i don't think killing one guy would stop christianity,
I bet if they killed Paul Christianity wouldn't be what it is today.
So yeah, before this turns into ANOTHER religion topic, I'd totally give the Egyptians some badass weapons and technology and have them warship me as a god or something
I don't think it's unsafe to hypothesize that had he not adopted xtianity at that time, that it would not be as widespread as it is today.
Also - I apologize for any douchebaggery. I'm feeling quite douchebaggy ATM, what with all the shit going on and such. Actually, the real shitstorm hasn't even begun. I'm going to actually have to make a conscious effort to not pull a DMantra on you guys, and that sucks.
*sigh* It really sucks being one of the last remaining God believers on the internet Especially, a semi-Christian one...
I think the internet just makes it safer for people to say what they really think. 'Closet atheists' account for an estimated huge portion of the US. It is believed that many people have decided that religion doesn't really make any sense to them anymore, but have opted to keep quiet about it for fear of retaliation. I can't say I blame them for being closeted. They are a very misunderstood and discriminated against group. You could lose your job, friends, or even lose your family. It's not unlike the way gays keep quiet about their sexuality. The anonymity of the internet makes it safer to 'come out'. Also, I don't think alot of atheists are technically pure atheists, denying even the possibility of a god or gods. I think many of them have simply seen the judeo-christian god and the bible as ridiculous, but believe in the possibility of a god or gods. When you scrap the validity of the bible and accept the uncertainty of our purpose, origins, etc, then you are basically admitting and accepting the idea that we have NO IDEA what we are doing here. To truly have no idea means that the truth could be just about anything, including the idea that we/reality are the makings of some kind of supreme being. I'm open to that idea. IMO, it would be bad science to NOT be open to it. Being open to it and actively entertaining the idea are two different things, however. Given what we DO fell that we know, many of the ideas supporting the supreme being are so unfounded (a better word escapes me atm) that even a hypothesis is hard to conjure.
To me, it's pretty simple: you have to be crazy to think there is a kind and loving god. Or young and naive, I guess. I could maybe buy some deistic view of a god that exists but isn't particularly worried about the betterment of mankind. That seems feasible.
On the other hand, saying Christianity is the WORST religion seems pretty excessive. I mean, go look up what worshipers of Kali did to children on a daily basis.
As a rule, extreme faith and extreme anti-faith are both examples of naivety. We have no way of knowing whether the world would be better or worse if Christianity had not come into power. Don't let your personal beef with it override common sense.
Antibiotics aren't much use against viruses, though.
Thank you. I have no idea why so many people are seemingly incapable of comprehending this. How anyone can go through life without learning this simple fact eludes me. Anitbiotics battle bacterial type infections. Viruses are COMPLETELY different. This is why penicillin isn't given to treat HIV infection. The only way that antibiotics are beneficial to someone battling a viral infection is when said viral infection has led to a bacterial infection, in which case antibiotics are helpful - but only against the bacterial infection, not the viral one that led to it.
If I were a general practitioner who had to deal with the daily parade of morons who come to the doctor wanting antibiotics for their colds despite being told countless times that they are ineffective, I would end up going postal and start giving people cyanide to cure not only their colds, but everything else that's wrong with them.
Thank you. I have no idea why so many people are seemingly incapable of comprehending this. How anyone can go through life without learning this simple fact eludes me.
You aren't the only one. Those poor antivirals need a better marketing department. :(
I bet if they killed Jesus Christianity wouldn't be what it is today.
LOL.
I heard a program on the radio tonight. It was talking about how some atheists became Christian. I think they said it was that Christianity or the Bible makes claims that no other religion makes...
Thank you. I have no idea why so many people are seemingly incapable of comprehending this. How anyone can go through life without learning this simple fact eludes me.
You aren't the only one. Those poor antivirals need a better marketing department. :(
Great. So basically, their religion says that they aren't ever to even consider peace, that they must always fight to the death. Forever. No compromise, no exceptions, no alternatives. Just violence, death, war - always and forever, just because someone told them so. Religion is fucking INSANE. I cannot comprehend how people can just accept something so ludicrous without question. It's like they are sheep. Do they not THINK about things? When I'm just sitting there passing the time, my mind is thinking about all kinds of things: physics, what I had for dinner lastnight, an article I read that morning, ways to help the environment, does life on other planets live alot longer than life on earth, is immortality possible for any living thing, trying to seriously ponder the incredible number of stars in the known universe, does time for creatures with high metabolisms like hummingbirds seem to move at the same pace as it does for larger animals, can you use oat flour to make pasta, will laser guns ever really replace bullets, is it unhealthy to remove animal protein from one's diet, is that guy looking at me because I have a booger in my nose, what would it be like to live on a planet with three suns, why is life so hard and is it even worth living, is richard simmons real or is he just a robot, etc etc etc etc. My mind is always thinking about something. What the hell do those religious people THINK about?? Are they like a computer - only processing data that has been given to them in whatever manner they were programmed to process it? Are they seriously OK with this stuff? Do they begin to question it, and then become afraid so they put it out of their mind? If so, how can they do that? That could never sit well with me - I couldn't rest without confronting that shit. AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHH !!! I think I'm losing it
What do you think of people that think a higher being created everything and got everything going, but we know literally nothing else about "it", and don't believe it has any emotion, and doesn't "interfere" with our lives in any way?
What do you think of people that think a higher being created everything and got everything going, but we know literally nothing else about "it", and don't believe it has any emotion, and doesn't "interfere" with our lives in any way?
seems like something like that would almost certainly need to exist. can't be sure though i suppose.
A lot of their deliberate ignorance stems from the fear of going to hell. Also, the biggest problem with religion, which is all that keeps it going nowadays, is indoctrination. I know some people would say that they gave their kids a choice, but this is bull. If you're saying prayers over meals, and constantly talking about the gods, then children are so impressionable that they're going to pick up on it and assume that it's right. Also, in the more extreme religions, believing or (essentially) being killed isn't much of a choice either...
It more or less sounds like what I consider to be brainwashing. It's frightening to see so many people who are otherwise rational, educated people go into this weird delusional state when they step into their church or begin one of their rituals. I pull my hair out trying to comprehend how these people can go on without questioning the soundness of it all, but I suppose if you were brainwashed then part of your 'conditioning' would be to block any line of such questioning, as it threatens the whole delusion. In other words: the lack of critical thinking is part of the package. They're not just brainwashed to think certain things are real but also not to ponder their validity. It's terrifying to me, like some kind of sci-fi horror movie full of mindless cult member zombies. I have goose bumps just thinking about it. I'm about to go to bed now, and I feel like a little kid who watched a scary movie and wants to sleep with the light on. Forget the boogey-man, he's fiction. Religious crazies are REAL! EEK!
I cannot comprehend how people can just accept something so ludicrous without question. It's like they are sheep. Do they not THINK about things? When I'm just sitting there passing the time, my mind is thinking about all kinds of things...
A good number of Christians would say they have a reason for what they believe, not that they're following blindly or that they are brainwashed.
Where I was talking about that radio show that was about Atheists that had converted to Christianity.... They were (as they say) hell bent on disproving God, but in the end -ended up seeing (as they say) the light. These atheists were rational/critical thinkers, probably more-so than any other atheist here. So, how and why would they be able to find God and believe He's real?
