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
Anyways, from all that I can see of religion, it's been one long, big, spectacular scare tactic. Do as we say or be punished by god. Do as we say or burn for eternity. Anything else is evil. Do not listen to others. Etc etc etc. It leaves no room for rational thinking, just blind fervor.
P.S, sorry for the double post, I forgot to put this in the first one.
The reason we stay on the earth is due to gravitional attraction. Mass^2=Attraction^2. The earth is X times larger then us, therefore we fall toward it. Hence, why all the planets orbit the sun, due to the sun's greater mass and density.
Thank you for proving my point. The scientific method gave us this information, as was my initial point. Science is the method by which we arrive at understanding. Glad we are all on the same page.
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.
So what would you have to say about someone who tentatively believes in a magical pink unicorn made out of cotton candy, and whose doctrines believe in love, happiness, and acceptance? Oh, and he's very outspoken about it.
So what would you have to say about someone who tentatively believes in a magical pink unicorn made out of cotton candy, and whose doctrines believe in love, happiness, and acceptance? Oh, and he's very outspoken about it.
If they tried to push it as a fact claiming acceptance then criticizing and dismissing real factual information in favor of their myth. Then coming out into a public forum expecting those beliefs not to be challenged and others to just accept them. They would be called out for how ridiculous and wrong those views were.
So what would you have to say about someone who tentatively believes in a magical pink unicorn made out of cotton candy, and whose doctrines believe in love, happiness, and acceptance? Oh, and he's very outspoken about it.
I think that his outspoken sharing of his ideas should be met with complete incredulity, such as it deserves. If he wants to keep his ideas private that's his perogative. However if he is standing on a soapbox trying to convince others that this unicorn is fact then every intellectually honest person has a duty to expose these ideas as far fetched and ridiculous lest those of less capable reasoning (esp. children) become incensed by this idea and find merit in believing such fairy tales are fact.
Want to know why buddhists aren't high on atheists **** lists? Because Buddhists keep to themselves and don't demand everyone follow their beliefs.
That and the overwhelming majority of Buddhist sects are atheistic. They declare no faith in any deity at all. Same with most practicioners of Jainism.
Mr. Walker and MageGrayWolf, what if he cited the fact that science can't explain EVERYTHING as reason for his unicorn? I'm sorry if this is getting unorthodox (is that the right word)...
Mr. Walker and MageGrayWolf, what if he cited the fact that science can't explain EVERYTHING as reason for his unicorn? I'm sorry if this is getting unorthodox (is that the right word)...
If science cannot explain it then there are two most probable reasons. Either it does not exist as something which interacts with the physical world, or we lack the technology to test it. In either case it is intellectually dishonest to claim as fact/truth something which has not been, or cannot be verified. If we don't know for certain then we are being dishonest by saying that we do, and we are being even more so by trying to convince others of our dishonest propositions.
Actually, all that i've seen you do in this entire thread is accuse other people of Spamming, Trolling, and Flaming.
Eh, I'll take credit for flaming, but every single one was a response from an atheist flaming/trolling(which ever is which). early on I was contributing and I used to do it of all the time, I've really lost the care though, I suppose within the week I'll get back into think lol
Another flame coming up
Lol. Don't mistake icreduelty for anger. It's laughable the straws you're grasping at.
You should see how much I've laughed at all the crap youve said and claimed, not the facts you've copy and pasted from other sites, just your prejustice of other people
Now to contribute to the debate
Did he plant bombs
I very much hope youre not referring to Muslims just the minority of them believe in conversion by the sword. All the Muslims I know are normal people like you in me.
You should see how much I've laughed at all the crap youve said and claimed, not the facts you've copy and pasted from other sites, just your prejustice of other people
Prejudice? From me? If you think i've been that way, please quote me on anything i've said. I do not think I am. I can't think of much that i've claimed other than that any time I have a debate about religion it turns into a dodge fest and I rarely get a real answer, and that the bible is a compilation of many different "Books" written by many different people. Aside from that it's just been tail-end comments and a word here or there.
I very much hope youre not referring to Muslims just the minority of them believe in conversion by the sword. All the Muslims I know are normal people like you in me
I fully agree that it's the minority, but even a small minority that goes around killing random civillians and innocents is more than tolerable. I too have never met a Muslim that is an extremist, although I have met Christian extremists.
Yes any person with problems kills indiscriminately. However, i've never heard of a group of atheist extremists crashing four planes into a building and killing over 2000 innocent people either, or strapping bombs to themselves to kill whomever they can for a "greater good" cause.
