As an agnostic, I tend to straddle the fence (ooo-er!)
I take the South Park defense - maybe evolution is the answer to how and not why.

One thing that always strikes me is the number of dyed in the wool atheists who complain about religious folk constantly trying to convert them. No-one's ever just come up to me at random, without provocation and try to 'convert' me. If they did, fair enough, I'd be pissed off, but it's never happened to me yet, nor to any of my mates.

This is making me sound like I'm on the side of the religious, so to offset that I will agree with what's said above with science not claiming to have all the answers. I loved Terry Pratchett's (a confirmed atheist) desciption of things, which went something along the lines of "In the beginning, there was nothing, which exploded."

At the end of the day, who brings this shit up in normal conversation anyway? I haven't a clue about the faith or otherwise of those I'm in regular contact with on a day to day basis, and that's the way I like it, because most people have the sense to not let it affect their day to day lives. Only the most rabid fundy or atheist would bother bringing it up, and then only to support their superiority complexes.

Amazing how much these 'extremists' as it were have in common, really.

Just my two cents.
( Spunk Murphy Tchaikovsky is a synonym for fanny, apparently, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 17:52, 1 reply)

Have you never
had Jehovas knocking on your door or been handed books by Hare Krishnas in the street?
( stopmeandslapme Cometh the hour, cometh your mum, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 17:55, closed)

actually
i bought some of the gouranga powered band's cd from a hare krishna monk. the opening song was 30 minutes of the hare krishna chant over heavy as fuck stoner rock. awesome.
(ewe, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 18:00, closed)

No
it wasn't awesome. It was shit. You're just an idiot.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 18:31, closed)

BWAHAHAHAHA!
...
(ewe, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 19:09, closed)

Oh, come on!
Insulting someone's musical tastes? How low can you sink?

To clarify: No matter your opinion on the creation, nature of or reason for the world around us, surely musical and artistic tastes are a purely personal, subjective opinion? Assuming this, it's folly to judge someone's intelligence based on their artistic preferences, just as it would be to judge them on their sexuality or race.
(idle insomniac enjoys listening to Sigur Rós at stupid hours, Sat 21 Feb 2009, 2:29, closed)

I've heard that CD
they give it out every year at music festivals when you park and the charity people go round demanding money.

It is shit.
(Bazongaloid, Sat 21 Feb 2009, 9:35, closed)

i seriously doubt
they "demand" money.
(ewe, Sun 22 Feb 2009, 6:15, closed)

I haven't actually, no
But now that you mention it, I appreciate that it must get on peoples tits.

I would consider the guys who go door to door on the more extreme side of the religious folk, acting as a counterweight to the (admittedly few) atheists who insist that science has the answer for everything and there definitely absolutely no-doubt-about-it no God.

The best thing and the worst thing about being free to believe whatever you want is that allows someone else the freedom to think you're a cunt for believing what you do :)
( Spunk Murphy Tchaikovsky is a synonym for fanny, apparently, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 18:07, closed)

I once found a filofax (few years back) lying on the pavement
I would have posted it to the person who lost it but for the fact that it belonged to a Mormon (if my memory serves me right) and it was filled with appointments and streets to target. Where he'd got some positive response he'd put the name and address and some comments. One of them said something like "scout leader, very important, CHASE UP!".

No you don't matey! Still got it somewhere I think.
( stopmeandslapme Cometh the hour, cometh your mum, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 18:27, closed)

I disagree
I wouldn't say they are 'extreme'.

They simply follow by example - Jesus went door to door to talk about the kingdom to those who would listen.

'extreme' are the people who go about screaming at others that they are going to hell. (Which is aptly hypocritical as the bible plainly doesn't mention hell).
(FunOnABun Smears lard on you!, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 19:02, closed)

Erm...
I can't remember the bit in the Bible where Jesus goes door to door.

I remember him lunching, supper-ing, etc. in lots of people's houses and doing lots of healing, but the bit where the disciples and him split up and head off round a town to do some door-knocking and preach to random people?Don't remember that. Maybe I'm being ignorant?
(SnowyTheWereRabbit the Leporid from Hell, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 23:58, closed)

I haven't read enough of the Bible to really be qualified to comment,
but I abjectly refuse to believe that it doesn't mention Hell anywhere in it.
(idle insomniac enjoys listening to Sigur Rós at stupid hours, Sat 21 Feb 2009, 2:31, closed)

"they will be cast into the outer darkness"
Mark 2:15 translated from Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic as "the unseen state" meaning after death of the body.

Look in any concordex at the back of a Bible under "Future home of the wicked" and there's a bunch.
(TDub Nunc id vides, nunc ne vides on, Sun 22 Feb 2009, 0:56, closed)

Yes
And I politely say no thanks. Then we part ways amicably.

If you get them more than once a year, your privileged.
(FunOnABun Smears lard on you!, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 18:42, closed)