The great and all powerful religion thread!

[Zephyrus]

That's what I thought. You could call a lot of Eastern religions atheist then, since they believe in supernatural forces but not necessarily in omnipotent divinities.

 

[cookiecutter]

True. A more all encompassing term is skeptic

 

[Manic Ferocity]

It is only used as symbolism now because no reasonable person could believe such garbage.

...and because things like evolution prove otherwise.

 

[cookiecutter]

exactly

 

[Satanstoenail]

Actually I was not being facetious. Are you saying that some atheists believe in an afterlife?

No, not at all. I'm saying that Atheists don't look at it that way. 'Eternally rotting in the ground' is very much the negative religious spin on Atheism. Why must there be an "eternal reward" anyway? Do I really deserve a reward for being a decent human being?

Think about it. From the atheist worldview, no matter what any of us does we get the same result: nonexistence.

Actually we live on in the memories of those we knew, and our mark is made in whatever large or small way because we were here. Why does having no afterlife have to mean our existence was worthless?

To me this is much less of a burden on the mind than believing that some people will end up in hell, and that my decisions now will somehow shape my eternity. I said this a few pages back.

This is a prime example of the reason religion was started in the first place: Scaring people into doing good, or be damned to eternal Hell. The 'burden on your mind' is fear. And your logic fails when you think about the mass murderers who 'find God', ask forgiveness and believe they will go to Heaven.

How about just being a decent person NOW because it's the right thing to be in the society we live in instead of because of concern about being judged and penalised after you're dead?

 

[cookiecutter]

 

[AchrisK]

AchrisK, just because science cannot verify the existence of a god does not fucking mean that there is no way for a god to demonstrate to man that he exists, and that by doing so, atheists will have to accept the existence of a god.

If he exists and is powerful, then of course he could make it obvious, but he obviously doesn't want to plainly demonstrate his existence beyond all doubt.

Ack, I would like to point out a flaw in your hypothetical. For a god (or anything) to be completely untestable using the scientific method, it would have to have absolutely no effect on the universe. If that were then true, its existence would be irrelevant. In that case I would still be an atheist just because I think it is unlikely that anything exists "beyond" the universe despite me having no way of checking. All this of course means that your hypothetical could not be the Judeo-Christian god as according to all major theology, that god certainly has done and continues to do stuff (prayers, miracles etc.)

You're not reading me. I gave hypothetical examples such as healing, changing weather, influencing outcomes of human action and interaction, killing someone, intervening is events to save the life of individuals, etc. These things have real effects on the real world, but can remain unexplainable and even go unnoticed, at least by most people.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Bunch of crap tbh

 

[cookiecutter]

Well even if they are truly done by a god then that can be determined by science.

 

[AchrisK]

No, not at all. I'm saying that Atheists don't look at it that way. 'Eternally rotting in the ground' is very much the negative religious spin on Atheism. Why must there be an "eternal reward" anyway? Do I really deserve a reward for being a decent human being?

But I was not putting a negative religious spin on it, I was just stating it as fact, in a more poetic and slightly ironic way.

This is a prime example of the reason religion was started in the first place: Scaring people into doing good, or be damned to eternal Hell. The 'burden on your mind' is fear. And your logic fails when you think about the mass murderers who 'find God', ask forgiveness and believe they will go to Heaven.

How about just being a decent person NOW because it's the right thing to be in the society we live in instead of because of concern about being judged and penalised after you're dead?

The burden on my mind is not fear. Some of it is a concern for those who may end up in hell, and a lack of understanding about the whole thing. Knowing there is an unachievable standard. And don't misunderstand and think that I am whining or feeling so overwhelmed with my faith. I believe that God provides what we need to deal with these things, and can give his followers very fulfilling lives. Christianity is not about scaring people into doing good. It is about truth. The way to heaven is not doing good, it is accepting the truth. It's about knowing that all humans are on equal ground in regards to positional righteousness. These are the most basic ideas of Christianity, but I understand that what is modeled by Christians too often gives the impression of what you are talking about. The self-righteous superiority and condemning words that come from Christians, not out of love, but out of something else. Yes we should all strive to live at peace and be decent to each other regardless of religious beliefs.

 

[AchrisK]

Well even if they are truly done by a god then that can be determined by science.

How?

 

[King Richard]

Yeah I don't really understand that one myself.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

science is real, man

 

[Thoth-Amon]

science is real, man

no way!

 

[Zephyrus]

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

How?

Becuase we'll create a wormhole into heaven n00b.

 

[AchrisK]

Becuase we'll create a wormhole into heaven n00b.

omg I can't believe I didn't think of that!

Did everyone enjoy church today?

 

[Zephyrus]

I went to church today (only when I come home, these days). I actually find the homilies interesting, and a fresh perspective from the majority of viewpoints expressed here.

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

Yeah, it's cute to watch people filled with false hope.

 

[Zephyrus]

Yeah I saw all the sheep there, taking it in.