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The title “Friendly Christian” really isn’t that exciting, is it? On the other hand, “Friendly Atheist” like Hemant uses at FriendlyAtheist.com jumps right out at ya! A Christian, after all, is friendly…right? Whereas an Atheist, well he’s just a big meanie who takes kids lunch money. Maybe I should have chosen AxMurdererChristian.com.
I’m well aware of the fact, as I’ve seen it start ALREADY (after this site had been up for less than 6 hours), that the term “Friendly Christian” will spark up debate. I’m not very smart. I still don’t even have my bachelor’s degree. I’ve already read one comment that used words that I’ve never even seen before, let alone used. I think I’m gonna avoid reading any site reviews or critiques. I’m just gonna keep doing what I’m doing.
I’m going for it, despite my lack of education. Let the criticism begin/continue - I don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m inexperienced, I’m too naive, I’m narrow-minded, I’m this, I’m that, etc. Here’s the thing:
I’m a Christian, which means I love Jesus. I’m not trying to shove my faith down your throat. Nobody is forcing you to come to my site. I’m not trying to tell you that you’re wrong or that you’re dumb. We can have all the conversation you want…we can challenge each other, perhaps even learn from each other! I’m not, however, going to shy away from what I believe. I’m sold out, friends, like it or not. The name of this site is Friendly Christian, not “Tail-between-my-legs” Christian.
This site is a log of my journey…my pursuit of what I believe to be the truth. Feel free to stop reading any time you want. On the contrary, if you choose to stick it out with me, I definitely appreciate it, as I appreciate all your thoughts and/or prayers.
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Wow…you are back! I think Friendly Christian is a great title! It is what it is! Unfortunately a lot of peoples perception and opinion of Christians has been formulated by the loud majority…most of which are obnoxious! Not funny, cool obnoxious like you:d Anyway, so when they stumble across this site and see “Friendly Christian” their first thought is “Not from MY experience!” So it looks like we have a job to do!
Hi there-
The Friendly Atheist sent me here, and I have to say I’m intrigued by the title and premise of your blog. A FRIENDLY Christian? I like your definition, because it was “christians” who didn’t fit that mold who started me down my skeptical path to begin with. I’d have been content to believe in the religion my mother gave me, except that I couldn’t help noticing that nobody at church actually behaved in the way my Sunday school teacher said they ought. That opened the door to my questioning absolutely everything the church taught, and, voila, an atheist is born.
I don’t think of myself as “atheist lite” any more than you think of yourself as Christian lite, but I think there is room for us all to get along. Especially if we behave ourselves. Thanks for being friendly.
I followed a link from Friendly Atheist to see what you had to say. The other side of the argument so to speak. So, in a friendly way, what is the Friendly Christian about then?
Heather -
Hi! You like that title, eh? Ha. Your reaction is similar to mine when I came across the Friendly Atheist site. We’re not all jerks after all. Who would have thought?
I can’t stand hearing about people that were turned away from their faith due to some bad apples.
I used to be in the military. While I was stationed in Japan, there were 2 incidents where a US solider raped a local Japanese girl. Next thing I was hearing was, “Oh, those military guys are nothing but a bunch of animals.” I was like, “Hey! I didn’t even do anything!” Unfortunate for us innocent ones, a handful of bad apples ruined it for us all.
I see Christianity in a similar light. We come across Christian bad apples (there are PLENTY and I struggle sometimes with being one myself) and we allow them to speak for the entire Christian faith. Unfortunately sometimes the apple is so bad that it turns us away forever. For me, Christianity didn’t come to life until I started to explore it on my own…not by what someone told me it should be.
I will ask you this, though. You mentioned a “mold” that Christians should fit. Do you think there is one? If so, what is it? That’s an honest question. Don’t think I’m trying to trap you.
hoverFrog -
I’d point you to the FAQ page. Lemme know if you have more questions - I’d be happy to answer them.
Atheist/Christian-lite. That’s funny lol
From my personal experience I have found many Christians to be hypocritical (excessively), fake, obnoxious, mean, clicky, two-faced and maybe worst of all, without a sense of humor. I don’t like most Christians. Not because they are Christians but because they think they are “holier than thou” but act worse than most people who don’t claim to be anything other than themselves. Funny how so many Christians missed the calling God put on their life, isn’t it? And before all of you Christians start posting comments defending yourself, I’m a Christian too. But like Heather said, most of us don’t act the way we’re supposed to. The Friendly Atheist site is awesome and run by a great guy. The Friendly Christian site is also awesome and run by a great guy. They are BOTH acting the way we’re supposed to. And to both of them… =d>
Hey Bill-
When I mentioned a “mold” for Christians to fit, I mostly meant that I like the definition of a friendly one as posted in your FAQ. These are the sorts of Christians who are among my best friends!
I think part of being friends with anyone is being honest about where you’re coming from (intellectually speaking), however you define your philosophical unerpinnings. A lot of times, people use “Christian” as shorthand to say, “I think of myself as a good person, and you can trust me not to jerk you around too much.” I’m willing to take that at face value, but there are obviously the unfriendly types out there who take advantage of me when I do that. And then I’m left feeling lied to, attacked, and pissed off. I really prefer Friendly Christians.
My mom is about to become an ordained minister. My dad is a quiet atheist who is literally stuck in a job where he has to pretend to be a new-earth creationist in order to supplement my mom’s meagre church salary. (The details are long and boring, but he is pretty well stuck and he’s a lot more patient about it than I’d be.) My brother is a snarky atheist, happy to be obnoxious and more clever than everyone around him. I’m hoping he eventually grows out of that.
I’ve been “out” as an atheist to my friends and family for a loooooooooong time, and nobody has dropped me like a hot potato yet. I like to think I’m part of the group of friendly atheists that most people prefer.
I think we’re all a lot more tolerant of people who are obnoxious but share our personal view of the world. But it doesn’t mean we should be. I agree with Tiffany that it’s good to have people behaving like, well, nice people and I’m glad to have found your blog.
One thing that I’ve tended to see with Christians is that they either don’t want to debate with Atheists or that it very quickly breaks down to them (the Christians) saying “Pah! We shall never agree so let’s just agree to disagree”. I find this very unsatisfactory as I am usually just starting to enjoy myself.
Christianity might be full of ‘bad apples’ but that isn’t why most ex-christians have left, from what I can tell from my own experiences. My own experiences are, admitedly, limited. “The Plural of Anecdote is not Data.”
Most of the atheists I know, left christianity because it ceased to make any sense, if it ever did in the first place.
I want see AlexaRank of your site and buy links. How I do this?