation for your life (because they know you) and your enemies would never believe one (because they've already made up their mind regardless of the facts)."
I am sorry for the "Christians" that you all have come across that have simply tried to Bible beat you down while living hypocritical lives. And I'm sorry that I have become an instant "enemy" simply because I am a Christian. I respect your views and know that you have poured in a lot of time and study to come to your conclusions against God just as I have to come to my own beliefs. As hard as it may be to believe, this closed-minded Christian has a good friend who is an open atheist. We've been friends since I was 16. The thing is that we became friends before we ever knew each others view for/or against God. Because of our friendship and respect for each other, we've had numerous discussions regarding Scripture, all while avoiding conflict.
I am not going to debate anyone. My faith is called faith for a reason. There are simply areas that knowledge and wisdom can't explain. If someone can't respect my faith without attacking it then I just ask that they simply leave it alone. Thanks.
Robert, being that we are both in Harrison, I would love nothing more than to be friends. Not so that we can debate and definitely not so that either one of us can try to convert the other, but rather so that we can respect and better understand each other.
Kirby,
"I am all for discussion with people that I have developed a friendship with and respect, but debating with a complete stranger is pointless in my opinion."
You don't know me, so you will probably never even bother to read this, but I disagree. If you limit your knowledge base and ideas (even arguments) to only those that you know, it leads to a sheltered reality that is impervious to reason and new ideas. Opening up oneself to dissenting or alien views is a key way to learn more about the world and understand viewpoints and thoughts.
"I know that there is nothing that I can say that will persuade anybody to come to Christ, only what I do; just like there is nothing anybody can say to cause me to abandon my faith in Christ."
This, to me, is a rather sad statement. I, and many other atheists, are open to evidence for god. We ask for evidence all the time, only to be met with none. We are open to changing our minds if we are presented with evidence. To simply state that you are not open to changing your mind, no matter the argument or evidence presented makes me a sad panda.
"My faith is called faith for a reason. There are simply areas that knowledge and wisdom can't explain."
This also makes me sad. If you base your ideas on faith and especially faith in the face of uncertainty, then you have nowhere to go when those questions are filled in (god of the gaps reasoning). If we develop a full-fledged abiogenetic explanation, then what? This is an impediment and disincentive to learning new things and finding out what is true about reality. It's willful ignorance, which is disheartening for me and should be for everybody. Don't you think that this stress on ignorance is going to hurt the country if it grabs hold of enough of our youth, and the next generation comes up not knowing enough about science, reality, and the world to stay competitive with the rest of the world?
Kirby said, "My 'censor it and ignore it' reaction is simply done because I know that you are simply looking for a debate."You're right! I do want to debate. I even want to debate with other atheists. However, that's not really the reason I wrote this article. I was looking at my profile and realized that I could pull up other blogs from Harrison, Arkansas. Guess who's blog was almost as active as mine? Yours of course.
I honestly thought that maybe you'd like a little dialog (like I do. You said that you like cookies!), so I directed my wonderful and most excellent commenters to your blog. I am sorry if you took offense. My criticism of your blog is just that. Criticism! I don't concider criticisms as attacks. I don't think of it as attacking your faith.
When I realized (after you deleted my 2nd comment) that you didn't want atheist response, I said so in a comment above and didn't even go back to your blog since then. My friends, however, are free to do as they wish.
Kirby said, "The fact that someone disagrees with my posts is fine with me, but you have to understand that it is my blog and is written with a specific audience in mind ..."Trust me, you can't pick your audience. Your audience picks you. I am an ex-christian, so I understand a few things. Think of it as God sending a few lost sinners your way for you to witness to. You're a pastor, so you must have felt some kind of calling. Also, wouldn't writting to a specific audience in mind (I assume other christians) be just like what you accused the mega-churches of doing? Preaching to those who agree is telling them what they want to hear. Scrathing their ichty ears you might say.
Kirby said, "... and that I am only voicing my opinion and my beliefs."Thank you for doing so. You caught my attention.
Kirby said, "I am sorry for the "Christians" that you all have come across that have simply tried to Bible beat you down while living hypocritical lives."Don't be sorry. It's not your fault and I never blamed you for that. Also, that's not the reason I'm an atheist. Of course, that has happened (to everyone), and maybe it's a contribution to me being an atheist. But, it's just not that simple. I never chose to be an atheist. I discovered that I was one. Also, admitting my disbelief has gained me much freedom.
Kirby said, "And I'm sorry that I have become an instant "enemy" simply because I am a Christian."Well all that anti-me stuff was a joke. At least I meant it as such. Maybe it didn't come around as a joke. My Bad!
Enemy is a strong word. I don't think I actually used it. Let me check ...
I said, "I wanted to show you guys an example of what I am up against."Ok, I guess it sounds a bit like I said that you are my enemy. On further investigation, I'll withdraw that statement. I don't think your anything like the pastor of this church. Kirkpatrick wouldn't just delete peoples comments because they disagree.
Kirby said, "As hard as it may be to believe, this closed-minded Christian has a good friend who is an open atheist."Not at all hard to believe. I have lots of christian friends and my entire family is christian. My father is an evangelical pastor.
Kirby said, "There are simply areas that knowledge and wisdom can't explain."I disagree. There may be areas that current knowledge and wisdom can't explain, but that doesn't mean that they'll never be explained by future knowlege and wisdom. I refuse to believe in The God of Ignorance.
Kirby said, "If someone can't respect my faith without attacking it then I just ask that they simply leave it alone."Again, I was not attacking your faith. I was crticizing it. Sure, I'll never comment on your blog ever again if that's what you want.
Kirby said, "Robert, being that we are both in Harrison, I would love nothing more than to be friends. Not so that we can debate and definitely not so that either one of us can try to convert the other, but rather so that we can respect and better understand each other."Fair enough! My email is in my profile. Send me a message and I'll be glad to meet with you. I may have a bit of apologizing to do, since this has cause you some dispair. Maybe, I owe you and a significant other a chili dinner at my place. (I make a mean chili if I say so myself.)
Really, I thought that you'd like a little extra traffic. I would. So, if you have any friends who want to prosyletize or debate, please send them my way!
Atheist:
Someone who thinks nothing created everything.
nuff said.
Mark Morrison
Oh, thanks you Mark! Now you've regurgitated Ray Comfort's sub-par, one-line argument, I suddenly realise that I desperately need to turn to Christ for forgiveness of my... no, wait, actually I don't. Nevermind, then.
Kirby, as I have let you know via the (rapidly deleted) comments on your blog, I feel your position is at best a sign of weak faith and at worst a sign of total intellectual dishonesty. Why is it that the only blogs which seem to moderate dissenting comments are Christian ones? Your refusal to enter into debate merely indicates that you are unable or unwilling to defend your faith, and that, to me, is more of an indicator of its worthlessness than any argument I could muster.
"Atheist:
Someone who thinks nothing created everything.
nuff said."
Nice strawman. That is not a necessary condition of being an atheist, nor is it particularly accurate.
GCT said...
"Atheist:
Someone who thinks nothing created everything.
nuff said."
Nice strawman. That is not a necessary condition of being an atheist, nor is it particularly accurate.
By all means please enlighten me. What is your explanation for life?
yunshui said...
Oh, thanks you Mark! Now you've regurgitated Ray Comfort's sub-par, one-line argument, I suddenly realise that I desperately need to turn to Christ for forgiveness of my... no, wait, actually I don't. Nevermind, then.
Kirby, as I have let you know via the (rapidly deleted) comments on your blog, I feel your position is at best a sign of weak faith and at worst a sign of total intellectual dishonesty. Why is it that the only blogs which seem to moderate dissenting comments are Christian ones? Your refusal to enter into debate merely indicates that you are unable or unwilling to defend your faith, and that, to me, is more of an indicator of its worthlessness than any argument I could muster.
Kirby does not need to debate with you or anyone else to understand or be secure in his faith. You can't argue someone into believing in God. He didn't post anything here until you went there to mess with him.
By all means please enlighten me. What is your explanation for life?Life is.
Mark said:
"By all means please enlighten me. What is your explanation for life?"
Life arose through naturalistic means, probably near volcanic vents away from the atmosphere. The first organic material was very rudimentary, forming only amino acids that would later come together to form more complex chains that would lead to the formation of the first cells. From there, evolution took over.
This is not a claim that something came from nothing, because all the building blocks were there. It's a claim that something reorganized into something else.
Of course, I thought you were referring to the big bang originally. Why would you ask about abiogenesis?
Mark said, "Kirby does not need to debate with you or anyone else to understand or be secure in his faith. You can't argue someone into believing in God. He didn't post anything here until you went there to mess with him."I hate to say it, but I think Mark does have a point. I'm as guilty as everyone else here of "messing" with him. I think it's unfortunate that Kirby equates criticism of religion with violence (attacks). I'm not messing with him anymore. He has all the info he needs if he wants to contact me in person. I use my real name and I'm in the phone book.
Hey Mark, I just thought that maybe Kirby would like a little spice on his blog. I know you like controversy as much as I. I'll post more later. I'm getting some ideas for more articles.
Well said Robert. I do look forward to more post from you.
Mark Morrison
Mark: "Kirby does not need to debate with you or anyone else to understand or be secure in his faith. You can't argue someone into believing in God. He didn't post anything here until you went there to mess with him."
All perfectly true. However, if you choose to put your thoughts and ideas up on a publicly accessible internet site, you should expect to encounter one or two people who will disagree with you and take issue with what you've written (I certainly do!). Allowing them the oppotunity to voice their opinions, so that you can enter into discussion with them, is little more than common courtesy. Sure, I don't expect Kirby to suddenly look at one of my arguments and think, "ah damn, I've been wrong all this time," any more than I expect his posts to convert me to Christianity; but if he truly is "striving to lead others into a deeper knowledge of and relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords" then he needs to come to terms with the fact that not everybody thinks the way he does, and address that, instead of running away from any form of debate.
Yunshui,
Also a good point! I agree that if you have a blog that states things that people are going to disagree with, expect for there to be disagreement and deal with it.
I can't count the times that I had someone critcize my postition. Sometimes people can get downright nasty. Remember the woman who called me a rapist?
I have not deleted one coment except my a few of my own. Also, I can't even think of a comment that would be so bad that I'd have to delete it. Even if I had a death threat, I would respond to it in the comment thread. Deleting comments is just rude. But, it's Kirby's right to be rude if he wants to.
Yunshui said, "Why is it that the only blogs which seem to moderate dissenting comments are Christian ones?"
Ummm... that is COMPLETELY FALSE - Ebonmuse of DaylightAtheism, DD of EvangelicalRealism, jim of ReasonVsApologetics, Greta Christina... all of these folks are atheists who believe in censorship and moderation.
Thinking more on this...
You said, "I wanted to show you guys an example of what I am up against."
To me, that's the old world, "us-vs.-them" mentality that motivates religious war.
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