I don't think that religion is only bad. BTW I'm 48 years old and my way of thinking has evolved. I think for myself. If others come up with a good idea I will accept it, but I refuse to believe blindly just because some one says so does not make it so. That's how people get lead down the wrong path. Even when people quote from the bible I must read what came before it. In Corinthians it states for a man to have long hair is a disgrace to God. That statement it either bull&%$# or he is the type of God that I would not worship. If you choose to be prejudice and follow blindly that's up to you. But then that there is another reason religion should go.
Semantics. If people want to do bad things then it's not really going to matter if they're religous or not.
I didn't miss any of the Jesus hippy stuff in fact that is how I try to live but I don't need religion to do it. And I behaved that way before I read the bible. It's called upbringing.
irrationality doesn't always lead to bad things. as good as the claim. It was just plainly wrong, not much else need be said. You disprove yourself by writing 'likely'. That's all there is to it; it's not guaranteed, nor the obvious consequence. very well.
Yet you blindly accept most of the secular laws of California. When was the last time you did an in depth analysis of the laws of California? Never? And you accept them? Why?
good, keep doing that then and look at reality, which will show you that religion can be a force for good and need not be removed. That passage in the corinthians sounds like crap to be honest, but the good thing is that christians, and followers of other religions, are human and thus do not or can not follow the religion completely. Humans have this built in system of morals you see and using that system they evaluate which parts of the bible are good and thus find more justification for that and do more of it, and sort out the bad things, like most of the old testament, and simply ignore it. Obviously there are a few people that don't have very sound morals and thus justifiy bad things with the bible. Most religious people simply pick and choose which part of their religion they want to follow based on their morals, and my point is that as long as the morals are good, which is mostly dictated by society, religion will be good. And if it gives them extra motivation for doing good I quite frankly don't give a dman if it's all silly superstition and irrational belief.
Sounds like this is the crux of the issue. You have low self-esteem, and think that others are better than you. You need to grow up. Most are not looking down, they just want you to have what they have. My father is agnostic. I'm Catholic (as is my mom). He's altruistic despite not having religion. I've never doubted that non-religious people can be good. That said, I think religion makes me a better person than I would be without it--if I didn't think that, I wouldn't stay religious. Your results may vary.
name me one good religion. name me one thing humanity has been better off with for having religion - just ONE. i will refute and destroy whatever example you give.
wow, don't try to live like jesus, he was a fool. Turn the other cheek my ass. It's in many ways morally wrong, not so say impossible to live by his teachings fully. - - - Updated - - - sure are. I look forward to it.
We could "do without" lots of things, but it's not about that. Religions greatly contribute to the wellbeing of the world, we could certainly manage without them, but they're a great bonus.
You have this false dichotomy that religion should make people perfect or it's worthless. You asked about religions that teach about humility and respect. I gave you two. I would imagine most religions teach humility and respect. As part of that, the lifestyles of the truly holy people of any religion are probably pretty similar. They involve simplicity, humility, respect, etc. Most of us don't reach that point. I don't know what your kids need or not, and I have no way of knowing. I do know that suicide is more prevalent in atheists than in devoutly religious people. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/155/5/413.long
Vague platitudes - I am asking for a specific example. Just one example of a good religion and how it benefits humanity.
What makes you think I believe in the secular laws of California. I hate the laws of this state. My religious views have nothing to do with politics. I've never voted dem in state or federal elections.
Which I've already admitted, so its strange that you keep bringing it up. I think you need to look at the word before "likely".
I do not have low self-esteem at all. Not even close. I just through out a couple of examples. Most don't look down you say. Not sure what church or state your from. But here it's like a fashion show to see who looks best on Sunday.
Not in any Catholic Church in the southeast I've been to. We go to worship, not to show off. My family often goes to Mass in shorts and flip-flops in the summer. Other times we do go in shirt, slacks and ties. You remind me of a former friend of mine who used to use the dressing thing as an excuse to avoid church (and the family was supposedly believers). - - - Updated - - - Religions reduce suicide. Religious countries have lower suicide rates.
I know no one is going to be perfect. And I never claimed to be atheist. Does not believing in religion make a person an atheist? I don't think so.
There you go with that "want" again. My problem with religion is that it is vulnerable to extreme levels of manipulation since it relies on faith.
Sounds like you go to a good church. Good for you. Here the girls have cleavage hanging out, real tight skirts , pants and dresses. I'm also not saying there should be laws against religion I just don't find religion necessary.
You mean the way a highly charismatic Adolf Hitler did with Germany? It doesn't take religion to manipulate people to do what you want, just charm.
Oh and about me having low self-esteem. Sounds the like religious people(not all) are the ones with low self-esteem. Why else would you need to go every week to here the same stories over and over. For one didn't you get the message the first time? Go home now and put it into practice. Church not needed anymore. Do they just need to feel a sense of belonging. If so that's the same reason kids join gangs.
ya the abrahamic religions...suddenly overnight peace breaks out as people have no reason to persecute others or blow themselves up....
Did you somehow miss those Hilter quotes where he stated his actions were supported by his Christian beliefs? Regardless, you can keep posing counter-points all day long, but I'm under the opinion that a systematic teaching of billions of people that evidence and logic don't matter is a dangerous thing to do. - - - Updated - - - Honestly, I wonder what would have happened had Paganism, Confucianism, or Buddhism came to dominate Western Europe rather than Christianity.
