I grew up atheist for 16 years. I had always kept an open mind towards religion, but never really felt a need to believe in it. My sister started going to a Wednesday night children's program at a church. Eventually, I was dragged into a Christmas Eve service. Scoffing, I reluctantly went, assuming that this was going to be a load of crap, but when I went, I felt something. Something that I've never felt before. I felt a sense of empowerment and a sense of calling. Jesus called upon my soul, just like he did with his disciples. he wanted me to follow him. Now, my life is being lived for Christ. He died on the cross for my sins, and the sins of everyone who believes in him. He was beaten, brutalized, struck with a whip 39 times, made to carry a cross up to the stage of his death. This I believe to be true, and I can never repay him for what he has done. I still have my struggles with Christianity, but I've found this bit of information most useful. Religion is not comprehensible in the human mind, because we cannot comprehend the idea of a perfect and supreme being, a God, but we can believe it in our heart, and that's the idea of faith. Faith is, even though everything rides against me believing in Jesus, I still believe in him because I know that it's true in my heart. I invite my fellow Brothers and sisters of the LORD to talk about how Jesus has helped you in your life. No atheists and no insults please
Many historians support the idea that without Rome christianity would not have flourished.
You know, you are appealing to the unreliable sources, including personal opinions of some unnamed people. This is not a valid base for an argument.
lol what? You spew bible verses and give you the professional opinion of a field of study and I'm the one giving unreliable information?
You have no grasp on what history truly is, do you? History involves not only documenting what has happened, but what COULD have happened. This isn't MY opinion, this is a common opinion held by many historians who study the histories of Rome, Christianity and Paganism. Simply because I support this idea does not make it a personal opinion.
We do, maybe not lobby in form of hidden influence, but we display our own families as examples of life without divorce.
Divorce rates among conservative Christians were significantly higher than for other faith groups, and much higher than Atheists and Agnostics experience.
In fact, the Big Bang theory is still a theory, it is not completely proven, and it actually states that the Big Bang's moment is a completely unknown state of the universe. We can derive the condition of matter after the Big Bang, and such experiments are ongoing on the LHC, but we can't simulate the Big Bang itself to determine anything about what happened there in detail. Also, God can create universe in the form of a Big Bang. My question about why are the laws of physics like what we observe and deduce, remains open.
But of course it's a theory - I never said it wasn't :P. I was providing one of the ways that the Big Bang could have happened sans cause as we understand it. And on God creating it, that is definitely a possibility, but insofar there's no concrete evidence suggesting that He did so that way, and of course we're not sure if God created the Universe at all. I was going with the idea of the Big Bang being the point at which the law of cause and effect started up because that's one of the scientific hypotheses/theories/whatever being kicked around about that issue.
lol what? You spew bible verses and give you the professional opinion of a field of study and I'm the one giving unreliable information?
Being a hypocrite does not make him wrong. Pointing out that he is equally wrong actually does nothing to illustrate your correctness. He observed that your sources were shaky or non-existent, and was correct. The fact that his other arguments were wrong has no baring on this one. Is that the association fallacy?
Beyond this, the rest appears covered by my apercu. Carry on.
I must say, religion is one of the biggest loads of BS out there. It has made many of us believe that theres a man in the sky and if you dont do what he wants you to do he sends you to a place where you burn for all time-but he loves you
Science has holes in it and for all we know there is a great force in the universe but religion makes us worship it. Why should we? It created us maybe but it has never called or sent us any signs. I dont think it really cares, and why should it? It made us and now all it gets are loads of people asking for things.
Besides, has anyone seen how bad earth is? Fighting, beating, **** etc. How can god stand by while all this goes on?
I say, if there is a god, leave him or her alone. They might have made us for a bit of fun but dont actually care. Or the thing just doesnt care, maybe gods lazy Let him/her get on with their all powerful life in peace.
Science has holes in it and for all we know there is a great force in the universe but religion makes us worship it. Why should we? It created us maybe but it has never called or sent us any signs. I dont think it really cares, and why should it? It made us and now all it gets are loads of people asking for things.
Deist, huh? Why do you believe there has to be such a force? For all I know it has never been irreproachably shown that there is one. Also nobody said that science is perfect and knows everything, but everything around the holes is quite certain, so why reject it?
There does not have to be a force, hell, the universe might just have happened. But if there is a force, so what? Why should we kill for it? Pray to it?
There does not have to be a force, hell, the universe might just have happened. But if there is a force, so what? Why should we kill for it? Pray to it?
Very legitimate question, I agree. Well most religions assume their gods expect some kind of respect, gratitude and/or adoration. This only makes sense if the deity is exactly how the believers picture it.
Science has holes in it and for all we know there is a great force in the universe but religion makes us worship it.
It also asserts knowledge where non exists. Holes in science are holes in our knowledge. To claim to know that a god did it, is to claim to know something unknown.
Also nobody said that science is perfect and knows everything, but everything around the holes is quite certain, so why reject it?
Science doesn't 'know' anything. It is merely a method of arriving at truth by means of speculation, observation, and then demonstration. It isn't a collective knowledge, it's a tool. And it is the most effective tool at gaining understanding that currently exists, and probably ever will. Science gives us the ability to understand how computers work, and no one questions that.
It explains why we don't go flying off of our planet even though it is moving at incredible speeds through our solar system and no one is questioning that. But when the same method shows us how to understand where we came from and how we came to be the way we are today then there is a vocal majority who suddenly want to reject it.
It's analagous to using a screwdriver to put screws in the wall, but all of a sudden deciding that you don't like the screwdriver so you demand that we all start using a toothpick. It's an absolutely asinine thought process.
It explains why we don't go flying off of our planet even though it is moving at incredible speeds through our solar system and no one is questioning that.
In a way that is the problem. Could you comprehend many mathematical scientific equations using your imagination? Often it is based on mathematics and being unable to see the whole of perspectives, knowing that no one else can, is quite frightening in its own way. Religion can easily be blamed with fear. People don't want to die and simply vanish, and they don't want to burn in eternal hell. They do not want punishment for what they do and therefore Religion gives them comfort in that they won't be.
Atheism, Pantheism, and many other non-creationist beliefs put responibility, pressure and uncertain knowledge to people. And from there we develop, it takes more hard work, it is certainly harder than religion in many ways. The ultimate question which I believe could "turn" many creationists is...
Your form of the Bible mentions forgiveness, mercy, kindness, generosity, and every good trait within someone.
What about honor? Pride? Morality? Morality is surely involved but through actions and explanation, not through words. Morality is one of the hardest things to develop on since it features a forced lack of selfishness which psychologically speaking is unreasonable to the brain. Pride and honor are for the most part medieval traits for a "code of combat" in many Asian and sometimes western films. Now they mean nothing. I value my pride and honor, and I intend to uphold it like I am now. I must ask... Where is yours? You follow a deity whom is not proven to be there, obey him unquestionably and follow a Holy Book that is as old as 1,500 years (apologies if I am wrong). There is no achievement in that, there is no self-respect in that. The speeches made are based on the kindness of God and the fruit he gives us, not the fact that humans like ourselves have worked hard to harvest them. It is certainly an insult to pride or honor they may have. As it questions their control over themselves. Even if they done it through free will it is still that they are not given the thanks or rewards they deserve and yet a huge amount of dedication and time is committed to a God.
This thread of religions is making my head spin, it feels all of you people are going in circles, asking the same questions and answering the same answers.
That's when you argue against people who only believe in faith and completely disregard logic.
It explains why we don't go flying off of our planet even though it is moving at incredible speeds through our solar system and no one is questioning that.
Failure at basic physics. You do know that has be answered and that our galaxy is traveling much faster?
Failure at basic physics. You do know that has be answered and that our galaxy is traveling much faster?
It's a failure of basic physics that science explains how gravity keeps us on the ground? Really? I think, perhaps, there is a failure in reading comprehension going on either on my end or your end here.
And trolls who can't stand the idea people have different opinions and beliefs
Having different beliefs is fine. It is when those beliefs are detrimental to our species and yet are spouted as fact and are held in such a regard as to be deemed beyond reproach that one must address them, expose them, and treat them with the respect given any other blatantly dishonest and laughably inaccurate idea. If you don't want people telling you that you are almost certainly wrong then open up your eyes and follow facts instead of superstition.
