Please stop being a jerk. You insist that everyone else stop saying that things you believe don't make sense to them, and then you blatantly insult someone personally, outright saying the things they believe are wrong. And without solid evidence. So far, for the most part, everyone else has just speculated, stated what they believed, and why they don't believe what they don't believe, without trying to be directly insulting. Your being a hypocrite, and a mean one at that, is just helping all the people who claim Christians to be mean hypocrites be right.
Also, this is not the time nor place to try to convert people; and even if it were, you're definitely going about it the wrong way. If I want to convince you that you should vote for Fred Blitneltski, I'm certainly not going to start by saying, "You're a freak, and a stupid one at that." Also, with threats like your breaking of the sheep's legs. (Side note: You're attributing this violence with Jesus? That doesn't sound very Christian to me.)
Please, state your beliefs. Argue for them - provide reasons why you think it's right and others are wrong, sure. Even if they're personal reasons that can't be backed up with scientific proof, they're welcome (though they'll be argued against, but this is afterall a DEBATE thread, so don't complain when it happens). But don't be a jerk - people will just take you even less seriously.
(Also, Gobbler, gotta ask you to not throw insults, too, even if in response to something else someone said - it's only fair, and besides, insults beget more insults...)
On another note - I know a lot of "pagans." I'd say there's maybe a ratio of 1:20 that I'd consider genuine. Maybe even a worse ratio. But it doesn't seem to be attributed to role-playing games that I've seen as much as just people want to be different/special/scary. It's especially prevalent among the poseur punks and goths. And some lesbians I know "converted" just because they like the idea of having a female goddess instead of a male god. Empowering or something... It just doesn't seem genuine to me 99% of the time. Just another way to put themselves in the spotlight (it works especially well here in the Bible Belt). 'Tis a shame.
(P.S. Before you start in on the "You're just another anti-Christian out to get us Godly men," let me inform you that I myself am a Christian, albeit I do practice and believe rather... differently than you.)
(P.P.S. I'm acting kind of mod-ish because with Slade home for the summer and on dialup, he can't get on to peruse this here Debate Club as much as he would like, and so he asked me to help out.)
This post has been edited by Spoon Poetic: 09 June 2006 - 01:07 AM