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Back in the day when I first joined I don’t remember religious posts. There may have been some, but probably not very many.

Nowadays it seems that some folks post religious messages on FR every day, presumably in the hope that others will be converted to their particular sect. (I’m separating out the more noxious posts against different religions such as the Catholics and Mormons.) I’m sure those folks are sincere, but I don’t believe in proselytizing for a particular religion to a captive audience. This is kinda like someone standing up at a movie and preaching at me; I wouldn’t be very receptive to it. It has nothing to do with their message, but the location is a place I go to for something else.

In a movie theatre, I paid to watch the movie, not hear someone preach. This site is allegedly is about discussing conservative ideas, a good many of which are formed on faith. Without God, there can be no real conservatism. I firmly believe that. When the site decrees a rule that there shall be no “bashing” but can’t even express in third grade words what that means, I challenge the intellectual credentials of that site.

We can have a discussion of religion here without animosity but clearly, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism et all are at odds with each other. Note that I did not differentiate between Protestants, Catholics, Mormons et aux because I believe in principle we are brothers in arms with common cause against forces that would deny free will. Is that not the common ground given us by one God?

That being said however, A pope that pushes a statist agenda, socialism and authoritarian rule is no friend of any Christian. If Catholics cannot accept criticism of a pope, then perhaps it is they that need to find a place where critical thinking is far more restrained. If they want to defend papal infallibility as “God’s Word” and silence me for saying otherwise, then I will criticize them, “bashing” or not.

I beg your pardon.

Here’s the earliest page on FR that I could find using the waybackmachine: https://web.archive.org/web/19961221165158/http://freerepublic.com/

Notice that one of my very first posts to FR is entitled, “Democracy in the Bible and History.” Unfortunately, the article has not survived, but the evidence of the importance of God and the bible to our founding and our Republic is right there on one of our first front pages.

Back in the day when I first joined I don’t remember religious posts. There may have been some, but probably not very many. Nowadays it seems that some folks post religious messages on FR every day, presumably in the hope that others will be converted to their particular sect. (I’m separating out the more noxious posts against different religions such as the Catholics and Mormons.) I’m sure those folks are sincere, but I don’t believe in proselytizing for a particular religion to a captive audience. This is kinda like someone standing up at a movie and preaching at me; I wouldn’t be very receptive to it. It has nothing to do with their message, but the location is a place I go to for something else.

I posted regularly here for 14 years before anyone here knew which Church I attend! No one loved this place more than I did. Unfortunately religious bigots have been allowed to over the place and most of the people that made it what it once was either got the ZOT or just left on their on. It will never again be what it once was because of that single thing!