Religion Debate

there are many whom work *beyond the veil*for the true bettering of.., not the churches way, or indeed any that rules out individual adventure and places itself as a barrier between question and confusion, that feeds burden and chains all those that *hear it* (for or against) to it's walls, to restrict the experience and hinder the deepening of*knowledge*.
Mental pictures of men in white robes poofing planets..is worrying, even to a believer

 

OK but again, you seriously expect me to believe that something so unlikely happened spontaneously?

OK, so that kind of knocks it on the head for Buddhism and reincarnation in general but that doesn't cover all the bases. I don't stop thinking, feeling do I?

I know, isn't it awful that some people choose to eschew good old logic in favour of nasty ole faith?

And that's the rub isn't it? You don't like people who don't think like you but you shroud it in the disguise of a logical argument that has a right and logical conclusion. I mean, anyone who doesn't see it your (or Prof Dawkin's) way is old fashioned, illogical, wrong.

Look, I think that some creationists are dangerous, especially when they get carte blanche to impose their view on others as we are seeing in schools in some areas of the US but at the same time it boils my p*ss a bit to see those who want to do the same thing but with a "science is the answer for everything" agenda.

What we need is a balance. This sort of debate is good but if we go down one path or the other these debates won't happen and that is a bad thing. I was taught that God created the universe in 6 days but I was also taught science too and I'm quite comfortable with my view of the Universe which, I will admit, is more science than God.

However, perhaps it's the rank and steaming hippy that still lives within me, I'm happy to let them have a different world view. They're wrong. That's their problem but I don't bang on about it and I most certainly don't feel a need to write a book about it or put it on the side of a bus or go on the offensive. To me, that sort of behaviour suggests a fundamental unease with the belief.

 

Who says he has a plan?

For example, I created my garden and try and influence what I can but I can't control everything.

 

If you were perfect like your deity you could control everything. If He exists, I'd say He's a bit sick in the head allowing all of this pain and suffering to take place. Not very perfect if you ask me as well.

 

Yes, because apparently, it did.

Of course you stop thinking. Do you really think you are immortal? How about a career as a suicide bomber? It would make perfect sense if you were immortal, and cared strongly enough about something.

Eyeless in Gaza? It's not just creationists who are dangerous. The problem with religion is the human misery it causes. If religion just caused peace and joy, I would be all for it.

 

There is no point arguing with the religious.

 

Ably assisted by weapons 'the scientists' created. So, not all peace and joy there either, it would seem. Misery in the name of a god or misery in the name of profit, take your pick.

They/we are all human beings so the good/bad quotient probably evens itself out in the end.

 

Why is it that 'people of faith' invariably seem to have a grasp of science of the average 12 year old?

 

Well I'll 'fess up to this one. I don't really know.

Nor do you. You would like to think you know what happens but you don't really know.

 

Bob McC, Are you implying that no scientists at all have a religious faith?

I am sure that that is not the case.

 

What an utterly daft thing to say. If it wasn't for their religious faith, they wouldn't be using the weapons on each other in the first place.

Chillingly, Bush claimed "god" told him to invade Iraq. If he had been an atheist, then "god" wouldn't have been talking to him in the first place. It's a shame that, during the alleged conversation, "god" failed to pass on the information that there were no WMDs in Iraq.

 

So, it's only religious people who start/fight wars? Got it. I was wondering about that.

 

No, not only religious people. But religious people have, throughout history, made a pretty substantial contribution towards starting wars. We would be far better off without religion.

 

http://freethoughtpedia.com/wiki/Funny_theist_quotes

 

I totally agree there....

however, they do provide a form of entertainment for the rest of us...

 

Unfortunately, Man is by nature aggressive, greedy and gregarious and if we didn't have religion, we'd have found some other excuse to kill and grab land and resources.

 

That's true, but we could certainly go without the religion-based wars and other faith-based strife all around the world.

In addition, can you justify the ongoing religious oppression of minority groups, such as homosexuals, or the sexual mutilation of baby girls, and suppression of women's rights in Islam?

Then there's the bone-headed statements about evolution, and the general anti-science stance taken by these fools. They want to hold back mankind's progress, for some reason. Just read Mark's link above. I think those quotes are plain scary.

 

No and frankly I wouldn't want to but you are making one big error here and that is to *assume* that because certain parts of a particular faith want it, it makes the whole of that faith somehow wrong.

I mean, it's like the Nazis using scientific, rational methods to justify some of their actions. Does that make all science bad?

 

I'm making no error at all. Homophobia is endemic in both Islam & Christianity.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article5388920.ece

Islamic misogyny even extends to what they are allowed to wear, and female circumcision is still carried out today.

Yes, scientific methods can be misused, but so could a baseball bat. There is no inherent evil.

 

At least a baseball bat can be used for playing baseball.
What innocuous use have AK47s, nuclear bombs, cluster bombs, landmines..........