Ok...but my point is, you interpreted things that one a truely devote christian seems to have those ethics...that was your opinion based upon what you've personally seen, read, experienced, etc. Well...based upon what you wrote, people interpreted it the way they saw things to be (i.e. the way they saw what you were trying to say)...it doesn't make the way they see it correct or incorrect...it was just the way they understood your post. An opinion, based upon information they were given. Not everyone processes the information in the same way. So...basically, you were stating an opinion, based upon information and your interpretation of that (which isn't wrong..that's your opinion/interpretation) but then get upset when others mis-interpret what you were trying to say. Their own opinion. Which isn't wrong either...it was just taken in a slightly different manner than you intended. So...to those people, they did comment on what they believed was actually said. Same as you commented on what you believe to be true, based upon your personal experiences. Nobody is right or wrong...everyone's just processed their given information in different ways...resulting in a difference of opinion and a misunderstanding of context.

Uh yea an you can believe i wont make the mistake again to assume people can respond to comments of ANY SUBJECT NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS ONE****** based ONLY on what was wrote.
If they had used there opinions,beliefs and experiences to answer the question AS WRITTEN then there would not have been a problem

PLEASE, I BEG YOU ALL....... let it go, let it die..........

Im stubborn...when they drop it and be nice I will...made it through life so far being stubborn

I'm not trying to argue with you...so I don't know why you're shouting at me...? I'm merely trying to explain from a non-biased viewpoint what happened...but people seem hell bent on arguing today. So...based upon that experience...I give up. It's becoming my opinion, that the older you get...the more passive-aggressive you become, resulting in highly argumentative people with strong and unyeilding opinions....*note to self....don't get older...keep open mind...stay calm and cool and collected...woohoo!* lol

I hope your day gets better for you, and sorry if it seemed I was trying to argue with you, resulting in you yelling. That was certainly not the case, I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say.

flower for you in hopes your day goes better.

I wasn't trying to be mean..???

I would give an opinion and agree with you that older people do get unyielding but i would probably get clobbered for that too
nothing personall...just in shock

Well as it's only me left here...I think you're safe enough lol

And see...all's well that ends well :D No harm done, I'm sure, inadvertantly, your question was answered and it's purely as individual as everything else

Good luck!!

Those who cant handle the truth or even an opinion leave reall fast..like sin if you stand strong against it you will over come

This is where you said it. I am aware that you are only stating an opinion. However, I find your opinion offensive. In MY opinion, you are not extending common decenscy nor common courtesy to other people who may not share your religious views. Some of the most wonderful people I have ever met have not been christian and some of the most dispicable people I have met have stood on the pulpit. I think the more appropriate question should have been, "I have noticed that common decensy, common courtesy and honesty have become a lost art. Where, when and how, in your opinion, did the breakdown in these core values happen? Did the MAJORITY of the worlds population ever really have them? Or is this just a battle that the world has been fighting since the beginning of time?"

I will give you the fact that it could have been stated in a diffrent way although I dont see how correcting others misconceptions of what I said is being disrespectfull

I don't find you correcting others misconceptions disrespectful, I find your opinion disrespectful.
Now let's move on to what I interpreted your question to really be....(I of course am going to answer from the Christian perspective...all others are going to have a field day I'm SURE) I would agree that it SEEMS like the core values have gone away but if you think about it, these battles have been going on since the fall of man and those core values will continue to dwindle until the second coming.

Disrespect not intended nor would I have posted it if I imagined it could have been taken that way.. What you say is true it has been going on for ages and will continue..it just baffles me when I see it on a large scale

It baffles and alarms me as well and unfortunately I believe that it is only going to get worse and worse. (aren't I just a ray of sunshine )That is why I piped in. I have been reading these posts for the last few weeks. I have piped in here and there but for the most part have kept to myself. I find the conversations fascinating but have chosen to keep to myself primarily because I find that most of the conversations turn into Christian bashing. Being a Christian, I am use to that but it REALLY frustrates me when Christians fall into the same trap and sink to the same level and get into bible bashing and self righteous talk. This type of conversation and evangelism, IN MY OPINION, only fuels non-believers fire even more and does NOTHING for the cause of Christ. If I was harsh with you I apologize, it just happens to be a HUGE pet peeve of mine.

you know...for representing the Christian faith as you do, you have an awfully bitter, spiteful attitude/aura around you. As a wise man once said..."I like your Jesus, but not his followers" (paraphrased) Some of the meanest people I've met are Christians but I don't lump you all into one group. And you can slam me for my age and attitude all you want...because to me, you don't count. Have a great day and take some lessons from Cherub_girl.

Don't mind the barage of insults thrown at you. The finger pointing makes them no better.

You know that the Bible says in the last days people will be lover of themselves... that their hearts would grow cold toward love. Jesus said there would be days like this...but cheer up!

Jesus has overcome the world & all it's obstacles. Don't worry so much about others but the Bible says...add to YOUR faith...love peace joy patience kindness gentleness. Add to your faith dear girl. Be the light in a darkness. God bless...

But not to minimize the largest slice of the pie which is 33%.....
http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

Where to begin. I know you did not intend when you wrote your post to stir up a memory from my past--but you did. Years ago when I was following the word of god to the point of absurdity I decided that I would go to work for an organization that runs Christian camps for kids. In order to work for this camp employees had to sign a "creed affirmation." I thought it odd, but did so. I was a cook. The camp brought in 250-300 kids every week. There were activities, fire-side prayer meetings, about what you would expect to find. Each group stayed for one full week--arriving and departing on Sunday. The hours were insane. I was generally at work at 4:30 AM and was there for at least 12 hours. Still, I had signed on so I did my part.

As the summer progressed (it was a seasonal job) I began to question some of the practices employed by the camp. Quietly and respectfully but I had some concerns about some of the older camp counselors and some of the Jr. counselors and how some of the younger (15-17 yr olds) were being treated by some of the older counselors. I was told that my concern, coming from a place of Christian compassion, was appreciated but that as a cook I really did not need to concern myself with such things--the implication being that it was just a bit too spiritually intellectual for me. Hubris always fails.

A month or so before the summer was over there was a huge issue, a criminal issue that occurred. A 24 year old male counselor (by his own admission after she reported it) had inappropriate contact with a 15 year old female junior counselor. This incident was HUGE. If it got out, parents would most likely frown on sending their kids to a camp that could not ensure staff or camper safety. So, like so many things, it was "handled" internally.

The whole of the counseling group (along with all support employees) were called to a meeting where we were told that an incident had occurred but that it had been handled. We were told that after the incident that the girl (she was a minor child) had forgiven the highly inappropriate behavior by the adult male counselor--that (in a tearful and sincere outpouring) he had asked for forgiveness in the lord and that she had accepted his apology.

At first I went catatonic--then I just went ballistic. They were going to sweep this away...they were going to disguise the event, call it something like spiritual confusion, allow a child molester not only to molest but to "apologize" his way out of it and "pray for her to forgive" which she was asked to do in that she had been forgiven by Jesus for her own sins. I almost vomited.

These people were not the Branch Davidians. This was a well known, respected Christian Ministry that still exists today and still does business today.

I was 18 at the time, just a cook, but a fairly motivated one. I tried to talk to the leadership, to tell them this was wrong--that he needed to be fired but that law enforcement needed to be called. They were calling this a moment of spiritual weakness (whatever the %*#% that meant) and I was calling it what it was--a CRIME against a minor child.

Not one to shy away from a fight, especially a mental one, I told them, told their leadership, that if they did not handle this more appropriately I'd turn their camp into a parking lot. I have never meant anything more sincerely than I did those words.

Eventually they did. I resigned (in lieu of being asked to go) because of "detrimental behavior to the mission of X-Minsitry." Yeah, seems that spotlighting the organized cover-up of a crime against a child was just amazingly un-Christian like.

My point in hammering out this long story from yester-faith is that when I read your post I read a view from limited experience. I have not seen "it all" and I don't pretend otherwise. I have also seen some good Christians do some amazing work. But when I was 18 and already doubting my own faith (I think I took the job to drown in faith because I really wasn't sure how to believe what I was being asked to believe) I saw manners, decency and the protection of the vulnerable cast aside in order to save a feckless business all run in the shadow of a dollar sign dressed up to look a bit like a cross.

Christians don't have a monopoly on manners, on decency or on respect. If no one else agrees with me, I know of at least one girl who once volunteered at a camp--where a man betrayed her while the ink was barely dry on a creed affirmation he had no intention of honoring.

-Drew

Christians don't have a monopoly on manners, on decency or on respect. If no one else agrees with me, I know of at least one girl who once volunteered at a camp--where a man betrayed her while the ink was barely dry on a creed affirmation he had no intention of honoring.

-Drew


To HOPEFULLY put a end to this nonsense..FIRST I DID NOT say that ONLY christians could have those principles..I said it SEEMS they are the only ones who UNDERSTAND...
in an earlier post I said that there are MANY people who CLAIM to be christians and DO NOT live the way Jesus intended us to,those pepole piss me off..THIRD I NEVER claimed to be a representative of the christian faith ( IM STILL trying to figure out how ANYONE read that into it!!!!!!!)
All I can ever hope for people who haev ahd bad experiences such as yourself is that you remeber people are failable and people are NOT GOD dont judge GOD or the christian faith based on HUMAN actions..

wtf ever...i still don't care for your attitude.