Think about it, what is religion? The belief in something that cannot be proven, that has many, many things that as of yet we have found impossible, and in many people, it is unshakeable. Now I am not saying that all religious people are going to go kill someone or end up in an assylum, but think, in every religion, the basis is something that cannot be know, but is only faith. Faith in something that could turn out to be wrong, faith in something that you have absolutely no way of knowing. Also, think how many of these religions started, some person got a message from a "god" that told them what to do. Don't go crazy on me, I just want people to think about it.
Why does it have to be bitten? Biologically the same thing is happening: Venom is going into your blood stream. I fail to see why God only protects his followers from BITES, and not the VENOM which comes from the bites.
[quote]The next is a old video so it's hard to see but you can see this one guy burns his feet
There is a whole process to coal walking. If you put water on your feet first you greatly reduce the burns because water has such a high high capacity per mol. If you are using WOOD coals, wood has a poor heat conductivity, both of them put together and you can walk on fire for a long time...[/quote]
On the serpent thing, that's just what the Bible says. So if your trying to test someone who believes the Holy Spirit protecting them, and the Bible says handling serpents, then that's the way to do it, cause otherwise Christians won't believe it and they won't be filled with the Holy Spirit, cause injections aren't Biblical.
Maybe the coal thing is another way to do it. I don't know. The thing about the burning is just about the religious belief, that it works. It looks like its insane to outsiders but it works so it's not. Not everyone can do it everytime, the Holy Spirit commands them to do it.
Kasic
5 However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm
People question modern day books in every imaginable fashion, but somehow there are millions of those critics following multiple books complied about 1900 years ago, many with no standing other than, "I knew jesus" How can you accept that, but not others opinions, eve if you say you do.
Your apparently not questiong parts in your science books so why is not questioning parts in religious books any different, and this part has science backing, so even you would have to accept is!
Not everyone can do it everytime, the Holy Spirit commands them to do it.
Professionals can do it every time, there are even schools for firewalking.
Your apparently not questiong parts in your science books so why is not questioning parts in religious books any different, and this part has science backing, so even you would have to accept is!
Uh, one, I do question parts about science. Two, what part of the bible has science back it?
what atheists have or have not done is not important.
really? that was kinda hypocritical, make a big deal out of priests raping little children, then i say that some atheists rape little children. then you say it doesn't matter what atheists have or have not done? yet it still matters if a christian does it or not. a lot of people abuse religon by doing stuff in the name of that religon, just to try and get away with it. that story about the priests raping little may or may not have happened, i never heard it. even if it did, the pope probably screwed up there, that happens, its only human.
please my bad grammar for this post, its really late at night and im tired lol zzzz
I think we've gotten waaaay off topic. Protecting people from venom or what atheists and theists are doing are all completely irrelevant to the topic. I really don't want this to turn into another theists vs. atheists thread, and the opening post, despite its overbearing language, brings up a good point. The question before us is whether or not theistic belief is justified. To help bring out this point, put yourself in the atheist's position and try to see how you might view a theist's justification. So, do the personal experiences and revelations of an individual justify religious belief on a personal level? Should we hold the theist's beliefs as justified?
Uh, those videos you supplied yielee, they had some pet snakes and a woman spinning so the heat would dissapate and her arm wasn't on fire, she was holding an open flame near it. No supernatural protection, sorry.
[quote]Protecting people from venom or what atheists and theists are doing are all completely irrelevant to the topic.
Is religion insanity?[/quote]
Doesn't seem off topic to me, thinking that some holy spirit is protecting you when there's no harm anyways.
1. the condition of being insane; a derangement of the mind. 2. Law. such unsoundness of mind as affects legal responsibility or capacity. 3. Psychiatry. (formerly) psychosis. 4. extreme folly; senselessness; foolhardiness.
1 : a deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder (as schizophrenia) 2 : such unsoundness of mind or lack of understanding as prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter into a particular relationship, status, or transaction or as removes one from criminal or civil responsibility 3 a : extreme folly or unreasonableness b : something utterly foolish or unreasonable
So does religion fit any of these definitions?
1. a deranged state of mind While there are those who take things to an extreme that can very much seem like a deranged state there are more then likely other factors involved in this case.
2. unsoundness of mind as to prevent legal responsibility. Many politicians most likely should be deemed unsound and prevented from legal responsibility having religion hasn't stopped someone yet.
3(4 on dictionary.com). extreme folly or unreasonableness, something utterly foolish, senselessness... Well judging just by the posts in this thread from the theists it would very much seem religion does in deed fit this criteria.
Is religion insanity? Well let's look at the definitions.
Clearly religious belief is not insanity. As I suggested earlier, I think we need to weaken the question to "Is religion justified?." I think using a dictionary definition of insanity is equivocating on the word. We all know what is implied by "insanity" and that simply has too strong a connotation. Let's focus on justification.
And as far as protection from poisonous snakes or fire, these are tokens of beliefs, not types. Let's focus on what are considered the basic beliefs of western monotheism: there is a god who is distinct from humans; humans were created (directly or indirectly) by God.
