Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 ...isnt real. http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/271/380/ab5.gif thoughts? praise the lord. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 http://godisimaginary.com/ some light reading for everyone tonight. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Some light viewing... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M61uOkf8-nk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jim_HBj7Bdk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlord Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5H2IDo0fIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMATycoon Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Some light viewing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfNgCaqLIR0 Assuming God doesn't exist, why does it mean someone's wasted their life to have believed in God? As an atheist, that's my main problem with the criticism of religion. I believe moderate religious people have a more peaceful and less tumultuous life. I'd prefer to be religious; it just doesn't make any sense and it's not possible to convince yourself that something which you believe is a made up story, is actually real. By the way, I bet the person that gave this video a -1 didn't watch it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 definitely. i wish i could be naive and find comfort in something totally made up and totally irrational. i'm not even being sarcastic...100% serious. but when it comes down to it...talking snakes and a book that says to kill your neighbor if you see them working on a sunday...i cant rationally follow such a thing. i wish i could be naive and ignore those parts, but it isnt possible. i envy these people. it was always fun when some religious person would approach me trying to sell me on religion. they would ask me if i believed in heaven...i said i wasnt sure if heaven was real. the guy went on to explain heaven was definitely real, because it's in the bible, and the bible is the word of god. .....CANT ARGUE WITH THAT 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadlyDirk Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I'm actually with you guys, a lot of the time I wish I could believe there was a God, it would make things a lot easier at times to just put things down to, 'God's plan', I just find the idea of a God pretty ridiculous and the story of Jesus even more so. If it was true then it's about time God impregnated someone else, the world could do with another Jesus about now as it's pretty much gone to shit in a lot of places. That's some classic logic by the way F-Man, bet he had you stumped. I have nothing against religious people by the way, as I said I envy them at times, it's just the preachy kind I don't like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manfred Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Like the great George Carlin said, there should be an additional commandment: "Keep thy religion to thyself" Those are the only religious people I have a problem with. The ones that push it on people. That and the ones that inject it into politics or public policy. I'm a strong believer in separation of church and state. I don't mean you can't have a nativity scene on public grounds, that should be a local decision based on that community. I mean actual policy that's founded in religious doctrine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Assuming God doesn't exist, why does it mean someone's wasted their life to have believed in God? As an atheist, that's my main problem with the criticism of religion. I believe moderate religious people have a more peaceful and less tumultuous life. I'd prefer to be religious; it just doesn't make any sense and it's not possible to convince yourself that something which you believe is a made up story, is actually real. I think the "wasted your life" comment should be taken in context. They are talking about their experiences. These guys spend a lot of time in competition with theologists and other academics who make a living as apologists for religion. Peter Hitchins in particular, when alive, was constantly on the debate circuit. The others too are often invited to debate on news and TV with representatives of religion and/or superstition. I don't think that comment was aimed at "the man on the street". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMATycoon Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 @ Dirk, I reckon the world's as good now as it's ever been. It's easy to be down on the current state of affairs but that's only because we're familiar with it and are frustrated by the things that are going wrong. If we were in any other era, I'd bet there would be just as much if not more bad stuff going on. As for preachy religious people, I think it goes both ways. I find someone like Christopher Hitchens is equally as preachy and lacking in empathy. I have just had a video playing in the background called "Is God Great?" It popped up after that 4 horsemen thing. He's quite convinced that if you reject God then you'll feel better because the world of science is infinitely more wonderous. It might be more wonderous but that doesn't mean you'll feel any better. I'm not sure he even believes it himself. I'd not be surprised if he was just more outspoken to make more money, in the same way that I don't actually think anyone that writes a book on the moon landings being a hoax, actually believes they're a hoax. Oh dear, I've gone off on a tangent again.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMATycoon Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I think the "wasted your life" comment should be taken in context. They are talking about their experiences. These guys spend a lot of time in competition with theologists and other academics who make a living as apologists for religion. Peter Hitchins in particular, when alive, was constantly on the debate circuit. The others too are often invited to debate on news and TV with representatives of religion and/or superstition. I don't think that comment was aimed at "the man on the street". It seemed aimed at anyone religious to me, but if they meant it like you say, that makes more sense. However, they got paid for going round debating so it's no more wasting your life than working in an office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadlyDirk Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 @ Dirk, I reckon the world's as good now as it's ever been. It's easy to be down on the current state of affairs but that's only because we're familiar with it and are frustrated by the things that are going wrong. If we were in any other era, I'd bet there would be just as much if not more bad stuff going on. That's probably very true to be fair, I think a lot of it comes down to awareness. Due to media advances we're much more aware of things going on all over the world than we ever have been before. Things were probably much worse in the past but we just didn't really hear about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMATycoon Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 A great philosopher once said... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Everyone is lining up to say how envious they are of religicos who have more comfort and less existential worry. I say that's like hoping you get a bang on the head that reduces your thinking to that of a four year old. Maybe you won't worry about the real logic and arguments, but you'll find yourself scared of the "monster under the bed". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Ignorance is bliss but I choose otherwise, does that make me a masochist? Dawkins has many great points and I can't fault his reasoning, but am I the only one who thinks he comes across as a smug git who rages against religion for no reason other than he wasn't allowed to be captain of the choir or something as a boy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMATycoon Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I think it would be harder to find someone who doesn't think he was a smug git, who themself isn't a smug git It doesn't have to be evangelical atheism but anyone who thinks there's a right way to live your life and doesn't accept that different philosophies suit different people, are always going to struggle to come across well. Would you say you actually "choose otherwise"? It's hard to choose your beliefs, I find, if you're someone who just looks at things rationally (which is what you appear to do from the gun thread). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambo Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I'm convinced Jesus existed. Doesn't mean he walked on water, came back from the dead, or turned water into wine, but there was a man out there from Isreal named Jesus who started a movement that lead to thousands-millions of followers and his name being echoed for centuries. He's what America would aknowledge as a terrorist these days. I believe there's a creator of existence... or creators of existence. What, who, where, how, why, I don't know. But something started existence, and that's what I'd aknowledge as God(s). Maybe 4th or 5th dimensional beings, or unseen energy, who knows. There could be millions of them out there. There could be one. They could all be gone. The beginning of existence could of been an accident, unintentional, we'll never know. There's a lot of shit out there that we'll never be able to comprehend. Unless we were dropped off on Earth by some aliens as some fucked up experiment of evolution, I don't think we were molded into our shapes, forms, etc. I think we're a product of evolution, a cycle of life. A product of life and a cycle that has gone on for so many billions, trillions, zillions of years that we couldn't even fathom the number. That said I don't think any God(s) cast out a lightning bult and poof there was a frog. Poof there's an ocean and some fish. Poof there's a planet. But I think the creation of life began with something like micro-organisms, atoms, molecules, and/or more likely a bunch of other things and elements we're completely unaware of, haven't discovered, or don't have the ability to discover, and as the infinite amount of years went on it's expanded into life as we know it. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I'm not sure. I'd suggest that you can choose the depth of research and investigation you do into certain topics/areas that involve beliefs. You can choose to listen to and seriously consider and weigh up differing beliefs or perspectives to your own. You can choose to seriously and critically analyse your own beliefs and why you believe them. All of these things are the key weapons against ignorance, which isn't to say you will end up believing (for example) what I believe, but it would certainly mean you have a well justified stand point from which to explain your beliefs and how they fit into your take on the world. The main arguments going on in the gun thread for example haven't been about BrainSmasher's position per se, everyone was happy to calmly and methodically debate that based on the facts available, it was his blind faith that his point of view was right and was backed up by nothing but interest group buzz words and key phrases. The same regarding religion, he is making sweeping generalisations about the nature of sin and God's view on it, claiming Christianity as the support, yet his statements are in direct contrast to what is claimed to be the written word of God and his disciplines/son. If he were to say that he was pro-gun, pro-everything not illegal in the USA, pro-US policy of forward defense, etc, etc, and explain why this were the case and cite relevant examples or theories with supporting evidence there is still a great chance we'd disagree but I'd respect his opinion and stance as being well supported. Not that my respect is the end goal for anything (though it should be!), just saying So I guess, after all that is said, I do think it is possible to choose your beliefs. Even if you choose to believe "it is important to question everything and believe nothing until it is proven to at the least be quite likely", or "I may not know everything about this so I am open to further discussion and information" are important personal ideals. EDIT: CK - Not sure he'd be a 'terrorist' these days, but he'd certainly be a disestablishmentarian communist and COINTELPRO and/or an assassination by persons unknown (or a psychologically damaged war veteran) would have dealt with him I guess it is safe to say you're a Deist as opposed to a Theist! You don't believe in the personal, micromanaging God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacky67 Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Show tits ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QMTH7v9dipI/UFIsudWxmlI/AAAAAAAACYY/ecHqrLBtYoo/s1600/strong_jesus%5B1%5D.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nehi Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 I'm convinced Jesus existed. Too bad about there being absolutely no convincing, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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