i have a catholic friend weve been hanging out together since we were litle i resently told him that i was athias and now hes not talking to me. but thats not the point i just want to know how somethink like religon coud tare a friend ship apart does it attach to u like a hook and control what you think...how u behave just want to get ur opinion on this what do u think about religon does it bring people together or tear them apart???

I don't know, but maybe he thinks that in order to escpae from hell you need to believe in God. Maybe he's afraid you will "drag him down to hell with you."

For me religion shouldn't be a motive for tearing apart relationships. It would be foolish to reject people only because they don't believe in the same thing you do. I've known nice people of other religions (and atheists too) here you know?

And about the hook thing... depends on the attitude in which you take religion. I'm Catholic too, I love God, but just because you're not Catholic means that you're bad or something like that.


Just my two cents on the subject.


(Off-topic: nice Yoda avatar!!!)

This is totally the wrong attitude for any Christian,no matter what denomination, to take.He should be doing the exact opposite!One of the last commands Jesus gave us before ascending into heaven was to spread the good news,to witness.How can someone follow that command by only associating with other believers?They can't.

Religion should most definitely bring people together not tear them apart.

I agree with all that is posted so far, but I would like to add that a person capable of neglecting/denying a friend without any reason, actually, would do it in any case that the strong motive would exist. What I mean, is that you can substitute religion in such an example with sports (I don't wanna be your friend coz you support Lakers), with music (Rot in hell, you Christina Aguilera fan), with practically anything that can create a strong enough fanatic stimulant in an immature or misguided person's mind.

Religion in general is evil. It causes wars.
The truth is absolute. We just have to find it.
I think that free will is entertaining to God.

I agree that religion (especially Christian religions) should not tear friendships apart. That's just silly. God certainly doesn't want that.
I am a Catholic and my bf is Agnostic/Atheist (depending on the day of the week). And I am a practicing Catholic too. I would never turn on my friends because of religion.

That being said, there might be more to this. If he is gung Ho Catholic and you are gung ho atheist, maybe he just thinks that you don't have something important in common anymore. friendships change

Or you might have just shocked him and he needs time to come around.

Call him. Make the effort to see where he stands. If he doesn't want to be your friend cuz of that, you don't need that type of friend anyway

I believe that for a relationship to work .. that both people should be equally yoked .... that is believe in the same God and beliefs.

I would have never married a non-Christian.. or even dated someone that didn't believe in God or was Christian.

That might open me up to a lot of ridicule ... but that is the way i believe!

What if you would fall in love with someone and then realize he's e.g. buddhist or jewish or muslim?

Unless if you ask ppl their religion in your first date

Actually I always get to know someone before I would ever date them.. and getting to know them is know their beliefs and what they stand for... so actually there is no first date until I know the person.

when i told my friend i was athias the first thing he said was go away you satanist i hate it when people that belive in god call athieths satanists. just cause i dont belive in god he thinks i must belive in the devil.

Isn't that a bit extremist?

just tell him that you don't believe in god therefore you don't believe in satan, they are joined by the same religion making them like day and night.

ya but he thinks that satanisim is a religion and it is in ways but it really makes me mad when people judge by religon.

true, well it's hard to make some one change an opinion on religion the best way it to wait till the dust has settled

why do people that belive in something as far fetched as god not belive in magic magic is much easyer to belive in than god there practicly the same god is just about as imposible as magic that gota open up ur eyes.

god is the simplest way to answer the questions about our exiostance.

Hi area51, how unfortuante that your freind would end your relationship over this. It doesn't seem very "christian-like".

hes catholic if u dont belive in or worship god than he ignors you hes a extreme catholic
religon is dumb

recently i was kicked out of my religon for ..."not knowing god well enough to be sorry..." (actual quote) nw all the people i thought where my good friends dont talk to me cos if they do-they will be kicked out too,..thats not so bad F them but my own sister wont speak to me now either and has already on sevral occations ignored me in the street religon sucks

^^^^ feeling very sorry for myself

this is what im talking about religon shoud be baned its reks ur life first friends than family what they did to jedi is black mail i hate religon the hell is with it screwing up peoples lives

It shouldn't be that way. Honestly, at least I try not to be that way. I'm sorry for you two guys

Assuming you did not engage in any "christianity-bashing" and just told him you were an atheist, I would say he is being very stupid for not maintaining the friendship. Just because you have a different religious belief is not any reason for him to alienate you.

If, on the other hand, you did engage in some "Christian-bashing" then I think you both need to work towards reconciliation.

That is not what Christianity is supposed to be. It is God's role to judge others, not ours. It sounds like this church was pretty extremists. If you still believe in God, there are Christian churches that will accept you for who you are.

No, religion is not evil, religious extremism is. Atheist extremism can be just as dangerous/evil.

well when you think about it the first group to follow jesus was a bunch of missfits, a tax collector, people how worked with there hands and thinkers, ex-lady of the night and many others. So it doesn't make sense for any christian church to "kick out" some one.

Complain to the pope, that would be different.

what you've been through must of sucked but it's not what jesus (probably) wanted...it's a union thing.

i didnt say any thing my friends just a athiest hater and religon does start wars the war right now in the middle east is a religous war more people have died for there religion insted of benafiting from it.

well religion is the usual "excuse" to get people on your side then it's all politics...

Thanks for your support guys yeah i do still belive , and i know that what is going on is basiclly bullying, its nice to know i am not going mad and the guys that kicked me out are wrong ...thats what i think. And your right its NOT what jesus woulda done didn't he say he was a teacher and a sheapard , I've been looking for the scripture that says do as we say or we will kick your a$$ out! still cant find it.

Sorry for hijacking your thread area 51 but it seems we have a similer challenge here good luck and god bless to the both of us!

I'm catholic, I sing in a protestan's group (the leader is a vicar) and we sing in protestan church, one of my friend is muslim, some friends are athiest so what's the problem. Sometimes we discut religion and we respect each other religion. Your friend wasn't a "real" friend because if he was, he would have understand you.

np man we have similar isues

Area 51 my opinion is that your ex-friend fell out for 1 of 3 possibilities ...

1-They weren't a true friend
2-They don't practice a true religion OR...
3-They do but don't follow the guidelines of the bible

The Bible includes the principles (in brief) of Judge not others ... Do unto others ... & Love thy neighbour & many others some being touched on in other posts already. I have run into many Anti Christians here we have vastly different beliefs but doesn't mean I hate them. In fact I enjoy debating with them. Mind ya I talk to them on the premis that they afford the same respect I afford them. Some people who disagree with me have a wealth of information that I can learn from. My thoughts are if they terminated the friendship from your claiming aethieism (sp?) then thats more power to you.

i just talked to him hes not mad at me any more. he thought i was satanic thats why after i told him i was athiest and how it works he understood.

All I know is, if you have a religious friend,
and you simply believe what the Bible says,
its not going to go smooth when you talk about UFOs.

Norman ... I cant understand why a religious friend OR anyone wouldn't be open to the idea of UFO's ???

Exactly. Religous christians are supposed to believe
their bibles right? Well when I bring up UFOs they
obviously do not believe in their Bibles because the
Bible does mention them.

huh i dont understand what ur saying norman try running spell chech

Glad you managed to clear that up with your friend....wanna wave your magic wand in my direction lol

Norman hold on to your beliefs, I often have different point of view to my Christian friends. Personally I can't discredit UFO's. But I take your point, to me Ezekiel in the OT 'sounds' like a possible UFO encounter ?

Norman is taking a very misguided view of Christianity. There are various factions within Christianity, ranging from very liberal, to very conservative. Both extremes are not the most common. On the whole most Christians are pretty much open to new ideas and discuss them publicly. Let's face it, most technological advancements come/came from the west (east is definitely giving us a run for our money, all the better I say!) and the west at the end of the day is pedominantly Christian. However just judging on a person's opinion with regards to a specific subject matter based wholly on their religion is misguided. I am Catholic and I personally do not believe in Aliens with flying spaceships, not because the bible says/does not say anything about them, but from a 'scientific' point of view I see it as an impossibility.

On the side tho...

Bummer on your mate for doing your friendship in dude. Glad it worked out. Try not to give him any more notion of you being a satanist though!! Oh, and sorry if I hijacked the thread a bit! My bad!

Oh and Jedi, not that you have to answer by no means but just a shot in the dark. Are you by any chance Jehovah Witness?

Oh and just as a parting statement. It don't matter what creed you belong to just as long as you know that...

[attachmentid=7823]

This one had me in stitches for a long time!!

Area 51 you have my sympthy. I am a Pagan and christians are always telling me I worship the devil. I have to tell them no the devil is part of the christian faith. I feel like a broken record. I just got into it with an old friend, he told me for the hundredth time the devil thing. I lost it. I jumped all over him. Then he started saying he was kidding. I acepted that, but I have to say it damaged our friendship.

i love when x-tians tell me that i will burn in hell because no loving the Oh lord God and his son jesus. Blah, is all what i have to say.

I always find it amusing that god and the devil are enimies right....
So if you do what god wants he sends you to heaven, but if you don't he sends you to hell where the devil torments you for all eternity, i woulda thought he woulda welcomed you with open arms and a nice whiskey for siding with him and not with god ??? <<------does this make sence I know what i mean

i hate how christians advertise there religon makes me so mad i coud kick gary cole man lol

what makes you ask that?

Firstly let me say I am sorry to hear about you and your friend falling out Area51.
and Secondly, yes I do think religion has a big part to play in friendships being torn apart for I once upon a time had a few friends that were both catholic and christian and as soon as they found out what I believed in, they disappeared.
I also lived with my childrens father for many years and he was a catholic but not practicing though and because his family were black, they would have these gatherings and go and worship in a proper gospel church you know???
But of course, because of my religion not matching with theirs, and that I believe in 15/16th century Witchcraft, they shunned me away when they realized they could not convert me.
So this did have its part to play in me and him splitting up.

With Love and Light

Nightshade.
xxx.

Really, there's nothing wrong with religion, it's just the followers that give it a bad reputation.

I have two Christian friends and they are brilliant. They're strong in their own belief but don't force it onto others. I can ask them about Christianity if I want (though I don't all too often because, they're happy with what they believe and who am I to question why?). They respect other people's beliefs and everyone else respects theirs.

I almost think religion is a bit like communism - great in theory but not too good in practise...

It's great that you and your friend have sorted your differences, area51

preists talk to rabbi's. they get along despite there views.

loosing friends is never easy, id say your "friend " is pritty foolish, none of my friends are the same religon and we all like each other. im not trying to be mean but he/she doesnt sound like a friend at all. your friend will either realize what he's lost or he wont and u will be better for it , there is a reason for everything.
i have jewish friends, christians, lutherens, protastant, ect. ive talked a bout religon with all of them and when i told them i have never claimed a faith and have never been baptized they were supprized but none stopped talking to me.
they teese me and call me the devil, i cant help it if i look and feel good in red