Question for religious people.......

[Speedbump3]

Blah Blah Blah

 

[adio 5,000+ posts]

Blah Blah Blah

no, it is blah blah bleh

 

[Speedbump3]

no, it is blah blah bleh

meh

 

[kmanian 5,000+ posts]

As for Christianity, it is a peaceful religion, the old testament and the new are two diffrent animals. For Christians the new trumps the old while still refering to it. I am in no way saying that there havent been groups that have taken what is in the new Testament and basterdized (sp?) it. eg. Skinheads, KKK, Jim Jones, as well as extremest have bloodied other religions in a persuit of their own agenda. However this does not change the true core of the religion.

 

[newusername 10+ year member]

i think even if u had all the answers to every question you could ever think of about every religion or spiritual system from now until 20 secs before, u would still choose atheism on your deathbed.
i may be wrong though

See, such things are completely false.

I was Christian for 16 years of my life. I should clarify...I was indoctrinated Christian for 16 years of my life. At 16, I observed what I felt to be obscene hypocrisy in the Christian majority (and the teachings on which it is based) and began a search for real and rational thinking.

The fact is that any line of thinking is not without flaw. Science does not have all the answers and is constantly evolving. Still, not all theories or ideas are of equal merit, and frankly I find religion to be largely without value. The morals it preaches are reached independently of its existence, and it unfortunately leads to extreme conflict. Worst of all, what is called "faith" should really be called "unthinking"....such baseless beliefs encourage people to avoid analyzing their existence...it encourages accepting a status quo. And worst of all, it ignores the real beauty of our existence by touting an even better life afterwards, while maintaining that this existence is provided by an omniscient omnipresent being.

Anyways...this unthinking is what I object to the most. You see, after I experienced Christianity (keeping in mind that I went through baptism and confirmation in an attempt to understand it better), I came out quite disturbed that I had wasted so much time in a baseless religion, while on the other side of the world, there was something equally (dare I say, more?) plausible: buddhism.

From 16-19, I looked at buddhism. From 19-21, I lost all faith in the value of religion. At that point, I was completely atheist and had no interest in reviewing or discussing religion at all...perhaps the truest practice of atheism. This transitioned into agnosticism, where I felt we have two approaches, neither of which can be proven within our lifetime.

And most recently, I have chosen to quit ignoring the harm that religion is doing. It is my opinion (and there is considerable evidence supporting this) that religion has not filled any human need other than the need to identify with a group, the need to control others, and the need to profit from these first two needs. Of particular concern is the basis on which these religions become embedded in the people: they are forced upon children at a time when they are genetically coded to believe authority figures and by the time they have developed the mental capacity to review such a complex topic, they have lost the ability to think independently.

A huge part of my belief in constant thinking (which is the polar opposite of undying faith) is that I am constantly reviewing everything on this planet. At any time, I will gladly acknowledge any line of rational and logical thinking; if it is the most plausible theory, I will adopt it. I will not, however, ever blindly believe something without sufficient supporting information, whether that is religion, politics, or what I should eat for breakfast.

So thank you....but please try again.

 

[adio 5,000+ posts]

As for Christianity, it is a peaceful religion, the old testament and the new are two diffrent animals. For Christians the new trumps the old while still refering to it. I am in no way saying that there havent been groups that have taken what is in the new Testament and basterdized (sp?) it. eg. Skinheads, KKK, Jim Jones, as well as extremest have bloodied other religions in a persuit of their own agenda. However this does not change the true core of the religion.

x2

 

[newusername 10+ year member]

i fail to see how the old testiment law has anything to do with the new testiment covenant.

i'd imagine they went to heaven. it really depends on what doctorine (spelling?)you believe

Is the old testament the word of God?

If that is the case, then the old testament is completely valid. If people choose not to follow what is in it (ie. not fundamentalists), then they are ignoring both their faith and their rationality. How does one pick and choose what parts of the Bible should be followed?

If the old testament is not the word of God, then why does anyone follow it? Why would it even be in the bible?

 

[Tiger Bass 5,000+ posts]

As for Christianity, it is a peaceful religion, the old testament and the new are two diffrent animals. For Christians the new trumps the old while still refering to it. I am in no way saying that there havent been groups that have taken what is in the new Testament and basterdized (sp?) it. eg. Skinheads, KKK, Jim Jones, as well as extremest have bloodied other religions in a persuit of their own agenda. However this does not change the true core of the religion.

Lets not forget about the Crusades or Spanish Inquisition...

If you're just looking for a way of life that teaches good morals, why don't you study something like Buddhism or any of the other non theistic teachings?

 

[brtnboarder3241 5,000+ posts]

no and i believe in god

 

[newusername 10+ year member]

The real problem with Christianity to me is that no Christians actually follow it to its full extent. Every Christian I've known has been a sinner (whether they are killing thousands of people or simply succumbing to the seven deadly sins on a regular basis). And even if they followed everything related to Christianity, I would still object because I believe the Bible serves as a rather poor moral compass.

 

[newusername 10+ year member]

Lets not forget about the Crusades or Spanish Inquisition...
If you're just looking for a way of life that teaches good morals, why don't you study something like Buddhism or any of the other non theistic teachings?

Ahh, but you are missing the point. There are two easy ways to make everyone believe what you do:

1. Ostracize them, prevent advancement, etc.

2. Kill them.

It's worked out great for the Christians.

 

[adio 5,000+ posts]

Is the old testament the word of God?
If that is the case, then the old testament is completely valid. If people choose not to follow what is in it (ie. not fundamentalists), then they are ignoring both their faith and their rationality. How does one pick and choose what parts of the Bible should be followed?

If the old testament is not the word of God, then why does anyone follow it?

when it comes to any religion, u should be following the essentials of it, not every nook and cranny. ging your last $5 dollar bill to somebody who truly needs it is more important that not shaving your beard (sacrifice vs. a cultural law)

 

[newusername 10+ year member]

People keep answering the questions they want to, and point fingers at me when they see something they don't like. So I will repose these questions.

First, answer Epicurus' questions

If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able toThen He is not omnipotent.

If He is able, but not willing

Then He is malevolent.

If He is both able and willing

Then whence cometh evil?

If He is neither able nor willing

Then why call Him God?

Second, why did many gods become ludicrous, while one god was perfectly acceptable? Christianity was not the first religion and it certainly won't be the last.

 

[newusername 10+ year member]

when it comes to any religion, u should be following the essentials of it, not every nook and cranny. ging your last $5 dollar bill to somebody who truly needs it is more important that not shaving your beard (sacrifice vs. a cultural law)

How do you decide what the essentials are?

If it is because god has said so, then why did he say everything else?

Or maybe it is because we are, in fact, capable of developing our own moral compass without religion and, thus, don't need religion at all.

 

[adio 5,000+ posts]

See, such things are completely false.
I was Christian for 16 years of my life. I should clarify...I was indoctrinated Christian for 16 years of my life. At 16, I observed what I felt to be obscene hypocrisy in the Christian majority (and the teachings on which it is based) and began a search for real and rational thinking.

The fact is that any line of thinking is not without flaw. Science does not have all the answers and is constantly evolving. Still, not all theories or ideas are of equal merit, and frankly I find religion to be largely without value. The morals it preaches are reached independently of its existence, and it unfortunately leads to extreme conflict. Worst of all, what is called "faith" should really be called "unthinking"....such baseless beliefs encourage people to avoid analyzing their existence...it encourages accepting a status quo. And worst of all, it ignores the real beauty of our existence by touting an even better life afterwards, while maintaining that this existence is provided by an omniscient omnipresent being.

Anyways...this unthinking is what I object to the most. You see, after I experienced Christianity (keeping in mind that I went through baptism and confirmation in an attempt to understand it better), I came out quite disturbed that I had wasted so much time in a baseless religion, while on the other side of the world, there was something equally (dare I say, more?) plausible: buddhism.

From 16-19, I looked at buddhism. From 19-21, I lost all faith in the value of religion. At that point, I was completely atheist and had no interest in reviewing or discussing religion at all...perhaps the truest practice of atheism. This transitioned into agnosticism, where I felt we have two approaches, neither of which can be proven within our lifetime.

And most recently, I have chosen to quit ignoring the harm that religion is doing. It is my opinion (and there is considerable evidence supporting this) that religion has not filled any human need other than the need to identify with a group, the need to control others, and the need to profit from these first two needs. Of particular concern is the basis on which these religions become embedded in the people: they are forced upon children at a time when they are genetically coded to believe authority figures and by the time they have developed the mental capacity to review such a complex topic, they have lost the ability to think independently.

A huge part of my belief in constant thinking (which is the polar opposite of undying faith) is that I am constantly reviewing everything on this planet. At any time, I will gladly acknowledge any line of rational and logical thinking; if it is the most plausible theory, I will adopt it. I will not, however, ever blindly believe something without sufficient supporting information, whether that is religion, politics, or what I should eat for breakfast.

So thank you....but please try again.

thats what i was saying...... i may be wrong, be if u had evry answer to every Q u had about religion or a spiritual system from now until 20 secs before you die, u would still choose atheism. but idk though.

and really man , i'm tryin to attack u. if u feel that i'm sorry.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif