This is my disclaimer.  This is my opinion.  I could be totally wrong.

Here's my two cents.  I'm on JU everyday, but don't read a lot of new articles every day....sometimes I just pop in..but here goes.

I think the problems for you are twofold. 

First of all, I don't know how long you've been round here, if this is your first screen name, or one of many.  I'm going to assume you're truly new and probably don't understand some of JU's community quirks.  (People will correct me as they see fit.)

JU is fairly conservative when it comes to politics.  We have liberal-minded bloggers but they are scarce these days.  The few who have stuck around for the duration imo are smart, funny, quick witted, etc.  But, they don't post a whole lot.  They can disagree, slice and dice, AND be funny all at the same time.  I consider them JU liberals and I for one, love them!  (This does not necessarily include the die hard liberals who only come to JU to post and run, not really looking for back and forth.)

About two years ago, JU went brown and lost a lot of its "color."   Color as defined by me includes everyday life sort of bloggers, multi-political bloggers, writers, everything but gaming and technology type bloggers, etc.  There were some technical (format/consolidation) changes.  Some people didn't like it, so they left. 

From that point on, JU went from a very diversified base of bloggers, from all over the map politically and socially, with interesting and hot topics debated daily, to a group of people with similar interests and political views.  (Which is not a problem imo, but doesn't make it as vibrant, as colorful, as interesting.)

How is that the first of two problems? Because JU was once a hotbed of debate, (and when it came to politics liberals and conservatives squared off for days, weeks! on some topics....) and now is not, I believe people get a little giddy about a good debate.  It is boring to always agree, so when someone comes along (you) in all your "there is no God" and "not quite conservative" views, everyone wants a piece of you.  Which to you seems like dog piling I'm sure.

As I'm sure you're aware, each blogger has their own style/standard of response, some better than others.  How you choose to interact, or not, is up to you.

Part two of the problem, sorry I'm going to be frank here, is your delivery.  I've read several of your comments.  Personally I like the way your mind turns (though obviously I don't agree with it all).  I never know what you're going to say, how you'll respond, and to me THAT is what made JU so great and is missing now.  Dare I say it?  Diversity.  Blech.  I don't like to use words that have been hijacked by the culture, but there it is.

However, your insistence that the Christians on JU, put down their Christianity to communicate with you is ridiculous.  Would you pick up Christ just to converse with them?  No.  You don't get to decide what matters to people, anymore than they get to decide it for you.  Asking someone to drop what they consider the most important aspect of their lives, because you say so, is frankly very immature and conflicts with the more rational vein of your persona.

Accept it.  Ignore it.  Move on.

So back to your delivery.  You seem an intelligent person yet you use line crossed words to communicate derision, sarcasm, etc.  This smacks of someone who is either very young/immature (is your name Lucas?) or someone who believes he is infinitely superior to those to whom he communicates.  I've never seen either of those approaches work well here.

In short, your delivery is characterized in the first four letters of your screen name.  And last time I checked, while nice to have round, they aren't exactly essential to the conversation....lol

I hope your blogging experience here becomes more satisfactory.  I think JU needs diversity (ugh, again I said it!)  ... 

Wow, you guys got a lot down in the time it took me to respond.  And I was typin fast!! 

Tova, BoobzTwo has been around for quite awhile, although not prolific at writing in the past.  Over that time, I have found her to be very conservative on a fiscal basis (I would give her a 10 out of 10), and very libertarian on a social basis.  She does not get out of her pond much, but has been consistently writing articles for as long as I can remember (and I have been here over 6 years).

lately she has become more confrontational.  Perhaps as you noted, to fill the gap of lack of a liberal voice on JU (although she seems to be picking non-liberal issues to be confrontational about).

That being said, I think your overall analysis, outside the 2 points I raised above, is very accurate.  But instead of it being an unconscious method of writing, I think it is designed to evoke an emotional response to heat things up.  She knows what she is doing.

p.s. I cannot believe she is Lucas unless he is schizophrenic.

Thank you Tova especially for making this point.

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BTWO

Oh c'mon. Your neutrality? No sale. You trumpet your Atheist ideas and slam religion every chance you get.

2 examples of your so-called "simple concepts" attempting to slam religion.

Well this religious enthusiast says both of your statements are wrong, very wrong. I'll say more about this below.

Simple fact. Declaring your Atheism removes you from a neutral position. If you truly do not care about my religious beliefs you would not have slammed religion and faith as you did above with your false ideas.

 I did comment on the + side of the title. I responded agreeing with you. In case you missed it, I said that your title is true, absolutely true. In fact, the world hates the Bible.  (it was my comments that followed explaining "the world" that you called me "hardheaded" but did not refute.)

You're not only blowing smoke but repeating the Atheistic mantra when you claim that religion (and by religion I mean Christianity and specifically Catholicsm) is mind control and having faith and keeping it is a decision made for us.   

By faith we believe things …and that’s true even of you. But we’re not talking about human faith here rather of supernatural Faith which is a virtue and a great gift of God.  Now people believe not with emotion or feelings but with their mind. Belief is a mental conviction. So faith then is not an emotion nor is it of the senses. Faith is an intellectual admission that a certain thing is true because although we have not seen the reality ourselves , we reasonably admit that the one who has told us must be reasonably informed and not intending to deceive us.

True Christian faith cannot lead one into error. We prove that God has said a thing and believe because He said it. Doubt would be possible only could God be deceived or deceive mankind. But He could not. He knows all things and is Truth itself. Also He has given abundant external signs to confirm His revelation. We are certainly right to believe that true Christian faith is truth because He must be right.

But having true Christian faith doesn’t imply burying one’s head in the sand. Faith teaches a number of things which are above reason for the revealed truths of God are above human thought. While Faith teaches truths so profound to be above natural reason,  it never teaches anything which is opposed to sound and rational principles. Prove any given Catholic doctrine to violate correct principles of reason and I shall cease to believe in it at once.

You may follow what you think to be truth but how do you know it’s truth….is there no possibility of mistake? You accept ideas that a wise man has uttered, yet another wise man has denied them. You need not be afraid to sincerely seek truth, but you need be afraid of your own mental limitations. 

Man's high destiny is to go to God becasue man comes from God and belongs entirely to God. It is by right religion that we know love and serve God as He commands us to know, love and serve, Him. It is by religion then that we fulfill the end for which we were made, and so save our eternal soul.

Now as far as religion, time passes on and Atheists sleep through life as though it is a dream. It doesn’t matter a hill of beans that they are able to think out ideas just as valuable as the next person. Here it’s not a question of human faith, opinions or ideas. It’s a question of God’s revealed teachings and neither their ideas nor my ideas have any value if they contradict those. You owe a debt to God that Atheists do not pay in the way He rightly demands. If one refuses to pay earthly bills one is arrested and have to answer in court.  God is not foolish and will not be mocked. He does not give commandments for nothing. He cannot be escaped. Death arrests all of us and the one who neglects God’s just demands for religious worship and acknowledgment will have to answer for his conduct. Atheists have made no provision for the inevitable confrontation with Truth at their Particular Judgment.

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My apologies Boobz for assuming you're new and male!  lol  I should have looked at your profile.  You've been round JU longer than me.

Ah well. 

Tova7, I will have to read your comment in the morning ... the following is for Lulu and friends.

I am NEVER EVER talking about the perfectness of an ideology that can do or say no wrong (by decree). What in the world can I rebut with? You have predetermined the right and wrong of it … and that is it. So I stay outside this environment at all costs. This is where you are comfortable and completely protected … and I am not. I do not have any defense at all in there BECAUSE you are comparing ME with GOD or at least his words … and find me failing. Is ok

The things I discuss cannot be found in your bible (never found anyone living in there) where it is all fuzzy and perfect. Most people close down their shops, walk outside the door and enter a world where the TRUTH takes on new meanings implications and most do not care what YOU personally (or morally) think. Be as righteous as you need to be and never ever be wrong … but all your beliefs are meaningless to the two thugs waiting by your car. Maybe this will make sense: You are concerned with the soul and I am concerned with the person … works for me … wish it would work for you too?

I am ALWAYS discussing MAN’s laws … and you are ALWAYS talking GOD’s. Come on now; ME = ATHEIST = NO GOD … but you just keep trying to force me to defend myself against something I do not believe in … doesn’t that sound pretty stupid to you, TOO? If all you can do is filter out the humanity and insert your ideology … and cannot put anything in some real time today (like right now) perspective there is nothing I can do about it … but we will NOT be chatting much because this is just too much to ask for ... I suspect.

I do NOT study religious doctrine nor am I a Theology quick study. I do not read or study the bible (anymore). I do not believe in god … what am I missing?

Thanks Tova7

I made some errors obviously, but there is one thing I have not figured out. And that is the exactitude people seem to insist on here (took me a bit to figure out JU, sorry). It is not just the religious side (mostly) ... but pretty much across the board. I am often told that “Words have Meaning” but never seemed to be involved in those decisions … even though they were my articles and my words. I am not sure I belong here anymore because I write about THINGs involving people, not the morality of specific words or phrases.

For instance, I have been BoobzTwo well forever; don’t really care if it is good or bad, it just is. I do not place value on names like many seem to; Tova7 is just a different spelling for BoobzTwo in relevance. For me, it is the story and I just do not seem to be able to find much to be cheerful over right now, all things considered.

I am on permanent mental disability (jeez, think of all the joy this will bring me, whew): I have a very faulty short term memory. It is quite exasperating and requires a lot of concentration and often results in replications and such which seem to be defined as blathering or whatnot. I have tried to tell most that I prefer to try and stay pretty much on subject (but not why) … it just didn’t seem such a difficult thing? Every time we tangent which is almost with every sentence, I have to intentionally (yuck) brake my limited concentration and refocus elsewhere not an easy undertaking believe me. This is so annoying that I can (and have many times) written half of a sentence and completely lose focus and cannot finish it. Or have the perfect thought and never make it to the page at all.

And then those comments foist me into other avenues … It all soon becomes a maze of places and comments and I just cannot keep up. What I should do is just write my ‘stuff’ and just go on to the next article and let everyone comment as they see fit. I honestly want to discuss them … but end up going elsewhere, always. This syndrome seems to find any comments I make elsewhere as well and bang off we go … most cannot seem to stay with their articles either.

I am learning and getting better (it is painful and slow) … I just do not understand why so much hate and anger is bandied on my shoulders. As far as I am concerned there were no religious connotations in my articles (maybe one – I was aggravated) but we always end up discussing religion in some aspect or another and I am always attacking some ideal or another, go figure. If any of this makes sense to you, please fill me in. As strange as this may sound, I believe most of us are good respectable honest people … if it were not for the words that seem to require some ability or deviousness I do not yet possess, to use properly.

OK, done ‘whining’. It was nice to chat with someone who showed some consideration with a desire to help (salvage) my worthless arse, hehehe. Thanks … a lot. Michelle    May have been here a while (took a coupl of years off though) but know little more than placing my articles and getting out the umbrella.

How do you define hate?  Because I don't see the hate you're talking about here.

I'm sorry you have trouble focusing.  My youngest son also struggles with this and I've seen first hand how frustrating the world can be for him.  I wish I could offer you some suggestions, but we're still in the learning curve.

The only thing I've seen work for him (so far) is focusing on one topic, one thing, and sticking to it.  This usually requires me redirecting his attention over and over.  I tell him to ignore everything else no matter how titillating.

Sometimes it works.  Sometimes not.

Tova7

Lulu comment #8. “Here I go again starting with your title.   It's true, absolutely true. In fact, the world hates the Bible …” … the title referenced was “what is the truth” and the article had nothing at all to do with religion. … Or so I thought, silly me.

Lulu comment  #8: “But the hostile world does not want to hear this. It hates it, distorts it, and rejects it. The world does not want to hear it so its leaders, atheists, materialists, and hedonists persecute the Church and reject the Holy Bible and those who stand up for it.

May not be a direct attack on me here, but I think I have discovered where some of the HATE is coming from. Anyone who makes a statement like this cannot POSSIBLY have a grip on reality and there could not possibly be objectivity possible IMO.

Lulu comment #9:   “This is just my observation and a thought based upon that observation.”

“The last three of your articles include some mention that you are an Atheist. So why include that if you are so anxious to opt out of religious prattle? Don't you know that automatically sends up a flag and as you have already observed sets you up as "fair game"?”

“There must be some reason why you keep telling us you are an Atheist when you could have gotten your message across without revealing that bit of information about yourself.”

It is all true ... maybe this is another avenue of HATE? You got me … I am getting tired of patronizing them anymore and am writing this for YOUR benefit because you actually asked me something, how novel.

KFC comment #12: He quoted a comment I had made shown below.

KFC’s insight was … “the only one spreading hate and frustration here is you.  And you are so self-deceived you even dare call yourself neutral.   By no means are you neutral.  Your words are evidence against you. “

“The truth we believe has most certainly been investigated (like no other) questioned (like no other) justified and proven.  The problem here doesn't lie with the evidence but in the depraved mind who will not accept it no matter how it's presented”

What do you think … sounds like another avenue for hate …?

Look at the strange stuff in Lulu’s comment #19. Keep in mind when (yea, if) you read it and maybe you can find something in there besides HATE and a lot of meaningless stuff … I AM AN ATHEIST AFTER ALL,  and I think everyone knows …

I suppose you would have to like indigestion to wander around and look at some of their nonsense … and it does not matter what I say or not. I did not write any religious articles (well I was angry once). At first I tried to be honest and answer their ‘inquires’ thinking they were serious. Now I know better and will not have any more problems conversing with these ‘people’. Thanks for your help, it made a difference to me.

I see. 

This is my opinion based on personal interaction with these ladies here, and I also know one in real life and consider her a good friend.  They don't hate you.  In fact I would be willing to bet when they are down on their knees talking to God, they're mentioning you, and it is not out of hate. 

I read their words as an eagerness to debate.  But I know them, and of course you see it the other way. 

You say you researched some time ago and decided to become Atheist.  Just a suggestion, you could write an article or two about your findings, make it so no one can comment..and then when someone brings it up in future on other articles, you could give them a link to your research findings/articles and refuse to explain it all the time.  Or you could just blow it off entirely, ignoring all references to faith.  I dunno.

But, thanks for taking the time to explain your thoughts.  I appreciate it. 

Being forthright and being hateful are two different things B.T.  I had absolutely no hate behind my comments.  I said it as I saw it.   I don't know you, how can I hate you? 

Could you be confusing "hate" with having a differing opinion?  Are you only looking for those who will agree with you?  If that's the case, then most certainly Lula and I shouldn't be here. 

Tova7

I would not have any problems talking about my decision making process ... but what in the world are your friends going to do to my articles if all it took to entice their ire was the simple announcement that I was an atheist. Can you NOT see where that would land me, no thanks? I have met a couple of Christians that I enjoy conversing with … but not the JU crowd. If I try to justify or prove anything at all, it would have to (will be conceived as) a DIRECT attack against GOD (what else could it contain) … and I see no possibility at all for any reasonable meaningful discourse, sorry.

I do not believe these friends have the least interest in civility or my opinions or the subjects I like to discuss for the simple reason … I am an atheist, and no other that I have been able to surmise. Regardless of popular opinions, you see, I had hoped to establish a starting point … You believe in god and I do not. I started a starting point alright, just not the one I wanted. From that point on … They are actually studying “Atheism, practical and theoretical” … I sure do not know what that is supposed to be, but it IS the impetus for all their nonsense.

Anyway, how do I make a private article? If there were some way for me to find posts I have made on other articles because I have a hard time finding them once they are off the current list (as you might expect)? I hated English and was so embarrassed at my ignorance (just didn’t like it … MATH!) that I do not think I even wrote one letter before I was in the Navy for 7 or 8 years, sad huh. So with spell checker (and grammar) I jumped in and started writing … and decided I like it.

I am still learning but still get perplexed at the reactions of others? I spent several years trying to find knowledgeable people to debate but came to the sad conclusion that most today do not seem to be interested in much besides themselves or someone else’s talking points. Upward and onward … wheeee … Have a nice day.

KFC, I am NOT confusing anything at all silly, what in the world do I have to do be confused over, I have everything I want ... my freedom. The problem IS the simple FACT that you actually have no Idea at all what an atheist (ME) is because you live under a religious stereotypical veil. I have difficulty figuring out which moon bat said whatever nonsense so I have a tendency to speak to all of you at once for simplicity (mine). It doesn’t seem to matter anyway because you all say the same things.

You quote some word or phrase and ATTACK … but I have made this one observation in OUR relations … it seems to be me specifically (right now) and not much of anything I say, go figure. If you actually want to TALK about little ole atheist ME … you need to leave your bible out of the picture because I do not have any acceptable reference you will ALLOW me to use. Seems fair to me … just not to you I know.

So you good people just go on enjoying your miserable lives (while pretending to like them) and continue to spew hate and anger and accuse the “WORLD” around you of sinister plots and other intrigue and nothing will EVER bring you the peace you proclaim to possess and things will only get worse, for you.

And, don’t any of you thumpers try your TRUTH or REAL TRUTH or your REALITY nonsense any more … Try talking about HONESTY for a change, especially as it applies to yourselves.

On JU's homepage, at the top you will see "My Account".."My Dashboard".."My Blog"..."New Article"..."Forums"

To keep track of articles you've commented upon

1.  Click on "Forums"

At the top of the new page you will see...."My account" "My posts" "My Replies" etc...

Click on "My Replies."

All the articles you've commented on will be shown.  A blue balloon means a comment has been added since you last visited that thread.

If you want to make an article you wrote private (on JU that means no one but you can read it)...

Click on "My Dashboard" on the homepage.  Then under "quick links" click on "edit articles you've written"....and pick the "edit" key on the article you want to make private....when the article pops up, on the right there are three options:

"Make this article private" (click this and no one can see it but you)

"Allow users to comment" (click this and people can respond on your article)

"This article contains adult content" (click this and unregistered lurkers can't read your article)

These three options are also available when you write the article.

What I suggested is you write down what you will about atheism, uncheck the "allow user comment" option and then your article can be read by all, but no one can comment directly on it.

This is absolute nonsense along with just about everything else you've been saying around here.  Show me where I've used the bible in my conversations with you.  You know what I think?  I know you really don't care but I'll tell you anyway.  I think you thrive on negative attention.  And I, for one, am not very good at giving that out. 

I'm all for comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.  Somehow I'm not seeing you being afflicted here as much as you wish to believe.