Religion

[Tommy]

Im debating with someone about christianity and she just said that "the book (the bible) has got nothing to do with christianity" when I asked her why "christians" pick and choose in general what they want to from the bible. This annoyed me and got me wondering about Eskimos beliefs on things. Im a athiest.

Talk away.

Thom

[Moves-My-World]

The way I see it is either we live for ever, we never stop thinking, never stop breathing and never stop OR we just end, we just seize to exist and we can never continue to continue. Both very depressing thoughts.

[Tommy]

Yeah there is no paticually nice outcome really. Re-incarnation probs the nicest fantasy but even that is meaningless

[Tommy]

Originally Posted by LaurenBledsoe

I just bought the book Religion by Bertrand Russell and am learning a lot about his philosophy on religion and the metaphysical. Personally, if there is anything after death, i dont think it will matter which religion you belonged to. it will all undoubtedly come down to the kind of person you were. and if God really does care which religion you formally belonged to, i want no part of such a kingdom.

So true, thats what I always try to tell people but cant express as well as that

Good clever American *pats*

God im patronising

Thom

[Cali]

Originally Posted by LaurenBledsoe

I just bought the book Religion by Bertrand Russell and am learning a lot about his philosophy on religion and the metaphysical. Personally, if there is anything after death, i dont think it will matter which religion you belonged to. it will all undoubtedly come down to the kind of person you were. and if God really does care which religion you formally belonged to, i want no part of such a kingdom.

i like ya girl
there's another very interesting book by russell, 'why i am not a christian', it's really good too, although he stretches his arguments a little bit too much sometimes

[Ships_Were_Sailin]

i refuse believe that nothing happens after you die, i think its a bit down to think so aswel.

think about it, there is so much of this world, so much of this universe that is left unexplained, everything comes from somewhere, everything starts from somewhere. ever wondered how and why human beings just happen to have perfectly working systems inside their body that is crafted perfectly for life on this planet? im not saying that god did it all, god itself is a grey area with me, but there is definatly somethign bigger than us that put all this together, and im not sure wether we are just meant to die out.

im an optimist, maybe death is just the beggining? maybe im just ignorant, but i will never believe that we just simply "stop existing" when we die, this whole place didnt just come from nowhere, somewhere there are answers for these questions, and maybe death is the only way to find them?

that is all.

[Tommy]

One day we'll be clever enough to create robots that can think for themselves, if they were left to there own devices they could believe that some divine creator created them because they are so perfect and they would be right, but when they "die" we know they would just be bits of useless metal. The same could be said about us if we were infact created. I dont think that just because a God made us means that we will go anywhere when we die.

[Closing_Doors]

Originally Posted by Ships_Were_Sailin

ever wondered how and why human beings just happen to have perfectly working systems inside their body that is crafted perfectly for life on this planet?

Evolution. (Not that it necessarily precludes the existence of a God).

[viv]

Originally Posted by Ships_Were_Sailin

i refuse believe that nothing happens after you die, i think its a bit down to think so aswel.

This thinking is the reason man created religion. The thought of nothingness after death and the randomness of life is just too terrifying for some people, so they create God.

[Rai]

Originally Posted by Closing_Doors

Evolution. (Not that it necessarily precludes the existence of a God).

Mind you, humans are far from perfectly working. Just think of the big and heavy head that is in the worst place when it comes to stability. You can't imagine how much energy must be divered into a simple action as standing, that would be useful otyherwise.

[Timeé]

Christianity:
My dad admitted (to what i've always known) that we go to church to be social and to talk to neighbours and stuff. In the past i thought that was terrible, but now im not so sure.
Funny how they frown upon the questioner "Doubting Thomas". They tried to make him out as weak but i have respect for that guy.

If i was trying to brainwash a culture, i'd just take tips from the church. its all there.

[Cali]

i once saw on tv, probably the science channel or pbs, a program about the origin of life, and they explained how we're here because of a series of unconnected events. for instance, jupiter's gravity prevents the asteroids from the asteroids belt to bombard us constantly, or if the moon wasn't there, the axis of earth would just go crazy, and there would be no seasons, and no liquid water, and no complex life; and so on. that didn't quite explain the origin of anything, but realizing how lucky we are made me feel special and i find that fact much more of a miracle than any religious explanation

here's a very interesting article i read last week: Interrogations: Belief in God

[Nine]

I are an atheist. Bo!

[Ships_Were_Sailin]

Originally Posted by viv

This thinking is the reason man created religion. The thought of nothingness after death and the randomness of life is just too terrifying for some people, so they create God.

terrifying? dont think so, the only way anyone of us will find out what happens is when we die, if i want to believe that death isnt the end of our "existence" it doesnt mean that i am into religion, or that i believe in god.

but really i dont see whats wrong in having faith, i ask people i know about this subject and people give me answers that make me think they are dead inside, it scares me to think that there is no optimism in this world, no not god, no not religion, id rather not have those 2 crappin subjects being thrown in my face everytime i tell people what i think, i just dont see why people fall into a black hole of depressingness when this subject is brought up, why shouldent i think that we are here for more reasons than just to die? who are you to tell me otherwise?

ultimatly i believe in whatever happens when i die, if its nothing, then there it is, i wont exactly be complainging about it, if its something, then i am right and you all suck





oh and as for the evolution subject, im not here to battle for religion, so my question is this, suppose we came from a tiny little piece of bacteria that slowly evolved into what we are today over countless years, where did that bacteria come from? that same question can be asked about anything in this world. ultimatly, right the way down the line, something was made/created/found/conjred/crafted/put in place that set this whole universe on its way, and to me, thats a facsinating thought, and its the reason i think that we may not just be drones on this planet, and that doesnt make me a spokesman for religion to think so either, so dont start shoving that into my argument, it simply means that i have faith in things that are out of our control.

[viv]

Originally Posted by Ships_Were_Sailin

terrifying? dont think so, the only way anyone of us will find out what happens is when we die, if i want to believe that death isnt the end of our "existence" it doesnt mean that i am into religion, or that i believe in god.

but really i dont see whats wrong in having faith, i ask people i know about this subject and people give me answers that make me think they are dead inside, it scares me to think that there is no optimism in this world, no not god, no not religion, id rather not have those 2 crappin subjects being thrown in my face everytime i tell people what i think, i just dont see why people fall into a black hole of depressingness when this subject is brought up, why shouldent i think that we are here for more reasons than just to die? who are you to tell me otherwise?

I wasn't attacking your beliefs/faith/whatever you want to call it. I was just saying that that kind of refusal to believe that nothing happens when you die and the feeling that idea is depressing is a powerful driving force for people (not necessarily you) to have created/believe in religion.
And just because you believe that when you die there's nothing, doesn't make you dead inside. It might actually make some celebrate life and live it and love it to the fullest.

There's nothing wrong with having faith. It's when people use that faith against other people that pisses me off. I'm not saying that YOU do that.

[Ships_Were_Sailin]

oh i wasnt talking about you in that post when i said you, i meant people :P

same thing with the dead inside, your views dont give me that impression, its the extreme views of others that i was talking about, your view is pretty common, and theres nothing wrong with it, the way you described it kinda makes me like it :P

[SilentNight]

One day in our life, inevitably, we ask ourselves, are we happy with our life? what do we want in our life, and why? How can we be happy? Believe me I didn’t care where I would go when I die at beginning of my quest. But now I care, and I care about it more than the life I’m living now. You may think I am crazy now, no I am just happier. It’s been a long way, there had been a few dead ends with some kind of ‘divinity’, there had been oceans that almost drowned me. All the negative cliché which is just like what some of you guys posted would put me off from Christianity. But I’m glad I gave it a try, and it works for me. Only in Jesus I felt at home. Only in Jesus all the bitter fruits turned to sweet. God is real, He is faithful, and truthful if you call on to Him.

May God’s mercy fall upon you, so you may know Him.

[Hendrik]

Even an atheist believes in something, if he/she cares for other people and tries to be something better than, say, his f*cked up ancients. If you believe in absolutely "nothing", you wouldn't be alive anymore. Nihilists? Give me a break. It's the same thing with them. They just try to be something "special" with labeling themselves.

People get so lost in that whole construct of "religion" and "what could god look like", that they forget that all of that - god - is still lying in themselves and surrounding them (nature etc.). That to me is god, nothing less, nothing more.

Does anyone know the TOOL record "Lateralus" with the transparent anatomy cover? It has different layers. And the last layer is where you can see the human brain fully uncovered. And in that brain, if you look closer, is that one specific three-letter-word and that sums it all up.

http://www.utrum.cz/wp-content/uploa.../lateralus.jpg

[cille]

Originally Posted by Hendrik

Even an atheist believes in something, if he/she cares for other people and tries to be something better than, say, his f*cked up ancients. If you believe in absolutely "nothing", you wouldn't be alive anymore. Nihilists? Give me a break. It's the same thing with them. They just try to be something "special" with labeling themselves.

People get so lost in that whole construct of "religion" and "what could god look like", that they forget that all of that - god - is still lying in themselves and surrounding them (nature etc.). That to me is god, nothing less, nothing more.

Does anyone know the TOOL record "Lateralus" with the transparent anatomy cover? It has different layers. And the last layer is where you can see the human brain fully uncovered. And in that brain, if you look closer, is that one specific three-letter-word and that sums it all up.

http://www.utrum.cz/wp-content/uploa.../lateralus.jpg

Nihilists! **** me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos.

ok this quoting Lebowski thing is getting old but it keeps me giggling.

[Hendrik]

Me, too! And of course i was thinking of Lebowski, as well, when I had "nihilist" in my mind again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=205zg...elated&search=

[viv]

Originally Posted by LaurenBledsoe

aww the good ole days, when you thought i was smart...