Religion, what do you think?

[blackspets]

earlier when i posted i felt religion was a good thing but i'm starting to think of it as another reason to fight.

 

[Guest]

;D

 

[QuantumMindGames]

I've seen the consequences of drug abuse first-hand, I stay far away from those.

The key is to not abuse them ;o

can't abuse them if you dont do them :smoke:

 

[mawk]

can't abuse them if you don't abuse them :smoke:

 

[Zelfouz]

I've seen the consequences of drug abuse first-hand, I stay far away from those.

The key is to not abuse them ;o

can't abuse them if you dont do them :smoke:

Apply this rationale to women. Don't ever reproduce.

 

[Gray]

Getting terribley off topic.

 

[Kodi Hammon]

I was raised in a Christian Family, But In christanity the "GOD" Never helped at all... When I was 10 my House burnt to the ground.... and before that I prayed Practily Every night... This however lessened my believes of Christanity. at the Age of 12 My mother turned Wicken... Which was annoying... She thought She was a Fucking Master at it after three or so days... And truth was, She was a Novice with books... lol

So My belives went toward the Northen Europe Pagan... So to this day I remain Norse Pagan which is believeing in Odin, Loki, Tyr, thor, etc.
And I am not a Comic book nerd so I did not turn to Odin and thor and crap because I thought it was cool....

I also know That Christianity is Stolen From Other Countries Lore.... Which is werid... noah did the same thing Gilgamesh in Japanese Lore did, The Parting of the Water All stolen from Japanese Lore... This is another Reason I do not believe in Christanity...

Does anyone agree with me on any Bases?

 

[Kodi Hammon]

sorry for double post

 

[Xaixis]

I was raised in a Christian Family, But In christanity the "GOD" Never helped at all... When I was 10 my House burnt to the ground.... and before that I prayed Practily Every night... This however lessened my believes of Christanity. at the Age of 12 My mother turned Wicken... Which was annoying... She thought She was a Fucking Master at it after three or so days... And truth was, She was a Novice with books... lol

So My belives went toward the Northen Europe Pagan... So to this day I remain Norse Pagan which is believeing in Odin, Loki, Tyr, thor, etc.
And I am not a Comic book nerd so I did not turn to Odin and thor and crap because I thought it was cool....

I also know That Christianity is Stolen From Other Countries Lore.... Which is werid... noah did the same thing Gilgamesh in Japanese Lore did, The Parting of the Water All stolen from Japanese Lore... This is another Reason I do not believe in Christanity...

Does anyone agree with me on any Bases?

Um... kind of. Your totally right about the last part where religion repeats itself by manifesting off of other stories and such.

But I'm totally lost why people turn to things such as old religions. It makes me think that they are just reaching out for anything and picked what sounded neat. It seems strange when someone refutes Christianity then turns to pray to Odin. They are not real, I can prove that to you by climbing up to the top of Mount Olympus or w/e.

Stop reaching out (and I'm not just singling you out, talking to everyone with doubts). It seems like the second someone has doubts about their religion they turn to another one. I simply do not understand. The answer is not in another religious text (they mostly all have the same idea anyway).


IF there is any religion that I can understand is something that worships/respects the earth. I'm not sure what kind of Paganism that is, but I think its so funny how everyone believes that gods have to be a humanoid figure. If I did believe in a God (which I doubt being agnostic atheist) I would believe that a "god" would be like the essence of Karma, like a "holy" law of physics, not tangible. Much like how religions tend to put an identity to anything they cannot explain.
-> "Look! Water is falling from the sky when we were thirsty and our crops were dying! Rain came a few days after we begged for it! It must be the... WATER GODESS! Hydroena! Bless't be her name!"

 

[mawk]

But In christanity the "GOD" Never helped at all...

there's an Arabic saying: "trust in Allah, but tie up your own damn camel." god isn't there to help you out. it doesn't have any obligation towards anyone. I hate it when people ask things like "why do bad things happen to good people" as if following one's religion means that god has to make your life uniformly pleasant. this form of religion, following a religious practice because you want your prayers answered, is doing things for entirely the wrong reason. in Islamic literature it's described as the "path of the thief."

ideally, god has a very small role in religion. it's more about self-improvement than getting invisible people to do nice things for you. if the only reason you follow a religion is because you think god'll owe you a favour, you're doing it for the wrong reason entirely and you may as well not follow a religion at all.

 

[Xaixis]

But In christanity the "GOD" Never helped at all...

there's an Arabic saying: "trust in Allah, but tie up your own damn camel." god isn't there to help you out. it doesn't have any obligation towards anyone. I hate it when people ask things like "why do bad things happen to good people" as if following one's religion means that god has to make your life uniformly pleasant. this form of religion, following a religious practice because you want your prayers answered, is doing things for entirely the wrong reason. in Islamic literature it's described as the "path of the thief."

ideally, god has a very small role in religion. it's more about self-improvement than getting invisible people to do nice things for you. if the only reason you follow a religion is because you think god'll owe you a favour, you're doing it for the wrong reason entirely and you may as well not follow a religion at all.

Ooooo.. Very nicely put!

But the thing is, without the god, or some type of astral police-guardian, its the same thing as being a nice person.
Ok that was vague, what I mean is that if this IS the case (which most religions don't [ie: praying trumps being a good person]), then we wouldn't have so much trouble with it in the first part.

If religion is simply meant to make you a better person, there shouldn't be so many rules against people who don't follow "your" religion (the catholic/christian mentality). And less conflict over it.

And it's not just people who miss-conceive this, its the leaders (or at least every catholic mass I have been to) praise god more then good deeds. But I could be entirely wrong to, I am basing this all on my own experiances.

 

[Ellie]

It would be nice if religion was a means of people bettering themselves, but, whether it is meant to or not, it's certainly not used that way and not interpreted that way by a lot of people. In an ideal world, yes, religion could be the saviour of humanity that makes everyone moralic and evil-free~ but we are not in an ideal world.

 

[mawk]

uh thanks I know firsthand that we don't live in a perfect world.

basically no one sees religion and goes "oh good an excuse to be a wonderful person." most people are just motivated by personal gain unless they're really committed to something, and there's nothing wrong with that -- it's just how we are. this is why the entire concept of the eternal reward is emphasized so much, in the hopes that the entire "be nice" aspect would come hand in hand with it. after that, though, it became a popularity contest -- things were added and edited to make one's own religion seem more attractive and others less and the majority of people have been missing the point ever since

there's no insulation against the fact that people are idiots

 

[kaidus]

Religion is simply a plug stuck into a void of knowledge that is beyond human conception. In itself it is a logical contradiction, as to be unable to comprehend the means in which a god could have such power one also admits that there are things beyond human conception and that our perception of the universe most likely misses the point entirely. Under this premise, there is no reason that a god would create a single colony of life in an isolated manner who cannot amount to any greater purpose than the continuation of their species. Jarble jarble. Terrible argument etc but I'm sure every other line has been spouted a good 50 times in the previous 12 pages.

The truth is we don't know, we will never know, and anyone with an IQ below 250 who doesn't have a chance at understanding any of this nonsense should give up on knowing and just sex, drug and rock'n'roll their way to the grave. Nothing we do will ever mean anything, so with all life ambition crushed what else is there but to enjoy.

 

[Incognitus]

On the whole "Science Verses Religion" "issue":

A BRITISH film about Charles Darwin has failed to find a US distributor because his theory of evolution is too controversial for American audiences, according to its producer.

Creation, starring Briton Paul Bettany, details the naturalist's "struggle between faith and reason" as he wrote On the Origin of Species.

It depicts him as a man who loses faith in God after the death of his daughter, Annie, 10.

The film was chosen to open the Toronto Film Festival and has its British premiere today. It has been sold in almost every territory around the world, from Australia to Scandinavia.

However, US distributors turned down the film that will prove divisive in a country where, according to a Gallup poll taken in February, only 39 per cent of people believe in the theory of evolution.

Movieguide.org, an influential site that reviews films from a Christian perspective, described Darwin as the father of eugenics and denounced him as "a racist, a bigot and an 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder". His "half-baked theory" influenced Adolf Hitler and led to "atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering", the site stated.

The film, based on the book Annie's Box by Darwin's great-great-grand-son, Randal Keynes, has caused debate on other Christian websites in America.

Jeremy Thomas, the Oscar-winning producer, said he was surprised that such attitudes still existed.

"That's what we're up against, in 2009," he said. "It's amazing. It has got a deal everywhere else in the world but in the US, and it's because of what the film is about."

Early reviews have rated the film highly. The Hollywood Reporter said: "It would be a great shame if those with religious convictions spurned the film out of hand as they will find it even-handed and wise."

Isn't it great that America is the most progressive nation on the planet?

http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-snubs-fi ... -flkx.html

 

[Level10]

My thoughts on religion stem from my thoughts on God. If such a being exists that warrants the term "god", then this being must, by it's nature, be infinite. The human mind cannot comprehend infinity, therefore the human mind cannot comprehend any being that warrants being called "god", therefore all religions are false. The only beliefs that are potentially valid are deism, pantheism, or atheism. If deism or pantheism are true, they are also irrelevant, and any worldview based on these beliefs should be identical to any worldview based on atheism.

When speaking of god(s) found in religion, I am a gnostic atheist. That is, I don't believe in them, and I know they don't exist. When speaking of deism or pantheism, I am an agnostic atheist. That is, I don't believe in either of them, but also don't think it's possible to know for sure whether either are true or not, due to their very nature, deism involving a higher power that has no influence on the universe, and pantheism involving a higher power that is indistinguishable from the universe. I believe that science has the ability to explain everything, and supernatural answers are never warranted.

My worldview could be describe as materialistic secular humanism. I believe that the universe contains everything that exists, and everything that exists is either matter or energy, or a product of these two things. For example, the human mind, and all it's creations, are nothing more than a product of the matter that makes up the human brain. I also believe that humanity has within it the potential to overcome almost any challenge, and achieve almost any goal. I also believe that the current state of humanity directly impedes this, as it is a state of extreme selfishness and weakness. While many individuals strive to pursue goals for the betterment of humanity, humanity as a whole is holding itself back from achieving great things. I believe that world peace is possible, but exceeding implausible as things currently stand.

 

[mawk]

My thoughts on religion stem from my thoughts on God. If such a being exists that warrants the term "god", then this being must, by it's nature, be infinite. The human mind cannot comprehend infinity, therefore the human mind cannot comprehend any being that warrants being called "god", therefore all religions are false.

but does religion really necessitate knowing the full nature of god? there is no major religion which tries to spell out the exact nature of God in plain terms. many explicitly state that human beings cannot know god completely; in one story, god showed an infinitesimal portion of his self to Moses on the top of Mt. Sinai, and Moses was struck blind.

besides, no one has any idea what makes gravity work, but it's still there, and people still say it's there.

also I'm a little confused by your use of the word "infinite." what do you mean by "infinite," and how does that implicitly relate to godhood?

 

[Level10]

My thoughts on religion stem from my thoughts on God. If such a being exists that warrants the term "god", then this being must, by it's nature, be infinite. The human mind cannot comprehend infinity, therefore the human mind cannot comprehend any being that warrants being called "god", therefore all religions are false.

but does religion really necessitate knowing the full nature of god? no one has any idea what makes gravity work, but it's still there, and people still say it's there.

I probably should have said all monotheistic religions, which describe their god(s) as omnipotent and omniscient, and also apply various attributes to them, which make up the majority of religion in the world.

also I'm a little confused by your use of the word "infinite." what do you mean by "infinite," and how does that implicitly relate to godhood?

By infinite, I mean that which nothing can exceed or be greater than. If God is not infinite, then something could exist which is greater, or more, than God, negating its omnipotence, in which case, why should it be called God?

 

[mawk]

that doesn't resolve anything. allowing that god is "infinite," whatever that means, there is no major religion which tries to spell out the exact nature of God in plain terms. many explicitly state that human beings cannot know god completely; in one story, god showed an infinitesimal portion of his self to Moses on the top of Mt. Sinai, and Moses was struck blind.

(pasted from my edit because why the fuck not)

By infinite, I mean that which nothing can exceed or be greater than. If God is not infinite, then something could exist which is greater, or more, than God, negating its omnipotence, in which case, why should it be called God?

that's math-infinity. what unit of measurement is this? does god go off in a defined direction for all real numbers? can I measure the limit of e as god goes to infinity? you're basing your whole argument off an assumption that I don't understand in the least.

 

[Level10]

that doesn't resolve anything. allowing that god is "infinite," whatever that means, there is no major religion which tries to spell out the exact nature of God in plain terms. many explicitly state that human beings cannot know god completely; in one story, god showed an infinitesimal portion of his self to Moses on the top of Mt. Sinai, and Moses was struck blind.

(pasted from my edit because why the fuck not)

By infinite, I mean that which nothing can exceed or be greater than. If God is not infinite, then something could exist which is greater, or more, than God, negating its omnipotence, in which case, why should it be called God?

that's math-infinity. what unit of measurement is this? does god go off in a defined direction for all real numbers? can I measure the limit of e as god goes to infinity? you're basing your whole argument off an assumption that I don't understand in the least.

God is commonly defined as having the traits of omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. These traits, by their definitions, mean than no limits are placed on God. Something that has no limits can be described as infinite.