Religion: Why do you care?

[rhys 0]

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Which is exactly what you are doing. Atheists don't believe in religion. It's black and white as that. There's no gray line. There's no what if. It's plain and simple.

MY ASS

from dictionary.com

re·li·gion /rɪˈlɪdʒən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ri-lij-uhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.
6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.
7. religions, Archaic. religious rites.
8. Archaic. strict faithfulness; devotion: a religion to one's vow.
—Idiom
9. get religion, Informal.
a. to acquire a deep conviction of the validity of religious beliefs and practices.
b. to resolve to mend one's errant ways: The company got religion and stopped making dangerous products.

I believe the world has been created by a force that we do not fully understand. but not for human beings and life has evolved due to the constant change in the environment.

I believe many others think the same way i do. What do you call us?

Can you all please cut the crap and not argue over the bullshit and tell us 'WHY YOU CARE'.

Most current religions focus on what happens to an individual at the time of death, how we should treat each other and how to fight against the other relions. this effects us all. I couldn't buy a beer when i really needed one the other day and i couldn't sleep because of the noise from a local mosque, I can't purchase anything i want on a Sunday and I cant get bacon in certain shops and beef in others.

meanwhile i have to trip over rubbish and walk through fucking disgusting pools of polluted puddle water, see extreme poverty and watch a very beautiful part of the world being destroyed at an alarming rate. Yet amoung all this there are shining mosques, temples and churches, they have desperate people in need all around them yet the religious leaders are driving BMW's and Mercedes Benz's.

It is disgraceful (pun intended)

there are some serious questions that need to be answered and these supposed faiths are "A JOKE"

Most posts on this thread are once again clouding the issue of what the tread is about.

move your arguments about the nitty gritties elsewhere please and that includes moderators, you should know better.

I wanna hear some explanations form you Christians/ Muslims/ Hindus/ Atheists etc.

We need to start worshiping our planet and our star that we call the sun, these are the things that have given and supported our life.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[sundance 1]

The Baghava Gita and the Upanishads

One of the surest signs that intelligent life exists in outer space is that none of it has tried to contact us.

[Royd 0]

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We need to start worshiping our planet and our star that we call the sun, these are the things that have given and supported our life.

I believe that is called paganism, which is also a religion.

Why would you worship something with no intelligence?

Shouldn't you be worshipping your father and mother? They are the ones who gave you life. Isn't there a rule about that somewhere? Honor thy father and thy mother. Where did that come from?

[rhys 0]

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I believe that is called paganism, which is also a religion.

Why would you worship something with no intelligence?

Shouldn't you be worshipping your father and mother? They are the ones who gave you life. Isn't there a rule about that somewhere? Honor thy father and thy mother. Where did that come from?Unsure

I do honor my mother and father,

they gave life to me and theirs gave life to them. what started first the chicken or the egg.

To say that the Sun has no intelligence as a reason not to respect it and the Earth as well for that matter shows a complete lack of respect.

What do you believe?

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[jakee 1,501]

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Shouldn't you be worshipping your father and mother? They are the ones who gave you life. Isn't there a rule about that somewhere? Honor thy father and thy mother. Where did that come from?

Some old novel, I think.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Royd 0]

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To say that the Sun has no intelligence as a reason not to respect it and the Earth as well for that matter shows a complete lack of respect.

What do you believe?

You said that we should worship the sun and the earth. That would make you a religionist of some sort, which an athiest surely cannot abide.

As for respecting the sun, wear a hat and sunscreen; you are at its mercy.

Only those who spend their lives practicing low level agronomy, and leave a miniscule footprint when they leave this life, can say that they have clean hands concerning the stewardship of the earth.

Are you there?

[philh 0]

"I wanna hear some explanations form you Christians/ Muslims/ Hindus/ Atheists etc.

We need to start worshiping our planet and our star that we call the sun, these are the things that have given and supported our life. "

As one of the atheists on this forum Im not sure what Im supposed to explain exactly.
If you want an explanation for the atheists position, I can give that. there is no evidence to believe in god so we dont believe in god. Pretty simple really.

As for worshipping the Earth and the Sun, well I hope you are talking metaphorically. It would be silly to worship a big ball of hydrogen and helium or a rock made of iron,oxygen etc.

[CameraNewbie 0]

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If you want an explanation for the atheists position, I can give that. there is no evidence to believe in god so we dont believe in god. Pretty simple really.

Finally someone else to tell it like it is. There is no deeper explanation for our beliefs than this.

What do protesters want? Dead cops! When do they want it? Every 2 weeks!

[mnealtx 0]

>>There is no deeper explanation for our beliefs than this.

Well, y'all certainly *do* get (shall I say it?) evangelical ( ) about telling people that *do* believe how foolish, misguided, etc etc etc they are.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[rhys 0]

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You said that we should worship the sun and the earth. That would make you a religionist of some sort, which an athiest surely cannot abide.

I was using the word WORSHIP as a metaphor.

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As for respecting the sun, wear a hat and sunscreen; you are at its mercy.

agreed.

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Only those who spend their lives practicing low level agronomy, and leave a miniscule footprint when they leave this life, can say that they have clean hands concerning the stewardship of the earth.

Are you there?

I'm not perfect but I am aware. I am deeply saddened when I see plastic bottle etc. on beaches yet others will throw their rubbish over their shoulder without a thought.

does that count?

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[rhys 0]

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As one of the atheists on this forum Im not sure what Im supposed to explain exactly.
If you want an explanation for the atheists position, I can give that. there is no evidence to believe in god so we dont believe in god. Pretty simple really.

Yes agreed.

But we do have to respect what we have, does that come into the beliefs of and atheist?

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[rhys 0]

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Finally someone else to tell it like it is. There is no deeper explanation for our beliefs than this.

See the above post. I thought I was the one 'telling it like it is'?

There is one thing say there is no evidence. and there is another to say there is evidence to the contrary.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[br0k3n 0]

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Can you all please cut the crap and not argue over the bullshit and tell us 'WHY YOU CARE'.

I care because religion does nothing to progress humanity, in fact it hinders us as race and keeps us grounded in prehistoric beliefs..

Religion did not put a man on the moon, it did not find cures for millions of diseases (and im still amazed that people use the term “intelligent design”) religion did not get us out of the stone age and into an industrialised modern world, religion does nothing to progress the understanding of the universe and the world around us. Religion breed’s ignorance and intolerance, it creates suffering and abuse.

Yes we can point to various religious charities that help the homeless, or the poor, and we all know someone who finds life that little bit easier with the social support that can come from religious groups, but really all of these can be accomplished with out religion..

Religion is nothing more then a wart on the arse of humanity, and the sooner that we evolve from needing this blind belief in various god and spirits the better we will all be.

Like I said before religion does nothing but make you ignorant and dangerous..

CLICKY

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[philh 0]

"There is one thing say there is no evidence. and there is another to say there is evidence to the contrary. "

People often use this to justify not calling themsleves athiests when they doubt god. They might say "there is no evidence either way on god , you cant prove him, you cant disprove him.So Im on the fence as to whether he exists or not. "
I hope you will realise how silly this argument is when you replace the word god with say Santa Claus, invisible pink unicorns, the flying spaghetti moster, a teaport orbitting the sun, Zeus etc

No evidence= no belief, simple. People generally agree with that until you insert the word god then logic often falls out the window. Its impossible to prove a negative. I cant prove Santa Claus or the orbtting tea pot dont exist; but I dont have to . The burden of proof is on those that establish propositions, not those that deny them.

[rhys 0]

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As for worshiping the Earth and the Sun, well I hope you are talking metaphorically. It would be silly to worship a big ball of hydrogen and helium or a rock made of iron,oxygen etc.

Metaphorically speaking the sun 'is your mother' and herr life began millions of years ago when a 'globule'(also a metaphor and relatively speaking) of the said hydrogen, helium, iron and rock etc. became separated from the said mass and was fortunate enough to remain in the magnetic field of the said mass.

Also fortunately the said globule settled in such a way that it created its own magnetic field that allowed enough defense from the solar radiation to allow an atmosphere that allowed all forms of known life to evolve. We can also plummet through it (the atmoshspere) at 12000'/minute with our trusty parachutes.

There is most certainly some kind of MAGIC involved and this is what we call life. But life is also dependent on and was created by a combination for the said Mass combined with a constant addition of H20 and other such matter that is constantly being added to our atmosphere from other realms and also on the configuration that resulted of the said movement of the said matter from the said Mass.

So I am not worshiping helium and rock I am respecting where we came from.

I don't want to debate with atheists as I am most inclined to agree with them. I haven't done enough research to know if I am one myself or not.

Am I still going to hell

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[Royd 0]

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Only those who spend their lives practicing low level agronomy, and leave a miniscule footprint when they leave this life, can say that they have clean hands concerning the stewardship of the earth.

Are you there?

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I'm not perfect but I am aware. I am deeply saddened when I see plastic bottle etc. on beaches yet others will throw their rubbish over their shoulder without a thought.

does that count?

I'm with you completely.

It is amazing how small of a garden it takes to provide the majority of one's vegetables.

[Royd 0]

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Yes we can point to various religious charities that help the homeless, or the poor, and we all know someone who finds life that little bit easier with the social support that can come from religious groups, but really all of these can be accomplished with out religion..

Jump on it. What name are you going to give to your version of the Red Cross or the Salvation Army?

[Royd 0]

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The burden of proof is on those that establish propositions, not those that deny them.

Does the universe go on forever or is there a finite border?
Why do you believe what you do and can you prove it? What does your gut tell you?

Whatever you believe about it is totally done by faith.

[br0k3n 0]

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Yes we can point to various religious charities that help the homeless, or the poor, and we all know someone who finds life that little bit easier with the social support that can come from religious groups, but really all of these can be accomplished with out religion..

Jump on it. What name are you going to give to your version of the Red Cross or the Salvation Army?

ermm what has the Red Cross got to do with religion??? are you confused becuase it uses the word "cross" in its title??

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[JackC 0]

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Does the universe go on forever or is there a finite border?
Why do you believe what you do and can you prove it? What does your gut tell you?

Whatever you believe about it is totally done by faith.

Rubbish. You don't need faith. A simple "I don't know" is a perfectly valid answer. In fact, unless you have some evidence to indicate a decision one way or the other, "I don't know" is the only answer you can give. No amount of faith will ever change that. What your gut says is just an emotional response that is totally useless as an indicator of truth. If the worlds population used their heads instead of their guts, we'd all be much better off.

[Royd 0]

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Rubbish. You don't need faith. A simple "I don't know" is a perfectly valid answer. In fact, unless you have some evidence to indicate a decision one way or the other, "I don't know" is the only answer you can give.

That might be the answer that you give in the classroom to please your professor, but if that's where it stops, that's the sign of a truly simple mind.

[JackC 0]

I take it you think that any old line of bullshit is better than admitting you don't know?

[NCclimber 0]

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Can you all please cut the crap and not argue over the bullshit and tell us 'WHY YOU CARE'.

I care because religion does nothing to progress humanity, in fact it hinders us as race and keeps us grounded in prehistoric beliefs..

Religion did not put a man on the moon, it did not find cures for millions of diseases (and im still amazed that people use the term “intelligent design”) religion did not get us out of the stone age and into an industrialised modern world, religion does nothing to progress the understanding of the universe and the world around us. Religion breed’s ignorance and intolerance, it creates suffering and abuse.

Yes we can point to various religious charities that help the homeless, or the poor, and we all know someone who finds life that little bit easier with the social support that can come from religious groups, but really all of these can be accomplished with out religion..

Religion is nothing more then a wart on the arse of humanity, and the sooner that we evolve from needing this blind belief in various god and spirits the better we will all be.

Like I said before religion does nothing but make you ignorant and dangerous..

CLICKY

This post seems to go to the heart of the matter regarding why so many bear such a negative attitude towards religion. IMO it's quite myopic, concluding that there are numerous reasons to dislike religion, but only a few minor ones that show it in a positive light. These kinds of posts read like someone is looking for reasons to loathe religion/Christianity, while doing little to see the positives.

Everyone is entitled to the opinion and for those who steadfastly cling to their POV, there's little that can be said to change their outlook, but for the skeptics who honestly want an accurate read on religion (and Christianity in particular) do a little research. Find out how much time and money is donated through Christian causes every year. Find out how many billions go to the needy and not for new sanctuaries or to pay church staff. Do a little historical research to see what scientific breakthroughs were made with the assistance of the Church. You might be surprised.

[philh 0]

"Does the universe go on forever or is there a finite border?
Why do you believe what you do and can you prove it? What does your gut tell you?

Whatever you believe about it is totally done by faith.
"

i dont know whether the universe is finite or not, unlike religious people I dont jump to conclusions and have strong beliefs without eveidence, dont you get that?

[billvon 3,009]

>Does the universe go on forever or is there a finite border?

There is indeed a finite border, given by the maximal distance from origin any particle (photon to alpha particle) could have traveled at the speed of light since the universe began.

>Whatever you believe about it is totally done by faith.

Not really. There's a bit of a difference between ignorance, knowledge and faith.