[Uchina]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fabulyss I'm hoping 2012 will be the end of religion!!

Cheers to that! I understand that it's people who create war, and that war will still happen when we evolve beyond faith, but religion is such a dreadful tool of manipulation.

[Nemova]

^Can't help but roll my eyes again. So you believe that religion is for the less evolved who like being manipulated? Oh dear....

[justinleaddict]

^ actually you are sort of manipulating yourself

religion is an illusion. sorry, but deal with it...


The destruction of Earth won't happen in one day... it will be caused solely by humans and it is happening right now.

[MulletProof]

oh come on justin, you can do better than just repeating marx's words.. how about elaborating on your arguments for a change? why is it an illusion according to you?, do you really believe that any form of mentality, beliefs or standards is impossible to achieve for human beings?, I'm sure the concept of religion isn't that narrow, it doesn't constitute catholicism, a certain group of people erring on capitalism, following a hypocrite program for life or adoring a superhero, god-like figure in particular.. it'd be sad to conceive it that way, considering there are already millions of people doing stupid actions behind such convenient mentality.
you know, I'm atheist, I worry about these people claiming to be religious first and moral human beings later, it's just a contradiction... but ultimately, I'd go back to praying just in the name of those who turned to nothing by mere commodity.. to go deaf and neglect the beliefs (-> needs) of people just like them.. when at this point, ethical beings should be acknowledged and respected no matter where they come from or who's at the top speaking on their behalf.

[Ferdinanda]

I hope I have a good hair day.

[justinleaddict]

Humans naturally believe in God because we fear nature, and need protection... then we won't fear death. It falls in with our instinctual desires. It is an illusion because we need to believe in it; we cause ourselves to be religious. This is why people tend to turn to God after a near death experience.

Religion somehow tends to be the best for society, but it is not necessary. It influences our morals. But morality doesn't depend on religion. An atheist can be a good person of course.

Also, your environment definitely influences your beliefs... for example, if your family is religious, you might adopt their beliefs because they work for you.

Now, I tend to look down on religious people- Yes, they can be good people. A lot of times they are... But the fact is, you can either believe in science or religion. I prefer people who live in reality and value knowledge.. thats just me. And from my experience, religion has caused more trouble in the world than good.

[fourboltmain]

I just hope it all goes down after the whole V-Mag model fiasco so we see who wins.

[Ferdinanda]

I hope it's Julia!

[JeanAvril]

So I guess my goal of jumping Benicio Del Toro, Matt Dillon and Ryan Taylor's bones before I die will have to happen sooner than I thought...

[yellowetpink]

Aw shucks !

I wanted to have kids! I guess I'll have to have some sooner
(Kiddddddddddddding)

[Ferdinanda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeanAvril So I guess my goal of jumping Benicio Del Toro, Matt Dillon and Ryan Taylor's bones before I die will have to happen sooner than I thought...

Oh Devon.

[MulletProof]

^^^^.. I'm not going to try to change your mind cause it's pretty obvious there's no chance in your book for anyone with a belief you don't sympathise with.
what puzzles me is your concept of god, what kind of god are you talking about?. everyone carries their meaning in a personal way, it's not necessarily that character we knew as children when we'd spend hours wondering, 'but who came before him?', that's just an incentive... once you grow up, just like you realised where babies come from , you're also supposed to realise god lives within you. it's an energy called hope... resistance.. drive, whatever you want to call it, everyone names it differently but we all have it from the moment we're born up until our last beat, some people don't even acknowledge it ever in their lives but those you mentioned that have been in near death experiences, often times they hung up to something.. and trust me, it wasn't for everybody a guy with a beard wearing a white robe lending them a hand or a moment of truth where they apologised for not going to church and promised they'd never do it again... not everyone's that shallow.. or naive.

now your last paragraph... I'm not sure.. you're basically looking down on people based upon a very personal preference.. you seem to know there's a possibility that they can be good people yet you don't see them on the same level as you because you think they're being delusional?. talk about illusions. I don't know if it's just an age thing or whatever but you'll be surprised one day to realise not everything's that black and white, that every head is a world and a lifestyle does not define you as a person unlike actions driven by ethics...

.. and just for the record, saying religion is to blame for all of our unfortunate events is like blaming marx for guerrilla supporters that turned into drug trafficking after the fall of the soviet union. it's nonsense. there are too many interests involved when you have a vulnerable mass at your disposal, and there's a profound lack of education that turns into bigotry if you're smart enough to mold it.

[justinleaddict]

sorry, i accidentally posted in the middle of my post..

just a moment...

[Nemova]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justinleaddict ^ actually you are sort of manipulating yourself religion is an illusion. sorry, but deal with it...

How condescending of you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by justinleaddict Humans naturally believe in God because we fear nature, and need protection... then we won't fear death. It falls in with our instinctual desires. It is an illusion because we need to believe in it; we cause ourselves to be religious. This is why people tend to turn to God after a near death experience. Religion somehow tends to be the best for society, but it is not necessary. It influences our morals. But morality doesn't depend on religion. An atheist can be a good person of course. Also, your environment definitely influences your beliefs... for example, if your family is religious, you might adopt their beliefs because they work for you. Now, I tend to look down on religious people- Yes, they can be good people. A lot of times they are... But the fact is, you can either believe in science or religion. I prefer people who live in reality and value knowledge.. thats just me. And from my experience, religion has caused more trouble in the world than good.

That's why I tend to look down on atheists - always wanting to keep the upper hand and decide what's wrong and what's right and what's fit for human beings to believe in. There's no contradiction in believing in science and religion - no contradiction at all. Have you ever heard of a guy named Einstein? Or another one named Freud? Apparently, you haven't.

And growing up in a religious environment doesn't necessarily mean one will be religious or will follow the same religion as their peers. My family is Catholic and many of us - including myself - follow different religions. I'm not an exception, as I've learned throughout my life.

Having a biased view on religion doesn't make you look smart. It makes you look biased.

[justinleaddict]

Freud was an atheist. He wrote a book on it... "Future of an illusion"...

no changing my mind?... the best way to have a discussion is by not insulting the other person. ok?.... The reason i enjoy discussing things like this is to gain another perspective, and perhaps learn something.

now...

i think the only way to scientifically prove that God does not exist is to explain why, psychologically, humans believe in Him. That is the way I look at it. And in my post i was mostly talking about western religion.

God lives in me? You ask me to explain why i feel Religion is an Illusion, and i tell you.... Sure, people can have different ideas of how he exists and what he does.. but I was trying to analyze why people believe in God, and i feel that that is the best way to explain why I do not believe in Him.

Also, i did not blame religion for all of the worlds problems. Where did I say this?... It does cause problems sometimes though.

No contradictions between science and religion?... There are.