You are not better because you lack religion!

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: undo

What, are you trying to convert me or something now? lol
I'm making no attempt to change your blind faith in unverifiable concepts, I'm just sharing my thoughts that I think it is ridiculous.

I don't believe in souls either due again to the complete lack of evidence.
For all anyone actually knows I'll just end up as worm food when I die, that's cool with me, I'll be dead and there is no evidence that it will cause me any further problems.

You have faith, no more, no less.
My position requires no faith at all, but you don't see me whining that nobody respects my lack of faith.

just sharing the idea that hell is not a place that something "other" condemns you to. it's a place you condemn yourself to. and not your eternal self, but your current iteration, condemns itself to that nothingness. hey in some religions the nothing is the highest plane of existence. personally, i like life, particularly *pain-free life. and wish the same for everyone. bliss is not over-rated

I find it hard to trust anything a Christian says. Their record of telling the truth leaves something to be desired even though they claim the moral high ground.

People who use "faith" as an operating principal, imo don't have a proper grasp on reality and find it extremely easy to twist their feeling into what they construe as knowledge.

I base this opinion on personal experience from both my Baptist family and my Catholic inlaws; that despise each other. And my interaction with people of "faith" on ATS.

When "Christians" start respecting each other, perhaps they can gain some of my respect back.

I don't claim to be "better" than Christians; perhaps a bit more aware and thoughtful however.

originally posted by: undo

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: undo

What, are you trying to convert me or something now? lol
I'm making no attempt to change your blind faith in unverifiable concepts, I'm just sharing my thoughts that I think it is ridiculous.

I don't believe in souls either due again to the complete lack of evidence.
For all anyone actually knows I'll just end up as worm food when I die, that's cool with me, I'll be dead and there is no evidence that it will cause me any further problems.

You have faith, no more, no less.
My position requires no faith at all, but you don't see me whining that nobody respects my lack of faith.

just sharing the idea that hell is not a place that something "other" condemns you to. it's a place you condemn yourself to. and not your eternal self, but your current iteration, condemns itself to that nothingness. hey in some religions the nothing is the highest plane of existence. personally, i like life, particularly *pain-free life. and wish they same for everyone. bliss is not over-rated

Again though, everything you write is solely faith based, unverifiable, and completely lacking evidence.
Even the Daily Mail has more substance to it's stories than spiritual or religious claims.

a reply to: grainofsand

i base my position on thousands of years of collected spiritual works, from several different religions, and, here's the clincher: science.
this theory, as i will call it, was ultimately fine-tuned on data i gathered while viewing two different video series, one on quantum entanglement and the other on the "boy with the incredible brain"

consider when the text says "your god" , it actually means your higher eternal self, not "other". and you are quantumly entangled with "your god", your data goes in 'your god's" library. it's you, dude, it's you.

a reply to: undo

Yep, a completely unverifiable faith based position.
You have nothing except that faith, so carry on trying to convince me if you like but while all you actually have is faith I shall continue to consider it quite ridiculous.

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: undo

Yep, a completely unverifiable faith based position.
You have nothing except that faith, so carry on trying to convince me if you like but while all you actually have is faith I shall continue to consider it quite ridiculous.

that's not true, though. ever read about quantum entanglement? ever see the video about the boy with the incredible brain?

a reply to: undo

Oh behave with your pseudo science, you have nothing except faith and by the sounds of it some lame youtube vid.
Throw me a bone, got a link to a study or paper which can be referenced?

...some blog by unknown Johnny Jones won't cut it for me though.
Your position is solely faith based, and I wonder why you find the wish to convince others to believe the same unverifiable concepts as you do?

a reply to: deadlyhope

To Quote the book of Cake, chapter 4 verse 11:

" 'tis a folly to follow a sheep to a glade where the wolf lurks, as both speak with a snakes tongue."

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: undo

Oh behave with your pseudo science, you have nothing except faith and by the sounds of it some lame youtube vid.
Throw me a bone, got a link to a study or paper which can be referenced?

...some blog by unknown Johnny Jones won't cut it for me though.
Your position is solely faith based, and I wonder why you find the wish to convince others to believe the same unverifiable concepts as you do?

a reply to: undo

Yep, nothing but faith and youtube vids then.
If you come back at me with a published study or paper which can be referenced then I might be interested.
I prefer to read. Imagery and background music is not required to present a reasoned argument to support alleged verifiable claims such as you make.

You seem desperate for me to believe things which are unverifiable lol
I don't care what you believe, but I will continue ridiculing any attempt to present it as fact.

a reply to: grainofsand

Even the Daily Mail has more substance to it's stories than spiritual or religious claims.

LMAO!

You gotta love our Daily Mail.

a reply to: VP740

I'm not entirely sure how or to what degree a religion can be held separate from its following.

Have you never heard, "hate the sin, not the sinner"?

If you look at the Bible itself, you'll often find things that would shock the Christians who never bothered to read it. From what I've read of the Bible, I'd say it doesn't demand everyone profess faith in Christ lest they burn in Hell for all eternity.

I spent almost 30 years of my life as a bible reading Christian. Yes, there are Christians who go to church, and never pick up their bible. The point is, the bible teaches plainly that you are condemned by god if you do not profess faith in Christ. The whole hell fire doctrine is another topic. There are sects that teach it, and those who don't. But they all agree, if you are not a Christian, you are eternally condemned.

In some cases I'd say they're ignoring the Bible almost entirely and creating a false form of Christianity.

Of course they are, but they still hold to the doctrine of redemption through Christ.

So if the book doesn't clearly and unambiguously demand arrogance from its followers, should you criticize the religion itself, or the followers who practice arrogance in the name of their religion?

Are you purposefully being obtuse(sincere question)? Have you really read the bible? It's full of arrogance, bigotry, and elitism. Christ made his stance quite clear. It's his way or condemnation. You're either a Christian, or you're the walking dead.

Furthermore, if I were to say Mexico is a sorry country and the world would be a better place without it, do you think I would offend any Mexicans? Does that come off as bigoted? Could I say I'm not criticizing the people, only the country? I'm sure countries and religions can be criticized with integrity; but when done sloppily it conveys the arrogance, entitlement, and elitism that you accuse the religious of.

Of course you're going to offend people. However you put it, someone is going to be offended. There is no way to gently question and scrutinize some things. That doesn't make the criticism any less true. The fact still remains. If you don't believe the way I do, that's fine, because my beliefs have no penalty for not doing so, and I'm not demanding you need redemption. If you don't believe the Abrahamic religions, then you are a heathen, a sinner, the walking dead, and you need to be saved, or suffer the "coming judgement".

I agree with the OP that such criticism is common and growing.

The statement though, is just so disingenuous and hypocritical(not necessarily of you personally), I don't even know where to start. So I won't. Enough said.

so if you don't accept savantism and quantum mechanics, yet claim your faith is in science, what am i supposed to think? that sets up a negative chain reaction in my head, where 1+1=2 but only if it's written a scientific paper, of which there are many. if i provide the studies, what next? more cognitive dissonance? bridge to nowhere? goal post moved to the next impossible to prove event (personal experience) where it dies a lonely death in the nothing.

i'm collecting data. the data seems to indicate comparative subject materials are in agreement, in human historical documents we call religious texts and in modern scientific documents. look in the telescope. it won't kill ya.

a reply to: Klassified

I do think that is my parents main concern.

My soul's salvation, because it si that black and white.

Christ yes! you will be fine

No Christ? Sorry. You cannot pass go, and you cannot collect your reward in Heaven.

Or we could have got it all wrong...

a reply to: MrsNonSpecific

wait for this;

who do you suggest we follow?

a reply to: undo

Oh behave with inventing statements I have not made. Quote me and pick my lines to bits but don't invent stuff.

You have nothing but faith.
Linking savantism and quantum mechanics as somehow evidence to support your god/soul/woo-woo claims is lame and you know it.
Now, show me a paper supporting your god claims and I might be persuaded, just not a youtube, I prefer to reference my information.

...and you wonder why people ridicule those who argue from a solely faith based position? Really?

a reply to: grainofsand

that's like asking a fundie to provide you with evidence of evolution. goal post is now moving all over the place.

i think (i record) therefore, I am.

that's the entire argument in one sentence, seven words in total

originally posted by: undo
a reply to: grainofsand

that's like asking a fundie to provide you with evidence of evolution. goal post is now moving all over the place.

I haven't changed any goalposts, and my position remains the same throughout this thread.

You claim gods/souls exist, I say I don't believe due to complete lack of verifiable evidence.
You make the claims but have nothing other than faith to back it up. That's cool, and not unexpected, it is good for other members to see lol.

a reply to: undo

I think that comedy sketch pretty much says, we won't know til we get there.

If there is indeed a 'there'.

We all could be wrong.

But that is why it is called 'Faith' and not a 'A Certainty'.

Nobody knows.

*Waves a picture of a question mark on a stick in the air*