Superstition and religion

[chri'stina 190]

You nailed it precisley

Babies are born un believers - some end up as religious people/criminals/walmart people and some are clever but have gullibility problems nevertheless

We who have reasoning do feel sorry for all the ones in the above categories but there is little we can do to help as it's like spilling superglue on a white shirt - it sticks if left too long and cannot be removed by any method. Some forced workers in the gas chambers saw the light and lost their belief - but otherwise it is a stubborn thing to remove.

Reason can get through because a huge percentage of Scandinavians are non believers - closely followed by Germany/France/UK - so it's just a matter of societal development and education and the INTERNET - beware because it is a one way process now but starting from a low base in the USA because of it's isolated geography and history and culture of doing the opposite to what foreigners do

It's interesting though how native Americans had their own spiritual beliefs while far separated from what was going on in Europe and Asia. Seems wherever you go in the world, people have supernatural or spiritual beliefs. Why would they stop being atheists in the first place? Either their reasoning was seriously lacking(which to me, doesn't say much for reason=atheism), or there is actually something in humans that make them desire to figure out the unseen.

Of course we know where I stand on this issue. I am also trying to deal with my intellect being insulted here. I shouldn't care and usually do. I have reasoning skills and I believe in God. I don't want to be treated as stupid because of that. I find it unfortunate that people reject the idea of God.

[Captain Oates 911]

This is actually what is so ironic about how religion pertains to myself. I asked myself if God/Jesus/Mohammed/Allah appeared in front of EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING on earth at the same time would I change?

**Lets use Christianity as an example**

Jesus appears before everyone in the world at 5pm eastern tomorrow. He says the Bible is real. It is full of truth. I am real. God is real. Christianity is the one true religion.

So I asked myself if I would change A DAMN THING? Would I start to go to church? Would I pray? Would I tithe? The answer is I would probably not change at all. I suppose I would pray (talk inside my head knowing that God can hear my thoughts) but then again what would be the point considering (even if He proved to me He was real) I wouldn't get a verbal response.

Would I go to church? No. I've been a lot of times and it can be like going to class for a lecture. It can be interesting, entertaining, social, a learning experience, something to do, etc., but I wouldn't start going if I knew God was real.

Would I start reading the Bible? No. I find it to be one of the most boring books ever written in history.

Would I be concerned that maybe God will light me on fire for eternity because of the above? Not really. I am a nice person. I don't bother anyone. I mind my own. I help people when I can. I don't lie or cheat or steal. I don't think I deserve to be lit on fire for eternity. And plus I would undoubtedly believe that Jesus was the Son of God so, as per my example, I would go to Heaven.

But of course I don't believe in any of this stuff from 2000 years ago. Get something video. Have Jesus come down to earth for a few days. Have God speak audibly. Then I would believe the stories from 2000 years ago when human intelligence was at a 2000 YEAR LOW (lol) were true.

It is still very dangerous to be an unbeliever in the USA as the believers think they have clearance from the meek and mild one to do horrible things to hurt unbelievers..

In the work place they will get you and ruin your career etc etc etc

They are the most vicious and vindictive in society and they don't see the irony

Remember burning at the stake ? christians did that. That tells me all I need to know.

There are still States where it is illegal to stand for public office if you are not a believer. Google it. The christians are out to get you and they are more evil and merciless than any of the unbelievers

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

It's interesting though how native Americans had their own spiritual beliefs while far separated from what was going on in Europe and Asia. Seems wherever you go in the world, people have supernatural or spiritual beliefs. Why would they stop being atheists in the first place? Either their reasoning was seriously lacking(which to me, doesn't say much for reason=atheism), or there is actually something in humans that make them desire to figure out the unseen.

Of course we know where I stand on this issue. I am also trying to deal with my intellect being insulted here. I shouldn't care and usually do. I have reasoning skills and I believe in God. I don't want to be treated as stupid because of that. I find it unfortunate that people reject the idea of God.

I would ask any atheist, or antitheist, to demonstrate a life with everything based on firsthand knowledge and logic. Even the most tangible things in life require a little faith, that things are what they appear to be, even though quite often, that is not the case.

[웃 910]

Is this a true statement: 2000 years ago when the Bible was written human intelligence was at a 2000 year low.

If it is true then that is all I need to know!

[Ban Hammer 13,340]

God talks to me all the time. Maybe you are just not hearing Him.

i used to think god talked to me, but it was always a pm from ewok telling me to knock it off.

[james&olya 1,121]

It's interesting though how native Americans had their own spiritual beliefs while far separated from what was going on in Europe and Asia. Seems wherever you go in the world, people have supernatural or spiritual beliefs. Why would they stop being atheists in the first place? Either their reasoning was seriously lacking(which to me, doesn't say much for reason=atheism), or there is actually something in humans that make them desire to figure out the unseen.

Of course we know where I stand on this issue. I am also trying to deal with my intellect being insulted here. I shouldn't care and usually do. I have reasoning skills and I believe in God. I don't want to be treated as stupid because of that. I find it unfortunate that people reject the idea of God.

I respect your right to believe in God. If it brings you comfort I am happy for you. I don't need God. All I ask is that you not try to compel me to subscribe to your beliefs, and that public policy be neutral relative to religion.

[chri'stina 190]

I respect your right to believe in God. If it brings you comfort I am happy for you. I don't need God. All I ask is that you not try to compel me to subscribe to your beliefs, and that public policy be neutral relative to religion.

Whether someone needs God or not doesn't equate whether He exists or not. I personally am not going to try to make you believe like I do.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

One cannot doesn't need to reason that there is no God either.

Fixed. Why would anyone in their right mind want to engage in such fruitless exercise?

Brother, there is a difference between Atheism and Agnosticism.

[_Simpson_ 250]

The idea that there is a God is devoid of reason. All religion rests on that little nugget of nonsense.

To suggest that there is no God is just as silly to suggest that there is a God. We have no way to know.

Edited December 15, 2010 by _Simpson_

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Brother, there is a difference between Atheism and Agnosticism.

Whatever. That doesn't invalidate what I said or how I fixed your post.

[HeatDeath 430]

The only difference between superstition and religion is how complex the theology is. Both of them believe that if you do certain things, or fail to do certain things, supernatural forces will either reward or punish you. Religion believes the exact same thing, only with [typically] more complex theories about the mechanisms and motivations of the supernatural forces.

Christianity, OTOH, is neither. It isn't a belief about how God will behave if we do (or fail to do) certain things - it's a belief about what He has already done for us, regardless of our behavior, and that we couldn't affect or change by our behavior even if we wanted to.

Be very careful of people who call themselves Christian but are merely [by this definition] "religious".

Edited December 15, 2010 by HeatDeath

[Captain Oates 911]

To suggest that there is no God is just as silly to suggest that there is a God. We have no way to know.

I don't accept the equivalence.

If MR A says that god is a giant hamster that is over 20 trillion times as large as the sun and eats only peanuts, and over 6 zillion galaxies are devoted only to the growing of those peanuts, and he has a girlfriend called Lulu who weighs 0.2 ounces and they have 'done it' every 12 seconds for the last z trillion years without getting bored, I am entitled to say that my non-belief in that is BETTER than MR A's belief - and I will get universal votes for my position.

I have no evidence, as he has no evidence, but the law of probability or stretched credulity says my position is BETTER than his and I win easily

So two people can assert different positions with neither of them having ANY evidence - and yet one of them can be the hands down winner. The other has not been proved wrong but is still delusional.

Or in law it's called circumstantial evidence and plenty of people have been executed on that.

Now about this old guy who sits on a cloud and makes married women virgins pregnant and watches us and gets his son from the married pregnant virgin nailed to a cross in the bronze age so that we will behave better....

He has clearly failed in that because 1400 years later we were burning humans alive if they didn't agree with the story and expressed doubt - which is a pointer because what's the point being god and a failure ?

[james&olya 1,121]

Whether someone needs God or not doesn't equate whether He exists or not. I personally am not going to try to make you believe like I do.

You are right, these are separate questions and with our freedom of (and from) religion we are entitled to make our own choices about which we believe.I neither need a god nor find any credible evidence of his existence. You apparently both need and believe. I think that needing a god has led to his creation in the minds of believers but that is just my opinion. I am glad we live in a country where we can coexist peacefully!

[Captain Oates 911]

You are right, these are separate questions and with our freedom of (and from) religion we are entitled to make our own choices about which we believe.I neither need a god nor find any credible evidence of his existence. You apparently both need and believe. I think that needing a god has led to his creation in the minds of believers but that is just my opinion. I am glad we live in a country where we can coexist peacefully!

The humans and fish can live in peace. (W)

If only we could - christians give themselves stomach ulcers dreaming up new ways to discriminate and disenfranchise and devalue non-believers (not non-belief so much as non-believers personally)

The Constitution should have made a difference but it didn't

I have yet to hear the head of State make a speech without mentioning god and people keep their mouths shut about being non-believers because the menace from christians is very real.

It is still illegal for non-believers to hold public office in some States

It is ironic that in the UK, the Head of State is head of the established church and you hardly ever hear references to god in public and there are no prohibitions or stories of discrimination and approbation.

As the Royal family become irrelevant, their church is sliding away with them

Edited December 16, 2010 by Alan the Red

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The humans and fish can live in peace. (W)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_MQdMKuY5A