Thread by @Stonekettle

Because my timeline is likely to become a complete shitshow over religion this morning, allow me a caveat: I'm not anti-religion. I'm not anti-Christian. I know MANY Christians who do their best to be Christlike and some come pretty close.

My beef with Christianity is...

1/

...the same as any other belief system. I'm fine with it, until you try to use your god as a club to beat the rest of us about the head and shoulders.

I am not required to adhere to the rules of your religion. I am NOT required to obey your god. And I won't. Full stop.

2/

Nor am I interested in arguing about it, if you like to talk about the amazing benefits of your religion then find somebody else of similar bent. I won't be proselytized.

If you're offended by that, that's your problem. I won't let you make it mine.

3/

Now, I don't go out of my way to offend religious people and I often find militant non-believers as obnoxious as fanatical believers.

I don't disrespect people for believing, I do criticize them for attempting to impose that belief on others.

4/

That said, I won't pull my punches either. I don't care what your beliefs are, to me Scientology is no more ridiculous or any more believable than Christianity, same with any other religion. If you're acting like a dick, I'll say so. If you don't like that, leave.

5/

The fact that I don't believe as you do, and you can't make me, doesn't mean that you're oppressed. You're not being persecuted because you have to tolerate those who believe differently than you.

This is the fundamental idea on which America is based.

6/

You respect ME, I'll respect you. But don't try to tell me that you respect me, when you're praying to your god to change my mind by force or when you're damning me to your hell. Because you don't and you know it and I have no respect for your transparent bullshit.

7/

You want me to respect your beliefs? Then you respect mine. It's really just that simple.

8/8