Religion? Grow up

Cant you see that all religions are man made. this is true, proven by the religions themselves. There is no proof to back them, they are simply man made theories. I believe there were created through fear. Religions remove fear of death by providing an afterlife, remove fear of being alone because of a god. They also have other functions, making life more interesting and generally providing an answer to questions that dont actually matter.
Ignorance is bliss, i would prefer to be believe in a religion, generally religious people are happier, but they are still ignorant (and incredibly stuborn).
Answer this, out of all the religions available, and all the devout followers, what makes your one true and the rest wrong. Definately not proof thats for sure.
Explanations are given to children to get rid of fears, the same explanation should NOT carry on to adulthood, you might as well all start believing in santa.
So im proposing, realise that the thing you belief in is based on hope, not truth. If we really are evolving into a smarter race then you need to realise that you dont know anything. Even Evolution is a religion, a theory to make us feel better. The truth is we probably wouldn't even understand the answer if we knew it. Which is why we should be asking 'what if', not 'it is'.
Nothing will ever be ableto explain it all.

Being intolerant of others beliefs??
To each their own.
Grow up!!

Is that why the people that run this world, all beleive in the paranormal and the light. What is the light?

Grow up, nice argument.

Well everyone believes in something, atheism is a religion, the belief in nothing more than you can see. The universe has a sense of organization, intelligence if you will. Things that happen in our world are not random, evolution is not random. The creation of our galaxy/universe was not a random occurance. Gravity is not random. The belief in spirit and the afterlife is not random either. People form religions to explain some of the answers in this life we have. There are still a lot of mysteries surrounding death & the afterlife such as OBE's, NDE's, certain cases of telepathy, & Ghosts.

Are you saying that Jesus had a bad message? To love your neighbor... I mean honestly religion doesn't give people false hope and those that believe are not necessarily ignorant, they just want answers to, Why?

To me being alone and without the after life doesn't bother me. I think life in itself is amazing, but I'm inclined to think there is something more, probably because it's a human trait, which to me indicates that yes there is.

One book that I think explains the controversy of Religion & Science is Dan Browns "Angels & Demons", and I quote "Physics does not oppose religion it is merely the canvas in which God used to paint his masterpiece". No one has the answer to date why these things happen and I doubt one religion is right about it all, just as science doesn't. I mean honestly we can't even travel to another star system let alone a planet yet... (as far as we know anyway).

As a person who claims no religion, I understand why it's important.

As it's been stated, some people need faith to get through their lives.
Something beyond what they are.

They, like the rest of us, are just looking for answers to existence.

I will agree with you that many of the messages have probably been lost in translation, and as a result, the taint of man-made agendas have corrupted what could have been the word of God.

Don't understand what I'm saying?

Did you every play the whisper game as a kid? Where something was said from one person to the next, until it went around in a circle?
It usually came back as something completely different than what was originally said.

It is humanity. We who tried to shape the message to meet our goals.

reply to post by sc2300


Leave my god (santa) out of it please . He is real ! I even sat on his knee when I was a kid .

reply to post by sc2300


Presumably you posted your thoughts, so as to engage in a dialogue .
BARKING at people is always a terrible introduction , unless of course you sought a barking reply ?

Even Evolution is a religion, a theory to make us feel better.
post by sc2300

You have some reading to do.

-------------------------------------------------------------
asmall89

Well everyone believes in something, atheism is a religion, the belief in nothing more than you can see.

Atheism is a disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.

Do you share my disbelief in Zeus , Balor or Janus ?

reply to post by sc2300


Oh, no, lol, yet another new-born Atheist. Calm down bro

You don't just go around and tell people to grow up and see the truth...

The only thing you can do is to show them by your own example that being a good person is something which transcends belief in God and love towards another human being is the most important thing in the universe

5th Element is right, if you show them your just a regular person, they'll see clearer.

Otherwise they'll flaunt that only a supreme super magical all knowing, all creating, all of everything God, can make rules that are perfect not man.
And thats just silly.

Show your good side.

reply to post by UmbraSumus


Yes if you believe that there isn't a supreme being, you believe in atheism. It is a belief like everything else. It's a theory that someone believes in, like the big bang & what not. Atheism is religious belief. Anything pertaining to beliefs about the supernatural and afterlife is a religious belief. I feel some atheists don't realize this.

I know man distorts the true messages of the religious figures, I do not condone saying one religion or belief is supreme against another, which is why I do not how threads like these attack religious views of people so. Everyone is entitled to their own belief.

[edit on 2-4-2009 by asmall89]

reply to post by sc2300


You have a lot of gumption, I'll give you that!

Telling people to "grow up," simply because you have it all figured out, is a bit disturbing to me. No body is forcing you to believe in anything, so you might want to give people the same respect, who do choose to believe.

Originally posted by asmall89
reply to post by UmbraSumus

 

Yes if you believe that there isn't a supreme being, you believe in atheism. It is a belief like everything else. It's a theory that someone believes in, like the big bang & what not. Atheism is religious belief. Anything pertaining to beliefs about the supernatural and afterlife is a religious belief. I feel some atheists don't realize this.

The key point that makes atheism unlike any religion, and strictly not a belief is that there is no element of faith in atheism. All religions need faith as a prerequisite, but atheism is defined purely as being without it. Faith is rejected because it's defined by 'belief without evidence' which the most rational can see is a recipe for false beliefs.

[edit on 2-4-2009 by Welfhard]

reply to post by Welfhard


I'm not trying to be stupid or idiotic, but isn't Atheism a Faith? I mean that atheists have faith that God does not exist, they cannot prove he/she/it does not exist. So doesn't that make it faith, hence religion? Trying to find a clear understanding thats all.

reply to post by TheMythLives


Well yes, one cannot prove a negative, but for atheists, it's the default stand to take until proof positive appears. If a deity does not appear to be real or does nothing to appear real, not only is there no reason to believe one exists, but there is no way of knowing which believed in deity it is, if any. So the assertion that none exists comes out of the conundrum that all deities require faith, but all cannot be correct, yet all can be incorrect. To be really really technical an atheist should refuse to believe either way whether a deity exists as judgement can only be made rationally and logically on evidence.

Additionally there is 'baggage' to religion which is categorically refused by atheism.

The idea on devoutness, ritual, prayer, the idea that ethics and morals are defined by something superhuman, the idea that faith needs to dominate ones life and life style, esp. church + tithe, etc.



[edit on 3-4-2009 by Welfhard]

reply to post by Welfhard


Well actually the atheist I know believes that life should be lives to fullest because in his belief that this is it, by doing so he partied a lot. So he did live by a code, and had certain values as everyone lives by a code to help us make decisions. It's silly to say that Athiests don't have codes pertaining to their belief because they do. They have their own set of codes and values true to their beliefs just like anyone else. ATHEISM IS A RELIGIOUS BELIEF. The only difference between it and other religions is it's NOT an ORGANIZED RELIGION, with a set of rules and codes.

dictionary.reference.com...

Doesn't say anything about supernatural beings or the afterlife in its definition.

Originally posted by asmall89
reply to

 

dictionary.reference.com...

Doesn't say anything about supernatural beings or the afterlife in its definition.

Yes it does .
From the same reference you cited.

a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies , usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

emphasis added/

[edit on 2-4-2009 by UmbraSumus]

Originally posted by asmall89

It's silly to say that Athiests don't have codes pertaining to their belief because they do. They have their own set of codes and values true to their beliefs just like anyone else.

Yes but those codes and morals don't pertain to their beliefs regarding gods, the supernatural or the afterlife. Most have morals that develop from their childhood.



[edit on 2-4-2009 by Welfhard]

You guys are right, in a sense anybody can be a "good person" in the general sense. Though the Bible says "no one is good, no not one", but anyways i get what ya mean when you say atheists can be good people.

The thing is though that non-Christians are unable to account for transcendent, immaterial, unchanging and universal moral laws. For the Christian moral laws are a reflection of God's character but for the atheist how do you account for such a thing(that is moral laws)?

Originally posted by Ezkl 16
You guys are right, in a sense anybody can be a "good person" in the general sense. Though the Bible says "no one is good, no not one", but anyways i get what ya mean when you say atheists can be good people.

>> And christians can be bad people, very bitter and apathetic people.

The thing is though that non-Christians are unable to account for transcendent, immaterial, unchanging and universal moral laws. For the Christian moral laws are a reflection of God's character but for the atheist how do you account for such a thing(that is moral laws)?

Logic. People are cowards. I be mean to you, you be mean to me; mutually assured destruction. On the flipside of that coin, however; you get that when people cooperate, you mutually benefit. Morals and codes of conduct motivate people to act with the gain of others in mind. It's a naturally evolving behaviour, which is why many many types of animals with higher brain functions act with regard to other individuals - dolphins will protect individuals it doesn't know from sharks, even individuals not it's same species like humans and seals.

[edit on 3-4-2009 by Welfhard]

In all arguments about whether religion is "true" or not, the positions taken 99% of people on both sides strike me as ludicrous.

Think of it this way: Imagine you walked into a classroom where the topic was Shakespere's famous play "Hamlet, prince of Denmark." On one side of the room, a group is howling that there never was a "real" prince named Hamlet in Danish history, that Shakespere made him up, and that therefore the play Hamlet is "worthless lies" out to decieve "childish dupes" into buying literary paperbacks and supporting the worthelss careers of do-nothing literature teachers and writers of "fiction." They reccomend that all Shakespere be burn to ashes and that anyone "writing lies" under the guise of "fiction" as an "author" should be subject to criminal prosecution.

On the other side, you have another group of lunatics, screaming that yes indeed Hamlet was a real person, that he actually existed and walked the earth. They have piles and boxes of yellowed papers and old books full of scribbling to bolster their rather dubious case.

The two sides keep screeching at each other, but in fact neither understands "Hamlet" or literature. Neither can see the greatness of Shakespere's poetry, the mastery of language, the profound understanding of deep and enduring human values, the ancient lessons and wisdoms contained in beautiful blank verse. The very essence of literature alludes everyone in that madhouse classroom.

I think something very similar is going on when people take these ridiculous reductionst "pro" or "con" stances for or against religion. Their arguments all seem to me to be quite besides the real point.