Why Religion Must Remain A Part Of The World...

kenny olav

rigneyclan wrote:

I am an atheist.

The purpose of human beings are just like any other animal: to live long enough to reproduce and have offspring to keep the species alive.

I don't believe in the afterlife. Knowing that I have one life to live and then I just die is perfectly fine with me.

I think people who live with such a purpose should go extinct.

"Imagen" my thoughts

What Would Jesus Do?????

eden

rigneyclan wrote:

I am an atheist.

The purpose of human beings are just like any other animal: to live long enough to reproduce and have offspring to keep the species alive.

I don't believe in the afterlife. Knowing that I have one life to live and then I just die is perfectly fine with me.

Close but no dice.

Please dont compare Humans to animals. We are all living beings, but this capacity for learning and intelligent thought and not just operating on instict was given to us for a reason, animals fight to "keep the species alive" We have far more capacity than that.

I think your belief is easiest, because then we are not as accountable for things.

dkst0426

Imagen wrote:

What Would Jesus Do?????

I don't know what He'd do, but given what's in Scripture, I'm quite confident that He wouldn't be happy with His ethos being reduced to a marketing campaign wrapped up in a snazzy slogan.

eden wrote:

I think your belief is easiest, because then we are not as accountable for things.

eden's on to something.

dkst0426

Cosmo wrote:

Do people who believe in God act good because they believe He is always watching them and will ultimately judge them?
Is that why they think that atheists are bad or evil, because if there is no God watching, they can behave badly?
Does that mean that if their faith in God were to leave them, they would stop acting good?

No. People who believe in God try their best to act and more importantly, DO good because that's what we believe we were born to do anyway ("in His own image" and all that).

Fair warning--this may be seen as a generalization, but I'm not meaning it as a rule: just an attempt to answer a question.......
I've often heard atheists refer to people of faith as blinded by their faith. Likewise, I sometimes refer to atheists as people blinded by their unbelief.

And finally, there are plenty of people who don't have faith or belief in any god, let alone God, so the human capacity of acting and doing good still exists within someone.

rigneyclan

eden wrote:

Close but no dice.

Please dont compare Humans to animals. We are all living beings, but this capacity for learning and intelligent thought and not just operating on instict was given to us for a reason, animals fight to "keep the species alive" We have far more capacity than that.

I think your belief is easiest, because then we are not as accountable for things.

I meant that the most basic purpose of human beings is to keep the species alive. Of course we try to find a more meaningful purpose in our lives, we're human.

The only thing that makes us higher than other life on this planet is our intelligence.

In the end, we're all just animals.

lucylespian

eden wrote:

Close but no dice.

Please dont compare Humans to animals. We are all living beings, but this capacity for learning and intelligent thought and not just operating on instict was given to us for a reason, animals fight to "keep the species alive" We have far more capacity than that.

I think your belief is easiest, because then we are not as accountable for things.

Actually, that's wrong, humans just use different tricks to fight to keep teh species alicve.

Also, athiests are the only people who choose to account for their actions. Religious people are teh ones who use teh cop-out of blaming gods, fate etc.
Remember teh old bumper sticker, "I'm not perfect, just forgiven" ? What a crock of shit !! I'm not forgiven, unless I earn forgiveness.

eden

Cosmo wrote:

Do people who believe in God act good because they believe He is always watching them and will ultimately judge them?
Is that why they think that atheists are bad or evil, because if there is no God watching, they can behave badly?
Does that mean that if their faith in God were to leave them, they would stop acting good?

Thats just ignorant, sorry Cosmo but I think you are smarter than that.

Your non-belief in a higher power is as "Illogical" to me as my belief in God is to you, be assured.

I think it comes down to pesonality types. I am humble enough to admit that I am accountable to something higher than myself, and thats ok. I feel the pull of eternity, whereas many here are content living 70 years then nothing.

Please remember, Religious leaders for the most part are nothing like Christ. He was a passionate, non-judgemental, sometimes angry (throwing over the money tables in the temple) and extremely loving man. If you read the Gospel accounts, a large portion is the religious leaders ridiculing him for "sitting with prostitutes and sinners" and him telling them they were hypocrites and fortelling their sad fate. The Jesus of the bible EXCLUSIVELY saw people for their hearts and nothing else. Its how all Christians should be acting, but most dont obviously.

rigneyclan

Ahnimus wrote:

HAHAHAHA Why do I watch this shit?
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=3954156199145885147&q=building+on+ground+zero

Wow....

"Dinosaurs lived in the garden of eden"

"No "cavemen""

"The earth is not billions of years old"

"The big bang is a dud"


What a dumbass.

eden

rigneyclan wrote:

I meant that the most basic purpose of human beings is to keep the species alive. Of course we try to find a more meaningful purpose in our lives, we're human.

The only thing that makes us higher than other life on this planet is our intelligence.

In the end, we're all just animals.

But its that very intellect that makes it so obvious that we were meant for something higher, the alternitive makes no sense to me.

Read some scientific studies on the capacity of the human mind then generalize it as you do.

eden

lucylespian wrote:

Actually, that's wrong, humans just use different tricks to fight to keep teh species alicve.

Also, athiests are the only people who choose to account for their actions. Religious people are teh ones who use teh cop-out of blaming gods, fate etc.
Remember teh old bumper sticker, "I'm not perfect, just forgiven" ? What a crock of shit !! I'm not forgiven, unless I earn forgiveness.

Please back up your statements with science or logic, your "tricks" theory holds no water.

And your religious versus Atheist assertion is a generalization, thats why its logical to me that its more of a personality characterization.

lucylespian

Jesus was just an untreated schizophrenic, auditory hallucinations (thoughts arrive like butterflies), shambling walk, delusions of grandeur, poor hygeine, visual hallucinations, couldn't deny his beliefs even to save his life.
Poor man, and the compassionate religious people of the time nailed him to a cross. Bastards !!

eden

lucylespian wrote:

Jesus was just an untreated schizophrenic, auditory hallucinations (thoughts arrive like butterflies), shambling walk, delusions of grandeur, poor hygeine, visual hallucinations, couldn't deny his beliefs even to save his life.
Poor man, and the compassionate religious people of the time nailed him to a cross. Bastards !!

Careful how you denegrate peoples belief systems and their God even, it just knocked you down about 10 pegs in a thinking persons mind, religious or atheist.

lucylespian

eden wrote:

Please back up your statements with science or logic, your "tricks" theory holds no water.

And your religious versus Atheist assertion is a generalization, thats why its logical to me that its more of a personality characterization.

When I say "trick", I mean evolutionary strategies. Approaches like teeth and claws and fur coats are limited to specific situations. We use our brains and hands which are able to adapt to any given situation. The cockroach can't touch us for adaptability. Everest to the Equator, even outer space.
Eat six legged shorts, cockroach !!
And of course it was a generalization, that's why religion holds no more virtue than athiesm. An athiest can as easily be a good person as a Christian, as Christians can easily be evil.
In fact, I'm not sure that I have ever read accurate historical accounts of athiests burnig, mutilating and torturing in the name of non-belief, but I have surely seen Christians doing that.

catefrances

eden wrote:

I think your belief is easiest, because then we are not as accountable for things.

no. it is not easy being an atheist. and yes we are accountable. to ourselves. and that is, in my opinion, infinitely more so than being accountable to an absent God.

Kenny Olav wrote:

fair to anyone who watched Star Wars as a kid

.

YEAH!!! that's me then.

i knew following the ways of The Force would come in handy one day.

eden

catefrances wrote:

no. it is not easy being an atheist. and yes we are accountable. to ourselves. and that is, in my opinion, infinitely more so than being accountable to an absent God.
.

Im sure it is hard being Atheist in a Judeo-Christian society, I hope Im not coming off like I dont respect your beliefs.

But more and more people are becoming agnostic at least, and I feel like a minority that I believe in a higher power.

Anyway, I dont blame people, Most Organized religion is repulsive.

And I have never felt that the important things in life need to be a visual, Theres so much that we cant see that keeps us alive. Oxygen, Photosynthesis, etc. The fact God is a spirit thus we cant visualize him isnt hard for me to grasp.

catefrances

eden wrote:

Im sure it is hard being Atheist in a Judeo-Christian society, I hope Im not coming off like I dont respect your beliefs.

But more and more people are becoming agnostic at least, and I feel like a minority that I believe in a higher power.

Anyway, I dont blame people, Most Organized religion is repulsive.

And I have never felt that the important things in life need to be a visual, Theres so much that we cant see that keeps us alive. Oxygen, Photosynthesis, etc. The fact God is a spirit thus we cant visualize him isnt hard for me to grasp.

no eden. it is not hard being an atheist in a judeo-christian society. in fact with every passing day it becomes easier. and i do not have any 'beliefs' for you to disrespect.

a christian once accused me of being agnostic. i assured him ithere was no doubt in my conviction. still not sure if he gets it though.

eden

catefrances wrote:

no eden. it is not hard being an atheist in a judeo-christian society. in fact with every passing day it becomes easier. and i do not have any 'beliefs' for you to disrespect.

a christian once accused me of being agnostic. i assured him ithere was no doubt in my conviction. still not sure if he gets it though.

Ixnay on the condescentionay fran.

YOU originally stated it "wasnt easy" being an Atheist, perhaps you got ahead of yourself.

decides2dream

eden wrote:

But its that very intellect that makes it so obvious that we were meant for something higher, the alternitive makes no sense to me.

Read some scientific studies on the capacity of the human mind then generalize it as you do.

or maybe its simply that intellect blinds some to this idea of grandeuer and self-importance...to think we are better than other animals, etc...who are we in the grand design? how can we even know? i don't see the intellect as making anything *obvious*...nor the fact that the alternative makes no sense to you a compelling arguement either. what appears as us being superior, can merely all be a masquerade, and our own self-delusions. animals DO have the capacity to learn, many are higly intelligent, such as ourselves who ARE a part of the animal kingdom...but who is to say that human intelligence is the 'best' intelligence? if it's a god, well then, it's all circular logic at best, and bottomline....we just don't know b/c we are using our own highly subjective methods/opinions/ideas...in making that assessment.


i think it's great if some find meaning/serenity/happiness in religion...and i think it's great if others find the same without. i do not find 'belief' necessary.......but i am all for choice, and individual happiness. it's also clear one does not 'need' religion to lead a good life, a moral life, a life that cares for life, etc.

so no matter what.....i think we should all simply respect each other's belief systems, or lack there of, and the validity of all....b/c NO one knows with any certainty WHAT happens after this life, so why waste your time here arguing over it? seems ridiculous at best.


btw - i hardly find cosmo's post 'ignorant'...but more like, asking questions....perhaps simplistic, but maybe that's where this whole debate should lie. i think the biggest issue of religion, is the whole idea that one feels compelled to push their agenda on others, there is only one right way, one god/allah/supreme being, only one correct way to live/worship, etc. if all those of a religious nature would take a live and let live attitude, not try to force their belief systems on others, the world would be a better, more peaceful, place. let's worry about our own 'souls'...and let's make the focus of the global community to make THIS life peaceful and harmonious....and we can all worry/prepare/hope for our afterlife, or not, of our own free will. makes sense to me.


*edits for my usual pathetic typos.

Cosmo

I think that people think I'm questioning God... I'm not. I'm questioning the religions that describes God to me. I think that God got it right and the religions that are supposed to teach us about His glory got it all wrong by tagging God with their own, human traits.