I mean this quite seriously

Without belittling anyone’s religion, do you ever just sit back and think about all you believe in. Can't you see sometimes how it just seems.......silly. I mean, some mother goose stories are saner. And I don't mean this again as an insult, just a call for Christians to take a deep look at what they believe logically. For instance:

1. Man made by God, and they a woman made from his rib, tempted by a talking snake, eats a piece of fruit and condemns the world to sin?? So man hears voices and is call skitsophranic, man hears voices and calls its God and he is a prophet?

2. ALL....not some, not chosen ALL of the animals on Earth pair up and go in this boat and live for 40 days and 40 nights while the whole planet is flooded, then a few ppl and the pairs of animal repopulate the planet?? Really???

3. A dude walks on water, heals sick, turns water to wine, comes back from the dead, etc....

I can go on with more examples but we all know them, so no need to do so. People believe this so greatly and all without one single iota of proof. In the "bible days" god would talk to people, or show miracles etc, but every since people started questioning him, seems like those things have disappeared. I don’t know about you, but I have yet to see one parted sea in my 26 years of life, you know few years ago, God could have done Asia a solid and saved a quarter million ppl from being wiped off the face of the earth in a Tsunami.

Just saying people, look at this with an objective mind and be more rational.

www.youtube.com...

I feel glad that I know were babies come from.

www.youtube.com...

It gets better and better, when you can't hurt anyones feelings, why not just teach kids anything, that is not real.

[edit on 18-5-2009 by Republican08]

I'm not a fan of organized religions but your taking it all too literal for what they are trying to teach. Go deeper into the rabbit hole and you may find some interesting bits of information to help shape your own beliefs.

Thank you for stating these issues. I often thought it funny that biblical scholars would back up the bible using the bible itself. If you look at society though that is how it is structured. The belief itself justifies the belief. 9/11 commissions report is the truth because it is the truth. Religions are truth because the bible says its the truth. Going to college makes you smart and qualified, because people that went to college say that is what makes you qualified. Me stating the above is the truth, because it's true to me.

So what really is the truth? How about everything is truth. Let's start there. Everything is truthful to somebody, so who gives us the right to tell someone else what their truth should be? Why should we structure society into a pyramid scheme of forcing truth on everyone? Are we all slaves to a system designed to misdirect us from living our lives free without deception to what is true to us?

I think it is important to understand the MOST IMPORTANT part of religion.

AFTERLIFE.

How can "You cease to exist" even hold a candle to "You continue to live for eternity in an awesome place where you can do anything you want with everyone that ever lived."

It cannot. Neither can "I do not know".

Also saying "the universe was at one time compressed into a small space then it expanded" is no where NEAR as amazing as saying "An all loving caring being who Knows everything, can alter time, space and basically do ANYTHING created all of this and he CARES about you INDIVIDUALLY and looks after you and you can TALK TO HIM and ask him to HELP YOU and your friends and take an active part in your life."

People get scared when they think about dying. I GET SCARED when I think about not being able to think anymore or have access to my memories. People do irrational things when they get scared. Especially when in a group. It is SO EASY to provide someone with an AMAZING sounding answer to the scariest part of life. I think that is why religion is so successful and there are so many branches of religion.

Well, in order to understand the bible, particularly prophecy, you have to understand the mind set of ancient man. You cannot take what they say, and try to translate it in the same manner that we would today.

Also, Shakespeare has a famous quote that I am very fond of, "There is more in heave and earth, Horatio, than what is dreamt of in your philosophies." I believe that wholeheartedly.

Now, I could never be accused of being an orthodox Christian. I am sure that many would debate whether I was Christian at all. However, I do personally believe that there was/is some pretty strange occurences.

Now, where I tend to draw the line is when you enter the realm of the "Rapture" and such. I just think it's a load of hogwash.

As for Christ rising from the dead, obviously, if you take that from the literalist perspective, then you have quite a few obstacles in your way. Now, the Gnostics always spoke of it being a spiritual resurrection rather than a physical one.

This would certainly account for why his apostles did not recognize him and his ability to "walk through walls."



[edit on 18-5-2009 by SpeakerofTruth]

Originally posted by TurkeyBurgers

How can "You cease to exist" even hold a candle to "You continue to live for eternity in an awesome place where you can do anything you want with everyone that ever lived."

It cannot. Neither can "I do not know".

'I don't know' is one of my favourite phrases.
It's drives my curiosity and stirs up questions.

Then, when i've found an ultimate truth there's, 'but... '

No individual will ever know everything.
Well, probably not, i think.

*Sigh* Another God bashing thread.

Gotta love the mindset (I don't beleive in the Bible so there is no god). Or something of the like. The human race has such a backwater version of god. Go ahead flame me! DO IT!... I'm tired of arguing god, especially since people really cannot understand what that word really means.

reply to post by DaMod


I don't think he is bashing god. He is saying there is logic applied to the religion practices that do not hold consistent with our current knowledge. Very different than bashing.

reply to post by DaMod


I couldn't agree more. Our ideas/ideals about God are certainly, at least in regards to the mainstream, pretty confused.

Originally posted by DaMod
*Sigh* Another God bashing thread.

Gotta love the mindset (I don't beleive in the Bible so there is no god). Or something of the like. The human race has such a backwater version of god. Go ahead flame me! DO IT!... I'm tired of arguing god, especially since people really cannot understand what that word really means.

I have yet to see anyone "bash God"...
The OP is simply saying that there are some far fetched ideas that come with the religion package.

reply to post by ExPostFacto


I wasn't talking about the OP, I was talking about what this thread will inevitably become.

reply to post by DaMod


I'm sorry it's seen as 'God' Bashing, we don't want to hurt an Omipotent beings feelings or yours.

It's just for atheists, we don't see it as absolute unaltered fact of everything, the ultimate theory of everything. We see people raising there hands, killing others and speaking in absurd tongues, like well crazy people. It's a bit disturbing.

Don't worry, we're not bashing Yahweh, or Lord Krishna, or Allah. The OP just pointed out that, it's kinda silly. I mean who can really live in a fish for a few days. (Well you'll just say god can do anything, but not many homes in fish today). We also don't see the point in killing infedels who don't agree with the muslim religion. It's all kinda silly.

reply to post by DaMod


Unfortunately, you're probably right. It will descend from what things may mean in the bible to the bible just being completely untrue. Unfortunately, or, in my opinion, fortunately, it comes to null and void for atheists.

They claim to not believe there is a God, or higher power, yet they spend an awful amount of time and energy discussing it. I find it somewhat amuzing.

To me this website challenges MANY beliefs that I used to think were absolutes. Government, Politics, Authority in general, News, Media, Science and many other areas. To be able to question one belief but turn a deaf ear to another belief because it is "Sacred to you" is shutting out being challenged.

I thought being challenged was the entire point of this website.

I LIKE someone kicking in the face saying "WRONG! AND this is why!"

I used to HATE it because my perfect little world that took me 31 years to build got blown open like a shotgun through a watermelon. How awesome the ride has been since then!

Originally posted by Republican08
reply to post by DaMod

 

I'm sorry it's seen as 'God' Bashing, we don't want to hurt an Omipotent beings feelings or yours.

It's just for atheists, we don't see it as absolute unaltered fact of everything, the ultimate theory of everything. We see people raising there hands, killing others and speaking in absurd tongues, like well crazy people. It's a bit disturbing.

Don't worry, we're not bashing Yahweh, or Lord Krishna, or Allah. The OP just pointed out that, it's kinda silly. I mean who can really live in a fish for a few days. (Well you'll just say god can do anything, but not many homes in fish today). We also don't see the point in killing infedels who don't agree with the muslim religion. It's all kinda silly.

Sorry but I didn't mention Yahweh, Lord Krishna, or Allah once did I? No your talking about organized religion's version of god. Any human made version of god would fall short, because we all know you cannot explain, describe, or know anything you do not understand. God by definition would be far beyond our understanding therefore no religion could be correct. Besides the underlying teaching of even Christianity is a really good one. Just because an Idea has been used at one point for death and destruction does not ultimately make it a bad or wrong idea.

Any idea when put in the wrong hands can cause these things.

I think its about time I do my science of god thread...

[edit on 18-5-2009 by DaMod]

reply to post by DaMod


So your agnostic, and believe more or less that God created the earth, and has just really been surfing the andromeda galaxy and is playing 'jacks' with black holes, a god vacation?

Originally posted by DaMod
I think its about time I do my science of god thread...

Please do! I'm very interested in the idea of completeness of description (by using terms such as 'god'), versus completeness of communicable understanding. Certainly, any attempt to progress towards communicable understanding on such a divisive subject would certainly be a good thing, right?

As to the OP, I agree with previous posters, that many literal interpretations are absurd, by modern understanding. However, I also feel there is much to be learned by allegorical and metaphoric interpretations. For example, has there ever been a 'fruit of knowledge' in your life, that when you tasted it, you were not aware of the complete extent of the implication of that knowledge?

Originally posted by Republican08
So your agnostic, and believe more or less that God created the earth, and has just really been surfing the andromeda galaxy and is playing 'jacks' with black holes, a god vacation?

That's a Deist, not an Agnostic!!

Deism is a theological position (though encompassing a wide variety of view-points) concerning God's relationship with the natural world which emerged during the scientific revolution of seventeenth century Europe and came to exert a powerful influence during the eighteenth century enlightenment. By virtue of this, deism as a theological doctrine has had a great influence on the character of the modern world.

Deism holds that God does not intervene with the functioning of the natural world in any way, allowing it to run according to the laws of nature that he configured when he created all things.

Deism

Agnosticism (Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge; after Gnosticism) is the philosophical view that the truth value of certain claims — particularly metaphysical claims regarding theology, afterlife or the existence of deities, spiritual-beings, or even ultimate reality — is unknown or, depending on the form of agnosticism, inherently impossible to prove or disprove. ]

Agnosticism

[edit on 18-5-2009 by SpeakerofTruth]

[edit on 18-5-2009 by SpeakerofTruth]

Originally posted by DaMod Any human made version of god would fall short, because we all know you cannot explain, describe, or know anything you do not understand.

Is there a non-'human version' of God?

And how do a group of, presumably, humans discuss this then without falling short?