to keep on topic heres an oojay post:

hurdyfurdydurdy christians believe in christ im so effin deep.

come battle me oojay im drunk and ill still beat you religiously and philosophically.

oojay nvm. You obviously have a hard time grasping things. My question to you was only made to prove a point that it would be stupid for me to assume you are those things based off the fact you disagree with my views. You on the other hand made an assumption that since I am an atheist and anti-religion that I believe the two are the same thing which I clearly know they are not. I know you can believe in God and be anti-religion and you can be an Atheist that is accepting of religion. I just happen to an anti-religion atheist.

I agree that religion will never die. As much as mankind wants to promote open-mindedness, most parents will raise their children in their set of beliefs. I think that when it comes to religion (Catholicism for example, as you mentioned above), any questioning or deviation from a literal translation will result in the church chastising you. Many things clearly don't make sense. If Adam and Eve were the first human, did Eve have sex with her sons to procreate, thus committing incest? Did Noah really fit 2 of every animal on a boat, letting everyone else die before his very eyes, and then commit incest with his family to ensure the survival of humanity? Can people really come back from the dead? There are just too many holes, I completely agree with you.

I also agree that faith is blind, but that is by design and definition. It doesn't make much sense to believe on something that has no proof (in general), but to each his own.

At least we agree on that.

^thats what i thought, nothing relevant to say to someone who took religion and philosophy heavy in college. now shut up you annoy me.

You sound like an episode of South Park, minus the humor and relevence. This is a discussion, not a battle. How can you "beat" someone religiously or philisophically? This isn't a game of trivial pursuit. Comparing and contrasting our views helps everyone to become more aware of the world around them.

blah blah blah, instead of asking me something you try a pathetic attempt at humor. you bore me already. just like you bore buzz im sure.

Having studied religion and philosophy in such depth, your input would be a welcome addition to the thread. What are your views on the demonization of Islam in recent years? I find it hard to believe that a country who is mainly Christian (a religion who crusaded to kill all those who denounced them for centuries) could call another religion "violent."

Instead of asking you something? Like asking how you can "beat" someone at religion or philosophy? I'm pretty sure that was a legitimate question.

honestly? "islam being demonized recently" is not a recent event. but while asked its a stem effect from 9/11, bad media propoganda and a quest to unite america under another stupid racist banner.

With 9/11 being 10 years ago, it is fairly recent in the context of history. It's sad that some people in the US choose to equate their patriotism to the hatred of Islam. Like it's "un-american" to NOT hate Islam.

broder im actually a swede living in america, so i tend to think most american racist gangbangs are retarded.
what i do know is its worldly to hate america.

^^Whats with all the hating on America? America's great man..you know how cheap beer and liquor is here?lol

I find it amazing that religion in general could garner so much support. People are willing to DIE for their beliefs, but why? "I'm going to kill you because your imaginary friend is different than mine!" It doesn't make sense. Religion should embrace the things that we as humans have in common, but instead it highlights the differences and blows them way out of proportion.

wat

i love america. i just inherited a piece of land north of uppsala and do you see me moving there? and speaking of booze try systembolaget, the most effin retarded government controlled booze shops ever.

Overseas yeah we tryin to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin
In the USA the big CIA the Bloodz and the Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And if you hatin you're bound to get irate
Yeah madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
You gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all

Very thoughtful post. :)

Purpose? What purpose? Even William Lane Craig says there's no purpose:




You see? There is no purpose. In your case, you only have to "glorify" that lovely guy who sent his own son on a suicide mission to the Middle East, and that's all. There's no purpose, actually.

In other words, you're confusing theology with teleology.

William Lane Craig's opinion is just that, his opinion, and it is no more valid than any of ours.

And I wasn't confusing Teleology with Theology. I was in no way attempting to compare or contrast the two. I did not mention Teleology because I do not believe that life has a final goal or purpose. I personally view life as more cyclic in nature. The end of one period is the beginning of another. There is no final goal, just progression and maturation.

And I was in no way trying to glorify Jesus' crucifixtion as a basis for believing that life has value. With or with out religion, life would end up the same. Good and evil would still exist.

That's his opinion, not mine sorry. I do not have to follow a word he says, just like other people don't have to follow the word of God if they don't want to. :)

Religion is doomed, paedophile priests are just one example of how man makes a mockery of religion by useing their power to ruin kids lives. How can we trust god when we cant trust his servants. That religion is a tool only for control and fear, much like modern governments or old. religion has brought us such enlightened times as the crusades, inquisition to name just two. Do i believe in god?, yes i do. But, not some rewritten book. My family and friends believe i'm a good man, and i believe in them. thats my and their power and strength. Is'nt that what god preaches?.

Good job whoever's posting Christopher Hitchens. He's brilliant when it comes to debating religion and God.

As cardboard adolescent basically said in a previous post, there is no such thing as objective purpose. Even if God does exist that doesn't mean everything God does is good, or that I should want to be part of God's plan. We make our own purpose, our own fate, our own choices. If you need a fictional invisible entity to make you feel like you have a purpose, than your life probably really is an empty void of meaninglessness.

How do you know for sure it's empty void of meaninglessness and not an empty void of meaningnessless? Whether you choose the former over the latter or the latter over the former in essence by your estimation it's only a subjective preference. And if it's all subjective anyway, then really than one can conclude it can also be possible that a person's life can be filled with meaningfulness as well, either with a God or a even "fictional invisible entity" - which ever one prefers.

All that god **** is getting old. I'm a pagan, so for me, religion is just like nature communing + Mysteriousness X 10. It's fun.

Not hating on your post, but it didn't make any sense to me...
As in I didn't understand what you were trying to say.

"How do you know for sure it's empty void of meaninglessness and not an empty void of meaningnessless?"

I can't decipher this one... I assume it's a misprint? because of the first line the rest I can't figure out anyway.

I don't mean to be hostile, I'm just interested in whatever you were actually trying to say.

Greetings levio_sah,

I am an Adeptus in the Ordo Luciferi and an ex-member of the Temple of Set, my beliefs are aligned with how Dr. Carl Jung explained that gods, devils, demons, angels, djinn, gregori etc. are ancient archetypal images embedded deep within our unconsciousness, they are brought to the conscious surface by way of symbolism and ritual.

I understand what most people refer to God as to be the natural ordering of the objective universe, as opposed to the subjective universe which is our imagination, thoughts, etc.

- SB

I realize you all believe that religion is doomed, IMO it will be a cold day in figurative He77 when the Democratic Capitalist's will allow religions to fade away. Society needs fear to keep going at the rate its going. Religion is the root of obidiant social form. And when the numbers start dropping, BOOM a catastrophy occurs and new believers are born.

Now I had a thought the other day, true believers seem so neive to people like you and I who believe in Evolution. But the funny thing is ,were still looking for more answers and are still unhappy with not knowing all the answers. we are lost souls drifting. Alot of us still live a life of complete chaos, and don't know how to get out of the ruts we seem to be in.

Now look at the life of a true believer. do they not seem content with there life and seem to have there figurative sh1t together? Now I am not saying that there belief is correct or that I believe this. This is intriguing to me.

So getting back to the point that religion will eventually die out, I can't see it, In the days we live now with so much anger and destruction happening, humans need that structor. now the building may fall but the belief will still be there.

It may sound like im promoting religion, but trust me I don't believe in any organized religion. but to understand the hypocrisy you must first understand why religion was created. Humans are scared of the unknown.

Richard Dawkins hasn't been mentioned here which is surprising.

Just a small sample of his work: The God Delusion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dawkins just attacks the more obviously obnoxious believers and beliefs.

Let's see him target more rational Deists.

Find a rational deist first :P

Dawkins attacks things that need to be attacked. I think, for the most part, rational deists understand just as well as atheists how detrimental organized and mainstream religion can be.

BBC News - Religion may become extinct in nine nations, study says

most of his targets are nutjobs like holocaust justifiers and creationists

wonderful wonderful video

I think that over the course of time there will be a distillation of the core truths that are present-- to a greater or lesser extent-- in all religions. I think it's human nature for us to form groups based upon common beliefs, and because of that I believe that religion in the sociological sense will never die, However I do see a lot of reshaping of beliefs regarding some supernatural concepts that are present in many religions, especially Christianity.

Gee, you know I really hope so, but I'm visiting Sedona, Arizona this thanksgiving. The place is known for its fundamentalism as well as the prevalence of wacky new age crap-- there is literally a church, spiritual healing clinic, or palm-reader on every block. The fact that the market around here is large enough to make all these places lucrative really scares and disheartens me.

Sedona has become pretty famous as a place of great spiritual energy, but I think what you're talking about is more an indictment of capitalism and greed than it is religion. I'm not saying you don't have a point, or that it shouldn't be disheartening, but it's just human nature rearing it's ugly head.