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General => General Technical Chat => Topic started by: free_electron on May 16, 2012, 12:13:48 am

Title: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 16, 2012, 12:13:48 am
"only God acts without making any mistakes."

I dare say: he/she/it, if existing,  screwed up really bad when creating the human species...  look at all the crap the human race does. Pollution , religious wars , killing each other over a piece of 'bling'... a couple of extra lines of 'checking code' in the human brain kernel could have prevented a whole slew of problems, without impeding on 'free choice'.

If i were god and someone would slander my name in such ways like the religious warmongers do with their 'in god's name' ....... i'd fire a bolt of lightning up their ass.

Anyway. this is not a discussion about philisophy or religion. there are forums dedicated to that ...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 16, 2012, 12:19:20 am
I could not agree more with that assessment...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: robrenz on May 16, 2012, 01:13:15 am
Amen!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 01:44:02 am
God cannot "screw up". This is man follwing his carnal desires - desires that are of the flesh, not of the spirit of God - (the Holy Spirit). It is not possible for God to be of ANYTHING except love and perfection - he is Holy, and WE screw up, because we reject him, and satan sees his opportunity and grabs it, because we are weak... rebellious... selfish... arrogant, and defiant... but God STILL loves us, regardless. You could go out and kill someone, rob a bank and rape a girl, and God would not love you ANY less, he just loves eternally, even though he is weeping at our sins. Judgement must be executed, from a perfect, flawless and beautiful, loving God - anything less would be unjust, which is why I love him and he brings me peace, even when I screw up and fall flat on my face (MANY times!) :).

LMGDFAO
I can't believe that in this day and age there are still grown up educated, and otherwise intelligent people who believe in such rubbish.
There may be someone or something who created this universe (the evidence for that is all but non-existent of course), but the likelihood of it being any god of the sort described in any of the holy books or believed by any of the major religions, is precisely, zip.

Oops, damn, I've polluted the thread!  :-[

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 16, 2012, 01:49:04 am
God...

Uh oh. There is a fool abroad.  ::)

God can only be all that you say because God lives only inside your head. There is no evidence here in the real world of any such thing as an eternal being.

"God loves me" is nice to hear, but what is the value or worth of such love when it is ephemeral and unable to deliver anything but nice feelings?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 16, 2012, 02:13:57 am
It's alright to disagree, Dave, but do you think it's kind to trash someone's beliefs?

This is the bit I don't get.

We can understand the foolishness of believing in Father Christmas.

We can understand the foolishness of believing in Fairies.

We can understand the foolishness of believing in Dragons or Unicorns.

Why is it not foolish to believe in an invisible, perfect, omnipotent being who never has the slightest measurable impact on the world?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 16, 2012, 02:25:04 am
Quote
Why is it not foolish to believe in an invisible, perfect, omnipotent being who never has the slightest measurable impact on the world?
nahw you see? the burden of proof is to the person who claimed. i didnt say anything :P but i admit, the proof of existence is harder than the proof of nonexistence if its never been seen. what i can do is only projecting from what i've seen... everythings in existence are in 'pair'.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: T4P on May 16, 2012, 02:27:20 am
It's alright to disagree, Dave, but do you think it's kind to trash someone's beliefs?

This is the bit I don't get.

We can understand the foolishness of believing in Father Christmas.

We can understand the foolishness of believing in Fairies.

We can understand the foolishness of believing in Dragons or Unicorns.

Why is it not foolish to believe in an invisible, perfect, omnipotent being who never has the slightest measurable impact on the world?
+1
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 16, 2012, 02:48:59 am
Please, if you have the time, watch this video, but if not, cool :-)

Quite entertaining, thank you.

It is interesting how "evangelists" like that can use distorted facts and twisted logic to bamboozle people into agreeing with unsupported statements. If I were of a religious mind I would call that kind of sneaky, underhanded behaviour sinful. If I were of a religious mind.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 16, 2012, 02:54:30 am
Alright... I will make an attempt to reach out to our more pious co-bloggers.
So, please, bear with me...


The problem, most of us have, is with the organised religions (http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=776305&sid=b8acd6b5116b70708214dc64eeb6b9e5#776305) and their inhumane dogmas (http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=856317#856317). Dogmas that presumptuously state that, This is what you should believe and you should live your lives by; and we will throw to the flames and make suffer those of you who do not submit to our wills...

If you asked me, what the more intuitive people think of as a god, I believe it is nothing else than pure knowledge: The millions of years of the knowledge and the experience accumulated throughout our presence on this planet (the Archanthropus of Petralona, a homo sapiens specimen found in 1959 near Thessaloniki, is dated to be 740,000 years old). This is knowledge and experience that we all carry within ourselves as our instincts, which were passed onto us by our maternal touch and nutrition while our brains were still being wired up during our fetation time.

I guess I must be a supporter of the cumulative cellular memory theory, or something like that, which has nothing to do with the theosophical deceptions some questionable minorities advocate. After all, the Organ Transplants Cellular Memory effect has been repeatedly acknowledged by the scientific community --repeatedly acknowledged, even if it cannot yet be understood...

Since knowledge is power, we are powerful --but we are not supposed to know that because we will become difficult to be governed and to be manipulated. So, the burden of discovering our power falls upon our own shoulders. Of course, in order to use that power, we will have to unlearn all the nonsense we have been taught since our birth, nonsense that has actively closed our minds, and to learn to communicate first with ourselves and then with our fellow people. Is there any better promise than that? The good thing is that we can have all this in our current life we actually live; not in some hypothetical promised life, which can never be confirmed, after our actual death.

Is there any reason why we should choose to remain subjects to those thousands of years old inhumane dogmas that require from us to be blindly obedient to cunning minorities (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/remember-math-yeah-it-was-just-a-theory-right/msg68059/#msg68059) (please watch carefully those two documentaries; and then, watch them again and again until they have nothing more to tell you) that are killing people indiscriminately for a few thousand years straight and now our host, the earth itself?

All I am asking of anyone is to try to see these thousands of years old illogical deliriums, that have been costing us human lives since their beginnings, with a critical eye; by using that sharp instrument we all possess, called critical thinking, this latent mental muscle that always gets stronger with intellectual exercise.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 16, 2012, 03:01:30 am

Oops, damn, I've polluted the thread!  :-[

Dave.

Sucked in big time Dave. They got you!

Personally, I believe in Gravity, and I never get upset if someone claims Gravity does not exist. If something is totally and absloutely true to you, then someone else's opinion is completely irrelevant, isn't it? It just does not matter in the slightest. If it does, what is it about your beliefs that make them so vulnerable?

Probably the fact that the datasheets for deities are really badly written - I have a lot of trouble matching the specifications to my bench tests.

But I guess if you live in a glass house, there is nothing to beat the fun of throwing stones.

Richard.



Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 16, 2012, 03:02:10 am
I am patient, I am not trying to make you look stupid, and I am a curious person.

Don't worry about it. I am not foolish enough to think that debating with you will serve any purpose or will change your mind.

I'll let you into a secret. Once upon a time I was a born again Christian. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. At the time it somehow seemed "right". It was nice to know the Truth.

Over time the reality dawned on me that this was a false belief. But to see the light had to come from within. It is not something others can convince you of, you have to convince yourself of this.

In time, maybe, you will see the light and realize the truth. Maybe not. If you never do, then one day you will die content in your belief, and never wake up again. Your family will remember your passing, and the world maybe, and in that memory you will live on. It is neither sad, nor happy, but just what it is.

Best wishes, and may your life be blessed.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 16, 2012, 03:06:16 am
Quote
Please, if you have the time, watch this video, but if not, cool :-)
nice background and bikinis. why dont we embrace nudity? and start treating the penises and pussies are the same like the rest of body part? i believe 'they' should have the right to being equal? dont talk moral, where that comes from? :D

Quote
Okay. So, taking God out of the equation, tell me how you think the universe created itself, out of nothing, remembering that there was NOTHING beforehand. I'm curious...
dont talk to me like i dont believe in god. life is created from an explosion of energy creating matter and antimatter. and that energy comes from i dont know where. people now start to believe a sea of antimatter exists somewhere just because it lies in Dirac's equation and human found a way to fabricate and contain it. but still it is in no natural way we will be able to see it next door. but still some people may hold true about creationism from nonexistence. not to mention the harmony of the law of the universe that in turn creates everything including us, that 'academic' people termed it as 'the evolution'. that harmony of law, its hard to prove who created it. not as easy as to prove the creator of law of a country.

@a-hellene.. maybe you are partly right about god is a collective knowledge. people cannot think god as a one particular entity with 2 legs and arms, he/it can be anything, even everywhere surrounding all the universe in the form of intangible intelligence entity governing the harmony of the law and capable of changing it to suit fit. and i believe it always has been, even before the nonexistence (big bang), thats what i believe, i dont care what other believe and i'm not going to prove that. and i believe jesus is just a man like us, a messenger, not a saviour. you do crime, you'll pay for it, not jesus.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 16, 2012, 03:23:41 am
Quote
just see this spiraling downhill...
and you take the offense? ;) why dont you leave your emotional behind? this is the ugly truth that its the neverending albeit interesting debate. just mentioning the three letter g.o.d can be 'derailing' continuosly offtopic posts, its hard to resist face it.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 04:00:00 am
Please, if you have the time, watch this video, but if not, cool :-)

OH NO! Banana Man ALERT!  :o
Damn, there goes the rest of the day, I'll be too busy thinking about that banana!

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 04:11:19 am
Okay. So, taking God out of the equation, tell me how you think the universe created itself, out of nothing, remembering that there was NOTHING beforehand. I'm curious...

Ok then, read Lawrence Krauss's book, A Universe From Nothing.
http://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nothing-There-Something-Rather/dp/145162445X (http://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nothing-There-Something-Rather/dp/145162445X)
He is one of the top physicists who are working on that very question.
Just like science has worked on and discovered the countless gaps in our knowledge that were once filled only by religion and "god did it". God, whichever one you believe in, is just an ever dwindling "god of the gaps". To guote Neil Tyson: "Religion is just an ever receding pocket of scientific ignorance"

God of the Gaps & Frontier of Knowledge - Neil deGrasse Tyson (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HooeZrC76s0#ws)

Also, there are plenty of Youtube clips of  Lawrence Krauss talking about "nothing".

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 04:18:21 am
OH NO! Banana Man ALERT!  :o
Damn, there goes the rest of the day, I'll be too busy thinking about that banana!

Dave.

Ehhh?  ???

You don't know that Ray Comfort is the incredibly famous "Banana Man"?
Along with his equally famous sick-kick Kirk Cameron.

The original hilarity, and the real answer of course:
Origin of species - Science Fail (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfucpGCm5hY#)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Psi on May 16, 2012, 04:41:08 am
There is so much i could say in this thread, both for and against the idea.
But i really don't know that there's any point in doing so.

But maybe i'll say this.

Religion MUST be a personal thing. You should believe what makes sense to you, not what makes sense to someone else.
A religious book (or any book on religious or spiritual subject matter) can only give you various points of view and concepts to consider and shouldn't be though of as fact. (Not unless you yourself saw god or the universe writing the book and therefor have a good reason to believe it correct and not contaminated by translation or reinterpretation)

It will always be up to you to decide which faith/religious/spiritual ideas makes sense and which don't and this will always be different to what other people think.
It doesn't mean one person is correct and the other is wrong it means both people have half the picture. or maybe only 1/100000 of the picture.
If something beyond the physical exists it will be so far beyond our understanding that we can only see a very small part of it at a time.

Assuming we can know the complete truth is what leads to serious problems.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 16, 2012, 05:16:12 am
Belief without proof, without room to change your view if new evidence comes about, without any evidence at all to support your belief over something else, is called faith. It is closed and self supporting by ignoring facts.

Belief in something based on evidence and experiment to prove or disprove the evidence and the belief is science. Science grows and changes the belief to match what is known and what is being observed.

Faith by definition is a way of living to avoid having to think or reason.

Science is the way of life that encourages thinking, exploring and seeking out information. By definition it is the opposite of the closed minded system of faith.

By starting a thread trying to shove your closed minded belief system down other people's throats you reveal your own insecurity of your own faith based belief system. Any real scientist, those who think and test for themselves, will find the argument you promote as old tired and a waste of time and a sad indication of how far the human race still has to go to be free of the fascist and divided world that religious and theist beliefs impose on all.

 I will not argue the point. I will not discuss it with someone who admits that there is no way to change what he believes.

I make this post only to stop being a quite bystander while the religious nuts make all the noise.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 05:23:07 am
It will always be up to you to decide what makes sense and what doesn't and this will always be different to what other people think.
It doesn't mean one person is correct and the other is wrong

Not so.
Most things that are statements of fact, have a right and wrong answer.
Most things are knowable through science, and a pretty good case can be made that all things are ultimately knowable given enough research.

If someone says that a god created the world in 6 days or whatever, then they are very very wrong. Dead wrong in fact.
If someone says that the world was created 6000 years ago, then they are very very wrong. Dead wrong in fact.
If someone says that a Noah put all animals on ship and blah blah, then they are very very wrong. Dead wrong in fact.
If someone says that the sun stopped in the sky or whatever, then they are very very wrong. Dead wrong in fact.
If someone says that *insert any one of countless silly bible stories*, then they are almost certainly wrong. Very likely dead wrong as a matter of fact.

Just believing something (and having millions of other believe it too) does not make it true.
And there are countless other examples of this in every religion and other silly stories and myths etc

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Psi on May 16, 2012, 05:32:20 am
It will always be up to you to decide what makes sense and what doesn't and this will always be different to what other people think.
It doesn't mean one person is correct and the other is wrong
Not so.
Most things that are statements of fact, have a right and wrong answer.
Most things are knowable through science, and a pretty good case can be made that all things are ultimately knowable given enough research.

Sorry, that statement was in relation to faith/religious beliefs due to their unprovable nature.
I didn't mean it to be as generic as it sounded. It obviously doesn't apply to science.


If someone says that a god created the world in 6 days or whatever, then they are very very wrong. Dead wrong in fact.
If someone says that the world was created 6000 years ago, then they are very very wrong. Dead wrong in fact.
If someone says that a Noah put all animals on ship and blah blah, then they are very very wrong. Dead wrong in fact.
If someone says that the sun stopped in the sky or whatever, then they are very very wrong. Dead wrong in fact.
If someone says that *insert any one of countless silly bible stories*, then they are almost certainly wrong. Very likely dead wrong as a matter of fact.

That would come under my comment about only believing what's in a book if it makes sense to you.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 05:33:47 am
Belief without proof, without room to change your view if new evidence comes about, without any evidence at all to support your belief over something else, is called faith. It is closed and self supporting by ignoring facts.

Belief in something based on evidence and experiment to prove or disprove the evidence and the belief is science. Science grows and changes the belief to match what is known and what is being observed.

Faith by definition is a way of living to avoid having to think or reason.

Science is the way of life that encourages thinking, exploring and seeking out information. By definition it is the opposite of the closed minded system of faith.

Well said.

Quote
By starting a thread trying to shove your closed minded belief system down other people's throats you reveal your own insecurity of your own faith based belief system. Any real scientist, those who think and test for themselves, will find the argument you promote as old tired and a waste of time

It's not just scientists that do this. Every child does it automatically as a matter of course as they grow up and explore and try to understand the world around them.
Why does every child (every single one of them!) outgrow the belief in Santa, the easter bunny, the tooth fairy, or whatever, yet many will still cling to equally silly and embarrassingly false religious myths as they get older?
The answer lies in social pressure, intimidation, and fear.
There is no parent, group, school, friends, or society in general putting pressure on you to believe in santa or the easter bunny as you get older. But the opposite is certainly true for religion, and that's the only why it survives.
Any modern educated adult who does not have these pressures, and truly thinks about, opens their mind, and does the research, cannot help but come to the same conclusion about the religious stories as they did about santa.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on May 16, 2012, 06:20:52 am
There is no parent, group, school, friends, or society in general putting pressure on you to believe in santa or the easter bunny as you get older. But the opposite is certainly true for religion, and that's the only why it survives.

Natural selection makes man believe what others tell him. Being told and believing that the stripy things with huge front teeth will bite your head off if you get too close makes you much more likely to survive than the man who decides he needs experimental proof.

A fundamental teaching of all religion is that you must make others believe what you do (convert them), if you can't convert them killing them is OK. You must also make your offspring believe (and in the case of Catholics for example try to have lots of them). The teachings all involve various threats and dangling carrots to encourage belief.

Like everything else religions exist because they have the right recipe for survival. They exploit part of man's recipe for survival. Hopefully faced with better education and communication in the modern world they will struggle and eventually go the way of the Dodo.

By starting a thread trying to shove your closed minded belief system down other people's throats you reveal your own insecurity of your own faith based belief system.

As discussed above shoving your belief down other people's throats is a fundamental part of all religion, just be glad he (not sure who he is) isn't trying to kill you yet.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 16, 2012, 06:41:12 am
Quote
Religion MUST be a personal thing
no you cant think that way. this is the way i see it... religion is a way of life, teaching whats moral and whats immoral, and its from god. dont kill people for no reason, dont drink alcohol because its bad is more than its good, dont fuck without marriage you'll screw heritage uncontrolled birth and abortion poison to moralistic nature :P etc etc (example) and its absolute even if you cannot comprehend why is the reason, including why we have to pray. just think we are a bunch of scientific community trying to unravel the truth here no personal mean :P

when you see religion as personal thing, then it will soon become a community thing, and then political correct thing, and then profitable thing, and then guess what?.... war! that fucking radical fanatics community and terrorism, all religion got one at least. but when you see it as a teaching from god and you have faith in it, then all you care is following the teaching and become obedience, not that it wil ask you to kill other people because they are not following the teaching, all you care is yourself and how you face Him in afterlife. i may put it in the wrong word. but somehow thats my understanding.

but the point is, all the problem involving the name of religion (anykind of religion) is because of this greedy bunch of radical people. they say they are holy and start killing other people, well fuck that i say. easy analogy is like the "military industrial complex", i can say thats a religion too. even aethism is a religion in my point of view (the teaching of there is no god). the problem start when you get too obsessed and become fanatics.

so for me, as i've learnt and read about science. i'm not a 100% faithfull/follow to religion teaching myself, but i try to correlate between what the book said with whats have been discovered by mankind, but so far i cannot fault the book, infact they are inline side by side in "harmony". i'll be looking forward to see mankind will discover the "7 stair gate to god's throne", its been mentioned in quran surah al-maarij FWIW. big bang and the day of creation have been mentioned in the book, but only when man discovered it, and its become meaningfull.

in the book, the creation of the universe took 7 days, its mentioned in bible, and rementioned the same in quran. except the argument that in the bible mentioning the god rest in His throne in the 7th day iirc when the creation is completed. implying the god was tired. no, god will never tired, i believe He sat on His throne and start managing the reality with 'kunfayakun' (be and it will become), but never tired. managing universe is... easy for God, down to atomic/muon level. and if you really believe universe is created in 7 days, ie 7x24hours then you are a dumb fool. the book writing in the way in alot of semaphores, analogy and implicit meaning of literacy, you need to learn linguistic and arabic/hebrew to really understand the meaning. sometime one word will means 2 or more thing. 7 days in god's ruler can be in thousands of years of what we understand it. so 7 days can be 7Kyears, or 70Kyear who knows? or even using lunar calendar or 1Kyears. same with many other aspects. the book in another way teaches you to look it a more broader mind, not the narrow view of 1day=24hours or god=2arms and legs.

among some of scientific finds thats written in the book before its been discovered:
1) creation from big bang and the general description of the formation of earth/planet and sky (not cloud, it may means cloud but broader means space and universe)
2) formation of fetus in womb from something that "cling". (no gynacology during the time)
3) deep sea and river consist from layers of water, and they both cannot mixed (white water and salt water)

what has not been discovered:
1) 7 stairgate to god (quran surah al-maarij, the ascending stair)
2) a device to cross that gate (its called buraq used by prophet muhamad to go to god's throne to see hell and heaven)
now dont be too dogmatic, the device could be in any form (warping of space and time whatever, its not been discovered) and maybe the hell and heaven is nowhere but in your dream, a persistent one! who knows?

somemore scientific/knowledge based POV:
http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/BibleQuranScience.pdf (http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/BibleQuranScience.pdf)
http://www.speed-light.info/angels_speed_of_light.htm#speed_of_light_12000 (http://www.speed-light.info/angels_speed_of_light.htm#speed_of_light_12000)

and to be fair. this is aethist view to defy it, you may pick what you want to read ;)
http://atheistexperience.blogspot.com/2010/08/quran-and-speed-of-light.html (http://atheistexperience.blogspot.com/2010/08/quran-and-speed-of-light.html)
but for me, what i understand the book will never give a precise figure, speed of light can be given in different unit giving different number, but its there explained... generally. YMMV

food for thought: have you scale yourself to the universe? how tiny you are? to the eyes of the universe? let alone god (assuming one is believing god exists) and do you think you are significant? how significant ants to your eyes? if you walk on a road and realize you stepped on a bunch of ants and dying, will you care to bring all of them to hospital and curse how faulty you are? none i believe, ant is not significant to our eyes (of course they have purpose in macro model of ecosystem) but none i've seen caring ants too much, do you care if they curse you? not as well. so if you live or dead will it make any difference to the universe/god? why do you expect a wealth and then only to accept god existence? or if you are lazy enough to go pray (like me :P), is that a reason to deny god? and be satisfied with "no need to pray"? our physical needs food and care to live, do you think its not the case with your mental and moral aspect? why?



well i think i can write a book now, but is anybody going to buy? i think not. and for some, if you still cannot comprehend it, just treat it as a bedtime story just to make you asleep since you've screwed your (read as my) sleep schedule 3am and wake up late tommorow to work :P

btw: who did transfer all the posts here? excellent!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 16, 2012, 06:50:59 am
LMGDFAO
I can't believe that in this day and age there are still grown up educated, and otherwise intelligent people who believe in such rubbish.

What you saying, Dave? They are everywhere. Turn on your tv and watch our presidents and politicians. They are college educated + brainwashed. What's odd is that they are ahead of us in life and looked up with admiration. We're just lucky the holy books don't tell them that we must sacrifice a virgin every year for good fortune.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: odessa on May 16, 2012, 07:21:59 am
The next great leap in human evolution will be to rid ourselves of religion, all we have to do is get over our fear of death and the unknown. I have never met anyone with 'deeply held' ( ie deeply indocrinated ) beliefs who would even consider the slightest chance that they could be wrong .... it's impossible.

Compare that with a scientist, who could work for years on a belief ... literally their whole life and be proved wrong yet still embrace and welcome a new way of thinking. That's the difference between the two mindsets. I will always have my feet planted in the science camp, but should real, actual physical proof that I am wrong be presented to me I would accept I'm wrong.



ps please don't try to provide me with any, I've heard it all before  :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 07:22:34 am
What you saying, Dave? They are everywhere. Turn on your tv and watch our presidents and politicians.

Unfortunately you are right. Mass delusion reigns supreme   >:(
Because it's good politics, of course...
Less so in politics here thankfully, at least we have an openly atheist prime minster. But of course she doesn't have the balls (metaphorically speaking) to assert the position and still panders to the religious influence  :-[

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 16, 2012, 07:28:55 am
The argument goes, It takes an intelligent being like ourselves to create something like a computer therefore it must take an intelligent being to create us. The other argument is it must take an intelligent god being to create a universe out of a big bang consisting of nothing.

The same logic requires that the intelligent creator being must be created by another intelligent creator being and so infinite-um.

The obvious question one has to ask oneself is who or what created the first creating intelligent creator.

The religious people always just answer that god just is and needs no creator, but if god needs no creator in order to be the supreme intelligence why do we need a god creator in order to be, Its more a case of man created god in his own image than god created man in his.     
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: odessa on May 16, 2012, 07:32:20 am
^^ Exactly ^^
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 16, 2012, 07:50:11 am
Alright. Let's push it a little further...

I remember watching a very disturbing documentary that really shocked me, called "Jesus Camp (2006)" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486358/). It is about child abuse and brainwashing by the American Evangelical Christian community, where is shown how American children are being intellectually immobilized in the name of their "savior." Intellectually immobilized, with the blessings of their parents...

It is very sad to watch how these people turn sweet little children into bloodthirsty militant whackos, awaiting to take lives in the name of their creepy Lord (= owner), and female recruiters ready to use their sexuality in order to sign up yet another clueless victim. It also comes dimly into sight how they make Christians accept the alleged superiority of the Jewish/Zionist people, religion and policies of the self-chosen ones, according to the Abrahamic religions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions). You see, the Tetragrammaton (= YHWH: "he who is") ruled that some people (the Israelites) are more equal that all the others (The Christians, the Muslims and the Heathens) while he has also disinherited some of the others (the Muslims); and this is perfectly accepted by them all --especially by the lesser equal ones...
Does this form of Divide and Conquer make any sense? Of course, it seems it makes perfect sense to all of the others...

For example, what is exactly happening at the occupied Palestinian (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/another-buzz-of-nuclear-weapon-and-america-general-discussion/msg106991/#msg106991) territories? Answer: Ethnic cleansing, where armed religious fanatics are entering the Palestinian land, humiliating the natives, demolishing their houses, occasionally murdering them, and building Jews-only colonies, defying the international laws and blindly following their racist dogmatic agenda. And no one is doing something about it. It is very sad that this situation is perfectly justified in most people's minds because some special people (who say that they hear voices in their heads, and that's alright) claim that "this is God's Will", and that makes ethnic cleansing alright, too, despite of humanity having already accused and convicted the Nazis for doing the same thing to a certain minority (http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=776305&sid=b8acd6b5116b70708214dc64eeb6b9e5#776305) during WWII...
What kind of charade is this?

By the way, I have nothing against the Israeli people; I realise that they are just doing what they are told or forced to do, and I am sure that if their ruthless agitators leave them alone they will find a way to peacefully coexist with the natives.

Taking it a step further, if there is such a thing as the god the religions claim that exists, what kind of a malevolent god would that be, pushing people to live such lives and die such deaths? Ah, please, do not bother to answer that; I've heard it before: He tests the faith of the others, which euphemistically means that someone is trying to keep the fear of the flock alive and kicking...

This is a small piece of advice for anyone really looking for answers in the religious books; even though searching for truths within these absurd myths (sugarcoated with the universally accepted abstract concepts of love and forgiveness) sounds to be a circular reasoning fallacy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy): To become able to understand the so-called Holly Books of those religions, just substitute the word "God" with the word "priesthood". This way, "The God said..." becomes "The priesthood said...," "The God commands you to..." gets "The priesthood commands you to...," "The God decided..." changes to "The priesthood decided...," etc. Using this little trick most of the "holly books" will automatically be deciphered and their contents will become much more clear to the determined observer.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 16, 2012, 09:41:09 am
Now how did we get from a discussion on flowcode to religion ?
That surely must be that darned 'evolution' !

D'oh!

( and why did i get the honor of starting it ? It started way earlier in that thread .. )

Besides, we all know the world is flat, carried by four enormous elephants standing on the back of a turtle... Go read terry pratchetts discworld books ...

And now you have to excuse me my spaghetti is ready and i can't let his noodly appendages get overcooked. May the Farce be with you...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 16, 2012, 10:05:14 am
Okay. So, taking God out of the equation, tell me how you think the universe created itself, out of nothing, remembering that there was NOTHING beforehand. I'm curious...
Ok then, read Lawrence Krauss's book, A Universe From Nothing.
http://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nothing-There-Something-Rather/dp/145162445X (http://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nothing-There-Something-Rather/dp/145162445X)
He is one of the top physicists who are working on that very question.
obviously that was written by a man. granted a top physicist, but still a man.
another postulate (or paradox?)... let say god does exist, and He is supernatural supreme knowledge intelligent. do you think he will let us find Him while he's not intending to?
i believe He can find better place to hide than us can find him. or deceive us into making a law of "something from nothing" and believing it.
or if really he doesnt exist... then either way, we will get.... nothing!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 16, 2012, 10:18:57 am
What you saying, Dave?...We're just lucky the holy books don't tell them that we must sacrifice a virgin every year for good fortune.
What you saying dude? thousands of virgin get sacrificed daily my friend, in a new pleasurable way of men, not just by those idiotic people. and their blood just come to waste, sad :P

Quote from: G7PSK
The same logic requires that the intelligent creator being must be created by another intelligent creator being and so infinite-um.
probably you are right. but its not been told in the holy book.

Quote
why do we need a god creator in order to be, Its more a case of man created god in his own image than god created man in his.
is that so? then why its not a harmony of law that... everything (car home computer etc) is not created, they just poof out of nothing? can we invent free energy out of neomedium magnet? or from nothing at all?

i believe the science said the creation start with.... matter+antimatter=energy, not matter+antimatter=nothing, energy is something, not nothing, just as information processing and information itself.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 16, 2012, 10:35:55 am
What you saying dude? thousands of virgin get sacrificed daily my friend, in a new pleasurable way of men, not just by those idiotic people. and their blood just come to waste, sad :P

?? me no understand. What you do to virgin men again?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: firewalker on May 16, 2012, 10:36:38 am
I don;t know how/what wrote the rules of the cosmos. I know he must have been great engineer or a great TROLL.

Alexander.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 16, 2012, 10:42:54 am
[...]
obviously that was written by a man. granted a top physicist, but still a man.
another postulate (or paradox?)... let say god does exist, and He is supernatural supreme knowledge intelligent. do you think he will let us find Him while he's not intending to?
i believe He can find better place to hide than us can find him. or deceive us into making a law of "something from nothing" and believing it.
or if really he doesnt exist... then either way, we will get.... nothing!
Hide from us?
Deceive us?
Does not exit?

Really, what kind of god is this?


Well, these questions have already been answered 2,300 years ago by Epicurus (341-270 BCE), the Greek atomist philosopher* from Samos. The school he founded in Athens, "The Garden," competed with Plato's "Academy" and Aristotle's "Lyceum" and it was open even to women and slaves. Epicurus believed that knowledge and education were not exclusive privileges of the nobility and that any human being was able to be educated and to thrive in any department, in contrary to the beliefs of his times. He defined social justice as an agreement "neither to harm nor be harmed."

He is also famous for the Epicurean Paradox, where he used to say that god(s) do not interfere in human affairs because if they did everyone would be dead, since people always wish for the death of other people.
His exact words in the famous Epicurean Paradox were:
- Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
- Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
- Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
- Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?


After the official establishment of Christianity by Constantine in 325 CE, Epicureanism was severely repressed, since Epicurus advocated that the greatest good in life was to seek modest pleasures in order to attain a state of tranquility (ataraxia) and freedom from fear (aphobia), as well as absence of bodily pain (aponia) through knowledge of the workings of the world and the limits of one's desires --which, as a philosophy, was the worst enemy of the Abrahamic doctrines (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) that required illiteracy and blind obedience to their fearsome and vengeful god.

But we've been there (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/another-osama-nuclear-bullshit/msg46918/#msg46918) before...


-George



( * ) Epicurus was an Atomist Philosopher. Atomism is the ancient theory of Leucippus (first half of 5th century BCE), Democritus (460-370 BCE) and Epicurus (341-270 BCE), according to which the world consists of two fundamental and opposite, indivisible bodies: Atoms and Void. The Atoms are the simple, minute, indivisible, and indestructible particles that are the basic components of the entire universe. The term Atom derives from the ancient Greek adjective 'atomos,' which literally means uncuttable (from the privative prefix "a" and the verb 'temno' meaning to cut: cannot be cut, not cuttable).
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 10:57:11 am
Like everything else religions exist because they have the right recipe for survival. They exploit part of man's recipe for survival.

Good analogy.
They also tap into vulerability and the warm  fuzzy side of life, like the allure of life after death.

Quote
Hopefully faced with better education and communication in the modern world they will struggle and eventually go the way of the Dodo.

That's inevitable I think. The communications revolution is still in it's infancy in historical time scales, so it'll take a bit more time.
As Christopher Hitchens remarked, religion is in it's death throws.

Here in Oz, the majority of the population barely give religion lip service. It just still plays a traditional role in things like weddings and funerals.
It has had to resort to evangelical style rock music to appeal to the masses and young people these days (Hillsong, just down the road from me). The kids think it's just the best pickup joint...

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 11:04:35 am
The argument goes, It takes an intelligent being like ourselves to create something like a computer therefore it must take an intelligent being to create us. The other argument is it must take an intelligent god being to create a universe out of a big bang consisting of nothing.

The same logic requires that the intelligent creator being must be created by another intelligent creator being and so infinite-um.

The obvious question one has to ask oneself is who or what created the first creating intelligent creator.

The religious people always just answer that god just is and needs no creator, but if god needs no creator in order to be the supreme intelligence why do we need a god creator in order to be, Its more a case of man created god in his own image than god created man in his.   

Carl Sagan said the same thing most eloquently:
Carl Sagan - God And Gods (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeVhkXW6BKY#)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 11:16:08 am
I remember watching a very disturbing documentary that really shocked me

Another clip that will shock you in a different way.
Beware of The God Warrior!  :o
Crazy Christian Lady, Marguerite Perrin on Trading Spouses. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOpva_iit-8#noexternalembed)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 16, 2012, 11:42:45 am
Oh, Dave...

I've just watched that clip and, believe me, it is NOTHING compared to Jesus Camp.

This is about a single mature individual (assuming she still has a choice or her situation is irreversible) who is broken. Jesus Camp is about the massive breaking of healthy, lovely and defenceless little children --for life...

Maybe that Christian lady was a person or the impersonation of someone who had the privilege of having that Jesus Camp or some other equivalent treatment; who knows?

I am not really familiar with the TV shows --especially with the reality shows, as a quick search revealed that the clip in question belongs to the latter ones...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: djsb on May 16, 2012, 11:50:57 am
I have a view that a persons idea's about "God" are derived from their relationship with their parents. I'm still finding my way but I tend to like what Alan Watts has to say on religion etc..
Here he is on existence as a function of relationships

Alan Watts Existence As A Function Of Relationship (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p5-GyXLr0o#)

Not easy to understand as you have to be in a certain frame of mind to understand what he's trying to say, same as most of what he does.

David.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 16, 2012, 12:10:42 pm
I skimmed over this thread, and I can assure you, debates like these always end up in tears. Just a few points I like to make...

Here are some of the most common fallacies made by religious people:

1. They treat science as a belief system, much like they do with religion. Their view is flawed. Science is nothing more than a reverse engineering manual on nature. It is a collection of information that you can use as a tool for engineering, further scientific research, or whatever. Researchers are constantly working on refining this tool. That's it.

2. Scientists are assumed to "believe" in concepts in the same way religious people do. False. Scientists either embrace the current understanding of a theory, or they don't. They don't operate on faith. Basically if something works, then a scientist has no choice but to accept. If something better comes along, scientist make no qualms about dropping the old ideas and adopt new ones.

3. The term "theory" is often mistaken as something, abstract,  fictional, without any basis of reality. Creationists often misuse the "theory" term to discredit scientific concepts. When a scientist theorises, he/she creates a model or a framework that best fits the current observations (i.e., bridging gaps in our knowledge with a foundation of known and verifiable data). This model is tested and refined until it narrows down to a solid answer. A theory is just another tool, much the same way as lab equipment is a tool for an experimental scientist.

4. Creationists always confuse the terms "something being possible" vs "something being probable". One could always entertain the possibility of God's existence, but due to the overwhelming accumulated scientific evidence, we can safely say that God's existence is highly improbable. This fact is very difficult to argue against if you are willing to look at the evidence. Unfortunately, not many people do, either due to lack of understanding, ignorance, or due to sheer pigheadedness.

Finally I'd like to say that everyone should be given the opportunity to believe whatever they want want to believe, on their own accord and in their own time. But please, do not force your beliefs unto others, and do try to exercise tolerance. Do not attempt to pass untested claims as fact, and most of all, do not attempt vandalise science with pseudo-scientific rubbish (e.g.: "intelligent design"). The emphasised part is what I find the most infuriating; and that kind of activity must be stopped at all cost.



Please, if you have the time, watch this video, but if not, cool :-)

Ray Comfort (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVr4Uw1Bvmw#ws)
Hahahah, Ray Comfort is one of the biggest misleading douchebags walking on the planet right now. He is making a career out of spreading utter nonsense and pseudo-scientific rubbish. How can anyone take this man seriously with when he pulls out gems out of his arse like that banana video Dave posted earlier?

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: bazzatron on May 16, 2012, 01:36:57 pm
Dave,
For someone who purports to be a  rabid non believer you sure do seem to have a deep knowledge of the lunatic fringe.

I being an Aussie do take umbridge with your statement that Australians are not interested in God.
Maybe the circles you move in perpetuate that way of thinking or is just convenience that motivates you?

Just to set the record about Aussies straight, i have travelled extensively in this world and the Aussie is renowned by all
and sundry as a gambler prepared to bet on anything. So it occurrs to me surely a gambling man would bet 2 bob eachway
regarding God.You are sure going to be sorry if it turns out that you have got it wrong by backing just one horse for a win mate!

All i am trying to say is each mans belief is a sacred private thing, not something to be  bandied about on chat forums.
But something to be discussed quietly and reverently with regard and humility but above all in the knowledge that we are
for all our achievements weak and feeble men.

How can we hope to progress if we close our minds and seek to close the minds of others by dogmatic opinion?
We must be prepared to listen to others but not if we are talked down to and ridiculed.
Any form of belief can be substantiated by evidence if we look hard enough for it.
The secret is to keep an open mind and not be swayed by so called public opinion.
Seek what it is  important to you and you will form opinions that will work for you but please dont force them on others
for that way lies madness.

Bazzatron  8) :)
 
Ps;- As we used to say "Peace Brothers and Sisters"
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 16, 2012, 01:57:16 pm
Rowan Atkinson LIVE: 01 - A Warm Welcome (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC6UrMTC73A#)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 02:27:19 pm
Dave,
For someone who purports to be a  rabid non believer you sure do seem to have a deep knowledge of the lunatic fringe.

I have an interest in the religion debate, so I read a bit. And I find it hilarious. If I need a laugh, I can just put on a Ray Comfort video!

Quote
I being an Aussie do take umbridge with your statement that Australians are not interested in God.
Maybe the circles you move in perpetuate that way of thinking or is just convenience that motivates you?

Me personally, or Australia in general?
For the country, a lot of factors and history would come into play I'm sure. I'm not even sure if something like that has even been researched in any depth?

Quote
Just to set the record about Aussies straight, i have travelled extensively in this world and the Aussie is renowned by all
and sundry as a gambler prepared to bet on anything. So it occurrs to me surely a gambling man would bet 2 bob eachway
regarding God.You are sure going to be sorry if it turns out that you have got it wrong by backing just one horse for a win mate!

That's famously called Pascal's Wager.
You can't just make yourself believe in something when you don't, that's just, well, bullshit. And surely something a omnipotent god will see right through.

Besides, according to Australia's top Cardinal, atheists have just as much of getting into heaven:
Cardinal Pell said atheists go to heaven (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3v_iBDB5HY#ws)

Original here:
Dawkins and Cardinal Pell on Catholic Dogma (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EzIZ3KwfFA#ws)

Quote
All i am trying to say is each mans belief is a sacred private thing, not something to be  bandied about on chat forums.
But something to be discussed quietly and reverently with regard and humility but above all in the knowledge that we are
for all our achievements weak and feeble men.

How can we hope to progress if we close our minds and seek to close the minds of others by dogmatic opinion?
We must be prepared to listen to others but not if we are talked down to and ridiculed.
Any form of belief can be substantiated by evidence if we look hard enough for it.

I keep asking to see the real evidence, but it's never forthcoming.
Of course, if there was evidence, you wouldn't need faith...

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 16, 2012, 02:29:41 pm
Besides, we all know the world is flat, carried by four enormous elephants standing on the back of a turtle...

And what is the turtle standing on?
Why it's turtles all the way down!

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 16, 2012, 02:35:39 pm
The next great leap in human evolution will be to rid ourselves of religion, all we have to do is get over our fear of death and the unknown.

We certainly know of examples of countries banning religion, and that doesn't work out too well.  Also, there are plenty of religious people who are not afraid of death...suicide bombers sacrificing themselves for their convictions.  I think the important thing is that we continue to move towards basing decisions on evidence.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 16, 2012, 02:45:11 pm
Besides, we all know the world is flat, carried by four enormous elephants standing on the back of a turtle...

And what is the turtle standing on?
Why it's turtles all the way down!

Dave.
That would be the Jack Sparrow version. ( i know there's supposed to be a 'captain' in there somewhere... )

The discworld turtle swims through the universe... the scientifical name for the turtle is Chelys Galactica
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mark on May 16, 2012, 03:25:12 pm
"God loves me" is nice to hear, but what is the value or worth of such love when it is ephemeral and unable to deliver anything but nice feelings?
"Jesus Loves You" is also nice to hear, unless you are in a Mexican Prison. 
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: robrenz on May 16, 2012, 03:26:26 pm
Someone stating, given enough time and under the right circumstances a flight ready 747 could just come together by chance out of all of the correct base materials that exist in an industrial junk yard, would be called an idiot.  Yet stating that we (life) immensely more complex than the 747, just happened out of primordial ooze is considered scientifically sound. ???
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 16, 2012, 03:52:07 pm
Someone stating, given enough time and under the right circumstances a flight ready 747 could just come together by chance out of all of the correct base materials that exist in an industrial junk yard, would be called an idiot.  Yet stating that we (life) immensely more complex than the 747, just happened out of primordial ooze is considered scientifically sound. ???

Absolutely nobody is claiming that humans just happened out of the primordial ooze.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: robrenz on May 16, 2012, 03:55:43 pm
Sorry I forgot about the smithsonian institute statue of the rat that we evolved from. ;D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 16, 2012, 03:59:22 pm
Someone stating, given enough time and under the right circumstances a flight ready 747 could just come together by chance out of all of the correct base materials that exist in an industrial junk yard, would be called an idiot.  Yet stating that we (life) immensely more complex than the 747, just happened out of primordial ooze is considered scientifically sound. ???

Hahah, straw man argument, and you know it. ;) You can certainly argue that man made machines, such as a 747 are not self-organising, nor it are they capable of self-assembling. The simplest of life forms are 100% autonomous and use chemistry to assemble themselves. The basic constituents for life (such as amino acids) have been proven to exist in hostile natural environments (outside cellular organisms). Some of this stuff was even found in meteorites! Given the abundance of such raw materials and the fact that his planet happens to be in an ideal orbital zone around the sun, life had approximately 3,800,000,000 years to assemble and then eventually evolve into something as complex as we see today. It only takes just a few successfully "assembled" cellular organisms in a sheltered environment to populate the whole globe.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: bazzatron on May 16, 2012, 04:02:27 pm
Quote
I have an interest in the religion debate, so I read a bit. And I find it hilarious. If I need a laugh, I can just put on a Ray Comfort video!

Good to see you have an interest in these matters, hilarity is only a small part of a much larger serious whole though, after all we are talking here of your final destination.

Quote
Me personally, or Australia in general?
For the country, a lot of factors and history would come into play I'm sure. I'm not even sure if something like that has even been researched in any depth?

We should be careful when making sweeping general statements because it implies we are privy to knowledge others do not have, giving a condescending impression .
When visiting  Adelaide SA one cannot help but be amazed at the number of churches built in the city both old and new.What i mean is research in depth is not that necessary when the evidence for worship is all around us , all we have to do is open our eyes and see it.

Quote
That's famously called Pascal's Wager.
You can't just make yourself believe in something when you don't, that's just, well, bullshit. And surely something a omnipotent god will see right through. Besides, according to Australia's top Cardinal, atheists have just as much of getting into heaven:


You can conveniently disregard basic logic but you do so at your own peril.Pascal`s Wager is not famous rather it is infamous.

You can make yourself believe in anything when you don`t when you arrive at the point where you see it as truth, thats just,well, faith.An omnipotent God sees right through everything there is no "surely".

Australia`s Top Cardinal, for all his high office and grand title, is just like the rest of us a fallible human, what could have ever caused him to presume to know who will enter Heaven?Only God knows or will ever know who is to enter Heaven,be he sinner or saint.Presumption in any form is wrought with danger in this case danger of an eternal nature.It seems to me an unwise choice on your part to quote this man as a valid argument, his statements are in  the very least arrogant and at the worst dangerous for him and others he influences.


[/quote]
I keep asking to see the real evidence, but it's never forthcoming.
Of course, if there was evidence, you wouldn't need faith...[/quote]

"Doubting Thomas" had the same problem with evidence.Paul`s evidence arrived when he was on the road to Damascus to destroy Christ`s followers, in the form of temporary blindness and a fundamental change to his heart and intentions.
The evidence is there for you if you ask the right people and listen with a open heart.
Throwaway lines are easy, just be sure before you use them that it is not yourself that is thrownaway.
Christianity is the only belief that demands you accept it on Faith.God alone decides if you require or receive evidence.


 :) Bazzatron. 8)

Ps:- "Walk with Faith in the Light of God"


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Time on May 16, 2012, 04:14:18 pm
I always wondered why religious people believe in a creator as the reason for all existence as if its satisfactorily definitive.  "We didn't come from nothing, we were created by God!"

Couldn't one simply than ask, "Well where did the creator or god come from?"   Maybe some pious zealot here can shed some light as to why this never comes up.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: T4P on May 16, 2012, 05:12:28 pm
I always wondered why religious people believe in a creator as the reason for all existence as if its satisfactorily definitive.  "We didn't come from nothing, we were created by God!"

Couldn't one simply than ask, "Well where did the creator or god come from?"   Maybe some pious zealot here can shed some light as to why this never comes up.

One will most certainly get thrown in jail for "Citing Religious Racism" by asking that, at least here
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Kremmen on May 16, 2012, 05:12:55 pm
Someone stating, given enough time and under the right circumstances a flight ready 747 could just come together by chance out of all of the correct base materials that exist in an industrial junk yard, would be called an idiot.  Yet stating that we (life) immensely more complex than the 747, just happened out of primordial ooze is considered scientifically sound. ???
So you slept hibernated through the semester in school when they covered evolution, mutation and natural selection? Ah sorry yes, they are reversing the calendar in the US school system - back to the middle ages. I smile at such ignorance, but only because the alternative would be to weep. I'm sure i am not alone.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Kremmen on May 16, 2012, 05:17:51 pm
[...]
Christianity is the only belief that demands you accept it on Faith.God alone decides if you require or receive evidence.

Ps:- "Walk with Faith in the Light of God"

Really? How about Islam and Allah? No faith there at all? Allah has outsourced Paradise to God, maybe?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: odessa on May 16, 2012, 05:18:09 pm
The next great leap in human evolution will be to rid ourselves of religion, all we have to do is get over our fear of death and the unknown.

We certainly know of examples of countries banning religion, and that doesn't work out too well.  Also, there are plenty of religious people who are not afraid of death...suicide bombers sacrificing themselves for their convictions.  I think the important thing is that we continue to move towards basing decisions on evidence.

I didn't mean banning religion, I mean't 'growing up' as a species and leaving it in the past where it belongs. As for suicide bombers not fearing death, they don't fear it because they don't believe they are going to die... rather they will be transported to heaven to have sex with 72 virgins. An idiotic belief so strongly held they are willing to kill and be killed.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: david77 on May 16, 2012, 05:24:52 pm
I really wanted to stay away from this but it seems there's good fun to be had.

Good to see you have an interest in these matters, hilarity is only a small part of a much larger serious whole though, after all we are talking here of your final destination.

What is this final destination you're talking about? Probably Heaven or Hell, right?
As far as I'm concerned they could fling my dead body into a ditch, I wouldn't mind at that point.


"Doubting Thomas" had the same problem with evidence.Paul`s evidence arrived when he was on the road to Damascus to destroy Christ`s followers, in the form of temporary blindness and a fundamental change to his heart and intentions.
The evidence is there for you if you ask the right people and listen with a open heart.

You're not saying we should accept what's written in a book as proof that god exists, are you?
Next you're telling me that Maria's immaculate conception was real and she was not just playing with the milkman while Joseph was away on a building site or something  :o.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: robrenz on May 16, 2012, 05:27:14 pm
So you slept hibernated through the semester in school when they covered evolution, mutation and natural selection? Ah sorry yes, they are reversing the calendar in the US school system - back to the middle ages. I smile at such ignorance, but only because the alternative would be to weep. I'm sure i am not alone.

I firmly believe in evolution, mutation and natural selection.  Just not as how we came about were created. :)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 16, 2012, 05:29:30 pm
Someone stating, given enough time and under the right circumstances a flight ready 747 could just come together by chance out of all of the correct base materials that exist in an industrial junk yard, would be called an idiot.  Yet stating that we (life) immensely more complex than the 747, just happened out of primordial ooze is considered scientifically sound. ???

Absolutely nobody is claiming that humans just happened out of the primordial ooze.

I should have been more clear.  Science is not claiming that humans just happened out of the primordial ooze.

Religion, however, does make this claim.  Adam came from dirt.  Eve came from Adam's rib.  Tall tales indeed!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 16, 2012, 05:36:43 pm
What the Muslims don't realize is that all virgins look like Susan Boyle, The Catholics don't really believe that God will protect them and all of the promises in the bible have not come about.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: tinhead on May 16, 2012, 05:37:09 pm
v
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 16, 2012, 05:41:10 pm
How dare they claim incest is wrong when Adam and Eve's children are humping each others!

If only they question things will they ever wake up. After Adam and Eve the next logical conclusion is INCEST and LOTS OF IT!

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 16, 2012, 06:00:04 pm
How dare they claim incest is wrong when Adam and Eve's children are humping each others!

If only they question things will they ever wake up. After Adam and Eve the next logical conclusion is INCEST and LOTS OF IT!

And not only did the Adam and Eve family do it.  Noah did it too!  (Which makes the whole "so-and-so begat so-and-so" thing rather pointless if they all get wiped out in a flood.)  So they've given us not one, but TWO examples telling us to commit incest.  It must be really important.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Kremmen on May 16, 2012, 06:24:52 pm
So you slept hibernated through the semester in school when they covered evolution, mutation and natural selection? Ah sorry yes, they are reversing the calendar in the US school system - back to the middle ages. I smile at such ignorance, but only because the alternative would be to weep. I'm sure i am not alone.

I firmly believe in evolution, mutation and natural selection.  Just not as how we came about were created. :)
OK, putting wiseassing to the side - how is it possible that you do not? You mean that a hypothetical higher being created just us but all the rest happened naturally? And this doesn't strike you the least bit ... odd? I forget the exact percentage in the DNA code that separates us from the chimps but it is like less than one percent. Even things like yeasts share something like half of their genetic code with us.
To me it is a great source of joy and comfort that all life is one family, and there is a crushing mass of proof that this is indeed the case. It would be a sad thing indeed if man was somehow excluded from the great tree of life. How someone can think that it would be a good thing and above all, believe in such a separation facing all the evidence is beyond me. I pity their closed mind. I am sure they are comfortable in their belief and i won't waste time arguing the case. But it is the comfort of a padded cell.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 16, 2012, 06:46:59 pm
Mikek, good one. I didn't see the NOAH one coming  :o

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: robrenz on May 16, 2012, 07:08:23 pm
OK, putting wiseassing to the side - how is it possible that you do not? You mean that a hypothetical higher being created just us but all the rest happened naturally?

Quote
No, I think God created all of it. Evolution, mutation and natural selection can and does exist but that does not prove that God did not create the starting point.  I also don't believe that evolution, mutation and natural selection occur uniformly and continuously on everything

And this doesn't strike you the least bit ... odd? I forget the exact percentage in the DNA code that separates us from the chimps but it is like less than one percent. Even things like yeasts share something like half of their genetic code with us.
To me it is a great source of joy and comfort that all life is one family, and there is a crushing mass of proof that this is indeed the case. It would be a sad thing indeed if man was somehow excluded from the great tree of life. How someone can think that it would be a good thing and above all, believe in such a separation facing all the evidence is beyond me.

Quote
It strikes me as perfectly logical that duplication and similarities would exist in things created by the same designer/builder

I pity their closed mind. I am sure they are comfortable in their belief and i won't waste time arguing the case. But it is the comfort of a padded cell.

27 years ago my mantra was "religion is a mental crutch for spineless wimps who can't cope with life without it". I mocked Christians at every chance I had.  I was Paul before his encounter with God.  Then I had my own encounter,  wasn't looking for it. It just happened.  After that the bible was a living document that was speaking directly to me.  It was not a intellectual decision based on study or logic. I was not brainwashed by some religious group. God had just gotten through to me.  Sorry but I can't go back now.

I know from my own experience that trying to "save" someone or prove the existence of God by argument or logic is a waste of time.  All the attempts to convince me only raised my defenses.  I am not trying to convince anyone now either. I also don"t think I have "arrived" or am better than those who don't believe.  Its kind of like how political parties can't understand how the other party can think like they do.

Thanks for having a civil discussion.
robrenz

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 16, 2012, 07:23:29 pm
- Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
- Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
evil is his creation. he let it loose so men can choose to follow evil or god.

- Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
you can kill somebody (innocent or criminal) if you want to, but you are not willing. are you malevolent?

- Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?[/i]
he's able and willing. willing to do, and willing not to do.

What you saying dude? thousands of virgin get sacrificed daily my friend, in a new pleasurable way ofby men, not just by those idiotic people. and their blood just come to waste, sad :P
?? me no understand. What you do to virgin men again?
i said virgin girls get sacrificed by men/boys everyday... get fucked (sacrificed = get fucked, hymen get torn apart, blood splattered around, get fucked without proper bondage (marriage)), of course some people dont call it sacrifice, they call it fun and moral ;)

Besides, we all know the world is flat, carried by four enormous elephants standing on the back of a turtle...
And what is the turtle standing on?
Why it's turtles all the way down!
Dave.
if we based on narrow view of human and knowledge, and this kind of question will come out including the funny turtle and elephant. ok our religion didnt say anything about turtle. but if we say... we are standing on earth, then we may question what earth standing on then? another earth? as science proved its not the case. but when its not proven by science, then people can come up with funny question. dont you think we are hilarious in the eye of supreme intelligent? ie more intelligent creature than us? those who already know what gravity standing on? of course we can always mock around on something we (science) dont know.

How dare they claim incest is wrong when Adam and Eve's children are humping each others!
If only they question things will they ever wake up. After Adam and Eve the next logical conclusion is INCEST and LOTS OF IT!
And not only did the Adam and Eve family do it.  Noah did it too!  (Which makes the whole "so-and-so begat so-and-so" thing rather pointless if they all get wiped out in a flood.)  So they've given us not one, but TWO examples telling us to commit incest.  It must be really important.

Couldn't one simply than ask, "Well where did the creator or god come from?"   Maybe some pious zealot here can shed some light as to why this never comes up.
i'm not zios pielot and the real answer is more complex than this (at least not within my domain of knowledge) but i can give an analogy or situation.

let assume you are intelligent enough to build a "actual intelligent robot" one male one female. and send them to mars. you told the robot.. "my name is "Time" (semantically means God) i created both of you and be lived on mars, the male i call you "robot adam", the female i call you "robot eve". you can fuck and ask your son and daugther to fuck (incest) because its the only way you can multiply. you cannot hope for evolution for you to multiply (which one time in the future one robot will come out with evolution theory because he can but not true). its just exception for you and your children. your children's children then can fuck their cousin but not their sibling so on and on down the generation, they then can find their proper mate in hierarchy but not incest anymore since they can have many option then

so the robots live in mars, fucking each other, have childrens and grandchildrens and pass down the story about their god called "Time". long after many thousands of generations, the robot colony have gathered more collective knowledge and become more intelligent, formulate an evolution theory and start questioning God (Time). the robot say, if we are created by God (Time), then who created "Time"? and of course the robot will never have the answer because the "Time" havent told them in the first place, and he (Time) decided not to, since its irrelevant to the domain of robot knowledge. so the robot may start to come up with funny assumption this and that and become hilarious.

and then if somehow the robot become more intelligent and be able to build another type of robot, and tell the same story and send them to pluto, the same questioning will happen again and again until eternity. so the point is... you may ask who created God, its not something within your/our domain/knowledge to ask (but we actually can. we demand/claim that we should be as you have shown/question). but since we havent been told by God who created him, so we come up with anykind of (funny) answer/assumption.

Really? How about Islam and Allah? No faith there at all? Allah has outsourced Paradise to God, maybe?
Allah is God. only muslim call it 'Allah' it means God, just under another name. so "Allah has outsourced Paradise to God" is an irrelevant statement.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Time on May 16, 2012, 08:29:30 pm
... since its irrelevant to the domain of robot knowledge. so the robot may start to come up with funny assumption this and that and become hilarious.

...

Ahh yes, the ever so reliable religious fallback of, "It is gods world and only he knows".  Should have seen that one coming.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Kremmen on May 16, 2012, 08:56:02 pm
I hope i get my quotations correctly...


OK, putting wiseassing to the side - how is it possible that you do not? You mean that a hypothetical higher being created just us but all the rest happened naturally?

No, I think God created all of it. Evolution, mutation and natural selection can and does exist but that does not prove that God did not create the starting point.  I also don't believe that evolution, mutation and natural selection occur uniformly and continuously on everything
Quote

And this doesn't strike you the least bit ... odd? I forget the exact percentage in the DNA code that separates us from the chimps but it is like less than one percent. Even things like yeasts share something like half of their genetic code with us.
To me it is a great source of joy and comfort that all life is one family, and there is a crushing mass of proof that this is indeed the case. It would be a sad thing indeed if man was somehow excluded from the great tree of life. How someone can think that it would be a good thing and above all, believe in such a separation facing all the evidence is beyond me.

It strikes me as perfectly logical that duplication and similarities would exist in things created by the same designer/builder

Quote
I pity their closed mind. I am sure they are comfortable in their belief and i won't waste time arguing the case. But it is the comfort of a padded cell.

27 years ago my mantra was "religion is a metal crutch for spineless wimps who can't cope with life without it". I mocked Christians at every chance I had.  I was Paul before his encounter with God.  Then I had my own encounter,  wasn't looking for it. It just happened.  After that the bible was a living document that was speaking directly to me.  It was not a intellectual decision based on study or logic. I was not brainwashed by some religious group. God had just gotten through to me.  Sorry but I can't go back now.

I know from my own experience that trying to "save" someone or prove the existence of God by argument or logic is a waste of time.  All the attempts to convince me only raised my defenses.  I am not trying to convince anyone now either. I also don"t think I have "arrived" or am better than those who don't believe.  Its kind of like how political parties can't understand how the other party can think like they do.

Thanks for having a civil discussion.
robrenz
Please consider the following more an expression of my beliefs than direct argument against yours.
Basically the grand origin of Everything is unknowable. For starters, why is there something instead of there being nothing? But since there is something and we are proof of it, how does it follow that there must be a creator? As pointed earlier in this thread, it is a recursive question. If life, universe and everything was created by some omnipotent being, who then created that being or how did that being come to be, out of nothing? Any mechanism is equally applicable to the universe directly, without this being in between. If said being existed "always" or out of the concept of time, then so might the hypothetical fireball engine that spits forth universes. To me the question of origin is one and the same with or without a god. Occam's razor favors the simpler explanation.

Regarding evolution, certainly what you say is possible and true in many cases. As to god starting it all, while possible in the purely logical sense, assuming a god exists in the first place, it is not a necessary condition. Creating life from kitchen chemicals in a lab has not been a great success so far. But then the chemists haven't filled oceans with stuff for millions of years either. While the actual event of abiogenesis or life springing from inanimate matter has not been demonstrated (yet) it in no way puts the mechanism and fact of evolution in doubt. That evolution is a fact is proven by actual observation of it happening. Credit to you for not denying that.

I don't really have an argument with people's individual faiths and beliefs. I have mine, others have theirs. But when it gets organized and policies are created and action taken based on faith, not facts then it is time to get worried.
While atheist, i come from a Lutheran protestant culture that abhors idolatry. From that background the organization of say the catholic church is a fabulous monstrosity with its saints and Mary cult and religious orders and whatnot. Talk about an inverted pyramid resting on a vanishing point. They have certainly created a lot of art and architecture and i confess it is significant purely in the secular sense. Also i admire the way they can shed responsibility - just confess to everything, say a few hails to this and that and all is forgiven. Must be good for one's mental wellbeing. Ok, the Lutherans consider all fun a sin anyway so hard to say who's better off there. But at least we still have a triple a credit rating and no risk of being kicked out of the euro union.
Ok if there was a point maybe it was that if an organized religion controls your opinions and actions you are hardly better than a middle east terrorist, whatever the walk of life where you express those opinions and do those actions. Because that's what they do.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 16, 2012, 08:57:58 pm
Chimps have about 97% of the DNA we have, but what makes us US is not so much the different DNA but more of the same. Somewhere about 4 to 6 million years ago the gene SRGAP2a duplicated itself giving our ancestors double SRGAP2a/SRGAP2b then about two and half million years ago the double gene doubled up again giving us 4XSRGAP/SRGAP2b/SRAP2c this is the gene that allows the neurons in the neocortex to expand. It made the spines that neurons use to exchange information with other cells grow thicker and longer and in greater numbers. I don't see that a god is required for this and it still leaves us the problem of if there is a god who the hell created it/him/her. If you have to have cause and effect created by an entity it has to go all the way back or your logic falls flat.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 16, 2012, 09:04:28 pm
so the robots live in mars, fucking each other, have childrens and grandchildrens and pass down the story about their god called "Time".

you're so silly, mechatrommer, talking about robot fucking..... This is a bad example because we don't have emotion towards robots. Watch those cartoon on tv lately, robots are killed left and right. Robot incest that is nothing.

Mechatrommer, your story is okay, but you forget that the story of "god" could be made up then passed down the generation. UNLESS.... robot are incapable of this.

And why would a "robot colony [that] have gathered more collective knowledge and become more intelligent" would want to believe a story that is passed down from "the older robot colony [which] have less collective knowledge and is less intelligent?"

ROBOT INCEST ROBOT INCEST ROBOT INCEST ROBOT INCEST ROBOT INCEST ROBOT INCEST, see nobody is offended by robot incest.

The holy book shows a god demanding incest to be performed between fathers and daughters, mother and son, brothers and sisters, uncle and nieces. Incest isn't "the only way you can multiply" back then. If only he could only create extra humans. Incest than will not have occurred. Don't forget pedophilia is also present.

The story god and the bible god are different. One is all knowing and all powerful. He should have foreseen incest and created more humans in a mere thought.




Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 16, 2012, 09:15:08 pm
My pet theory from my school days was that Christianity and more specifically the roman catholic church was created by the Romans when they realized their empire had outgrown govern ability and could no longer be held together by brute force alone. So they created the church which ruled the empire by being part civil service and tax collector and part religious entity which endeavored to keep the populace in line with dire threats to their well being and partly by pacification of their fears which was also being stoked at the same time. This make the Vatican to be ruling the longest running empire of all time.   
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 16, 2012, 11:30:36 pm
you're so silly, mechatrommer, talking about robot fucking..... This is a bad example because we don't have emotion towards robots. Watch those cartoon on tv lately, robots are killed left and right. Robot incest that is nothing.
here, you have to use up all bit of your imagination, not only what have been taught directly to you, but you need to expand it yourself, thats how human works, thats how scientists discover new things ;). i said, "let say" we are able to create "true intelligent"... now its seem its hard for you to understand semaphores...

try this.. read back my story... change Time -> God, Robot -> human, Mars -> Earth. still doesnt that make sense to you? but infact you already got it somewhere by stating.... "we don't have emotion towards robots", now change we -> god, robot to -> human. should i rephrase?

"god dont have emotion towards human" you said it not me, but that doesnt change the fact he does exist (if he does), infact you've given god a bad image by saying god dont care about us. you drink not salty water, your home is not so hot, you can bath and eat delicious food, not rotten tree branch, and yet you believe its nothing, its come from evolution and human created it whatever. do you know the word "wise" and "wisdom" have been evolving in term of its meaning during a period of time? ;)

Quote
He should have foreseen incest and created more humans in a mere thought
and why do you expect Him to care? its in his own right. incest or not incest. incest doesnt reveal massive atomic energy to atmosphere? infact you do it who cares? but somehow there's something about incest that will give negative impact to humanity be it heredity, morality, spirituality or physically who knows? i believe, He let incest going rampant (exagerration here :P) is.... by design! for some unknown reason or nonsensical to our knowledge and understanding. but keep faith ;) scientists are looking for it... the reason why.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: lowimpedance on May 16, 2012, 11:56:06 pm
Hmm
 I suspect the gene pool might have been a little small perhaps!.
Maybe that explains everything :D.
 Quite an interesting thread

Apart from hacking low cost digital CRO's, Religion and who wants to be an Engineer get the most interest  ;D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 17, 2012, 12:02:11 am
we are talking here of your final destination.
wormfood / fishfood or ashes ...

What is the purpose in life ? To be happy and productive. Do no harm ,help where you can and generally try to enjoy yourself. When you die it is over. If you are short-changing yourself because you hope to get a better 'afterlife' .... not very smart.
And don't let anyone convince you that ' its ok to be poor and have misery , you will be rewarded in the afterlife' , especially if at the same time they ask for a donation...

I don't care if you believe in God / Gods / Flying spaghetti monsters / The Force / Eywa / treespirits or whatever. And i am not mocking anyone. To each his own beliefs. And i respect that. No problem. Do as you please.

But , here is the part i DO have a problem with : ORGANIZED religion. It's all about MONEY , POWER and CONTROL.

Look at everything that has been done in the name of god , and all the misdeeds performed by religious organisations. And its not just one religion : all of them. Look at northern ireland between christians and protestants .. look at palestina , look at the muslim world : Sunnies vs Sji-ites. Heck even INSIDE one religion they are battling each other in the name of the SAME god.... Look at the Roman Catholic church with their painting over of childabuse... They sit on piles of money , the pope walks around in 100.000$ prada shoes and drinks out of solid gold cups...
Jesus Christ was a carpenter , walked in sandals and a 'carpet' and drank out of a wooden or stone bowl ...

I know one thing :
If the Roman catholic God does exist, and he would show up in Rome ... the whole of the vatican would be the first against the wall... due to all the misdeeds they done and still do. And the same goes for all the other gods and religions. Let, for each religion, have their god show up and make judgement of the 'controlcenter' of his/her respective religions.... The're won't be anything left. The sheer amount of misdeeds done in 'deiities names' is enough to warrant the obliteration of them. Let's go on crusades , let's send little kids into minefields carrying a little plastic key to the 'paradise', lets suppress women , let's hate people that do not belong to our religion or believe in our god. Let's declare the pope infallible and then, when he declared something we (the puppeteers) didn't like , dig his corpse up , put it back on the throne , recant the thing, and cut the corpse up and burn it so nobodoy can undo what we just undid...
You do know why the mandate of celibacy was created right ? So that the earthly posession of priest would not go to their offspring but would go to the 'church' to enrich it further ...

One of the heighest commandments is 'love thy neighbour as thyself. Share , do not envy . And it gets trodden on over and over and over..

It's not the individual that goes to church / mosque / whatever and prays , and gives to charity. It's the puppeteers at the top. They don't even follow their own rules, and they always have an explanation in their favor. They twist and turn as their own satan in a vat of holy water... Those are the true evil in the world. Add they can't be controlled by governments... they are outside the law ... above it , beyond it. And in some cases they are the government ...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: robrenz on May 17, 2012, 12:15:37 am
@ Kremmen

We are not that far apart on many things.  Religions are not imune to the effects of human nature and large organization.
The only rules/guidance I need and attempt to follow is in the book.

Regards, robrenz
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 17, 2012, 12:48:11 am
The only rules/guidance I need and attempt to follow is in the book.

I hope not!
There are many horrible things in that book! (and the new one too, let along the far worse "old" one)
Hopefully you are one of those who like to use their own morals to pick'n'chose the good bits...  ::)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 17, 2012, 01:02:18 am
I hope not!
There are many horrible things in that book! (and the new one too, let along the far worse "old" one)
Hopefully you are one of those who like to use their own morals to pick'n'chose the good bits...  ::)
Dave.
and have you studied/look at the latest version muslim holy book quran? i believe its the latest after bible (old or new tastement) since in there mentioning about bible, but not in the bible mentioning about quran. let me relink again here...
http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/BibleQuranScience.pdf (http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/BibleQuranScience.pdf)
the study has been done by french doctor, i'm not sure if he's religious or not. the download link is free, you dont have to pay a cent ;)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 17, 2012, 01:06:06 am
I don't care if you believe in God / Gods / Flying spaghetti monsters / The Force / Eywa / treespirits or whatever. And i am not mocking anyone. To each his own beliefs. And i respect that. No problem. Do as you please.

But , here is the part i DO have a problem with : ORGANIZED religion. It's all about MONEY , POWER and CONTROL.

Ditto.
Anyone is free to believe what they want to believe, and by all means go and shout it in the street and on forums, that's your business, and your right.
But just don't proselytise to me, or my child. Keep it out of the schools, don't expect government tax free status and favor because of it, keep it out of politics, and don't expect any special treatment because of what you believe.

For the record, I actually have no problem at all with theists or spiritalists et.al, because they are just lofty individualistic ideas. But the organised religions and their holy books, whilst often well intentioned, are in fact, just plain batshit silly.

And also do understand that many people will think you may be a bit nuts and/or deluded if you believe in what the organised religions and these holy books tell you, because quite frankly, the stories are hilarious, border on the ridiculous, and are clearly just re-hashes of older fables.
And please be ware that you have no right to be "respected" for your beliefs. If your beliefs are obviously silly, there is a very good chance you will get laughed at, and for very good reasons. Just as if you went around saying you believe in Ra the sun god, or Thor, or Elvis, or any one of the countless gods that have been worshiped over the eons.
To think that the Judeo-Christian god and it's holy books are in some way any different to the countless others, is just plain wishful thinking.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 17, 2012, 01:21:01 am
Someone stating, given enough time and under the right circumstances a flight ready 747 could just come together by chance out of all of the correct base materials that exist in an industrial junk yard, would be called an idiot.  Yet stating that we (life) immensely more complex than the 747, just happened out of primordial ooze is considered scientifically sound. ???
So you slept hibernated through the semester in school when they covered evolution, mutation and natural selection? Ah sorry yes, they are reversing the calendar in the US school system - back to the middle ages. I smile at such ignorance, but only because the alternative would be to weep. I'm sure i am not alone.

Yes, it's sad.
And the amount of scientific ignorance in robrenz's statement is stunning, but I'm afraid very common. Just like other common religious apologetic misconceptions, like the meaning of the word theory etc.
And of course no offense to robrenz implied, there is nothing wrong with being wrong and lacking knowledge on what is a technical subject matter. And highly technical one at that if you actually want to get into the nitty gritty of how life evolved over billions of years.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 17, 2012, 01:28:44 am
Australia`s Top Cardinal, for all his high office and grand title, is just like the rest of us a fallible human, what could have ever caused him to presume to know who will enter Heaven?Only God knows or will ever know who is to enter Heaven,be he sinner or saint.Presumption in any form is wrought with danger in this case danger of an eternal nature.It seems to me an unwise choice on your part to quote this man as a valid argument

I was taking the piss, not making a factual argument.
Newsflash - there almost certainly is no heaven to go to.
And by "almost certainly", I mean half a bee's dick of a chance, bugger all, sweet FA.
And for it to be the christian heaven, just one of countless afterlife stories throughout human existence? - even less chance again...

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 17, 2012, 01:32:01 am
To think that the Judeo-Christian god and it's holy books are in some way any different to the countless others, is just plain wishful thinking.

Yep.  I think this gets lost on many people.  We deride Greek and Roman mythology - we even call it MYTHology - but it was real as rocks to those people.  What if Constantine (I think?) didn't convert to Christianity and the Roman Empire didn't fall?...They'd still be believing in their gods.  Would that then make their religion more true?  It was the Jews who got the idea to get rid of plural gods and come up with a single god.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 17, 2012, 01:45:32 am
Yep.  I think this gets lost on many people.  We deride Greek and Roman mythology - we even call it MYTHology - but it was real as rocks to those people.  What if Constantine (I think?) didn't convert to Christianity and the Roman Empire didn't fall?...They'd still be believing in their gods.  Would that then make their religion more true?  It was the Jews who got the idea to get rid of plural gods and come up with a single god.

And who's to say for example that the Australian Aboriginal dreamtime stories aren't true?
We call them stories and myths, because they sound so obviously silly based on modern knowledge. But does adam and eve, the talking snake, the burning bush, the stone tablets, the sun stopping, and noah et.al fair any better? To a modern educated person with no religious indoctrination, many of the stories are just as equally fanciful as the christian stories. But they do seem to fair a bit better because they are more "human".

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 17, 2012, 02:12:31 am
Exactly, Mike and Dave!

Being studying my native language, as I have adapted the etymology as one of my most beloved and enlightening hobbies, let me say that the term "myth" is an English transliteration of the Classical Greek noun mythos or mytheuma (I am sorry but the forum database does not support Greek characters), which actually mean narration, logos; and this was the way for the information to pass from generation to generation, before writing was invented. It is the Church Inc. that distorted the meaning of that term (amongst lots of other ones) in order to discredit the Hellenic inheritance as fables. It is funny though that the Greek language had already have a special term for the fables, still used today: paramythion = para (= beside, beyond) + mythos, meaning imaginary myth.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 17, 2012, 02:41:27 am
Since I can see that a message with critical information and answers about the ways of manipulation of humans by other humans does not get any attention by just linking to it, I think I should repost that information:


Let me present you one of the best reads I have had in the last two decades, since I begun surfing the WWW. Having been studying History myself, especially the little details omitted from the mainstream history books, I could not find any unverifiable claims within that fine work. Furthermore, according to my personal views there are no panaceas; there are no absolute truths, since this is the very definition of the dogmas. But this is an excellent work describing eloquently the ways people have been using to manipulate other people from the dawn of humanity until our days.

This is a free book by Stefan Molyneux under the sarcastic title "The Handbook of Human Ownership: A Manual for New Tax Farmers (http://www.fdrurl.com/HHO_PDF)." It is about the history of human exploitation by other humans; it is a rather indigestible piece of work, verbalised in the second person singular as a monologue of an archon (a ruler) giving advices to a newly anointed politician about the duties and the benefits of his new position. Actually, this book is the sequel of his introduction to the concept of Human Ownership, this ancient institution that proudly lives even today, in the age of information...


Now, since videos seem to be quite more easily digestible that books, here are two documentaries by Stefan Molyneux on the concept of Human Ownership that I would unreservedly recommend to anyone to watch:

1. The Story of Your Enslavement (The concept of Human Ownership) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbp6umQT58A#ws)
and

2. The Handbook of Human Ownership: A Manual for New Tax Farmers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k67_imEHTPE#)


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 17, 2012, 05:36:27 am
Roger Waters on religious dogma
Waters-What God Wants Part 1(promo video) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7HRvaxHmkI#ws)
Roger Waters - What God Wants (Part II) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjOONfbaH4M#ws)

Richard Dawkins on the disease
The Virus of Faith (1/5) - Richard Dawkins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scarHc8RA0g#ws)

Bill Mahr
RELIGULOUS Bill Maher Full Documentary Film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f8fMmMhwRg#noexternalembed-ws)

It is hard to say it better than these guys.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Vredstein on May 17, 2012, 05:48:03 am
Putting my two cents out there would be like trying a little "H". The story never ends with "happily ever after." Seen enough damage done to know better. No way. Nope. Ain't gonna settle nothin'. Ain't gonna change a single mind. If you don't realize this, you have no business being near a live wire.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: TriodeTiger on May 17, 2012, 07:05:05 am
We've not a clue if other another universe exists where there are no molecules, atoms or concepts of time, why we are conscious, if any of this is actually happening or we just perceive it as happening. We use our reality's tools to understand our reality, and in doing so we are limited to the bounds it has and we can go no further. Speculation, "top scientists" are completely worthless and just a single point in time to understand more of our reality and not why it is here or had happened. It could have been completely different before the universe was created, and every theory (big bang, ...) would be invalidated and specific to just where we are now. If there were no mass or particles in another universe it was created by something else, and our big bang theories are completely specific to us and do not disprove a creator.

Certainly, in ancient times religion was developed. Certainly every one of them could be wrong, that just clouds the debate with bashing scriptures and inferring faith is bad because we are taught to believe in Santa or the bible, it is all irrelevant and possibly very specific to our times and not before this all happened.

I've no clue why I wrote this, or did I? Is our goal to know everything? Everything could be false in infinite other cases where everything we know does not apply.

It is impossible to know unless "he" gives of an answer (which will be forgotten, and unknown to anyone else in the universe, speculated, found to be something tangible and shoved aside as false), so until then, both God and no God are correct and our arguments do not make sense.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 17, 2012, 07:34:57 am
both God and no God are correct and our arguments do not make sense.

Both cases are possible, but both cases are not equally likely, not by a long shot!
We reason almost everything in this world using evidence and processes of science.
And if we apply the same standard of evidence for religion stories and god, the answer is that god(s) almost certainly doesn't exist, as there is essentially zero real evidence for him/it/they.
And every educated religious person will readily admit there is little to no real testable evidence for their god, and hence that is why they call it faith. And of course there is nothing wrong with holding a faith position if you so desire. But believing in something does not increase the likelihood of it actually being true over and above the evidence.

If a bookmaker ran the odds, backing there is no god would be even money.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 17, 2012, 07:57:17 am
The passion of the religious types arguing their case here reminds me of Dave's old blog about audiophoolery.

Once they are sucked in by the mythical benefits of the fantasy they have been peddled, the enormous financial and emotional investment compels them to defend it in the teeth of all the evidence.

It's amazing how discerning golden ears can be when their owner has his fingers stuffed in them and is chanting "I'm not listening". Or alternatively, "God is great".
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 17, 2012, 08:01:26 am
You mean my ceramic audio cable supports are completely useless?  :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: steve_w on May 17, 2012, 08:08:36 am
this is more my style:

http://www.venganza.org/about/ (http://www.venganza.org/about/)

Apparently some states in the US allow this to be taught.  Anybody know if thats true or just another urban legend?

regards

SW

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 17, 2012, 08:50:32 am
The passion of the religious types arguing their case here reminds me of Dave's old blog about audiophoolery.
Once they are sucked in by the mythical benefits of the fantasy they have been peddled, the enormous financial and emotional investment compels them to defend it in the teeth of all the evidence.
they got a point! no cable is perfect 0 ohm. so on the other hand, the intelligent guys, who realized this simply say... there is no god, since there is no perfect 0 ohm cable :P
if audiophoolery wasted so much money, then how much time wasted for scientists to discover something, and for what? if in the end we'll go poof! nothing? oh maybe the argument they want to get rid of armageddon, big commet coming, massive tide going to suck up all the land... earth is not sustainable anymore gotta go to mars, and why? survival? why need to maintain survival? why dont just let nature leads the way? if the commet coming why dont just us simply smile at it and ready to embrace a blank screen? thats life! :D

why defend humanity? and morality? if religious is so called "brainwashed" to obey the book, then why the other guy need to obey morality? isnt it so called "brainwashed"? this all things (the rule, the law, the intelligent, the information, the knowledge, the survival, the conciousness) just doesnt make sense to me if in the end we'll go poof. what make sense to me is if its "the law of the jungle" and "survival of the fittest"... without intelligent and conciousness. what are you fighting for guys in this very short life?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: TriodeTiger on May 17, 2012, 08:53:03 am
Both cases are possible, but both cases are not equally likely, not by a long shot!

Any "proof" we see, smell, hear, touch, observe, derive is specific to our special universe and the physics binding it.

Therefor we (in our incredibly limited fashion) can only say that there is nothing observable. If particles do not govern physics in another universe, then should God "break the rules" and provide proof in some fashion to them? Why to us in our realm?

Our science is only valid relative to what we know. If we determine our reality to be something very different from how we observe it (that we do not exist as we see we do) then you cannot apply "science" to add disproof to there being a God.

And so you do not know if it is less or more equal a chance.

Quote
We reason almost everything in this world using evidence and processes of science.

And so any relative science or logic we can use is invalid, as it is specific to how we see things, how we perceive reality, and how life reasons with its existence.

To us there is some proof, but not to the universe, not to other possible life forms that are further than us.

If we program a computer to have the ability to come up with their own evolved conclusions, they will agree because that is all they can do (their science can *never* explain we exist), yet we behind our monitors know it to be false. Who is wrong, when in their reality it is right?

Faith (in origin) does not adhere to fact, it transcends it, and therefor is also right (just not in our perception of knowledge)


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: itdontgo on May 17, 2012, 09:12:18 am
Oh dear.  Arguing about God is the same as believing in it.  Just let believers believe and, dare I say, waste their time on it.  Dont waste your time arguing about it or thinking about it.  It's an impossible arguement win.  The very word belief implies there is no hard evidence to back it up or deny it.  It's just a pointless waste of time exercise either way.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 17, 2012, 09:30:40 am
itdontgo, this is actually enjoyment for Dave. ;)



Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 17, 2012, 09:46:56 am
itdontgo, this is actually enjoyment for Dave. ;)

Bingo!  ;D

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 17, 2012, 09:50:18 am
You mean my ceramic audio cable supports are completely useless?  :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

Of course not, they keep your cables neatly off the floor, and likely look very impressive!
The bible is useful too, it makes an excellent door stop.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 17, 2012, 09:57:30 am
religion is a claim and nothing more

there is no well demonstrated reason to believe in any god

we might even know such tripe vaguerties come about
Cargo Cult, how gods and religions appear (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWjGwBpLZdY#)

here Dawkins explaining the thought process of religion
Richard Dawkins and Thunderf00t (improved audio) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SCcJslv7X0#ws)

and on lighter note

a creationist who insists god is here, his evidence a banana ?
Origin of species - Science Fail (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfucpGCm5hY#)

and the last probably the most stupidest question ever asked
Dawkins has WTF? moment. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Lt5ClxG5Q#)
 
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 17, 2012, 10:06:38 am
Both cases are possible, but both cases are not equally likely, not by a long shot!

Any "proof" we see, smell, hear, touch, observe, derive is specific to our special universe and the physics binding it.

Therefor we (in our incredibly limited fashion) can only say that there is nothing observable. If particles do not govern physics in another universe, then should God "break the rules" and provide proof in some fashion to them? Why to us in our realm?

Our science is only valid relative to what we know. If we determine our reality to be something very different from how we observe it (that we do not exist as we see we do) then you cannot apply "science" to add disproof to there being a God.

And so you do not know if it is less or more equal a chance.

Not so!
If I say there is a teapot orbiting mars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell's_teapot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell's_teapot)), then that's a pretty extraordinary claim. And as Carl Sagan famously said, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
We know based on our collected knowledge of the only world we know (our reality) that such a teapot, while not impossible, is extremely unlikely. And the proof would be on me to prove such a bold claim.
Likewise, religion makes very bold claims, that are on many levels more improbable than that orbiting teapot. The burden of proof is on them.

Do you really believe that a god(s) has an equal chance of existing, as not? given virtually no evidence? Seriously? If so, I don't know what world you are living in. You certainly aren't using reason.

Why is god and religion different? why does it always get a get out of jail free card?

Quote
Our science is only valid relative to what we know. If we determine our reality to be something very different from how we observe it (that we do not exist as we see we do) then you cannot apply "science" to add disproof to there being a God.

There is no "disproving" being done at all.
If you claim something, then you have to back it up with evidence, otherwise people have no reason to believe you. That's how the world works.
You claim something, you get to prove it.
Religion is no (or should not be an) exception.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 17, 2012, 10:46:29 am
Ah! This is called the Burden of Proof (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burden_of_proof).

Personally, I have a very hard time to swallow any irrationalities, since I realised that the burden of proof is laid upon the side that initially makes a statement; especially if that statement contradicts itself or the common sense.

For example, if I assert that there is a green horse standing on the second floor of the building, and you have an objection on that, since it sounds to be absurd, it will be MY responsibility to prove my claim; NOT yours to disprove it.

Do never forget that a lot of logical fallacies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy) are based on the wrong interpretation, or on attempts to shift, the burden of proof.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: robrenz on May 17, 2012, 11:36:20 am
The only rules/guidance I need and attempt to follow is in the book.

I hope not!
There are many horrible things in that book! (and the new one too, let along the far worse "old" one)
Hopefully you are one of those who like to use their own morals to pick'n'chose the good bits...  ::)

Dave.

Ten commandments (old) golden rule (new)  These are enough for me.

No offense taken on any of your comments Dave.  I am not saying this in a wise ass condescending way like I have arrived but I really understand your viewpoint completely since I used to think exactly like you do.  No one could convince me otherwise, except God. It is one of the things that makes me so sure of Gods existence, that he could change my heart directly, no church, no religion, just me and him.  I can't change your mind and I am not trying to.

My great respect for you personally and your talents has not changed a bit.

Regards, robrenz
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 17, 2012, 11:36:56 am
One of the arguments that is common, and briefly looked like surfacing here, is the argument about creationism. The argument that because life is complex, it must have been created - that even though we might accept some form of evolutionary force, it cannot explain the incredible complexity and diversity of life here on our little rock. The argument generally speaks of how you could not expect a complex machine to "evolve" just by having lots of bits and then randomly moving them about.

Which of course is a massively disengenuous (and wrong) way of summing up evolution.

This is one of my favourite videos, and I just wanted an excuse to throw it out there:

Evolution IS a Blind Watchmaker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcAq9bmCeR0#)

In it, someone builds a simulation which can model the behaviour of a system of watch parts - cogs, rods, springs, etc. The initial state of the system is random - just sets of random bits which mostly do nothing at all. However when "real" evolutionary processes are allowed - reproduction, mutation, survivial of the fittest, then without any "creation" being involved, clocks evolve.

Science is cool.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 17, 2012, 11:52:33 am
this is more my style:

http://www.venganza.org/about/ (http://www.venganza.org/about/)

Apparently some states in the US allow this to be taught.  Anybody know if thats true or just another urban legend?

No, Pastafarianism is not taught in US schools.  It originated as a defense to religion being taught in schools.  In my home state, I think.  The original argument, by the religious, was "to hear all sides".  Because, again, they don't understand what "theory" means to science.  Anyway, the guy who came up with the Flying Spaghetti Monster wrote a serious proposal that Pastafarianiam should also be included in that mix, if they truly wanted to hear all sides.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 17, 2012, 12:33:19 pm
No offense taken on any of your comments Dave.  I am not saying this in a wise ass condescending way like I have arrived but I really understand your viewpoint completely since I used to think exactly like you do.  No one could convince me otherwise, except God. It is one of the things that makes me so sure of Gods existence, that he could change my heart directly, no church, no religion, just me and him.  I can't change your mind and I am not trying to.

So he spoke to you personally huh?
How exactly?
And what did the big fella say?  :o

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: robrenz on May 17, 2012, 12:53:42 pm
So he spoke to you personally huh?
How exactly?
And what did the big fella say?  :o

Dave.

I didn't say he spoke to me, I said he changed my heart. I have never heard the audible voice of God and I don't expect to here on earth.  But he speaks directly to me thru the bible.  Yeah, sounds crazy, It has to be experienced to believe.  I thought it was BS until it happened to me.

Regards, robrenz
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 17, 2012, 01:49:13 pm
I didn't say he spoke to me, I said he changed my heart. I have never heard the audible voice of God and I don't expect to here on earth.  But he speaks directly to me thru the bible.  Yeah, sounds crazy, It has to be experienced to believe.  I thought it was BS until it happened to me.

Regards, robrenz

I don't think it's BS. I think that former skeptics whose conversion was not due to indoctrination by zealots are likely suffering or have suffered from a species of neurological malfunction.

Both believers and atheists who suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy have reported powerful spiritual feelings during seizures, and there is plenty of medical evidence to support such a hypothesis - but of course evidence is no longer of any use to the religious convert.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 17, 2012, 02:18:39 pm
both God and no God are correct and our arguments do not make sense.

Schroedingers god? You won't find out until you are dead...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 17, 2012, 02:38:31 pm
Quote from: EEVblog link=topic=8377.msg111687#msg111687
. Keep it out of the schools, don't expect government tax free status and favor because of it, keep it out of politics, and don't expect any special treatment because of what you believe.

exactly. At home, at church and in your free time you can do whatever you want.
But not while at work , school . And no handouts or tax cover. If your organisation. Needs money : work for it just like anyone else.

[/quote] clearly just re-hashes of older fables. [/quote] bingo!
Christ was born the 25 th ? Someone actually calculated it.. It was in march... The reason for december 25 th ? So it would cincide with some 'heathen' event and it was easier to cenvert them to christianity.

Easter ? Bunnies and chocolate eggs... They even gave the pope a 500k chocolate egg this year. If he had any modicum of respect for his religion he should have rejected it !

Life: a random gathering of chemical elements that forms YOU. Enjoy it before it falls back apart...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: ToBeFrank on May 17, 2012, 10:59:44 pm
I didn't say he spoke to me, I said he changed my heart. I have never heard the audible voice of God and I don't expect to here on earth.  But he speaks directly to me thru the bible.  Yeah, sounds crazy, It has to be experienced to believe.  I thought it was BS until it happened to me.

I had been guessing that you had a near death experience, but now that you said this, I'm confused. What exactly is the experience? Reading the bible?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 17, 2012, 11:37:28 pm
diversity of life here on our little rock. The argument generally speaks of how you could not expect a complex machine to "evolve" just by having lots of bits and then randomly moving them about. Which of course is a massively disengenuous (and wrong) way of summing up evolution.
bwahaha. i just gave robot fucking analogy earlier and be called silly. now this, i havent watch all, but only until the "fucking clock" simulation, i think i got it up to that point.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: bullet308 on May 18, 2012, 01:55:59 am
I come to this thread belatedly and with no particular claim of expertise. So, like everyone else, allow me to share my ill-founded opinions.

Because my opinions are exactly as ill-founded as everybody else's are. The only advantage I claim is that I *know* mine are ill-founded at the outset. :-)

You see, I regard myself as a Fundamentalist Agnostic. Not only do I not know, but I know YOU don't know, either.

Oh, you may think you know. Wouldn't it be lovely to know? I know I would love to know. I certainly understand the desire to know, or even to just convince yourself you know even when you really don't and just plug in the gaps with this stuff called  faith, which really is just pretending to know when you do not. Faith is to knowledge what chewing gum and bailing wire are to engineering. Yeah, they can suffice, but are not to be mistaken for doing a proper job of it.

I want to print up a bumper sticker and plaster it on the back of my car, only I am sure most people would not understand it:  "Embrace the Ambiguity".

Leave yourself open to the possibility of anything. I do not particularly believe in God, but then, I don't believe that my belief is required for God to exist quite nicely. I do not particularly assume He would care one way or the other that I believe. But He may be there. Or not. Isnt that an intriguing possibility, though? Nothing that really requires you do do anything any different, necessarily, but still. Intriguing.

<makes popcorn> <watches universe do its thing>
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 18, 2012, 03:40:25 am
believing in god is not "knowing" its true (unless you saw it), but "believing" its true, without necessary proof. its like hope, i hope i wil be ...... (insert your word) i do this because someday i/people/whoever will be ........ (insert). it is hope that drive us to do something. just like scientists i believe. with all their effort, they "hope" it is possible to find something... (or maybe its too difficult to understand with this approach of explanation).

put in another way... just as a simple question... does anybody here make circuit just to trash it in dustbin in the end? i believe everybody make circuit with "hope" it will work someday and use/sell/benefit from it, or at least gain knowledge from it before trashing it. if you are certain that the circuit is impossible to build, are you willing to make the venture? the neverending venture? i believe not.

same thing with scientists, same thing with religious people (not politicians and fanatic terrorism). except the approach is different, but the way the "hope" works for both people i believe is the same. with scientist, they will find mathematics and physical way to sense the prove/claim, because they "hope" and "believe" its possible, but for religious people, due to lack of their knowledge/capability/fund just take it with "faith" because they "hope" and "believe" its true.

"religion" is just a word, what matter is the connection it implies. maybe its time to change the word "religion" since its been misused or misunderstood. maybe the correct word this day is "morality" or "the way of life". morality of christian, morality of islam, morality of atheism, morality of scientists, and morality of politicians and businessmen. or "the way of life" or "methodologycal" of them.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 18, 2012, 03:53:18 am
You see, I regard myself as a Fundamentalist Agnostic. Not only do I not know, but I know YOU don't know, either.

Oh, you may think you know. Wouldn't it be lovely to know? I know I would love to know. I certainly understand the desire to know, or even to just convince yourself you know even when you really don't and just plug in the gaps with this stuff called  faith, which really is just pretending to know when you do not. Faith is to knowledge what chewing gum and bailing wire are to engineering. Yeah, they can suffice, but are not to be mistaken for doing a proper job of it.

I want to print up a bumper sticker and plaster it on the back of my car, only I am sure most people would not understand it:  "Embrace the Ambiguity".

Leave yourself open to the possibility of anything. I do not particularly believe in God, but then, I don't believe that my belief is required for God to exist quite nicely. I do not particularly assume He would care one way or the other that I believe. But He may be there. Or not. Isnt that an intriguing possibility, though? Nothing that really requires you do do anything any different, necessarily, but still. Intriguing.

I don't know a single sensible Atheist, even the hard core militants ones, who claim they absolutely know that a god or gods don't exist. And that is one of the biggest misconceptions about Atheists. Religous people (and others) are under this mis-apprehension that Atheists are absolutely certain there is no god, and cannot be swayed in their opinion, just as the religious faithful cannot be swayed.
But that is simply not the case, and any sensible Atheists will happily chance their mind and believe in a god or gods is there is some decent evidence put forth. But of course, there is never any evidence put forth, not even the slightest bit, we are bombarded with calls to just take it on faith.
Some Agnostics of course, simply don't give a shit, and have never really given it any thought. But of course, being intelligent and educated humans, everyone automatically weights up things based on evidence even if they don't realise they are doing it.

But the serious religious people of course claim that they do absolutely know. They have "felt it", god has spoken to them, they know it to be true. And they will fight tooth and nail and try to manipulate society, politics, and education if they have to to ensure it stays that way, and that YOU believe it too!

So what's the difference between the Atheist and Agnostic? Well, there are more opinions than you can poke a stick it, but basically, they are the same in that they both don't believe in a god ( or deem it to be seriously unlikely) simply because no evidence has been put forth for it.
The difference with an Atheist however is that they a bit more outspoken about it. They like to call out the bullshit for what it almost certainly is, rather than just fence sit and not try to offend anyone.

If religion wasn't so pervasive and more importantly so persuasive in our society, then there would be no need for Atheists. Everyone would just be agnostic on the issue  and barely care at all, like they do with flying teatpots, pink unicorns, and people who believe alien abductions and that Elvis is still alive. And that's the difference when religious people claim Atheism is just another a "religion" too! It's not of course, active Atheism would disappear tomorrow if religion no longer had any influence in society.

But because religious people are in our face at every turn, trying to impose morals on us, trying to convert us, trying to teach it to our kids in schools, influencing our politicians, sticking a bible in every hotel room etc, people have started to differentiate themselves and call themselves Atheists to really separate themselves from this nonsense.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 18, 2012, 04:41:25 am
it's INVISIBLE pink unicorns...
And elvis isn't dead .. he just went home.. Haven't you watched Men In black ?

Favorite quote :
Fifteen hundred years ago, everybody knew that the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew that the Earth was flat. And fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: bullet308 on May 18, 2012, 04:48:36 am
Ah, but that is the phrase that can occasionally be quite problematic: sensible atheists. I have known plenty of them, as I have also known quite a few sensible theists, but as is so often the case on the theist side, the not-so-sensible atheists can be the loudest and most obnoxious of the lot. In my limited personal experience, its the preacher's kid atheists than are the worst. "I was raised in a bullshit-filled, two-faced religious household, ergo God does not exist, and BTW my daddy the preacher sucks!"  Its an ugly dynamic you have to see at close range to fully appreciate.

Or the avowed atheist on National Public Radio who was taped explaining  to his son young his vision of what happens to us after we die. Now, this is one of those toughies that religion really makes a lot easier and I didn't particularly envy him his task, but the bubbly, cheerful, almost *gleeful* way he described the corpse decomposing and being eaten by worms was pretty appalling, even if that is the literal truth of the matter. Truly the stuff of nightmares for, say, a seven-year old.  The phrase "age-appropriateness" leaps to mind.

A representative sampling? No, not at all, but those outliers are indeed out there, mucking things up for the rest of them.

And yes, the term agnostic can have a bazillion different interpretations, some of them implying a thoughtless disregard for these questions. That is why, in lieu of any other label being handy, I will go with Fundamentalist Agnostic. I have really put a lot of thought into it, and have decided that, per Neil Peart, "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice".  :-)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 18, 2012, 05:03:30 am
i watched that biological guy's video. he differentiated (iirc he quoted darwin), agnostics is not certain god exists until proven or disproven. but atheists are people who certain god does not exist, a fanatic type guys of agnostics.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 18, 2012, 05:26:55 am
But that is simply not the case, and any sensible Atheists will happily chance their mind and believe in a god or gods is there is some decent evidence put forth. But of course, there is never any evidence put forth, not even the slightest bit, we are bombarded with calls to just take it on faith.
so i guess thats the wrong kind of "brute force" bullshit calls? :D you havent met people with holy water yet.

i'm rephrasing the book using my on word (its maybe the wrong way and i'm no way expert) which i believe easier to comprehend, and i'm not going to persuade you :P
the evidents are everywhere, the trees and its fruits, the water you drink and in the sea, the sky the animals everything, esp the harmony of the universe's law. but of course the evidence can be twisted to means different thing. and the way we approach things has been changed since. furthermore, it has been claimed by science in the form of mathematical equations and theories. so human claim its their law, not nature's or god's law ;)

if evolution is not relating to intelligence as the clock video earlier said, then what is the intelligence that governs the universe? why dont everyday commet crash and killing our neighboor? and why ever "intelligence and conciousness" do exist at all? why intelligent needs to exist in order nature to exist? even if it is, why the intelligent need to be concious? (us). US (not USA) is the very evidence. but as said, it depends on your point of view.

and is it possible in the end. through the marvellous of "evolution of nature" that one day... "another" God will be evolved?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on May 18, 2012, 05:59:29 am
.. rather they will be transported to heaven to have sex with 72 virgins.

(http://www.host-images.com/u/files/d44de7o97dd7w857s0z2.jpg)

Well, I wouldn't mind about the sex though, its just I hate to be "stiffen" eternally, it will be very-very annoying :-\ -> http://wikiislam.net/wiki/72_Virgins (http://wikiislam.net/wiki/72_Virgins)

Quote :
...every male admitted into Paradise will be given "eternal erections" and wed to 72 wives, all with libidinous sex organs.....  :o

PS :
This fun thread should be stickied don't you think ? ;)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 18, 2012, 06:01:13 am
i'm rephrasing the book using my on word (its maybe the wrong way and i'm no way expert) which i believe easier to comprehend, and i'm not going to persuade you :P
the evidents are everywhere, the trees and its fruits, the water you drink and in the sea, the sky the animals everything, esp the harmony of the universe's law. but of course the evidence can be twisted to means different thing. and the way we approach things has been changed since. furthermore, it has been claimed by science in the form of mathematical equations and theories. so human claim its their law, not nature's or god's law ;)

And for very good reason. Science is the only thing that has served us well enough to advance our species beyond living in caves with the other animals. And all of science points toward the big bang and all it entails, and evolution et.al
If a god or gods had a hand in it, it was before all that, and hasn't touched it since.
To claim anything else puts one into either the batshit ignorant or batshit crazy camp, you chose!

Quote
if evolution is not relating to intelligence as the clock video earlier said, then what is the intelligence that governs the universe? why dont everyday commet crash and killing our neighboor?

Are you serious?

Quote
and why ever "intelligence and conciousness" do exist at all? why intelligent needs to exist in order nature to exist? even if it is, why the intelligent need to be concious? (us). US (not USA) is the very evidence. but as said, it depends on your point of view. (Dave's emphasis)

Only for those ignorant or unaccepting of the progress and results of science in these areas.

And if you want to have philosophical arguments about the WHY, go ahead, it has absolutely nothing to do with god or religion and is proof of absolutely nothing.
Yet another common religious mistake along the lines of "science can't explain why", so "god did it". Just more god of the gaps rubbish ::)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Kremmen on May 18, 2012, 06:21:23 am
[...]
And if you want to have philosophical arguments about the WHY, go ahead, it has absolutely nothing to do with god or religion and is proof of absolutely nothing.
Yet another common religious mistake along the lines of "science can't explain why", so "god did it". Just more god of the gaps rubbish ::)

Dave.
There are 2 "why"s and it is very important to be able to distinguish between them.
The answer to the first kind of "why" is an answer to the aim or purpose of something happening. It is intentional and must always have an (intelligent/conscious) agent (the one performing the action for some purpose).
The answer to the second kind of "why" is an answer to the cause and effect of a chain of events. No intention is assumed and the root cause does not have to be an animated agent.

Science answers and seeks knowledge only for the second kind of why's. Religion seeks answers to the first kind. When the distinction is not made or not understood, confusion is guaranteed.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: bullet308 on May 18, 2012, 06:39:01 am
Part of me is inclined to say that the entire God question is truly unknowable (and essentially unaskable)  by us simply because He would be operating on a level that we cannot comprehend. Or, at least, can comprehend only with great difficulty and science and mathematics far beyond ours.

(Dont you love how theists say that "God works in mysterious ways", and then they proceed to tell us exactly what He is doing, why He is doing it and what He wants? Isn't it cute? As if they think He would be obligated to operate by any rules that are comprehensible to us. )

Lets push out a bit, to the bounds set by our current understanding of physical cosmology...the possibility of many, many concurrent universes. Perhaps each is kicked off with slightly different starting conditions, a vast-beyond-comprehension science experiment, if you will. This one gets us baryonic matter, a merciful shortage of antimatter, etc, etc, so we (or indeed pretty much anything we recognize as real) get to exist. Yay! Success! Well, by our standards, sure, but by His...who knows?

Or, on a bit smaller and more personal scale, evolutionary biology...are we but mere lumps of matter that have coalesced in a certain way because of cosmic starting conditions and random chance? Who the hell are WE to apply the label "mere" to such a process? Just what does "random" mean in the context of a Creator? Our puny minds may associate such things with a poverty-inducing trip to Las Vegas, but this all could be the most fantastical quantum chaos-powered science lab in all of Creation!

Or, not.

Its fun to kick stuff around like this, until people delude themselves into thinking they have the answers. Then, it can get decidedly non-fun...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 18, 2012, 07:00:57 am
There are 2 "why"s and it is very important to be able to distinguish between them.
The answer to the first kind of "why" is an answer to the aim or purpose of something happening. It is intentional and must always have an (intelligent/conscious) agent (the one performing the action for some purpose).
The answer to the second kind of "why" is an answer to the cause and effect of a chain of events. No intention is assumed and the root cause does not have to be an animated agent.

Science answers and seeks knowledge only for the second kind of why's. Religion seeks answers to the first kind.

The problem is that religion assumes and asserts that there actually is an intelligent conscious agent outside of our current plane of existence and what we perceive  to be our real world. They could very well be wrong, and there is nothing there at all.
And their other problem is that it is never possible for them to prove there is such a concious agent outside our world, because that would require actual evidence in our real world.

So, whilst your first kind does actually exist, it's actually split into two parts:
1a) Unproveable (intelligent/conscious) agent's outside our known existence (i.e. god(s), spirits et.al)
1b) Real (intelligent/conscious) agent's within our known existence. i.e. me and you.

They are two very different things. The first one we have no evidence for even existing, let alone acting on or causing things within the world that we perceive.

And of course it perfectly reaosnable to ask "why" of either of those conscious agent, except that we only know that one is actually real and therefore actually worth asking the question of.



Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 18, 2012, 07:09:50 am
(Dont you love how theists say that "God works in mysterious ways", and then they proceed to tell us exactly what He is doing, why He is doing it and what He wants? Isn't it cute? As if they think He would be obligated to operate by any rules that are comprehensible to us. )

And they wonder why non-religious people laugh at and ridicule them!
Take almost any religious statement and replace the word god with anything else imaginary or mythical, and try the exact same statement. It would instantly brand you as batshit crazy! Yet if you use the word god, you are instantly supposed to have your beliefs "respected" and not laughed at.
It's nonsense.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 18, 2012, 07:43:53 am
i hear the bible is becoming popular in prisons .redemption you might ask.fraid not they use the thin  pages to make spliffs :) .all religion is based on fear .fear = control.all religions ask that the god , deity be praised loved or else .what a load of bollocks.i always keep a bible in the bog mind you just in case then thin pages.slides up your back a bit mind but hey. ;D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 18, 2012, 07:47:35 am
If there is a god it can only be the universe. In the same way that the earth can be considered one living entity (gaia)[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis] perhaps the universe could also be considered in the same way. But there wont be virgins,heavens or hell's after death just re-absorption into the whole. Further more the universe does not need choirs to sing it's praises or priests to utter magic words.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: odessa on May 18, 2012, 07:59:33 am

I regard myself as a Fundamentalist Agnostic. Not only do I not know, but I know YOU don't know, either.


Brilliant  8)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 18, 2012, 07:33:20 pm
Here is some more food for thought:

This excerpt is the opening paragraph of Stefan Molyneux's, MA, free book titled Against the Gods? (2010) (http://www.fdrurl.com/atgpdf), which I find to be an excellent dissection of rational thinking, atheism, agnosticism, god existence, as well as a deeper cut examining the religion as child abuse, and the costs of false ethics.

I hope you will enjoy that concise, free book.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: odessa on May 18, 2012, 08:20:51 pm
Hi,

It's because of statements like this 

God cannot "screw up". This is man follwing his carnal desires - desires that are of the flesh, not of the spirit of God - (the Holy Spirit). It is not possible for God to be of ANYTHING except love and perfection - he is Holy, and WE screw up, because we reject him, and satan sees his opportunity and grabs it, because we are weak... rebellious... selfish... arrogant, and defiant... but God STILL loves us, regardless. You could go out and kill someone, rob a bank and rape a girl, and God would not love you ANY less, he just loves eternally, even though he is weeping at our sins. Judgement must be executed, from a perfect, flawless and beautiful, loving God - anything less would be unjust, which is why I love him and he brings me peace, even when I screw up and fall flat on my face (MANY times!)

It takes a lot of patience and tolerance to read something like that and not be a little miffed, it's nonsensical rubbish. Sorry but that's my opinion.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 18, 2012, 08:37:06 pm
there you go saying god knows my heart .thats what tends to bug me about it.its your believe dont include anyone else.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 18, 2012, 08:47:39 pm
i haven't .i dont think about it until i hear people mention god knowing stuff about me.what your saying sounds so idiotic to me.are you a door knocker ?if you are try that until your tired.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 18, 2012, 08:53:03 pm
I just realized that we are discussing something that was started by someone who obviously has the agenda to keep his beliefs relevant by having them discussed. The fact that we are discussing this fantasy here elevates it to something worthy of discussion and therefore partially confirm the validity of this fantasy.

The name "iamwhoaim" is actually a direct  reference to what "god" called himself at one point in one version of the bible.

We are falling for one of the more subtle trolls yet to have been on the forum. Perhaps the very existence of this member is to contribute and then try and infiltrate his beliefs into a forum known to be run by an atheist. If I am wrong, perhaps I might apologize.

The very fact that Dave enjoys this, keeps him going. Since the thread was not deleted I felt compelled to counteract the insanity with what I could. I would have preferred to see the thread deleted as spam.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 18, 2012, 08:53:35 pm
i think your brain is wired up for religion.there's been lots of studies done.certain individuals get a bit euphoric from just thinking about religion.glory my arse.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 18, 2012, 08:55:45 pm
nice observation lightages bang on target.fun tho.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: odessa on May 18, 2012, 08:57:47 pm
I still think all the protesting is innocent ignorance, until the truth is revealed.

Theres some blue touch paper right there
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 18, 2012, 09:01:31 pm
i dont need no answers or truth because i have never asked the question.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 18, 2012, 09:03:02 pm
Here's a question for you.
[...]

Oh, dear... I cannot see how I managed to irritate you, my fellow EEVBlogger, by introducing to our community a philosophical book that I find to be a very interesting read.

If that previous message of mine was interpreted as some kind of proselytism, it is not! Because proselytism has always been the job of the religious or the sectarian people, either due to their honest enthusiasm because "they found" some sort of a new truth that explains for them parts of the cosmic theory instilled into their minds by their manipulators, or due to their insecurities and their fear of becoming outcasts because of their newly adapted ideologies.

You might believe that human beings are a superior life form. Well, I believe that we still cannot live without the support of "the tribe," because the need for social acceptance is still programmed into the very base of our brain, as a core survival mechanism. And those who underestimate or cannot even see the power of that mechanism are the most prone to this kind of manipulation. This very control lever is exactly what all the organised religions try to get their dirty hands on, using any conceivable means, in order to manipulate "their flock," as they use to call the legions of their followers --which are unable to realise their condition as mentally prisoners for life...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 18, 2012, 09:08:22 pm
who are you talking to george.? i couldn't give a shiny shite about religion or answers about it.i'll stress again.i've never asked the question.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 18, 2012, 09:25:38 pm
there you go again   "fear of the unknown" rubbish.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 18, 2012, 09:31:54 pm
who are you talking to george.? i couldn't give a shiny shite about religion or answers about it.i'll stress again.i've never asked the question.

I am sorry for that, Siliconmix. Obviously, I was not referring to your message, since I have quoted the part of whom I was responding to in the beginning of my message. It just happened to be posted right after your post!

You can blame god and his mysterious ways for that! :P

After all, English is not my native language, and I could not have formed, proofread and posted my relatively lengthy answer in less that a minute and a half time, our posts have been done!


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 18, 2012, 09:33:50 pm
no worries george.your english is excellent by the way
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 18, 2012, 09:37:03 pm
Thank you. :)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 18, 2012, 10:08:05 pm
For the record, the word "atheist" literally means "without theist beliefs". It does not mean enemy of or opposed to "god" or "gods". To be the enemy of something would be to agree such fantasies are based in reality in as such do exist. The world "amoral" does not mean against morals, it merely means without morals.

An atheist is the rational being. Believing in something other than this makes you one of the billions of people who believe in God, Allah, Buddha, Ra, Thor, Zeus, Apep, Anu, Tian, Ganesh, little rabbit FooFoo, Santa Claus, the Boogie Man, Bigfoot, etc etc etc

To paraphrase Dawkins: "When you understand why you reject all other gods or deities that you don't believe in maybe you can understand why I reject yours".

This has to be one of the longest troll threads on EEVblog for a long time.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: djsb on May 18, 2012, 10:14:21 pm
Someone said this thread was about flowcharting. I'm confused  ???
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 18, 2012, 10:36:42 pm
It is trolling when it has nothing to do with the orignal thread it was posted in, has nothing to do with the reason of existence of this forum, and is initiated by a person who uses the name of the mythical being you want to promote. I do not call this trolling based on my refusal to believe in fantasies. And don't use the word "conviction" for what I do NOT believe. Look the word up if you want to make any kind of argument. I am opposed to convictions. I want only truth and fact.

You can say what you want, believe what you want. I only believe what is evident, not what I wish were true.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 18, 2012, 11:16:35 pm
It is trolling when it has nothing to do with the orignal thread it was posted in,
funny thing is the thread split started before me in the original thread.. somehow i got the 'honor' to be the split point ...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 18, 2012, 11:58:40 pm
How do you know what truth is, when you deny God? God IS truth, the source and creator of truth and love. Without him, you would have no concept or measure of it. You can't have it both ways.

The lack of any evidence what so ever says you are almost certainly wrong.
Why is your god real compared to the countless other gods that have supposedly existed and been worshipped?
What makes your god real and all the other mythical?
Truth is a fact that has been verified.
Your god has not been verified in any way shape or form. In fact many things point toward him not existing at all, or him being on equal footing with Ra the sun god.
Gods and faith are as far removed from truth as can be.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 12:35:12 am
What iamwhoiam is saying, is that we can define god such that god is everything good, moral, compassionate, etc.  From this definition, it is relatively straightforward to demonstrate that god exists.  In fact, there are some very convincing philosophical arguments that follow this line of reasoning.  Furthermore, if the principle of causality is accepted, then god must exist.  Anyone familiar with the science of philosophy will recognize this.  No one is arguing that this god is in any way, shape, or form similar to the god of most organized religions.  I think it is even more interesting that god may exist without relying on any sort of faith; logic alone leads to the existence of this god.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 19, 2012, 12:54:29 am
What iamwhoiam is saying, is that we can define god such that god is everything good, moral, compassionate, etc.  From this definition, it is relatively straightforward to demonstrate that god exists.  In fact, there are some very convincing philosophical arguments that follow this line of reasoning.  Furthermore, if the principle of causality is accepted, then god must exist.  Anyone familiar with the science of philosophy will recognize this.  No one is arguing that this god is in any way, shape, or form similar to the god of most organized religions.  I think it is even more interesting that god may exist without relying on any sort of faith; logic alone leads to the existence of this god.

In that case you can replace the word god with unicorn, zeitgeist, or anything silly you like.
Relabelling something, or giving a bunch of ideas a collective term does not change the fact that you are still talking about those ideas and not the object/word you just made up to label it.
Let's not confuse the issue. We all know very well that iamwhoiam means the christian religious god as per the bible, and you likely just insulted him by saying that's not what he means!  ;D

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 19, 2012, 01:05:48 am
This will be some food for thought (and for further research) for our readers that have invested in the Abrahamic Religions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_Religions) and have questions that their religion cannot or will not ever answer.


I have a wonderful book in my possession, called "Antignosis, the Crutches of Capitalism (http://www.alexandria-publ.gr/new/book_en.php?id=206)" (anti-gnosis means anti-knowledge) and written by Lily Zographou (http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9B%CE%B9%CE%BB%CE%AE_%CE%96%CF%89%CE%B3%CF%81%CE%AC%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%85), a charismatic scholar that was so unconventional she is called The Dark Goddess Hecate of Greek Literature. Unfortunately, this book exists only in Greek (and I think in German) and its author is dead. Fortunately, this book can be found online (http://www.scribd.com/doc/11417380/#%CE%9B%CE%B9%CE%BB%CE%AE-%CE%96%CF%89%CE%B3%CF%81%CE%AC%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%85-%CE%91%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%B3%CE%BD%CF%8E%CF%83%CE%B7-%CF%84%CE%B1-%CE%94%CE%B5%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%BA%CE%B9%CE%B1-%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85-%CE%9A%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%B9%CF%83%CE%BC%CE%BF%CF%8D). Fortunately, because the historical, archeological, sociological and political research put in this book is compelling and overwhelming.

This book analyses the Dead Sea Scrolls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_Scrolls) that were found in the caves of Qumran in the land of Palestine during 1947-1956, and shows how the Jews were facing extinction in the progressive conditions of those times, due to Hellenisation that begun with Alexander the Great. At some point in time, the priesthood of Judaism manipulated Judeo-Christianity, through which Capitalism was created taking the place of Feudalism. Bottom line is that the Dead Sea Scrolls are not helpful all that for Judaism or Christianity (nor for Islam), since in their presence the Abrahamic Myths are demolished. The Scrolls do exist and prove that at least the Old Testament existed, or at least parts of it, in the time of Jesus.

Thanks to The Dead Sea Scrolls, we also learn the whereabouts of Jesus during his age of 12 to 30, something that the Church still refuses to reveal, and what he really was: Jesus was a high ranking member of one the four sects of Judaism called the Essenes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essenes) that had their own militia, the members of the other sect called the Zealots (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealotry). The other two sects were the powerful and hypocritical Pharisees (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharisees) and the Sadducees (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadducees).

Jesus being a high ranking Essene, also explains why he was highly educated, even though he was born to a carpenter family. Jesus, or "Rabbi Yeshua ben Yosef" as he was actually called in his times, meaning "Excellent Joshua, son of Josef" ("Rabbi" was a title of honor and ownership, meaning "Excellent" or "Great" until the end of the first century CE; after that it was used as a title for the priests of Judaism).


Now, regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls, they are not an imaginary entity. They can be seen and be read even online (http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-pick/google-launches-the-dead-sea-scrolls-online-project-20110926/). The Sectarian manuscripts reveal a whole lot about the turbulent times in Palestine of that era. In particular they give us a lot of information about the background of Jesus, his extra-biblical life and his ideological beliefs. He was part of the Essenes, a primitive social, communal group that believed in the collective property, production and decision taking. (By the way, does this remind of Communism/Socialism, that was introduced by Haim Mardochai Kissel, a son of a Rabbi, widely known as Karl Marx?) For decades, the Essenes were organising a peaceful revolution (as opposed to the many low-class revolutions of the time, that were violent) against the conservatism and autocracy of the Jewish priests and ruling class, and Jesus was one of their leaders. They were destroyed when the Pharisees paid the Romans to kill and enslave every each one of them.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 19, 2012, 01:27:58 am
What iamwhoiam is saying, is that we can define god such that god is everything good, moral, compassionate, etc.  From this definition, it is relatively straightforward to demonstrate that god exists.  In fact, there are some very convincing philosophical arguments that follow this line of reasoning.  Furthermore, if the principle of causality is accepted, then god must exist.  Anyone familiar with the science of philosophy will recognize this.  No one is arguing that this god is in any way, shape, or form similar to the god of most organized religions.  I think it is even more interesting that god may exist without relying on any sort of faith; logic alone leads to the existence of this god.

In that case you can replace the word god with unicorn, zeitgeist, or anything silly you like.
Relabelling something, or giving a bunch of ideas a collective term does not change the fact that you are still talking about those ideas and not the object/word you just made up to label it.
Let's not confuse the issue. We all know very well that iamwhoiam means the christian religious god as per the bible, and you likely just insulted him by saying that's not what he means!  ;D

Dave.

I'm inoffendable :)

No, he didn't offend me; he makes sense.

No, he doesn't. As soon as you use the 'god' word for that purpose you are associating real concepts with a mythical being - you may not be 'arguing' that overtly, but the history of religion makes that argument for you, and consequently looks like another devious attempt to subvert rationality to religious dogma.

Incidentally, iamwhoiam (that name reminds me irresistibly of Popeye), is the faint air of sanctimony which pervades your posts part of your mission to infuriate this community of rationalists into irrationality?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 01:39:42 am
So you disagree that god is everything good, moral, compassionate...?  God is typically defined as the supreme being; this supreme being is the definition I gave.  You can certainly disagree with that definition, but this is the definition used by philosophers.  And I think I already demonstrated that there is nothing mythical or illogical about this thing we call god.  Any other definition that you come up with is rather arbitrary and meaningless.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 19, 2012, 01:49:51 am
So you disagree that god is everything good, moral, compassionate...?  God is typically defined as the supreme being; this supreme being is the definition I gave.  You can certainly disagree with that definition, but this is the definition used by philosophers.  And I think I already demonstrated that there is nothing mythical or illogical about this thing we call god.  Any other definition that you come up with is rather arbitrary and meaningless.

Yes, I absolutely disagree. And I suspect that the only 'philosophers' who use that definition are theologians.

Nor did you demonstrate anything of the kind. Since I don't believe there is a god, any definition of such a hypothetical entity is bound to be arbitrary.


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 19, 2012, 01:52:35 am
It is trolling when it has nothing to do with the orignal thread it was posted in, has nothing to do with the reason of existence of this forum, and is initiated by a person who uses the name of the mythical being you want to promote. I do not call this trolling based on my refusal to believe in fantasies. And don't use the word "conviction" for what I do NOT believe. Look the word up if you want to make any kind of argument. I am opposed to convictions. I want only truth and fact.
You can say what you want, believe what you want. I only believe what is evident, not what I wish were true.

It is trolling when it has nothing to do with the orignal thread it was posted in,
funny thing is the thread split started before me in the original thread.. somehow i got the 'honor' to be the split point ...

to be frank and justice. the real rootcause of this is not iamwhoiam, not free_electron, not a_hellene, but me, by drawing the word g.o.d into the forum, thats the real root cause of the troll. so if its considered a troll than i'am sorry, its not intended. as said, you believe what you believe, i believe what i believe we should respect each other. i do understand why people believe in god, and "i think" i also do understand why people dont believe. the common thing is... there is no "scientific" proof. the different thing is we do you dont. people get into war when they differentiate and separate themself from other, thats how human cognition works afterall, by differentiating in order to recognize (or reject) ;)

so, if someone mention the word "god", i believe there's no further need to elaborate or relate. for agnostics and athiests, just consider it as imaginary element, act as reference point / anchor for theists to carry on with their job. thats what theists hold and hope for in doing something, its the driving force. but it can result a good and bad things as already proven in the society (militants, politicians, terorrism), the same thing with science (nuclear power and bio weapon etc).

but as well to be frank as i'm a theist basing on a holy book. we are encouraged / make responsible to spread the word in the book, but dont misunderstood. what we are trying is to spread the truth, the word on how "the way of life", the morality etc, and again, things we are still unable to comprehend/sense (the so called mythical thing), but not killing and raping virgin. about the god threat and 72 virgins in heaven thing, i cannot help it, but its true, thats what written in the book, so if the book lies, then i lie (but i dont think so). so, with my previous posts i think i've done my duty, as said i wont force anything, just trying to do what i'm asked (responsible) to do. "I swear by time, Men are in great loss, except who keep advising on truth and patient" - God, surah Al-Asy Quran" - and again, the book is claimed to be written by God, not man. and no man has claimed of writing it.

so to avoid another deviation, let me re-emphasize. there's no further need to feed the troll when someone mention the word "god" alone, except... if he's trying to impose one nonsensical idea (on your opinion) on you, then you have the right to defend. thanks.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 01:58:23 am
Umm, every atheistic philosopher will agree with my definition of god.  What were you saying again?  I suggest you read a little more about the arguments for and against the existence of god before making a statement like this.  All arguments against the existence of god use the definition I gave.  Yes, I will agree that there are strong arguments against the existence of god, but you're taking completely the wrong approach  ;D  Hint: it has to do with causality.

So you disagree that god is everything good, moral, compassionate...?  God is typically defined as the supreme being; this supreme being is the definition I gave.  You can certainly disagree with that definition, but this is the definition used by philosophers.  And I think I already demonstrated that there is nothing mythical or illogical about this thing we call god.  Any other definition that you come up with is rather arbitrary and meaningless.

Yes, I absolutely disagree. And I suspect that the only 'philosophers' who use that definition are theologians.

Nor did you demonstrate anything of the kind. Since I don't believe there is a god, any definition of such a hypothetical entity is bound to be arbitrary.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 19, 2012, 02:05:02 am


No, he doesn't. As soon as you use the 'god' word for that purpose you are associating real concepts with a mythical being - you may not be 'arguing' that overtly, but the history of religion makes that argument for you, and consequently looks like another devious attempt to subvert rationality to religious dogma.

Incidentally, iamwhoiam (that name reminds me irresistibly of Popeye), is the faint air of sanctimony which pervades your posts part of your mission to infuriate this community of rationalists into irrationality?

You've hit the nail ON THE HEAD! God is not conformed to "rationality" - he is God. If you're testing him with human knowledge and "science",  squeezing him into a nice cozy shape that fits into your box, and then putting him on the shelf, that tells me you don't know God, or his heart.


 If the way to happiness is to abandon rational thought, we might as well all stick electrodes in the pleasure centres of our brains and turn the dial up to maximum.

I prefer having a functioning brain, thank you.





Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 19, 2012, 02:14:12 am
For the sake of peace, I hereby suggest this thread be closed.
why? the only reason a person ask to close this thread is because of emotional. are you going to make war if this thread is proceeded? ;) whats your teaching said? to hate people who have different idea as your? to disrespect them. if really you are not offended, then why ask to close this thread? i treat this thread as informative thread, esp to understand more about people from the other side. living in a cave forever is not good for human sake! ;) :P
edit: just an advice. you dont need to quote a very long biblical sripture in this forum. nobody is going to read that i believe. and remember, you are dealing with "people of science" here. not "please trust my lord without scientific proof" person. so statement like "trust your lord with your heart" will not make it any better, except worst. aaaand... if you dont like a thread... dont click it! and "hope with your heart and faith" that the admin or mods will lock or close it ;)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 02:17:49 am
I always found it somewhat entertaining that a lot of atheists are completely clueless when it comes to rationalizing their choice; not unlike many of their religious counterparts.  I've spent considerable time studying the philosophical arguments on both sides and found them to be very educational.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 19, 2012, 02:36:31 am
Umm, every atheistic philosopher will agree with my definition of god.  What were you saying again?  I suggest you read a little more about the arguments for and against the existence of god before making a statement like this.  All arguments against the existence of god use the definition I gave.  Yes, I will agree that there are strong arguments against the existence of god, but you're taking completely the wrong approach  ;D  Hint: it has to do with causality.


I have noticed in your comments on the education thread that you have a tendency to condescend to those who don't agree with you - I am aware of causality, and its relevance to your argument.

However, your statements of 'fact' begin with a supposition - you said 'We can define god as everything good, moral, etc'. It may be a useful philosophical construct, but there's nothing absolute or inevitable about such a definition - the god of the Old Testament is frequently anything but good, moral or compassionate.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 02:45:47 am
I will state it again, to be perfectly clear.  I am not describing the god of the old testemant or the god of any other religion; I am simply using the commonly accepted philosophical definition.  So do not put words in my mouth.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 19, 2012, 02:53:36 am
I will state it again, to be perfectly clear.  I am not describing the god of the old testemant or the god of any other religion; I am simply using the commonly accepted philosophical definition.  So do not put words in my mouth.

Wouldn't dream of it, old boy - in case you hadn't noticed I was quoting your own words. You are using a definition of god, not the definition, and I was simply pointing that out.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 19, 2012, 02:59:34 am
Yes, I absolutely disagree. And I suspect that the only 'philosophers' who use that definition are theologians.

Spot on.
And iamwhoiam just gave an example of that when he quoted from the christian bible!
iamwhoiam is clearly talking about the god of the christian bible, not of any philosophical concept called god.
vxp036000's argument is a complete red herring.

Once you establish the fact the we are talking about "god" of the christian bible (or whatever monotheistic religion for that matter), then it is clear we are not talking about god as a philosophical concept.
If god "loves us" as iamwhoiam says, then it is completely illogical to imply that god is just the philosophical concept of love. Love cannot love itself.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 19, 2012, 03:02:57 am
I will state it again, to be perfectly clear.  I am not describing the god of the old testemant or the god of any other religion; I am simply using the commonly accepted philosophical definition.  So do not put words in my mouth.

Absolutely, a definition of god exists as you have presented it. But the existence of a definition says nothing about the existence of the thing defined.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 19, 2012, 03:04:37 am
I always found it somewhat entertaining that a lot of atheists are completely clueless when it comes to rationalizing their choice; not unlike many of their religious counterparts.  I've spent considerable time studying the philosophical arguments on both sides and found them to be very educational.

One only needs to rationalize something that is not rational. Seeing as atheists do not make up wild stories and fantasies nor believe in wild stories nor fantasies, there is nothing to rationalize!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 03:06:45 am
Fair enough.  Suppose I clarify my definition a bit and restrict it to the following: god is all the goodness we observe in this world.  Now will you say that god doesn't exist?

I will state it again, to be perfectly clear.  I am not describing the god of the old testemant or the god of any other religion; I am simply using the commonly accepted philosophical definition.  So do not put words in my mouth.

Absolutely, the definition of god exists as you have presented it. But the existence of a definition says nothing about the existence of the thing defined.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 03:13:36 am
This is a red herring, if anything.  Lack of rational basis for justifying an atheistic position leaves open the possibility for the existence of a god.  Well respected philosophers have demonstrated time and time again that it is, in fact, impossible to prove that god does not exist.  Just as it is impossibile to prove that god does exist.  So, philosphically speaking, the atheist is irrational.  Flame away  ;D


One only needs to rationalize something that is not rational. Seeing as atheists do not make up wild stories and fantasies nor believe in wild stories nor fantasies, there is nothing to rationalize!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 19, 2012, 03:26:43 am
Fair enough.  Suppose I clarify my definition a bit and restrict it to the following: god is all the goodness we observe in this world.  Now will you say that god doesn't exist?

Of course. Goodness is a quality, but the kind of god discussed in this thread is an actor. You are not talking about what everyone else is talking about.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 03:28:48 am
This is absolutely correct.  The god described by most religions cannot be explained rationally.  And I agree with most other folks here that belief in the gods described by most religions requires a faith.


Of course. Goodness is a quality, but the kind of god discussed in this thread is an actor. You are not talking about what everyone else is talking about.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on May 19, 2012, 03:51:52 am
God is not conformed to "rationality" - he is God. If you're testing him with human knowledge and "science",  squeezing him into a nice cozy shape that fits into your box, and then putting him on the shelf, that tells me you don't know God, or his heart.

Proverbs 3:
Quote
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.

This is the common situation when discussions like this happened all the time, c'mon, don't you think this is strange ?

For believers, its God created human with a special gift which is the special brain that differs so much with other species on this earth, and yet human should not use this special brain for reasoning, logical thinking etc..etc to question about his existence, kind of paradox isn't it ?

It is always ended up .... don't use your brain to question when it comes to god, just believe and have faith and follow his wishes. This is no difference than say the  salmon fish that have "faith and believe" that they will reached salmon's nirvana as promised by their god by swimming uphill against the river stream to reach the so called final resting ground.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 19, 2012, 03:56:38 am
I always found it somewhat entertaining that a lot of atheists are completely clueless when it comes to rationalizing their choice; not unlike many of their religious counterparts.  I've spent considerable time studying the philosophical arguments on both sides and found them to be very educational.

Believing is god is not a philosophical argument to an athesist, it's got nothing to do with it.
I don't believe in unicorns because there is no evidence for them, therefore I am a-unicorn.
I don't believe in a god or gods because there is no evidence for them, therefore I am an a-theist.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 19, 2012, 04:02:01 am
Fair enough.  Suppose I clarify my definition a bit and restrict it to the following: god is all the goodness we observe in this world.  Now will you say that god doesn't exist?

Absolute classic straw man!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man)
Most people who whip out the straw man at least have the decency to make it not as obvious and a lot more relevant  :P
Of course goodness exists. It was good of me to set up this forum for your strawman use  :D

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 19, 2012, 04:04:32 am
I will state it again, to be perfectly clear.  I am not describing the god of the old testemant or the god of any other religion.

Everyone else here is, that's what this thread is about.
Please start a new thread if you want to talk about something else.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 19, 2012, 04:09:40 am
This is absolutely correct.  The god described by most religions cannot be explained rationally.

Correct. But they certainly DO think it's an entirely rational belief!

Quote
And I agree with most other folks here that belief in the gods described by most religions requires a faith.

And atheists simply refuse to accept such HUGE claims on faith. Just as you or anyone else would if I said I was capable of supernatural feats for example. You wouldn't believe me. Why?

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 19, 2012, 04:54:48 am
This is a red herring, if anything.  Lack of rational basis for justifying an atheistic position leaves open the possibility for the existence of a god.  Well respected philosophers have demonstrated time and time again that it is, in fact, impossible to prove that god does not exist.  Just as it is impossibile to prove that god does exist.  So, philosphically speaking, the atheist is irrational.  Flame away  ;D

So for any invention of anything, a person who did not think of this MUST provide a rational argument for not believing in it or they are then labelled as irrational? Huh? Really?

So you can say that there are tiny little pink horses  in the sky that have 10 billion watt leds in one eye and they hold on each others tails while floating in the sky. This arrangement makes all the stars in the sky, but when you look with a telescope the ponies always shrink just enough as you are looking so that you can't see them. And if anyone says this is true and I don't argue why I don't believe this, or any of the other infinite idiocies that one can propose, then I am the one who is irrational? Yeah right.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 05:04:25 am
You guys have proven my point ;)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 19, 2012, 06:42:57 am
I found this interview with Professor Robert Crotty very interesting.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/28/3465485.htm (http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/28/3465485.htm)

He was a devout Catholic priest who became an academic around the early 60's. This was a time of the "3rd Revolution" which I gather was a scholastic look at the Bible by many priests to reevaluate the Bible in terms of scientific and historical evidence. This push was encouraged by Pope St Pius XII back in 1943 to make the teachings of the church more relevant in a modern world.

Robert Crotty worked for a while at the Vatican around 1963 and then in Jerusalem under many of the best religious scholars of the time.

The more he looked, the more he found that the Bible was not an infallible historical record. Rather it was a collection of stories with maybe a little historical truth. For example, if you take the Bible as a Historical fact, then when Joshua came to Jericho around 1400BC,  Jericho had been uninhabited and in ruins for well over a century, so Joshua could not have brought the walls down with one of the standard wall-collapsing trumpet tunes. It may be that the Exodus was a collection of stories over centuries rewritten as one single huge exodus.

Other things concerned him like different reports of the last words of Jesus on the cross and conflicting descriptions of the last supper. How could you take accounts as fact if they disagree?  The times of Jesus was a very complex time when many were looking desperately for a messiah well before Jesus came along, and the New Testament has to be read in this context.

Around  the end of the 60's, the doors were shut in the Catholic  Church on this kind of thinking - particularly if you were teaching religion - and it became Heresy for a priest to even suggest that the Bible was largely a collection of stories to teach people on how to live a good life instead of a flawless historical document written by an infallible God. This was around about the same time that a long and extensive investigation by the Catholic church had recommended strongly that the Birth Control rules were wrong and had to be changed. The Pope came out and said the rules were right all along and nothing would change.

The great 20th century Philosopher Wittgenstein said at the end of his "Tractatus" on Logic
Quote
6.54 My propositions elucidate by whoever understands me perceiving them in the end as nonsensical, when through them – upon them – over them, he has climbed out. (He must, so to speak, throw away the ladder after he has climbed out upon it.) He must overcome these propositions, then he sees the world rightly.

7. Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.
Note: Whereas means "Of what", thereof means "of that"

Wittgenstein was basically saying to learn, you often need someone who knows more to lead you along a path (or up a ladder), but at the end you have to throw away the support and see for your self. The truth is something you can only find through experience and not in just words.

I think this is true for all learning and it is really obvious in areas like sports. It is not as if every coach is a better runner, or better football player then the players they are coaching. The coach guides the player until they experience the higher performance level for themselves. They cannot get there reading a book.

Many of the religious leaders seem to think it is your duty to keep a strong white-knuckled grip on the ladder (the Bible or whatever), and to never let go so you can see for yourself.

To let go of the ladder is a sin. To put your own judgement ahead of the Bible is a sin.

To me, it is a responsibility.

Richard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 19, 2012, 07:03:52 am
I found this interview with Professor Robert Crotty very interesting.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/28/3465485.htm (http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/28/3465485.htm)

He was a devout Catholic priest who became an academic around the early 60's. This was a time of the "3rd Revolution" which I gather was a scholastic look at the Bible by many priests to reevaluate the Bible in terms of scientific and historical evidence. This push was encouraged by Pope St Pius XII back in 1943 to make the teachings of the church more relevant in a modern world.

Robert Crotty worked for a while at the Vatican around 1963 and then in Jerusalem under many of the best religious scholars of the time.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/28/3465485.htm (http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/28/3465485.htm)

The more he looked, the more he found that the Bible was not an infallible historical record. Rather it was a collection of stories with maybe a little historical truth. For example, if you take the Bible as a Historical fact, then when Joshua came to Jericho around 1400BC,  Jericho had been uninhabited and in ruins for well over a century, so Joshua could not have brought the walls down with one of the standard wall-collapsing trumpet tunes. It may be that the Exodus was a collection of stories over centuries rewritten as one single huge exodus.

Here's the director of astronomy at the Vatican:
(yes, there is such a position!)
Bill Maher interview with Vatican Astronomer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVOonvm1qOg#noexternalembed)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 19, 2012, 08:30:38 am

Here's the director of astronomy at the Vatican:
(yes, there is such a position!)
Bill Maher interview with Vatican Astronomer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVOonvm1qOg#noexternalembed)

Dave.

Well, he was the director of astronomy at the Vatican - he was 'retired' in 2006 after a number of public disagreements with Pope Benedict.

He had the temerity to espouse the theory of evolution instead of endorsing Benedict's support for 'intelligent design'.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 19, 2012, 08:55:59 am
Monotheism goes back to the ancient Egyptians, I forget the date s but a king called Amen decided that there would be only one god as by then they had so many and the priests all had so much power he was at risk of getting sidelined. So he move the capital and created one god and he was either that god or that gods first representative, He was quickly overthrown by the priests and the other god brought back as there was to much money at stake for them not too. Modern Christianity still recognizes this King and god, every time they say a prayer-just think about it what do they say or chant at the end.     
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 19, 2012, 09:22:43 am
Yes, and that would be Amenophis IV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten), who changed his name to Akhenaten during his reign.

In order to support their (Judaic) religion, some have even gone to the length of claiming that Akhenaten was the fictional Abrahamic Moses.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 19, 2012, 09:46:36 am
Now, regarding the declaratory adverb amen, this indeclinable little word, it comes straight from the Homeric "e-men" sometimes pronounced "a-men," which predates Amenophis's era by more than a thousand years time.

This ancient little word survives today in the Modern Greek language as the widely used declaratory word "amé" which means truly, of course.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 19, 2012, 04:22:47 pm
I have just realised that my phrase, above, about the Homeric language predating Amenophis IV (who died in 1334 BCE) by more than a thousand years, might sound to be an exaggeration. Well, it is not!

According to the recearch of the Academic scholar Anna Tziropoyloy-Eystathioy, who published her work under the title "Homer, son of Telemachus of the Odysseus's family (http://www.ebooks.gr/book/%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%B7%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%82-%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%87%CE%BF%CF%85-%CE%BF%CE%B4%CF%85%CF%83%CF%83%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%B4%CE%B7%CF%82-157123)," Homer was the son of Telemachus and the grandson of Odysseus, with a plethora of evidence supporting this assertion that exist within the Homer's works, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Now, the conventional history dogmatically estimates that these works were written during the ninth century BCE; but this is far from the truth. Actually, Homer being the grandson of Odysseus, he wrote those works two generations time after the Trojan War, which, according to the conventional history, took place in 1280 BCE. Wrong, again!

The actual content (and the obvious omissions) of these works indicate that the conventional history estimations are absolutely wrong. For example, amongst other things, Homer absolutely ignores the Thera (Santorini) volcanic eruption that destroyed the Minoan civilization, which happened in 1620 BCE, even though he describes various events of lesser importance; so, Homer predated that event.
- How can Homer ignore The Dorian ?nvasion that happened in 1200 BCE?
- How can Homer ignore the name Aegean Sea?
- Why does he never use the term Hellenes instead of the terms Argives, Achaeans and Danaans?
- Why does he call Argos the Peloponnese?
Because he predated all these events and the renaming of those places! He lived before all those events.

Another possible argument could be that Homer might have lived before the ninth century BCE and his works survived through the spoken word. Well, it is practically impossible for plain, illiterate people to have memorised and passed these fine and long works throughout the generations because of:
- The extended geographical, historical and cultural information Homer contains about places he describes, as well as so many foreign names and localities.
- The deeper knowledge of the human body anatomy needed to accurately describe the various wounds in the battle.
- The extremely rich vocabulary and the wealth of the epithets and adjectives used.
- And, most importantly, the perfect dactylic hexameter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dactylic_hexameter) of every one of those 15,692 + 12,110 lines the Iliad and the Odyssey are composed of.


Homer, also describes the island of Pharos (lighthouse) at Alexandria, Egypt, to be 160 Km away from the mainland. In the third century BCE, Alexander the Great found that very island to be only 1.3 Km away from the mainland and begun the construction of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria (standing on a 140 m high tower --one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) that was finished in 270 BCE. It is sure that since the ninth century BCE, the Nile could not have deposited the amounts of soil layer needed to cover a distance of 158 Km; so, what Homer witnessed was way before the ninth century BCE, the conventional history claims he lived.

Dr. Koutrouvelis, studying the constellations accurately described in Iliad, came to the conclusion that the Trojan War has probably begun in 3087 BCE and ended in 3077 BCE.

The scholar Mr. Raptis pointed out that there is a plethora of Proto-Pelasgian terms used in Homer's works, that were used before 3000 BCE and they were obsolete during the ninth century BCE.


Now, why would the conventional history (or those who control it) conceal the above?
Ah, that's easy! Because Homer's works would demolish the crumbly Abrahamic myths and doctrines, the validity of their version of cosmogony and history (you know: the 6,000 years old universe, Noah's Arc containing kangaroos, etc.!), the superiority of the Self-Chosen Ones (the special ones; not the everyday Jewish people) that is being sold to the public since the seventeenth century, the leading appearance and the superiority of the Phoenician alphabet (even though it did never have any vowels but only consonants) and literature (what was it, really? vouchers, pawn-tickets and receipts?) before any other ones in the world! Even though the respectable Hebrew scholar Joseph Yahuda published his lifelong work under the title "Hebrew is Greek (1982) (http://www.amazon.com/Hebrew-Greek-Joseph-Yahuda/dp/0728900130)" right before his book completely disappeared and him committing suicide, as the always truthful media informed us...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 04:40:04 pm
Good read, A Hellene.  It's interesting to see a different perspective.  Conventional history is always written by the victors, and often a complete distortion of the truth.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 19, 2012, 04:45:49 pm
Thank you!

Besides Churchill's History is written by the victors, there is Napoleon Bonaparte's aspect, according to which History is a set of lies agreed upon.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 19, 2012, 08:31:02 pm
First, god was down on the ground, living among people.  Then people realized this was silly, so they moved god to a mountaintop.  Man went to the mountaintop and realized there are no gods there, so man moved god to the clouds.  Then man went into the clouds and found no god, so man moved god into...emotions.  Away from the prying eyes and hands of critical thinking!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 08:40:40 pm
May I just point out that there seems to be confusion in general about atheism and antitheism.

Atheism is "without God"
Antitheism is "there is no God"

Vive la difference.

Also this video I think sums up the whole thing

Sam Harris delivers like a comedian (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwG9pDNSAXA#)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 08:49:03 pm
In philosophy, we study theism, atheism, and agnosticism.  Theism is a belief that god exists.   If we accept the principle of causality, god must exist.  Atheism is the belief that there is no god.  This position is only rationally justifiable if we deny causality.  Agnosticism is the position that there may or may not be a god and is the only one of these three views that can be rationally justified without making any assumptions.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 09:02:43 pm
Atheism is the belief that there is no god.

No, it's not. It's a lack of a belief in a god.

You can only claim it's belief that there is no god if you include your own further logical step in the definition, and you can't define it in that way.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 09:06:20 pm
Nope; straight out of my dictionary. 

Atheism: the doctrine or belief that there is no god.

This is also the same definition used in philosophy.  You are describing agnosticism.


No, it's not. It's a lack of a belief in a god.

You can only claim it's belief that there is no god if you include your own further logical step in the definition, and you can't define it in that way.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 09:12:30 pm
Well, I wouldn't normally argue with a dictionary.

However, given the root of the actual word itself, despite the popular interpretation, the literal meaning is still "without god".

So there you are, I'm sure you'll go with the dictionary, but the word itself does not mean "there is no god".
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 09:15:56 pm
I challenge you to find a single philosopher that uses your definition of atheism.  I spent quite some time studying the field and speaking with philosophers (i.e., PhD in philosophy).  Every single one of them uses the definition that I provided.  The origin of the term is irrelevant to the current meaning.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 19, 2012, 09:16:28 pm
Atheism: the doctrine or belief that there is no god.

This is also the same definition used in philosophy.

You can't validly assert that. Neither the English language nor the study of philosophy permits such a narrow, unqualified and limited statement or definition of terms.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 19, 2012, 09:19:49 pm
Stephen Fry's amazing speech on the catholic church (IQ2) debate, 2009 Part 2 of 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfZfXfs7tDc#ws)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 09:19:58 pm
Completely wrong.  Show me philosphical text that uses a different definition of atheism.  I have plenty of counter-examples; the writings of Aquinas, Anselm, and even many modern day philosphers. 

In philosophy, we structure arguments beginning with A is defined as this, so B must logically follow.  You can call A and B anything you like, but the argument is still valid.  So, yes, atheism is irrational if we accept causality, theism is irrational if we deny causality, and agnosticism is the only justifiable position without making any assumptions about causality.

You can't validly assert that. Neither the English language nor the study of philosophy permits such a narrow, unqualified and limited statement or definition of terms.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 19, 2012, 09:24:35 pm
In philosophy, we structure arguments...

You might stop using "we" like that. It's vastly too pompous.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 09:26:32 pm
I challenge you to find a single philosopher that uses your definition of atheism.  I spent quite some time studying the field and speaking with philosophers (i.e., PhD in philosophy).  Every single one of them uses the definition that I provided.  The origin of the term is irrelevant to the current meaning.

I don't know any philosophers. I don't need to either, I'm not really concerned in how they use it.

The fact remains that the literal meaning of a word with the "a-" prefix means "not", or in this case, "without". The word is derived from the latin "atheos" which is "a" (without) "theos" (God).

Plus, why do we have the term "antitheist", then? Is it redundant now that these so-called philosophers use the term "atheist" incorrectly for their own purposes? Or is it perhaps the fault of arrogant "philosophers" that the word is defined in this way in the dictionary?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 09:26:48 pm
This is what happens when someone runs out of rational justification for their position.


You might stop using "we" like that. It's vastly too pompous.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 09:28:51 pm
The term antitheist isn't common at all in my country and I've never heard a philosopher use the term.  I would lump antitheist into the same position as atheist.


I don't know any philosophers. I don't need to either, I'm not really concerned in how they use it.

The fact remains that the literal meaning of a word with the "a-" prefix means "not", or in this case, "without". The word is derived from the latin "atheos" which is "a" (without) "theos" (God).

Plus, why do we have the term "antitheist", then? Is it redundant now that these so-called philosophers use the term "atheist" incorrectly for their own purposes? Or is it perhaps the fault of arrogant "philosophers" that the word is defined in this way in the dictionary?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 09:32:23 pm
The term antitheist isn't common at all in my country and I've never heard a philosopher use the term.  I would lump antitheist into the same position as atheist.

I bet you would.

But you seem to basically be using ad populum arguments to support any point you are making. Either that or you just claim it is so because you say it is.

Interesting to see what "philosophers" come up with these days.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 09:34:07 pm
I'm no fan of the catholic church; they are just as hypocritical as most other organized religions.  I will say, however, that Jesus Christ was an excellent role model in many ways, regardless of one's thoughts on who he was.

Stephen Fry's amazing speech on the catholic church (IQ2) debate, 2009 Part 2 of 2
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 19, 2012, 09:36:40 pm
This is what happens when someone runs out of rational justification for their position.

Again with the pomposity. You are too young, too immature, and too full of your own self-importance to be worth debating with.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 09:37:31 pm
My argument is valid regardless of how you define atheism, theism, and agnosticism.  Replace them with A, B, and C for all I care.  The argument is still perfectly valid.  My point is that the position that god does not exist is indefensible unless you deny causality.  Which is why I think it is somewhat ironic that many "rational" engineers claim to be atheists.


I bet you would.

But you seem to basically be using ad populum arguments to support any point you are making. Either that or you just claim it is so because you say it is.

Interesting to see what "philosophers" come up with these days.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 19, 2012, 09:40:25 pm
In philosophy, we study theism, atheism, and agnosticism.  Theism is a belief that god exists.   If we accept the principle of causality, god must exist.  Atheism is the belief that there is no god.  This position is only rationally justifiable if we deny causality.  Agnosticism is the position that there may or may not be a god and is the only one of these three views that can be rationally justified without making any assumptions.

Good grief, haven't we suffered enough? You may or may not be a decent engineer, but on the evidence you have provided to date you are not a competent philosopher.

The cosmological argument you are garbling had serious flaws when it was expressed by Thomas Aquinas 800 years ago, and since the advent of modern science it has been abandoned even by Christian apologists such as Swinburne. You cannot expect to be taken seriously if you resort to stating such outdated ideas as fact, particularly when you mangle them as you have.


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 19, 2012, 09:41:00 pm
Before words are used it is a good idea to know what they mean. Antithesis means a a person or thing that is direct opposite of some one or something else it has no direct relationship with religion.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 09:45:27 pm
I still haven't seen you rationally refute my claims.


Good grief, haven't we suffered enough? You may or may not be a decent engineer, but on the evidence you have provided to date you are not a competent philosopher.

The cosmological argument you are garbling had serious flaws when it was expressed by Thomas Aquinas 800 years ago, and since the advent of modern science it has been abandoned even by Christian apologists such as Swinburne. You cannot expect to be taken seriously if you resort to stating such outdated ideas as fact, particularly when you mangle them as you have.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 09:46:02 pm
Before words are used it is a good idea to know what they mean. Antithesis means a a person or thing that is direct opposite of some one or something else it has no direct relationship with religion.

Is this directed towards me?

I said antitheist, not antithesis.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 19, 2012, 10:02:18 pm
Where in the Oxford English dictionary is "antitheist"
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 10:08:48 pm
Hahaha!  I was thinking the same.

Where in the Oxford English dictionary is "antitheist"
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 19, 2012, 10:16:12 pm
I still haven't seen you rationally refute my claims.


Good grief, haven't we suffered enough? You may or may not be a decent engineer, but on the evidence you have provided to date you are not a competent philosopher.

The cosmological argument you are garbling had serious flaws when it was expressed by Thomas Aquinas 800 years ago, and since the advent of modern science it has been abandoned even by Christian apologists such as Swinburne. You cannot expect to be taken seriously if you resort to stating such outdated ideas as fact, particularly when you mangle them as you have.

Why should I, when your claims have already been refuted by numerous real philosophers, with the formal qualifications which you value so highly?

However, if you are truly unaware of the last several hundred years of philosophical progress, the argument from causation fails for several reasons:


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 10:17:47 pm
Hahaha!  I was thinking the same.

Where in the Oxford English dictionary is "antitheist"

Hahaha! It's in Webster's dictionary.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 10:24:24 pm
Finally, a rational argument.  Your claims are absolutely correct and I agree with them.  However, you'll notice that I earlier defined "god" as the goodness we observe in this world.  Denying this definition of god is difficult.

Why should I, when your claims have already been refuted by numerous real philosophers, with the formal qualifications which you value so highly?

However, if you are truly unaware of the last several hundred years of philosophical progress, the argument from causation fails for several reasons:
  • It requires a first cause, which is not necessarily true - the universe may always have existed
  • It presupposes that the only first cause is god, when it could be an impersonal force, such as the Big Bang
  • It invokes a potentially nonexistent god to explain a universe which manifestly does exist
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 10:25:53 pm
While we're at it, would you also like to post Webster's definition for atheist?  Oh, that's right, it agrees with my definition.

Hahaha!  I was thinking the same.

Where in the Oxford English dictionary is "antitheist"

Hahaha! It's in Webster's dictionary.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 19, 2012, 10:34:40 pm
Finally, a rational argument.  Your claims are absolutely correct and I agree with them.  However, you'll notice that I earlier defined "god" as the goodness we observe in this world.  Denying this definition of god is difficult.

Why should I, when your claims have already been refuted by numerous real philosophers, with the formal qualifications which you value so highly?

However, if you are truly unaware of the last several hundred years of philosophical progress, the argument from causation fails for several reasons:
  • It requires a first cause, which is not necessarily true - the universe may always have existed
  • It presupposes that the only first cause is god, when it could be an impersonal force, such as the Big Bang
  • It invokes a potentially nonexistent god to explain a universe which manifestly does exist

That's funny - you didn't agree with them a few minutes ago.

I did indeed notice your earlier attempt to come up with a spurious redefinition of god, but that bit of misdirection has already been disposed of by others.

You would garner a great deal more respect on this forum if you were willing to admit that you are not always right.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 10:36:02 pm
While we're at it, would you also like to post Webster's definition for atheist?  Oh, that's right, it agrees with my definition.

Hahaha!  I was thinking the same.

Where in the Oxford English dictionary is "antitheist"

Hahaha! It's in Webster's dictionary.

I've explained why the dictionary definition of atheist isn't right. You seemed to have an issue with whether antitheist was even a word, which it is.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 10:42:58 pm
When you refuse the use the dictionary and philosophically accepted definition of the term, don't expect anyone else to understand what you're trying to say.

I've explained why the dictionary definition of atheist isn't right. You seemed to have an issue with whether antitheist was even a word, which it is.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 10:45:11 pm
It's not much different than the philospically accepted definition of god; only a slightly more precise definition.  So, yes, if I choose to define god as such, it is rather straight-foward to demonstrate that god exists.


I did indeed notice your earlier attempt to come up with a spurious redefinition of god, but that bit of misdirection has already been disposed of by others.

You would garner a great deal more respect on this forum if you were willing to admit that you are not always right.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 11:02:21 pm
When you refuse the use the dictionary and philosophically accepted definition of the term, don't expect anyone else to understand what you're trying to say.

I've explained why the dictionary definition of atheist isn't right. You seemed to have an issue with whether antitheist was even a word, which it is.

If you don't understand my logical explanation of why the term "atheist" means "without god" then you have no business claiming to be some sort of philosopher.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 11:03:43 pm
I never claimed to be a philosopher; you're putting words in my mouth.


If you don't understand my logical explanation of why the term "atheist" means "without god" then you have no business claiming to be some sort of philosopher.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 11:08:01 pm
I never claimed to be a philosopher; you're putting words in my mouth.


If you don't understand my logical explanation of why the term "atheist" means "without god" then you have no business claiming to be some sort of philosopher.

"In philosophy, we..."
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 11:09:35 pm
Yep, and I never claimed to be a philosopher.  Your point?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 19, 2012, 11:15:13 pm
Yep, and I never claimed to be a philosopher.  Your point?

You claim to posess related knowledge and speak as though you are an authority on the subject.

So your use of "we"..? How do you justify that?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 19, 2012, 11:16:42 pm
Finally, a rational argument.  Your claims are absolutely correct and I agree with them.  However, you'll notice that I earlier defined "god" as the goodness we observe in this world.  Denying this definition of god is difficult.

This is NOT what everyone is talking about here and you know it.
Please take this definition elsewhere and start a new thread if you want to discuss it, it does not belong in this thread.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 11:20:26 pm
Ad-hom.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 19, 2012, 11:28:45 pm
Finally, a rational argument.  Your claims are absolutely correct and I agree with them.  However, you'll notice that I earlier defined "god" as the goodness we observe in this world.  Denying this definition of god is difficult.
It is just a totally useless definition as it is totally subjective, and different people will judge totally different things as Goodness.  You only have to look at the radically different views people have on refugees, boat people, healthcare support, unemployment support, support for the democratic process, support for freedom of belief, etc.

If you are a radical hard liner in any belief, then you may think goodness is forcing other people to follow your belief, even of it means at the point of a gun. That fits well within your definition of Goodness. If you believe absolutely that there is only one person who can lead a country out from a disasterous situation to safety, then Goodness is doing anything to keep that person in power, even if it means establishing a ruthless dictator.

Either you are prepared to actually give some definitions of what Goodness is, or all you have is a word, and if all you have is a word, then there is no underlying concept to exist at all.

There is no organized religion that exists based only on an warm and fluffy word.

Richard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 11:41:10 pm
I think what you're getting at is that god means different things to different people, which is absolutely true.  And why shouldn't it be so?  We can take any philosophical argument, whether it be on religion, morality, etc. and it will mean different things to different people.  This is why I think the whole concept of organized religion is somewhat flawed.  And your statement of forcing other people to follow your belief violates others' fundamental rights according to utilitarianism, so it cannot be considered good.


It is just a totally useless definition as it is totally subjective, and different people will judge totally different things as Goodness.  You only have to look at the radically different views people have on refugees, boat people, healthcare support, unemployment support, support for the democratic process, support for freedom of belief, etc.

If you are a radical hard liner in any belief, then you may think goodness is forcing other people to follow your belief, even of it means at the point of a gun. That fits well within your definition of Goodness. If you believe absolutely that there is only one person who can lead a country out from a disasterous situation to safety, then Goodness is doing anything to keep that person in power, even if it means establishing a ruthless dictator.

Either you are prepared to actually give some definitions of what Goodness is, or all you have is a word, and if all you have is a word, then there is no underlying concept to exist at all.

There is no organized religion that exists based only on an warm and fluffy word.

Richard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 19, 2012, 11:49:31 pm
And your statement of forcing other people to follow your belief violates others' fundamental rights according to utilitarianism, so it cannot be considered good.

It strongly supports utilitarianism in Muslim countries, so it is definitely considered good in those places. The reality is that forcing everyone to follow the same belief promotes harmony and discourages strife, both of which are good for society.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 19, 2012, 11:58:56 pm
It is really quite simple to show that forcing your belief on others violates utilitarianism.  Consider the following: If person A does not follow person B's beliefs, person B will potentially use deadly force to make them follow person B's beliefs.   If person B does not follow person A's beliefs, person A will potentially use deadly force to make them follow person A's beliefs.  So, if they both hold different beliefs, persons A and B will kill each other.  So now we can apply this to a whole society.  We find that the society self destructs.  Therefore, the position that if person B does not hold person A's beliefs, person B will kill him is inconsistent and violates utilitarianism.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 20, 2012, 12:02:37 am
It is really quite simple to show that forcing your belief on others violates utilitarianism.  Consider the following: If person A does not follow person B's beliefs, person B will potentially use deadly force to make them follow person B's beliefs.   If person B does not follow person A's beliefs, person A will potentially use deadly force to make them follow person A's beliefs.  So, if they both hold different beliefs, persons A and B will kill each other.  So now we can apply this to a whole society.  We find that the society self destructs.  Therefore, the position that if person B does not hold person A's beliefs, person B will kill him is inconsistent and violates utilitarianism.

Muslim societies do not self-destruct, so your argument fails in practice. If your philosophical argument fails when applied to a practical situation, your argument needs to be revised.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 20, 2012, 12:05:37 am
Actually, it doesn't take much to see that Muslim countries are self destructing.  Suicide bombers galore, constant religious wars, and so forth.  Contrast that to countries that do not force religion on anyone.  And I don't intend to single out Muslims; Christians have done the same throughout history.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 20, 2012, 12:08:34 am
Suicide bombers galore, constant religious wars, and so forth.

Like India, for example?

Quote
Contrast that to countries that do not force religion on anyone.

Like India, for example?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 20, 2012, 12:20:28 am
This is why I think the whole concept of organized religion is somewhat flawed.  And your statement of forcing other people to follow your belief violates others' fundamental rights according to utilitarianism, so it cannot be considered good.
This is where your definition hits the problem of ethics.  Beliefs are not just religious beliefs - they include beliefs like it is wrong to kill someone. It is wrong to eat meat. Perhaps it is wrong to kill any living thing including plants. Perhaps that means that Goodness is to stop eating and just starve.

If a killer is randomly gunning people down in the streets, is Goodness doing nothing? Or is Goodness shooting the killer? If so, how can killing a person be Goodness? Perhaps killing people makes the killer genuinely very, very happy, and if you stop him, you will make him unhappy. How can making the killer unhappy be Goodness? Isn't that only way we know to coexists is at some level, we force others to function within an imposed set of beliefs even if they are very basic like the belief is is wrong to kill someone, and the belief it is OK to kill plants for food. Perhaps it is OK to kill animals for food, but that is not a universal belief.

Aren't rights a totally made up set of beliefs? There have been times in history when people had absolutely no rights, so rights are an invention - they are not anything fundamental.

Without guidlines, your word Goodness is still absolutely meaningless and defines nothing. Once you have guidelines with built in ethical choices that will be good for some and bad for others, your definition of God no longer exists.

Richard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 20, 2012, 12:29:10 am
God wants us to love one another, not to sit around debating and arguing over his existance. He exists, we all know it, we just accept or deny it. Simple really - the evidence IS EVERYWHERE... you just have to LOOK; it's staring you right in the face.

I looked. I saw the evidence. I believed. I found that it made no difference. Whether or not you believe in God, the outcome is the same for everyone. It is from there a simple step to conclude that God is not a force in the world, and if God has no power or influence or impact, why believe?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 20, 2012, 12:30:49 am
God wants us to love one another, not to sit around debating and arguing over his existance. He exists, we all know it, we just accept or deny it. Simple really - the evidence IS EVERYWHERE... you just have to LOOK; it's staring you right in the face.

What evidence is that, then?

A list would be good. It doesn't have to include EVERYTHING, but examples would be great.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 20, 2012, 12:32:18 am
I already stated that goodness means different things to different people.  What you consider good may be different than what your neighbor calls good.  All this means is that the definition of god that I chose is individual, not universal.  In fact, there are even religions that have a concept of an individual god.  The problem is that you're claiming that god must have the same face to everyone, which is false under my definition and under the commonly accepted philosophical definition.


Aren't rights a totally made up set of beliefs? There have been times in history when people had absolutely no rights, so rights are an invention - they are not anything fundamental.

Without guidlines, your word Goodness is still absolutely meaningless and defines nothing. Once you have guidelines with built in ethical choices that will be good for some and bad for others, your definition of God no longer exists.

Richard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 20, 2012, 12:35:03 am
Believing once, and then unbelieving sounds pretty unlikely. You can't see a car, believe it's there, and then suddenly say you didn't see it. You know he is real, you're just denying him. I would say man has let you down, not God, as he doesn't and cannot.

I was not let down by God, that is true, as God does not exist. I was certainly let down by man, who claimed that God exists when that was not true. Shame on you!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 20, 2012, 12:53:25 am
Then you never truly believed. That seems to be the case. I am not judging you, I am stating it how you have explained it. God is not to blame - that's a cop out, sorry mate.

So if I believe then God exists, but if I don't believe then God doesn't exist? Doesn't that make the existence of God rather conditional?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 20, 2012, 12:56:12 am
Well, since god can do anything, he certainly can pop in and out of existence ;D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 20, 2012, 02:30:07 am
Without guidlines, your word Goodness is still absolutely meaningless and defines nothing. Once you have guidelines with built in ethical choices that will be good for some and bad for others, your definition of God no longer exists.

vxp036000's definition of god is just silly and pointless to any rational modern discussion of the existence of god(s).
If he mean goodness, he should just say goodness, or use some other word that is not confusing the issue with what most people believe a god to be and what is being discussed here, i.e. a supreme being which supposedly created us and the universe etc

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 20, 2012, 02:32:20 am
God wants us to love one another, not to sit around debating and arguing over his existance. He exists, we all know it

No, we don't.

Quote
, we just accept or deny it. Simple really - the evidence IS EVERYWHERE... you just have to LOOK; it's staring you right in the face.

Please list this evidence, and please be specific and detailed.
If the evidence is as good and obvious as you claim, I'll believe it.
Here's your chance, make believers out of all of us atheists by showing us the evidence.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 20, 2012, 02:40:14 am
Believing once, and then unbelieving sounds pretty unlikely. You can't see a car, believe it's there, and then suddenly say you didn't see it. You know he is real, you're just denying him. I would say man has let you down, not God, as he doesn't and cannot.

No, it is in fact very common for people to "lose their religion".
Many people believed (and dare I say, the majority) in god because they have been indoctrinated into it, by their family, and society in general. And many (maybe the majority?) continue to "believe" because they haven't really given it much though. They haven't critically investigated what they believe and why.
They just turn up to hillsong and go crazy over the music, buy the merchandise, etc.
I would say that the majority of people who "believe" have not had some epiphany and then truly believe that god exists. They are just playing the social game and going along with the crowd.

And until fairly recently it's often been hard to "come out" and say you don't believe, just like being gay or whatever.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 20, 2012, 02:42:06 am
I'm saying the evidence IS there, I am not going to reel off a list; you can see for yourself. It's not about evidence - God's existance is not on trial by his own creation; that's absurd. I am saying IF you need evidence, think a little deeper about it, and you'll see. May take all your life, but I'll stake EVERYTHING that you'll either believe whilst alive, or immediately after your death, without any possible shadow of any kind of doubt, ever, EVER... hopefully not as late as the latter, and do you really want to miss out on heaven? There's no "inbetween world" between heaven and hell. To be blunt, that's how it is folks. I hope you find God's love, because it is incredible... you really have no comparison to it until you feel it.

Your complete inability to provide any evidence what so ever is duly noted.
Also, please be specific about which god you are talking about, they are not all the same.
I'm going to assume you mean the god of the christian bible? And if so is that Yahweh or Jesus? Or do you consider them the same?

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: ToBeFrank on May 20, 2012, 02:48:43 am
Many people believed (and dare I say, the majority) in god because they have been indoctrinated into it, by their family, and society in general.

Exactly. Would a Christian still be a Christian if he had been born to a Muslim in the middle east? Anybody who answers yes to that is just delusional.

Quote
And until fairly recently it's often been hard to "come out" and say you don't believe, just like being gay or whatever.

That's why I think the whole agnostic thing is lame. Grow a set and admit you don't believe. Yeah, it's less socially acceptable to admit you're an atheist, but you'll survive.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 20, 2012, 03:14:41 am
Throughout history, cultures have bounced back and forth between the two extremes.  There were times when practicing religion was a crime, and other times when denying a deity was considered a crime.  Today, there is a strong trend toward hating anything and everything relating to religion.  In the USA, Muslims are thrown in jail for nothing more than belonging to the wrong church, under the guise of terrorist ties. 

The religious folks I know are generally much more tolerant of other viewpoints than atheists.  It seems to me that a lot of atheists, not unlike other so-called minorities, love to get up and arms in everyones' face about it.  If religious zealots were doing that, it would be considered completely unacceptable.  But for atheists, gays, minority races, etc. it's ok.  Cut the double standard and everyone would be happy.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 20, 2012, 03:33:35 am
One more thing: I don't care if you're atheist, agnostic, antitheistic, or religous.  Criticizing someones religious beliefs comes across as very immature.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 20, 2012, 03:35:32 am
Then you never truly believed. That seems to be the case. I am not judging you, I am stating it how you have explained it. God is not to blame - that's a cop out, sorry mate.

So if I believe then God exists, but if I don't believe then God doesn't exist? Doesn't that make the existence of God rather conditional?

He exists, whether or not you believe in him. Your choice. Why on EARTH would he "pop in and out of existance"? that's incredibly silly. ^_^

God is beyond ALL human understanding, so all your human debate amounts to foolish ends, it seems.
Ianwhoiam, I get the feeling you are seeing the comments of others as an attack on you, and if that is the case, something is not quite right.

If something is true, then it is true whatever anyone says, whatever anyone has ever written, or said. None of that matters in the slightest. If other people are saying things that are wrong - then they are making a fool of themselves. It has no effect on you in the slightest. This post of mine will not change a thing.

Even the Bible is totally nonsensical in the same sense that Wittgenstein's said his life's major work is nonsensical as I mentioned in this post

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112330/#msg112330 (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112330/#msg112330)

The reason is no matter what is said, not said and no matter what is understood or misunderstood, it has no effect on the Truth. Even an Encyclical from the Pope has no effect on the Truth. The words without understanding are meaningless. If the words are understood, then you can throw away the words, as you have the understanding.

Now if you have learnt to trust the Bible through your life experiences, that is something totally different, but also totally valid.  None of us can survive without learning to trust something. The difference between Truth and trust is that trust does depend on us believing in something else or someone else. If you trust in the Bible, you cannot throw away the Bible because for you, it is your guide.

I trust in lots of things. I trust that Earth is approximately a round ball falling around a Sun in a nearly circular orbit in a near vacuum. I have never been up in a rocket to prove this so I cannot say it is a Truth. When I am at the top of a big wide staircase, I trust I can safely get to the bottom, and if I am wrong, I could get very badly injured so it is no little amount of trust - it is life or death. Since I do not know the future, I cannot know as a Truth I will make it to the bottom, but I can absolutely trust that I will get to the bottom.

Here is the thing about trust. I trust some people in my life absolutely. I cannot think of any reason you should trust those same people at all.

If other people have never had experiences that prove to them that they should trust the Bible, then there is no reason they should trust the Bible. Your experiences are unique to you. Their experiences are unique to them, and the fact we all have different experiences in life makes this a very interesting place.

When you say you see evidence everywhere, I accept that as your experience. When others see no evidence at all, perhaps they are not seeing what you are seeing. Maybe you can guide people to see things they have never noticed, but only if you are prepared to guide people, and then let them see for themselves. Perhaps others can guide you to see that there may be more explanations of many things then you though possible, but only if you are prepared to follow their guide, and then look for yourself, and not through the filter of your beliefs.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in choosing to trust other people, or a book, but understand there is a big difference between the decision to trust, and the kind of Philospophical and absolute Truth that philosophers like Wittgenstein spent their life chasing.

If you want to prove to yourself that an afterlife is a Truth in this deep Philisophical sense, you need to be able to discard everything in the Bible, and every thing anyone has ever said, and you need to be able to look out and see for yourself it is the Truth. If you cannot see it for yourself, or if you need to refer to a passage in the Bible, then it is not a Truth. You are back to trusting.

If you want to regard truth and trust as the same thing, then you may find it hard to win arguments here. We can be a bit brutal on people who think volts and amps are the same thing.

Richard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: ToBeFrank on May 20, 2012, 05:41:02 am
The religious folks I know are generally much more tolerant of other viewpoints than atheists.  It seems to me that a lot of atheists, not unlike other so-called minorities, love to get up and arms in everyones' face about it.  If religious zealots were doing that, it would be considered completely unacceptable.  But for atheists, gays, minority races, etc. it's ok.  Cut the double standard and everyone would be happy.

Yes, religious zealots are way more tolerant than atheists. (http://www.godhatesfags.com/) Can't say I've ever seen atheists wishing death upon people who don't think the same as them.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 20, 2012, 06:17:47 am
The religious folks I know are generally much more tolerant of other viewpoints than atheists.

Because different religions ultimately believe in the same fairytale, and that's often the lesser evil than those who don't believe at all. Or worse again, the atheists who actively call them out on their claims and help people come to see reason and abandon belief in the non-existent.

Quote
  It seems to me that a lot of atheists, not unlike other so-called minorities, love to get up and arms in everyones' face about it.

Only because we feel we have to. Region is so pervasive and persuasive in society, shoving BS down our throat, our childrens throat, and generally trying to bend society to their will based on their holy book. If that wasn't the case then there would be no active atheists at all.

Quote
If religious zealots were doing that, it would be considered completely unacceptable.

They do it every day, in spades.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 20, 2012, 06:21:29 am
One more thing: I don't care if you're atheist, agnostic, antitheistic, or religous.  Criticizing someones religious beliefs comes across as very immature.

No it's not, it's the most grown up thing you can possibly do - to question things, and seek the truth.
Religious people claim some absolutely bat-shit crazy things, and we simply call them on it and ask them to provide evidence to back up their claims.
Why should religion be off limit to criticism? That's the way it's been in society for a long time now and it need to stop.

Once again, I won't criticise your belief in anything, if you keep it to yourself, but when it invades my life and the advancement of society in general, that's when you'll get called out on it.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 20, 2012, 06:36:43 am
my home
christmas morning 2011
7.45 am
knock on the door.
i answer.
the jehovah :  " you dont have to live this way"
me : "what " ?
the jehovah : " you dont have to celebrate jesus's birthday" ?
me : " piss off "
the jehovah : " oooh the devil's looking over your shoulder "
me : " f**k off "
the jehovah : " you've so much anger and bitterness"
me :"i'm not going to tell you again"
the jehovah puts her foot in the door jam as i begin to close the door.
the jehovah :" a lot of people feel anger when they turn away from god"
me "i've never belived in god"
i slam door.the jehovah moves foot.
this is the mentality of the religous mind .if you dont believe .there must be  something wrong with you .
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 20, 2012, 07:03:12 am

Quote
If religious zealots were doing that, it would be considered completely unacceptable.

They do it every day, in spades.

Dave.

When I was 11 years old I had already decided that this God thing didn't make any sense, so I excluded myself from anything that was connected to the delusion.  In my childhood it was the practice of the PUBLIC schools to recite the lords prayer and sing "God Save Our Queen" every morning. I just stopped doing that part of the morning ritual and got away with it as one voice missing from twenty didn't get noticed.

I then started my next grade and the school had just acquired a new teacher. Her way of teaching was a little different than I had experienced before. Each day she expected each student to stand up at the front of the class and recite a verse from the bible. When it came to my turn, I stood up and told her that I was not going to do it as I was an atheist. She was very flustered by the audacity of a mere child standing up for his own rights and she quickly asked the next on the list to do the deed. I sat down happy and confident that I had done the right thing and had done nothing offensive.

A few days rolled around and my turn came up again. This time I expected to be skipped without any trouble. Well I was wrong. She asked me to step up and take my turn and I stood up to remind her that I was not going to do something that was not my belief. She then very loudly and aggressively told me that I was being silly and that she had talked to my mother. She told me that my mother had told her that I was to do what I was told and that my atheism was wrong. Well you can imagine that I was caught completely off guard and embarrassed. I felt like I had no choice but to do what I was told at that point and blundered my way through some passage, of which I have no memory.

When I got back home that afternoon I went straight to where my mother was and started yelling at her like a maniac. She had this wide eyed bewildered look on her face and it took her a few minutes to get me to stop yelling and explain what I was talking about. When  she learned what had transpired she became very angry and let me know that she had never talked to this teacher and the teacher was just plain lying. I was given permission to do whatever I wanted when I returned the next day in class to refute the teacher.

The next day the teacher asked for the next person on the list to stand up and do their recital. I stood up and asked that I may be able to take their place. The teacher looked quite pleased with herself that she had converted me to her way. I got to the front of the class and instead of reciting her crap, I recounted what had happened the previous day when I talked with my mother. In a nut shell I told the whole class that the teacher had lied about talking to my mother and that my mother would never have done such a thing behind my back. I also told the class that since the teacher had lied and humiliated me in front of the class and made me doubt my mother for the afternoon that I would no longer be taking any instructions from the teacher. During all of this the teacher just sat there with a slack jaw not knowing what to do. The whole class looked to be in shock and I sat down.

The next couple of minutes are a bit hard to remember because I had this ringing in my ears and my face felt hot from the stress of what I had just done. I think the teacher quickly got up to the front of the class and started some other lesson as quickly as possible to try and change the subject. The rest of the day I sat in class ignoring everything and read one of Asimov's books on physics.

For the rest of the whole year I was never bothered by her again, and I basically did whatever I wanted in her class. This was just as well because the only thing she was able to teach me was that religious people are fanatics who lie, cheat and coerce in any way to make others believe the way they do. Any good she might have done as a teacher was destroyed.

It did not take long for this whole bible reading in class to stop. I am sure that someone else complained and she stopped asking people to do it. If she had done anything to retaliate against me for sticking up for my rights, I am sure it would have been the end of her being able to teach again anywhere in my area.

I have never been attacked, coerced, lied to, not even approached by any atheist in my life trying to make me believe their way.

In my life I have faced countless mormons, jehovah witnesses, scientologists, 7th day adventists, catholics, anglicans, etc, at my house door, in my schools, in the malls, in parking lots, almost anywhere trying to bother me with their beliefs. Continuously there are references on TV, radio, and all media about god(s). All the governments rely on religion in some way where ever I have lived. In court I have been asked many times to swear on the bible that "so help me god" that I will tell the truth.

So saying that atheists are always speaking up and trying to force their minds on others is an outright error or a lie or simply a troll. It is exactly to opposite. Theists will do almost anything to get you to believe their side, or just kill you for not believing it. History and my personal experience is on the side of that assertion.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 20, 2012, 09:15:30 am
Interesting story, Lightages.

My great grandmother was very religious, a Christian derivative evangelist of some sort. However, my parents weren't religious at all, and I was never baptised, or anything like that. Therefore I was free to take whatever stance I wanted on this subject. I loved my great grandmother dearly, visited her every Saturday, she cooked me great food and taught me a lot about plants, and gardening. I was also intrigued by her religious activities on Sundays. So one day I asked her whether I could visit Sunday school, and see what was going on in there.

Naturally it was a bible recital session of some sort, pretty much a recap of the creation story. I sat there, completely confused, particularly about dinosaurs, they were supposed to roam on this Earth only few thousand years ago! I objected, and questioned the story and stated this is wrong, because I was reading another book (http://www.hollo-antikvarium.hu/konyv_kepek/V/a/Varga_Domonkos-Varga_Andras_3A_Eg_es_Fold__kerdesek_konyve__7_140931.jpg)*, which painted a completely different story about the Earth's history. I was practically shut down, and was told that my book was a lie, without any justification as to why. Needless to say, I never went back, and my mind was pretty much programmed into atheist mode from thereon. (Bit like the point of no return for the android kid in the Spielberg movie "A.I.", where the android was given a sequence of verbal commands to activate its imprinting protocol.)

I learned very early to question everything and not to trust what people say without verification.

* This is a science book for kids, published c. 1985, given to me as a present. Best present ever. It literally opened my mind to science and the universe.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: GeoffS on May 20, 2012, 09:56:25 am
To quote Christopher Hitchens: 'That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.'
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 20, 2012, 11:02:05 am
now me again. this may sound a little bold... [preach cloth = ON]

"please my fellow christians, if you really are looking for real god and truth (not what your father and grandfather believe blindly), take a glance at islam and its holy book quran. thats the real truth there. bible was written/passed down by the same god as islam, just as pentateuch/torah and zabur. but quran is the most latest and authentic writing. authenticity is questionable for bible and torah, the church tried hard enough to conseal this risking collapsing their established organization"

islam didnt self destruct. during its expansion, using peaceful "dakwah", not war, organized church felt threaten and start crusade war. many muslim and scientific books was destroyed during the time. mostly burnt and eaten by muslim to avoid gotten by the wrong hand. islam is in harmony with science, but not church. so nowadays muslim is seen as weak community, but because its peacefull nature. only minority went fanatics and start suicide war, but again because they are threaten by other parties/politicians etc, not because rejecting other religion. but they do it in public and civilians is definitely a wrong way of islam, western/church conspiracy worsen this scenario. even though we are weak, i believe if islam has to raise to declare war/threaten, that can be something.

"so, we islam are peaceful religion. come and join us! my fellow christians and agnostics, come embrace Allah and believe Him with your heart!"
[preach cloth = OFF] :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 20, 2012, 11:15:35 am
"so, we islam are peaceful religion. come and join us! my fellow christians and agnostics, come embrace Allah and believe Him with your heart!"

Sure, no problem, just show us your evidence of why we should believe. Seriously, that's all it takes.
It can't be that hard can it?  ;D

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on May 20, 2012, 11:21:41 am
about the god threat and 72 virgins in heaven thing, i cannot help it, but its true, thats what written in the book, so if the book lies, then i lie (but i dont think so).

"so, we islam are peaceful religion. come and join us! my fellow christians and agnostics, come embrace Allah and believe Him with your heart!"

Sure, no problem, just show us your evidence of why we should believe. Seriously, that's all it takes.
It can't be that hard can it?  ;D

Dave.

Well Mech, thank you for your generous invitation, and I won't ask for evidence like Dave does, nor use the Allah given brain ability to reason/logic to confront you, its just my "heart" hurts when everytime I imagine that my wife thinking about me with 72 virgins fucking all day long eternally in heaven, really, I love my wife wholeheartedly.

Not sure though, but I can safely assumed that your wife is really fine with that right ? ;)


Reposting the previous image again to help boosting/enhancing that feeling ....
(http://www.host-images.com/u/files/d44de7o97dd7w857s0z2.jpg)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 20, 2012, 12:06:08 pm
"so, we islam are peaceful religion. come and join us! my fellow christians and agnostics, come embrace Allah and believe Him with your heart!"
Sure, no problem, just show us your evidence of why we should believe. Seriously, that's all it takes.
It can't be that hard can it?  ;D
Dave.
god's paradox... is clever than us, we'll never find Him his hiding. or... measurement problem! :P

Quote
I love my wife wholeheartedly
muslim can marry 4 women at a time, and whats the odd of that? divorce has it own specified procedure, not random (if you want to raise that point).
i read a poet lingering in the net something like... if you give her a house, she will give you a home. if you give her ... she will give you more... i cant remember exactly. the point is.. being monogamists is another way of thinking, owning and being owned (let me say it that way), you own your wife alone, and she owns you, one and only. but if you are dear enough to your girl.. she will even let you get (or fuck :P) another girl ;). men are designed to can love many things/human, woman not. now its been misunderstood for muslim being polygamists, but its not as easy as it sounded, you have to be very just to your wives in almost all aspects, in other word... they all must be happy with you... impossible? king or china empire if i'm not mistaken had many girls/maid (cant recall the exact term), but his queen can still be happy for him.

now, if you think you really love your wife wholeheartedly... let me give you a good news... its not compulsary to fuck all those virgins (whether you are not "willing" or incapable of :P), you can use them to polish your wife's nail and hair ;) isnt that wonderful? true love to enternity :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 20, 2012, 12:20:28 pm
Sure, no problem, just show us your evidence of why we should believe. Seriously, that's all it takes.
It can't be that hard can it?  ;D
Dave.
or if you let me to prove it in nontangible way... in the book, there's a complete teaching on how you behave. what the law and legistlation should be like. how you treat your girl and children, neighboor everybody. what you can eat or cant, what things are forbidden to avoid morality/ethical corruption. and for agnostics like you, i urge just to take a read, not to embrace, just to argue its invalidity. but if you ask proof such as where is god, or why we cant eat pig, then i cannot show you since i dont have a device to measure. of course you may break the rule you cant comprehend, just be an agnostics, and follow some of the sensible rules in there ;) or at least guide you to find your logic :P be it in science or morality (the way of life).
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on May 20, 2012, 12:43:26 pm
i read a poet lingering in the net something like... if you give her a house, she will give you a home. if you give her ... she will give you more... i cant remember exactly. the point is.. being monogamists is another way of thinking, owning and being owned (let me say it that way), you own your wife alone, and she owns you, one and only. but if you are dear enough to your girl.. she will even let you get (or fuck :P) another girl ;). men are designed to can love many things/human, woman not. now its been misunderstood for muslim being polygamists, but its not as easy as it sounded, you have to be very just to your wives in almost all aspects, in other word... they all must be happy with you... impossible? king or china empire if i'm not mistaken had many girls/maid (cant recall the exact term), but his queen can still be happy for him.

What if unfortunately I have daughters ? And what if my daughters wish to have 72 virgin hot & sexy males to have fun too eternally as male do, does that Holy book have something to say about this ? Expecting to believe and have faith to a God that is fair and just is not too much to ask for, right ?

now, if you think you really love your wife wholeheartedly... let me give you a good news... its not compulsary to fuck all those virgins (whether you are not "willing" or incapable of :P), you can use them to polish your wife's nail and hair ;) isnt that wonderful? true love to enternity :P

Its not wise to refuse Allah's great gift, you "must" enjoy them as Allah intended for you, beware, or you will be thrown to hell eternally. Also remember, that is why Allah will make your "stuff" down there between your thigh stone stiff and pointy all the time eternally. :D

Does the Book mention how females ended up in heaven specifically ? If not, how can I be sure that my wife/mother/daughter/grand-ma don't ended up as those 72 virgins team for other males ?  >:( Cause every souls in heaven will be given their youth back eternally right ? Does that Book mention about what happened to female when they're in heaven ?

The most important is, does female have the same privilege as male does in Allah's heaven ? Cause you know your self on earth, muslim females are treated like dirt compared to muslim males, riding your own example above, does the Book allow female to have more than one husbands ? ;)

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 20, 2012, 01:01:36 pm
God wants us to love one another, not to sit around debating and arguing over his existance. He exists, we all know it, we just accept or deny it. Simple really - the evidence IS EVERYWHERE... you just have to LOOK; it's staring you right in the face.

What evidence is that, then?

A list would be good. It doesn't have to include EVERYTHING, but examples would be great.

I'm saying the evidence IS there, I am not going to reel off a list; you can see for yourself. It's not about evidence - God's existance is not on trial by his own creation; that's absurd. I am saying IF you need evidence, think a little deeper about it, and you'll see. May take all your life, but I'll stake EVERYTHING that you'll either believe whilst alive, or immediately after your death, without any possible shadow of any kind of doubt, ever, EVER... hopefully not as late as the latter, and do you really want to miss out on heaven? There's no "inbetween world" between heaven and hell. To be blunt, that's how it is folks. I hope you find God's love, because it is incredible... you really have no comparison to it until you feel it.

So...

a) you have no evidence
b) you're afraid of death, or rather, afraid of going to hell

What a fantastic argument to explain why these beliefs should be true for everyone!

(http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/000/554/facepalm.jpg)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 20, 2012, 01:40:48 pm
Was the founding father of Islam not a very nice chap by the name of Mohamed, whose favorite past time if I am not mistaken was invading all the surrounding territories and lopping of the heads of all who would not total  acquiescence to his way of thinking from.

If god exists it is in the form of the Higgs Boson. 
 
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 20, 2012, 01:41:32 pm
Hot off the press, from Bill Maher!

Bill Maher Knocks Liberty University: It Cheapens My Degree From a Real School (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35ymLxox0k#ws)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: djsb on May 20, 2012, 02:04:21 pm
Hot off the press, from Bill Maher!

Bill Maher Knocks Liberty University: It Cheapens My Degree From a Real School (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35ymLxox0k#ws)

Dave.

First time I've heard of Bill Maher. Where can I find more of this stuff, he's good. You learn something new every day on this forum. Thank for posting this.

David
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 20, 2012, 02:33:45 pm
First time I've heard of Bill Maher. Where can I find more of this stuff, he's good. You learn something new every day on this forum. Thank for posting this.

David
https://www.youtube.com/user/RealTime (https://www.youtube.com/user/RealTime)

If you can, find his documentary called "Religulous" (2008).

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Time on May 20, 2012, 02:36:51 pm
Hot off the press, from Bill Maher!

Bill Maher Knocks Liberty University: It Cheapens My Degree From a Real School (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35ymLxox0k#ws)

Dave.

I see your Bill Maher and raise you some Bill Maher  :D  Love this guy!

"Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position."

New Rule: Atheism is not a religion! Unbaptizes Mitt Romney's Dead Father-In-Law! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8U_JveHS8E#ws)

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 20, 2012, 03:22:52 pm
"Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position."
--Bill Maher

That is a fallacy!

It is a fallacy because abstinence is a personal choice of refraining from indulging a physical occurring appetite: The sexual appetite, in particular, which, as an instinct, is a part of our reproductive system: Our sexual appetite is critical for the perpetuation of our species.

On the other hand, atheism is not an indulgence, or a self-restraint, from some kind of our physical needs for our perpetuation. It is a choice NOT to submit to an artificial control lever, as the religion is --and has always been.

- Our sexual appetite is a part of our reproduction mechanism, which is not an artificial need but one of our most critical physically occurring needs.
- Our submitting to an authority is an artificial need, based on our insecurity of functioning in a responsible and independent way within our societies --which is one of the products of choosing to live an irresponsible way of life.


-George



EDIT: Unless, of course, if Bill Maher states that, Atheism and Theism are the two opposite poles of the same subject matter, revolving around the existence or not of god(s) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/remember-math-yeah-it-was-just-a-theory-right/msg66599/#msg66599).
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: vxp036000 on May 20, 2012, 04:09:36 pm
Not quite.  It's a common misconception that all religions involve submitting to some sort of higher authority.  In some religous doctrines, it's quite the contrary.  Their god is an enabler, not a controller. 

I will also say that when I did attend various churches in the past, the attitude was almost the polar opposite of checking reasoning at the door.  Instead, they came up with rational explanations of the apparent discrepancies between science and there religious texts.  Do you really think most Christians today deny evolution or claim that the earth was created in a week?  That's an 18th century concept and nearly dead, at least in the religous circles I've seen.  Instead, they interpret their bible figuratively.

And yes, atheism is a religion.  It requires believing that god does not exist.  Since we cannot prove the non-existence of god (or existence of god, for that matter), atheism requires faith. 

"Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position."
--Bill Maher

That is a fallacy!

It is a fallacy because abstinence is a personal choice of refraining from indulging a physical occurring appetite: The sexual appetite, in particular, which, as an instinct, is a part of our reproductive system: Our sexual appetite is critical for the perpetuation of our species.

On the other hand, atheism is not an indulgence, or a self-restraint, from some kind of our physical needs for our perpetuation. It is a choice NOT to submit to an artificial control lever, as the religion is --and has always been.

- Our sexual appetite is a part of our reproduction mechanism, which is not an artificial need but one of our most critical physically occurring needs.
- Our submitting to an authority is an artificial need, based on our insecurity of functioning in a responsible and independent way within our societies --which is one of the products of choosing to live an irresponsible way of life.


-George



EDIT: Unless, of course, if Bill Maher states that, Atheism and Theism are the two opposite poles of the same subject matter, revolving around the existence or not of god(s) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/remember-math-yeah-it-was-just-a-theory-right/msg66599/#msg66599).
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 20, 2012, 04:16:13 pm
Not quite.  It's a common misconception that all religions involve submitting to some sort of higher authority.  In some religous doctrines, it's quite the contrary.  Their god is an enabler, not a controller. 

And yes, atheism is a religion.  It requires believing that god does not exist.  Since we cannot prove the non-existence of god (or existence of god, for that matter), atheism requires faith. 

"Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position."
--Bill Maher

That is a fallacy!

It is a fallacy because abstinence is a personal choice of refraining from indulging a physical occurring appetite: The sexual appetite, in particular, which, as an instinct, is a part of our reproductive system: Our sexual appetite is critical for the perpetuation of our species.

On the other hand, atheism is not an indulgence, or a self-restraint, from some kind of our physical needs for our perpetuation. It is a choice NOT to submit to an artificial control lever, as the religion is --and has always been.

- Our sexual appetite is a part of our reproduction mechanism, which is not an artificial need but one of our most critical physically occurring needs.
- Our submitting to an authority is an artificial need, based on our insecurity of functioning in a responsible and independent way within our societies --which is one of the products of choosing to live an irresponsible way of life.


-George



EDIT: Unless, of course, if Bill Maher states that, Atheism and Theism are the two opposite poles of the same subject matter, revolving around the existence or not of god(s) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/remember-math-yeah-it-was-just-a-theory-right/msg66599/#msg66599).

Atheism is a neutral position.  It doesn't require faith to not believe in something.

I think you're running the risk of trying to be far too clever and getting confused by your own "philosophical" knowledge.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 20, 2012, 04:57:32 pm
As far from afraid of death as you could humanly imagine; TOTALLY the opposite. Why would I be afraid of living eternally in love unimaginable with the creator of everything seen and unseen?

You are afraid of going to hell. I did say that.

So to counter this you believe in all of this and that religious mumbo jumbo, and heaven, in the hope that possibly you might get to go to heaven when you die, because you're afraid of the alternative.

Atheists tend to not be afraid of death either. Yet they don't subscribe to nonsense like heaven and hell.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: bullet308 on May 20, 2012, 06:26:03 pm
I could write stuff like that, too. Of course, they would probably put me in psych hospital...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 20, 2012, 06:57:51 pm
If you can, find his documentary called "Religulous" (2008).

Actually I did link to that documentary earlier.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg111738/#msg111738 (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg111738/#msg111738)

The link to Religulous again is:
RELIGULOUS Bill Maher Full Documentary Film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f8fMmMhwRg#noexternalembed-ws)

"atheism is a religion" Hah!
Just because one wants to believe that atheism is a religion doesn't make it so. Only those religious people who threatened by the fact that someone doesn't believe what they do would try to say that atheism is a religion. I know not one atheist who would say they are part of the "atheist religion".  I don't actively not think of a deity. I just don't think or concern myself with the delusion that the most of the world is under.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 20, 2012, 07:00:36 pm
As far from afraid of death as you could humanly imagine; TOTALLY the opposite. Why would I be afraid of living eternally in love unimaginable with the creator of everything seen and unseen?

You are afraid of going to hell. I did say that.

So to counter this you believe in all of this and that religious mumbo jumbo, and heaven, in the hope that possibly you might get to go to heaven when you die, because you're afraid of the alternative.

Atheists tend to not be afraid of death either. Yet they don't subscribe to nonsense like heaven and hell.

Noone wants to go to hell... do they? I am not "bullied" into my belief - I love God because he has shown me he loves ME, more times than I can count. Christians are not fools or naive, and it's pretty ignorant to think this... but the general concencus of this thread was talked about in the Bible, many thousands of years ago - it was prophecied...

2 Peter 3, verse 3:

Quote
1This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 2That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

3Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 15And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

If you believe in hell then you wouldn't want to go there, sure.

Do you not see the obvious problem in quoting bible passages in support of your points? Of course the bible agrees with you; the bible is where your viewpoint originates.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: djsb on May 20, 2012, 08:04:36 pm
I've just had a thought. If there is a god why does he/she rely on communicating in such an indirect way as the bible.
The passage quoted is very difficult to understand and will never win a plain english award. Surely an omnipotent being will be far more direct and immediate in their communications. Why doesn't god use Twitter? Or the TV or even this forum?
God, if youre reading this thread show yourself.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 20, 2012, 08:19:49 pm
I've just had a thought. If there is a god why does he/she rely on communicating in such an indirect way as the bible.
The passage quoted is very difficult to understand and will never win a plain english award.

Of course that passage was crafted that way by humans using the contemporary language of early 17th century England. It was plain English for its time, but we don't speak that way anymore so it is not easy to follow today. It is really a bad idea to use it for learning in fact, because usage of the English language has changed and so have the meanings of many words. If you are not a scholar you can easily fail to understand what the translators were intending to convey. The original text of that passage was written in Greek, using the contemporary Greek of a time long ago. That is another challenge for translators, since they were not alive at the time and must work hard to understand the contemporary Greek usage of that era.

Many more modern translations exist, such as this one:

3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 20, 2012, 08:38:25 pm
Quote
If not, how can I be sure that my wife/mother/daughter/grand-ma don't ended up as those 72 virgins team for other males ?
i'm told, the virgins are angel, not human from earth. so dont worry, your wife will be your queen. and god can easily duplicate/clone anybody He want to. and if your wife wish to have 72 male virgins (99 actually), wont you let her? you already got 99 angles? and semen/sperm is not, its changed with gaseous elements which will not impregnate. and rejuvenation is infinite, both to women and men, so do you really care? you are... super... there ;)

Quote
Cause you know your self on earth, muslim females are treated like dirt compared to muslim males
a bollock of the decade. (but isolated cases did happen... human error or gossip/conspiracy), the real teaching is not like that.

Quote
Was the founding father of Islam not a very nice chap by the name of Mohamed, whose favorite past time if I am not mistaken was invading all the surrounding territories and lopping of the heads of all who would not total  acquiescence to his way of thinking from.
this one deserve as a bollock of the century. seriously, where did you guys get these kind of shite infos? religious talked with faith. atheism/agnostics talked with facts. where's your facts?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 20, 2012, 09:22:46 pm
God uses all his creation to speak to us... and he uses circumstances and blessings, even financial blessings. It would be foolish to underestimate a God of everything.

OK. I am, in your solid belief, one of your god's creations. As such I am speaking for him, correct?

I am telling you that your belief is a delusion and you should stop believing in fantasies (ie. deities and gods). I am not lying. I am not trying to harm you. I am telling you to make your life better and as another human who wants the world to be a better place.

So, now either you believe your own statement and need to now believe me, or you don't believe your own statement and you need to now believe me.

I know I am arguing logic against  a totally illogical concept, but I guess I like banging my head against the wall.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: odessa on May 20, 2012, 09:25:04 pm
I've just had a thought. If there is a god why does he/she rely on communicating in such an indirect way as the bible.
The passage quoted is very difficult to understand and will never win a plain english award. Surely an omnipotent being will be far more direct and immediate in their communications. Why doesn't god use Twitter? Or the TV or even this forum?
God, if youre reading this thread show yourself.

God uses all his creation to speak to us... and he uses circumstances and blessings, even financial blessings. It would be foolish to underestimate a God of everything.

Really ? Financial blessings ? What scripture supports that statement ?  If you mean doing some 'lilly considering' or 'sparrow considering' , try telling that to the millions of people starving in the world. I don't see them being helped by God do you ?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 20, 2012, 09:36:32 pm
So, let me see if I got that right:
It is "written" that a promised imaginary life (the afterlife) is by far a better place for anyone to be, than real life.

I am sorry but this reminds me of Arnold Zweig (a German writer and anti-war activist) recounting that during the First World War, when the disabled and the amputees were counted in millions, there was such an advertisement for the perfection of artificial wooden legs (mostly) that would inspire you to cut your own foot to enjoy such a sample of technical perfection.

That is pure marketing, in my opinion.

My point is that we already have a real life (a healthy leg) on this planet; why wait to die (to have the healthy leg amputated) in order to enjoy afterlife (to enjoy the "perfect" wooden prosthetic)?


Now, speaking of amputees:
Quote
No matter how many people pray, no matter how often they pray, no matter how sincere they are, no matter how much they believe, no matter how deserving the amputee, what we know is that prayers do not inspire God to regenerate amputated legs. This happens despite what Jesus promises us in Matthew 21:21, John 14:14, Mark 11:24, etc.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDHJ4ztnldQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDHJ4ztnldQ)
Source: www.WhyWontGodHealAmputees.com (http://www.WhyWontGodHealAmputees.com)


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Kremmen on May 20, 2012, 09:41:42 pm

And yes, atheism is a religion.  It requires believing that god does not exist.  Since we cannot prove the non-existence of god (or existence of god, for that matter), atheism requires faith. 
If atheism is just a form of religion then by the same logic health is just a form of illness.

The opposite of faith is not faith in the opposite. But this usually is too difficult a concept for those who can only rationalize using 2-valued logic.

Regarding proving, one way or the other - the party making a claim has the burden of proof. Religions make the claim for existence of god so theirs is the burden. Just making the atheist counter argument does not create a new burden of proof; refusal to take claims at face value is just requiring proof of the original claim. I mean, to accept the existence of God practically guarantees that the existence of say Thor is then denied. Does it follow from this that the god-believer is responsible for proving the nonexistence of Thor? Didn't think so.

Also just for argument's sale, proof of nonexistence is conceptually different from proof of existence. The latter needs just one instance to be demonstrated, while the former usually requires exhaustive search. This has traditionally been the logic behind the 'god of the gaps' argument; god is always where our knowledge does not (yet) reach.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: djsb on May 20, 2012, 09:53:11 pm
This thread has piqued my interest and I might revisit my reading of Carl Jungs work because I'm still looking for answers like everyone else. My experience of religion as a lapsed baptised Christian (as in I don't attend church anymore) is as a comfort at times of personal crisis. Religion can be a comfort and offer guidance when in times of trouble and therefore serves a useful psychological and social function. But that is only if people are allowed to find this comfort for themselves. I gave up on organised religion in my teens. I took the best bits from the bible (stuff that made sense and could offer real guidance in everyday life) and didn't bother reading the rest. I started reading Carl Jung  and Freud and then Books by Alan Watts.
I still havent made my mind up about God. I'm certain there isn't a bloke somewhere with a grey beard passing Judgement or righting all wrongs (or causing them).
My world view these days is more experimental and I like to read about Buddhism and Taoism which dont really mention a God very much.
It's been an interesting thread but I'm going to bed now.

David.

P.S Don't know much about Rastafarianism either. Just love Bob's music on a summer evening with a cool drink.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: bullet308 on May 20, 2012, 10:16:52 pm
Well, one of the problems is which definition of atheist and/or agnostic do you care to adopt?

I have seen folks that have embraced relatively radical forms of atheism with a fervor that I could only describe as religious.

But then, I have found people that believed in all manner of secular things with the same ardor. In the 20th century, such secular belief systems included Communism and National Socialism, which between them killed something on the order of 150,000 million people, which probably dwarfs the numbers killed in the name of religion, much less atheism.

Which I supposed goes to demonstrate something I have long believed...its isnt religion that is so much the enemy of peace and civilization (or at least, it certainly is not exclusively so) as rigid, dogmatic belief systems that commonly have the suffix -isim tacked onto the end of them. ALL of them.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 20, 2012, 11:01:25 pm
the jehovah :  " you dont have to live this way"
Surefire way to get rid of them ( i did this once.. never saw them again . they keep blacklists you know )

First some background info:
According to their scripture only 144000 people will be allowed in heaven. ( This is a doctrine few of the jehovas witnesses understand themselves ) this started in the year zero and was completed by the 1930's... anyone not on that list cannot get into heaven and will wander earth forever after the apocalypse. I don't know the finer details but yehova's witnesses know the 144000 number ...

So here is how you do it:
You question them why they continue preaching and trying to convert people to their religion. The selection process is over. the 144000 have been chosen and you were born too late to get in.  -baffled stare-

If they will mumble on about the process being 'flexible' and open for interpretation you strike the final blow :
Well , the more you spread this information the lower your own chances will be to get in.... i'd keep mum about it .. -grin-

That was it. They left. Never been back , and this was 15 years ago.

I used to read all that stuff out of interest.  I am a-religious. There is no bearded-man-on-a-gold-rimmed-cloud.

You can believe that there is something after death and that is your right, and we can talk about it. But the moment people start killing each other over it ... ehhhh.....

And that is the problem with ORGANISED religions. It's all about control,power and money. A group of people has been waving their finger and scaring the mass of gullible people so they would behave according to what they wanted. Talk about mass terrorism. "If you don't do this you will burn in hell , if you do that you will burn eternally in hell". You can make little kids cry, traumaitze and scar them for life with those stories.  Some of the stuff in the bible is really scary... imagine reading the chapter where one guy almost slaughters his kid to offer it to god. Now imagine reading that as a 6 year old and wondering every day if your father may pull a stunt like that ...

I watched my dad die a couple of months ago. We actually talked about this. His said this : I don't think there is anything after. After i'm gone the world will keep on spinning, and it'll manage perfectly fine without me on it. Don't let me dying stop you from living.
His brother asked: you don't think you may see our dad again ( my grandfather ) ? 
My dad stopped a few seconds and answered this : That could be, i don't know , but i am not going to spend my last living hours pondering fruitlessly over what may and may not be. I'd rather spend it talking to you guys instead of letting it drive me nuts. I'm gonna find out soon enough.

And in the end that is the only true thing. Anyone , whether religious , atheist or whatever can only ponder fruitlessly. You can 'believe' but you cannot 'know'. Knowing in the sense of having 'proof'. Non believers will say all the evidence points to 'no' , believers will say 'all the evidence points to 'yes'. Stop wasting your life and try to enjoy yourself while you are alive. Live in the moment. Do no harm, help where you can.
All the rest is just 'fuzz'. Even the pope , ayatollahs or whatever 'heads of religions' don't have the answers. At the end we're all equally 'dumb'.

And don't let anyone terrorize you in subscribing to their point of view.

Besides , the prospect of eternally flittering amongst the clouds while playing the harp sounds pretty boring to me... At least in hell it'd be hot enough to solder :)  or maybe not.. Hell would be an eternally broken soldering iron, parts that all have one missing leg, a reel of solder that is always empty, PCB's that always over-etch, and code that has always one more error preventing it from even compiling... besides your computer would always crash just before you could save your file so you'd have to retype everything. and they'd probably have dyslectic keyboards too. ( think of a keyboard that randomly shuffles its key around. just as you hit them)

Now excuse me , i have to go poke another chip with my earthly , working, iron. May as well use my time fruitfully. Wouldn't want to waste life ... that would be a sin (pun intended)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 20, 2012, 11:33:39 pm
[...]
Which I supposed goes to demonstrate something I have long believed...its isnt religion that is so much the enemy of peace and civilization (or at least, it certainly is not exclusively so) as rigid, dogmatic belief systems that commonly have the suffix -isim tacked onto the end of them. ALL of them.
It is an interesting question indeed, whether religions or regimes (or, put differently, whether religious doctrines or political doctrines) have been the most effective annihilators.

In terms of massacres and massive murders, here are a few typical figures of the victims Judeo-Christianity, the offspring of the ancient Abrahamic cabal, is responsible for:
- 100,000 by the Witch-hunt,
- 350,000 by the Spanish Inquisition,
- 1,000,000 by the Crusades (1095-1272),
- 90,000,000 (?) by the ethnic cleansing of Native Americans and Aborigines (native Australians).

On the other hand, Communism and Socialism in all of their forms, the latest offsprings of the same ancient Abrahamic cabal, that were introduced by the son of a Rabbi called Haim Mardochai Kissel (or Carl Marx, after the change of his Mosaic name) whose tutor and guide was Moses Hess, redefined the term "massacre":
- 1,670,000 by Ho Chi Minh, in Vietnam,
- 2,035,000 by Pol Pot, the buddy of Henry Kissinger (Abraham ben Eleazar) in Cambodia,
- 20,946,000 by Hitler,
- 61,911,000 by Stalin (Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili),
- 76,702,000 by Mao...

The figures above were estimated by Rudolph J. Rummel, Ph.D. (http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/NOTE1.HTM), Professor Emeritus of Political Science in the University of Hawaii.

Not to mention the ethnic cleansing of the Ethnic Hellenes (not the Greeks, which are the Christianised native Hellenes, but the unconverted natives) right after the official establishment of Christianity in the fourth century CE, as the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus tells us in his Rerum gestarum Libri Vol.14-19 about the brutal massacre of Ethnic Hellenes by the Christians that begun in 341 CE and lasted for two decades in Scythopolis (the town now called Beit She’an in north Israel), which was used for the concentration, torture and murder of anyone not converting to Christianity. This was a massacre conceived by George, Bishop of Alexandria, and executed by the Roman Emperor Constantius II (the second son of Constantine). It is estimated that, by the sixth century CE, 19 million Hellenes were slaughtered by Judeo-Christianity, that Abrahamic religion of "love and compasson"...


Though Communism and Socialism are clearly ahead of the contest, I cannot even imagine what Judeo-Christianity and Islam could have done with their score, if they had access to more efficient or modern weaponry...

It is obvious that in the pretext of god or self-god or no-god, the extent of human brutality is breathtaking. It is also a fact that the most religious nations in the West are the most warlike, which reveals what influence the religions can have on people.

I will absolutely agree in that, whatever form or disguise the dogmas (the -isms, as were very well put, above) have, they are ideologies; and all ideologies are variations on human control management.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 20, 2012, 11:42:49 pm
Quote
Unfortunately, this thread seems to have descended into a chaotic debate
face it. thats the way it is. get acquainted or leave ;) this is not flowcode thread :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 20, 2012, 11:55:52 pm
Unfortunately, this thread seems to have descended into a chaotic debate. People seem to be more interested in trying to prove the existance of God, intellectually, which is fallible, foolish and impossible.

Quite.

Quote
I am asking for this thread to be removed and/or locked.

Absolutely not! Why lock the most entertaining thread in ages?

Quote
You're ALL loved, ALL valuable and ALL God's children. If you seek the answers, get them from the source... ask God himself, and/or read the Bible.

That seems a bit foolish. God isn't there, and the Bible was manifestly written by man.

Quote
Until people learn to accept the beliefs and opinions of others (which it seems many of you do not), these kinds of topics will never work well, as all folk seem to care about is to subversively or overtly insult the faith of another, and then laugh at them, whilst asking for "proof".

Why should anyone learn to accept to the crazy and unsubstantiated beliefs of fools?

Quote
"A fool says in his heart 'there is no God' "

Here is your proof, right there. You pick one quote to support your position, and you pick a quote that is obviously wrong. How can you convince anyone with that?

Here is the corrected version:

"A fool says in his heart 'there is a God' "

If you start from this supposition it's downhill all the way.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on May 20, 2012, 11:56:40 pm
I am asking for this thread to be removed and/or locked.

No one is forcing you to read or contribute to the thread.

You would like to force everyone else not to read or contribute to the thread.

I do not fear this thread. Do you?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on May 21, 2012, 01:49:57 am
Mech, you failed to answer lots of my questions which some of them need only yes/no for answer. Actually I'm not expecting them either since you alone simply just can not cope with them, its way too much for you alone to handle even they just plain simple questions.

Ok, this is the last one for you quoting yourself since you started this Islam talk here ....

"so, we islam are peaceful religion. come and join us! my fellow christians and agnostics, come embrace Allah and believe Him with your heart!"

Peaceful eh ? Tell us "precisely" what is written in your Holy Book when someone decided that Islam is no longer the "right path", and going to leave Islam for other religion ? What will happened to that person ?  :o

Just an exact answer please, no mumbo jumbo around ...

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 21, 2012, 02:24:19 am
If atheism is just a form of religion then by the same logic health is just a form of illness.
Strictly speaking , 'life' is a medical condition to which 100% of the patients finally succumb ... You start as a random collection of atoms that clump together and form complex molecules. Eventually this contraption does fall apart again...

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 21, 2012, 03:41:49 am
Mech, you failed to answer lots of my questions which some of them need only yes/no for answer.
Peaceful eh ? Tell us "precisely" what is written in your Holy Book when someone decided that Islam is no longer the "right path", and going to leave Islam for other religion ? What will happened to that person ?  :o
Just an exact answer please, no mumbo jumbo around ...
sorry i didnt see all the questions, only whats i can see clearly. or either the answer is unknown or unprovable (pointless to answer). the penalty for convert from islam is death after consultation and if unable to recover, thats what i learnt. but you never saw a person get killed because of that, even though there's many muslim converted to other religion everyday (they are lost). probably some practical law high up there among the rank of ulama (religious experts), i'm no expert to answer every details. i just tried in a way that probably agnostics will be able to understand, but i proved myself wrong :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: bullet308 on May 21, 2012, 03:45:07 am
Islam is no different from Christianity or Judaism, in that it provides its followers with a fairly complete set of tools with which to either live a wholesome and productive life, or to rationalize acts of profound evil, great and small. Even a casual survey of human history proves this conclusively, particularly the latter.

When they tell me. "I am a Christian/Muslim/Jew", their followers think they have told me everything when they have told me precisely nothing, except the particular sets of words they use to guide them in their lives, be it productive, orderly, chaotic, evil or otherwise.


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on May 21, 2012, 04:12:52 am
sorry i didnt see all the questions, only whats i can see clearly. or either the answer is unknown or unprovable (pointless to answer).
Its not pointless, its simply there are no answer. Just ask your ulama and they also will not able to give you a clear answer rather than start to question your faith. Infact this is a well known tactic for ages in Islam communities, if they're overwhelmed by questions, they will start to blame/threaten you instead trying hard to answer the question.

At certain places like at middle east countries, by simply questioning the Book with such innocent child's level questions like I did can be ended with decapitation.  ;)


the penalty for convert from islam is death after consultation and if unable to recover, thats what i learnt. but you never saw a person get killed because of that

See ? That is why non moslem don't trust easily when most moslems always called their Islam a peaceful religion.


probably some practical law high up there among the rank of ulama (religious experts), i'm no expert to answer every details. i just tried in a way that probably agnostics will be able to understand, but i proved myself wrong :P

Mech, I have no doubt you are an educated and a nice person, its just all the answers for those questions are simply way too much even for ulamas that have dedicated their life to study the Book, so don't blame your self too much, its not your fault nor your limitation.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 21, 2012, 05:25:12 am
the penalty for convert from islam is death after consultation and if unable to recover, thats what i learnt. but you never saw a person get killed because of that

See ? That is why non moslem don't trust easily when most moslems always called their Islam a peaceful religion.

Doesn't sound any worse then the Bible:

Quote
For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death
from Leviticus.


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on May 21, 2012, 05:41:48 am
Doesn't sound any worse then the Bible:

Actually original Bibble's version is even worst.  :-\
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 21, 2012, 05:42:44 am
There is an omnipotent and omnipresent God.  Each time humans advance their knowledge of the natural world, they get to know more about this God.  But while humans can increase this knowledge without bound, they can only approach God's total knowledge of the natural world asymptotically.  For this reason, a proof of God is beyond reach for humans and must content themselves with the notion of faith to make up the deficit.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 21, 2012, 06:23:04 am
There is an omnipotent and omnipresent God.

And HOooooooooooooOW did you know that? Are you all-knowing like God?



Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 21, 2012, 06:25:04 am
He may be omnipotent and omnipresent, but must surely have fallen asleep. If he was awake he'd be firing bolts of lightning up the asses of all the nitwits that commit atrocities in his name....
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: david77 on May 21, 2012, 06:33:18 am
He's been away on holiday according to this book: http://www.amazon.de/The-Second-Coming-John-Niven/dp/0434019569 (http://www.amazon.de/The-Second-Coming-John-Niven/dp/0434019569)

Pretty funny actually.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 21, 2012, 06:36:10 am
There is an omnipotent and omnipresent God.

And HOooooooooooooOW did you know that? Are you all-knowing like God?

A proof of God is not possible for humans.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 21, 2012, 06:41:17 am
He may be omnipotent and omnipresent, but must surely have fallen asleep. If he was awake he'd be firing bolts of lightning up the asses of all the nitwits that commit atrocities in his name....

Suppose He did.  How does that help humans?  They are just going to commit other atrocities some other way.  The only way for Him to stop the atrocities is to destroy all humans, something He does not need to do because they are doing a good job of it all by themselves.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 21, 2012, 06:43:01 am
There is an omnipotent and omnipresent God.

And HOooooooooooooOW did you know that? Are you all-knowing like God?

A proof of God is not possible for humans.


I am not asking for proof of God. I am asking how did you know he is omnipotent and omnipresent.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 21, 2012, 06:47:34 am


Everything we do not know about the natural world, the "known unknowns" if you will, can only be accounted for by an omnipotent and omnipresent God.

or fairies or wizards or aliens or ... take your pick.

The god in which you choose to believe may well be omnipotent and omnipresent but he (or she) is awfully quiet.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 21, 2012, 06:56:15 am

I am not asking for proof of God. I am asking how did you know he is omnipotent and omnipresent.

Everything we do not know about the natural world, the "known unknowns" if you will, can only be accounted for by an omnipotent and omnipresent God.
or by other better explanations that do not require a God.

The fact that we are not brilliant does not prove the existence of a god. And why do you say one God? Surely many hands would make the job much easier? Perhaps a few wizards? I like magical dragons.

Richard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 21, 2012, 06:59:21 am
Everything we do not know about the natural world, ..., can only be accounted for by an omnipotent and omnipresent God.

The "omnipotent and omnipresent" still do not make sense. Why must we add them again? Plus, your statement doesn't make sense especially the "Everything we do not know about the natural world" part.

For example, we didn't know the world was round once so it can only be accounted for by an omnipotent and omnipresent God?

Arrgghhh!!!! I give up for I am just a mere man.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 21, 2012, 07:03:20 am

I am not asking for proof of God. I am asking how did you know he is omnipotent and omnipresent.

Everything we do not know about the natural world, the "known unknowns" if you will, can only be accounted for by an omnipotent and omnipresent God.
or by other better explanations that do not require a God.

The fact that we are not brilliant does not prove the existence of a god. And why do you say one God? Surely many hands would make the job much easier? Perhaps a few wizards? I like magical dragons.

Richard.

Of course all " better explanations" are God-less.  But until you DO have that explanation, an omnipresent and omnipotent God is all you got.  I do not know if there is more than one God as a proof of God is not possible for humans.  But there is at least one.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: odessa on May 21, 2012, 07:06:44 am
the jehovah :  " you dont have to live this way"
Surefire way to get rid of them ( i did this once.. never saw them again . they keep blacklists you know )

First some background info:
According to their scripture only 144000 people will be allowed in heaven. ( This is a doctrine few of the jehovas witnesses understand themselves ) this started in the year zero and was completed by the 1930's... anyone not on that list cannot get into heaven and will wander earth forever after the apocalypse. I don't know the finer details but yehova's witnesses know the 144000 number ...

So here is how you do it:
You question them why they continue preaching and trying to convert people to their religion. The selection process is over. the 144000 have been chosen and you were born too late to get in.  -baffled stare-

If they will mumble on about the process being 'flexible' and open for interpretation you strike the final blow :
Well , the more you spread this information the lower your own chances will be to get in.... i'd keep mum about it .. -grin-

That was it. They left. Never been back , and this was 15 years ago.



Thats not correct.

They believe that 12000 out of the 12 tribes spoken of in revelation ( 144,000) will go heaven and rule over earth with Jesus. The rest ( ie all the other JW's ) will remain and live in a paradise on earth for ever. JW's dont believe in heaven and hell as conventional christianity teaches. They believe Hell to be the common grave of mankind and heaven as I said earlier.

The whole point of their going door to door is to teach the above..... not that you go to heaven or hell when you die... So your way of getting rid of them isn't going to work. If you want to get rid of them, ask to be put on their 'Do not call' list.

I know this as I used to be one, it's all total crap, buts that the correct crap. The JW's who called on you would have known that too.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 21, 2012, 07:13:44 am
Everything we do not know about the natural world, ..., can only be accounted for by an omnipotent and omnipresent God.

The "omnipotent and omnipresent" still do not make sense. Why must we add them again? Plus, your statement doesn't make sense especially the "Everything we do not know about the natural world" part.

For example, we didn't know the world was round once so it can only be accounted for by an omnipotent and omnipresent God?

Arrgghhh!!!! I give up for I am just a mere man.

Are there not things about the natural world we wonder about but do not have a full, god-less (scientific) explanation?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 21, 2012, 07:15:03 am

I am not asking for proof of God. I am asking how did you know he is omnipotent and omnipresent.

Everything we do not know about the natural world, the "known unknowns" if you will, can only be accounted for by an omnipotent and omnipresent God.
or by other better explanations that do not require a God.

The fact that we are not brilliant does not prove the existence of a god. And why do you say one God? Surely many hands would make the job much easier? Perhaps a few wizards? I like magical dragons.

Richard.

Of course all " better explanations" are God-less.  But until you DO have that explanation, an omnipresent and omnipotent God is all you got.  I do not know if there is more than one God as a proof of God is not possible for humans.
Are you trying to tell me that my magical dragon explanation is not as good as your an omnipresent and omnipotent God explanation?

How on earth can you prove that?

The truth is we only have partial explanantions right now, and that is all we have. We have possible explanations, such as the suggestion we are living on a String theory membrane - one of many. This can explain how a new universe can suddenly be created - a new membrane is created within an existing sea of membranes. Membranes may explain other anomalies, such as the strange weak strength of Gravity.

This is a theory that mathematically makes a lot of sense - much more then a God, but the scientists are very careful to say that is just a possible solution. No one is saying it is true, just because do not have a better explanation.

It is OK if we do not know everything.

If we need to make up explanations, I still vote for magical dragons.

Richard.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on May 21, 2012, 08:14:38 am
The whole point of their going door to door is to teach the above.....

The whole point of their going door to door is to convert people to their religion.

Their concentration on recruitment is one reason why despite being one of the most onerous and bat-shit crazy forms of Christianity they continue to survive.

Are there not things about the natural world we wonder about but do not have a full, god-less (scientific) explanation?

The only value in having an explanation (knowing why something happened in the past) is it allows us to make predictions about what will happen in the future.

God-full explanations which tell us what will happen in the future is whatever god decides are therefore utterly useless.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: odessa on May 21, 2012, 09:23:24 am
The whole point of their going door to door is to teach the above.....

The whole point of their going door to door is to convert people to their religion.

True, sort of. If you're a JW you have to do it .... I can tell you I hated it, so do most of them.... actually I would say all them do but they'd never admit it. It's a privilege you know  ::)

I couldn't care less whether people believed the crap I was spouting or not, I only did it because I had too.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: ciccio on May 21, 2012, 11:28:47 am
Hi to everybody.
I did not want to post in this thread, because I'm 61 years old, and I spent my whole life trying to have, without success,  a "normal" discussion with believers (being they Catholic, or Protestants, or Muslim, or Buddhists,..), that in all other aspects were capable of accepting any other different point of view.

The fact is that yesterday night, a 4.04 am, we were awakened by a big earthquake, that had it's epicenter about 30 km from here.
No damages or casualties in my town, but BIG damages and  deaths and injured in other towns.
The damages were mostly in industrial plants and historic buildings.
Some churches were literally destroyed, and I heard the rector of one of them thanking God, because the earthquake came at 4 am, SAVING THE LIVES of the hundreds of faithfuls that will have filled the church at 9 am...
There is nothing to do.
Remember Star Trek? Remember the Borgs? Any resistance is futile http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg_(Star_Trek)#.22Resistance_is_futile.22 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg_(Star_Trek)#.22Resistance_is_futile.22).

Please, I ask to all of us un-believers,  being atheist or agnostics, to stop any discussion.

We are increasing the entropy of the universe, and accelerating the end. For nothing.
Best regards
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 21, 2012, 02:09:48 pm
Dear Ciccio,

Please accept my condolences for your losses from the last night's earthquake. Nothing can really be said about the expired and the injured people, the thousands of residents who were forced to sleep in temporary accommodations due to the multiple aftershocks, and the tens of the historic sites collapsed.

Having experienced a few earthquakes myself, either waking up and running out of my home for shelter in the open or driving on the highway (fortunately alone) or just being there while it was happening, I know that you can do absolutely nothing to protect yourself and your people from such events, no matter how self-confident you are and how calm you can remain. Earthquakes are the most scaring events someone can experience; and this comes from the mouth of someone who has managed to conquer almost all his fears, since his early twenties...

Now, unless that specific earthquake was a planned event, which I highly doubt it was, if it was not predicted it would be a purely random event, like the outcome of the rolling of a handful of dices. In my understanding, it was not some kind of a cosmic or godly or whatever other kind of a providence that saved those specific people you are talking about, because that earthquake was an unpredicted event that could have easily happened a few seconds/minutes/hours/days/months/years before or after that specific time spot it did. In the Balkans, and in Greece in particular, we all know that we are standing on a time-bomb, concerning the earthquakes, despite the existence of the VAN method or any other means of earthquake prediction.

On the other hand, it is my firm belief that discussing in a polite and a non-provoking manner any sensitive matters, as the religion is, with the followers of "other ways of thinking," we are probably providing an invaluable kind of a social service to our specific fellow people who might be searching for the answers to help themselves be released from those --literally-- bloody dogmatic hooks of that eternal plague called Organised Religions. And I am not talking about our vocal opposition in this specific discussions thread, given that the traffic watching this particular discussion has mostly been silent because the guests being reported at the top of the page outnumbered the registered users after some point; and I respect that.

What I can say is that, it actually takes a rare person to deny the beliefs instilled into their minds since childhood, especially the transfusions coming from the highest authority of that period, the loving and beloved parents and relatives; and a rarer one still to announce and change, and survive the experience.

If I happen to be wrong in any part of that syllogism of mine, please accept my sincere apologies.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 21, 2012, 04:39:18 pm
Please, I ask to all of us un-believers,  being atheist or agnostics, to stop any discussion.

The believers started it first! ;D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 21, 2012, 05:30:43 pm
Please, I ask to all of us un-believers,  being atheist or agnostics, to stop any discussion.

The believers started it first! ;D

yes, an there is proof : their god created heaven and earth and all that is in it and on it !
We'd had all been better off without this stuff.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 21, 2012, 05:43:25 pm
Are there not things about the natural world we wonder about but do not have a full, god-less (scientific) explanation?

The only value in having an explanation (knowing why something happened in the past) is it allows us to make predictions about what will happen in the future.

God-full explanations which tell us what will happen in the future is whatever god decides are therefore utterly useless.

Personally, I find "god-full explanations" to be very unsatisfying.  Yet, absent of scientific one I have to live with it, as we all must.  Humans cannot leave "known unknowns" alone.  Its just not human nature to not care about that.   Simply saying, "well, science has not gotten there yet" is equally unsatisfying and do not fill the curiosity void.  That is why faith is inextricable from the human experience.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 21, 2012, 05:57:52 pm
Are you trying to tell me that my magical dragon explanation is not as good as your an omnipresent and omnipotent God explanation?

It is OK if we do not know everything.

If we need to make up explanations, I still vote for magical dragons.

Richard.

There is no faith tradition centered around magical dragons.  At least none that has influenced the human experience as a whole to any significant degree.  Humans, across time and culture have gravitated toward some sort or another of an omnipresent and omnipotent God.  And this influence is deep within societies, giving rise to value systems and other social norms that to a large degree has in fact improved the human experience.

And you completely lie when you say its OK that we don't know everything.  If you have any scientific bone in you at all, you know how unsatisfying it is to not even try some kind of explanation.  Its just human nature.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 21, 2012, 06:40:34 pm
And you completely lie when you say its OK that we don't know everything.  If you have any scientific bone in you at all, you know how unsatisfying it is to not even try some kind of explanation.  Its just human nature.

Steady on with the accusations, Pete.

It certainly is OK that we don't know everything.  What would not be OK would be being content with that state, and thanks to science we are searching for and finding new answers all the time.

It is religion which tells us to stop questioning and just accept what we are told.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 21, 2012, 08:39:34 pm
And you completely lie when you say its OK that we don't know everything.  If you have any scientific bone in you at all, you know how unsatisfying it is to not even try some kind of explanation.  Its just human nature.

Quite the opposite. It is the mark of a scientist, the ability to say "I don't know". If you can't honestly say that then you are adhering to religion rather than science.

Calling people liars if they say it's OK to admit there are things we don't know is unreasonable. Of course it's OK to admit we don't know everything. We don't!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: ToBeFrank on May 21, 2012, 09:56:09 pm
So if god is both present everywhere (omnipresent) and all powerful (omnipotent), he sees all the human suffering and having the power to stop it, does nothing. He, being all powerful, has the ability to snuff out evil, including satan, or the devil, and yet does nothing. If this god doesn't enjoy this suffering, then he is indifferent to it. It doesn't sound  to me like a loving god to me. In fact, he sound like one sadistic bastard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: madworm on May 21, 2012, 10:25:47 pm
Do you care about all the billion bugs and germs that grow in puddles that form when it rains? On a personal level even?

Even if there were gods or even just A god, why do people who believe in that automatically assume that the deity would give a damn about what happens on some little ball of rock in the middle of nowhere.

"Last time the rock was examined, the 2-legged life forms were busy enthusiastically killing each other and running the place into the ground. Best to leave it be, otherwise the disease might spread..."

Personally I'm an atheist btw.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: ToBeFrank on May 22, 2012, 12:07:01 am
Do you care about all the billion bugs and germs that grow in puddles that form when it rains? On a personal level even?

Nope, but nobody is running around telling everybody I love the bugs and germs.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 22, 2012, 12:13:24 am
And you completely lie when you say its OK that we don't know everything.  If you have any scientific bone in you at all, you know how unsatisfying it is to not even try some kind of explanation.  Its just human nature.

True, but to fill it with "god did it" is just a pathetic cop-out IMO.
And given that there is much more scientific evidence for creation from nothing than a god, the scientific one gets my vote.
Not only that, but the scientific explanations are infinitely more interesting, even the science fiction ones...
Belief in god does not satisfy any scientific curiosity, because it's not science, it's faith without evidence.
Looking at all branches of modern science, there is very little left where we need to say "god did it", and the just gets smaller every year. In fact you could argue that there is nothing left at all, as we have scientific research happening into practically every field possible.
"god did it" is clearly the biggest loosing ticket of all time, and those who still cling to it will be left holding an empty bag.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 22, 2012, 12:38:41 am
And you completely lie when you say its OK that we don't know everything.  If you have any scientific bone in you at all, you know how unsatisfying it is to not even try some kind of explanation.  Its just human nature.

Quite the opposite. It is the mark of a scientist, the ability to say "I don't know". If you can't honestly say that then you are adhering to religion rather than science.

Calling people liars if they say it's OK to admit there are things we don't know is unreasonable. Of course it's OK to admit we don't know everything. We don't!
The concept that we cannot know everything has been around for centuries, and all scientists live with the understanding that there are things we can never observe, and that we may never understand. Pushing the boundaries of what we can observe and understand is their challenge.

In the Allegory of the Cave, Socrates likened us to prisoners bound in a cave from childhood in a way that all we can ever see is passing shadows on the wall, and all we can ever hear are echos of sounds. For us as those prisoners, then shadows and the echos are reality, even though to an observer of the prisoners, the shadows are not accurate representations of reality at all.

Up to very recent times, all anyone was capable to observe was a incredibly minute portion of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum, a tiny portion of the sound spectrum, a limited range of molecules in the form of taste and smell, and touch is only good for things we can actually get close enough to touch. That excludes the majority of the universe.

In the last 200 years, Science has taken great strides to improve our ability to observe accurately, but there are still huge areas we cannot observe, and there are huge areas that may be totally impossible to observe. Scientists accept this. It may be we always have to content ourselves to making the best of the shadows on the walls. Just as an example, some current theories point to many more dimensions then we have currently observed, but the geometries of these dimensions may be many orders of magnitudes smaller then the smallest sub-atomic particle that we currently know about. This makes them unobservable, but they may still be vitally essential to understanding of everything.

If a new theory is ever formulated that ties the Quantum world seemlessly to the Macro world is ever formulated, scientists will be careful to call it a theory as they know huge amounts of the theory can probably never be proven. Scientists would have the right to challenge the theory without being prosecuted as heretics, or without being accused of being evil people for the crime of trampling on treasured beliefs of other scientists.

Or at least I hope so - I hope the scientific method never gets corrupted to the point it becomes a hard line religion where truth is what a person or book dictates and these dictates can never be challenged.

Richard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 22, 2012, 01:03:54 am
Human arrogance and pride are extremely ugly things. I see a lot of that here, and its very ugly indeed, and saddens me. It IS VERY okay not to know everything, why would you want to? That's pride, which is sitting right at the heart of EVERY SINGLE sin, just scratch the surface and you'll find it sitting there! Uggh!!

If you're going to tell me that the human race is going to explain EVERYTHING in the entire universe, scientifically, that's the height of utter arrogance, sorry to say. Who says science is infallible? Humans are such arrogant beings, it really saddens me. I don't CARE that I don't know everything.

So, say you woke up tomorrow and "knew everything" - what on earth would you find to prove it? You'd need God to tell you that you did or didn't... and then you'd be bored... and blame that on someone... Oh that's gonna be God too I am sure...

I don't think most of the people posting here are prideful or arrogant. As engineers either by profession or inclination they do tend to be original and - when provoked - combative thinkers. Discussing religion tends to generate a lot of heat and you are preaching to a rather tough crowd.

As amspire has eloquently said, scientists do not profess or seek to know everything. They typically exhibit far less arrogance than religious zealots who not only claim to know the absolute truth (as revealed to them by god), but attempt to impose their beliefs on others.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: bullet308 on May 22, 2012, 01:20:18 am
If you want to know my definition of the "height of utter arrogance", its something along these lines... it seems to me that human attempts to define God, to describe how He things and what He wants in grossly anthropomorphic terms, THAT strikes me as profoundly arrogant. It is abundantly clear to me that if He were so readily definable in human terms, we probably would have come to some consensus as a species as to WHAT that definition might be. The problem is that there are dozens of mutually exclusive definitions bouncing around out there. We scribble down one interpretation, and somebody else scribbles down another, and then we murder each other by the millions in order to prove our scribbles more virtuous than the other fellows. Well, if you'll pardon me, I choose not to play, thanks.

The hypotheses that humans can or cannot know everything there is to know about our universe (and how it fits into a possible multiverse!) are just that: hypotheses, to be proven at some point in the distant future, maybe. As things stand now however, science is still making very good progress at explaining how things work we didn't even know existed a few years ago. Like Moore's Law, I suspect science has some pretty good legs left under it. It remains our best bet for successfully AND ACCURATELY, and reasonably free of external human manipulation,  interpreting the shadows on the walls of Socrates's cave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 22, 2012, 02:06:11 am
Religions are not God, they are humans attempting to rationalise and categorise him, which is inherently foolish and gives off totally the wrong signs, hurting people and putting them off discovering who God REALLY is, which is terrible, and very sad.

True. But you are once again making the very bold assumption (given no evidence) that there is in fact a god. You could be completely wrong. In fact, the more we find out as time marches on, the more it continues to point toward that assumption being wrong.
And as always, given that if any real evidence emerged, then we wouldn't have to believe, because we'd know. So believing such a bold claim without evidence seems to me to be devoid of all reason.
And like has been, were it not for the fact that so many people have been indoctrinated to believe it in some form or another, you'd be called a crackpot and generally shunned by society for such a belief.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Kilroy on May 22, 2012, 02:25:26 am
Looks like everyone took the blue pill...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 22, 2012, 02:47:16 am
america's law, uk's law, malaysia's law and any countries law for that matter.... are brainwashing? without law, men wil go rampant. thats it how its work face it. religion is one of the law, law by god, not by dumb judges human. face it... i wont traverse this thread, too long of the same :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 22, 2012, 03:00:18 am
america's law, uk's law, malaysia's law and any countries law for that matter.... are brainwashing? without law, men wil go rampant. thats it how its work face it. religion is one of the law, law by god, not by dumb judges human. face it... i wont traverse this thread, too long of the same :P
Amen. Good word. :)
and i also forgot to mention. some religious are manipulative. like organized organization, millitants fanatics radical. they are dumbshit as well.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 22, 2012, 03:01:03 am
Why would you think I would be bothered being "shunned by society"? See, you're in a different place to me; I am dying to myself, and serving God; the opinion of man is of no consequence to me; it doesn't alter who I am, as I am a son of God, and HE died for all that I am, and to forgive me and pay for my for my eternal life. When you care less about yourself and "how you're seen" or perceived by human eyes, and more about loving and taking the love of God and sharing it with those who need it, your own wants and the way in which you let others affect you, lessens and lessens until it doesn't even make one scrap of difference; to care is self, and self adoration and seeking of praise and validating oneself and measuring one's value based upon the ever changing wind of "opinion" is vanity, and ever unstable. God is my rock, you may laugh and mock all you like, and it won't make one bit of difference; I am happy, in the truest sense.

Your experience of God is inside your own head, it is one of your own making. You said yourself that God is only there if you truly believe, if you believe hard enough. The late David Watson once wrote a book called "My God is Real". Note that he didn't write "God is Real". It was the God of his experience that he was describing.

If you go outside your own internally constructed world and seek God in the world at large, seek with open eyes and clarity of thought, then you will find no evidence that God is there. God is not of the world, but God is not in the world either.

You are, sadly, trapped in a prison of your own making, trapped in darkness and unable to see the light. Fearing the light, you retreat ever deeper into your prison, comforting yourself by rejecting the words of those around you and wrapping yourself in a cocoon of belief where the world is warm and fuzzy like a soft blanket.

It takes courage to escape from that place, to seek enlightenment, to find the light outside the darkness. Maybe one day you will.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 22, 2012, 05:24:42 am
You're very opinionated for such a kind and intelligent guy, it's quite ugly and offputting, but I forgive you mate as I know you don't intend to offend me.

Things which threaten your viewpoint can be offputting! :->
Of course I don't mean to offend.
Believe it or not, I like debating religion because I care about people, and care about the truth.
I don't like seeing people being taken for a ride.
I think the worst thing a (non-religious in this case) person can be is to be tolerant and "respecting" of something they know is almost certainly a load of bunk, and potentially harmful to people and society.
If you say I'm wrong, and I say you're wrong, and we just leave it at that and don't debate it civilly and listen to each others claims and try to understand them, then that's a world which goes nowhere. A world in which we call each other out on claims, and provide evidence and use reason with other people makes for a much better world IMO.
As I always say with my blogs, I stand to be corrected. If you think I've said something wrong, please say so and provide evidence why, and I'll happily admit I'm wrogn and change my view.
But it seems the same is often not true with religious people. They have made up their mind, and the more you try to reason with them, the more closed minded they get.  It appears inconceivable to them that they could be wrong.

Quote
Why would you think I would be bothered being "shunned by society"?

I'm not saying you are.
What I was trying to say is that if you replaced the word god with rainbow serpent, or flying unicorn, or anything else silly, then anyone claiming such things would be branded a nutcase. But for the reasons of long term social indoctrination spreading thousands of years, you get a get out of jail free card if you use the word god. And that's what I find both fascinating and disturbing about religion.

Quote
Did you ever stop to think that, maybe, just maybe, YOU could be completely wrong instead? Atheists seem to forget that part.

No, they do not.
Perhaps you missed the several times where I said I am very open to be proven wrong. Just show to the evidence.
But like I said, if there was evidence, I wouldn't have to believe, it would be obvious. But there is no evidence, zip, zilch, nothing, narda, sweet FA. So I (sensibly I think) chose not to believe, and consider the possibility of me being wrong, whilst not zero, but pretty darn close to it.
For example. I know that over unity (free energy) devices are bunk. I can't be 100% certain of it, but with the zero scientific evidence toward it, and the lies and deceptions that have been exposed, and plain misinformation and misunderstandings in the field makes me fairly darn certain that such a thing is not possible. But a whole lot of people believe in it, try to prove it, and feel they are so close to it they can taste it. But once again, believing does not mean that something is true, just like religion.

You seem to be the one that will refuse to accept even the remote possibility that you could be wrong. (but that seems par-for-the-course with devoutly religious people)
And given that you are the one that believes absolutely incredible things with no evidence, I'd say that puts the onus on you to have a more open mind than myself.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 22, 2012, 05:50:14 am
Your experience of God is inside your own head, it is one of your own making. You said yourself that God is only there if you truly believe, if you believe hard enough. The late David Watson once wrote a book called "My God is Real". Note that he didn't write "God is Real". It was the God of his experience that he was describing.

Indeed, and that is why I never doubt the sincerity or belief of a deeply religious person, or someone who said they had a near death experience, or were abducted by aliens, etc. It is and was very real to their mind.
The mind is capable of amazing things, and amazingly complex illusions, that are as real and certain to them as anything. Ans much research has been done on this.
I saw a presentation on how cognitive neuroscientists (?) think they now have an almost complete understanding about how and why people believe in gods. And it won't be long before it's in the basic scientific textbooks given to undergrads.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 22, 2012, 07:26:34 am
Quote from: EEVBlog
I think the worst thing a (non-religious in this case) person can be is to be tolerant and "respecting" of something they know is almost certainly a load of bunk, and potentially harmful to people and society
yes i know you are well mean to us just as we to yours. where you believe is a bunk, we also believe in a bunk, then we tried to convince each other ;). this playground is the proof who's fanatics who's not ;) i believe i understand clearly how do you perceive things (through science and math and probably some other ways you've been taught at your place and surroundings).

Quote from: EEVBlog
But it seems the same is often not true with religious people. They have made up their mind, and the more you try to reason with them, the more closed minded they get
you need to understand our difference. where you reason with science and math, we reason with feeling (faith). you require us to present proof in your way (science and math) where there's no such tool to prove it the way you want it. and we (i) understand that very well. to prove God is like to prove your feeling, and how a re you going to prove your feeling mathematically? if you say you are happy, then prove it! i dont want to see you jumping around to prove that you are happy, but lay it down on paper, the way we've been taught from primary school (science and math way), how?

now how do we reach that "feeling" of believing in God? from "observation". remember i said earlier that it depends on our point of view and the way/method we perceive it. where you see the corelation between apes and other animals DNA structure with human's as a natural law of evolution, we see it as harmony of universe law, and that should not be coincidence. where you see commet didnt just simply fall on our head as gravitation (or whatever science) law, we see it as something that must have saved us or control it. where you say bing bang is a science discovery, i say that has been mentioned in the holy book, already has been. just waiting for us to discover with our instrumentation technology. so far i cannot fault my holy book, so as more and more science are discovered, the more and more i believe in God. the more and more i practice the teaching in the book, the lesser damage i'll do to the world (remember, the problem is the greedy people, not religion teaching).

now this feeling, its mentioned in the book that satan/evil can influence it (never mind believing it, treat as myth story) so the feeling can be twisted to believe or not to believe (brainwash?), thats what we are seeing in this world now, people differentiating, rejecting each other.

and as you say religious people is getting close minded, with respect i will say, agnostics is getting close minded. in a way they are focused on one way, ie math and science way. the ultimatum is the math, because every science branches are basing on it. take evolution for example is basing on probabilistic nature, and thats math. an "incompleteness theorem" has been laid out to prove that math is in itself, incomplete. yet people tend to silence it and continue to point out their "point" based on that. and now who's close minded? though i maybe wrong about "incompletess theorem". OTOH, feeling is vast, from feeling and imagination these all science and math are created/developed/discovered, and that "feeling" we are basing on. and in no way, science and math can describe it, not the other way around.

now the real point is. we are talking different methodolgy here. where you cant acccept our methodology, we cant accept yours. since its incomplete and... human made, how can you expect something thats discovered/made by human to be perfect? human is itself... imperfect. this unacceptance in methodologies is what makes this whole discussion is... POINTLESS.

nobody is perfect... and i'm nobody :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 22, 2012, 08:02:50 am
I don't analyse God, I love him and he gives me peace. He forgives me for all the crap I do wrong (a LOT, we all do), guides me when I need it (all the time), and shows me my heart, so I may make amends with people and change my sinful ways.


This is the most dangerous thing about religion, God forgives me, it is what has allowed all the killings in the name of god as well as a host of other crimes against humanity.
The roman Catholics and the Vatican are one of the worst offenders, They are the ones who funded Adolf Hitler before he came to power they stirred things in Northern Ireland and their priests condoned and gave absolution for all the murders there and in other parts of the world the Mafia relies on the same support (henchman goes out and murders then conscience is salved by priests). 
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 22, 2012, 08:40:09 am
I don't analyse God, I love him and he gives me peace. He forgives me for all the crap I do wrong (a LOT, we all do), guides me when I need it (all the time), and shows me my heart, so I may make amends with people and change my sinful ways.
taking the bolded word alone, its bullshit! you do wrong you'll go to hell. we need to deeper study of what it means, not taking that alone. agree with G7PSK. only when you have broader picture of a religion, that you know this is not the case, only who have realized and paid for their wrong doing, improve themself (as the later sentence states "make amends with people and change my sinful ways") with their true heart purity, and then you will be forgiven.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 22, 2012, 10:03:16 am
you need to understand our difference. where you reason with science and math, we reason with feeling (faith). you require us to present proof in your way (science and math) where there's no such tool to prove it the way you want it. and we (i) understand that very well.

But most other things in life you demand at least some proof for in some way, why is religion different?
I can only think that's it because you want it (life after death, someone looking over you, whatever it is for you) to be real so badly that you are willing to forego all proof.

Quote
to prove God is like to prove your feeling, and how a re you going to prove your feeling mathematically? if you say you are happy, then prove it! i dont want to see you jumping around to prove that you are happy, but lay it down on paper, the way we've been taught from primary school (science and math way), how?

That's a perfectly valid argument, and I fully accept it for a loose theistic position. Like I've said, I have no problem with theists who simply believe "there is some higher power", and who admit there is no evidence, they they just like to believe. That's fine and dandy.
But what I cannot understand is those who put forth a holy book that is supposedly the word of god.
To me, that's when you go from just a harmless theist to someone who has lost their sense of reason. (due to the clear evidence that these holy books are the (mostly fictional) work of man)

Quote
and as you say religious people is getting close minded, with respect i will say, agnostics is getting close minded. in a way they are focused on one way, ie math and science way.

And for good reason, because that is the only way that has advanced our society.
If religion had it's way, we'd still be in the dark ages.

Quote
now the real point is. we are talking different methodolgy here. where you cant acccept our methodology, we cant accept yours.

But you happily accept that methodology every time you fly in a plane, go under the knife, take drugs to fix a problem, and happily go about your everyday life.
Religion is always the exception, why?

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 22, 2012, 12:21:19 pm
Alright! Let me introduce The Memory God, since it seems that the presence of God(s) is compulsory for a vast majority of our fellow people.

What does this newly-found God do? This God transfers memories of the organ donors to the organ recipients! Since we cannot yet understand that mechanism and how can this be happening, we obviously need a god that explains this phenomenon:


"Memories are stored not only in the brain, but in a psychosomatic network extending into the body [...] all the way out along pathways to internal organs and the very surface of our skin," according to Dr. Candace Pert's recearch. Paul Pearsall, MD, a psychoneuroimmunologist and author of The Heart's Code, has researched the transference of memories through organ transplantation. After interviewing nearly 150 heart and other organ transplant recipients, Pearsall proposes the idea that cells of living tissue have the capacity to remember.

University of Arizona scientists and co-authors of The Living Energy Universe, Gary Schwartz, PhD, and Linda Russek, PhD, propose the universal living memory hypothesis in which they believe that "all systems stored energy dynamically [...] and this information continued as a living, evolving system after the physical structure had deconstructed." Schwartz and Russek believe this may explain how the information and energy from the donor's tissue can be present, consciously or unconsciously, in the recipient. Together with Schwartz and Russek, Pearsall conducted a study, published in the Spring 2002 issue of the Journal of Near-Death Studies, entitled, "Changes in Heart Transplant Recipients That Parallel the Personalities of Their Donors (http://www.newdualism.org/nde-papers/Pearsall/Pearsall-Journal%20of%20Near-Death%20Studies_2002-20-191-206.pdf)." The study consisted of open-ended interviews with 10 heart or heart-lung transplant recipients, their families or friends and the donor's families or friends. The researchers reported striking parallels in each of the cases. The following is a sampling of some these:

The references above were found in a now obsolete webpage of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine (http://www.med.unc.edu/). Unfortunately, the Internet Archive Machine does not have a complete image of the initial page (http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/http://www.med.unc.edu/wellness/main/links/cellular%20memory.htm), so I attached an .HTM copy of it (please remove the .TXT extension of the attachment).


It seems that all the researchers above, among many other unnamed ones, do continue their research because they are not satisfied with the simplistic explanation of a God or a Devil being responsible for the memory transfers between organ donors and recipients; which clearly is the work of the Abrahamic Devil! :P

Woe unto you, unbelieving scientists and skeptics! You will all burn in (the Abrahanic) hell for daring to defy the Written Word of The Tetragrammaton and His Commandments ("believe and do not doubt")! Let's drop research and skepticism, and return to another thousand years period of bliss ignorance of the (Judeo-Christianity induced) Dark Ages, when only the members of the clergy were allowed to know reading and writing...

Seriously, now. Can you see, my fellow people, how absurd it is to contribute to imaginary entities everything we are unable to understand? If you asked me, growing a spine and taking responsibility of our own lives is preferable to be hiding behind our own fears.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 22, 2012, 01:45:03 pm
Did you ever stop to think that, maybe, just maybe, YOU could be completely wrong instead? Atheists seem to forget that part.

If there's one group of people that is totally, completely offended by, opposed to, and rejects any criticism or reason whatsoever, that's most certainly not atheists. Quite the opposite.

Atheists reason their lack of belief through evidence, which is open to change by it's very nature.

Theists reason their belief through...well, I'm not even sure anymore, a feeling? A book?

To be quite honest, if you say atheists are closed minded, you are so wrong. They are open to all that is real and true. I will give you a quote from Tim Minchin:

"If you open your mind too much, your brain will fall out."
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: madworm on May 22, 2012, 02:37:35 pm
To me this video showing Bertrand Russel is the "end it all" argument about this never-ending battle of whether religion / god / gods should be allowed to take over and dominate our lives in any way.

Bertrand Russell on Religion (1959) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP4FDLegX9s#)

Of course this won't change a thing...

I believe (haha, maybe I should've said understand) that this is most likely due to the early childhood indoctrination we have heard about on this thread before.  I wonder how we manage to put the easter bunny and santa into the realm of 'lala land' at a point in our lives, but sadly fail to do the same with these 'other' stories.

One aspect of religion and the believed (this word again) personal experience of god is to some degree covered in the all-time classic movie "Darkstar" (1974) by John Carpenter. At one point there is a tough conversation with "Bomb #19" about Phenomenology - how to truly know that something is 'there' (if possible at all). Very interesting.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Time on May 22, 2012, 03:18:44 pm
I plan to read this book soon: www.moralmolecule.com (http://www.moralmolecule.com) as it attempts to explain the origins of morality from a biochemistry stand point.  Something that I thought the frequenters of this thread might also enjoy.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 22, 2012, 05:02:41 pm
God must be someone pretty incredible, otherwise why would there be 26 pages of people trying to talk us out of him? I'm not talking anyone out of non-belief; that's your very own choice, and to force is to be unfair and unkind, but why would you wish to almost INSIST believers are foolish, and coax and convince them out of their faith, based upon your decision about God?

Read between the lines - read the signs - it's plain to see.

Do you believe in fairies?
Do you believe in unicorns?
Do you believe in the tooth fairy?
Do you believe in Santa?

We all know of these, yet they aren't accepted as being real and you would be looked at as crazy if you seriously suggested they were. Why then, should a claim, like the existence of God, not provoke the same reaction?

If God is true, it shouldn't be about your decision or my decision, it should simply be true to everyone. It's not, so why are you arrogant enough to claim that you are correct, and then claim that atheists are arrogant because they do not believe?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 22, 2012, 05:04:24 pm
Quote from: EEVBlog
But you happily accept that methodology every time you fly in a plane, go under the knife, take drugs to fix a problem, and happily go about your everyday life.
Religion is always the exception, why?
ok i was wrong to put the word "we cant accept your methodology". thats the wrong (quick thinking) word.we accept it, except we (i) treat it (science) as a subset of our knowledge, acceptable but not complete/perfect, edit: acceptable to human life, but not acceptable to describe God, i believe it wont be able to due to its incompleteness. religion as someone said... fill the gap. so by taking religion into account, everything seem... complete ;) incompleteness of human law and justice doesnt seem right, people get away with their crime, being punished in afterlife is justice and the right concept. we not only hope there's afterlife, but believe in it because it "seems" right. why right? because we just feel right. proof on paper? none! only based on holy book that is "condemned".

Quote from: EEVBlog
science:... And for good reason, because that is the only way that has advanced our society.
you see science as your's, but for me science is god's "instrument" provided to human to advance society. see? different perpective, different point of view. how do i get that perspective? my projection from what i've read in holy book :P

to quote from the Holy book the way i understand it... "God who created heaven and earth without pillar that you can see" - God. i translated it as gravitation and other nature's forces that we are yet to discover. the F=mg law has always been there, laid down by God, until we (Newton) discovered it... why did a "poet" use the word "pillar that you cannot see" to describe heaven and earth? that doesnt make sense! cant he use a better analogy? for a poet to make a good poetry, it must be make sense, but it doesnt! is it just a coincidence the word "pillar that you cant see" with gravitation? or it is just me who tried hard enough to co-relate? FWIW. :P

I plan to read this book soon: www.moralmolecule.com (http://www.moralmolecule.com) as it attempts to explain the origins of morality from a biochemistry stand point.  Something that I thought the frequenters of this thread might also enjoy.
yup could be an interesting info. but why people here keep linking videos? i have trouble playing those and i'm not interested in banana or straw man type video (theist or atheist) it wont change anything. i wish there's simple quick explanation on this moralmolecule. and i hope the doctor have a better explanation of it, from scientifical point of view and approach, beyond reasonable doubt :P

edit: and i believe science wont be able to find God (if He exist) since i believe He does not wish to fill heaven with all human and leave the hell empty :P, it been destined/prophesized that more human will fill the hell esp women. if science finds God, everybody will believe in God, leaves the hell empty... :P my projection and my "God's Paradox" i mentioned earlier. and if God doesnt exist... both way science wont be able to find Him. science only discover and imagining new things, but not to prove nonexistency.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 22, 2012, 05:55:15 pm
And there we have it. Those who want to believe, refuse to see things the other way, refuse to watch anything contrary to their belief. We have people interpreting their holy texts to match what they want to believe, each with his own rationalization for what they want. We have those that believe, accusing atheists of attacking them personally when all atheists want to have is a saner, safer world for all. We have those who believe denying the existence of any other belief that differs from their own. We have the believers who decide which part of science they want because it is convenient to them and rejecting the parts of science because it scares them.

Then we have the atheists. Atheists listen and discuss and reason and try to avoid fantasy. We embrace  evidence and the resulting consequences of the evidence, whether perceived as "good" or "bad". Science is not about belief, it is about what is true by evidence. Atheism is about not believing any of the multitudes of theist fantasies. Atheism is not anti-theist. To be anti-theist is to believe that a deity exists and you are opposed to it.

The biggest problems in the world come from three things; religion, greed and the want of power. Each of these things are used in combination to assist the goals of the other. "kill the inifidel" "let's go to war to stop the other crazy religion" Usually these things mean, They have all the oil or they have some other desired treasure, and we need to make them sufficiently different from us to justify wiping them from the earth. Fantasy is dangerous and counterproductive to peace and the survival of the human race.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: madworm on May 22, 2012, 05:59:04 pm
What proof?

There is absolutely no scientific proof for or against the existence of any deity. Unless said deity chooses to reveal itself (which of course requires its existence in the first place), we will never know.

As Mr. Russel said in the video one should base decisions purely on hard facts. And if there are not enough facts, then suspend judgment until later. People with a certain mindset choose to go that way, others don't.

And let's try not to morph this discussion into "mine is bigger than yours".
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: olsenn on May 22, 2012, 06:17:27 pm
People are stupid! ALL people are too stupid to figure out how the world "works" (or doesn't) and in a weird way that is what is so wonderful about it. It frightens us to not know or understand the answers to the questions we consider important, and so we simply make them up. This isn't just true with religion, but also sceince. Electricity is largely explained in terms of the flow of electrons... but how many of the people here ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDS what electrons are and how to derive laws from them? Most of us will proudly say we know what things like this mean, but most of us (including myself) do not.

As far as I'm concearned sceintists talking about the "big bang" are just the same as evangelicos panhandling their theories at my doorstep. They're too afraid to admit to themselves that they just don't know!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 22, 2012, 06:22:22 pm
Let me say this another way.

Theism, or religion, is a closed minded system. Theists look for specific evidence that supports their belief and reject that does not support their belief. This is a dead end and humanity does not progress beyond the existence of what was decreed as truth by those in power at the time who created the belief system.

Atheism, or science, is an open system. Science looks for the truth based on ALL the evidence available. When a truth is thought to have been found to support new evidence, more evidence is sought out to confirm or contradict this new truth. If the new evidence does not support this new truth, then another truth is searched for to explain the new evidence.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 22, 2012, 06:38:47 pm
The biggest problems in the world come from three things; religion, greed and the want of power.
there you have it. as long as the first is related to the later two, this will be a neverending story and atheists/agnostics will forever exist.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: olsenn on May 22, 2012, 06:45:51 pm
Quote
Atheism, or science, is an open system. Science looks for the truth based on ALL the evidence available. When a truth is thought to have been found to support this new truth, more evidence is sought out to confirm or contradict this new truth. If the new evidence does not support this new truth, then another truth is searched for to explain the new evidence.

I absolutely aggree with this statement... it's a noble effort; however, often we ask, "is this true?", seek out evidence to determine if the answer is yes or no, and the evidence suggests that the answer is "no". So we think up something else, ask "is this true?", seek out evidence to determine if the answer is yes or no, and the evidence suggests that the answer is "no". So we think up something else..... Eventually we just get too depressed that we aren't making progress, or just plain get too lazy to continue this pattern, and we say "fuck it, I'm saying the answer is yes!".

Other times we ask "is this true?", seek out evidence to determine if the answer is yes or no, and end up not knowing if the evidence suggests the answer is yes or no. So we ask "does this evidence suggest that the answer is yes?", seek out evidence to determine if the answer is yes or no, and end up not knowing if the evidence suggests the answer is yes or no. So we ask "does the evidence suggest that the answer is yes?"....... Eventually we get too depressed that we aren't making progress, or just plain get too lazy to continue this pattern, and we say "fuck it, I'm saying the answer is yes!"

Lazyness isn't binary, there are degrees of lazyness; and even the most driven person has some degree of lazyness. Eventually he/she will ultimately get too lazy to continue any pattern, but the real problems are that we are too stupid to ask questions that don't lead to a perpetual pattern, and that we are too afraid to not know the answers to questions that we deem important, so we make them up (say "fuck it, I'm saying the answer is yes!")

People WANT to believe in God! People WANT to believe in science! Unfortunately, we don't have conclusive evidence for most of the things we claim (including this statement). The only 'saving grace' for sceince, is that SOMETIMES there IS in deed enough evidence to get the correct answer.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 22, 2012, 06:47:17 pm
Here's a phrase to mull over... "shifting the burden of proof". It's a tactic atheists and non-believers use a LOT.

Neither theists nor atheists have proof of the existence of God, and neither theists nor atheists have proof of the non-existence of God.

So why do you continue to tell us you are right and atheists are wrong? Because of a feeling you have?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 22, 2012, 06:56:54 pm
Sorry olsenn. Science has steadily been shooting down fantasy after fantasy. Scientists also know when to say "we don't know". Scientists are human and sometimes there are problems with ego and bias. This does no make science a wrong method, it just makes those practicing the principles of science fallible humans.

(I had to do a lot of editing because this post was done on my phone with big thumbs :))
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Hobgoblin612 on May 22, 2012, 06:57:33 pm
Hi, I’m Timothy and I am 18 years and am a Christian. (In one of the senses of the word, although I don’t know how to describe which one.) Here are some points I would like to contribute. They are my opinion only.

•   "God loves me" is nice to hear, but what is the value or worth of such love when it is ephemeral and unable to deliver anything but nice feelings? 
Are you saying that you don’t value love? (that may be a bit harsh but you get the point and I can’t think of any better way to say it) I guess what I'm trying to say is that all love is ephemeral and unable to deliver anything but nice feelings.

I don’t feel brainwashed at all, I feel loved and cared for by a community of people with similar beliefs. I can understand Dave feeling that he needs to help people escape from this state of ignorance and my feelings are similar in the opposite direction. It is not possible to rationalise this topic or explain it to someone. It needs to be experienced. (Oooooh this phrase will cause some shenanigans) It is impossible to describe the feeling of believing and the love of “God” (the quote marks indicate I don’t have a clear definition of God)

•   “yet many will still cling to equally silly and embarrassingly false religious myths as they get older?
         The answer lies in social pressure, intimidation, and fear.”
In fact I feel immense social pressure not to be Christian and fear when I tell others of my beliefs.

As far as heaven and hell is concerned I am not sure if god who loves us so much could send us to hell but I really don’t know. For me neither the fear of hell nor the prospect of heaven is a motivation for anything.

•   “How dare they claim incest is wrong when Adam and Eve's children are humping each others! If only they question things will they ever wake up. After Adam and Eve the next logical conclusion is INCEST and LOTS OF IT!”
In those days only the males were recorded. And if that’s not the case it’s defiantly not the only inconsistency in the bible. I think the bible is valuable as a supplement to faith and for its tales of the lessons people have learnt in the past. Not as a literal book of laws and truths.

I don’t see “religion” as an opposite or mutually exclusive thing from science. Creation and science are both equally bad explanations for the origin of this stuff around us we call the universe. I don’t think we will ever be able to fully explain our existence. Science has its place in explaining stuff and I love it for that.

As Einstein (who was not a “religious” man) said, “Science without Religion Is Lame, Religion without Science is blind”.

I personally don’t have any problem accepting that humans evolved from other animals. It is the logical conclusion from the evidence.  It is not the core of my beliefs.

“God” means a different thing to everyone.

•   “…Correct. But they certainly DO think it's an entirely rational belief!”
 I personally don’t try to pretend that it is an entirely rational belief.

I don’t want proof that god exists and frankly I have no idea what I would do if I was given it.

•   “You claim something, you get to prove it. Religion is no (or should not be an) exception.”
As I said, for me proving the existence of god is neither important nor makes any sense.

 “Christianity is the only belief that demands you accept it on Faith. God alone decides if you require or receive evidence.” Not sure about the only belief but yes that is the best bit.
For me faith is the core of it all. At some point logic can no longer be applied. The wonderment and awe of it all is beautiful and music is one of the ways we can catch a glimpse of this. The fact that the whole of this wonderful universe exists is just mind-blowing and at some point you just have to step back and enjoy it and not try to explain it.
I could comment on many other side issues raised here but it is getting late.
I do feel sympathy for iamwhoiam although I don't agree with him on all points.
God Bless, Timothy
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 22, 2012, 11:27:43 pm
Here's a phrase to mull over... "shifting the burden of proof". It's a tactic atheists and non-believers use a LOT.

Are you serious?
You really think that believes are not the ones who have the burden of proof?
If you don't want to try and prove your claims (or most likely can't), then that's fine, your choice, that's why it's called belief after all.
But don't try and claim that the burden of proof does not rely solely on you, because it does, it's a simple fact.
You make the claims, so you get to prove them. Atheists just call BS on your claim, based on the lack of evidence for the claim, and indeed, the ever increasing evidence that the claims simply must be wrong.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 22, 2012, 11:35:13 pm
Neither theists nor atheists have proof of the existence of God

Correct.

Quote
and neither theists nor atheists have proof of the non-existence of God.

Correct. But there is much compelling indirect evidence to show that the claims of the holy books are just bunk. And given that the holy books are what the vast majority of religious people use to justify their claims and impose their will upon us all, I'd say that makes the atheist position incredibly strong.
Not only through direct scientific advancement of knowledge fully debunking many of the claims, but the many internal contradictions, and the fact that there are so many other holy books that claim different things. They can't all be right, ergo, it's most likely none of them are right.

Quote
So why do you continue to tell us you are right and atheists are wrong? Because of a feeling you have?

Yep!

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 22, 2012, 11:38:16 pm
Atheism is not anti-theist. To be anti-theist is to believe that a deity exists and you are opposed to it.

Well said!

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 22, 2012, 11:56:33 pm
I don’t feel brainwashed at all, I feel loved and cared for by a community of people with similar beliefs.

Sure. But you can get that exact same feeling (and the reality of it) through secular groups and family et.al
No points awarded there I'm afraid.

Quote
It is impossible to describe the feeling of believing and the love of “God”

I don't think it's that hard to understand, secular people can have the same feelings about being loved by their partner or whatever. Children about their parents, teenage girls at a beatles concert etc.
I don't think the god love is any stronger.
No points.

Quote
In fact I feel immense social pressure not to be Christian and fear when I tell others of my beliefs.

If god were obviously real then there would be no such fear. Or it would be like saying you support England in an Aussie Pub watching the cricket.
But you feel that fear because you now people will laugh at you for believing stuff without evidence.
Welcome to the real world I'm afraid.

Quote
I think the bible is valuable as a supplement to faith and for its tales of the lessons people have learnt in the past. Not as a literal book of laws and truths.

A smart christian, points hereby awarded!

Quote
I don’t see “religion” as an opposite or mutually exclusive thing from science. Creation and science are both equally bad explanations for the origin of this stuff around us we call the universe. I don’t think we will ever be able to fully explain our existence. Science has its place in explaining stuff and I love it for that.

Previous points stripped away!
"equally bad"? Surely you can't be serious!
Science has given us everything in our modern world, everything.
To think that it must suddenly stop at explaining the origin of stuff is very foolish indeed. And based on current research, odds are, quite wrong.

Quote
•   “…Correct. But they certainly DO think it's an entirely rational belief!”
 I personally don’t try to pretend that it is an entirely rational belief.

Points awarded. Most religious people can't admit that.

Quote
I don’t want proof that god exists and frankly I have no idea what I would do if I was given it.

You'd jump for joy, trust me!

Quote
•   “You claim something, you get to prove it. Religion is no (or should not be an) exception.”
As I said, for me proving the existence of god is neither important nor makes any sense.

Not the least bit important? even a teensy bit?
I bet you wouldn't be saying that if it was actually possible?

Quote
For me faith is the core of it all. At some point logic can no longer be applied.

That point is right at the start.

Quote
The wonderment and awe of it all is beautiful and music is one of the ways we can catch a glimpse of this. The fact that the whole of this wonderful universe exists is just mind-blowing and at some point you just have to step back and enjoy it and not try to explain it.

Welcome to the world of atheism!
We are content to sit back and enjoy, and the more intrigued ones try and figure it out with science because it's fun.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 23, 2012, 12:54:43 am
Dammit! I really didn't want to participate in any kind of religious forum threads.
But... If a believer in a faith based religion (is there any other kind?) is presented with evidence the "god" actually exists, doesn't it follow then that the faith must vanish since it is no longer required? Then musn't it also follow that the religion becomes pointless.

I think religion would get a lot more serious and controlled and forceful if there was any proof. "See, he's real, so you WILL go to hell if you do/don't do blah blah..."
What you'd likely end up with is then people who want to follow, and people who don't want to follow.
Instead of atheists simply not believing bunk, you'd have a group (maybe under the same name) that refuse to follow.
Depends entirely on how willing the god would be to interfere with our real world.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: madworm on May 23, 2012, 01:16:16 am
Quote
The Final Proof of the non-Existence of God was proved by a Babel Fish.

Now, it is such a bizarrely improbable coincidence that anything so mind-bogglingly useful could have evolved purely by chance that some have chosen to see it as the final proof of the NON-existence of God. The argument goes something like this:

"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."

"But," says Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves that You exist, and so therefore, by Your own arguments, You don't. QED"

"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.

"Oh, that was easy," says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing.

http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/God (http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/God)



All the energy that gets wasted in believing, trying to believe, trying to be faithful (whatever that is), and showing to others that you are in deed faithful. If that were put into doing things...

Now to the question of pointlessness. The question is: what do faithful believers get from all of it? Do they suffer from such a high degree of self-deception that they start to hear a little voice in their head, have elevated levels of certain 'happy pill' hormones and see all of live through pink glasses? Assuming that once a deity has revealed itself and proven its existence, does that also mean it would suddenly change its behaviour? That is change from not intervening, not helping to reduce suffering, not avoiding earthquakes... to a kind of superman - always ready and there to fix stuff. Who knows...

Several decades ago, when I was still somewhat little, I made an experiment. At that time all pupils were forced to attend religious education at school (either catholic or protestant). I don't remember where my Turkish (probably Muslim) friends went, if they got some free time or whatever. Today pupils fortunately have the option not to deal with all of this believing-stuff and choose something like 'ethics and social science' - at least in secondary school. Primary schools are probably still not there yet (get them young!). I'm straying... back to the experiment. Before going to sleep I 'opened' my mind and actively invited all deities in the vicinity to have a conversation, give them a chance to get another follower (based on them talking to me and proving their existence). It didn't work - and I waited for at least half an hour. That day I became an atheist.

A couple of years later I did another experiment. It involved writing an exam in religious education. The teacher we had at that time was an especially zealous one, almost a missionary. We didn't like each other much. Back to the test. I don't remember the actual topic, but I deliberately inserted the word 'God' into what I had written, grammatically correct I should add. I got 1 out of 15 points for that test. You may now guess what word got me that one point ;-)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: madworm on May 23, 2012, 01:25:21 am
I just remembered a joke about Hell:

Some guy arrived there and the devil was showing him around. He was quite impressed, it was actually quite pleasant, not too hot, food and wine, beautiful virgins and so forth... Some time later during the tour they were passing a flock of people engulfed in fire, screaming, crying, shouting... the usual thing to do.

Guy: "What's with those people?"

Devil: "Those? They are catholics, they want it that way!"
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 23, 2012, 04:24:01 am
I see everyone latched onto my "you lie" comment and proceeded to substituted their own point of view with great zealousness.  My central point is, because humans cannot know everything there is to know about the natural world, faith must have a part in forming a satisfactory appreciation of their existence.

Suppose you come across a curious piece of electronic gadget.  You can see that it works and proceed to do a tear down.  The more you look at it with a scientific eye the more you understand how it works.  For the parts of it that you do not yet know how it works, one truth is self evident- you must to take it on faith that who or whatever put it together got that part to work somehow, someway.  Your appreciation of how the gadget works is not possible without this measure of faith.

And so it is as humans form their appreciation of their natural world.  How this innate need for faith then becomes high jacked by charlatans, frauds, charismatics, fascist, racist, xenophobes and pedophiles is completely beyond my central point.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 23, 2012, 04:38:28 am
To me this video showing Bertrand Russel is the "end it all" argument about this never-ending battle of whether religion / god / gods should be allowed to take over and dominate our lives in any way.

What a cold way to live- to believe only on that which can be positively proven.  Its great for math but what about personal relationships?  My wife tells me she loves me.  I don't demand proof.  I simply respond in kind.

Just because it cannot be proven does not make it a lie.  So where does it say that it is wrong to believe on things that cannot be proven?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: bullet308 on May 23, 2012, 05:08:44 am
I see everyone latched onto my "you lie" comment and proceeded to substituted their own point of view with great zealousness.  My central point is, because humans cannot know everything there is to know about the natural world, faith must have a part in forming a satisfactory appreciation of their existence.

Nnno, I would say not necessarily. As evidence, I present the statements by numerous people here to the contrary.

I was raised in a nonreligious household, and feel it was perhaps the greatest single gift my parents gave me.  This forces me to either discover why a certain thing is so  or accept that it is not understood and make my peace with that uncertainty, with no need for me to interject the supernatural in order to make everything tidy.


Suppose you come across a curious piece of electronic gadget.  You can see that it works and proceed to do a tear down.  The more you look at it with a scientific eye the more you understand how it works.  For the parts of it that you do not yet know how it works, one truth is self evident- you must to take it on faith that who or whatever put it together got that part to work somehow, someway.  Your appreciation of how the gadget works is not possible without this measure of faith.

That requires no faith whatsoever. You have the device in front of you, working. That's called evidence, not faith.

And so it is as humans form their appreciation of their natural world.  How this innate need for faith then becomes high jacked by charlatans, frauds, charismatics, fascist, racist, xenophobes and pedophiles is completely beyond my central point.

It may not be relevant to the argument you are trying to make, but it is immensely relevant to how religious faith and the manipulation thereof actually plays out in the real world.

What a cold way to live- to believe only on that which can be positively proven.  Its great for math but what about personal relationships?  My wife tells me she loves me.  I don't demand proof.  I simply respond in kind.

Just because it cannot be proven does not make it a lie.  So where does it say that it is wrong to believe on things that cannot be proven?

Well, first of all, you have your wife standing there saying "I love you". That may not be quite conclusive in all cases, but it certainly constitutes a measure of proof. You then get to observe her behaviors over a period of time and see whether or not they are consistent with her actually loving you. . "Evidence", we might call it.

Or did you marry the first girl that told you, "I love you"? That would not be a very reliable way of picking a good life partner, would it? Wouldn't you want to have some evidence that a) she loves you and b) she is a good partner for you before you pull the trigger on a marriage?

Its being unproven does not make it a lie, but it most certainly does not make it proven, nor does it necessarily require the intervention of a non-verifiable supernatural entity in order to be true. You are taking something that may be necessary for YOU and trying to tell us that its necessary for US as well, which is demonstrably not so.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on May 23, 2012, 05:33:03 am
To me this video showing Bertrand Russel is the "end it all" argument about this never-ending battle of whether religion / god / gods should be allowed to take over and dominate our lives in any way.

What a cold way to live- to believe only on that which can be positively proven.  Its great for math but what about personal relationships?  My wife tells me she loves me.  I don't demand proof.  I simply respond in kind.

Just because it cannot be proven does not make it a lie.  So where does it say that it is wrong to believe on things that cannot be proven?

There is nothing wrong with it. But it should not be passed off as any kind of truth.

For as long as humans have existed they have always believed in something/someone for their own comfort and to give some kind of meaning to an otherwise meaningless life. St Anselm made the comment that he "believes in order to understand". Without the adherence to some kind of deity and some kind of 'understanding that gives their existence meaning" most humans would be left confronting the full agony of their existence. People function simply by ignoring these thoughts for much of their life. That's fine, it'd be a drag to sit around thinking about how meaningless my life is.

But people these days are slightly more educated and have made the basic connection that the various holy books are just human creations to give meaning, comfort and structure to peoples lives. Who would have considered giving 72 virgins to men? A bunch of old guys sitting around in a tent wanting as many converts as possible? It really wasn't very long ago that Christianity was teaching that the old testament was a literal document - but that charade has been too hard to defend. As Nietzsche said. "God is dead. We have killed him".

I once read an opinion that what made religion successful was really the wholesale packaging of moral philosophy into an accessible form. Religions sell 'meaning' to the public. Facts are not a selling point because people want and need to believe.

As an agnositic I don't deny people their need for meaning beyond what they can see. If it makes a positive contribution it has some merit regardless if it is all a bedtime story. The danger is that Religions are slow to set their prejudices aside and have probably outlived their value. Much of Islam looks to me to do more damage than good, but fundamental Christianity is not far behind.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 23, 2012, 07:37:22 am
A quote comes to mind ,but I cannot remember who from "Religion is the opium of the masses" And I personally am absolutely convinced that this is the case and no evangelist is going to change my mind.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 23, 2012, 08:15:49 am
One of my favourite quotes from Richard Feynman:

"Anyway, I have to argue about flying saucers on the beach with people, you know. And I was interested in this: they keep arguing that it is possible. And that's true. It is possible. They do not appreciate that the problem is not to demonstrate whether it's possible or not but whether it's going on or not."

Now, replace "flying saucers" with "God", "the Easter bunny", or whatever.

Empirical evidence, mathematical proof, and peer reviews are the only known and trusted mechanisms we can rely on to ensure that no bullshit slips trough and gets labelled as a "fact". In a nutshell, people are entitled to their own beliefs and opinions, but not to making their own facts.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: david77 on May 23, 2012, 08:27:49 am
A quote comes to mind ,but I cannot remember who from "Religion is the opium of the masses" And I personally am absolutely convinced that this is the case and no evangelist is going to change my mind.

I think that was Marx and you're right, it's spot on.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: SgtRock on May 23, 2012, 08:51:31 am
Dear G7PSK & APT:

--I believe it was Karl Marx who said "Religion is the opium of the masses" (loose translation). Fundamentalists will have to work very hard indeed to catch up with the Marxists in the Genocide department. As a matter of fact, I would welcome any info on Fundamentalist Christian Genocide, say in the last 100 years. Or for that matter, Fundamentalist Christians doing Honor Killings, Female Genital Mutilation, or reducing all of the women in a country to virtual slave status. On these scores, indeed the Fundamentalist Christians are far, far behind.

--The Richard Feynman quote is spot on, God, the Easter Bunny, Gaia, AGW, all require extraordinary proof (Sagan). One thing I think the Fundamentalists are correct about, is that the Constitution of the USA was designed to limit Government power.

--With regard to flying saucer part of the quote. Think about it, billions and billions of stars, billions of Galaxies, and possibly an infinite number of Universes. These Saganesque speculations about millions of intelligent civilizations are, fun to dream about, just like the Easter Bunny is for children. Feh. If you cannot find anything within 1000 light years then ET is about as significant as the story of Moses.
 
"Get ready, little lady. Hell is coming to breakfast."
Chief Dan George 1899 1981

Best Regards
Clear Ether
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 23, 2012, 11:41:31 am
Quote
Religion is the opium of the people.
-- Haim Mardochai Kissel (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112870/#msg112870), also known as: Carl Marx
Exactly!

Religions evoke emotion; and emotion blurs judgment. Just like any psychotropic drug does.

Every religion uses extensively the logical fallacies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_fallacy), the common denominator of which is emotional manipulation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_manipulation).
The logical fallacies are deliberate improper argumentations or errors in reasoning that render the arguments logically invalid, aiming to result in misconceptions or presumptions; aiming to deceive.

After all, if something actually existed it would be evident for everyone, and there would never be any necessity for pseudo-literature to support it.

The truth, being obvious, does not need any protection to survive; only the lies do, because the lies need vast amounts of support to survive. Support and frenetic repetition...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 23, 2012, 01:25:08 pm
Suppose you come across a curious piece of electronic gadget.  You can see that it works and proceed to do a tear down.  The more you look at it with a scientific eye the more you understand how it works.  For the parts of it that you do not yet know how it works, one truth is self evident- you must to take it on faith that who or whatever put it together got that part to work somehow, someway.  Your appreciation of how the gadget works is not possible without this measure of faith.

That requires no faith whatsoever. You have the device in front of you, working. That's called evidence, not faith.

You have no evidence as to how it works.
And so it is as humans form their appreciation of their natural world.  How this innate need for faith then becomes high jacked by charlatans, frauds, charismatics, fascist, racist, xenophobes and pedophiles is completely beyond my central point.

It may not be relevant to the argument you are trying to make, but it is immensely relevant to how religious faith and the manipulation thereof actually plays out in the real world.

Then we agree that faith is inextricable from the human experience.  How that get perverted in the real world is another matter.
What a cold way to live- to believe only on that which can be positively proven.  Its great for math but what about personal relationships?  My wife tells me she loves me.  I don't demand proof.  I simply respond in kind.

Just because it cannot be proven does not make it a lie.  So where does it say that it is wrong to believe on things that cannot be proven?

Well, first of all, you have your wife standing there saying "I love you". That may not be quite conclusive in all cases, but it certainly constitutes a measure of proof. You then get to observe her behaviors over a period of time and see whether or not they are consistent with her actually loving you. . "Evidence", we might call it.

Or did you marry the first girl that told you, "I love you"? That would not be a very reliable way of picking a good life partner, would it? Wouldn't you want to have some evidence that a) she loves you and b) she is a good partner for you before you pull the trigger on a marriage?

Its being unproven does not make it a lie, but it most certainly does not make it proven, nor does it necessarily require the intervention of a non-verifiable supernatural entity in order to be true. You are taking something that may be necessary for YOU and trying to tell us that its necessary for US as well, which is demonstrably not so.

Its just not possible to have all the evidence of her love up front because that love will be challenged by situations you never thought you will find yourself.  This is why faith is required.  Why do you think "faithfulness" is central to any marriage?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 23, 2012, 01:39:41 pm
Suppose you come across a curious piece of electronic gadget.  You can see that it works and proceed to do a tear down.  The more you look at it with a scientific eye the more you understand how it works.  For the parts of it that you do not yet know how it works, one truth is self evident- you must to take it on faith that who or whatever put it together got that part to work somehow, someway.  Your appreciation of how the gadget works is not possible without this measure of faith.

That requires no faith whatsoever. You have the device in front of you, working. That's called evidence, not faith.

You have no evidence as to how it works.

That doesn't matter. You have it in your hands, you know it works. How is pretty irrelevant when you can see that it works. If you went and found the guy that designed it, he could explain how it works. Can't really do that with God, can we?

Plus, it's not a question of how where God is concerned, it's a question of whether you can see that he is there, working, doing things, or even simply existing and doing nothing. And well, you can't. That's why people rely on feelings to justify their faith. You don't need feelings to believe in a working gadget in your hands.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: SgtRock on May 23, 2012, 03:07:49 pm
Dear A Hellene:

--I agree. Just tune in any Evangelical TV show, where they raise money, and you will see the kind of argumentation, that you describe. I think if you look carefully you will see the same kind of emotional appeal being used by Al Gore in his film "An Inconvenient Truth", for example when he predicts a minimum of 20 feet of sea level rise by 2100. Since there has been no demonstrable rise in the last 18 years (in the mid Pacific, Kiribati), it will need to increase, from today, 4.8" by the end of this decade just to keep pace with Gore's prediction. We shall see. Meanwhile Al Gore has made a fortune out of Carbon Credits, and like any good TV Evangelist, he as bought some beach front (soon to be inundated) property.

--Likewise, when AGW advocates refer to skeptics as "deniers" instead of skeptics, in an effort to metaphorically link them with "Holocaust Deniers" I.E. "would be genocidal National Socialists", it would seem to me to be more by way of emotional argumentation rather than a logical appeal to reason. Remember, Hitler based at least some of his pseudo-scientific arguments for genocide, on the writings of the Father of the Theory of Evolution. Margaret Sanger the Mother of Birth Control, spoke of her hopes that contraception and abortion would work to reduce the numbers of the inferior races, with work camps for the rest. I should add, of course, that the revolution in Biology and DNA has proven Darwin to be almost completely correct in his "theory", no matter how Orwellian (and morally revolting) his dispassionate predictions for the future of he Human Genome, might seem.

--If someone is dealing Three Card Monte, he does not need to be a Bible beater, he could just as easily be a Critical Racial Theorist, Social Darwinist, or an Environmentalist spinning of tales about mass pollution of the water table and flaming water faucets, caused by Fracking. Watch out for bent cards. Lucky for us the Media do not retell the scabrous evacuations of the TV Preachers, ad nauseum. Too bad they do not have the same editorial policy with regard to these other Monte Dealers.

Dear G7PSK:

--Earlier you stated:

"The roman [sic] Catholics and the Vatican are one [sic] of the worst offenders, They are the ones who funded Adolf Hitler before he came to power [sic] they stirred things in Northern Ireland and their priests condoned and gave absolution for all the murders there and in other parts of the world the Mafia relies on the same support (henchman goes out and murders then conscience [sic] is salved [sic] by priests)."

--Indeed, the IRA is a terrorist organization, and If I were Bill Clinton, I would never have shaken the hand of Former IRA Captain Gerry Adams,  That said, I believe the problem is more "British and Irish" than "Catholic and Protestant", and so I shall leave the Irish Troubles aside for the moment, and address your contention about German Catholics and the Vatican funding Hitler before he came to power (1933). In a search of the internet, I was unable to find anything supporting this. Could you please point us toward some factual information supporting this contention? I will of course grant that in 1933 German Catholics amounted to some 20 million in a country of 66 million. If the problem was Catholicism and not the German National Socialist Workers Party, then why were one sixth of all Italian Jews not sent to the Concentration Camps, until Italy was occupied by German Troops. Curious, no?

--To all of my Agnostic and Atheist brethren and sistren, may I commend you to the works of Friedrich Hayak and Ayn Rand.

"At some future point, not distant as measured by centuries, the civilised [sic] races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace the savage races throughout the world. At the same time the anthropomorphous apes, as Professor Schaaffhausen has remarked, will no doubt be exterminated. The break will then be rendered wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilised state, as we may hope, than the Caucasian, and some ape as low as a baboon, instead of as at present between the negro or Australian and the gorilla."
Charles Darwin 1809 - 1882

Best Regards
Clear Ether
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 23, 2012, 03:29:17 pm
Suppose you come across a curious piece of electronic gadget.  You can see that it works and proceed to do a tear down.  The more you look at it with a scientific eye the more you understand how it works.  For the parts of it that you do not yet know how it works, one truth is self evident- you must to take it on faith that who or whatever put it together got that part to work somehow, someway.  Your appreciation of how the gadget works is not possible without this measure of faith.

That requires no faith whatsoever. You have the device in front of you, working. That's called evidence, not faith.

You have no evidence as to how it works.

That doesn't matter. You have it in your hands, you know it works. How is pretty irrelevant when you can see that it works. If you went and found the guy that designed it, he could explain how it works. Can't really do that with God, can we?

For the scientific minded, knowing how it works is very much relevant.  To them, saying "it works, but I don't care how" is just not in their DNA.  It is far better to say "there is an omnipresent and omnipotent designer that put this together to make work what I am working hard understand."  That there is called faith.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 23, 2012, 03:32:18 pm
Suppose you come across a curious piece of electronic gadget.  You can see that it works and proceed to do a tear down.  The more you look at it with a scientific eye the more you understand how it works.  For the parts of it that you do not yet know how it works, one truth is self evident- you must to take it on faith that who or whatever put it together got that part to work somehow, someway.  Your appreciation of how the gadget works is not possible without this measure of faith.

That requires no faith whatsoever. You have the device in front of you, working. That's called evidence, not faith.

You have no evidence as to how it works.

That doesn't matter. You have it in your hands, you know it works. How is pretty irrelevant when you can see that it works. If you went and found the guy that designed it, he could explain how it works. Can't really do that with God, can we?

For the scientific minded, knowing how it works is very much relevant.  To them, saying "it works, but I don't care how" is just not in their DNA.  It is far better to say "there is an omnipresent and omnipotent designer that put this together to make work what I am working hard understand."  That there is called faith.

And the rest...

Quote
Plus, it's not a question of how where God is concerned, it's a question of whether you can see that he is there, working, doing things, or even simply existing and doing nothing. And well, you can't. That's why people rely on feelings to justify their faith. You don't need feelings to believe in a working gadget in your hands.

But anyway, knowing that someone designed an electronic gadget who has greater knowledge than you do doesn't require the leap of faith that believing in a divine being/creator of the universe/intelligent designer does.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 23, 2012, 03:42:55 pm
Suppose you come across a curious piece of electronic gadget.  You can see that it works and proceed to do a tear down.  The more you look at it with a scientific eye the more you understand how it works.  For the parts of it that you do not yet know how it works, one truth is self evident- you must to take it on faith that who or whatever put it together got that part to work somehow, someway.  Your appreciation of how the gadget works is not possible without this measure of faith.

That requires no faith whatsoever. You have the device in front of you, working. That's called evidence, not faith.

You have no evidence as to how it works.

That doesn't matter. You have it in your hands, you know it works. How is pretty irrelevant when you can see that it works. If you went and found the guy that designed it, he could explain how it works. Can't really do that with God, can we?

For the scientific minded, knowing how it works is very much relevant.  To them, saying "it works, but I don't care how" is just not in their DNA.  It is far better to say "there is an omnipresent and omnipotent designer that put this together to make work what I am working hard understand."  That there is called faith.

And the rest...

Quote
Plus, it's not a question of how where God is concerned, it's a question of whether you can see that he is there, working, doing things, or even simply existing and doing nothing. And well, you can't. That's why people rely on feelings to justify their faith. You don't need feelings to believe in a working gadget in your hands.

But anyway, knowing that someone designed an electronic gadget who has greater knowledge than you do doesn't require the leap of faith that believing in a divine being/creator of the universe/intelligent designer does.

No its not a leap of faith in the case of the curious electronic gadget.  But you can't deny that there is some small measure of faith that you have to put in.

The more humans know about the natural world, the less faith they will need.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 23, 2012, 03:59:49 pm
I have no "faith" in the inventor/designer of any gadget, or vehicle, or whatever. I might say that I have *trust* in these people/things, but that trust is earned, and the things that it is based on can be tested, even if I cannot myself study and understand every single atom of the universe.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 23, 2012, 04:01:09 pm
Maybe this vision will help sway some people
Faith is not evidence! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtSUvcjRK3I#)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 23, 2012, 04:06:44 pm
I have no "faith" in the inventor/designer of any gadget, or vehicle, or whatever. I might say that I have *trust* in these people/things, but that trust is earned, and the things that it is based on can be tested, even if I cannot myself study and understand every single atom of the universe.

Trust without faith?  How is that possible?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 23, 2012, 04:09:10 pm
I have no "faith" in the inventor/designer of any gadget, or vehicle, or whatever. I might say that I have *trust* in these people/things, but that trust is earned, and the things that it is based on can be tested, even if I cannot myself study and understand every single atom of the universe.

Trust without faith?  How is that possible?

You are continually using two different meanings of "faith" interchangeably. Please stop doing this, it's rather irritating.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 23, 2012, 04:17:57 pm
Trust without faith?  How is that possible?

Trust and faith are two very different things. I'm not sure why you think one requires the other.

In explaining the universe around me, I do not require faith at all. There are things I understand, and there are things I don't. There's also a whole bunch of stuff no-one understands. I'm quite comfortable with "I don't know" and "we don't know" as a answers to that stuff. Indeed IMHO that's a significantly better answer than assigning anything to a supernatural power.

Faith doesn't come into it at all.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 23, 2012, 04:38:31 pm
so this prayer sounds little familiar

Kimmel 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfGtxfs0h84#)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 23, 2012, 09:18:52 pm
Dear Sgt rock
If you read Hitlers secret life by Glen G Infield who was an USAF bomber pilot during the war before he wrote this book. In it he refers to documents compiled by the US secret service at the time of the fall of Berlin in which they refer to Eugenio Pacelli the papal nuncio in Germany  and who later became Pope Pius XII and how he funneled $92,500,00 dollars into the Nazi party.It was all to do with the Lateran treaty which Mussolini made with the Vatican which made the Vatican city a state in itself it had prior to this been subject to Italian law since 1860.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: SgtRock on May 23, 2012, 11:52:24 pm
Dear G7PSK:

--When you stated that:

"The roman [sic] Catholics and the Vatican are one [sic] of the worst offenders, They are the ones who funded Adolf Hitler before he came to power"

--I rather thought that the record was going to be replete with multiple examples of nefarious mackerel snapping Papists black bagging mountains filthy "under the table" lucre to Der Reich's Chancellor, and all the while throwing the blame off on the House of Krupp and I G Farben, and not a highly questionable allegation of a one time payment of a pitifully small sum by one man on a single occasion. I will admit that I cannot disprove the allegations made by one Glenn B. Infield in his book "Hitler's Secret Life, despite a niggling certainty that he was either deluded or lying. Even that pompous fraud Dan Rather had the coutesy to at least provide third rate forgeries to support his dishonest assertions, rather than, taking the easy way out, and relying on documents "that no longer exist." Other new discoveries by Mr. Infield, about Hitler include the fact that he was at one time an "intimate friend" of S A Captain Ernst Roehm (the love that dare not speak its name) and that Der Fuhrer (mit dem umlaut)  survived the bunker and was living in Brazil. I excerpt below the part of the original review (for scholastic purposes only) from Kirkus Reviews.

"The legitimate question of how Hitler could have been such a monster and yet also have been a human being becomes the nail upon which Infield (Eva and Adolf) hangs every fact, possible fact, pseudo-fact, and non-fact about the dictator's ""secret life."" None of the ""facts"" are new; Hitler's daily drug intake, for instance, is well known. The rest of the ostensible data ranges from the ridiculous to the preposterous. Based on one man's testimony about an official U.S. Army intelligence report that no longer exists (if it ever did), Infield suggests that all the money paid to the Catholic church by Mussolini under the terms of the Lateran Treaty was funneled to Hitler by the Papal Nuncio to Germany, the future Pope Pius XII; it was the Catholics, then, not German industrialists, who financed Hitler's rise! Other tidbits: ""sworn"" testimony that Hitler was a homosexual; a ""credible"" account of the Fuhrer's escape from the bunker. (Infield is convinced that Hitler now resides in Brazil, deeply revered by his Nazi associates and Brazilian heirs.) But each outlandish suggestion is coolly followed by a disclaimer: there is, after all, no solid evidence that Hitler preferred men, no firm evidence for his retirement to Brazil. Thus, Infield covers himself, meanwhile making his fairy stories seem more plausible than the truth. Lively nonsense, more fiction than history.
Pub Date: Nov. 30th, 1979
Publisher: Stein & Day"

--I should add that though some of the facts in the book are in dispute, it should, nonetheless, provide an interesting hour or two's diversion, for readers who like Umberto Eco.

"Does not squirrel crack nuts on bough of oak tree."
Lao Fu 1410 1620

Best Regards
Clear Ether
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 24, 2012, 01:29:03 am
"The legitimate question of how Hitler could have been such a monster..."

I don't entirely believe Hitler was an exceptional monster, rather a monster who happened upon power, circumstances and opportunity at the enabling time, just as has often happened to people through the course of history. I rather think that plenty of people today qualify equally as monsters, but who fortunately do not get such an opportunity to give expression to their character.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 24, 2012, 01:44:14 am
In explaining the universe around me, I do not require faith at all. There are things I understand, and there are things I don't. There's also a whole bunch of stuff no-one understands. I'm quite comfortable with "I don't know" and "we don't know" as a answers to that stuff. Indeed IMHO that's a significantly better answer than assigning anything to a supernatural power.
Faith doesn't come into it at all.

And indeed, as with most technical things, like the deep rooted evidence for evolution, astrophysics or quantum theory for example, there are few experts in the field who truly understand it and are on the leading edge of knowledge and understanding here. But Joe Average doesn't have to say "I don't know", they can get the basics of that knowledge fairly easily by the various science popularisers, that make the advanced stuff digestible for Joe Average.
And without having to spend a decade or two trying to learn and confirm it themselves, Joe Average can safely take what those experts say, dare I say "on faith". But it's a completely different "faith" to what religious people have and sprout, it's the alternative meaning of the word that means confidence in a source. It's a faith/confidence built on evidence, the scientific method, and peer review. Which is not only open to change within the scientific community, but with Joe Average who just follows along.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on May 24, 2012, 01:55:21 am
I agree regarding Hitler, the winner always gets to write history to some extent.

If you look at Hitlers second book released after the war, there wasn't a lot of discussion surrounding the things that he is being vilified for now, namely the killing of the jews. Remembering that he was an atheist, he had a perfectly rational belief that they had different cultural and moral norms and so didn't belong in either Germany or Europe. The idea that you needed to get rid of a problem population is/was not new and is perfectly rational. By all accounts he had a number of attractive traits, not least of which was he was somewhat down to earth, and not in any way an academic snob. The allies interviewed his doctor after the war and found he was popping pills. We'd all be popping pills if we had his stress levels I'm sure.

Getting back to the thread on religion I think it raises a question about the value of religion. It seems to me that Nietzsches criticism of Christianity and I suspect also of Islam is that it dulls peoples desires and pain surrounding their existence. It teaches of the evils of money and to embrace a modest lifestyle. Other religions are somewhat more free of this moral code, including to some extent Judaism where money has never had the same negative association. Just look at Goldman Sachs, where the vast majority of managing partners are Jewish. If christianity and islam have been so successful maybe its because they have educated the population on the Moral Philosophy required for a somewhat harmonious co-existence even if all the rest of it is nonsense.

If we are to dispense with religion altogether we'll have to figure out a way of teaching Morality that everyone finds acceptable, otherwise we'll need to keep religion. Hitlers view was that armed conflict built character in a nation and that if you weren't the hammer of life you'd end up being the Anvil.

I'd say we will need to come up with something better than that.

Edit: link below
Friedrich Nietzsche (door Alain de Botton) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAg0vy5USG4#ws)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: os40la on May 24, 2012, 02:00:53 am
I say 42. ;D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 24, 2012, 02:13:29 am
If we are to dispense with religion altogether we'll have to figure out a way of teaching Morality that everyone finds acceptable, otherwise we'll need to keep religion.

People know basic right from wrong without religion, and we have indeed "evolved" those morals over time in spite of religion.
Many people all want different things and have different personal moral codes, so it's impossible to get a full agreement on all but the obvious basic stuff. And each society and culture has had to develop it's own set of moral codes and enforce many of those into law.
If religion disappeared tomorrow, there would not be any breakdown in society, or moral values, it would just be business as usual (at least in this country). There is absolutely no need for religion when it comes to morals.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 24, 2012, 02:58:49 am
Creationists often cite that morals were given to man by god, when in reality it is often defined by group dynamics and it is partly an evolved trait. Morals can be different from one culture to the next, particularly over time. Killing someone, raping women, and taking 13 year olds as wives were morally acceptable in some cultures for various reasons. However, most societies has learned that some of those aforementioned actions are not to anyone's advantage, if left unchecked, thus a universal moral standard was adopted by most people, particularly in Western societies.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on May 24, 2012, 03:22:43 am
If we are to dispense with religion altogether we'll have to figure out a way of teaching Morality that everyone finds acceptable, otherwise we'll need to keep religion.

People know basic right from wrong without religion, and we have indeed "evolved" those morals over time in spite of religion.
Many people all want different things and have different personal moral codes, so it's impossible to get a full agreement on all but the obvious basic stuff. And each society and culture has had to develop it's own set of moral codes and enforce many of those into law.
If religion disappeared tomorrow, there would not be any breakdown in society, or moral values, it would just be business as usual (at least in this country). There is absolutely no need for religion when it comes to morals.

Dave.

I would hope so, at least most people in the West, even atheists are already informed of Christian Morality, even if they dont believe the larger fairy tale. But I'm not as confident that if we were to do away with religion and come back in a couple hundred years whether we would be in good shape. There doesn't seem to be many good examples from history. The ancient greeks were writing the rules for harmonious societies long before the old testament was ever written and it didn't really catch on, although was no doubt an influence in its writing. The old saying that good guys finish last is somewhat true simply because there are some real advantages to being a prick, especially on issues surrounding money and wealth. It seems to me that even small changes to the Moral norms has some quite significant changes esp if you look at the dog eat dog society in China, or the Money crazed US or the crony capitalism in Israel, the social welfare states in europe or oppressive societies in the Middle East.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 24, 2012, 04:21:40 am
I would hope so, at least most people in the West, even atheists are already informed of Christian Morality, even if they dont believe the larger fairy tale. But I'm not as confident that if we were to do away with religion and come back in a couple hundred years whether we would be in good shape. There doesn't seem to be many good examples from history. The ancient greeks were writing the rules for harmonious societies long before the old testament was ever written and it didn't really catch on, although was no doubt an influence in its writing. The old saying that good guys finish last is somewhat true simply because there are some real advantages to being a prick, especially on issues surrounding money and wealth. It seems to me that even small changes to the Moral norms has some quite significant changes esp if you look at the dog eat dog society in China, or the Money crazed US or the crony capitalism in Israel, the social welfare states in europe or oppressive societies in the Middle East.

We live in a completely different age now with the communication revolution, and massively elevated education standards in almost every country. So I don't think history can repeat itself much here, as it's not the same circumstances any more.
But as always, the powerful will want more power, the rich will want more money, and the mean will want to get meaner.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on May 24, 2012, 04:25:50 am
Here's the same guy pondering this question

Alain de Botton: Values Without Religion (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpoKbwNp9pE#ws)

Religion for Atheists (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSrVCSQucGY#ws)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on May 24, 2012, 07:45:28 am
If religion disappeared tomorrow, there would not be any breakdown in society, or moral values, it would just be business as usual (at least in this country). There is absolutely no need for religion when it comes to morals.


Absolutely, nonbelievers are way better than this guy. He made the news today.
Local Pastor Calls For Death of 'Queers & Homosexuals' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2n7vSPwhSU#ws)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 24, 2012, 08:01:22 am
How about photographic evidence then. Or the documented fact that Mussolini gave the Vatican city back to the control of the church. I only quoted Infield as that is the only book on the subject that I still have But I made a special study of Hitler for a school project many years ago and I came across many repeated mentions of the Vatican Hitler Mussolini collaboration. 
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 24, 2012, 08:52:09 am
If religion disappeared tomorrow, there would not be any breakdown in society, or moral values, it would just be business as usual (at least in this country). There is absolutely no need for religion when it comes to morals.


Absolutely, nonbelievers are way better than this guy. He made the news today.
Local Pastor Calls For Death of 'Queers & Homosexuals' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2n7vSPwhSU#ws)
hell mercy Danny DeVito's gone grey :). good to hear only a few amens ffs
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 24, 2012, 08:54:24 am
"queers and homosexuals" is there a subtype now :)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: ivanjh on May 24, 2012, 09:32:25 am
All the queers and homosexuals would be glad that their fence keeps him out...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: david77 on May 24, 2012, 11:24:02 am
Haha, he's funny  >:(. And the brain dead morons in his congregation, too.  ::) :'(

Wasn't there relatively recently one of these American preachers who it turned out had a few gay relationships on the side?
I think it was the one that Dawkins visited for one of his docus.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 24, 2012, 11:27:23 am
speaking of brain dead

Thunderf00t -Westboro Baptist Church (full interview) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTSbfs32yCU#ws)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: david77 on May 24, 2012, 11:55:32 am
That one in the middle is entertaining, wrong and bat-shit crazy but entertaining  :o.

I think I'd have slapped her at about 5min into the interview  ;).

"Reality is in here..." *taps book* made me laugh out loud.

Although in fairness it has to be said his arguments that the bible endorses homosexual relationships were a bit weak. I wouldn't infer that it did from the passage he read out at the end.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Aldobrandi on May 24, 2012, 12:13:41 pm
I don't mean to disrupt the circle jerk here but the Westboro Baptist Church are a bunch of hate-mongering attention-craving trolls who get off on watching people foaming at the mouth or threatening to sue them wherever they appear. The single best thing we can do is stop talking about them. They (among many other groups and individuals) give Christians everywhere an horrible name.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 24, 2012, 02:05:14 pm
speaking of brain dead

Thunderf00t -Westboro Baptist Church (full interview) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTSbfs32yCU#ws)
They are the same morons featured on the Louis Theroux' brilliant documentary episodes, "The Most Hated Family in America" and "The Most Hated Family in America in Crisis". Highly recommended, if you haven't seen them. You should find these episodes on youtube somewhere.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 24, 2012, 03:00:06 pm
here we are then

the most hated family in america
Louis Theroux: America's Most Hated Family in Crisis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogJSRs_OE0I#ws)

banana man from dave land
Thunderf00t -- Ray Comfort Discussion, Round 2! (1 of 2) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bn62F5pvp0#ws)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 24, 2012, 03:39:57 pm
And without having to spend a decade or two trying to learn and confirm it themselves, Joe Average can safely take what those experts say, dare I say "on faith". But it's a completely different "faith" to what religious people have and sprout, it's the alternative meaning of the word that means confidence in a source. It's a faith/confidence built on evidence, the scientific method, and peer review. Which is not only open to change within the scientific community, but with Joe Average who just follows along.

Dave.

There is only one way to take anything "on faith".  The difference is what happens after that.  A leading expert of a scientific field can easily take advantage of the faith placed in them and form some kind of religion.  For example, the esteem Sir Isaac Newton who is thought to be a homosexual, BTW (not that there is anything wrong with that).
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 24, 2012, 04:31:50 pm

There is only one way to take anything "on faith".  The difference is what happens after that.  A leading expert of a scientific field can easily take advantage of the faith placed in them and form some kind of religion.  For example, the esteem Sir Isaac Newton who is thought to be a homosexual, BTW (not that there is anything wrong with that).

<sigh> Where to start...

I'm pretty sure that Dave is using a different definition of "faith" when he talks about accepting an established scientific theory, than a religious person does when talking about faith in their deity. That's why I prefer to use the word "trust", to avoid this confusion and any ensuing semantic games that get played as a result.

So I just outright reject your assertion that these things are the same, as they are demonstrably not.

As to whether a leading scientist could establish a religion? I really doubt it. One of the central and most important aspects of science is that any new idea will be tested to absolute destruction. If something doesn't hold up to scrutiny, it will be soundly rejected. Any 'scientist' who does not follow that, who continues to persist with something in the face of irrefutable evidence against, has ceased to be scientific. Whatever trust, or faith, or whatever they may have had would be lost. In any event, what would it matter? It would say nothing at all about science. If anything it would just illustrate how religion is very much a human invention, and not "divine".

And I don't know or care about Isaac Newton's sexuality, nor anyone elses.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: ToBeFrank on May 24, 2012, 04:50:25 pm
They (among many other groups and individuals) give Christians everywhere an horrible name.

And yet they will say that you are giving Christianity a bad name by not believing the same as them. Why is your version of Christianity right and theirs wrong? If a Christian can question another group of Christians' beliefs, why does the former have a hard time understanding when an atheist questions the Christian beliefs?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 24, 2012, 06:34:55 pm

There is only one way to take anything "on faith".  The difference is what happens after that.  A leading expert of a scientific field can easily take advantage of the faith placed in them and form some kind of religion.  For example, the esteem Sir Isaac Newton who is thought to be a homosexual, BTW (not that there is anything wrong with that).

<sigh> Where to start...

I'm pretty sure that Dave is using a different definition of "faith" when he talks about accepting an established scientific theory, than a religious person does when talking about faith in their deity. That's why I prefer to use the word "trust", to avoid this confusion and any ensuing semantic games that get played as a result.

So I just outright reject your assertion that these things are the same, as they are demonstrably not.

As to whether a leading scientist could establish a religion? I really doubt it. One of the central and most important aspects of science is that any new idea will be tested to absolute destruction. If something doesn't hold up to scrutiny, it will be soundly rejected. Any 'scientist' who does not follow that, who continues to persist with something in the face of irrefutable evidence against, has ceased to be scientific. Whatever trust, or faith, or whatever they may have had would be lost. In any event, what would it matter? It would say nothing at all about science. If anything it would just illustrate how religion is very much a human invention, and not "divine".

And I don't know or care about Isaac Newton's sexuality, nor anyone elses.

No need to get semantic.  Trust and faith are peas in a pod.  Faith in God or faith in man does not change the meaning of faith or what it means to have it.  That's pretty straight forward.

In case you have not noticed, religious dogma does go through the same vigorous scrutiny as scientific theories.  For example, the religion I was born and raised with used to preach the Bible is God's strict word and must be followed to the letter.  Now, years, and years later its merely a "guide" and "inspiration".  That is a big shift that did not happen trivially.

And no, Newton's alleged homosexuality is irrelevant but that "man of science", a pillar even, thought and wrote more about religion than anything else.  Clearly, he had an appreciation of the importance of faith.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 24, 2012, 07:23:37 pm
No need to get semantic.  Trust and faith are peas in a pod.  Faith in God or faith in man does not change the meaning of faith or what it means to have it.  That's pretty straight forward.

Asserting this repeatedly does not make it any more right.

Quote
In case you have not noticed, religious dogma does go through the same vigorous scrutiny as scientific theories.  For example, the religion I was born and raised with used to preach the Bible is God's strict word and must be followed to the letter.  Now, years, and years later its merely a "guide" and "inspiration".  That is a big shift that did not happen trivially.

You're kidding, right?

Whatever changes occur to religious beliefs, they occur largely to avoid looking so completely ridiculous that everyone would see them for the superstitious nonsense they are.

Science will spin on a dime if the evidence requires it. Religion will pull every trick in the book to stay right where it is. Exactly like you're doing right here.

Quote
And no, Newton's alleged homosexuality is irrelevant but that "man of science", a pillar even, thought and wrote more about religion than anything else.  Clearly, he had an appreciation of the importance of faith.

Or he lived in a time where it was drilled into you from birth, and where the church had so much power and influence that to oppose it would be unthinkable.

And while I *still* don't care about his sexuality, if he were gay, it's the church that would have forced him to deny/suppress or hide the fact. Something it still shamefully tries today.

Honestly I don't care what you believe nor what you do, so long as it doesn't affect me. Unfortunately religion can't see to keep its nose out of my business, and I don't like attempts to re-frame anything I say or do in such a way as to justify that intrusion. I don't have any belief or faith, I don't need it, and I don't want it.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 24, 2012, 07:39:41 pm
Pete, please do not confuse the terms faith and trust. Maybe I am not the most suitable person to explain the difference, since English is not my native language; but I will give it try.

Though both the terms faith and trust are beliefs, trust is a temporal and conditional form of belief based on truth, facts and observation; and faith is an unconditional and universal form of belief.

FAITH:
Faith is a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.
Fait
h is the loyalty or the allegiance to a person or thing.
Faith is the complete trust or confidence in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
For example:
- I have faith in the human race because people can be nice.
- I do not have faith in god(s), in elves and in fairies because I am not convinced that these entities exist beyond the realm of imagination and superstition.

TRUST:
Trust is the personal conviction in the correctness of a person or thing.
Trust cannot be imposed and it always depends on mutuality.
For example:
- I trust A's driving skills but not their engineering capabilities.
- I trust B's Academic knowledge but not their social skills.
- I trust C's social skills but not their integrity when it comes to money transactions.
- I used to trust D's political views, but not anymore.
...and so on.


Now, tracing back to the roots of any term can always be useful. (I am sorry, though, I cannot post the Greek terms appropriately, since the forum database does not support Greek characters.)

The root of the term faith is the Classical Greek noun pistis, which comes from the Doric type verb pitheo, meaning to convince; to talk into; to persuade. The Latin and the Italic type is fido, the French type is fidele and the Hispanic type is fiel.

The term trust comes from the Old Norse term traustr, meaning strong, having its roots in the Classical Greek term droos, meaning powerful, mighty, and having the meaning of being true with the sense of "truth is power." Derivatives are the terms trust, true, troth, truce, etc.


You might ask yourself why almost everything can be traced back to the Classical Greek language. This is because Classical Greek was one of the first languages of our current civilization era and has been the base of many of the (not only) Western languages. Descended from the Greek alphabet are the Etruscan, the Frygian, the Lycian, the Lydian, the Armenian, the Coptic, the Gothic, the Runic, the Cyrillic and a plethora of other ancient and contemporary alphabets. For example, the Latin alphabet, which is now used by the 3/5 of the Earth's population, is the Chalcidic alphabet (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/104612/Chalcidian-alphabet) (#2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumae_alphabet#Euboean)) (originated from the ancient city of Chalcis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcis) in Euboea, Greece) that the Rome used and propagated during her world domination era. The Chalcidic alphabet was used by the ancient Greek colonists of Cuma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuma_%28Italy%29), right after the end of the Trojian War, that was adapted to their language by the residents of Lazio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazio).

You can read the conclusions of a research about the real age of the Homeric language (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112434/#msg112434), by the Academic scholar Anna Tziropoyloy-Eystathioy. If you are looking for evidence, Dispilio Tablet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispilio_Tablet) is an almost 7,500 years old wooden tablet bearing inscribed markings that was discovered in 1993 and it is dated to 5250 BCE. Dispilio is an archaeological site near the modern village of Dispilio on Lake Orestiada in Kastoria, Greece.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 25, 2012, 03:32:53 am
"Faith" in the religious context implies that one needs to have unconditional, or blind trust in a concept that can not be verified, ever.

"Faith" in a scientific, or engineering context implies that you trust a concept, because it was built on a foundation of verifiable knowledge.

Light years of difference, IMO.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 25, 2012, 05:43:17 am
Pete, please do not confuse the terms faith and trust. Maybe I am not the most suitable person to explain the difference, since English is not my native language; but I will give it try.

As an amateur etymologist (if there is such a thing), I appreciate your assiduous post on the words trust and faith.  However, plain reading and common understanding of the words are all that is needed for the points I am making.  No need to dig up archaeological sites.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 25, 2012, 05:55:53 am
"Faith" in the religious context implies that one needs to have unconditional, or blind trust in a concept that can not be verified, ever.

"Faith" in a scientific, or engineering context implies that you trust a concept, because it was built on a foundation of verifiable knowledge.

Light years of difference, IMO.

One does not need faith for verifiable knowledge.  Faith is not needed for the "known knowns".

Why is it only proper to have beliefs that has passed some sort of scientific litmus test?  Can all valid beliefs pass a scientific litmus tests?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 25, 2012, 06:12:14 am
Science will spin on a dime if the evidence requires it.

You sure about that.  Climate change, anyone?  No, there is as much debate in science as there is about religious dogma.  You can't just show up one morning with some experimental result and expect that rest of the "scientific community" to accept it, even if its apparently valid.  No dime spinning there.

Quote

Or he lived in a time where it was drilled into you from birth, and where the church had so much power and influence that to oppose it would be unthinkable.

And while I *still* don't care about his sexuality, if he were gay, it's the church that would have forced him to deny/suppress or hide the fact. Something it still shamefully tries today.

I don't think Newton was predisposed to being brain washed.
Quote
Honestly I don't care what you believe nor what you do, so long as it doesn't affect me. Unfortunately religion can't see to keep its nose out of my business, and I don't like attempts to re-frame anything I say or do in such a way as to justify that intrusion. I don't have any belief or faith, I don't need it, and I don't want it.

Fair enough.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 25, 2012, 06:27:01 am
"Faith" in the religious context implies that one needs to have unconditional, or blind trust in a concept that can not be verified, ever.

Of course, it will depend on the concept in question but on its face, what is wrong with that?

Is it really so bad to trust in a concept that cannot be verified?

Lets be more specific.  The concept is of an omnipotent and omnipresent God; the "man/woman/thing behind the curtain" for our natural world.  Forget about Christianity, forget about Islam or Judaism or Buddihsm or any other ism out there.  Just focus on the concept.  It can't be verified.  But why is it immediately wrong?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 25, 2012, 06:43:32 am
No need to get semantic.  Trust and faith are peas in a pod.  Faith in God or faith in man does not change the meaning of faith or what it means to have it.  That's pretty straight forward.

There are two distinct definitions of faith. One is belief without evidence, and one is trust in somebody or some process (usually based on evidence, their history, and the scientific method etc)

Quote
In case you have not noticed, religious dogma does go through the same vigorous scrutiny as scientific theories.  For example, the religion I was born and raised with used to preach the Bible is God's strict word and must be followed to the letter.  Now, years, and years later its merely a "guide" and "inspiration".  That is a big shift that did not happen trivially.

No, it most certainly didn't happen trivially, they were forced to change, kicking and screaming into the modern age of knowledge and evolved morals and viewpoints.
To think that they did this willing and based on research and scrutiny I don't think could be further from the truth.

Quote
And no, Newton's alleged homosexuality is irrelevant but that "man of science", a pillar even, thought and wrote more about religion than anything else.

Not surprising given that he was a product of his (heavily religious influenced) era.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 25, 2012, 06:47:44 am
One does not need faith for verifiable knowledge.  Faith is not needed for the "known knowns".
Of course you don't, I'm merely illustrating the different mindset of people from each demographic.

Quote
Why is it only proper to have beliefs that has passed some sort of scientific litmus test?  Can all valid beliefs pass a scientific litmus tests?
Naturally, anyone is welcome to pursue their own beliefs, but they are a not free to assert that their version of faith is something everyone should abide by. If they do make these kinds of assertions, then their beliefs better pass the scientific litmus test. The latter part is not negotiable.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: siliconmix on May 25, 2012, 06:49:49 am
that's me out of this discussion .good luck
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 25, 2012, 06:50:43 am
You sure about that.  Climate change, anyone?  No, there is as much debate in science as there is about religious dogma.  You can't just show up one morning with some experimental result and expect that rest of the "scientific community" to accept it, even if its apparently valid.  No dime spinning there.

Of course not, because climate change science is based on many many decades of extensive research, refinement, modelling, and by it's very nature, long term cause/effect tracking. It's practically impossible to overturn that overnight based on some sudden new piece of research. As such it's probably the worst possible example of science being able to turn on a dime. So of course choosing that one will help validate an (incorrect) argument that science can't and doesn't turn on a dime.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 25, 2012, 06:59:19 am
Lets be more specific.  The concept is of an omnipotent and omnipresent God; the "man/woman/thing behind the curtain" for our natural world.  Forget about Christianity, forget about Islam or Judaism or Buddihsm or any other ism out there.  Just focus on the concept.  It can't be verified.  But why is it immediately wrong?

It's not.
And any sensible atheist will grant you that assertion.
The problem is very few religious people are actually non-establishment non-holy book theists. So few in fact that it's down in the noise.
So when talking about religion, you can't just magically separate the two, that's creating a straw man.

The establishment theist view is trivially easily debunked with reason and evidence. The non-establishment theistic position is less easy, but still has that annoying problem of lacking any evidence for god what so ever. And until such evidence presents itself, god will remain just a concept, and a god of the gaps.

And if you want to think that concept of god is true, that's fine, but don't expect anyone else to play along without at least some evidence.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 25, 2012, 07:19:46 am
I think I just found the proof that Dave has been asking for.

I never knew that the Bible would explain things like a mosfet, but I just came across a Bible Study Wiki Site  that has the best explanation of a mosfet I have ever seen:

http://www.on-mission.com/wiki/index.php?title=Factor_you_should_know_about_Mosfet (http://www.on-mission.com/wiki/index.php?title=Factor_you_should_know_about_Mosfet)

Quote
Let's discuss Mosfet. Mosfet is a term semiconductor. Semiconductors are usually merchandise whoever a better standard of responsiveness towards household current is usually around that of a conductor in addition to insulator. Conductors usually are all-natural weather which allow energy to pass through. Varieties of these are gold coins. Insulators, on the other hand, are very natural and organic elements which are the as for from conductors. Merely don’t let energy source circulation through. Timber is definitely an style of your insulator. Mosfet incorporates semiconductors that happens to be designed to be certain that passing as well as insulation skills is were able.

Transistors will be traditional semiconductor equipment. Maybe you have already gained word of a the disease materials? Previously, transistors utilize bipolar technological know-how. P-type (optimistic) subject matter along with n-type (unfavorable) subject matter can be achieved by way of adjusting pure silicon, one of the initial compositions connected with mosfets. As soon as this pair types of things can be manufactured, it makes sense some sort of the disease device. Due to this fact, the illness with consumer electronics denotes holding equally bad and the good prices. Transistors usually are bipolar machines in which about three equipment notably: starting point, collector and additionally emitter. The present mixed up in the bottom level final enables the current amongst the financial institution and additionally emitter to become changed.

Mosfet equally utilizes the disease expertise, only that it’s more technical. Metal oxide insulators are usually mixed towards p and additionally n materials to boost purpose. The number of final additionally improved that will feature any drain, resource, gate plus term. Name`s business effect concerns the job about the power over the actual going electrons.

Mosfet is widelly seen as today’s most effective semiconductor somewhat transistor. It is full advantage on the subject of the illness technique is that it incorporates a advantageous warmth co-efficient, that triggers conductivity to shed while the technical staffing , arises. It assists to protection the unit through having demolished due to quick as well as extreme surge of temperature. A product heats up gets hotter takes in active above exactly what it can handle. As a result, conductivity cuts down. During times, Mosfets work like the moderator, making sure that existing on the product is sprayed without problems.

A digital age group includes sped up the creation of Mosfet know-how. The larger hope upon silicon-based transistors carries in the same way created Mosfet needed. Most of these state-of-the-art transistors holds oxide part concerning the entrance and then the station, which in turn slows down existing from exercising through the entrance, and therefore decreases energy in your diet.

Because of the aid of Mosfet, flipping, augmenting and rotaing electrical impulses is definitely less complicated. For that will, the fashionable contemporary culture owes Julius Edgar Lilienfeld, the particular Austro-Hungarian physicist what person trademarked sector effects transistor, many borrowing.

I cannot think of anything I can add to that.

Richard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: madworm on May 25, 2012, 07:33:01 am
Is this a joke?

As if the list of totally hilarious 'proofs' of the existence of god weren't long enough already.

http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm (http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm)

#46 and #58 ...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: david77 on May 25, 2012, 07:34:44 am
Quote
...which in turn slows down existing from exercising through the entrance, and therefore decreases energy in your diet.

So if I switched my diet over to mosfets I'd loose a few kilos? Brilliant, I'll start today. A nice IRFZ34N salad for lunch...
How long do you guys think a mosfet needs to be cooked till it's done?  ;)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on May 25, 2012, 09:37:41 am
"Faith" in the religious context implies that one needs to have unconditional, or blind trust in a concept that can not be verified, ever.

Of course, it will depend on the concept in question but on its face, what is wrong with that?

Is it really so bad to trust in a concept that cannot be verified?

Lets be more specific.  The concept is of an omnipotent and omnipresent God; the "man/woman/thing behind the curtain" for our natural world.  Forget about Christianity, forget about Islam or Judaism or Buddihsm or any other ism out there.  Just focus on the concept.  It can't be verified.  But why is it immediately wrong?

A 'concept' which can not be verified is not immediately wrong it is immediately and utterly worthless.

A 'concept' which has no observable causal effects in the past provides no clue to what causal effect it might have in the future. In the present the 'concept' existing or not is utterly irrelevant.

If God exists it is his problem.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: baljemmett on May 25, 2012, 11:07:33 am
How long do you guys think a mosfet needs to be cooked till it's done?  ;)

Well, I know I've fried a few in the past but I've never been too keen on the smoked flavour thus imparted; so I would suggest cooking it until it smokes, and then about thirty seconds less.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: SgtRock on May 25, 2012, 11:44:00 am
Dear G7PSK:

--With regard to your ongoing contention that is was the Vatican and not the German Industrialists, who funded the rise of Hitler. You included a picture of Herr Hitler and the Papal Nuncio (Vatican Ambassador to Germany). Puleeze. I guess if I were to produce  a picture of Nevile Chamberlain and Der Fuhrer, it would prove that Britain was responsible for the rise of the German National Socialist Workers Party. Huh?

--You stated:

"How about photographic evidence then. Or the documented fact that Mussolini gave the Vatican city back to the control of the church. I only quoted Infield as that is the only book on the subject that I still have But I made a special study of Hitler for a school project many years ago and I came across many repeated mentions of the Vatican Hitler Mussolini collaboration."

--Now just let me see if I have it right. In exchange for giving the Vatican back its sovereignty, Il Duci required the Vatican launder Fascist funds and give them to that "Paper Hanging SOB"  Herr Schicklegroober, Ist das nicht richtig, meine fruende? Could you possibly share with us some of the repeated mentions of the "Vatican, Hitler, Mussolini collaboration"? And is there any connection between this plot and the "Bush, Al Qaeda, Mossad, CIA , Acme Storm Window Company collaboration"? Did you get the tag number of the turnip truck?

"When people thought the Earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the Earth was spherical they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the Earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the Earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together."
Isaac Asimov 1920 - 1992
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 25, 2012, 05:58:53 pm
Pete, please do not confuse the terms faith and trust. Maybe I am not the most suitable person to explain the difference, since English is not my native language; but I will give it try.

As an amateur etymologist (if there is such a thing), I appreciate your assiduous post on the words trust and faith.  However, plain reading and common understanding of the words are all that is needed for the points I am making.  No need to dig up archaeological sites.

Sigh... This was one of the most expected reactions:

Confronting the messenger ("an amateur etymologist (if there is such a thing)") instead of the actual message (the difference between the terms faith and trust and whatever this could mean or lead to)...

This is called "attacking the messenger" and is a subdivision of the ad hominem logical fallacy.

Pete, I realise that this reply of yours was not a deliberate attack against my person; it is something deeper: It is a product of an instilled way of thinking that protects the indoctrinated (the closed) mind from opening and visualising a wider part of the picture. I hope this will not offend you because this is not my intention; I am just trying to help you see the same picture from an other, more revealing, point of view.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 25, 2012, 08:17:24 pm
We do have a definition of faith given in Hebrews 11:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

The author goes on to explain with various examples how faith is acting on a belief in future events not yet come to pass, based not on previous evidence of what has already passed, but based on the hope that God will deliver. In verse 39 he concludes with:

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised

What had been promised was God's fulfillment of his plan for mankind, which they did not see come to pass, and neither have today's believers. Then as now, they must take on faith that the promised future will come.

We can see in light of that how trust is a kind of faith, since it often implies a belief in a future not yet seen, but we usually have reason to believe in that future based on prior evidence. That's why it is said "trust is earned, not given". If I stand on a bridge, I can trust it will not collapse under me based on prior experience of similar bridges, and some knowledge of how bridges are designed and tested. If my girlfriend says she will meet me at the cafe at twelve o'clock, I can trust she will turn up on time based on prior experience of her character, and consequent expectation that she will not flake out on me.





Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 25, 2012, 09:27:20 pm
Gosh! 7,000 views; shows how amazingly worthwhile God is, if he's attracted 7,000+ views! :D
(http://www.reactionface.info/sites/default/files/images/1310480585093.jpg)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 25, 2012, 09:52:12 pm
Gosh! 7,000 views; shows how amazingly worthwhile God is, if he's attracted 7,000+ views! :D
(http://www.reactionface.info/sites/default/files/images/1310480585093.jpg)

I'm glad you're praying :-)

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5XvxpmP3szU/T0C2DaRRNCI/AAAAAAAAAy8/ZOCGPZVhwlk/s1600/are-you-serious%5B1%5D.jpg)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 25, 2012, 10:01:21 pm
Praying? Nah!

That gesture, above, was a Facepalm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facepalm), which usually is a display of frustration.

This is what praying looks like:

(https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/?action=dlattach;attach=24686)


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 27, 2012, 06:31:59 am
Pete, please do not confuse the terms faith and trust. Maybe I am not the most suitable person to explain the difference, since English is not my native language; but I will give it try.

As an amateur etymologist (if there is such a thing), I appreciate your assiduous post on the words trust and faith.  However, plain reading and common understanding of the words are all that is needed for the points I am making.  No need to dig up archaeological sites.

Sigh... This was one of the most expected reactions:

Confronting the messenger ("an amateur etymologist (if there is such a thing)") instead of the actual message (the difference between the terms faith and trust and whatever this could mean or lead to)...

This is called "attacking the messenger" and is a subdivision of the ad hominem logical fallacy.

Pete, I realise that this reply of yours was not a deliberate attack against my person; it is something deeper: It is a product of an instilled way of thinking that protects the indoctrinated (the closed) mind from opening and visualising a wider part of the picture. I hope this will not offend you because this is not my intention; I am just trying to help you see the same picture from an other, more revealing, point of view.


-George

Sorry if I made you feel under attack. ???
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 27, 2012, 06:54:31 am
Lets be more specific.  The concept is of an omnipotent and omnipresent God; the "man/woman/thing behind the curtain" for our natural world.  Forget about Christianity, forget about Islam or Judaism or Buddihsm or any other ism out there.  Just focus on the concept.  It can't be verified.  But why is it immediately wrong?

It's not.
And any sensible atheist will grant you that assertion.
The problem is very few religious people are actually non-establishment non-holy book theists. So few in fact that it's down in the noise.
So when talking about religion, you can't just magically separate the two, that's creating a straw man.

The establishment theist view is trivially easily debunked with reason and evidence. The non-establishment theistic position is less easy, but still has that annoying problem of lacking any evidence for god what so ever. And until such evidence presents itself, god will remain just a concept, and a god of the gaps.

And if you want to think that concept of god is true, that's fine, but don't expect anyone else to play along without at least some evidence.

Dave.

Those are fair statements.  Let's move on to evidence then.  There are a handful of accepted standards of proof.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_shadow_of_a_doubt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_shadow_of_a_doubt)

The standard of "beyond the shadow of a doubt" is inappropriate for informing the decision to place faith in an omnipotent and omnipresent God.

The standard of "air of reality" is perhaps too low.

"Preponderance of evidence" is a good fit as it simply requires the body of evidence to say that "it is more likely than not" that faith in a God is reasonably placed.

On the flip side of that, I have not heard a body of evidence that says it is more likely than not that faith in a God is NOT reasonably placed.  That would essentially be proving a negative, which as is well known, is not possible.

In any case, opposing views must agree on the standard of proof.  Think of all the religious wars that could have been avoided if this basic step was first agreed upon.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 27, 2012, 09:40:08 am
Those are fair statements.  Let's move on to evidence then.  There are a handful of accepted standards of proof.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_shadow_of_a_doubt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_shadow_of_a_doubt)

The standard of "beyond the shadow of a doubt" is inappropriate for informing the decision to place faith in an omnipotent and omnipresent God.

The standard of "air of reality" is perhaps too low.

"Preponderance of evidence" is a good fit as it simply requires the body of evidence to say that "it is more likely than not" that faith in a God is reasonably placed.

On the flip side of that, I have not heard a body of evidence that says it is more likely than not that faith in a God is NOT reasonably placed.  That would essentially be proving a negative, which as is well known, is not possible.

In any case, opposing views must agree on the standard of proof.  Think of all the religious wars that could have been avoided if this basic step was first agreed upon.

How about you just present your evidence instead of trying to define a level?
Please, really, I want to know, because so far no religious person I've debated has come forth with anything the least bit credible.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 27, 2012, 09:53:07 am

Let's move on to evidence then.  There are a handful of accepted standards of proof.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_shadow_of_a_doubt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_shadow_of_a_doubt)
I wouldn't call those 'accepted standards of proof' - Wikipedia is not always a reliable source of knowledge, and those definitions appear to have been devised by the author of the article.

The standard of "beyond the shadow of a doubt" is inappropriate for informing the decision to place faith in an omnipotent and omnipresent God.
Why?  If you are going to base your entire life on a set of beliefs then you should have compelling evidence of those beliefs.

The standard of "air of reality" is perhaps too low.
Ya think?

"Preponderance of evidence" is a good fit as it simply requires the body of evidence to say that "it is more likely than not" that faith in a God is reasonably placed.

On the flip side of that, I have not heard a body of evidence that says it is more likely than not that faith in a God is NOT reasonably placed.  That would essentially be proving a negative, which as is well known, is not possible.

And like many things that are well known, it's not really true. In mathematics for example it is frequently perfectly trivial to prove a negative.

It may well be impossible to prove the nonexistence of an entity for whose existence there is no evidence - but why bother?

In any case, opposing views must agree on the standard of proof.  Think of all the religious wars that could have been avoided if this basic step was first agreed upon.

You will be glad to hear that on this we are in agreement, although given the inability of religious fanatics to listen to reason I think the chances of it ever happening are remote.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 27, 2012, 09:55:34 am
On the flip side of that, I have not heard a body of evidence that says it is more likely than not that faith in a God is NOT reasonably placed.  That would essentially be proving a negative, which as is well known, is not possible.

Ok, let take the christian god then. Being the predominate god in the western world, and likely the country of the majority of most people on this forum. But it doesn't matter, because the exact same evidence can be used for almost any major religion.

Yes, you can't prove a negative (not to offend any pure math enthusiasts). So it's pointless trying to prove that the christian god does not exist. But you can certainly look at the various reasons why christians believe in the christian god, and the things they believe.

And in that case, geeze, I don't know where to start. So much so that I don't think I'll waste my time.
But it's trivial to seriously debunk miracles, the virgin birth, the resurrection, and huge numbers of stories in the bible. They are fairy tales, yet for example the catholic faith absolutely demands that these things are utterly true and must be believed.

Let alone the basic contradiction of the many religions, i.e. they can't all be true argument. That alone is a very powerful "beyond reasonable doubt" argument against any organised religion. So much so, that there is no "god told me to" defence in a court of law. Just guilty, not guilty, and not guilty by reason of insanity.

It really does only leave the "airy fairy" pure theistic view, and like I said, I've got no problem with such theists. Too bad it's so few religious people it borders on zero.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 27, 2012, 03:02:01 pm
One thing has always puzzled me with religions.

Let's say there is a magical God. Lets say he does dictate a whole lot of rules, with some making sense, and some sounding crazy.

Why should those rules be followed religiously? Even if God wants to be a dictator, is there any reason (other then fear of lightening bolts smiting us) why we should disobey our own conscious and instead follow these imposed rules?

Why on earth would you think a God is infallible, particularly if he is responsible for books like the Bible with all its apparent inconsistencies and errors? The translation error in the English Bibles that meant we were all told he parted the Red Sea was a very funny. How did he allow that to happen?

Anyway, if this God is currently focusing on a plumbing problem in a distant galaxy, then is could be that his commands can only arrive at the speed of light, so couldn't his commands may be thousand or millions of years late? He may be talking about the way he expects amoeba's to behave - not us.

Anyway, seriously, if a God wants to send us commands, wouldn't he have a better way to do it? Like instructions tattooed on the back of our hand or something? He wouldn't have the slightest problem emailing us, or setting up a TV channel?

Or can he build the world in 6 days, along with all of life, but the Internet is just too complicated?

Richard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: madworm on May 27, 2012, 03:42:46 pm
That would be too simple, too obvious, too real and graspable.

As sick as it is, it is much easier for the 'shepherds' to control their flock with a distant or nonexistent god. The missing evidence enables them to add their interpretation of how things should be and go. Anybody can 'believe' in a god whose existence has been proven, that is nothing 'special'. Believing in the existence of a non-existing god requires faith - lots of it.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 27, 2012, 04:54:16 pm
here a example of deluded standards of proof more over his idea that he cant learn or won't learn science is pathetic

Revelation TV Interview with Richard Dawkins, amazingly idiotic Creationist questions! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk1RnwbFIps#ws)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 27, 2012, 05:06:02 pm
Praying? Nah!

That gesture, above, was a Facepalm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facepalm), which usually is a display of frustration.

This is what praying looks like:

(https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/?action=dlattach;attach=24686)


-George

Except that they aren't really praying.

That was such a bizarre image that I just had to find some context. Turns out it's an installation art work arranged in Melbourne(!) by a guy called Spencer Tunick.


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 27, 2012, 05:55:32 pm
Thanks for the pointers.

Truth is that I did never bother to search where did that undoubtedly bizarre image originate from.
My point was to show what the religions can easily reduce people to...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 27, 2012, 09:33:54 pm
Praying is not a bodily stance or posture, it is talking to God in your spirit. You don't have to physically position yourself in any way - God still hears your heart. Who said you have to close your eyes when praying? People have this idea that, when praying, you must put your hands together and close your eyes; that's just a stereotyped human tradition, not a must, and it doesn't "improve" the prayer. God knows our hearts, he isn't impressed with stone churches or certain stances or offerings; after all, did he not create ALL of these, so why would they impress him?

And you know this how?

There are a billion or so followers of Islam who believe in the same god as you and are equally convinced that prayers aren't any good unless numerous preparations, orientations, postures and prostrations are carried out. Have you tried explaining to them how unnecessary that all is?

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 27, 2012, 10:07:56 pm
here's an interesting tidbit to ponder on...

Code: [Select]
     religion                             science
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
let there be light         :  big flash of light we call big bang
created heavens and stars  :  stars formed after big bang out of cooling matter
and the earth              :  planets formed out of even colder material
and everything on it       :  nature evolved lifeforms


so up till here both are perfectly in sync... you coud drop 'god' and 'nature' in either column...

god said 'let there be light' , or god created the big bang , or nature created light (energy) , or nature created big bang
god shaped heavens and starts out of cooling material or nature created heaven and stars...

So, in the end does it really matter ? 'God' can simply be a label to apply to naturally ocurring phenomenon.

It is the 'deification' process that was instigated by power hungry warmongers. And that is what is wrong.

I am happy to be alive and explore the world, but that does not mean i feel the urge to 'pray' to nature or god. And i'm certainly not going to give free money to a bunch of lazy oafs that walk around in gold filament clothes and live in castles, are entwinded in scandals, abuse, mass murder and other atrocities, while the rest of the world is living on poveryy. if they want money they can bloody well go work for it as any normal person. Why should they be entitle to donations ? i have no problem if individual people want to give them money. i sometimes give money to the guy begging on the corner as well. What i have a problem with is the state sanctioned gifts. the government takes tax money and feeds it to these vultures. I didn't agree to that.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 27, 2012, 10:58:21 pm
so up till here both are perfectly in sync... you coud drop 'god' and 'nature' in either column...

god said 'let there be light' , or god created the big bang , or nature created light (energy) , or nature created big bang
god shaped heavens and starts out of cooling material or nature created heaven and stars...

god also said that there are two lights (the sun and the moon), oops. Turns out he was wrong, and massively so.
This leaves only 4 options, in order of unlikeliness:
1) god is dumb
2) god wanted to give us a silly explanation because he thought we were too stupid to understand the real one.
3) man interpreted the word of word of god incorrectly
or 4) man just made this shit up based on what they knew at the time

Guess which one is most likely  ::)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 27, 2012, 11:06:43 pm
Unfortunately, we stick with the same wrong explanations today  ;D

For instance, we have "moonlight" and not "moon-reflected-sunlight". Also we have "sunrise" and not "sun-incipient-appearance-due-to-the-rotation-of-the-earth".

We have a good human tendency to make rational simplifications because it is convenient to do so. Maybe God does likewise?  :)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 27, 2012, 11:10:30 pm
Speaking of the the Big Bang theory, was not a Jesuit (a very special kind of priest) the one who introduced it as "the Cosmic Egg exploding at the moment of the creation"?
It sounds too religious to me...

Please, enjoy an interesting read: The Big Bang Never Happened (http://bigbangneverhappened.org/), by Eric Lerner.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 27, 2012, 11:27:15 pm
Guess which one is most likely  ::)
1 2 and 3 are wrong .. because there is no such thing as 'god'
4 is the most likely hypothesis

i just posted that becasue it is fun to think about. you can drop whatever you want wherever you want it , it all evens out.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 28, 2012, 03:28:47 am
Hah, but you left out some specifics, such as the actual timeline, how humans came to be, and some fun things such as how Triceratops' were domesticated and saddled by man.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 28, 2012, 04:26:24 am
Those are fair statements.  Let's move on to evidence then.  There are a handful of accepted standards of proof.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_shadow_of_a_doubt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_shadow_of_a_doubt)

The standard of "beyond the shadow of a doubt" is inappropriate for informing the decision to place faith in an omnipotent and omnipresent God.

The standard of "air of reality" is perhaps too low.

"Preponderance of evidence" is a good fit as it simply requires the body of evidence to say that "it is more likely than not" that faith in a God is reasonably placed.

On the flip side of that, I have not heard a body of evidence that says it is more likely than not that faith in a God is NOT reasonably placed.  That would essentially be proving a negative, which as is well known, is not possible.

In any case, opposing views must agree on the standard of proof.  Think of all the religious wars that could have been avoided if this basic step was first agreed upon.

How about you just present your evidence instead of trying to define a level?
Please, really, I want to know, because so far no religious person I've debated has come forth with anything the least bit credible.

Dave.

That would not be a fair way to proceed.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 28, 2012, 04:33:49 am
The standard of "beyond the shadow of a doubt" is inappropriate for informing the decision to place faith in an omnipotent and omnipresent God.
Why?  If you are going to base your entire life on a set of beliefs then you should have compelling evidence of those beliefs.

Do you always demand proof "beyond the shadow of a doubt" in all things aspects of your life?  You'll be surprise to hear that 1 + 1 = 2 MAY NOT meet this standard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 28, 2012, 04:36:17 am
here a example of deluded standards of proof more over his idea that he cant learn or won't learn science is pathetic

Revelation TV Interview with Richard Dawkins, amazingly idiotic Creationist questions! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk1RnwbFIps#ws)

I see two people who have already made up their minds pretending to have a fair and intelligent conversation.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 28, 2012, 04:42:15 am
In any case, opposing views must agree on the standard of proof.  Think of all the religious wars that could have been avoided if this basic step was first agreed upon.

You will be glad to hear that on this we are in agreement, although given the inability of religious fanatics to listen to reason I think the chances of it ever happening are remote.

I think there is a reason why fanatics from all sides don't want to first agree on it.  There are afraid to be proved wrong.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 28, 2012, 04:51:11 am
On the flip side of that, I have not heard a body of evidence that says it is more likely than not that faith in a God is NOT reasonably placed.  That would essentially be proving a negative, which as is well known, is not possible.

Ok, let take the christian god then. Being the predominate god in the western world, and likely the country of the majority of most people on this forum. But it doesn't matter, because the exact same evidence can be used for almost any major religion.

Yes, you can't prove a negative (not to offend any pure math enthusiasts). So it's pointless trying to prove that the christian god does not exist. But you can certainly look at the various reasons why christians believe in the christian god, and the things they believe.

And in that case, geeze, I don't know where to start. So much so that I don't think I'll waste my time.
But it's trivial to seriously debunk miracles, the virgin birth, the resurrection, and huge numbers of stories in the bible. They are fairy tales, yet for example the catholic faith absolutely demands that these things are utterly true and must be believed.

Let alone the basic contradiction of the many religions, i.e. they can't all be true argument. That alone is a very powerful "beyond reasonable doubt" argument against any organised religion. So much so, that there is no "god told me to" defence in a court of law. Just guilty, not guilty, and not guilty by reason of insanity.

It really does only leave the "airy fairy" pure theistic view, and like I said, I've got no problem with such theists. Too bad it's so few religious people it borders on zero.

Dave.

For my part I'm completely over Biblical miracles.  What's remarkable is I have actually heard figures in the church say something like "These stories of miracles were appropriate for the intended audience of the past but the substance of the faith is the same."  I just about fell out of my pew.  It does make sense to me though.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 28, 2012, 04:57:28 am
One thing has always puzzled me with religions.

Let's say there is a magical God. Lets say he does dictate a whole lot of rules, with some making sense, and some sounding crazy.

Why should those rules be followed religiously? Even if God wants to be a dictator, is there any reason (other then fear of lightening bolts smiting us) why we should disobey our own conscious and instead follow these imposed rules?

Why on earth would you think a God is infallible, particularly if he is responsible for books like the Bible with all its apparent inconsistencies and errors? The translation error in the English Bibles that meant we were all told he parted the Red Sea was a very funny. How did he allow that to happen?

Anyway, if this God is currently focusing on a plumbing problem in a distant galaxy, then is could be that his commands can only arrive at the speed of light, so couldn't his commands may be thousand or millions of years late? He may be talking about the way he expects amoeba's to behave - not us.

Anyway, seriously, if a God wants to send us commands, wouldn't he have a better way to do it? Like instructions tattooed on the back of our hand or something? He wouldn't have the slightest problem emailing us, or setting up a TV channel?

Or can he build the world in 6 days, along with all of life, but the Internet is just too complicated?

Richard.

omnipresent, omnipotent
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 28, 2012, 05:00:49 am
That would be too simple, too obvious, too real and graspable.

As sick as it is, it is much easier for the 'shepherds' to control their flock with a distant or nonexistent god. The missing evidence enables them to add their interpretation of how things should be and go. Anybody can 'believe' in a god whose existence has been proven, that is nothing 'special'. Believing in the existence of a non-existing god requires faith - lots of it.

The same can be said of evolutionist.  In fact, they rely quite a bit on "air of reality" to fill in between legitimate scientific facts.  See video of Dawkins talking about the eye posted by Sionyn I think in this thread.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: amspire on May 28, 2012, 05:28:04 am
One thing has always puzzled me with religions.

Let's say there is a magical God. Lets say he does dictate a whole lot of rules, with some making sense, and some sounding crazy.

Why should those rules be followed religiously? Even if God wants to be a dictator, is there any reason (other then fear of lightening bolts smiting us) why we should disobey our own conscious and instead follow these imposed rules?

Why on earth would you think a God is infallible, particularly if he is responsible for books like the Bible with all its apparent inconsistencies and errors? The translation error in the English Bibles that meant we were all told he parted the Red Sea was a very funny. How did he allow that to happen?

Anyway, if this God is currently focusing on a plumbing problem in a distant galaxy, then is could be that his commands can only arrive at the speed of light, so couldn't his commands may be thousand or millions of years late? He may be talking about the way he expects amoeba's to behave - not us.

Anyway, seriously, if a God wants to send us commands, wouldn't he have a better way to do it? Like instructions tattooed on the back of our hand or something? He wouldn't have the slightest problem emailing us, or setting up a TV channel?

Or can he build the world in 6 days, along with all of life, but the Internet is just too complicated?

Richard.

omnipresent, omnipotent

So you have no answer either.  He definitely wasn't omnipresent when someone did the translation mistake I mentioned. The failure to set up a Facebook page means he isn't omnipotent.

In fact, what has he been doing for the last 2000 years? For someone who made the whole universe, he has been incredibly slack.

Can't he at least do the odd miracle on Morning Television?

I think God must be omniabsent at the moment.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 28, 2012, 05:54:57 am
God sat around for an infinite amount of time. That's right, he sat around doing nothing forever. Then at some point after an infinite amount of time he decided to create the whole universe 6 thousand years ago. But he also decided to make the whole universe appear 12.7 billion years and provide all this evidence to those who wanted to look. He also created Hell, fake fossil records that pointed to evolution that took place over 3 billion years, Hindus, Atheists, landmines, crack cocaine, rape, guard rails for highways, Hello Kitty, crack babies, tobacco,  cancer caused by tobacco, Hitler, jello enemas, Richard Dawkins, bags you buy to throw away called garbage bags, and soap you can see through. I am sure I am belittling his accomplishments by not providing a complete list of all the contradictory things for which he must be responsible. He also made a few billion people who do not believe in him.

Oh yes, he did all of these things yet he does not show himself nor correct any of the problems that we experience and see in the world.

Obviously he is an all powerful and all knowing deity.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 28, 2012, 05:58:34 am
omnipresent, omnipotent

Ah, the religious universal get out of jail free card!

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 28, 2012, 06:14:36 am
The same can be said of evolutionist.  In fact, they rely quite a bit on "air of reality" to fill in between legitimate scientific facts.  See video of Dawkins talking about the eye posted by Sionyn I think in this thread.

I get the impression that you want to question the fact of evolution that has been accepted scientific fact for over a century?

With the massive amount of research done on evolution, fitting all together nicely and "filling in the gaps" so far without fail (starting from one huge gap in our knowledge of how species came to be), scientists (and the common folk who care to study it) can be supremely confident in evolution's future ability to fill in what few gaps remain.
That is not faith, it's the complete opposite, it's confidence born about by countless steps and confirmations in a scientific theory, performed and confirmed by countless people.

Seriously, do you question it?

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 28, 2012, 07:56:14 am
The standard of "beyond the shadow of a doubt" is inappropriate for informing the decision to place faith in an omnipotent and omnipresent God.
Why?  If you are going to base your entire life on a set of beliefs then you should have compelling evidence of those beliefs.

Do you always demand proof "beyond the shadow of a doubt" in all things aspects of your life?  You'll be surprise to hear that 1 + 1 = 2 MAY NOT meet this standard.

Not at all, but that's not what I was suggesting.

It's not a revelation that 1+1 doesn't always equal 2. Another member of this forum has as a signature a rather well-known joke which runs "there are 10 kinds of people, those who understand binary and those who don't".


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 28, 2012, 08:52:08 am
This is ridiculous...

Confronting a believer, the most reasonable question to ask is this: "Show me one single PROOF that god exists." And, instead of any answer, preferably a rational one, all you will get in response is the mirror-question: "Show me proofs he doesn't."

What has happened to these people?
How do they have so hopelessly lost faith in themselves?
How have they been convinced that they were born sick, with an undetectable disease called "The Original Sin"?
Why do they think they need their lives to be governed by a two thousand years old irrational and inhumane set of rules written by cunning, deceitful minorities?
Why can they not cope with the straightforward fact that when they die, it will not happen to them something different than what happens to the withered flowers in the vase or to the perished pet of the house?
How can someone be convinced that ceasing to exist in a complex carbon compounds form, they will somehow continue to live beside some fictional "maker and destroyer of everything" --a malevolent magical entity that originally existed only in the sick imagination of the creators of religions? An all-powerful entity that has nothing better to do but to eternally policing, testing and torturing every single human being?
I am also quite surprised how many of those who do not believe in a god, still believe in the existence of sovereign, independent spiritual entities...

On the other hand, given that:
- Anaxagoras consider the stars to be "fiery stones," since the fourth century BCE,
- Aristarchus of Samos was advocating the Heliocentrical model of our world, since the third century BCE,
- Eratosthenes dared to measure the Earth's circumference with an error of less than 2%, as well as the earth-to-moon and the earth-to-sun distances, during the second century BCE,
...and so many other ones, whose brilliant works have been wiped off the face of the earth by the myopic religious zealots, I cannot help myself thinking how far would we have progressed today, had the murderous Abrahamic religions not suppressed and obliterated all the ancient knowledge heritage...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 28, 2012, 10:16:33 am
Analytic thinking can decrease religious belief: UBC study

A new University of British Columbia study finds that analytic thinking can decrease religious belief, even in devout believers.

The study, which will appear in tomorrow’s issue of Science, finds that thinking analytically increases disbelief among believers and skeptics alike, shedding important new light on the psychology of religious belief.

http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2012/04/26/analytic-thinking-can-decrease-religious-belief-ubc-study/ (http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2012/04/26/analytic-thinking-can-decrease-religious-belief-ubc-study/)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 28, 2012, 10:27:34 am
tweedle dee vs tweedle? dum

Young Earth vs Old Earth debate (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaQr-G-YPW0#ws)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 28, 2012, 01:25:01 pm
here's an interesting tidbit to ponder on...

Code: [Select]
     religion                             science
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
let there be light         :  big flash of light we call big bang
created heavens and stars  :  stars formed after big bang out of cooling matter
and the earth              :  planets formed out of even colder material
and everything on it       :  nature evolved lifeforms


so up till here both are perfectly in sync... you coud drop 'god' and 'nature' in either column...

Well see, here's the thing.

If you have some other meaning of "in sync" than based on time then that's okay, but these are in no way in sync.

There's differences of thousands, maybe millions of years, or could be billions, I'm not sure, between doing it all in 6 days and the long drawn out cooling and ultimately the formation of the galaxy.

Plus, the bible is written by people, who know that the stars, the sun, the moon, the earth, and animals/insects/fish/plants etc. exist, and the order they are written in the bible is fairly logical, even if the premise behind it isn't. So it's not as if the fact that the storybook has things that people have observed in a logical order is any real support or evidence of anything really, except that someone at one time in the past looked up and then wrote a book.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: madworm on May 28, 2012, 02:07:56 pm
That study...

I haven't read all of it, I always fall asleep reading papers. But at the end there is one sentence that is a bit odd.

"Disbelief likely also emerges from selective deficits in the intuitive cognitive processes that enable the mental representation of religious concepts such as supernatural agent beliefs..."
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on May 28, 2012, 02:13:04 pm
What has happened to these people?
They believed what other people told them.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 28, 2012, 02:59:50 pm
What has happened to these people?
They believed what other people told them.
Exactly! These beliefs were/are instilled into the minds of people during childhood ("Get then while they are young," according to Justinian I), and come from the highest authority of that specific period: The beloved and loving (but already indoctrinated) parents and relatives, as I have written previously (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg113016/#msg113016).

What I was talking about in the previous post is realising the absurdity of those beliefs right after the mind develops an independent way of thinking, something that usually happens after the age of eight. And, of course, choosing to preserve or to reject these absurdities, right after realising them; which can be quite a shock, refining the character of the awaken ones or redefining the character of the other ones...

Quoting someone else,
Quote
We can only be kept in the cages we do not see.

--Stefan Molyneux,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbp6umQT58A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbp6umQT58A) and
www.youtube.com/watch?v=k67_imEHTPE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k67_imEHTPE)

-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 28, 2012, 03:14:20 pm
isnt belief a non thought invoking process ?

 
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on May 28, 2012, 03:38:17 pm
What has happened to these people?
They believed what other people told them.
Exactly! These beliefs were/are instilled into the minds of people during childhood

You don't have to be a child to believe. The GF's mother started believing Jehovah's Witnesses in her 50's and now she goes door to door with the rest of them trying to make others believe.

Jehovah's Witnesses being more bat shit crazy than your average form of Christianity have to make up for it by working extra hard on recruitment.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: XynxNet on May 28, 2012, 03:42:18 pm
[...]These beliefs were/are instilled into the minds of people during childhood [...]
The influence of childhood induction can be observed in germany. West germany has an uninterupted religious tradition. In contrast in eastern germany religion was suppressed during the communist regime. Even today, 20 years later, religion is significantly lower there. Link: religion map of germany (http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Religion_map_germany_2008.png&filetimestamp=20110806164935)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: onlooker on May 28, 2012, 04:23:46 pm
I did not want to read this thread (I didn't read the whole thread yet) since there can't be consensus from the startout; but it constantly pop up to the front almost "annoyingly". Now let's poke some fun,

1). About faith: faith is a "blind" trust. It is the root of both science and religions since both has to believe things that are not yet happened. Even something already happened, to ascertain, it is happened or it is happened the way one (or a set of ones) thinks it happened needs faith. Therefore, what faith to follow or the way to re-conciliate the contradictions depends on which one one feels most comfortable (or have more peace of mind). One is allowed to actually do mix and match.

2). About God: Let's think a piece of semiconductor under voltage as our(human and god) universe. People are the electrons  and God is the holes. Ironically, humens are the negative and the God is the positve; Apparently, Holes(God) are always moving against the electrons (human nature). Then, do you regard holes(God) real or not real  (the consensus says the electrons are real)? Alternatively, can one construct or accept a theory in which, the holes are real that can also make one comfortable to think of (and apply) it?

3). About approximations: both science and religions are approximations to human (personal) experiences. Think it in terms of the digitized understanding of the human experiences.

The 0th order approximation is a constant, which is best represented as ZERO. It is like someone at the farest end of the universe and thinking (or w/o knowing) of earth. At this level of approximation, whatever happened or happening on earth is approximately a big NULL.
 
The next level of approximation is binary (0 and 1), this has been termed as "everthing is (not) either black or white", and "yin and  yang" by various cultures. In fact, this is the 1st operational useful approximation in term of understanding the "world" since the most powerful mental tool "analogy" happens on this level.

Science and religions are just further levels of approximations.

All levels of approximations has itsown utility.

 
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: radioman.lt on May 28, 2012, 05:11:53 pm
'free' choice was by design, enjoy ;) every tool/system can be exploited if wanted, stupid actions bring stupid results, isn't it enough to comprehend that every bit in the program are important, if one fails, everyone fails. Every programmer knows that  ;D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: madworm on May 28, 2012, 05:25:14 pm
The influence of childhood induction can be observed in germany. West germany has an uninterupted religious tradition. In contrast in eastern germany religion was suppressed during the communist regime. Even today, 20 years later, religion is significantly lower there. Link: religion map of germany (http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Religion_map_germany_2008.png&filetimestamp=20110806164935)

They can consider themselves as lucky. It's a good thing they kept their minds free(er) with all the government-enforced missionary work done at schools - instead of teaching something like 'comparative religion' and/or philosophy. However, this does not mean that the eastern part of Germany is not significantly infested with religion.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on May 28, 2012, 06:53:50 pm


1). About faith: faith is a "blind" trust. It is the root of both science and religions since both has to believe things that are not yet happened. Even something already happened, to ascertain, it is happened or it is happened the way one (or a set of ones) thinks it happened needs faith. Therefore, what faith to follow or the way to re-conciliate the contradictions depends on which one one feels most comfortable (or have more peace of mind). One is allowed to actually do mix and match.

Wrong. Science is all about not having blind trust. It is about testing and re-evaluating what is understood to match any new evidence. Why do people insist that science is another form of faith? That could not be further from the truth.

2). About God: Let's think a piece of semiconductor under voltage as our(human and god) universe. People are the electrons  and God is the holes. Ironically, humens are the negative and the God is the positve; Apparently, Holes(God) are always moving against the electrons (human nature). Then, do you regard holes(God) real or not real  (the consensus says the electrons are real)? Alternatively, can one construct or accept a theory in which, the holes are real that can also make one comfortable to think of (and apply) it?
Huh? Again another straw man argument.

3). About approximations: both science and religions are approximations to human (personal) experiences. Think it in terms of the digitized understanding of the human experiences.

The 0th order approximation is a constant, which is best represented as ZERO. It is like someone at the farest end of the universe and thinking (or w/o knowing) of earth. At this level of approximation, whatever happened or happening on earth is approximately a big NULL.
 
The next level of approximation is binary (0 and 1), this has been termed as "everthing is (not) either black or white", and "yin and  yang" by various cultures. In fact, this is the 1st operational useful approximation in term of understanding the "world" since the most powerful mental tool "analogy" happens on this level.

Science and religions are just further levels of approximations.

Theism is not an approximation. It doesn't even fit the facts at all. Yes, science is an approximation that is self refining. It is also useful in the application of everyday life. Religion might have had some value to help bring order to an uneducated mob who needed some common doctrine for living together. But as such is was only useful in the creation of some kind of social code, for bad or good. Nobody invented anything using religion as a procedure.

All levels of approximations has itsown utility.

With that we agree. Religion as an approximation of life has close to 0% utility, and science has close to 100%.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: flashoverride on May 28, 2012, 08:01:32 pm
Don't know if this has been addressed yet. I don't have the time to reed this whole dang thread.  I don't believe there is a god. But if the major religions are right I would despise the god as described in those religions. Ill give one example why. I recently watched vid that went viral ( you may have seen this as well) of a 2yr old baby girl get run over twice and a dozen people just walked by her like she was a piece of trash. I remember thinking those people are disgusting examples of human beings. How could some one with the power to save this little girl just walk right by her or just chose not to help her or think this isn't my problem.  Right now as I am typing this 1,000nds of children are starving to death. Now god, if im not mistaken, has the power to stop the slow and horrible death of these innocent children but chooses not to. I find that disgusting no mater what the reason. If god was all merciful and powerful and all knowing then god is one sick bastard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 28, 2012, 08:16:33 pm
Rufus, historically speaking, infant baptism (or pedobaptism) was forcefully established by law (the Codex Iustinianus that was basically a harmonization, if not a merge, of the state and the church institutions) during the sixth century CE in the Byzantine Empire (or Byzantium or, more correctly, The Eastern Roman Empire), by order of the Emperor Justinian I.

Now, on the Jehovah's Witnesses, they have another mindset about baptism; and I will agree with you that this sect has more dedicated followers, even though they are based on the same Abrahamic/Mosaic doctrine.
__________


Xynx, this was an interesting piece of information about Christianity in Germany. In Greece it seems to be worse, since the state and the Orthodox Church were sold to the public as an indivisible and uniform organization since the elementary school, making Greece one of the few European countries with a state religion. Of course, the Greek Constitution supports religious tolerance. The prevailing religion is the Greek Orthodox; but Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Judaism and Hellenic Neopaganism have a small share of followers. Other minor faiths include the Greek Evangelicals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and Scientologists. Fortunately, they are not annoying to the degree they are in other places of the world. For example, you can read my opinion about the disturbing documentary called "Jesus Camp (2006)" (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg111470/#msg111470) that is about the American Evangelical Christian community activities...

Fortunately, circumcision is not part of the religion in Greece. Circumcision and infibulation are brutal mutilation customs; they are ancient blood rituals and indelible marks of ownership; they have absolutely nothing to do with hygiene (as it is sold to the public), and they create perfect subconscious fearsome submissive relations to the authority because they introduce the agony of death directly into the autonomic nervous system of the infants, conditioning the receivers for life, since they are always performed without anesthesia (infants cannot survive anesthesia).
__________


Madworm, you are right. It is clearly a matter of luck the place and the time that someone will be born, because both these parameters will define the environment and the conditions they will need to be adjusted to, to live their lives. For example, only one of these sentences I have posted at this thread, would be more than enough for me to be sentenced to a paradigmatic death in some other time or in some other place --even today, perhaps...
__________


Radioman, I am afraid that there is no such a thing as a free choice, today; at least, not where it would really matter. We will always have to pick from the preselected choices, others have created for us to choose from --especially if something is important and our "free choice" could make a difference.

I am sorry but, what we really have is the illusion of choice...
But, realising this backstage control scheme, you actually acquire the power of choice!
__________


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 28, 2012, 11:37:40 pm
With that we agree. Religion as an approximation of life has close to 0% utility, and science has close to 100%.

Religion actually has massive utility in controlling people and wielding power, hence it's longevity in various forms.
Unfortunately for religion, overall it mostly only works on the lesser educated and informed, and the communication revolution has put paid to religions inevitable demise in that respect.
In modern times they have had to resort to modern hooks and lures like the evangelical churches like Hillsong et.al, because the old tricks don't work any more.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 28, 2012, 11:47:58 pm
But if the major religions are right

They can't be, it's impossible, their teachings and holy books are mutually exclusive. Not in all areas of course, but that's beside the point. It only takes one or two major tenets to be shown to be wrong and their whole deck of cards falls down.
So either one of them is right and the others are all very wrong (as we now hold that the countless religons before are now called "myths"), or (almost certainly) they are all wrong.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 29, 2012, 12:27:58 am
it seems my last attempt to stop this thread has failed... :|

But if the major religions are right
It only takes one or two major tenets to be shown to be wrong and their whole deck of cards falls down.
which "one or two" is it... in islam holy book?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on May 29, 2012, 02:00:29 am
it seems my last attempt to stop this thread has failed... :|

But if the major religions are right
It only takes one or two major tenets to be shown to be wrong and their whole deck of cards falls down.
which "one or two" is it... in islam holy book?
Why stop ? Can't handle the truth ?

I guess Dave isn't finger pointing only to Islam, but since you brought it up again, for Islam Holy Book, there are many, just showing two of many fine examples ..

Quote from Islam Holy book 8:12 -> http://quran.com/8/12 (http://quran.com/8/12)

"[Remember] when your Lord inspired to the angels, "I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike [them] upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip."

..simpler interpretation ...

"Allah is with you, He said it is "OK" for you to go chop heads of those non Muslims"


or this one ...

Quote from 9:5 -> http://quran.com/9/5 (http://quran.com/9/5)

"And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."

..aka..

"Just kill or capture any non Muslim whenever you spotted them, but if "they claimed" that they're turning into a convert and the bribe, its your call if you want to spare their head"


Had you ever thought to comply to these Allah's holy request command "at least once" in your lifetime ?

Remember, you will have something like these or even much-much better waiting for you in heaven if you complied .....oh yeah, almost forgot, with stiffen dick eternally..   :P
(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7702/haremc.jpg)


Peace Mech, nothing personal here, its just the fact and fact only, and if these quotes are totally wrong, please enlighten us.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 29, 2012, 02:10:35 am
Have you ever stopped to wonder why the all powerful God has never once struck down an infidel or heretic with his own hand? Not even one tiny lightning bolt from the heavens? At all times it is his followers who must act in his name. Perhaps the lack of action from God tells us his followers have it wrong and he really doesn't have anything against people with different beliefs?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 29, 2012, 02:39:27 am
Have you ever stopped to wonder why the all powerful God has never once struck down an infidel or heretic with his own hand? Not even one tiny lightning bolt from the heavens? At all times it is his followers who must act in his name. Perhaps the lack of action from God tells us his followers have it wrong and he really doesn't have anything against people with different beliefs?

Or he simply doesn't know and/or care:

Final Clip of Men In Black (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJOVUF-HaDw#)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 29, 2012, 04:41:22 am
Have you ever stopped to wonder why the all powerful God has never once struck down an infidel or heretic with his own hand? Not even one tiny lightning bolt from the heavens? At all times it is his followers who must act in his name. Perhaps the lack of action from God tells us his followers have it wrong and he really doesn't have anything against people with different beliefs?

He's too busy rigging football games?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on May 29, 2012, 04:57:48 am
Have you ever stopped to wonder why the all powerful God has never once struck down an infidel or heretic with his own hand? Not even one tiny lightning bolt from the heavens? At all times it is his followers who must act in his name. Perhaps the lack of action from God tells us his followers have it wrong and he really doesn't have anything against people with different beliefs?

Just becareful when you're going to ask this again in the future, at certain places even nowdays, this kind of simple question alone is a proof that you are definitely an infidel that worth decapitation.  ;)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 29, 2012, 06:40:36 am
bronze age myths are true ?

Dawkins Exposes Islam: MUSLIMS DON'T BELIEVE FRESH WATER AND SALT WATER MIX (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jFwCs586B0#ws)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 29, 2012, 02:51:53 pm
Quote from: BravoV
Why stop ? Can't handle the truth ?
because the discussion will go to no end. everybody try to convince each other, thats not gonna happen. everybody made the decision. i wish i could "preach" more, but... it will all buried unremembered, i've made the posts, thats enough i think. read or not read (study) is up to you, i know exactly how scientists reason ;)

Quote
Quote from Islam Holy book 8:12 -> http://quran.com/8/12 (http://quran.com/8/12)
"[Remember] when your Lord inspired to the angels, "I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike [them] upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip."
..simpler interpretation ...
"Allah is with you, He said it is "OK" for you to go chop heads of those non Muslims"
kudos! but not kudos :P this is the problem when we take only a slice from description. just like in 50ohm transmission line pcb, we just take rule of thumb trace width = 2 x pcb thickness and believe in that to the death, where actually its not that simple.

the surah is about "salvage (spoils) of war". and war means when somebody come to you want to kill you. you'll be stupid if you just sit there wait to be killed. if Allah said, dont kill anybody, then you (muslim) will be just fool and wait to be killed. its about threat to the muslim, it will be ok to kill if they (enemy) have ill intention (kill) to you. in http://quran.com/8/39 (http://quran.com/8/39) , Allah asks to kill them all, who involved in "fitnah", fitnah means "lie", they talked lie to other people about what islam is and threaten (make war to) islam. if they cease or surrender, then we leave them, we leave to Allah to protect us and He know what the enemey is doing.

we dont harm non-muslim "POW", just look at surah http://quran.com/8/70 (http://quran.com/8/70) and we have a way to distribute "salvage of war" in http://quran.com/8/41 (http://quran.com/8/41) .specifically the surah is about the wars encountered during the day of "prophet" from "kafirun" who want to "self destruct" islam. but generally its the guide for all of us of what to do during war, not just sit and play ping pong. i suggest reading the whole story and come back with conclusion ;)

Quote
or this one ...
Quote from 9:5 -> http://quran.com/9/5 (http://quran.com/9/5)
"And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
same one. read the whole story. infact you just missed verse 4 just before it http://quran.com/9/4 (http://quran.com/9/4)

"Excepted are those with whom you made a treaty among the polytheists and then they have not been deficient toward you in anything or supported anyone against you; so complete for them their treaty until their term [has ended]. Indeed, Allah loves the righteous [who fear Him]."

the polytheists here means, who violate the treaty, and again ill mean to and threaten muslim. come here to our country, you'll see many polytheists around, we live in harmony, and infact we have many tourists (i believe some from your country), they have no slight threatened from us ;) furthermore, we'll be happily guide them to where they want to be, as long as they dont chop our head ;)

Quote
Peace Mech, nothing personal here, its just the fact and fact only, and if these quotes are totally wrong, please enlighten us
since you mean peace to me, then i will be peace to you ;), unless you intend to chop my head, then its better for me to chop your head first :P since Allah admit it ;) i'm not the writter of the book so i'm not offended, i'm just trying to correct the misconception, to do what i'm asked to do, to spread the truth :P since there is real threat by the writter in the book.

recently i just realized the distinction between a "fool" and a person who "dont know". a "fool" is somebody who know/understand, but choosed to ignore or refuse. i might be categorized as such :(, but i treat you all as a person who "dont know", so.. no offense taken ;)

http://quran.com/9/6 (http://quran.com/9/6)
"And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah . Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know."
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 29, 2012, 03:53:15 pm
Quote
bronze age myths are true ?
again that very nice biologist i was talking about. but now, i'm surprised how detailed he described (and believe) from a word of "pupils"? the salt and fresh water meant in the quran is between the sea and river. and its been proven salt water is denser than white water. surely this biologist is clueless when it comes to physics. the "idol" for many people, they may call him... "God"? the all knowing everything? or maybe a "bollock" type of "straw" man?

and when you mix salt and fresh water, it will not become a fresh water anymore you fool! :D it will be half salt half fresh! and oh yeah, that clothing they were talking about i think i understood. what happen today? with all those sexy girls around? the "balance" of society, and yeah again... "human right"! how much time i heard it. human right to have sex on the street :P just like cat or dog.

just like this link (i hope it will not be removed by 4shared site)
http://www.4shared.com/video/95cc7ZR9/COMENDOAF1.html (http://www.4shared.com/video/95cc7ZR9/COMENDOAF1.html)
not suitable for minor ("but soon it will be")... sex in public concert. sorry if its offensive but to highlight my point.. removal by the admin of that link tag will be understood... :P
fun to watch i have to admit :P, but alas... forbidden :P i dont have a slightest clue of what they are talking about (foreign language) only enjoying the scenery :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 29, 2012, 03:54:45 pm
Quote from: BravoV
and give zakah
for those of you who dont know. zakah is another word for... tax, or donation, or interest or similar meaning in modern language. donation to the poor, tax that already been agreed, interest when you have debt etc. the very system implemented these days. except not according to the "balance" stated by the guide. eg, interest rate by bank nowadays are very high, we call them "riba" (excessive interest rate its forbidden). it will suffer the debtor, its been proven right for some countries and millions of people.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 30, 2012, 03:41:14 am
So you have no answer either.  He definitely wasn't omnipresent when someone did the translation mistake I mentioned. The failure to set up a Facebook page means he isn't omnipotent.

In fact, what has he been doing for the last 2000 years? For someone who made the whole universe, he has been incredibly slack.

Can't he at least do the odd miracle on Morning Television?

I think God must be omniabsent at the moment.

If there was a God twitter account would you believe it?  Nobody would.  It will be faced with great skepticism and considered blasphemous.

Would you really "friend" God's FB page?  How much of an impression would that make on people considering the bazillion of invites their accept in their sleep.

No, God likes to stick to the old stand-by of burning bushes, plagues and other natural disasters... ;D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 30, 2012, 03:49:13 am
omnipresent, omnipotent

Ah, the religious universal get out of jail free card!

Dave.

God is the "man behind the curtain" of our natural world.  Why would you expect that he be confined to the laws of physics as we understand them.  This is a common trap for young players in the faith.

Here is another way to think of it, my favorites from epistemology class: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_in_a_vat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_in_a_vat)  God is the "mad scientist".
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 30, 2012, 04:12:15 am
The same can be said of evolutionist.  In fact, they rely quite a bit on "air of reality" to fill in between legitimate scientific facts.  See video of Dawkins talking about the eye posted by Sionyn I think in this thread.

I get the impression that you want to question the fact of evolution that has been accepted scientific fact for over a century?

With the massive amount of research done on evolution, fitting all together nicely and "filling in the gaps" so far without fail (starting from one huge gap in our knowledge of how species came to be), scientists (and the common folk who care to study it) can be supremely confident in evolution's future ability to fill in what few gaps remain.
That is not faith, it's the complete opposite, it's confidence born about by countless steps and confirmations in a scientific theory, performed and confirmed by countless people.

Seriously, do you question it?

Dave.

I don't question it, only to say there is plenty of room for reasonable doubt.  Natural selection as a biological process is persuasive.  It does not however, say exactly how something actually happened.  How could it, its more or less random mechanism.

Dawkins account in the video posted in this thread of how the complex human eye evolved leaves plenty of reasonable questions.  Yet, he regards his understanding as irrefutable and presents it as biological truth when all he has is the "air of reality" of what might have happened.

Just because we judge some  eye as "simple" does not mean more "complex" ones MUST derive from it.  Who is to say one kind of eye is more complicated than another from a natural selection perspective?  This is no better than intelligent designers saying "well, its really complicated so there must be a designer behind it".
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 30, 2012, 04:24:42 am
Analytic thinking can decrease religious belief: UBC study

A new University of British Columbia study finds that analytic thinking can decrease religious belief, even in devout believers.

The study, which will appear in tomorrow’s issue of Science, finds that thinking analytically increases disbelief among believers and skeptics alike, shedding important new light on the psychology of religious belief.

http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2012/04/26/analytic-thinking-can-decrease-religious-belief-ubc-study/ (http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2012/04/26/analytic-thinking-can-decrease-religious-belief-ubc-study/)

I'm not surprised by this and support what I have been asserting all along, the more humans get to know the natural world, the less faith they need.  Nothing wrong with that at all.

The interesting question is can humans know everything about the natural world?  What does it mean for humans to possess such knowledge.  Would they not become God-like at that point and thus no longer mere mortals?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 30, 2012, 04:42:23 am
If there was a God twitter account would you believe it?  Nobody would.
even if God presents Himself to them, they will say it a witch, or for scientists, "unexplained physical nature". there's no amount of saying to make them believe, its been stated in the book. there's a story of earlier prophet who can talk to god directly as he wished, he asked to see God's face to strengthen his belief, so God's did. its explained in some form of very bright light, the prophet unable to stare any longer. so you guess what in modern science? a lightning thunderbolt McQueen! not God. :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 30, 2012, 04:43:27 am
God is the "man behind the curtain" of our natural world.  Why would you expect that he be confined to the laws of physics as we understand them.  This is a common trap for young players in the faith.
I dare say this is yet another convenient get out of jail free card. I could make similar assertions about a whole range of things. Like the existence of Santa and his ability to simultaneously deliver gifts to children on christmas eve. Or the leprechaun spontaneously appearing in front of you, and being a little bastard. There are many mythologies throughout human history that involve events not confined to the laws of physics. We reject them as being facts. Why should christianity be any different in that respect? Religious groups has not managed to put forward anything compelling enough to differentiate their beliefs from all the other man made myths.

Wedging god into the unknown aspects or gaps of scientific knowledge does not make religion beliefs any more credible. It's a common tactic and it is ridiculously flawed. I find this amusing, because the "place" for god is constantly shifting. First, god was in the heavens, just above the clouds. Then god was relocated just outside the solar system, thanks to telescopes. Then god moved outside the galaxy, once we realised we are in the Milkyway. Now it's outside the universe, thanks to WMAP, Hubble, etc. As the scientific unknowns shrink, god gets constantly reshuffled into increasingly more ridiculous and abstract concepts. Talking about shifting goalposts.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 30, 2012, 05:10:57 am
Quote
Santa
santa is a myth! there's no presents falling from the sky! same with unicorn or centaur. do not equate those fairies with "God", please!.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 30, 2012, 05:13:53 am
If there was a God twitter account would you believe it?  Nobody would.
even if God presents Himself to them, they will say it a witch, or for scientists, "unexplained physical nature". there's no amount of saying to make them believe, its been stated in the book. there's a story of earlier prophet who can talk to god directly as he wished, he asked to see God's face to strengthen his belief, so God's did. its explained in some form of very bright light, the prophet unable to stare any longer. so you guess what in modern science? a lightning thunderbolt McQueen! not God. :P

I don't believe it! http://twitter.com/#!/thetweetofgod (http://twitter.com/#!/thetweetofgod)

A sampling:

"Once Assad dies, he, Hussein, bin Laden and Qaddafi will become The Beatles of hell."

"Look for Me in church today. I'll be the one you can't see or hear or in any way prove is there."

"The Bible is the best fan fiction ever written."

"I am Too Big To Fail."
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 30, 2012, 05:24:21 am
I dare say this is yet another convenient get out of jail free card...As the scientific unknowns shrink, god gets constantly reshuffled into increasingly more ridiculous and abstract concepts. Talking about shifting goalposts.

God has always been ominpresent and omnipotent.  This has not shifted.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 30, 2012, 05:53:55 am
God is the "man behind the curtain" of our natural world.  Why would you expect that he be confined to the laws of physics as we understand them.  This is a common trap for young players in the faith.

It's the get out of jail free card the religious like to use to justify their belief that has zero proof.
It's a common trap the players with reason recognise and don't fall into.
Anyone can make the same "beyond the laws of physics" argument about anything, not just god. But those who try it with anything other than religion are branded nut cases.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 30, 2012, 05:56:02 am
Quote
Santa
santa is a myth! there's no presents falling from the sky! same with unicorn or centaur. do not equate those fairies with "God", please!.

Why? They have exactly the same amount of evidence. Exactly...

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 30, 2012, 07:14:29 am
Quote
Santa
santa is a myth! there's no presents falling from the sky! same with unicorn or centaur. do not equate those fairies with "God", please!.
Why? They have exactly the same amount of evidence. Exactly...
Dave.
because...
1) its not stated in holybook.
2) it only exist in fairy tales made by human.
3) even if they do exist, they still creation of a God. God is higher level domain, the rest are lower level.

leave God alone. just ask science to prove nonexistency of those fairies... cant. science only discovers new things. it doesnt have any evidence/formulation/method to concretely prove something "doesnt exist". atom was believed to be the smallest fundamental element in science, nothing else. but that was just a "belief", which later proven wrong.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 30, 2012, 08:20:38 am
And how does the holybook change anything? It is a book full of contradictions, medieval understanding of the world and man made myths, not unlike fairy tales.

It's been stated many times before, science does not work on absolutes, nor does it toy with "what is possible" or "impossible". It works on "what is probable" and "improbable". And using science we can safely conclude that the reality of god, santa, and other fairy tales, is highly improbable. This is an undeniable fact.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 30, 2012, 09:03:25 am
all the holy books come from divine revelation or more commonly known as schizophrenia were by private thoughts are turned into the word of gods.

pat con dell has had such a major revelation he wants to tell you about and if believe in these holy books you will have to believe him to since these holy books were derived by the same mechanics minus the narcotics of course.

Hook, line and rapture (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXdwcIWIB_o#)   
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 30, 2012, 09:44:35 am
I don't question it, only to say there is plenty of room for reasonable doubt.  Natural selection as a biological process is persuasive.  It does not however, say exactly how something actually happened.  How could it, its more or less random mechanism.

Evolution through natural selection is anything but random. "But it's just random, it can't work / explain XYZ" is the straw-man put about by "intelligent design" loonies.

There is not much room for "reasonable doubt" with regards to the theory of evolution. All the evidence fits. If anything had ever been uncovered which challanged it, science would need to rethink - but nothing ever has. The fossil record be be incomplete, but every time a new discovery is made, it slots right in.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 30, 2012, 10:05:26 am
It is a book full of contradictions, medieval understanding of the world and man made myths, not unlike fairy tales.
who's talking about absolution? example? proof?

And using science we can safely conclude that the reality of god, santa, and other fairy tales, is highly improbable. This is an undeniable fact.
why is it "improbable"? because it is "unprovable'?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 30, 2012, 10:28:30 am
Why do so many people, intelligent or not, feel the need to explain anything they cannot currently understand, by using strawmen or horrible fictional entities that were created for the manipulation of the ignorant masses a few millennia ago? Is the fear of death so unbearable for them, and they are trying to overcome that personal problem by using imbecile methods?

Is it not a fact that the most serious lying that takes place occurs when people lie to themselves? This specific behavior is very well documented in the fields of social psychology.

Personally, I am pretty happy to realise that there are a lot of things that currently remain unknown or incomprehensible to me. This is my personal motive that drives me to learn, study and try to discover anything I wish or I need to know and understand. Socrates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates), the father of critical thinking and the man who opened the doors to the scientific method, used to say that "hèn oîda hóti oudèn oîda (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_that_I_know_nothing)," meaning that "I know one thing, that I know nothing."


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 30, 2012, 11:21:01 am
Divine Revelation or Just Smack Heads

now i understand why the bible and koran is full of rubbish,
they were high on narcotics

http://deoxy.org/manna.htm (http://deoxy.org/manna.htm)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 30, 2012, 12:14:17 pm
Divine Revelation or Just Smack Heads
now i understand why the bible and koran is full of rubbish,
they were high on narcotics
http://deoxy.org/manna.htm (http://deoxy.org/manna.htm)
at the end of writing... "If manna is indeed the psilocybin mushroom, then this means that the Koran, Bible, and Torah" - i dont see anywhere quotation from quran in that link. all from bible and yet, in the end, the koran is the one to be blamed. did your mentor ever teach you not to produce new thing/conclusion at the end of your master/phD research paper? i'll call that writing by Steve Kubby is rubbish. ask him to come back with Koran quotation... or be forever ignorant that koran is not bible. and he kept saying i,i, we, we... there's no external independent references... everything lingering in himself and his own belief. seriously, is this kind of paper used as a reference to prove what is wrong or right? "young" people!

Quote
now i understand why the bible and koran is full of rubbish
and its easy to understand a writing from an illiterate man. or easier to believe a man who has the same "belief" as yours ;)

and isnt narcotics used in hospital or soldiers? ;)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 30, 2012, 02:09:37 pm
because...
1) its not stated in holybook.
2) it only exist in fairy tales made by human.
3) even if they do exist, they still creation of a God. God is higher level domain, the rest are lower level.

1) You can't force other people to validate your "holybook".  The argument you've set up is circular: "You can't question it if it's holy...And it's holy because I don't want it questioned."
2) God is also a fairlytale made by humans.
3) C'mon, Mech.  That's a ridiculous argument that you can never prove.  And if you can't prove it, you can't claim it.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 30, 2012, 02:22:47 pm
God is the "man behind the curtain" of our natural world.  Why would you expect that he be confined to the laws of physics as we understand them.  This is a common trap for young players in the faith.

It's the get out of jail free card the religious like to use to justify their belief that has zero proof.
It's a common trap the players with reason recognise and don't fall into.
Anyone can make the same "beyond the laws of physics" argument about anything, not just god. But those who try it with anything other than religion are branded nut cases.

Dave.

Quite.

Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends - UFOs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDJQQH6ytOU#)

2:00 -> Talk of technology beyond our understanding of physics
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on May 30, 2012, 10:12:57 pm
Right .. Anyone done any soldering lately ? ( or possibly been sniffing the alcohol soluble flux ?)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 30, 2012, 10:29:44 pm
bible warning sticker
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 30, 2012, 10:36:11 pm
Gosh, must say I've never seen one of those.

You mean, "God, must say I've never seen one of those." (You know what Gosh means, right?)

Since the sticker is true, and since truth comes from God, that sticker must be accredited by God. It's good that God warns us not to believe that book.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on May 30, 2012, 11:31:16 pm
Since you do not believe in God, how can you be sure your version of truth is reliable? Since all truth comes from God, and you say you deny he is real, you have no standard of truth to follow, and so you're easily deceived... or have I missed something?

After 38 pages of debate, you have missed everything.

'Since all truth comes from God'? Anything you 'prove' by adopting baseless assertions as a postulate is worthless.

Show me where I am wrong, and where the Bible is wrong, and I'll gladly read it :-)

I'm glad you included the smiley, because you are obviously not serious. Over the last 38 pages you have been repeatedly shown where you are wrong, and where the bible is wrong, and every time you have ignored the evidence.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 30, 2012, 11:40:32 pm
After 38 pages of debate, you have missed everything.

Stunning isn't it?!
But such is the problem with faith, by it's very nature you are not allowed to doubt what you believe. Once you do, you no longer have faith.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 30, 2012, 11:49:50 pm
After 38 pages of debate, you have missed everything.

This does not surprise me. After all, religious folk look to make facts fit their already stubborn beliefs.

Other people come to a conclusion based on facts.

BACKWARDS
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 31, 2012, 12:15:21 am
Show me where faith is stubborn; you have faith for many things in life, but does that make you stubborn? I have no need to "prove" God to you - you can ask him to show you, yourself. It seems you're taking offence, where no offence was given; that's called being stubborn, isn't it, because you could just accept my faith and say "okay, I respect you", but you choose not to, but I don't take it offensively - that's your free will.
I have faith in very little, actually. I have faith in certain people, for example, for I know their character. But I do not believe without evidence.

Quote
Is it not religion to stubbornly attempt to DIS-prove the personal faith of someone, adamantly implying "there is NO God"? Lack of faith can also be a religion - a belief in everything BUT God. Did you consider that?

No, I didn't consider that. Mainly because it's pure rhetoric.

Lack of faith is absolutely not, and can never be, a religion.

Also, nobody is attempting to disprove the existence of God - but instead explaining why the reasons for belief are just not good enough. It's not enough to try and move the goalposts and try and redefine acceptable levels of proof, as has been attempted earlier in the thread - there is no valid proof.

Nobody is asserting that there is definitely no God, either - but rather that there is absolutely no evidence to show that there is one.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 31, 2012, 12:23:52 am
I don't need "evidence" for God, as it's all around me everywhere I look.

Oxymoron of the week!
You don't need any evidence, but then say the evidence is all around you?  ???

Quote
I'm serious about truth, but not willing to force my point through subtle attempts to FORCE my opinion on others.

If you are serious about truth then why did you just say that you do not need any evidence?
If you seek the truth in anything, then that journey must involve seeking and evaluating the evidence, and not just the evidence that supports your belief.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 31, 2012, 12:31:36 am
Show me where faith is stubborn; you have faith for many things in life, but does that make you stubborn? I have no need to "prove" God to you - you can ask him to show you, yourself. It seems you're taking offence, where no offence was given; that's called being stubborn, isn't it, because you could just accept my faith and say "okay, I respect you", but you choose not to, but I don't take it offensively - that's your free will.
I have faith in very little, actually. I have faith in certain people, for example, for I know their character. But I do not believe without evidence.

Quote
Is it not religion to stubbornly attempt to DIS-prove the personal faith of someone, adamantly implying "there is NO God"? Lack of faith can also be a religion - a belief in everything BUT God. Did you consider that?

No, I didn't consider that. Mainly because it's pure rhetoric.

Lack of faith is absolutely not, and can never be, a religion.

Also, nobody is attempting to disprove the existence of God - but instead explaining why the reasons for belief are just not good enough. It's not enough to try and move the goalposts and try and redefine acceptable levels of proof, as has been attempted earlier in the thread - there is no valid proof.

Nobody is asserting that there is definitely no God, either - but rather that there is absolutely no evidence to show that there is one.

Evidence is all around, if only your eyes would see it.

More like if only your fingers would type it.

Really, that's all you have to do.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 31, 2012, 12:38:24 am
Do you not desire truth... and how can you even attempt to define it, when you do not know it?

How can you claim to know truth when you cannot prove it?  You certainly can't claim to desire truth when you disallow the probe of critical thinking.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 31, 2012, 12:48:50 am
Do you not desire truth... and how can you even attempt to define it, when you do not know it?

How can you claim to know truth when you cannot prove it?  You certainly can't claim to desire truth when you disallow the probe of critical thinking.

Don't follow me, follow God; he is truth, and all truth created is from God.

1 Corinthians, verse 3:

"The wunnerful thing about tiggers is tiggers are wunnerful things."
- Tigger, from "Winnie-the-Pooh".
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 31, 2012, 12:51:57 am
Do you not desire truth... and how can you even attempt to define it, when you do not know it?

How can you claim to know truth when you cannot prove it?  You certainly can't claim to desire truth when you disallow the probe of critical thinking.

Don't follow me, follow God; he is truth, and all truth created is from God.


1 Corinthians, 3: 18-23

Quote
18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

You cannot cite any passage of the bible as proof of the existence of God. The result is a logical loop; no proof can be provided when the source of contention is also the proof.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on May 31, 2012, 12:54:59 am
Winnie the Pooh was great! I don't see the relevance, but what a brilliant character! Still got it on cine film somewhere :D It's alright, I am pretty tired too, so am gonna relax then sleep. Take care, have a wonderful and blessed day/night :-)

The relevance is that, like you, I also pulled a quote from a fictional character from some book.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 31, 2012, 12:55:55 am
Do you not desire truth... and how can you even attempt to define it, when you do not know it? Truth is absolute, and all truth is from God alone, otherwise "truth" is a fallacy and "relative", and easily changeable for every individual, therefore no "rights" or "wrongs" can be judged, as I could make up my own morality, and you would have NO sound basis upon which to rely, to show me otherwise.

Why do Christians keep spouting this dreadful rubbish? How can you presume that your fellow humans have no moral compass and no discernment of right and wrong? You complained about being seen with a "holier than thou" attitude and looking down on others, but there you have it demonstrated, right there.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 31, 2012, 12:57:04 am
Do you not desire truth... and how can you even attempt to define it, when you do not know it?

How can you claim to know truth when you cannot prove it?  You certainly can't claim to desire truth when you disallow the probe of critical thinking.

iamwhoiam is a lost cause. He always works from the absolute known assumption that god exists and is the ultimate power, and to try and reason or imagine anything to the contrary is pointless and will always futile. So why not simply succumb now and join him and accept what he says...
It's the old blunt force repetition and fear of god technique that worked for thoudands of years on the uneducated. Shame it doesn't work any more  ;D

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 31, 2012, 01:02:33 am
Do you not desire truth... and how can you even attempt to define it, when you do not know it? Truth is absolute, and all truth is from God alone, otherwise "truth" is a fallacy and "relative", and easily changeable for every individual, therefore no "rights" or "wrongs" can be judged, as I could make up my own morality, and you would have NO sound basis upon which to rely, to show me otherwise.

Now take your comment here and others above, and compare with the observations of someone who has doubtless taken the time to contemplate these things:

http://aspokensilence.com/2011/08/02/discernment-judgment-the-spirit-of-god (http://aspokensilence.com/2011/08/02/discernment-judgment-the-spirit-of-god)

Quote:

This is a lesson for each of us in the spiritual life – the importance of discernment and knowing what it is that we do not know, which in fact is most things.

The whole article is a very nice meditation and good to read.

(Note: if you don't like web sites that auto-play music, the pause button is on the upper right of the page.)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 31, 2012, 01:03:45 am
Do you not desire truth... and how can you even attempt to define it, when you do not know it?

How can you claim to know truth when you cannot prove it?  You certainly can't claim to desire truth when you disallow the probe of critical thinking.

Don't follow me, follow God; he is truth, and all truth created is from God.


1 Corinthians, 3: 18-23

Quote
18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

You cannot cite any passage of the bible as proof of the existence of God. The result is a logical loop; no proof can be provided when the source of contention is also the proof.

I see many examples of people pre-supposing that I am going to give them outright "proof" of God's existance... maybe back-track a little, and you'll see that I have mentioned that I am not able to give you proof - God already did that for you. Why are you pinning your hopes on my "proof"? I ask you to seek that yourself, and you WILL find it, visible or in spirit, it will come... just ask him :D
How has God given me proof exactly?

So what you're saying, is that if you choose to believe, then you will believe. Well, bugger me, that's genius. As far as obvious arguments go, anyway.

In any case, I don't really desire proof at this point, but some of this huge amount of evidence you continually speak of, yet somehow are unable to provide a single example of.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on May 31, 2012, 01:31:34 am
iamwhoiam is a lost cause.

He may not be a lost cause. I was once the same as him, with exactly the same world view, saying all the same things. In fact, swap places and I could have been him. However, I did manage to break the programming and escape. But it is something that has to come from inside--you have to want to escape and find the way out yourself--you can't be convinced by others as we have seen.

The trouble is, when you believe, your mind makes you want to believe. It's like being in a warm and cozy place and the last thing your mind wants to do is to break the spell. Someone wrote in a hymn that "the trees are a greener shade of green" and it really does feel like that. Religious fervour gets to you and does things to your mind like being on drugs.

So iamwhoiam may not be a lost cause. Some people can escape, sometimes.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 31, 2012, 02:04:46 am
You can't offend me, I know my identity in Christ - I am not determined, shaped or defined by the opinions of man. I love you and respect you, but you can't offend me - I'm too full of joy and life to be shaped by wavering and changing opinion. God is my guide, nothing else. You can love me or hate me, take me or leave me, but I am no different because of it.
Some of the counter arguments presented here are not opinions of man. Opinions are subjective by nature. The knowledge we gained by studying nature was through objective observation. Those who criticize religion essentially relay facts about how nature works and thus personal opinions are completely irrelevant in this case.

I don't think it was anyone's intention to offend you. :) I think some of us are perplexed why religious people are so driven to ignore that massive elephant in the room; and pretend that the realities which science has uncovered over the centuries does not exists. Rejecting reality and saying "I only have faith in my religion" is the ultimate form of self deception. All you need to do is objectively test your beliefs against what we already know about the universe. Start reading and researching unbiased, peer reviewed science books, then see for yourself.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 31, 2012, 02:31:58 am
I have not the need for world-based proof and evidence that you do, as I see it all around me, and so do you.

If the evidence is so apparent to all as you claim, then you should have no issue in communicating at least one example to us.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on May 31, 2012, 02:44:11 am
... arising from a TOTAL VOID OF ALL TIME AND SPACE? Quite a belief to have faith in, considering not ONE shred of evidence exists for it; sounds like a "religion" to me, albeit undocumented in any way, and abstracted back far enough as to be supposed that it happened "billions of years ago", conveniently, therefore, shifting the burden of proof to believers to "prove that it DIDN'T happen"

All you faithless non-believers, that's your check mate right there.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 31, 2012, 02:45:06 am
I have not the need for world-based proof and evidence that you do, as I see it all around me, and so do you.

If the evidence is so apparent to all as you claim, then you should have no issue in communicating at least one example to us.

It's all around you, take your pick. If you can't see it, then okay. Jesus is not on trial; the clay doesn't judge the potter.

If the potter doesn't exist, and the clay has nothing to fear from the non-existant potter, the clay may do as the clay pleases.

So, you have two options available to you, and only two.

1. Give one example of the evidence you speak of

or

2. Provide more entertaining, yet ultimately fallacious rhetoric
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 31, 2012, 02:56:54 am
I have not the need for world-based proof and evidence that you do, as I see it all around me, and so do you.

If the evidence is so apparent to all as you claim, then you should have no issue in communicating at least one example to us.

It's all around you, take your pick. If you can't see it, then okay. Jesus is not on trial; the clay doesn't judge the potter.

If the potter doesn't exist, and the clay has nothing to fear from the non-existant potter, the clay may do as the clay pleases.

So, you have two options available to you, and only two.

1. Give one example of the evidence you speak of

or

2. Provide more entertaining, yet ultimately fallacious rhetoric

If you can read very well, but yet attempt to cause self-amusement through mockery of soneone's faith, then that's quite a shame; I thought you were an intelligent guy, and I don't see myself being disproved - you obviously are intelligent enough not to waste time attempting to coerse "proof" from someone who has repeatedly given you the answers - the ONLY answers you need. I will not be responding to your mockery further, have a great day okay :)

Just what I expect from somebody without any answers when cornered: a rage quit.

A very polite rage quit, but a rage quit nonetheless. By the way, is your excessive 'niceness' a symptom of your faith?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 31, 2012, 03:08:53 am
You mention that we discover things as men... so that shows that these things are already in existence BEFORE we found them, so therefore they were known about BEFORE man, therefore existed and were designed. You cannot discover something never before known - only something never before known BY MANKIND.
Known about before man by whom? Matter and its properties does not need cognitive knowledge for it to exist physically. Plants have no understanding of soil and yet they thrive on it. Complex behaviour of natural phenomena can be perfectly (and in some cases, is only way) explained through stochastic interaction of its fundamental constituents. The universe we live in is non-deterministic and self organising by far and large; and therefore this fact makes the 'designer' concept completely redundant.

Quote
On another point: If you are (and I am not saying you are or were) of the belief of the whole big bang theory, then tell me what forces or intelligence caused such an incredible coincidence of creation to occur, out of nothing, based on the pre-supposition that NOTHING existed before it occured. That would be quite a feat, for nothing to explode into something, and suddenly begin to follow a rational, pre-designed pattern, laws of thermo-dynamics and evolution all along with it, conveniently pre-packaged and amazingly complex... arising from a TOTAL VOID OF ALL TIME AND SPACE? Quite a belief to have faith in, considering not ONE shred of evidence exists for it; sounds like a "religion" to me, albeit undocumented in any way, and abstracted back far enough as to be supposed that it happened "billions of years ago", conveniently, therefore, shifting the burden of proof to believers to "prove that it DIDN'T happen".
There is plenty of evidence that matter spontaneously form and annihilate each other in the free vacuum of space. This has been experimentally verified. As for the rest, how amazingly complex system can form, see my response above.

You see, we really don't know what happened before the big bag, and hence nobody in the scientific community is making assertions about what the universe was like before that event. Whereas, people such as yourself do make assertions, which wrong. And I don't necessarily mean that you are wrong about your belief; however, you are wrong in the sense that you are attempting to pass this idea as fact. You are definitely in no better position in making claims what happened before the big bang as scientists are. I dare say that scientists are way ahead of you in searching for answer, because they are actually doing something practical about it. Just because there are gaps in our knowledge, it does not mean you can fill it with whatever nonsense you want.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 31, 2012, 03:22:20 am
If nobody knows, how can believers be wrong?
Believers are not wrong, more like what they believe in is highly improbable!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 31, 2012, 03:31:26 am
I have not the need for world-based proof and evidence that you do, as I see it all around me, and so do you.

If the evidence is so apparent to all as you claim, then you should have no issue in communicating at least one example to us.

It's all around you, take your pick. If you can't see it, then okay. Jesus is not on trial; the clay doesn't judge the potter.

If the potter doesn't exist, and the clay has nothing to fear from the non-existant potter, the clay may do as the clay pleases.

So, you have two options available to you, and only two.

1. Give one example of the evidence you speak of

or

2. Provide more entertaining, yet ultimately fallacious rhetoric

If you can read very well, but yet attempt to cause self-amusement through mockery of soneone's faith, then that's quite a shame; I thought you were an intelligent guy, and I don't see myself being disproved - you obviously are intelligent enough not to waste time attempting to coerse "proof" from someone who has repeatedly given you the answers - the ONLY answers you need. I will not be responding to your mockery further, have a great day okay :)

Just what I expect from somebody without any answers when cornered: a rage quit.

A very polite rage quit, but a rage quit nonetheless. By the way, is your excessive 'niceness' a symptom of your faith?

"Rage"? that's undoubtedly what you'd like - it would add weight to your grudge against me, but it's alright - I don't have rages on forums, sorry!

Am I excessively nice, or are you excessively cynical? Thank you, either way; I just treat others as I like to be treated, or were you expecting me to be nasty or aggressive, to go nicely with my anticipated "rage", so you could point your finger and call me a hypocrite? I see your expectations of me, but you are wrong - I'm sorry to have let you down, but I am not a mean guy. Kindness and love towards others is something that is instinctive to me - yeah, I have off days, but no good can come of aggression or unkindness, eh! I am not perfect, but I try to be gracious - it can never hurt, and love is always a good thing.

Have a great day mate - I really have to sleep now, seeya soon! :)

I'm sorry, it's probably confusing if you aren't familiar with this usage of the term - a rage quit is a sudden exit from an argument, usually when you realise you've lost - it doesn't necessarily have to include anger.

I actually have no expectation of you, how could I hold you to some random expectation when I don't know you? But you do seem excessively nice. I'm being polite, but deliberately provocative, and you're ending most of your posts like we're best friends! Or are you just hoping I'll see how lovely it is/you are and accept Jesus so I can be around such nice people more often?

Now look, I know how that sounds, but I'm not plucking it out of thin air; I went to church for a time, everyone there was very... nice. Almost sickeningly nice, in fact. It was almost like a marketing tool.

And actually, I treat people as I would like to be treated too. It's a pretty normal way of doing things.

But all that aside, back to business.

You fail time and time again to give any substance to your claims, yet somehow I am made out to be some sort of cynic.  :o If I claimed leprechauns were real, it would be up to me to prove that, or at least provide some evidence, and if you claim that God is real, it is up to you. So far you have nothing, I'm afraid, and your assertion that you don't need it, just shows you've failed to grasp the real point here - you can't claim something as grandiose as God without backing it up with something - and beating around the bush isn't going to help you.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 04:24:00 am
3) C'mon, Mech.  That's a ridiculous argument that you can never prove.  And if you can't prove it, you can't claim it.
this thread seems endless and agnostics/atheists keep posting nonsensical links/videos. the same standard with straw or banana man type video. even the biologist chap now talking bullshit out of his arse. the "flag point" for agnostics/atheist to "religious" is "nonsense belief" "cant prove cant claim" etc, but actually they are the one doing it by posting those atheist-banana man. if you have the absolution that i'm ridiculuos, then what right do i have to you? saying... "you are a brilliant!"? of course this whole thing is ridiculous, and even more ridiculuos if both party talking the same thing (banana thing).

or maybe you are refering to my point #1 (its written in holybook) well, you see the debate is between what theist believe, and what atheist believe. we dont talk what we both dont believe, like unicorn or santa, get it? try focus on our subject. we with our godness, you with your godlessness, thats it, no santa no unicorn, i know it will (try) support your argument, but the fact is, we both dont believe in them so there's no point talking such.its not the point of this thread, and its offtopic (santa and unicorn).

as i said, the thread is POINTLESS unless for.. "entertainment" as both party trying to present their "banana-method" argument. i dont have to open all the vids, and links in all the 38 pages (maybe i will if necessary), but its enough to pinpoint the recent one and its flaw, including the biologist guy the so called "academic". but you will defend your friends/side (and ignore/silence their nonsense link) to the death with "faith", theist or atheist. this is just another "fanboys pissing contest", both with lack of proof, but each one opted to "believe". unless if you still fell me i'm wrong, you may relink the earlier post in case i've missed it. i'll be happy to argue. but i only can argue relating (anything mentioning) to quran, i cannot argue on bible since i have "almost zero" knowledge about it. i have a copy in my drawer but i have difficulty understanding its english.

and if you guys want to entertain iamwhoiam, then carry on, i have no objection (i'll be happily skip your post, both of you). and to iamwhoiam, my advice is.. "dont" as someone said, you just missed the whole point of who you are talking to ;)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 31, 2012, 05:57:29 am
... arising from a TOTAL VOID OF ALL TIME AND SPACE? Quite a belief to have faith in, considering not ONE shred of evidence exists for it; sounds like a "religion" to me, albeit undocumented in any way, and abstracted back far enough as to be supposed that it happened "billions of years ago", conveniently, therefore, shifting the burden of proof to believers to "prove that it DIDN'T happen"

All you faithless non-believers, that's your check mate right there.

Ok, I'm sold!, where do I sign up?
One problem though, I still can't work out which religion I should sign up to, there are so many choices  ::)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 31, 2012, 06:05:07 am
or maybe you are refering to my point #1 (its written in holybook) well, you see the debate is between what theist believe, and what atheist believe. we dont talk what we both dont believe, like unicorn or santa, get it? try focus on our subject.

I can assure you, we get it, completely. We have absolutely no reason to doubt your faith, we are sure it's very sincere and genuine, and you believe it with all your heart.

We are just trying to point out to you that your belief is unfounded in modern reason and evidence, and you are almost certainly believing in something that does not exist.
And when you try to put forth the case that reason you believe is based on any form of evidence, and that your holy book is actually the word of god, it is our duty to shoot you down in flames  ;D
Whether or not you care of course is entirely up you up.

Love.
Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 31, 2012, 06:42:40 am
There is no *before* in relation to the big bang, as 'before' is a concept relating to our perception of time, time being an aspect of space-time which was *created* at the instant of the big bang.

That you don't quite follow this isn't surprising, as it's a pretty tricky concept for most people. That doesn't mean you can simply go "ah, well it's probably nonsense then - god must have done it. Check mate!"

Besides which, lets take your random hypothesis that because the creation of the universe from 'nothing' is impossible there must have existed a god to create it...  where did he come from then? who or what created 'him'?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 31, 2012, 06:54:27 am
Besides which, lets take your random hypothesis that because the creation of the universe from 'nothing' is impossible there must have existed a god to create it...  where did he come from then? who or what created 'him'?

He's always existed, didn't you know?  ::)
And as Carl Sagan said, if that is the case, why not save a step and conclude that the universe always existed? (going bang/squish/bang or any of the other hypothesis being researched?)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 08:22:08 am
There is no *before* in relation to the big bang, as 'before' is a concept relating to our perception of time, time being an aspect of space-time which was *created* at the instant of the big bang.
and what a "concept" is? a concept is an idea, created inside the brilliant mind of human. right or wrong doesnt matter as it will be proven or unproven later. thats what advances us, not science. even science created/based upon it, concepts that very well documented/researhed and hence accepted. did i say it comes from human mind? and no human is perfect (is there?), how do we expect we can be? and including whats we are capable of creating? checkmate! :P

Quote from: Dave
And as Carl Sagan said, if that is the case, why not save a step and conclude that the universe always existed? (going bang/squish/bang or any of the other hypothesis being researched?)
possible! we will be interested to looking for the proven answer for that (since universe is our domain, so there's no word saying to stop us from understanding our domain). but as human step further, if they are looking for God, then they can make the effort, but i got the book to say otherwise, so i just prefer to play ping pong or solder something up rather than expecting for ultimatum (call it jail freeticket if you wish, and "jail" is the "interesting" word for that choosen by atheists ;)).

people (atheists) got too obsessed by science up to the point they think science can achieve anything, they dont have a side, so they picked a side (science!) and exagerrating things. where in reality scientists (the real ones) dont give a hoot whether a god exist or not (agnostism). they busy advancing things, from what they have just founded, they know how hard just that can be. they know they cant jump dramatically to say they are very close at finding God (unless those bollock scientists esp who got nothing to do with Physics, such as... "Biologists", or somebody with conclusion that antimatter is "God" particle or such BS). (i wish i could attend conference among those brilliant people and see how mess they are dealing with) its still too far from us at finding God. rather than wasting time making effort for that, i just prefer doing something more "practical" like my "crappy dual tracking PSU". finding God is pretty much "impractical" (and practicality is what science all about, not something impractical) from my POV (guided by the book), since if ever i reach that ultimatum, i'm a God myself since i can outrun the said "God". its a paradox that i'm not going delve into, and certainly we are not God since we cant cure our own disease, not instantly. if you people think you can find or prove/disprove of who's god or no god, you can make my day and start a "Crusade Mission" to find God, i'll be here with my smokin' solder gun! guided by the "book" and "internet/forum" :P

science is a "concept" that people accepted. so why is it hard to admit God is a "concept"? a concept that some people believe? a concept that is very very hard to prove or disprove? what we only can do about it is to believe it or not? simple! but i know why this type of discussion exist. thats because organized religious, persecution, war resulting human violation and suffering. and hear this from me, "thats not religious", nothing to do with religion, just "human imperfection" and "lust", regardless what "so called" religion he is in. the devil inside. that makes us think religion is the culprit... ignorance! if you hate cathedral, go fight it, if you hate millitant, go fight it, but dont talk its "religion" religion is broad, christian.. islam etc... why fingerpointing at the citizen where the culprit is the goverment?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 31, 2012, 08:23:45 am
the sticker indeed did come from god Thats truth
infact its truth biblical 'logic' sense as mach as its fantastical improbable and imposable to verify so it must be true ;)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 08:45:51 am
the sticker indeed did come from god Thats truth
infact its truth biblical 'logic' sense as mach as its fantastical improbable and imposable to verify so it must be true ;)
LOLz and where did you get that from? in a thousand years nobody ever dare claiming of making a holy book, whether written by a man, or by "another God" of the same quality, generality, and "diversifity" as the existing ones, which talk about science, moral, phycologhy up to the "world of soul/mystic/higher dimension" that is so correct and flawless, if the existing one is flawed (as many people mentioned and other "believed" from what other people said). take quran, or both with bible, twist it! condemned it! and make your own book, or combination from all of you effort. make one book that you claim is so complete and correct basing on whatever "concept" you are capable of. i'll order a copy ;) and thats a challenge from God himself, from quran.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 31, 2012, 09:01:39 am
science is a "concept" that people accepted. so why is it hard to admit God is a "concept"? a concept that some people believe?

It's not hard, god is a perfectly valid concept to have. No problem there.
Shame about the evidence for it being zilch.

Quote
a concept that is very very hard to prove or disprove?

True, but it is trivially easy to disprove the claims in any of the holy book.
In fact they do a great job on their own, of not only being mutually exclusive, but full of contradiction and things which are absolutely provable to be untrue.
And as has been explained before, the odds of there being a god or not are not the same. Because the more we learn about science and the world, the more unlikely any god seems. Yet no new knowledge or new research or new science shows the the slightest evidence the other way for the existence of god. None. Zilch.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on May 31, 2012, 09:08:41 am
Mechatrommer, scientists are not looking for god. It's a common misconception that science exists for the sole purpose of proving or disproving god's existence. The concept of god doesn't even enter the picture when it comes to credible research. In a nutshell, scientists are reverse engineering the universe and document their process along the way. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. It's only when individuals feel uncomfortable with the scientists' findings, religious people attempt to drag god into domain of science. Please don't.

And yes, god is a concept. However, this concept not accepted by some members of our community because it does not stand up to scrutiny. Scientific concepts are accepted because it works. Simple as that.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 31, 2012, 10:04:12 am
And therein lies the problem with the "god of the gaps" fallacy. If you attribute to the supernatural all the things that are not understood, then any attempt to understand and explain them, can (and will) be seen as a challenge.

Science is all about trying to understand how things work, so it's bound to be *seen* to be in conflict with those kinds of people.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on May 31, 2012, 10:18:09 am
And therein lies the problem with the "god of the gaps" fallacy. If you attribute to the supernatural all the things that are not understood, then any attempt to understand and explain them, can (and will) be seen as a challenge.

And you end up with egg on your face every time science turns up the solution and the religion have to either
1) Deny, deny, deny! (only works for so long until you look like a crackpot and so are forced into #2)
2) Admit that you were wrong. And of course put a sin on it to show that a-ha we are learning more about god and his creation! (e.g. Pope JP II admitting that evolution is fact)
The cycle has been happening for many hundreds of years now, and won't stop.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 12:16:52 pm
Quote
author=dave]True, but it is trivially easy to disprove the claims in any of the holy book.
In fact they do a great job on their own, of not only being mutually exclusive, but full of contradiction and things which are absolutely provable to be untrue.
i hope you are not talking about islam. thats entirely different from christians. it was from the same root (god) but... was.

Quote
And as has been explained before, the odds of there being a god or not are not the same. Because the more we learn about science and the world, the more unlikely any god seems
link again? (i'm sure i've missed it) or simply conclusion from the writing why the odd is not the same?...

Quote
scientists are not looking for god
exactly my point! except some "other" community would like to take it too far...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 31, 2012, 12:42:39 pm
Quote
author=dave]True, but it is trivially easy to disprove the claims in any of the holy book.
In fact they do a great job on their own, of not only being mutually exclusive, but full of contradiction and things which are absolutely provable to be untrue.
i hope you are not talking about islam. thats entirely different from christians. it was from the same root (god) but... was.

Largely the same book, too...

Just for clarity, are you saying that your own "holy book" (the Qur'an, I assume) is not full of contradictions, or things which are provably untrue?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on May 31, 2012, 02:09:56 pm
@EEVBlog

Dave, forum owner or not, please, don't modify my posts for your own agenda, thanks mate.

Lol, what's going on there I wonder, my quote is wrong too.

Dave, did you edit the wrong post by accident?!  ???
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Sionyn on May 31, 2012, 02:35:31 pm
thank fully Australia has ban this guy not so in uk

he what the Australasians coined a electronic immigrant Peter Popoff

An Exciting Supernatural Opportunity! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYwLGYVrUn4#ws)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 03:52:05 pm
Quote
Largely the same book, too...
you seemed to have studied the both book (bible or quran)?. its true some contents are the same (didnt i say they was from the same source?), but some are different (since i believe the new tastement is not well "authenticated" and influenced by "organized church") due to "not so well" documentation/authentication technique during the time. earlier post, i have a link of the study made by a "witnessing" doctor french iirc (who i believe went round the globe) to show the differences and similarities. can you show yours?

Quote
Just for clarity, are you saying that your own "holy book" (the Qur'an, I assume) is not full of contradictions, or things which are provably untrue?
of course yes. if not, why do i picked my side? and choosed to believe? hit me and hit me dont be afraid, question quran! if i cannot answer, i'll go and find "ulama" to explain that, i wont mind if they have to chop my head for questioning that. but only question if you have "so called" concrete evidence with "facts" "scientifical facts" (link), otherwise we are all just a bunch of another banana-man. and only question within our realm, dont talk about something invisible that cannot be proven or unproven (like where is god? or heaven or angel or satan? but no! santa doesnt exist!) i asked Dave to present his fact, none! (i believe He's the one who's responsible for this, since this thread just came out of nothing! :P) except iirc that "universe from nothing" book which must be paid (i cant justify why should i pay, maybe its just speculation inside (unproven science), the same with banana man? i dont have time for that). now most blame i can see goes to christians/bible/church. go create "christians thread" i will not interfere, but not "religion thread", religion are many which one are you talking about? all the same? NO! they are not "fully" the same. we pray differently, we dont drink alcohol, we dont eat pig/ham (and that example are what you can see, i dont like to give example differences of what you cant see, eg. spiritual, god is one not three etc you would'nt believe anyway). i believe if someone say they are all the same, he is just an ignorant clueless, because i clearly see the differences (in most aspects), but they/you cant.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 04:20:46 pm
Quote
It's only when individuals feel uncomfortable with the scientists' findings, religious people attempt to drag god into domain of science. Please don't.
Quote
Science is all about trying to understand how things work, so it's bound to be *seen* to be in conflict with those kinds of people.
there again. religion. is that include islam? afaik, islam is in peace/harmony with science. i never heard any major events quarelling between science and islam (even minor one, except perharps with "speculative/unproven" science), have you? are you talking religion? or christian? or islam?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 31, 2012, 04:44:45 pm
So it's true, except when it isn't, and needs a person to "interpret" it...

Because much like the Bible, the Qur'an is pretty much full of stuff that *people* thought was true in the distant past, but has since been thoroughly proven wrong.

Here are a few things that spring to mind, for which the evidence is trivially available:

The Earth is flat
The moon and the sun orbit the Earth, which is the center of the universe
The moon produces light.
Humans procreate by the man expelling a fluid from somewhere inside his chest/abdomen.
Bees eat fruit.

And some contradictions:

How long did it take to create the universe? 6 days. Or maybe 8.
It's ok for people to believe whatever they want. Except that it isn't - people that don't believe need to be killed.
Allah is merciful, and forgives all sins. Apart from the ones he doesn't.

Here's the thing. I'm sure you have some way of "intepreting" that stuff to mean something completely different, which doesn't so obviously contradict reality (or itself). But to me, if you need to go to such lengths to reintepret a book every time some new fact comes to life, and indeed if it takes particularly well practiced religious leaders to do so on your behalf, then not only does the book seem pretty worthless to me (you can't really believe *anything* it says, because it might mean the exact opposite!), but you're not really even following the book. You're just following some people.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 31, 2012, 04:57:27 pm
Quote
It's only when individuals feel uncomfortable with the scientists' findings, religious people attempt to drag god into domain of science. Please don't.
Quote
Science is all about trying to understand how things work, so it's bound to be *seen* to be in conflict with those kinds of people.
there again. religion. is that include islam? afaik, islam is in peace/harmony with science. i never heard any major events quarelling between science and islam (even minor one, except perharps with "speculative/unproven" science), have you? are you talking religion? or christian? or islam?

You've just stuck together fragments from two different posts, from two different people, effectively creating another strawman by painting either or both arguments as something they weren't.

In the case of my post, I didn't mention "religion" - I quite specifically referred to any people falling foul of the "god of the gaps" fallacy.

But if Islam is so accepting of science, why is there such a low % of people in muslim societies accepting (for example) evolution? It's all very well teaching a scientific view (as is supposedly supported by the Islamic leaders), but if you also teach that the Quran contradicts the science, and that the Quran is *never* wrong, then it's pretty clear that's not exactly harmonious.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on May 31, 2012, 05:44:30 pm
Ah, my fellow people of any religion or any religious denomination...

I have gone to great lengths of writing various pieces to explain that religions are mental prisons, being created to control people.

Tell me, please, what do you know about the term "Social Engineering"? Please, no references to the controlled, non-encyclopedia "Wikipedia" for such sensitive matters! I would understand it perfectly if you told me that you have no idea of what I am talking about, since neither anyone of you nor me have ever been taught what Social Engineering is.

Please enjoy a rare piece of work on the Social Engineering subject matter, which happens to be one of my most favorite essays I have published (http://churchofnobody.blogspot.com/2010/11/coffee-rules-falsity-as-totality-big.html?showComment=1290460549019#c7329812114988449994) under the screen name "A Hellene" at the personal blog of a very perceptive individual:


________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on May 31, 2012, 07:23:29 pm
I think that this link will illustrate the stupidity of some aspects of religion, So all you devil worshipers out there and that means all of you according to this, read for your self.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/nov/15/3 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/nov/15/3)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 09:16:30 pm
Quote
So it's true, except when it isn't, and needs a person to "interpret" it...
because its more complex than you can imagine. even to myself. its a complete set of rule and "vast". a quran alone will not stand by itself (how could it? its only a two inches book, generalizing everythings). we based on two "STRONG" things.... "quran" and "sunnah". they work together complimenting each other. "sunnah" is the vast one and very well elaborated and detailed (and not in contradiction with generalization of al-quran), not a single book! a single book of quran alone i have not completely read. you can pinpoint, i can search where, you ask me to explain everything, i cant... even with my current knowledge alone (incomplete), a forum will not "cut it".

"sunnah" is what prophet did, and say and advice (exemplify), prophet is the best man (not best in term of intellectual or beauty of dressing etc modern thinking... but some other aspect like moral, justice and judgement), the choosen one with purest soul. God will directly guide him in form of "idea in his mind" or archangel gabriel and corrected him in case he did wrong (nobody perfect, but he's the best we have, prophet is just like us human). his sunnah are recorded from his close relatives and friends, passed down to us and writing with very stringent "historical checking". we have "strong "sunnah and "weak" sunnah. strong sunnah.. to simplify it... you heard it from one man in USA, and then you go to africa, you heard the exact word from another unknown man, and you go to the other side of the world, you heard it again from another man. the exact same word by word, with and including the historical downline (not sure whats called in english) meaning, let say you know a word from prophet, you say it, and you "must" be able to say who told you that? and you must be able to say who told him, and who told the earlier person until the person who get the word directly from prophet muhamad. if all of those men saying are in "check", it is a "strong" sunnah (or other word "hadith").... ARE YOU STILL WITH ME? need more? or sleepy? :D

Quote
The Earth is flat
The moon and the sun orbit the Earth, which is the center of the universe
The moon produces light.
Humans procreate by the man expelling a fluid from somewhere inside his chest/abdomen.
Bees eat fruit.
quoting like this is not quite appropriate. its better if you can pinpoint which verses that is in flawed, or link to the argument. you can find a copy of the book locally, free website as mentioned... www.quran.com (http://www.quran.com) or find the nearest mosque (if you have any), and ask guardian there for a copy, they probably will give you for free. and remember, arabic is not as simple as english or my language. one word can be two meaning or very hardly described in simple "one word" or no accurate meaning in our word. the best quran translation is with "elaborated footnotes".

let me briefly pinpoint the misconception, whether you really misconcept from reading it (quran), or you heard it from someone else and solely believing it.
Quote
The Earth is flat
havent you seen flat surface? what is flat by your definition? flat to infinitum? or flat at certain region, or "practically" flat? scientists define flat as different thing, engineers define it as different thing. so if in quran say earth is round, people can always argue, no! i see a flat "land"! so? semantics problem? http://quran.com/79/30 (http://quran.com/79/30)

And after that He spread the earth.
it says spread! not flat! here's another forum...
http://forums.understanding-islam.com/showthread.php?6154-Does-the-Quran-say-the-earth-is-flat (http://forums.understanding-islam.com/showthread.php?6154-Does-the-Quran-say-the-earth-is-flat)

Quote
The moon and the sun orbit the Earth, which is the center of the universe
please quote from quran of where specifically it mentioned... "earth is the centre". its a wrong deductive misinterpretation. its only mentioned sun and moon (and all) have their orbit, but not earth is the centre (or i havent read (and remember) all, i believe it isnt there. if you did, pinpoint the verse). so its like saying. "you have two eyes", "i have two eyes". so the wrong "deduction" is, "i have the same religion as yours" or "spider also has two eyes".

http://quran.com/21/33 (http://quran.com/21/33)
And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming.
its a bit funny if you imagine the planet swim just like how human swim. banana-man type will surely call this bollock. planet swims not like us swim, monkey or dolphin talk/communicate among them is not the same as we talk/communicate to each other. "swimming" its the closest interpretetion i believe from that arabic but i think not very accurate of what we understand as "swim", i have different translation...

It is He Who created the Night and the Day, and the sun and the moon: all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course.
go learn literacy, the semaphores, the analogy and that linguistic things, and if you can arabic (not me :P) and for a moment, put away your "analytical and banana-type thinking" in the drawer, embrace a broader mind and point of view and the beauty of the "words". which is most engineers lacking ;)

http://quran.com/36/38 (http://quran.com/36/38)
And the sun runs [on course] toward its stopping point. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.
is it means sun revolves around the earth? where? no! it says sun revolves around "milky way" ;) nitpick "stopping points?" who knows? supernovea? others translated as "within its courses", but not "around the earth"

Quote
The moon produces light
http://quran.com/71/16 (http://quran.com/71/16)
in arabic there's two word meaning differently. the "light source" (siraj), and "light" (noor), but not the source... as of way of saying to differentiate between the sun (siraj) and the light it produces (that reaches our eyes). when we say... speed of light... is it speed of sun? or speed of a bulb? moon becomes "noor" or light or bright, but not produce light... and then we have a light in the dark night. our land become bright light due to moon's reflection or sun in the day. does it mean our land is "sun"? or producing light? no. but its light, the color is "light" not "dark". but the color is not the sun.
http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Science/moonlight_wc.html (http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Science/moonlight_wc.html)

http://quran.com/10/05 (http://quran.com/10/05)
It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allah has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know -  i think, its the corrected interpretation. here's another that i think may be misinterpreted by the closed minded. again dont really nitpicking (its just "the not so acccurate or can be misinterpreted" translation from original language)

It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out stages for her; that ye might know the number of years and the count (of time). Nowise did Allah create this but in truth and righteousness. (Thus) doth He explain His Signs in detail, for those who understand. [/quote]

http://www.islamiska.org/e/Astro.htm (http://www.islamiska.org/e/Astro.htm)
http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Science/moonlight_wc.html (http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Science/moonlight_wc.html)

Quote
Humans procreate by the man expelling a fluid from somewhere inside his chest/abdomen.
i cant recall the sperm is secreted from abdomen/chest (how stupid the writer if he really meant that) specifically mentioned in the quran. at most i only read thing like this... http://quran.com/77/20 (http://quran.com/77/20) or http://quran.com/32/08 (http://quran.com/32/08) or http://quran.com/16/04 (http://quran.com/16/04)
Did We not create you from a liquid disdained?(or despised)

Quote
Bees eat fruit.
you are refering to this http://quran.com/16/68 (http://quran.com/16/68) and this http://quran.com/16/69 (http://quran.com/16/69) ... so this...
http://www.beesource.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-246182.html (http://www.beesource.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-246182.html) bees eat peaches...
http://tangledwing.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/bee-on-fruit-wallpaper-huge-corporate-companies-buying-solar/ (http://tangledwing.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/bee-on-fruit-wallpaper-huge-corporate-companies-buying-solar/)
http://allpoetry.com/column/7557515-Do_Bees_Eat_Fruit__-by-Mordegast (http://allpoetry.com/column/7557515-Do_Bees_Eat_Fruit__-by-Mordegast)
http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/showthread.php?t=1274 (http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/showthread.php?t=1274)
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?40876-Can-someone-please-explain-Quran-16-69-to-me-regarding-Bees-eating-fruits (http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?40876-Can-someone-please-explain-Quran-16-69-to-me-regarding-Bees-eating-fruits)

who said bees dont eat fruits... or is it should be "your fruit?", please work out the ratio of mass between human:apple and bee:pollen, maybe a bit off. but bee's fruit is not your fruit ;) semantics
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_shNfb4kWu0g/RwhmtIFyCpI/AAAAAAAAAVs/D_CgAESUnSA/s1600/Grape%2BEating%2BBee.jpg)
talking about an illiterate man (not able to read) 1000++ years ago play around with semantics? and fools us/me?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 09:25:15 pm
Quote
people in muslim societies accepting (for example) evolution?
is that means we evolute from a stone? or anything hydrogen? because anything with dna , the simplest one must came from something. what else if not stone or hydrogen? i'm not well verse in evolution theory, pls provide link how its derived. all i understand its a "speculative" or "probabilistic" type of science, loosely concrete. sorry if i misinterprete you in earlier post... semantics! :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on May 31, 2012, 10:19:38 pm
So... as I expected, you can argue the points I raised only by interpreting the text in a particular way.

Here's the problem I have with that.  You're only able to extract the 'truth' from the text, when the truth is known in advance. If you had *only* the book, and nothing else, you would not reach these conclusions. You would likely imagine a flat world, pinned down by mountains, with the sun and the moon revolving around it, etc. You would imagine that salt and fresh water *literally* do not mix. You would perhaps imagine a thing called a bee which eats fruit. It would be pretty far removed from reality.

The books meaning has been made to fit the evidence. On its own, the picture it paints of the world is not the picture one would expect if it were divinely inspired. It is, however, exactly the kind of thing you'd expect if the book was simply made up by a human who lived in times where these things were not well understood.

As to evolution:

I am no biologist, so perhaps not best placed to discuss the subject... However, I'll give it a shot.

Firstly, evolution is not an answer to "How did life begin?". That would be the topic of 'abiogenesis', and you would be right if you suggest that science currently does not have a sure answer. It does, however, have several probable and viable answers, which do not require the intervention of any supernatural force. With only inert chemicals and physical processes, it is possible for organic chemicals to be produced, and for those to form in ways which allow simple reproduction to occur. From that, life can indeed evolve.

Evolution itself is the explanation of how life went from the most simplistic form (some kind of clump of organic chemicals) to the incredibly diverse and complex forms we see today. Like us. Evolution is well proven as a scientific theory. It is not in any way considered to be 'speculation'. As with anything in science, if evidence were to contradict it, it would need to change, but otherwise it is as near to a certainty as you will find. There is a mountain of evidence, experimental results, etc.


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 10:37:37 pm
theory of evolution from internet... i picked what i like! :P

http://www.conservapedia.com/Evolution (http://www.conservapedia.com/Evolution)
"the evolutionary position which employs methodological naturalism have been atheists" - religion based science!

"2005 poll by the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Social and Religious Research found that 60% of American medical doctors reject Darwinism" - 7 years back, still arguing? well established? i dont think so!

"The fossil record is often used as evidence in the creation versus evolution controversy. The fossil record does not support the theory of evolution and is one of the flaws in the theory of evolution" - flawed? from proven fossils? darwinian bollock?

"In a letter to Asa Gray, Darwin confided: "...I am quite conscious that my speculations run quite beyond the bounds of true science" - speculations! talking about wrong foundation here?!

"Darwin wrote in his private notebooks that he was a materialist, which is a type of atheist" - an absolute "religious science?"

15 questions...
http://creation.com/15-questions (http://creation.com/15-questions)
flawed! wrong! baseless?!

another... http://www.darwins-theory-of-evolution.com/ (http://www.darwins-theory-of-evolution.com/)
i can spot few flaws... why dont we maintain fur? fur is good, no need clothing, like apes be happy?!
irreducibly complex? why hair is left? is it irreducibly complex? we dead without it? i prefer fur! why naturalism deselect fur?! and foot that can grip tree branches? thats advantageous?! like "X-Men first class"!

"Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a theory in crisis"
yet most people claimed its well accepted and established? they call it "science"! how wonderful human mind is (speculating), i wonder why word such as "brainfart" exist?!
its like people have been brainwashed that Ic = hFe.Ib
http://amasci.com/amateur/transis2.html (http://amasci.com/amateur/transis2.html)
they've lost their way of their origin.

its questionable!... darwin vs religion = questionable vs questionable, pick your side! one is written by man, and one is claimed from "God"
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 10:51:50 pm
Quote
Here's the problem I have with that.  You're only able to extract the 'truth' from the text, when the truth is known in advance. If you had *only* the book, and nothing else, you would not reach these conclusions. You would likely imagine a flat world
yes! its a human mind limitation! there are much more thats peculiar in the book, something we've not discovered. and of course! we can speculate anything from it! my question is... who's the poet who made up this "so called nonsense"? so beautifully crafted that until so far (1000+ years) the modern human are unable to concretely prove wrong? who's the poet who said that "bees eat fruit", where did he get bees eat fruit? where everybody saw bees eat pollen flower? a lunatic? or genius? why mohamad didnt simply put it "bees eat pollen flower?" thats more understandable and less arguable isnt it? but why God choosed "fruit"? i dont know! ::) its my limitation to explain such "nonsense"

Quote
evolution is not an answer to "How did life begin?".
and why atheists are basing on it to say god doesnt exist?

Quote
It does, however, have several probable and viable answers, which do not require the intervention of any supernatural force
where? how?

Quote
Evolution is well proven as a scientific theory
i read it otherwise

Quote
It is not in any way considered to be 'speculation'
the founder himself admitted it! and whats with the "followers"?

Quote
There is a mountain of evidence, experimental results
and failures and politics and religion (atheism) along the way. i read it otherwise... fossil proofs above.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on May 31, 2012, 11:36:41 pm
ok (cooling down a bit :P) maybe evolution is right in some sense and up to some level. like skin color, people at cooler place got white color, people in hot place got darker color, its mutating, so evolution is somehow... "science" and "science" is somehow "right". but there's all to it, it doesnt explain god it doesnt explain origin, its just another science, observable one. but as i said. some community would like to take it too far.... the "followers", the "nonexistence fact" of God, where evolution theory got entirely nothing "a hoot" about it. ;) so thats my speculation on the harmonious between evolution and islam ;) (remember, i said ISLAM! not "religion"). the problem is when there's "organized atheism" (or organized "anything" for that matter), and thats not harmonious. ::)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 01, 2012, 12:07:27 am
(http://i.imgur.com/ve6a5.png)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on June 01, 2012, 12:46:53 am
Quote
It's only when individuals feel uncomfortable with the scientists' findings, religious people attempt to drag god into domain of science. Please don't.
Quote
Science is all about trying to understand how things work, so it's bound to be *seen* to be in conflict with those kinds of people.
there again. religion. is that include islam?
My comments included every religion and organisations that believed in a deity, or a supernatural concept of some sort. What made you think that islam was exempted and gotten a special treatment?

Quote
afaik, islam is in peace/harmony with science. i never heard any major events quarelling between science and islam (even minor one, except perharps with "speculative/unproven" science), have you? are you talking religion? or christian? or islam?
Not in my experience. I've talked to members of the islamic faith and they held very similar views on science as some of the christian creationists did. I think the difference here is that islam is not as vocal compared to christians in the public arena. 

The closest religion I can think of that is in actual harmony with other faiths AND science is Buddhism.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 01, 2012, 01:21:43 am
10,000+ views, all to foolishly debate (and mostly try and "prove" with earthly knowledge and wisdom) how someone who most of you say doesn't exist, doesn't exist? Amazing. If I created a thread saying that six legged flourescent rhinos existed, it would be chuckled at and barely receive attention.
You have just equated two opposites, while at the same time totally misunderstanding the argument put before you.
Quote
10,000+ thread views speaks for itself, no further debate is necessary; you voted with your feet, like it or not. If God didn't exist, you wouldn't argue to the contrary, not one bit of it.
It is the fact that people like you genuinely believe in fairytales that brings people, along with the fact that allowances are given to religion where they are not due - this is no indication that God exists, and does not speak for itself to that end.
Quote
Love you guys, just be peaceful and consider this: The truth of life, existence and spirituality didn't start with your personal experiences, nor will they end there.
More rhetoric. Show me the evidence!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 01, 2012, 01:58:28 am
ok (cooling down a bit :P) maybe evolution is right in some sense and up to some level. like skin color, people at cooler place got white color, people in hot place got darker color, its mutating, so evolution is somehow... "science" and "science" is somehow "right". but there's all to it, it doesnt explain god it doesnt explain origin, its just another science, observable one. but as i said. some community would like to take it too far.... the "followers", the "nonexistence fact" of God, where evolution theory got entirely nothing "a hoot" about it. ;) so thats my speculation on the harmonious between evolution and islam ;) (remember, i said ISLAM! not "religion"). the problem is when there's "organized atheism" (or organized "anything" for that matter), and thats not harmonious. ::)

Years ago I was at Catholic School and one of the students asked. Where does god come from? Who is his father?

There of course was no answer.

For as long as humans have been able to think for themselves, they've been asking the same questions. Why am I here?, What is the meaning of life?, Whats the point, whats next? Those are perfectly rational questions that religion attempts to provide a solution for, and for which science has no answer for. Whether its the big bang theory or god, no-one has an answer to what came before, or what comes after. Religious persons have no answer for where god comes from. If a religious person claims that god has always existed, it is no more valid than a Atheist claiming that the universe has always existed.

The atheist will always reject the religious contention because there is no proof. Faith is not proof, its a psychological condition. Faith provides people with the comfort that their existence is meaningful. And many people need that, regardless of reality. But the reality may simply be that everyones existence is meaningless, and when you die the worms will eat you and then you will become worm poo. The big difference is that religious persons have determined to themselves that the answer to the questions of life are best answered by assuming there is an intelligent designer. Science points out that while it does not have the answer, there is no evidence of an intelligent designer and therefore the most logical assumption is either to assume god does not exist or to reserve judgement. Conjuring up a deity to explain lifes mysteries is not the answer.

Given the present evidence, it is likely that we will all become worm poo.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 01, 2012, 02:08:56 am
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Translation:
Faith is the substance of things hoped for: Faith is NOT the substance of real, evident things.
Faith is the evidence of things not seen: Evidence, by definition, is exactly the opposite of "things not seen."

Believers, please note that I quoted scripture above (Heb.11:1).
Pleased to meet you! Hope you guessed my name!  :P


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on June 01, 2012, 03:18:36 am
It gets tricky when you try to translate from an ancient language to a modern language.

I posted on the same passage a while back, where the translators chose different English words (#465):

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg114394/#msg114394 (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg114394/#msg114394)

There, the translators chose this rendering:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

It might be hard to know what sense of the words the writer originally intended. We can see from the difficulty understanding Shakespeare's language that meanings change over time. A modern reader looking at Shakespeare with modern word definitions would get quite the wrong sense of many passages. And that is only a few hundred years ago.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 01, 2012, 04:16:29 am
10,000+ views, all to foolishly debate (and mostly try and "prove" with earthly knowledge and wisdom) how someone who most of you say doesn't exist, doesn't exist? Amazing. If I created a thread saying that six legged flourescent rhinos existed, it would be chuckled at and barely receive attention.

10,000+ thread views speaks for itself, no further debate is necessary; you voted with your feet, like it or not. If God didn't exist, you wouldn't argue to the contrary, not one bit of it.

Love you guys, just be peaceful and consider this: The truth of life, existence and spirituality didn't start with your personal experiences, nor will they end there.

The god/no god debate is a perfectly logical debate for any human to have. It shows that Atheists and others have given considerable thought to it. The questions raised affect everyone.

I think its worth remembering that the Atheist position is one that people have arrived at usually in their adult life by considering all the alternatives and most likely scenarios. This is quite different to the religious position whereby most religious people are conditioned from a young age to believe, ie have faith. Its reasonable to suspect that if religion was only taught to educated adults the uptake would be somewhat less. I personally believe that few people who claim to have faith have fully considered and examined the possibility that their is no god or that their existence is somewhat meaningless. It mostly looks like conditioned responses to me.

To win any debate you must bring a logical argument. I could come in here and present a philosophical position as a solipsist. That would mean I declare that this is all a bad dream, that I don't exist, these thoughts are imaginary, you are imaginary, the forum doesn't exist, there is no god for nothing exists, and hence no need for Atheism. Its a circular argument that most philosophers left behind because its neither provable or unprovable, and doesn't progress.

When you come in and present that god is omnipresent, that signs of god are everywhere and that the reason we've all missed it is because we haven't received the gift of faith, thats a similar circular argument. Its neither provable or unprovable and avoids having to present a logical argument.

I personally think that a logical argument can be made, but it needs to be based on a discussion of why god is a logical entity. You don't need to prove anything but you need to show why its logical that god could exist. It need not be the most likely scenario, but it must be plausable. I think the intelligent designer community tackled it to some extent (they attempted to explain that its improbable that things turned out the way they have by accident) but I think they usually destroy themselves by declaring that the earth was created on a particular date.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 01, 2012, 06:22:21 am
It might be hard to know what sense of the words the writer originally intended.

Indeed. And yet countless people take this as the infallible word of god  ::)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 01, 2012, 09:23:47 am
I started to read those "questions" about evolution, but then my brain started to protest at the sheer stupidity of it all, and theatened to leave through my left nostril if I didn't stop.

So I'm not going to provide an "answer" to each and every ridiculous point. Instead I'll cover them all with a few simple observations:

Firstly, it's all religious propaganda. It's not from mainstream religious groups, because they know better - mainstream religions do *not* question evolution. It's from a vocal minority of fundamentalist (with the emphasis on 'mental') groups who are *opposed* to science. If you're going to insist that your particular religion exists in "harmony" with science, you can't use the (confrontational) argument that science is wrong because your religion says it is, because that's anything but harmonious. To be honest I'm skeptical that any religion is really accepting of science because generally science will, without even trying, challenge fundamental parts of any supernatural mythology. But most are sensible enough to at least avoid the confrontation and instead use insidious tactics like this propaganda, using fringe groups to spread *lies* about science to undermine it, while the mainstream, public face of an organisation quitely sits by and reaps the benefits of the confusion.

Secondly, it's not in the least bit scientific. If you're going to refute science, you need to use science. If you just make some kind of philosophical argument, or an argument from authority, you prove nothing, other than that you do not understand science, or that you have rejected it. That's your prerogative, but don't expect science to care much, because the truth cares little for argument - evidence is evidence, and needs to be countered with *more* evidence, not an existential argument.

Thirdly, much of it is blatant straw-man arguing (again!) - it sets up a false version of what "evolution" is, and what it says, and then argues againt *that*. Evolution is quite specific in its claims, and those claims all hold. Arguing that it doesn't explain orbital dynamics, how transistors work, or predict next weeks lottery numbers, does not in any way reflect on *evolution*, which simply explains how lifes goes about getting from "A" to "B".

In short - show some evidence relating to evolution being wrong. Nothing you have posted shows any. You will not find it on a creationst website. I'd wager you won't find any anywhere, but if you want to look, I suggest digging up some fossils and trying to find one that doesn't fit in.

Oh, and those gaps in the fossil record? They're not a flaw - they're *expected*, completely contrary to what creationists like to claim. Transitions in evolution happen *fast*, but can be a very long time apart. We're talking periods of a few years, spread across *billions*. The odds of finding a fossil of a particular transitional species are very slim. Which isn't to say that either the species themselves, or their fossil record, does not exist. However I'm no paleontologist, you might want to find one if you're trying to find a flaw in the fossil record.

As for Darwin, he was indeed not as emphatic about the theory as we are today. There are several very good reasons for this. Firstly, it was new, and he had only his own evidence to go on. We've had a couple of hundred years to hammer on the theory and test it to destruction, so we now know that it's sound. Secondly, he was himself a deeply religious man. He actually set out looking to document the variety of life, and hoping to find evidence pointing to its creation. However he was also fortunately a scientist, and having observed many species came to the inescapable conclusion that evolution was responsible, and not a creator. It still took him a long time to publish "On the Origin of Species" while he wrestled with the questions this raised for him. But publish he did, because the evidence was too compelling not to, and others were also coming to the same conclusion.

The fact that Darwin himself wasn't complete sure does not matter, because his book is not a 'bible'. That part of evolution which is still based firmly on Darwin's theories stands only because the evidence continues to support it, and not because it is in any way 'sacred'. He was not a "founder" of anything, nor does he have "followers".

If any of the objections to evolution held any water, then the theory would have collapsed a long time ago, and Darwin would just be a footnote in history.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 01, 2012, 09:57:41 am
Quote
Did Muhammad Exist? Robert Spencer & David Wood vs. Anjem Choudary & Omar Bakri
can you prove darwin exist? or aristotle? in islam there's historical down/uplink that can be traced, dont ask me, go to mecca they have the record. haffiz'es (people who memorize quran) never extinct from the time of prophet, quran written down to paper form due to many haffizes dead during crusade war, but still not entirely extinct. so the khalifa (ruler) that day got an idea to write/gather it down on paper (single book) and distributed it among muslim countries so its not lost and copied to millions of what we see today, crusade war failed, islam did not self destruct, its just we stay low, not coward, because we are peaceful, war is not our main point. ulama came to our countries spreaded the truth, we become islamic country. then portugese struck with their "crusade war". we become dependent/non free country and then japanese war. and later treaty came, we got independent day 1957, but we become colonist and capitalist sad, we say we are islamic country but the rule and law is not fully islamic, we are controlled by "supernatural power", if we dont obey CNN will come up we have nuclear weapon, we are poor 3rd country how can we have nuclear, we bought 2nd or 3rd hand submarines that do not work, our government corrupts, or else food ration or oil will be cut from us, and we'll become palestine in our own country. and then i was born and become cynical and "analytical". i broke more toys during kid and got electric shock at 9. thats me, and thats history. i dont blame history, i am who i am, i have a choice i must made it before it too late :P

back on topic, these haffizes, they mutually work together (conference) and correct each other if even a single letter is mispelled by one haffiz, every known copy of holy books will be checked, any deviation (even if a single letter will be rejected/corrected/banned). "sunnah/hadith" have the same up/dowlink historical trace/proof, everything is well maintained by the ulama and sunnah wal jamaah (the committe of sunnah), every country who "not ban" muslim got "ulama comitte" to keep "update/in synch" new knowledge will be analyzed inducted/deducted from the generalization of existing rule. car wasnt exist during the day of prophet, so can we use car? they gather round and start deciding if car is ok or not, ok... no violation with existing quran/sunnah/rule, so ok we can use car. and yes we got differences to among countries. some country not suitable/practical doing this so its different from another country. detailed implementation can be different based on suitability of the specific place to place, but the source is quran and sunnah and those are fixed never changed. we dismissed or less weighing the "weak" sunnah because it loosely tracable. we give priority in "strong" sunnah when deciding new rule. rule that never established or exist during prophet. rule like car, jet, machine gun, fancy clothing, new kind of foods etc those never exist during the day.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 01, 2012, 10:39:24 am
Quote
My comments included every religion and organisations that believed in a deity, or a supernatural concept of some sort. What made you think that islam was exempted and gotten a special treatment?
if studied carefully, islam is different

Quote
Not in my experience. I've talked to members of the islamic faith and they held very similar views on science as some of the christian creationists did. I think the difference here is that islam is not as vocal compared to christians in the public arena.
because they dont know science. you go talk to fisherman about science, he smile and nod. you take his fishing rod, he will get angry and start to talk about sagitarius lying in seabed going to kill you. you give an illiterate a religion they will twist it, you give them science they will twist it. you give them anything beyond their comprehension, they'll do nasty thing. i'm different, i combine both science and religion, find the harmony and the borderline, i'm the special one a few in my community 8)

i have a neighboor, he's muslim and i tell you he's a stupid moron! i have many friends they are stupid moron when you question islam based on science. because they dont have a clue, they mind only know one side, so defend it to the death. in quran "if you want to conquer the world, you need knowledge. if you want to conquer the heaven, you need knowledge" so most muslim picked the later one... the knowledge to heaven (in holy book) so they start reading it and "blindly" believeing it. you talk different, they get angry. yes! i got scolded! but i understood, they dont know. i can say 99% of my people here reading quran in native language arabic, they dont know a thing what they are reading, they believe they will go to heaven reading that way (original language) they are blind! even if i told them, even the so called literate one, the bigger boss than i am.

do you know why engineers learnt many things than necessary in school? where in practical, only a tiny bit is used? (yeah new flamewar if you want to argue) because by having a broader knowledge (science and religion and engineering etc), you'll have better judgement, you will be better at inventing things, thats why you need to learn more than one thing... broader mind! knowledge! anything! thats whats mentioned in quran, not only a slice from it.

thats why you can see persecution in islamic community, because this blindness, halfbreeded knowledge. closed minded! its human things and nature, not god or whats written in the book. its been misinterpreted and half understood.

Quote
The closest religion I can think of that is in actual harmony with other faiths AND science is Buddhism.
its easily understandable the one created by "human idea". budhism is godlessness religion (see? didnt i mention religion doesnt have to have a god?), and it didnt mentioned in quran. so we dont believe budhism. i talked to buddhists, i have a few buddhists friends here, they admitted there is no god for them, only an idea from a "noble" human, "gautama buddha", but i respect them.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 01, 2012, 11:01:41 am
The fact that Darwin himself wasn't complete sure does not matter, because his book is not a 'bible'. That part of evolution which is still based firmly on Darwin's theories stands only because the evidence continues to support it, and not because it is in any way 'sacred'. He was not a "founder" of anything, nor does he have "followers".

Darwins's book hasn't been used in as an evolution text for a very very long time. Yet the creationists et.al seen to take it as the "evolutionary bible", and they do what religious people love to do - "pick and chose" paragraphs and try to interpret them to their own benefit.
It was simply the first (brilliant) pioneering work on the subject.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on June 01, 2012, 11:19:42 am
Indeed, Darwin's work is completely outdated compared to what we know about evolution today. The field of evolution has advanced so much, that practically no one here, particularly religious people, is in the position to dismiss any part of it. To professionally understand this field, you'd have to dedicate most of your lifetime to study it. It's bit like the burger boy attempting to debate with a surgeon about human anatomy. Truth is, we're all burger boys here, so we'd better listen to the pros. And the pros say evolution is a fact.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 01, 2012, 03:31:49 pm
Quote
Did Muhammad Exist? Robert Spencer & David Wood vs. Anjem Choudary & Omar Bakri
ok i only less than half way through (2KBps top todays raining). now he said, story can be forged, so he also can. show us the evidence, the methodology of the study. how he can collected saying of peoples, conquerers of the 6th-7th century? in his millions dollar book? give me the link if the book contains complete methodology and research on it. i know one book that was banned from our country.. "satanic versus" by salman rushd, give me the link of the study if its so rightfull, if its really a study? or simply just a babling mambling empty talk. how come the crusade war and islamic empire is so well documented? and then he came up with something different?

now he talked about the subjectiveness of how to make similar verses like quran. no its not, its simple... just make one complete rule or law that people can follow, thats perfect everybody happy, thats it!
and if you can (which is different law from islam), which you will cant, God said.

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The field of evolution has advanced so much, that practically no one here, particularly religious people, is in the position to dismiss any part of it
if it cant be flawed then why hide? if its so established, why hide? where? please expose the "truth" not hide it.

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It was simply the first (brilliant) pioneering work on the subject.
absolution yet you wont admit. i dont have to study all, i look at the foundation. the person who did the "brilliant" work himself not so sure. no followers? wrong! we are here! ;) ps: followers or "not followers" they are same, "dogmas". A will point to B to say he is wrong for that faith and belief, and vice versa. "it is wrong to have a faith in holybook and become fanatics" NO! you have to differentiate, there are two things there. one is to have a faith in the book. one is fanatics. the book got nothing to do with fanaticm, only human. fanaticm happened when you misinterpret and only take a slice from it, narrow minded and lust to have a "side" or "power". it actually common sense that alot of people missing out. you are human i am human, we meet each other we greet we make joke.. we are happy. if you hit me, i'm going to hate you and that is not good thats it! "respecting each other" thats common sense! that is what most esp "religious" people missing out.

Quote
Truth is, we're all burger boys here
correct! the problem is even the so called "surgeon" (highly religious knowledgable) wont know everything and prefer to condemn other people that contradict with what he know. esp worsen during the era of christianity where the church is in charge. at least thats what is told to me, the real truth is of course uncertain. to really prove those kind of things (history), you need to go round the globe, dig some serious soils and dechipher some symbols. thats not easy and that is not our speciality.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: david77 on June 01, 2012, 03:42:57 pm
@Mechatrommer:

I wouldn't waste too much time listening to what Anjem Choudary and Omar Bakri have to say. Just google them if you don't know who these people are.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 01, 2012, 04:16:19 pm
Oh, and those gaps in the fossil record? They're not a flaw - they're *expected*, completely contrary to what creationists like to claim. Transitions in evolution happen *fast*, but can be a very long time apart. We're talking periods of a few years, spread across *billions*. The odds of finding a fossil of a particular transitional species are very slim. Which isn't to say that either the species themselves, or their fossil record, does not exist. However I'm no paleontologist, you might want to find one if you're trying to find a flaw in the fossil record.

No question natural selection does occur but how you can know what should or did go in between fossil records?  That is guess work at a minimum and guess-timate at best.  Plenty of room for reasonable doubt as to what actually happened, thus weakening the importance of evolution as the main driver of life on Earth.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 01, 2012, 04:19:50 pm
As for Darwin, he was indeed not as emphatic about the theory as we are today. There are several very good reasons for this. Firstly, it was new, and he had only his own evidence to go on. We've had a couple of hundred years to hammer on the theory and test it to destruction, so we now know that it's sound. Secondly, he was himself a deeply religious man. He actually set out looking to document the variety of life, and hoping to find evidence pointing to its creation. However he was also fortunately a scientist, and having observed many species came to the inescapable conclusion that evolution was responsible, and not a creator. It still took him a long time to publish "On the Origin of Species" while he wrestled with the questions this raised for him. But publish he did, because the evidence was too compelling not to, and others were also coming to the same conclusion.

The fact that Darwin himself wasn't complete sure does not matter, because his book is not a 'bible'. That part of evolution which is still based firmly on Darwin's theories stands only because the evidence continues to support it, and not because it is in any way 'sacred'. He was not a "founder" of anything, nor does he have "followers".

If any of the objections to evolution held any water, then the theory would have collapsed a long time ago, and Darwin would just be a footnote in history.

To be fair though, scientist today that actually do work in the field are equally unsure.  Its the agenda driven atheists seem to be so sure.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 01, 2012, 04:39:25 pm
Shame about the evidence for it being zilch.

Yet no new knowledge or new research or new science shows the the slightest evidence the other way for the existence of god. None. Zilch.

Dave.

By what standard of proof did you base this zilch on?  For fairness, you have to say what threshold the evidence has to meet for your satisfaction.  Otherwise you leave the impression that your mind is already made up and not really interested in being persuaded or open to believing.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 01, 2012, 04:42:22 pm
Regarding the repeated claims of evolution *not* being established, proven theory, all I can say is:

[citation needed]
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 01, 2012, 04:55:10 pm
http://spencerwatch.com/about-robert-spencer/ (http://spencerwatch.com/about-robert-spencer/)
http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/05/do-muslims-want-to-reimpose-dhimmitude-or-live-as-equals/ (http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/05/do-muslims-want-to-reimpose-dhimmitude-or-live-as-equals/)
a "jihad watch" director and anti-muslim personal. now i get it. please get rid of this kind of person/video. he's not eligible in "scientific talk" (i thought he is a historian, but reality is only a joker). i dont want to see this kind of "gossip" going around and "brainwashing pointlessly" with "money" and "hatred" as objective for life. i'd rather see a page with "sexy artist" with story fucking another man "gossip". not that i'm afraid the truth, but please present a more proper person. i'm just wasting 24hours++ try to complete the download. stopping right now. i know his background now, i'm not even sure if his M.A. is authentic :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 01, 2012, 05:18:17 pm
Regarding the repeated claims of evolution *not* being established, proven theory, all I can say is:

[citation needed]

This does not matter.  It does not disprove God.  It may repudiate Genesis chapter one (the Creation story); but that just one chapter in a book of many books and chapters.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 01, 2012, 05:28:50 pm
It gets tricky when you try to translate from an ancient language to a modern language.

I posted on the same passage a while back, where the translators chose different English words (#465):
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg114394/#msg114394 (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg114394/#msg114394)
[...]
Ian, I am sorry I missed that post of yours...

Yet, the people of faith will literally adapt their way of living and thinking to these ancient and equivocal pieces of social engineering (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116436/#msg116436) directives...

What I was trying to provoke with my Rolling Stones' line of their song "Sympathy for the Devil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy_for_the_Devil)" is a reaction to that powerful and dreaded dogmatic word, called the "Satan."


So, let's have yet another look at some historical facts, not so widely advertised...

"Satan" is not exactly the Devil, as Christianity has established. Satan, actually, is a Hebrew term meaning "opponent; adversary; the one who plots against another" and it comes from the Classical Greek adjective satanios or setanios that means the adverse; the contrary; the drawn away one. Before the Christian Church associated Satan to their fictional entity called The Devil, the term "satan" was initially used by the ancient Jewish priesthood to accuse those who gave shelter to the Jewish subjects that started fleeing from Judea in the second century BCE because they could not pay their monstrous taxes to their priesthood (= their bankers, who lost a major portion of taxation due to migration). Please, search for the silver half-shekel of the sanctuary, a special coin and the only form of money Judeans could use to pay their taxes to their priesthood because it did not have any pagan inscriptions on it, and how their priesthood controlled that coin's value through its manipulated scarcity. Rings any bells?

Another little known fact is the distinction between the Hellenes and the Greeks. Since the third century BCE, Alexander the Great had conquered all the eastern Mediterranean countries, and established the Greek language, customs and civilisation. By the next century, Hellenes were called all the people who were speaking the Greek language, either were they natives of Hellas or Hellenised natives of the conquered countries, since the Hellenic language, customs and civilisation were spreading rapidly all over the eastern Mediterranean world like a wildfire in dry grass. It was then that the Judeans begun adapting the foreign language and customs, like wearing clothing that leaved uncovered almost their entire body or their latest terrible habit to wash naked in public or private baths despite their horrible religious doctrines, as reported in the Old Testament... Of course, their priesthood was scared to death with the imminent extinction of their ruling. It was then, the third century BCE, that the Jewish priesthood conceived their monstrous plan to translate their sacred books (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint), the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), into Greek by assigning this job to Jewish scholars, called, the 72 (or 70) Elders.

So, "Satans" were initially called the Ethnic Hellenes (not the Christianized ones but the native ones who were advocating free and rational thinking) who were giving shelter to the migrating Judeans, since what we call "Greeks" were the Christian converts of Hellenic descend, especially after the genocide of 19 million Hellenes (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112860/#msg112860) (out of a total population of 21 millions) that took place right after the fourth century CE by the "loving, humane and forgiving" Judeo-Christianity, which was a Jewish sect that was initially created by the Pharisees, using their high ranking member called Saul of Tarsus (or Paul the Apostle), to distort the ideas of Rabbi Joshua ben Josef (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112252/#msg112252) (aka, Excellent Joshua, son of Josef), that Essene who dared to stand against the Pharisees who finally got him crucified...

Of course, Christianity continued to use the term "Satans" for the Ethnic Hellenes, who were not able to be convinced to throw rationality out of the window, or to worship something so ugly and irrational, compared to their own spiritual heritage, or to mutilate their penises because they rightfully considered the Jewish legacy of circumcision (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg115322/#msg115322), this indelible marking of religious ownership, as a form of bodily mutilation and, hence, "barbaric."

By the way, as the term "Satan" means the adversary, the term "Devil" comes from the Latin Diabolus, coming from Greek Diabolos, meaning "accuser; slanderer; calumniator" from the verb diaballen, meaning "to slander."

As for me, I was raised an Otrhodox Christian; but I got better. :)


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 01, 2012, 05:30:03 pm
This does not matter.  It does not disprove God.

So how does one prove God?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 01, 2012, 05:39:55 pm
This does not matter.  It does not disprove God.

So how does one prove God?

Humans can't.  So, it seems faith in God is totally compatible with the science of evolution.  What a remarkable result!  :)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on June 01, 2012, 05:40:48 pm
if god created life .. and we can create life .. does that makes us gods too ?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 01, 2012, 05:52:08 pm
This does not matter.  It does not disprove God.

So how does one prove God?

Humans can't.  So, it seems faith in God is totally compatible with the science of evolution.  What a remarkable result!  :)

So we can't prove or disprove God.

Why then do people believe it?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 01, 2012, 06:01:55 pm
@a hellene: save yourself the story. that is only a "story", what we need is scientifical background or talk. not philosophical one, no matter how good.

now after looking at the comments from my own link. i think i get it now... i'm just wasting my time here... never a single one evidence condemning islam, ever come close to the so called... scientifical reasoning with concrete tangible or intangible evidence. they all just empty talk. if you look closely, there's footnotes in the link thats telling very long historical story with external references, thats how a scientifical/historical fact should be (its a story of turk and that young ottoman thing, go find if you are the truth, not bullshit talk like the "robert spencer" first he talked mohamad is blashemy dhimmitude etc and then later he claimed mohamad doenst exist, i dont have time for that hoot)

now hear this. if you want to believe a story then believe it. "it is easier to listen to soothing words from an illiterate rather than listening to things like "a threat from God", or "rule that must be obeyed". i will leave you people/friend with this... my uncle saying.... "get fooled by a fool"! (religious or not religious)

farewell. until i found more proper "up to the standard" scientifical and historical facts. or until i find another boring time to waste :P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 01, 2012, 07:12:01 pm
You speak of humility, yet you continually have the arrogance to assert that the evidence of God (whom you claim is true for all) should be apparent to everyone.

Does that not seem hypocritical?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on June 01, 2012, 07:41:15 pm
Truth convicts the heart.

Could you explain exactly what that is supposed to mean?

Your posts are full of such meaningless platitudes.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 01, 2012, 07:59:16 pm
Quote
in a thread which has attracted more than 10,500 views an 44 pages of discussion
duh why am i still here? i must have made the one biggest mistake in historical event by posting something in "flowcode" thread. i am sinful! slash me! to save me!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 01, 2012, 08:04:47 pm
I keep seeing references to atheists and/or scientists wanting to "prove" the non-existence of god.

And yet I haven't seen anyone here claim that they can or want to do any such thing.

I cannot prove the non-existence of god. It's not possible. I've never claimed otherwise, and I have no interest in trying. From my *personal* perspective, the total *lack* of positive evidence is enough for me *personally* to reject the supernatural. But that's just me.

Evolution says nothing of the existence of the supernatural. What it does tell us, is that no supernatural entity is required to give us the diversity of life on earth. That is only of concern to a religious person if their belief hinges on the requirement of a designer - such a person must choose between science and belief, because on that issue, the two are not compatible.

I don't care what you believe. But if you choose a belief *over* an established fact, do not expect me to *respect* that belief. It is entirely your right to believe that black is white or that up is down, but if you want to spout that view to me, expect to be asked to show your working, because I don't care for things that are not backed up by evidence.

So if you want to reconcile your beliefs with established science, knock yourself out. But you can't do it by *wishing* the science was different. Science does not care what you think, or what I think. It only cares what is provably true.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: TriodeTiger on June 01, 2012, 08:28:09 pm
Quote from: _Sin
So if you want to reconcile your beliefs with established science, knock yourself out. But you can't do it by *wishing* the science was different. Science does not care what you think, or what I think. It only cares what is provably true.

See? I can spot how an atheist writes about such things by the bitterness in their tone.

Your "established facts" are often wrong, change, and are built upon over time - are you saying everything currently is just as right as it was in the past? Nothing is wrong?

Try to explain why we are conscious with a bag of watery neurons, maybe God made us to be :)

I've seen many "scientists" whom are religious, if not Christian, then more sensible choices. They can't explain everything, they can only explain the little (very very little) things they are working on in the grand scheme of the universe.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on June 01, 2012, 08:30:16 pm
So we can't prove or disprove God.

Why then do people believe it?

Comfort.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 01, 2012, 08:53:27 pm
@a hellene: save yourself the story. that is only a "story", what we need is scientifical background or talk. not philosophical one, no matter how good.
Couldn't we also call "only a story" all the Talmud/Torah/Bible/Qur'an/Dharma/Brahmanas/etc. dogmatic books?

The difference with my "story" is that it is 100% rational and backed by evidence (like The Dead Sea Scrolls (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112252/#msg112252)), historical facts (like the Hellenization of the Eastern Mediterranean countries, the migration of the Judeans since the second century BCE and the translation of the Torah in Greek (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116749/#msg116749)) and the merit of rational Academic researchers (like Lily Zographou's Homer (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112434/#msg112434) and  Antignosis (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112252/#msg112252) with more than six pages of bibliography to support her research).

Not to mention that my "story" is not based on any magical entities or paranormal phenomena to justify the little unexplained details that might occur in the process...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 01, 2012, 08:54:53 pm
See? I can spot how an atheist writes about such things by the bitterness in their tone.

Your "established facts" are often wrong, change, and are built upon over time - are you saying everything currently is just as right as it was in the past? Nothing is wrong?

Bitterness? What *are* you on about?!

Anyway - *facts* do not change. Scientific theories change, as new facts are discovered. As they are refined, the result is almost certainly converging towards the truth, built on a sound foundation of evidence.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on June 01, 2012, 09:01:52 pm
I've seen many "scientists" whom are religious, if not Christian, then more sensible choices. They can't explain everything, they can only explain the little (very very little) things they are working on in the grand scheme of the universe.

I knew a girl who thought Elvis was still alive.  Does that make it true?

It has been noted many times in the news that among scientists there is a high incidence of non-belief.  See attached.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: rolycat on June 01, 2012, 09:02:37 pm
So many foolish comments have been attracted to this thread

It's astonishing how everyone who disagrees with you is automatically 'foolish'.

If you say God doesn't exist, your actions contradict your thoughts, as noone fights against someone or something that *truly* does not exist, SO SO aggressively, in a thread which has attracted more than 10,500 views an 44 pages of discussion.

Yet another statement presenting baseless supposition as truth.

God may or may not exist - probably not - but religious fervour certainly exists, and - despite sanctimonious protestations that 'God is love' - has demonstrably been the cause of so much hatred, bigotry, violence and enforced ignorance that those not still in its thrall have a moral duty to 'fight' it.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on June 01, 2012, 09:21:35 pm
There's also a correlation between poverty and religiosity.  And for good reason.  Because, when you're being shit on, you need to make some sense of it.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: azrimola on June 01, 2012, 09:28:22 pm
It really sucks to see this thread take 5 consecutive entries in the RSS feed. Go solder something.


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 01, 2012, 09:31:41 pm
if god created life .. and we can create life .. does that makes us gods too ?

Yes, but a God only to the created life.  Also, do note the difference between reproducing and creating life.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 01, 2012, 09:35:42 pm
This does not matter.  It does not disprove God.

So how does one prove God?

Humans can't.  So, it seems faith in God is totally compatible with the science of evolution.  What a remarkable result!  :)

So we can't prove or disprove God.

Why then do people believe it?

Faith, of course.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 01, 2012, 09:36:49 pm

Try to explain why we are conscious with a bag of watery neurons, maybe God made us to be :)


Hooray.. a small morsel of logic....

God is an explaination for consciousness. Is that the most likely scenario? or do we think that science will oneday be able to understand the mechanism that creates consciousness? Isaiah Berlin often claimed that in many ways we are conditioned and largely pre-determined.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/philosopherszone/a-conversation-with-isaiah-berlin/3141828 (http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/philosopherszone/a-conversation-with-isaiah-berlin/3141828)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 01, 2012, 09:43:13 pm
I cannot prove the non-existence of god. It's not possible. I've never claimed otherwise, and I have no interest in trying. From my *personal* perspective, the total *lack* of positive evidence is enough for me *personally* to reject the supernatural. But that's just me.

Do tell then, what kind of *reasonable positive evidence* are you looking for?  A burning bush?  Mana from heaven?  Pigs flying?  Hell freezing over?  LA Clippers winning the championship?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 01, 2012, 09:55:05 pm
See? I can spot how an atheist writes about such things by the bitterness in their tone.

Your "established facts" are often wrong, change, and are built upon over time - are you saying everything currently is just as right as it was in the past? Nothing is wrong?

Bitterness? What *are* you on about?!

Anyway - *facts* do not change. Scientific theories change, as new facts are discovered. As they are refined, the result is almost certainly converging towards the truth, built on a sound foundation of evidence.

He's talking about the air of "I know it all because science told me it" and the general sense of "shut up, God ISN'T real... HE ISN'T!" that I also sense, that's what he means. Bitterness is all over this thread, and yet you can't sense it? Okay.

If you think God isn't real, and you genuinely believe it, you'd never even ask for "evidence", as you'd be SO certain that the suggestion of his existance is utterly preposterous, that you'd smile and walk away. The fact that you ask for evidence, immediately shouts "God is real, I am just rejecting him" to me.

C'mon.

If no-one has proof or evidence you must use deduction. What is most likely to be real?. Do religious people really think Atheists want to become worm poo? And reject him for a hobby/spite? Atheists come to that conclusion not because they have evidence but because they think its the most likely scenario. They don't reject god because they want to. If you want to convince a Atheist that god exists, you must show why it is likely he does. You don't need evidence, you need an argument.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 01, 2012, 10:02:53 pm
"Lean not on thy own understanding".

Saying that death is the end of life, is like saying that the horizon is where the sea ends...

Why? do you have any reason to believe that?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on June 01, 2012, 10:06:20 pm
If you think God isn't real, and you genuinely believe it, you'd never even ask for "evidence", as you'd be SO certain that the suggestion of his existance is utterly preposterous, that you'd smile and walk away.

You are missing the psychological element. When you have a bunch of sincerely deluded people, it is fascinating to find out why they are so deeply deluded.

I pointed before to this page: http://aspokensilence.com/2011/08/02/discernment-judgment-the-spirit-of-god/ (http://aspokensilence.com/2011/08/02/discernment-judgment-the-spirit-of-god/)

You find there someone with a rational and reasonable approach to faith, someone who is deserving of respect. Simply because they correctly understand the role of the spiritual as an enriching element in life, not simply as a warm cuddly blanket. When it comes down to it the hard problems are there for humans to deal with, because God does not provide easy answers. If you think otherwise, you are doing it wrong.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 01, 2012, 10:19:27 pm
"Lean not on thy own understanding".

Saying that death is the end of life, is like saying that the horizon is where the sea ends...

Please, do not believe anything the god-dealers tell their gulible customers who are afraid to die.

Death, by definition, IS the end of life.

Now, horizon (or apparent horizon) is the apparent intersection of the earth and sky, as seen by an observer. It is the line at which the earth's surface and the sky appear to meet; the term horizon comes directly from the Greek "horizon (kyklos)" meaning "limiting (circle)," from the verb "horizein" that means to bound, limit, separate, divide.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 01, 2012, 10:30:24 pm
If you think God isn't real, and you genuinely believe it, you'd never even ask for "evidence", as you'd be SO certain that the suggestion of his existance is utterly preposterous, that you'd smile and walk away.

You are missing the psychological element. When you have a bunch of sincerely deluded people, it is fascinating to find out why they are so deeply deluded.


One of the reasons is because they are conditioned to understand its a grave sin to question ones faith. I still remember my horror as a 14 year old when during religious class I was told it was a Mortal sin to masturbate.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 01, 2012, 10:33:58 pm
"Lean not on thy own understanding".

Saying that death is the end of life, is like saying that the horizon is where the sea ends...

Please, do not believe anything the god-dealers tell their gulible customers who are afraid to die.

Death, by definition, IS the end of life.

Now, horizon (or apparent horizon) is the apparent intersection of the earth and sky, as seen by an observer. It is the line at which the earth's surface and the sky appear to meet; the term horizon comes directly from the Greek "horizon (kyklos)" meaning "limiting (circle)," from the verb "horizein" that means to bound, limit, separate, divide.


-George

I find it amusing, but also slightly bizarre, that you felt the need to explain what a horizon is... perhaps an act of distraction? There is nothing to fear in death, and I sincerely hope that you don't fear it, and if you do, that fear has no grounding.

Are you projecting, maybe? Do you think I fear death? Fear meeting my all gracious, loving daddy, spending all eternity in unimaginable bliss and his awesome presence? What is to fear? You couldn't be MORE wrong if you wanted to be :-)

I'm going to have to tell you, satan has deceived you well, and will continues to try to do so, if you allow him to.

Thanks.

You have a whole message at your disposal, consisted of more than 3 lines or 82 words or 491 characters.
And all you can do with this is to attack the messenger?

Is this the standard procedure, when dealing with anything that cannot be explained by the religion books?


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on June 01, 2012, 10:40:53 pm
Quote
in a thread which has attracted more than 10,500 views an 44 pages of discussion
duh why am i still here? i must have made the one biggest mistake in historical event by posting something in "flowcode" thread. i am sinful! slash me! to save me!

don;t worry all ios forgiven ( al long as you don't use flowcode anymore :) )

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on June 01, 2012, 10:41:59 pm
I knew a girl who thought Elvis was still alive.  Does that make it true?
of course. Elvis isn;t dead. He just went home. Havent you watched the MIB movies ? The hotsheets explained it all.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 01, 2012, 10:53:28 pm
If you think God isn't real, and you genuinely believe it, you'd never even ask for "evidence", as you'd be SO certain that the suggestion of his existance is utterly preposterous, that you'd smile and walk away.

You are missing the psychological element. When you have a bunch of sincerely deluded people, it is fascinating to find out why they are so deeply deluded.


One of the reasons is because they are conditioned to understand its a grave sin to question ones faith. I still remember my horror as a 14 year old when during religious class I was told it was a Mortal sin to masturbate.

Whoever told you it was "a sin" to question faith, was talking nonsense. If you don't question it, you become indoctrinated in religion; THAT is bad news, and unfruitful. Do you think I have never questioned my faith? I have stolen from people, lied, smoked weed, been to prison for theft, been arrested more times than I can count, and questioned God, even cursed his name, MANY times...

That's quite a naive thing to say, and wholly false. I have come to rest in God's arms at the end of a long, troubled period of my life, many many times. It's quite silly to assume those with faith are fools, and the rest of you are wise... and proves nothing whatsoever, except that you're classifying people based on your OWN understanding. God is real, if you don't believe me, that's fine and dandy; I'm not into forcing others to believe in God, as many of you seem to be in attempting to cause us offence, whilst subversively forcing us to "admit" you are right, or suffer insults.

It's all fine with me, I bear no grudges to you :)

Thats fine, I can only speak on my own Catholic experience. It most definitely is a sin to question faith, based on my understanding of the bible: Mark 3:28

Don't take offense but that has to be perhaps your most coherent post in this thread. If you have questioned your faith you should be able to come up with a coherent response to why you believe, which is the whole object of this thread. Simply saying god is real is not a response.

I could make the case for you: 1. God is likely to be real because although science explains what we can see, and the life around us it does not seem to explain why we are thinking, creative people. Therefore it is likely that there is something going on that will not be able to be explained by science, and most likely will have some intelligence.

No religious person in this thread has come up with anything like that. You should be able to form such an argument if you believe in God, and assert that.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 01, 2012, 10:57:56 pm
This thread is still amusing to me, but obviously the believers here are not going to change their position. They have said many times or demonstrated that it doesn't matter what is said or proven, they will believe.

Being asked to study and disprove texts or find contradictions in these texts, when the proponents of the texts admit themselves are not clearly understandable without the translation of those who have the power to decree the truth from these texts, is a rather pointless exercise. Anytime anyone has demonstrated something which clearly says one thing, the proponents of the text say that the intent was different from the words written, or that the understanding of the reader is faulty. Great way to enlighten people; write a text that no one can understand?

Anyway, I will continue reading this thread because the believers are amusing me with their circular arguments. It also scares me and it is better to know what people actually might think and do than bury my head in the ground and pretend I don't live in a world of deluded people.

For the record:

1. I am a person who does not believe in fairy tales just because someone says it must be true.
2. I am not against God. To be against something is to concede that it exists. I am against believing in fairy tales
3. Atheists do not actively try to force people to believe the way that they do. Atheists are subject to constant bombardment from the fairy tale believers and forced to submit to the constant noise every day. We want to be left out of the woowoo stuff . We don't want to have to worry about getting our heads chopped off because we don't believe in some silly superstition. We don't want to have to put our hand on a book and swear to some fairy in the sky to demonstrate our intention to tell the truth.
4. Atheists (most atheists) wish the whole world were united in rational thought so we can get past the fear that one faction of the world might be believed to not have the right to live and some other doesn't try to wipe them off the face of the earth.
5. The people who have lied to me the most in my life were theists. The people who I have been able to trust the most throughout all of my experience are not theists. This is not observer bias, it is a fact.
6. I have read the bible, actually own two. I have read some of the other religious texts. I am not ignorant of what is in some of them. That does not mean I believe in any of the words in any of them. It means I have tried to see the other point of view and the texts clearly demonstrate that they have no logic, no truth, only fables and codes of conduct that may have been useful in the past, for good or for bad.
7. I do not love everyone. I only trust and love those who have demonstrated their suitability to have those things from me.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Noize on June 01, 2012, 11:02:36 pm
Richard Feynman on God (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YltEym9H0x4#)
50 Renowned Academics Speaking About God (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s47ArcQL-XQ#)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on June 01, 2012, 11:11:16 pm
Are you projecting, maybe? Do you think I fear death? Fear meeting my all gracious, loving daddy, spending all eternity in unimaginable bliss and his awesome presence? What is to fear? You couldn't be MORE wrong if you wanted to be :-)

Why don't people who believe death is so wonderful kill themselves?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on June 01, 2012, 11:14:44 pm
Are you projecting, maybe? Do you think I fear death? Fear meeting my all gracious, loving daddy, spending all eternity in unimaginable bliss and his awesome presence? What is to fear? You couldn't be MORE wrong if you wanted to be :-)

Why don't people who believe death is so wonderful kill themselves?

They have an excuse for that: It's against their god's will.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 01, 2012, 11:36:17 pm
God is not about intellectual debate, he is God, and he is life and truth and love. You cannot deny life, truth or love, and so you cannot deny God, as he is all of these. Our earthly wisdom is all but foolish debate and self-satisfying distraction:

1 Corinthians 3:19

Quote
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness.

We only know what is of this world, and that alone. God reveals himself beyond that, if you humble yourself and listen... keep listening, and want to know him. He knows our hearts, and he has no obligation to his creation to "prove" his existence, although he can and he does ALL the time. It's called "faith" for a very, VERY simple reason, and whether you think it foolish or not is utterly irrelevant to those with faith, as what matters to us is our identity in God, not in man and his ever changing worldly opinion. Many things are hidden to us, we can never know every single thing in all universal creation, physical AND spiritual. Ergo, to deny God is to deny yourself of truth.

Think earthly, and you will forever find your identity in the things of the world; what may be physically experienced. Man knows not another man's heart TRULY, but God knows as, as he is in us, and defines us. I find peace in God, you cannot shake that, because I am eternally more than the sum of my parts. You are limited in your understanding, as I am, but more so, as many reject God, and are confined in a prison of carnal and earthly knowledge alone.

Why do you keep quoting the Bible? Don't you see the problem with that approach?

Allow me to demonstrate.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Quote
Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir tree. "Now, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, "You may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden. Your father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor."

"Now run along and don't get into mischief. I am going out." Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella and went through the wood to the baker's.

You should now all believe that rabbits talk to each other in human language, carry baskets and use umbrellas, for it is written. It is true and factual because it is in a book. This is the word of the author. Amen.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 02, 2012, 12:10:27 am
Alright! Since man-made movies can apparently hold divine truths, this will be my honest recommendation for anyone (believers or not) to watch:

It is a politically incorrect, 4:35' long movie by Emerson Bixby (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0084646/), called INRI (2009) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371573/) and it can be watched here:

Quote from: INRI (2009)
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/a6a41bba60/inri-movie/
Apart from the movie, you can also enjoy its IMDb User Reviews (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371573/reviews).


-George



EDIT: My personal belief is that Jesus was an Essene (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112252/#msg112252), trying to get rid of the Pharisees.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 02, 2012, 12:15:14 am
Alright! Since man-made movies can apparently hold divine truths, this will be my honest recommendation for anyone (believers or not) to watch:

It is a politically incorrect, 4:35' long movie by Emerson Bixby (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0084646/), called INRI (2009) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371573/) and it can be watched here:

Quote from: INRI (2009)
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/a6a41bba60/inri-movie/
Apart from the movie, you can also enjoy its IMDb User Reviews (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371573/reviews).


-George

The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a book. It was later made into a film. Just like there are lots of man-made films about the bible - go into any christian bookstore and you will see them on the shelves in the multimedia section. The bible was written by humans, just like The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 02, 2012, 12:27:54 am
I could not agree more with you in that, every religion is a human-made product, aiming to control the masses; the Abrahamic myths try to do that by inducing and using the fear of death.

Reviewing my previous post I saw that it could be interpreted as a message of a believer --which I am not.
Thus the late addition at the end...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 02, 2012, 12:29:37 am
Ah okay George - it really did read like you were a believer.

Well I guess my post is still relevant anyway.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 02, 2012, 12:40:55 am
Yes, it is. My message above should read:

Since many people apparently believe that man-made movies can hold divine truths, this will be my honest recommendation for anyone (believers or not) to watch:
[...]



-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 02, 2012, 12:47:44 am

Quote
The field of evolution has advanced so much, that practically no one here, particularly religious people, is in the position to dismiss any part of it
if it cant be flawed then why hide? if its so established, why hide? where? please expose the "truth" not hide it.

Who's trying to hide what?
Evolution by natural selection is a complex field when you get down to it. But it such a fundamental theory in science, and as well proven as anything can be, any (non-scientist) who disputes it is a total fool, or at best, an ignorant fool. If you haven't already been convinced of it through your basic education, then I'd have to say you had a very poor education indeed.
And those scientists who continue to research it and test it, do so with the usual scientific scepticism, hoping to find something new or better. After all, it would be Nobel prize winning stuff and worldwide fame and fortune to the person who can actually dispute it and find an alternative theory that explains evolution.

Note, that I did not say dispute evolution, because evolution is a fact beyond all doubt. Just like the earth is round beyond all doubt. If anything can be questioned at all, it's natural selection as the mechanism. But nothing found over 100+ years of research has even gotten close to refuting it.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 02, 2012, 01:02:32 am
God has no "agenda" - either he is who he says he is, or he is a liar, and why would he lie?

Since your god has only spoken through your holy book you call the bible, there must be no lies in that book, right?
Then why does it say the moon is a source of light?  That it wrong. So your god is either a liar, or stupid.
(Repeat ad nauseam for any one of many things in the bible that are wrong)
But of course you have your get out of jail free card, where in those instances you say that's not the word of god, it's just how you (or humans) have interpreted that part.
And it follows that if that is the case, how do you know which parts of the bible are the word of your god and which ones are just personal (or incorrect)  interpretations ?

Your holy book it flawed, stop quoting it, it just makes you look like a fool, really.

Quote
To give you eternal life in unimaginable love and beauty, free of pain, suffering and evil? So earthly and depressing a way of thinking. God CANNOT LIE, you're offered the best offer you will EVER have, on a plate, and yet we reject it through our deceived minds!

And why does your god let all that pain, suffering, and evil happen on earth? Why does he create us and put us here to torture us?
Why does he let those children be born into societies that guarantee they will be born into family that worship the wrong god, and will therefore live an eternity in hell?
Personally, I'm doing ok, as I'm sure you are, but what about those countless innocent babies born into poverty, famine, violence, torture, abuse etc? Over 20,000 children die every day through poverty alone.
Some god you have there.
Personally, I think he's a right royal sick evil bastard if he does exist.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 02, 2012, 01:03:05 am
God is not about intellectual debate

Well you finally said it outright. No intellect = belief in God
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 02, 2012, 01:06:15 am
Nice science! It all made itself, and the particles too? They came out of nowhere? okay then ;)

Yes, they do actually, that's the currently held theory.
Read Lawrence Krauss's book:
http://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nothing-There-Something-Rather/dp/145162445X (http://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nothing-There-Something-Rather/dp/145162445X)
he is one of the leading researchers in the universe being created from nothing, and he explains the latest research on that in a language anyone can understand.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 02, 2012, 01:10:15 am
God is not about intellectual debate, he is God, and he is life and truth and love. You cannot deny life, truth or love, and so you cannot deny God, as he is all of these. Our earthly wisdom is all but foolish debate and self-satisfying distraction:

1 Corinthians 3:19

Quote
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness.

We only know what is of this world, and that alone. God reveals himself beyond that, if you humble yourself and listen... keep listening, and want to know him. He knows our hearts, and he has no obligation to his creation to "prove" his existence, although he can and he does ALL the time. It's called "faith" for a very, VERY simple reason, and whether you think it foolish or not is utterly irrelevant to those with faith, as what matters to us is our identity in God, not in man and his ever changing worldly opinion. Many things are hidden to us, we can never know every single thing in all universal creation, physical AND spiritual. Ergo, to deny God is to deny yourself of truth.

Think earthly, and you will forever find your identity in the things of the world; what may be physically experienced. Man knows not another man's heart TRULY, but God knows as, as he is in us, and defines us. I find peace in God, you cannot shake that, because I am eternally more than the sum of my parts. You are limited in your understanding, as I am, but more so, as many reject God, and are confined in a prison of carnal and earthly knowledge alone.

Why do you keep quoting the Bible? Don't you see the problem with that approach?

Allow me to demonstrate.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Quote
Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir tree. "Now, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, "You may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden. Your father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor."

"Now run along and don't get into mischief. I am going out." Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella and went through the wood to the baker's.

You should now all believe that rabbits talk to each other in human language, carry baskets and use umbrellas, for it is written. It is true and factual because it is in a book. This is the word of the author. Amen.

I see the problem quoting Peter rabbit! ^_^

Good! So you must see the problem with quoting the Bible too, great.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 02, 2012, 01:26:02 am
Here's a question for those who believe - do you believe in things like psychic readings? If not, what would you think of someone that does?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 02, 2012, 01:44:31 am
Here's a question for those who believe - do you believe in things like psychic readings? If not, what would you think of someone that does?

Of course, but they are using counterfeit powers. Jesus said "No man comes to the father, except through me" - I don't consider psychic readings to be of God, or of light - they are a deception, as is all witchcraft and magic, palmistry etc. You see, the devil LEECHES - he uses everything created by God, and twists it with deceptions and trickery - he is SO SO unimaginative, he cannot create ANYTHING, as satan is of death... destruction... evil. Be under no delusions; the enemy WILL trick you, WILL deceive you, DOES want you dead, and in hell, ultimately.

How can evil *create*, when it is born of death and destruction? It's all LIES and deception, but sneakily and deceptively placed so as to fool you, when you do not have Jesus' protection and light in your life.

I encourage you to watch this video - my dear friend, Dan Mohler, even if you disagree - it's enlightening - DO NOT become deceived!

Dan Mohler - How to Resist the Devil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1SGGTWiIcM#)

They are a belief, just like belief in God. They're not inherently evil, just like belief in God.

So you are saying you believe the people that hold these beliefs to be deluded; that is at least better than being too wet to have an opinion at all - as is the case with many religious people - they think it is better to just shrug and say "live and let live" than stress themselves and risk their belief by using rational thought.

So if you don't believe that psychic readings are real, when a great many people have seen "evidence" that they are, or at least believe that they have seen it, why are you happy to assert that the "evidence" (which you have still not been able to describe in even the most vague detail) you have for God is legitimate, and the "evidence" for psychic abilities is not?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 02, 2012, 01:47:04 am
For such a kind, intelligent person, you really do demonstrate a lot of ignorance, Dave. It's not about "proof" - you keep missing the point, almost intentionally. I am wasting my time and yours, here. You adamantly FORCE us believers to take your view, or be thought of as naive idiots, adding thinly veiled insults as weight to your argument? That's okay with me, no problem whatsoever. I feel great unrest and hurt in your heart, behind all the rage and obvious anger with God.

You won't win someone over with rages and insults, whether your forum or not. You're a good guy, I love and care for you, so I wish to leave it here; you don't want to listen, and I don't recall forcing you to think my way, even as the reverse appears to be the case. It's okay mate, I don't condemn you for your thoughts or views, just have peace in your heart man - keep going with the amazing stuff you do for us all; I strongly believe you are a great person, I am in no way judging you I hope you can feel this?

You don't know God, as you reject him. When you need him, he'll be there, regardless of anything said or thought. All I say is why not TRY and hear him? That would be a good starting point, right? You give your fellow man a second chance - forgiveness is SO powerful, so why not trash what you've heard, believed or been tricked into thinking by circumstance, and ask him to guide you, to show you if you are wrong? Can it really hurt? :-)

Your complete inability to answer those questions is duly noted.
But I don't blame you, they are tough questions for any religious person to answer.
Best to pretend the thousands of kids that suffer and die each day, and then go eternal hell, just don't exist. God works in mysterious ways after all...
Best to pretend there are no errors in your holy book, that way you don't have to deal with that inconvenient fact that there are.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 02, 2012, 02:00:13 am
Here's a question for those who believe - do you believe in things like psychic readings? If not, what would you think of someone that does?

Of course, but they are using counterfeit powers. Jesus said "No man comes to the father, except through me" - I don't consider psychic readings to be of God, or of light - they are a deception, as is all witchcraft and magic, palmistry etc. You see, the devil LEECHES - he uses everything created by God, and twists it with deceptions and trickery - he is SO SO unimaginative, he cannot create ANYTHING, as satan is of death... destruction... evil. Be under no delusions; the enemy WILL trick you, WILL deceive you, DOES want you dead, and in hell, ultimately.

How can evil *create*, when it is born of death and destruction? It's all LIES and deception, but sneakily and deceptively placed so as to fool you, when you do not have Jesus' protection and light in your life.

I encourage you to watch this video - my dear friend, Dan Mohler, even if you disagree - it's enlightening - DO NOT become deceived!

Dan Mohler - How to Resist the Devil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1SGGTWiIcM#)

They are a belief, just like belief in God. They're not inherently evil, just like belief in God.

So you are saying you believe the people that hold these beliefs to be deluded; that is at least better than being too wet to have an opinion at all - as is the case with many religious people - they think it is better to just shrug and say "live and let live" than stress themselves and risk their belief by using rational thought.

So if you don't believe that psychic readings are real, when a great many people have seen "evidence" that they are, or at least believe that they have seen it, why are you happy to assert that the "evidence" (which you have still not been able to describe in even the most vague detail) you have for God is legitimate, and the "evidence" for psychic abilities is not?

Sorry, maybe you should read my last comment, as I didn't say they were not real. The exact opposite. I'd rather be considered "wet", and live in light and peace, than walk the road with a deceiver, thank you. I'm happy living without worry, fear, panic, paranoia and lies... Satan IS a liar, he WILL deceive you - he already HAS, judging by the questions you are asking, but of course I will answer them, as it is my duty as a brother to help you out and show you, as you don't seem to realise the danger of these things (not that God cannot crush them in a fraction of a second! :D - I am not fearful of the enemy, but CERTAINLY I shall warn you of him, and try to guide you away, into the light of God's love).

Experience the peace of God, and you'll NEVER doubt him again, I promise this. Do you feel I have answered this okay? Sorry, quite tired now :-)
I am not asking what you would rather do, being wet has nothing really to do with your choice in the end. It is more about what you think of people who believe in psychic abilities. Let me ask you a direct question, and maybe, just maybe, you can give me a direct answer:

Do you think that people that believe in psychic abilities are deluded?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 02, 2012, 02:07:21 am
Regarding the repeated claims of evolution *not* being established, proven theory, all I can say is:

[citation needed]

This does not matter.  It does not disprove God.  It may repudiate Genesis chapter one (the Creation story); but that just one chapter in a book of many books and chapters.

First of all I would like to know what the link was as it does not work now.

Second: So whatever the link pointed to "may repudiate" part of the bible. Why use that word in the context that it may actually be proof that part of the bible is wrong, as in it matters not because there are more parts that can be correct? The context is at cross purposes with the word "repudiate".

Or maybe your sentence was written by God and we need a holy man to interpret for us?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on June 02, 2012, 02:21:02 am
I cannot prove the non-existence of god. It's not possible. I've never claimed otherwise, and I have no interest in trying. From my *personal* perspective, the total *lack* of positive evidence is enough for me *personally* to reject the supernatural. But that's just me.

Do tell then, what kind of *reasonable positive evidence* are you looking for?  A burning bush?  Mana from heaven?  Pigs flying?  Hell freezing over?  LA Clippers winning the championship?
lol

I'd expect god to literally walk into this joint and say, "Sup guys? Wow... you really turned this paradise into a shit hole..." and then fix all the ills on this world.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 02, 2012, 02:25:42 am
That is what is going to happen! Woo hoo! :D

He's probably gonna do something similar to last time, flood the world and kill everything in it. Ahh... clean slate.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 02, 2012, 02:28:45 am
I pretend nothing, but I respect that's your view. It's all cool my good friend, you're a great guy! :-)
Light exposes ALL darkness... that's a comforting thought, isn't it? :-)

Your complete inability to answer those questions is once again duly noted.
Doesn't it worry you in the least that your god lets (or creates!) thousands of kids be born, suffer horrible lives and die every single day, and spent the rest of their lives in hell through no fault or choice of their own? God loves those kids too?
What about those poor unfortunately kids that are born "in gods image", but are horribly disfigured and mutilated?

Those things would bother me just a tad...

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 02, 2012, 02:32:36 am
Forgiveness, healing, love, creation, life, relief from suffering, they ALL manifest in God's presence! :-D

Please explain those thousands of suffering babies every day, and why your god created them this way? Please, I can't help getting these images of suffering out of my head, I need an explanation so I can believe in the god you are claiming.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on June 02, 2012, 02:33:30 am
Experience the peace of God, and you'll NEVER doubt him again, I promise this.

Do you forget that I once was you? That I once spoke the words you are speaking, and thought the thoughts you think? I am living proof that your promise rings hollow.

Have you ever stopped to look at the world around you? Have you noticed that believers and unbelievers have their prayers answered alike? That believers and unbelievers get sick and suffer harm quite alike? Have you noticed that there is not the slightest difference in the life experiences of people who believe and people who don't?

Try an analogy. God is said to love his Church as a husband loves his bride. But if you are married, you will observe that the love of a spouse is not "warm fuzzies". The love of a spouse is observed in action, in sacrifice, in self-denial. You know your husband or wife loves you (presuming they do) not because they say "I love you" (anyone can say that), but because they do love you in their actions. It's a love you can rely on and depend on.

But with God it doesn't work that way. Oh, you can say "God loves me", but where is the evidence? Where are the actions? Anything you might claim as God acting in your life can be claimed equally by thousands of unbelievers. It works the same way for everyone.

You think you are blessed. But perhaps it is a happy circumstance you live in nice peaceful England and not strife-torn Syria? Would you feel blessed if you lived in Syria and your family had been murdered and your house blown up? There are many Christians in Syria. How blessed are they?

Consider again that you admitted to lying and stealing while a confessed believer? Did I understand that right? The Holy Spirit who entered your heart and made his home inside you, changing you from within, did not change you enough so that you felt stealing was wrong? How can that Holy Spirit be the spirit of the all powerful and all loving God if He can't change a mere human like you when invited to do so?

And don't say that you knew it was wrong but fell from the righteous path. Plenty of unbelievers know that stealing is wrong and they do not steal. It doesn't need God to help them do that.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 02, 2012, 02:43:01 am
Strange how non-believing evolutionists ALWAYS ALWAYS say "It's a FACT!", and then rely on the abstraction that all this amazingly coincidental explosion of nothing into VAST amounts of something, followed by convenient collisions and coming together of said matter, into carefully, intricately arranged, amazingly (read: intelligently) designed plants, beings etc, happened "Billions and billions of years agoooo"... or was it "hundreds of millions of years agoooo"? Oh, or was it "10 million years agoooo" (they change their mind SO often, it's incredulous).

Believers in God are told they are naively believing fantasy, and yet, somehow, the fantasy of evolution of everything from NOTHING, staring from an unknown, unquantifiable point in time and space, if at all, is somehow is less of a fantasy? Who's being fooled, sorry?

The GIGANTIC, unmissable flaw in this crazy land of self-creation, is that you've taken God out of the equation, and so are left with everything that has been created, MINUS the calm, simple sense and rational explanation, and so you're left scrabbling for best-guess explanations, based on HUMAN understanding, but altogether devoid of peaceful sanity, and soundness of mind.

Nice double standards, double-mindedness, but you're chasing make believe.

Nice science! It all made itself, and the particles too? They came out of nowhere? okay then ;)

cool, beginnings of an intellectual argument with no scripture.

As best we can tell by digging up old fossils and plant remains and then carbon dating them, we have somewhat of a roadmap for when certain species came into existance or went out of existance. The only dating that has occured depends on what the remains tell us in terms of age. The only way we can date things here on earth is when we find stuff to examine. So far the timeline and the origin of species seems to fit together pretty well without any need for a supernatural explaination. I'm fairly confident that the dating of these fossils can be considered a fact. Its real, you can touch it, the carbon dating process is measurable and seems to work.

Taking it back further, my reasoning would be that the universe just is, has always been, that there is no beginning, or end.  In the same way that a religious person would argue that God just is, he wasn't born at any point in time, just has always been. That seems reasonable, the continual existance of what we can see, albeit different to what was around millions of years ago. There is really no reason to consider that anything started from nothing, either god or in the real world.

Then there's the argument of the intracacies of creation. Could what we see really just have developed by accident?. Is it accidental that we are on here typing in an electronics forum about religion? Thats a good argument. One argument would be its unlikely and that does support the 'intelligent' argument. The other argument of course would be that the intracacies are a pre-requisite otherwise development would never have happened. In essence it suggests there are enormous numbers of biological creations that fail each day because they fail this intracacy test. What your seeing that makes it is only a small fraction of what nature tries, the odds are enormously long, so the winners are special.

At this point you've stumbled on the Agnostic position. Some Agnostics don't discount the likelihood of an intelligent component - but will likely reject any further religious suggestion that includes ideas that the world is only a few thousand years old and came complete with dinosaur bones when it was created. They also generally reject any specific notion of the characteristics of god. ie Christian or Islamic interpretations. But it leaves the door open slightly.


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 02, 2012, 02:47:52 am
That is what is going to happen! Woo hoo! :D

He's probably gonna do something similar to last time, flood the world and kill everything in it. Ahh... clean slate.

I can't wait for the rapture... Oh Mannnnn!!

http://www.end-times-prophecy.com/rapture.html (http://www.end-times-prophecy.com/rapture.html)

http://end-times-prophecy.com/blog/?category_name=jonathan-sebastian (http://end-times-prophecy.com/blog/?category_name=jonathan-sebastian)

I'm crying writing this... I want you all to feel God's love, I love you guys, you're all my family in Christ :D


You're disgusting. Countless animals and children dying and you can't wait for the day? Don't say they're go to a better place while snuffing their life. Where is the love and care that you said you give to Dave? Instead of drowning, if god took another route and flooded the world with burning red hot lava eating up children and animal;  and you are happy? If god stood next to me that day and attempt this horrific feat, I would attack him with my bare hand. Give me hell and toss me into the deepest depth, I am willing to take the consequences.

You're evil tempted by the lure of paradise. You're willing to go along with anything god said as a yes man.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 02, 2012, 02:54:04 am
I love you man. Have peace in your heart, love will win!

Don't say you love me for love do not look like a smiley face that smile when people are dying in troves.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on June 02, 2012, 03:01:46 am
Better to reign in hell, than serve in heaven.


Looking forward to the eternal debauchery and epic block parties.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 02, 2012, 03:06:43 am
They bother God too, otherwise would he not have given us the choice - the free will, to have faith in him and abide in his love?

Do you think GOD causes evil? Do you think it is a small price, to have Jesus whipped, torn apart and murdered, to pay IN FULL, for all our transgressions and suffering? There is heaven beyond carnal life... life of the flesh is temporary... salvation is at hand, Dave, you just need to want to live in peace, and God will hear us, and show us how.

I agree - but mutilated kids and murder is because this is a fallen world, and satan is VERY MUCH alive and in our lives, and we have the free will to abide in God's loving arms and seek rest, where satan is CRUSHED, and evil cannot survive. God is not a tyrant, we HAVE free will, but why reject all thought of him, considering all the evil you just mentioned? The choice is ours, if only we trust in him and take him up on the amazing offer, see? It sounds simple because IT IS. He loves you mate, and he lives IN you, even when you reject him :-)

No, those babies who suffer and die horrible deaths do not have free will, they are not old enough yet to understand, believe or make a choice.
So you think it's satan who is solely responsible for creating malformed and mutilated babies? God has no say in it? I thought we were all created in gods image?
(Funny how to get out answering the question, or doubting your beliefs, you have to conjur up another imaginary all powerful being, how convenient!)
One dude gets "whipped, torn apart and murdered" and that's supposed to make up for the thousands of innocent babies who die horrible deaths every single day?
Blah!

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 02, 2012, 03:36:36 am
If you really, really, really want to know the answers to questions that drive you crazy over... why not keep asking! Ask again and again, you're agony is heard mate, it's not in vain! Seek truth, you will find truth, I give you my word.

No point me asking you any more questions, because you never answer them, you don't even try.
So much so that I'm starting to think you aren't real, and that you are just some sort of religious response bot program...
Probably running on some server farm in the basement at the local Hillsong mothership!
*plonk*
Next...

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on June 02, 2012, 04:13:05 am
When god created man.. She was only kidding.

This raises an interesting point. God created man in his image.. So god must have a sex , since we have a sex and we are created in his image... If he / she has a sex ..there must be one of opposite sex ... So there must be a second god / godess...  If there is no other one what purpose would his 'wiener' serve.. If god was female same thing.

If there is indeed a pair... Do they have children ? If so .. -gasp- now there is more than two... Surely the offspring of gods are gods themselves...
Now, if they have a sex and procreate it means they were born too ! Oh no ..... If they were born.. They must be mortal as well...

If there is one of opposite sex there could also be of the same sex... Which raises the question : Maybe there are also gay and lesbian gods.... -gasp- oh no ! At all comes crashing down now.

Let's see the believers weasel out of this .
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on June 02, 2012, 04:36:56 am
You know better than this.
no i dont. I do not know better, and neither do you. Fact is : Nobody 'knows'.. We 'believe' or we 'theorise'... But we don't know. Because knowing implies proof. And there is no absolute proof. ( either way ! Right now the arrow leans towards 'evolution' and 'big bang'. To change that arrow god would have to show up in person )

Anyway, I am theorising. If god created human in his image, and we have a male and a female.. It is logical to conclude that there must be a male and female part to god . If god was male only there would only be male humans. If god was female there would only have been female humans. If god would be one sex only , what purpose would it serve. Having two genders is a required part of human procreation. Most lifeforms we know of need genders. Some can change gender like the clownfish. Some divide themselves to procreate but these are odd-one outs. Most lifeforms have 2 genders.

So if god has a gender .. There must be two .which means they could procreate and make more gods, and they themselves are the procreation of other gods.. If there is no two : He must be hermafrodite Or sexless.. But then why are we not hermafrodite or sexless ? We deviate from his image... Since we have gender and are in his image there must be two genders to god..

Gender serves procreation. If god has gender he procreates. If he procreats he has offspring , so there must be more then one.. If he has offspring god himself is also offspring...
If he is offspring it means he is 'born' , so gods must mature which means they age... Anything that is born dies....

Think about that one for a while...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 05:14:45 am

If there is indeed a pair... Do they have children ?

At the risk of getting roped in your attempt at the ridiculous, the answer to your question is in John 3:16.  However, don't get to worked up about genders and procreation because said Son is famously not conceived from sexual reproduction.

Oh and yes, the Child was mortal.  He indeed died.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 02, 2012, 05:23:04 am
I was hoping you could answer my question, PeteInTexas, in post https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116901/#msg116901 (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116901/#msg116901)

Maybe I am on some people's ignore list or my question was too hard.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 05:25:20 am
Anyway, I am theorising. If god created human in his image, and we have a male and a female.. It is logical to conclude that there must be a male and female part to god .

Your understanding of "in his image" is flawed.  How can God be simultaneously be white and black.  Brown and red.  Having nordic and african features all at ones.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 02, 2012, 05:30:38 am

If there is indeed a pair... Do they have children ?

At the risk of getting roped in your attempt at the ridiculous, the answer to your question is in John 3:16.  However, don't get to worked up about genders and procreation because said Son is famously not conceived from sexual reproduction.

Oh and yes, the Child was mortal.  He indeed died.

Roping you in now. ;D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 05:38:55 am
I was hoping you could answer my question, PeteInTexas, in post https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116901/#msg116901 (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116901/#msg116901)

Maybe I am on some people's ignore list or my question was too hard.

Yes,  I do have your reply in my queue.

The link is not mine and it was never live.  The poster, I think, was simply asking rhetorically for a source that evolution is not a well establish science, a claim somebody else made apparently because I never said such a thing.

As to your second question, as you know my position on God never relied on the Bible (I rely on faith).  If science can disprove claims in the Bible, I can accept it.  Said science, however, will never prove there is NO God or that faith in one is not reasonably placed.  That is why I said it does not matter if evolution is established or not.

Furthermore, if it is shown that say, the Creation story is wrong, this does not mean the teachings of Jesus about love and kindness and the "golden rule", etc in other parts of the Bible are immediately headed for the trash heap.  I reject that kind of rigidity.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on June 02, 2012, 05:45:12 am
Anyway, I am theorising. If god created human in his image, and we have a male and a female.. It is logical to conclude that there must be a male and female part to god .

Your understanding of "in his image" is flawed.  How can God be simultaneously be white and black.  Brown and red.  Having nordic and african features all at ones.
Simple. Thats evolution at work ! When a white man walk long in the sun he turns black. Move black man to scandinavia and after x generations he will become whiter. And those are not theries. They are fact. You can do the experiment for yourself.

As for jesus. That is the crossbreed of god and humen. Thats another theory..



The problem with all this scripture and bible is that it can be interpreted in too many ways. Can someone please write it in an equation ? But that would pose a problem.. Equations can be solved and proved... And that contraindicates ' believing'..

Note : i am not trying to 'rope anyone in' or 'mock anyone or any religion'. This is a pure filisophical thought experiment.

If the bible postulates that we are created in gods image , and i look at humans i can only make the constatation that humans have two genders, so god must have two genders. He cant be asexual or hermafrodite because we would be too. So if god has two genders there must be two gods.
Gender serves procreation . Continue deduction.. God has kids, and parents. He was born and thus is mortal... Amd therefore there is more than one... 
Something has to give .. Either the bible is wrong and we are not created in gods image and then that book just lost a bunch of its credibility. Or it is right and there is more then one god...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 05:48:54 am
Anyway, I am theorising. If god created human in his image, and we have a male and a female.. It is logical to conclude that there must be a male and female part to god .

Your understanding of "in his image" is flawed.  How can God be simultaneously be white and black.  Brown and red.  Having nordic and african features all at ones.
Simple. Thats evolution at work ! When a white man walk long in the sun he turns black. Move black man to scandinavia and after x generations he will become whiter. And those are not theries. They are fact. You can do the experiment for yourself.

So back to my theory on the sex of gods...

Ahh, so God's image must have been that singled celled organism in the primordial soup that got hit by a volt of lightning.  Damn it, I'm roped in. >:(
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 02, 2012, 05:56:38 am
free_electron, you beat me to the punch. Gonna post anyway.

Your understanding of "in his image" is flawed.  How can God be simultaneously be white and black.  Brown and red.  Having nordic and african features all at ones.

Simple. The skin colors: black, white, brown, red, etc. weren't there at the time. Those skin colors evolved from the original skin color. Got it?

Ahh, so God's image must have been that singled celled organism in the primordial soup that got hit by a volt of lightning.  Damn it, I'm roped in. >:(

The god part makes the statement silly. Take it out.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 02, 2012, 06:05:32 am
Quote from: eevblog
Who's trying to hide what? Evolution by natural selection is a complex field when you get down to it. But it such a fundamental theory in science, and as well proven as anything can be, any (non-scientist) who disputes it is a total fool, or at best, an ignorant fool. If you haven't already been convinced of it through your basic education, then I'd have to say you had a very poor education indeed.
talking about biology? yes i'm a bit behind on it. all it taught me (mostly i can remember) is reproductive system. so... where's the link? i dont mind learning from elementary up to the highest rank. give me some textbooks to read and some formulas to crunch.

Quote from: Lightages
I am against believing in fairy tales
and equating god with fairy tales is an insult and disrespect. its like, say a person he has a "pen" (or anything) that he believe that will heal him. and you say, that "healing" is fairy tale and you should not believe fairy tale. since the person believe that, he translate it as... "what you/i believe is a fairy tale".

similar to muslim, according to the rule, there's some bodypart for women that cannot be revealed to strangers, and you impose a law say all of you must reveal that "part". that is a serious insult, disrespect and violation of human (women) right. doesnt matter what you believe, what matter most is what their believe, esp to their own body (not imposing to others). most "modern" people cant see that, they've redefined the limit. instead of visual limitation, they've define the human right to only "not touching" that part. only "seeing" it is not a problem, thats what they understand and taught from kid, and thats what they try to impose on others... disrespect is the simplest term if you think about it.

you say its baseless? faith (no faith)? fairy tales? thats what you believe, not them, and vice versa.

Quote from: eevblog
What about those poor unfortunately kids that are born "in gods image", but are horribly disfigured and mutilated?
why say "gods image"? why dont say "evolution image"? why poor? because human inability and unjust. what do you expect? (from god or evolution?) if you say god has no influence on all this, evolution has. so evolution is so "evil", who created it? it is always be? the "always be" is an evil. the natural selection of an evil, who do you got to blame? there is no god?! blaming something will not get us anywhere.

edit: oh maybe i misinterpret whats in your mind (you not blaming anything just demand explanation).., why misfigured baby? because He/God can and will. same as evolution (god creates evolution :P) in another word... its a "necessary or colateral" losses for us to learn. do you believe God is so loving? heck! cough cough. do you believe me if i tell you god has a plot on us? well he can and will, cant blame Him :P he is our (my!) creator. but it is said, it is not our domain to question that. put it another way... with all this misfigurement/mutilation/suffering, do you still have a faith in what is told beyond your comprehension (myth/god/holy book)? how are you going to test a faith of a person below you (kid/students/worker/wife) on you?, by promising and showing only "good things"? what happen during the hard day, are they still with you? yes, at some sense... religion is "submission to god". no matter how hard or joyful you are, you are still with Him. have heard the term like (love during the hard and "easy" day... the eternal love?)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on June 02, 2012, 06:18:30 am


Ahh, so God's image must have been that singled celled organism in the primordial soup that got hit by a volt of lightning.  Damn it, I'm roped in. >:(
Hold that thought for a second.

Again : i am not trying to 'rope anyone in' : This is a thought experiment. All we have seen in this whole topic is two camps that claim the other camp has it wrong , but neither can prove their own theory. Kind of stupid. Its like two idiots calling the other one an idiot while theyq can not prove they are not the idiot themselves...

Back to you idea... Let's think for a second.

God creates a single celled organism in his image... This thing evolves over time , mutates and lots of other things evolve. Simple organisms lead to more complex ones. Asexual procreation does exist in nature. In fact : cells do divide. Individual cells reproduce asexually ! Humans start as an egg and a seed. The egg is fertilised by the seed and this prime cell starts by dividing itself. It keeps doing that.. And every new cell created divides further and mutates. One cell becomes liver tissue, another becomes lung and yet another becomes a photoreceptor in an eye...
Some babies are born 'normal' some are 'defective'...

So us humans start as a single celled organism , that divides itself and forms a complex organism that walks. At a certain point asexual division stops. We dont split ourselfs in half to create more humans...
Two humans of different gender must come together to create a new entity. Create new life.

Doesnt the bible postulate somewhere that god created life ? So do humans... We come together and create new life... Starting as a single celled organism.

Your idea is as good a candidate as the next idea.

According to this thought experiment we actually would be created in gods image. God was a single cell that created another cell in his image.. : he divided himself. That is also how a new human starts ! A single cell divides !
So the 'in his image' theory matches ! Good ! Excellent ! And a human lifeform ( the collection of cells that forms a human ) can thus be called 'gods child ! ) goood ! That matches too ! Wow !

Looks like we have the answer !
But there may be a loose end... Anytime two humans come together to create a new single cell .. They actually create a new god... ( dont think of the word 'god' as the concept of god. It is a word like any other. Just a name if you want. In the context of this thought experiment it Could be the name for the initial cell that divides and creates life. )

Let's continue. if in this primordial soup, there was a 'first' cell that splitself off and created a clone of itself then that was the 'root cell of all life'... The rest evolves over time.
So we humans ere born from 'god' ( the root cell that divided ). Amd we create a new 'god' whenever man and woman come together and a new root cell is created.

Our offspring is in our image ...

Lets come full circle now, and this is a bigger leap... Are we created by god , or did we create god ?
Your single cell division theory solves both sides. ,


It also fits the 'god is everywhere and all around us'... We are all started from god and we all create gods when we procreate ( remeber in the context of this experiment the word 'god' means 'root cell that divided and create a clone in its image'.. A single cell is asexual )

This idea fits on so many levels. It matches the 'religious description' and what we can observe through science..

Could this be it ? The unifying theory ?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 06:20:04 am
And why does your god let all that pain, suffering, and evil happen on earth? Why does he create us and put us here to torture us?
Why does he let those children be born into societies that guarantee they will be born into family that worship the wrong god, and will therefore live an eternity in hell?
Personally, I'm doing ok, as I'm sure you are, but what about those countless innocent babies born into poverty, famine, violence, torture, abuse etc? Over 20,000 children die every day through poverty alone.

Dave.


What do you care about these things?  You said you believe in evolution and natural selection, right?  Well, there it is in all its glory.  You have nothing to complain about as you said, you and your family are doing ok and not being "selected" out.

Where is this sense of compassion coming from?  It is certainly not compatible with the ideas of evolution as this means "propping up" organisms that should just die off.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 02, 2012, 06:29:19 am
Are you now claiming a monopoly on compassion? Or just emotion in general?


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 02, 2012, 06:37:33 am
What do you care about these things?  You said you believe in evolution and natural selection, right?  Well, there it is in all its glory.  You have nothing to complain about as you said, you and your family are doing ok and not being "selected" out.

Where is this sense of compassion coming from?  It is certainly not compatible with the ideas of evolution as this means "propping up" organisms that should just die off.

That's the wrong assumption that nonbelievers are cold hearted. Have it ever occur to you that evolution and natural selection actually created caring individuals? Human can not live on this cold rock alone. Those groups that exhibit compassion and learn to take care of each other thrive.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 02, 2012, 06:43:50 am
Quote from: Lightages
I am against believing in fairy tales
and equating god with fairy tales is an insult and disrespect. its like, say a person he has a "pen" (or anything) that he believe that will heal him. and you say, that "healing" is fairy tale and you should not believe fairy tale. since the person believe that, he translate it as... "what you/i believe is a fairy tale".

similar to muslim, according to the rule, there's some bodypart for women that cannot be revealed to strangers, and you impose a law say all of you must reveal that "part". that is a serious insult, disrespect and violation of human (women) right. doesnt matter what you believe, what matter most is what their believe, esp to their own body (not imposing to others). most "modern" people cant see that, they've redefined the limit. instead of visual limitation, they've define the human right to only "not touching" that part. only "seeing" it is not a problem, thats what they understand and taught from kid, and thats what they try to impose on others... disrespect is the simplest term if you think about it.

you say its baseless? faith (no faith)? fairy tales? thats what you believe, not them, and vice versa.


Where did me wanting see Muslim women's body parts come into this?

Equating God to fairy tales is what an atheist does. It is not meant to be disrespectful nor insulting. You can take the way you want but it is not a disrespectful action, it is just what we do. As long as theists leave the world alone, leave others alone, then there is no problem. When certain theists threaten death to those who state their opinion, that is where disrespect comes in.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 02, 2012, 06:52:41 am

Quote from: Lightages
I am against believing in fairy tales
and equating god with fairy tales is an insult and disrespect. its like, say a person he has a "pen" (or anything) that he believe that will heal him. and you say, that "healing" is fairy tale and you should not believe fairy tale. since the person believe that, he translate it as... "what you/i believe is a fairy tale".

similar to muslim, according to the rule, there's some bodypart for women that cannot be revealed to strangers, and you impose a law say all of you must reveal that "part". that is a serious insult, disrespect and violation of human (women) right. doesnt matter what you believe, what matter most is what their believe, esp to their own body (not imposing to others). most "modern" people cant see that, they've redefined the limit. instead of visual limitation, they've define the human right to only "not touching" that part. only "seeing" it is not a problem, thats what they understand and taught from kid, and thats what they try to impose on others... disrespect is the simplest term if you think about it.

Thats a little unfair, remember what you are suggesting. You are suggesting there is a supernatural power in the universe. This is exactly the scenario for many fairytales.

Scenario 1: I wake up in the morning, look out the window and see the garden and the birds flying about. I fall out of bed crack my head on the floor and die. The end.

Scenario 2: I wake up in the morning, look out the window and see the garden and birds flying about. I fall out of bed crack my head on the floor and die. My soul then leaves my body and ascends to the gates of heaven and I face my day of judgement. God decides if I've lived a worthy life. If so I'm allowed to live in heaven having a perpetually blissful existence. If I'm a muslim, I'll be given a bunch of virgins to entertain myself with. The end.

With regard to respect it goes both ways. Remember that religions have spent much of their history persecuting and killing those who refuse to believe their reality. Scenario 2 is a fantastic scenario - you are in for a rough ride if you expect people to automatically accept and comfort such ideas. The use of logic will not let you believe its possible - most likely you will have been convinced of it in some way. When Scenario 2 was written people were mostly illiterate and uneducated, there was no 'news service', they had short lives and got most of their information by word of mouth.

What happens if I am a woman in a muslim country and I don't want to cover up all my body parts. Will you and society respect my choice not to? Will you insult me by making me do that? How tolerant would you be?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 06:56:33 am


Ahh, so God's image must have been that singled celled organism in the primordial soup that got hit by a volt of lightning.  Damn it, I'm roped in. >:(
This idea fits on so many levels. It matches the 'religious description' and what we can observe through science..

Yes!  Now only if we find the fossil record for a single celled organism with nostrils (Genesis 2:7), we can both share a Nobel Peace Prize or something.  :D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on June 02, 2012, 06:57:42 am
similar to muslim, according to the rule, there's some bodypart for women that cannot be revealed to strangers, and you impose a law say all of you must reveal that "part". that is a serious insult, disrespect and violation of human (women) right. doesnt matter what you believe, what matter most is what their believe, esp to their own body (not imposing to others). most "modern" people cant see that, they've redefined the limit. instead of visual limitation, they've define the human right to only "not touching" that part. only "seeing" it is not a problem, thats what they understand and taught from kid, and thats what they try to impose on others... disrespect is the simplest term if you think about it.
You talked a lot about "human" right there, is that a typo ? I thought you meant "male" only, not for "female" right ?

Let alone about dressing, what if a well educated woman decided to practice her own human right by showing just her "hair", is that considered a great insult to Islam ?

For sure I know what you're talking about, even showing a small part of body at certain Islam strong holds will ended up .. hmm.. again, a decap.  :-[

Geez Mech, personally I really wish that you're not suggesting by Islam law all woman "MUST" dress like these ? or face a great punishment or even die ?

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q_WGHXnqn-Q/S9r3LybPaWI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/QWSXSn3eRDQ/s1600/MuslimWomen.jpg)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 02, 2012, 06:58:28 am
Mechatrommer and gregariz,

I must point out that when in Rome do as the romans do. Don't go to Rome and complain about something is covering or not covering a body part is unfair. Do that when you are back home. Peace out!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 07:10:42 am
Are you now claiming a monopoly on compassion? Or just emotion in general?

I don't know how you got that from what I wrote.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 02, 2012, 07:15:06 am
So is that a 'no' then?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 07:25:00 am
So is that a 'no' then?

I still don't see how that's relevant to anything...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 02, 2012, 07:25:50 am
Mechatrommer and gregariz,

I must point out that when in Rome do as the romans do. Don't go to Rome and complain about something is covering or not covering a body part is unfair. Do that when you are back home. Peace out!

Im sorry Mr Placid, it was a vulgar point to make on my behalf, but when you look at BravoV's pic you have to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 02, 2012, 07:31:16 am
I still don't see how that's relevant to anything...

You brought it (feeling compassion) up. I'm interested to know why. It's a simple question.


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 07:36:15 am
What do you care about these things?  You said you believe in evolution and natural selection, right?  Well, there it is in all its glory.  You have nothing to complain about as you said, you and your family are doing ok and not being "selected" out.

Where is this sense of compassion coming from?  It is certainly not compatible with the ideas of evolution as this means "propping up" organisms that should just die off.

That's the wrong assumption that nonbelievers are cold hearted. Have it ever occur to you that evolution and natural selection actually created caring individuals? Human can not live on this cold rock alone. Those groups that exhibit compassion and learn to take care of each other thrive.

I'm not so sure.  I can see it for one's family or even tribe.  But outside those, they're competition for scarce resources essential for thriving.  So caring about 20,000 babies dying on the other side of the planet has no evolutionary justification.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on June 02, 2012, 07:39:02 am
Talking about "human right", these womans were fully aware that they're practicing their own "basic human right" without under pressure or intimidation what so ever.

Again, we're talking about respect to other "human right" either male or female, no matter how disgusted you are when seeing scene like this, agree ? Honestly I'm not, in respect of practising their human right and also this reminds me of Islam's heaven isn't it ? ;)

*** image removed ***

*** image re-attached with different version, sorry GeoffS, had to do it for the sake of argument ****

(http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090514062322/uncyclopedia/images/b/b6/Miss-universe-bikini.jpg)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 07:39:32 am
I still don't see how that's relevant to anything...

You brought it (feeling compassion) up. I'm interested to know why. It's a simple question.

That is a question for Dave.  He is the one feeling it.  I simply see no evolutionary justification for it.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 07:46:20 am
*** image removed ***

That one woman did not get the memo on shoes...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 02, 2012, 07:49:35 am
*** image removed ***

Now that's what I would call a "natural selection".
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 02, 2012, 07:56:33 am
That is a question for Dave.  He is the one feeling it.  I simply see no evolutionary justification for it.

Natural selection favours mutations that offer an advantage, but that advantage can be subtle, and long term, because evolution operates over a massive time-scale. So if 'compassion' works for us, evolution will eventually converge on it.

I think compassion is probably a win, which is why we have it. I mean, our species has been to the *moon* - I think we're doing ok!

Or do you think that compassion is *holding us back*? That we would be better without it?



Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 02, 2012, 08:35:00 am
Quote
Where did me wanting see Muslim women's body parts come into this?
i'm talking about some "government". they thought they did nothing but infact something (serious) to others... just as you assumed by stating "i'm not against God, but fairy tales" and what type of fairy tale are we talking about? i'm sure its not about santa or unicorn right? i assumed its "the fairy tale of a god" isnt it? or i maybe wrong. anyway i'm not offended by any mean, just clarifying thing that people may missed.

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If I'm a muslim, I'll be given a bunch of virgins to entertain myself with
and whats with this all "virgins" keep coming out as an argument? let me clarify and assure you. a person with only "sex" in his mind will not go to heaven just to get the virgins, even muslim! he will not get eternal erection. somebody who doesnt have "sex" as his "priori mordial" will (go to heaven and get the virgins), so he will not doomed to eternal erection since he can control the erection nicely ;)

and if you interpret that "all" muslim esp with "suicide mission" will go to heaven, then you are bluntly mislead. if its the case, you'll see all the muslim will start bringing bomb in their pocket and explode if they found any non-muslim, self destruct, end, go to heaven! no. the judgement will be based on meticulouos measure and balance from God. even the "suiciders" will get questioned if they dont follow the book fully. they will get asked, why you kill all those helpless children and women? it will get down to the "intention" in their heart and "knowledge" that they've gained (and/or maybe the causality of the event) that will get questioning. wrong intention? wrong knowledge? wrong act? hell off you go! muslim or non-muslim. thats the justice we are believing in (and hope for), thats the perfect system! god punish the wrongdoers, not the absolute crippled law/justice/legistlation that we see today. for non-muslim with very good attitude (again not only sex!), their fate will be left to god, that we/i dont know.



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You talked a lot about "human" right there, is that a typo ? I thought you meant "male" only, not for "female" right ?
i can see you've been bluntly mislead by the world where you living in ;)

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Let alone about dressing, what if a well educated woman decided to practice her own human right by showing just her "hair", is that considered a great insult to Islam ?
its not an insult. she decided it and she will pay (in heaven, not by man)

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For sure I know what you're talking about, even showing a small part of body at certain Islam strong holds will ended up .. hmm.. again, a decap.
thats why i'm absolute you've been seriously mislead. decapitation is only for theft... wait! i'm not finished yet! he steal not because poverty but because some other ill intention, if "absolutely" comfirmed, then decap! yes we have "court" just as you do. and you know how? (if you want to argue some more) the punishment will be in public! why? lesson to others! you may pick what you like or dislike!

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Geez Mech, personally I really wish that you're not suggesting by Islam law all woman "MUST" dress like these ?
3rd reason why i'm really absolute! my belief got stronger! :P

the limit to men... from navel to knee cannot be seen by strangers (family can). for women, only face and palm/hand can be shown (not like the exageratted picture you showed). we cannot dress "tight" that reveal that body shape/area, its considered as not wearing anything at all. now dont take that simple interpretation. think really really carefully what it means "physically", "psychologically", "mentally", "spiritually" and then come back and argue. (ps: if you dont get what i mean. you see, beside pussies, i also loved to watch "cameltoe" ;))

during day of prophet, its sandstorm place where women use to cover the face, its been blindly followed that way in some area/community. i aint see nothing like that here. only a few (which they opted to) but not up until covering the eyes. people call it persecution, we call it "protection", or "preventive measure", like medication in hospital ;) but this time medication/prevention from "moral and spiritual and social" corruption. you can have sex, you marry, dont stand for one night. you have sex you got the pleasure, be responsible for it ;) thats how we protect our women. you see those forbidden parts, your inner unconcious self will get attracted (SEX!), its by design according to god. do we understand all aspect of our body? physical maybe "close" but not spiritual.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 02, 2012, 08:45:00 am
its been proven by physological department. women less attracted to sex by visual alone, for men they see a boob, their little brother down there wake up, thats by design, proven by science! thats why forbidden area for women are more than men's ;) talking about prejudice? or science?

edit:... women... they see a dick? they get disgusted, really really disgusted. trust me i know! i'm the "expert" in that area :P :D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 02, 2012, 08:58:15 am
I'm not so sure.  I can see it for one's family or even tribe.  But outside those, they're competition for scarce resources essential for thriving.  So caring about 20,000 babies dying on the other side of the planet has no evolutionary justification.

I don't see what evolutionary justification it is for me to care for animals myself. Maybe it is the overflow of the compassionate gene, but I care for the countless animals we slaughter for food everyday. If I can care for animals, you betcha I care for 20K dying babies. There is no reason for evolution to eliminate someone who care extra.



Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on June 02, 2012, 11:47:36 am
Where is this sense of compassion coming from?  It is certainly not compatible with the ideas of evolution as this means "propping up" organisms that should just die off.

Social species evolved on the basis that the most effective care for the genes of an individual is provided by collective care of all genes in the society by all members of the society. Compassion is entirely compatible with the ideas of evolution. 
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on June 02, 2012, 12:20:31 pm
its been proven by physological department. women less attracted to sex by visual alone, for men they see a boob, their little brother down there wake up, thats by design, proven by science! thats why forbidden area for women are more than men's ;) talking about prejudice? or science?

edit:... women... they see a dick? they get disgusted, really really disgusted. trust me i know! i'm the "expert" in that area :P :D

That's pretty funny.

But it also goes along with...Should I dare say it?...A woman's orgasm is irrelevant.  Not that it can't be relevant in modern society, now that women have more choice.  But from a biology standpoint, her orgasm (or lack thereof) has no effect on whether she gets pregant or not.  If a guy doesn't orgasm...well, you know.  So why should it matter if she gets aroused by a penis?  That's not to give ammunition to a-hole men who mistreat women, though.

Where is this sense of compassion coming from?  It is certainly not compatible with the ideas of evolution as this means "propping up" organisms that should just die off.

Social species evolved on the basis that the most effective care for the genes of an individual is provided by collective care of all genes in the society by all members of the society. Compassion is entirely compatible with the ideas of evolution.

Yep.  And just take a look at our societies.  If you're anti-social and unfriendly...you don't do very well (with a very few rare exceptions).
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on June 02, 2012, 12:33:30 pm
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You talked a lot about "human" right there, is that a typo ? I thought you meant "male" only, not for "female" right ?
i can see you've been bluntly mislead by the world where you living in ;)
See for your self, you just can't provide straight answer for such simple question, but don't blame yourself too much, this kiddy type of question is even way too much for highly respected "ulama" to answer. ("ulama" = a religious expert who spent their live with the Holy book).  :P


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Let alone about dressing, what if a well educated woman decided to practice her own human right by showing just her "hair", is that considered a great insult to Islam ?
its not an insult. she decided it and she will pay (in heaven, not by man)

For sure I know what you're talking about, even showing a small part of body at certain Islam strong holds will ended up .. hmm.. again, a decap. thats why i'm absolute you've been seriously mislead. decapitation is only for theft... wait! i'm not finished yet! he steal not because poverty but because some other ill intention, if "absolutely" comfirmed, then decap! yes we have "court" just as you do. and you know how? (if you want to argue some more) the punishment will be in public! why? lesson to others! you may pick what you like or dislike!
If she will face Allah and will be thrown to hell, its solely her own business with Allah alone, none of your own business, and why you or the society should care or worst must punish her ?

Also are you "100%" (not even 99.999....%) sure that she will go to hell if she keeps doing that ?

How dare you, it is your Holly Allah's decision, not yours nor the society where she lives at, and nobody in this world should insult Allah by "guessing" His decision for that woman before He even made it.

Bad... really bad, you might not get those 74 virgins if you keep doing that.  ;D

Another simplified example just in case you still don't get it, you should NOT judge a person that in the court either guilty or not "BEFORE" the judge him/her-self made the final judgement/decision, dunno what to say anymore if this simple argument still doesn't make any sense to you.

(Note : Sorry, had to strike down the word "her" since you will never understand this too)  :P


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Geez Mech, personally I really wish that you're not suggesting by Islam law all woman "MUST" dress like these ?
3rd reason why i'm really absolute! my belief got stronger! :P

the limit to men... from navel to knee cannot be seen by strangers (family can). for women, only face and palm/hand can be shown (not like the exageratted picture you showed). we cannot dress "tight" that reveal that body shape/area, its considered as not wearing anything at all. now dont take that simple interpretation. think really really carefully what it means "physically", "psychologically", "mentally", "spiritually" and then come back and argue. (ps: if you dont get what i mean. you see, beside pussies, i also loved to watch "cameltoe" ;))

See the unfairness on male vs female ? Your definition and understanding of the words "human right" in Islam is so distorted beyond words, again, its expected, Muslims are and will never get this.


its been proven by physological department. women less attracted to sex by visual alone, for men they see a boob, their little brother down there wake up, thats by design, proven by science! thats why forbidden area for women are more than men's ;) talking about prejudice? or science?

Yeah, right, another "interesting" point of view regarding "human right", if you're sexually aroused because of seeing other people's limb/body part, it is their fault, not yours.  Nice ! ;D

So if a woman dressed beyond the code and made a male aroused, it is the male's "right" to rape her and then punish her after he is done with her. ;) nice eh ?

Not sure if you or any Muslims "truly" understand that one of the great values in human civilization is called "Self Restraint" that makes us differ from animal, I guess Muslims will never get this.

So much to what you called a "peaceful" religion.

edit:... women... they see a dick? they get disgusted, really really disgusted. trust me i know! i'm the "expert" in that area :P :D

Pity you Mech, you should not get married 1st, and should had "a real" adventures with women regarding your argument here, I believe you will find out what you claimed that you are an "expert" in this subject is totally wrong.  ;D

Truly, deep inside my heart, I feel sorry for you and your couple in this subject, must feels like hell to her.  :'(

But again, I'm sort of understand your condition looking from "Muslim female's" point of view and their life in Islam world, especially lack of education on human reproduction and sex education, cause you said it your self that even male should restrict the exposure of their body part, let alone "penis", even male's chest is never seen by them, so its not a surprise those poor womens definitely will scare like hell when they see them everytime, I guess they think its sort of growing cancer/tumor that pop out from male's tight, and that scary stiffy thingy will be penetrating them down under there.  ;D
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 02, 2012, 02:57:42 pm
Religion? Hah! Let's raise the stakes: Psychiatry vs. Religion!
Shall we? Because it is no secret that I like the parallels!

Personally, I cannot accept the so-called Science of Psychiatry as it is being sold to the public because it is formed in a way to support the interests of the information-gathering authorities (that systematically dumb down and stupefy their subjects) and/or the profiteering corporations, instead of actually helping the people. Just for the record, modern Psychiatry has its roots in the nineteenth century unwanted people warehouses (we are not burning the dissidents alive on the stake anymore; we just stack them in warehouses for good, claiming that we are helping them!), and introduced the art of lobotomy in the next century as a beneficial destruction of the mind by the mutilation of brain matter using precision surgical tools, as the ice-picks...  For the record, Walter Freeman III, the son of "the lobotomist" Psychiatrist Walter J. Freeman, used to say that "lobotomy is as beneficial as a traffic accident." Pure science, in other words...

What is the parallel? Control of the flock, of course, in a socially accepted manner! By painting certain individuals, which we want to get rid of, as "mentally unstable" we become able to sack them and forget them; and no one will ever dare to ask of their fate, again! Now, why is Psychiatry NOT a medical practice nor beneficial? Simply, because in Psychiatry there is no way out: The "patient" is obliged to comply with the "therapist's" "diagnosis" and "treatment," even by force; the "patients" cannot choose to accept or to reject the "treatment" suggested by the "doctors," as it actually happens in every other medical practice.

Well, we have our therapists [sic] to confess our personal dramas (and facts) to, since people today are not so religious to be confessing their "sins" to the priesthood anymore; and a formal act of inquisition (you know, with torture, etc.; the whole nine yards!) would not be such an appealing procedure for either party to brag about, or to be reported on the evening news: We are civilised now! As for the so-called therapists, they will always be happy to be filled in with the latest gossip and to be payed for that, prescribing dangerous and useless drugs in order to earn their percentage in addition. In my experience as an observer, people taking psychotropics will never overcome their problems because their self-healing ability is actually reduced by that addictive medication: Only the Big Pharma & Partners, the "therapists" and whoever gathers personal information (meaning, spies) on the victims, or having the need to silence them in a socially acceptable manner (see the Gulags), will benefit...

What about the so-called "mental disorders"? Are these inventions for real? There are a few hundred distinctive names for mental disorders made up, as defined in the DSM and ICD lists, the Psychiatric Lobby maintains and updates regularly. But, fact is that if you went to several different shrinks and told them the same exactly story, you would probably, if not certainly, get several different kinds of chemical/electrical imbalance [sic] diagnoses and several different drugs for the cure: This is NOT science! Not to mention that the specific "science" is still based on the Four Humors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_humors) mythology, which is alive since the days of Hippocrates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocrates), 2,500 years ago... As for the inconsistency of the "diagnoses," if you are on insurance and they pay you are going to be labeled indefinitely. Insurance (another word for Banking) has certainly perverted the system by forcing the "therapists" to make a diagnosis in order to get any payment.

On the other hand, we have the religious people, believing in things like angels and demons, who are considered to be healthy; but if someone dares to believe in elves and goblins is considered to be mentally disordered, schizophrenic and possessed by the Devil/Satan (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116749/#msg116749) fictional entity. Does it make any sense? Neither of them can ever positively prove the existence of the angel/demon or the elf/goblin entities they believe in: Both of them are equally invalid; but the former ones are considered to be perfectly healthy individuals while the latter ones are not...

Another common point the Religion and the Psychology/Psychiatry institutions share is that, most of the people are too scared to look at the truth because the vast majority is conditioned to think using their feelings instead of reason: No need to be rational if it already feels good... Or, "do not confuse me with the facts; my mind is already made up..." This is the exact mental (dys)function that is being taken advantage of by every manipulation institution exists... But we are educated and civilised people!


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 02, 2012, 05:52:13 pm
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You talked a lot about "human" right there, is that a typo ? I thought you meant "male" only, not for "female" right ?
i can see you've been bluntly mislead by the world where you living in ;)
See for your self, you just can't provide straight answer for such simple question, but don't blame yourself too much, this kiddy type of question is even way too much for highly respected "ulama" to answer. ("ulama" = a religious expert who spent their live with the Holy book).  :P
what is your question? my typo? the answer is NO, thats not a typo. need i retype? human (FEMALE) right. next question?!

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Let alone about dressing, what if a well educated woman decided to practice her own human right by showing just her "hair", is that considered a great insult to Islam ?
its not an insult. she decided it and she will pay (in heaven, not by man)
For sure I know what you're talking about, even showing a small part of body at certain Islam strong holds will ended up .. hmm.. again, a decap. thats why i'm absolute you've been seriously mislead. decapitation is only for theft...
first, correct your typo. dont put your word in my word. my net is slow, cant expect me to correct quickly, but i'll do my best to correct typo. i double read my post. are your net slow too? mine is 2KBps, whats your mark?

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Also are you "100%" (not even 99.999....%) sure that she will go to hell if she keeps doing that ?
How dare you, it is your Holly Allah's decision, not yours nor the society where she lives at, and nobody in this world should insult Allah's by "guessing" His decision for that
woman before He even made it.

Another simplified example just in case you still don't get it, you should NOT judge a person that in the court either guilty or not "BEFORE" the judge him/her-self made the final judgement/decision, dunno what to say anymore if this simple argument still doesn't make any sense to you.
are you talking about women exposing the hair? if yes then. exposing the hair for "muslim" women is a sin in islam (fyi islamic law will not apply to non-muslim women). i'm 100% sure of that because thats what written in the book. when did i insult Allah? i didnt say/judge she will go to hell. i said she will pay, how much pay i dont know. read back my post. i guess by you saying "educated women" it means "educated muslim women" isnt it? sorry if its wrong. you didnt complete your word if my interpretation is wrong.

whether or not she go to hell or heaven is up to her collective doing during her life, not just a simple matter of exposing hair. it is all will be accounted from her puberty (when she old enough to make decision) until her death. so its not a simple matter deciding if she go to hell or not. dont deviate, i didnt say she'll go to hell.

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Bad... really bad, you might not get those 74 virgins if you keep doing that.  ;D
who cares? i already got a very good one here. its the outsiders who have much more eager! :P

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See the unfairness on male vs female ? Your definition and understanding of the words "human right" in Islam is so distorted beyond words, again, its expected, Muslims are and will never get this.
it seemingly "unfair",but from another standpoint, its not (because the psychological differences between male and female, see above).... ok now i get it by your definition of "human right". is it means.... "what human like?"

earlier i said... muslim women opted to cover their bodypart (according to islam rule), but other government say you cant dress such. the women choosed to do so, they say differently, thats what i means by violating "human right" i (they) choose to do this, you say no or differently, its not "human right". so again... is "human right" = "what you like"?" or maybe again i misinterpret. is "human right" means "what western (non-muslim) rule says"?

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Yeah, right, another "interesting" point of view regarding "human right", if you're sexually aroused because of seeing other people's limb, that it is their fault, not yours.  Nice !
if you have a million dollar, and you walking about in town putting the money in transparent bag everybody can see. then some crook steal it? whose fault? modern people talk about causality and effect. do people blame effect? or the cause? simple example, people got disease because of a virus (virus=cause, people with disease=effect) who doctor will fight and kill, the people or the virus? you get aroused=effect, what causing it? (you should know what) again you may twist/redefine to your liking ("your/western/non-muslim human right")

and again its a preventive measure from ill sick person. we told our girls, you dress properly as such, if not another ill men can see you and get aroused, and then they will rape you. you may pick (the girls) the risk of getting raped (or abortion because you have intentional sex with your boyfriend), or safer with proper dress? you choose. how to prevent rape? (western) law? do you see any success in rape case? yes ofcourse there is "islamic" law and government, but we also need to help law, so we must dress properly to avoid crime/social corruption. police staff is limited in number, we must help them as citizen. your usual way is to make call if there is a crime, well we got more than that. we dress properly.

another example. will you let your small kids wandering in the night alone? if villain is villain they are to be blamed and punished, not your kids or you, then why keep/restrict you kids in the house during the night? or maybe geographical and civilization differences we are poor country we dont have many policeman around, and your country have policeman in every 100 meters? so you would not worry your kids wandering about? or... there's no criminal at all in your country? 0% criminal succesfull law?

maybe you can curb crime using your law. how about social corruption? do you see it any better in your place? i'm not talking about you and your neighboor, i'm talking about teenagers in general. and again semantics, what is "social corruption"? in our term... free sex, abortion, fartherless child, suffering (persecution) to women because they need to carry "baggage" by themselves without support from men (her appointed protector)... and if you like, you may include... as dave said.. mutilated disfigured child, transvestites etc. you say ohhh thats not the cause... are you sure? prove? i'm sure none! because we dont know. oh we do! evolution! maybe i should invent "social evolution theory" then so my name will be remembered and has many "followers"

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So if a woman dressed beyond the code and made a male aroused, it is the male's "right" to rape her and then punish her after he is done with her , nice eh ?
this is what happen when you take matter simply and lightly. in another word "immature talk" and "ignorance" or taking one "localized event" and blaming the whole world case. and again misled. raping is a sin. if you got it too far by touching or raping her, you will get punished. do you know there is law for that in islam? or dont know?

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Truly, deep inside my heart, I feel sorry for you and your couple in this subject, must feels like hell to her.
you want to put me down? by saying sad and hypnotis me and other readers? by saying sad? sorry pal, hypnotism doesnt work with me. you accused me judging before god made the decision, and you judged me and my couple by me only saying the "expert" (which was meant as a joke). what if i say i have many "female nurses" friends and interviewed many of them? is that what you means? by saying "must feel like hell to her?"

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"Self Restraint"
please define. as from the word alone it means.. contradiction to "self/human right".

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so its not a surprise those poor womens scare like hell when they see them everytime
again you made the judgement about people that is well far beyond your reach/sight. they are not poor they are not afraid, just disgusted (you are american/english native right?). and yes, because its seldom to see such thing and its known to be painful the first time its penetrates (rumour among them, yes married women told our virgin women. cant hold that up)... i heard different things about women in your (i guess you are from western) country. if what i heard is true, if infront of me there's western women and muslim women, i pick muslim women. (sound insulting? sorry) if you have fresh mango and rotten mango, which one do you choose? we keep our women "golden!" and "fresh" before she met "her" legitimate "protector" /husband and we taught them that, about values. and of course semantics... "our definition of "golden" is not the same as you definition of "golden".. and lastly ps:.... i know among others, there are two type of female, one is called women, one is called whores. we tried so hard so our women will not fall into "whores".

i guess you are not in position to argue with me since you prefer to pick localized event, biased view and lack of knowledge about islamic law, and most importantly i can feel you provoke flamewar/troll/hatred. you heard stories about other "stronghold" countries, but you dont know whats really going on inside, how we perceive values, how we tried hard to maintain morality and avoid social corruption. and you prefer to define it in your own term. from your post i can sense that what is in your mind is.... your culture is right, our culture is wrong. is it? slowly read back our posts and think again. if you would like to define us using your own understanding and your own values, i suggest you stop posting, because it will misleading and promoting "fitnah". in more easily understandable word is... "troll"

if you choose to continue so. and i'm not replying, then your answer is already here. dont further deviate to say that "i cannot answer your argument". thank you for a "mature" debate.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 02, 2012, 06:46:46 pm
Too much debate.

That's right, every believe the commands of iamwhoiam! It is much better for all to live in ignorance and isolation. Better for all to discuss any differences so that we can all live in ignorance of each other. Or better yet just live in total ignorance and be controlled by those who need us to not think.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 02, 2012, 07:20:15 pm
John D. Rockefeller, the bankster who funded educational schools and psychiatric institutes among other enterprises, famously said:
I don't need thinkers, I need workers.

Translation: "I do not need intelligent people, I need obedient slaves."


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: gregariz on June 02, 2012, 07:23:33 pm
and whats with this all "virgins" keep coming out as an argument?

It because its absurd, its actually laughable. It highlights the extreme positions of religions. I'm sorry if that offends you but I think you'll find that's a common viewpoint. I think the atheists have been pretty patient on here trying to have a logical argument, but all we ever get in reply is rhetoric, circular arguments and ambiguous scripture. We are having a hard enough time just trying to decide if god exists, so I suspect the debate has just about run its course.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 02, 2012, 07:27:30 pm
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especially lack of education on human reproduction and sex education, cause you said it your self that male should restrict the exposure of their body part
i missed this. bodypart exposure for no good reason is forbidden. but there's exception, such as in educational where its a necessity. and again i believe you dont know the detail implementation of the law. we have both certified male and female doctors here alot! infact we encourage female to take medic because we are lacking of it. our male doctor treating male patient. our female doctor treating female patient. male looking at cunt is "allowed" if its for medication/emergency reason (no other female doctor around), i guess you didnt know that as well. the are more forbidden in islam that will become allowable in case or emergency. one eg is we can eat pig if we are starving and no other food around other than pig. we can drink alcohol for medication purpose, etc many more.

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I guess they think its sort of growing cancer/tumor that pop out from male's tight
i used to think yeah! its just another bodypart so similar to our hand, arm, tits (not even powerful as bicep) etc. 2 arguments:
1) then why hide it? i havent heard a country with all people naked! or at least majorly accepted mixed naked with unnaked (i loved to make a visit! :D)
2) if we think carefully. that little transformable (from flaccid to erect) organ is what responsible for social corruption, spread of desease, fear etc (why wear condom if you not afraid of it?). well i guess people nowadays will struggle to fight the effect rather than the cause (killing the patient, leaving the virus alone). that dick, is the cause of all that. think carefully. for those of you still think the dick is still the same as the rest of body (biologically) and no problem exposing it (for the sake of education and "fun"), i ask you. where is your moral? you may argue. oh its goes down to education to our girl to understand them. if your girls are accustomed to that part and "loving" that without boundary, isnt that similar to a "whore"? and "hymen" become "reducable complex" (can be ommited from genetical trait)

fyi: what i believe... hymen is a prove of god. hymen is a prove why we need to keep our moral intact. and hymen is also an indication (mostly) of the girl past history. just like "bravo said" it will be hell for him knowing he got "2nd hand" :P. its like a warranty seal in consumer product. its a precision tool you cannot touch easily without breaking it (with penis or course). and how do you explain that in evolution? survival'wise its not necessary, the same as orgasm (why need orgasm?) we are (female) "moral" machine, she need to protect it, there's a guide for that. we also (men) need to protect that until the righteous person came (husband)

but again some/most people say its nothing, thats not moral organ. its nothing because its well accepted, free sex is accepted in some/most countries. but i believe it will be hard to describe the necessity of such organ for us to survive (evolution'wise). orgasm is another thing. why orgasm feel so good? where its not necessary for pregnancy? why nature is so clever or decided to choose an organism need orgasm? who knows?

ps: incest and social corruption... if a man fuck two woman in different place/night and leave. both women get "fartherless" offsprings, one male one female. grown up and meet each other, unknowningly they are from same father, and they fuck. isnt that the same term as incest?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 02, 2012, 07:40:53 pm
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It because its absurd, its actually laughable
we have an old saying meaning like "word hard today, become wealthy/properous tommorow", that means... if you take it easy today, you'll get hard tommorow. in another meaning. you cry today you laugh tomorow, or "you laugh today you cry tomorrow" our life is like roller coaster sometime at the top, the next will be at the bottom, thats life... that just another poetry :P

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I think the atheists have been pretty patient on here trying to have a logical argument, but all we ever get in reply is rhetoric, circular arguments and ambiguous scripture
I think the "theists" have been pretty patient on here trying to have a logical argument, but all we ever get in reply is rhetoric, circular arguments and ambiguous scripture.

link!? if evolution is so established as dave said (taught in school) then it must have a textbook! any recommendation for the "best" textbook? because all i get so far is "rhetoric" like "it is well 100% agreed among scientific community, thy thee foolish if say otherwise" and "the odd prefer god doesnt exist". thats not how we write thesis paper. thats how we make "poetry"
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: G7PSK on June 02, 2012, 08:34:31 pm
Quote

link!? if evolution is so established as dave said (taught in school) then it must have a textbook! any recommendation for the "best" textbook? because all i get so far is "rhetoric" like "it is well 100% agreed among scientific community, thy thee foolish if say otherwise" and "the odd prefer god doesnt exist". thats not how we write thesis paper. thats how we make "poetry"

You could try The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin it is certainly a good place to start.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 02, 2012, 08:38:07 pm
Or for a more modern summary: "The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution"
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 02, 2012, 08:52:32 pm
thanks guys! i'll google that keyword when my net going uphill again. i hope thats what i'm looking for.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 02, 2012, 11:11:52 pm
Now you are just doing what I predicted you would, pontificating from your computer. Like I said your intent here is to not discuss but to try and force your woowoo crap at anyone with eyes, trolling for God. Try and come up with something original or thought provoking instead of being an evangelist for your beliefs. Troll......
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: baljemmett on June 02, 2012, 11:48:39 pm
Quote
I think the atheists have been pretty patient on here trying to have a logical argument, but all we ever get in reply is rhetoric, circular arguments and ambiguous scripture
I think the "theists" have been pretty patient on here trying to have a logical argument, but all we ever get in reply is rhetoric, circular arguments and ambiguous scripture.

I knew there was a point to this thread, and right there on page 52 it is -- absolute Komedy Gold!   ::)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 02, 2012, 11:53:28 pm
I think the "theists" have been pretty patient on here trying to have a logical argument, but all we ever get in reply is rhetoric, circular arguments and ambiguous scripture.

(http://fail.brm.sk/facepalm/facepalm2.gif)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 03, 2012, 12:21:55 am
Now you are just doing what I predicted you would, pontificating from your computer. Like I said your intent here is to not discuss but to try and force your woowoo crap at anyone with eyes, trolling for God. Try and come up with something original or thought provoking instead of being an evangelist for your beliefs. Troll......

And to prove my point, here is my original statement about iamwhoaim's intentions:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112172/#msg112172 (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112172/#msg112172)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on June 03, 2012, 12:36:30 am
Father's Love Letter Extended Narration (YouTube)

Look, stop being an idiot, OK?

Music and poetry are powerful things that can move you, can stir your emotions. That's good, that's why we make music and poetry and like to listen to it. But it doesn't mean there is anything more to it than that.

If you already believe, you will find deeper meaning, perhaps. If you don't believe, all you will find in it is artistic expression and philosophy. Both of which are wonderful aspects of being human, some of the joys of the human experience. But that's what they are, joys of the here and now.

This is good, because the time you have on Earth now to contemplate such things is all the time you have. Deadlines are real, and fast. There is no magical being to move the deadline and give you a second chance. If you don't use your life now, you will hit the deadline and whatever you have done is what history will remember you by. Nobody in the bible is remembered for what they did after they died, and nobody outside the bible either.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 03, 2012, 12:41:26 am
link!? if evolution is so established as dave said (taught in school) then it must have a textbook! any recommendation for the "best" textbook? because all i get so far is "rhetoric" like "it is well 100% agreed among scientific community, thy thee foolish if say otherwise" and "the odd prefer god doesnt exist". thats not how we write thesis paper. thats how we make "poetry"

Try http://evolution-textbook.org/ (http://evolution-textbook.org/) for starters.
And any general textbook on biology should have info as well.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 03, 2012, 12:52:00 am
And to prove my point, here is my original statement about iamwhoaim's intentions:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112172/#msg112172 (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112172/#msg112172)

You aren't wrong, it is very clear from his responses that iamwhoiam is just trolling. But then again, the atheists are trolling in a sense too, for legitimate arguments, because that's what we like to do. But the difference has become that iamwhoiam is simply not willing to engage in any sort of rational argument or conversation.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on June 03, 2012, 12:56:44 am
So much resentment and bitterness. Why not just be happy?

Resentment and bitterness? You are projecting, as indeed you must to validate your own beliefs. If Dave and others were not resentful and bitter it would undermine what you believe.

But just for the record, we are happy. For myself, I have never been happier since I broke free of religious thinking. Trying to accept the teachings of the religious people in church was making me very unhappy indeed.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 03, 2012, 12:58:20 am
So much resentment and bitterness. Why not just be happy?

Dave, if you think I am trolling, you've had 53 pages and 11,000+ views in which to close the thread. I'm obviously not trolling, or you'd have closed it by now. You can say whatever you wish to, but you're in charge here, and God is real, else, if you TRULY didn't believe, you'd have closed this.

I have seen threads at least this long, if not longer, about the flying spaghetti monster - the amount of debate doesn't add any credit to your assertions whatsoever, as you well know.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on June 03, 2012, 01:00:10 am
You can say whatever you wish to, but you're in charge here, and God is real, else, if you TRULY didn't believe, you'd have closed this.

Again, you are projecting. You presume to know Dave's motivations, and if you can't understand where he is coming from you get confused and don't know how to respond. You think Dave needs to behave in the only way you can comprehend, but you fail to understand that from Dave's enlightened position he is not bound by your chains.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: 8086 on June 03, 2012, 01:02:24 am
So much resentment and bitterness. Why not just be happy?

Resentment and bitterness? You are projecting, as indeed you must to validate your own beliefs. If Dave and others were not resentful and bitter it would undermine what you believe.

But just for the record, we are happy. For myself, I have never been happier since I broke free of religious thinking. Trying to accept the teachings of the religious people in church was making me very unhappy indeed.

You continually re-iterate how happy you are to be "free" from freedom; I don't think you are, sorry, as sad as it makes me. Your tone contradicts your intended sentiment, and I feel sad for you my dear friend. God loves you, one day you'll find him again, hopefully.

Your niceness does a poor job of hiding your arrogance. I'm sorry.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on June 03, 2012, 01:38:07 am


I have seen threads at least this long, if not longer, about the flying spaghetti monster - the amount of debate doesn't add any credit to your assertions whatsoever, as you well know.
Cotfsm. Now there's an engeneers religion ?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 03, 2012, 02:13:20 am
Dave, if you think I am trolling, you've had 53 pages and 11,000+ views in which to close the thread. I'm obviously not trolling, or you'd have closed it by now. You can say whatever you wish to, but you're in charge here, and God is real, else, if you TRULY didn't believe, you'd have closed this.

Just what a religion troll would like, to prove that Dave is an asshole because he is an athesit and closed a thread because he doesn't believe and is afraid of seeing "the truth". You are a troll, and a transparent one at that. There is nothing useful coming from your brain and any post you make anywhere else is instantly dismissed by me as lacking any critical thinking.

I still find you rather amusing at your childish attempts here though.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 03, 2012, 03:40:09 am
Just so you know, I forgive your perceptions of me as a troll, I cannot change what you think, but I can only forgive you my dear friend.

If you walk like a duck and act like a duck, what did you expect? You shouldn't be giving out forgiveness but asking for forgiveness for your behavior that caused others to think of you wrongly. Remember the bible, before judging others judge thyself. You have much to learn little grasshopper. So go learnth and remain silent till then. ;D


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 03, 2012, 07:39:51 am
Sorry, but would you like to trawl this thread and find where I ONCE said that Dave was an a****le? That's quite a sad thing to imply, I have nothing but love and respect for ALL you guys, you just *think* I don't. I may not be amazing at getting my views across, but please, do not say things that HAVE never and WILL never be spoken by me

Unfortunately what you don't say in this thread speak volumes, and does your talking for you.
You deliberately avoid answering all questions, and you don't engage in any form of meaningful and normal dialogue on the issue. You just continue to preach and say god loves everyone etc etc.
If that's what you want to do, then fine, people will likely just tire of it and ignore you. You were kinda fun at first, but the novelty has worn off for me personally.
Lightages is right when he said nothing meaningful is coming out of you in this thread.
I've discussed religion with quite a few people, it's something I enjoy doing as an active atheist, I find it fun, but I must say you are one of the worst at it I have ever encountered. Embarrassingly bad IMO. And that's a shame, because you have the enthusiasm and articulation to be very good good at it I'm sure, but it seems to be your deliberate choice tactics that ruins it for you.
No one will ever take you seriously on the subject I'm afraid.
Next.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 03, 2012, 11:59:10 am
Dave, if you think I am trolling, you've had 53 pages and 11,000+ views in which to close the thread. I'm obviously not trolling, or you'd have closed it by now.

I'm not going to close a thread that others are obviously enjoying just because you are trolling or whatever.
Sorry to say, but you aren't that important  :P

Quote
You can say whatever you wish to, but you're in charge here, and God is real, else, if you TRULY didn't believe, you'd have closed this.

The presumption in that statement is simply stunning! And that's the problem with your approach, and why others won't ever take you seriously.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 03, 2012, 12:42:32 pm
to iamwhoiam: you should be thankful to God becoz you'r famous. each time you made a post, few pages poppep up!
to dave: since dave does not intend to close this thread, so he must be "not loving"
:P
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: AntiProtonBoy on June 03, 2012, 12:45:36 pm
(http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090424164130/lyricwiki/images/b/b5/Carrot.gif) So, iamwhoiam, what's your stance on homosexuality?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 03, 2012, 12:58:35 pm
The carrot, I can see it! What I cannot see yet, is the stick!  :):):)  :P


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: chrome on June 03, 2012, 03:08:59 pm
Wow, you must be a politician or something, the amount of beating around the bush without addressing anything is frankly amazing.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MikeK on June 03, 2012, 04:19:59 pm
This thread needs a cat...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 04, 2012, 02:45:02 am
Wow, you must be a politician or something, the amount of beating around the bush without addressing anything frankly amazing.

His pointlessness is remarkable isn't it?
*plonk*

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 04, 2012, 03:02:16 am
That is a question for Dave.  He is the one feeling it.  I simply see no evolutionary justification for it.

Natural selection favours mutations that offer an advantage, but that advantage can be subtle, and long term, because evolution operates over a massive time-scale. So if 'compassion' works for us, evolution will eventually converge on it.

I think compassion is probably a win, which is why we have it. I mean, our species has been to the *moon* - I think we're doing ok!

While those statements are convenient and certainly has the "air of reality", it is devoid of any proof and sounds more like righteous moralizing.

If evolution is a science, I want proof.  The standard of proof that will satisfy me is "preponderance of evidence" from the fossil record that compassion is win for humans.  I look forward to your discussion on the feelings of trilobites, mollusk and extremophiles from rock impressions.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 04, 2012, 03:21:30 am
If evolution is a science, I want proof.  The standard of proof that will satisfy me is "preponderance of evidence" from the fossil record that compassion is win for humans.  I look forward to your discussion on the feelings of trilobites, mollusk and extremophiles from rock impressions.

Say what? You equate evolution as solely being a few impressions in some rocks? You are setting up another straw man.

It is like asking a person to prove what colour a car was by looking at the tire tracks in the dirt. Unless they can do that then they can't prove that the car had a colour? They have no other options to prove the colour?  ::)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 04, 2012, 03:33:49 am
If evolution is a science, I want proof.  The standard of proof that will satisfy me is "preponderance of evidence" from the fossil record that compassion is win for humans.  I look forward to your discussion on the feelings of trilobites, mollusk and extremophiles from rock impressions.
It is like asking a person to prove what colour a car was by looking at the tire tracks in the dirt. Unless they can do that then they can't prove that the car had a colour? They have no other options to prove the colour?  ::)

How else are you going to do it, mitochondrial DNA? LOL!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 04, 2012, 03:48:25 am
I'm not so sure.  I can see it for one's family or even tribe.  But outside those, they're competition for scarce resources essential for thriving.  So caring about 20,000 babies dying on the other side of the planet has no evolutionary justification.

...but I care for the countless animals we slaughter for food everyday. If I can care for animals, you betcha I care for 20K dying babies...

Are you suggesting humans will eat babies in another few beeelion years?  Is that the next step in the evolutionary process?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 04, 2012, 04:08:45 am
So now we have another person giving up trying to present anything rational in this discussion. Guess what side that person is on in this discussion?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 04, 2012, 04:22:37 am
So now we have another person giving up trying to present anything rational in this discussion. Guess what side that person is on in this discussion?

You are not talking about me.  Don't you have a proof to come up with for homework?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 04, 2012, 04:31:13 am
If evolution is a science, I want proof.
The standard of proof that will satisfy me is "preponderance of evidence" from the fossil record that compassion is win for humans.  I look forward to your discussion on the feelings of trilobites, mollusk and extremophiles from rock impressions.

IIRC it is hard to prove that compassion et.al plays a strong role in our survival, but so what if it didn't have much role? (IIRC, there is some good evidence for it though) There are many other factors that contribute to our now dominance as the smartest and most capable animals on this hunk of rock.

It is clear you are course moving toward "god did it", if there is no convincing evidence, right?
In that case, given the clear undeniable evidence for and the fact of evolution, that we evolved from other animals. That leaves several options:

1) You don't believe in evolution at all. Throw you in the loony bin an lock away the key I'm afraid.
2) We evolved, but then at some magic point god gave us these magic powers above the animals (but then, it is proven that animals have human-like traits such as compassion etc too (wow, that's maybe some evidence for evolution at play there actually...)
3) God has nothing to do with it, and it's all evolution. Much of this stuff is quite new research and hasn't been going on that long in the scheme or things. It naturally needs more time to get more evidence for.

Practically every evolutionary biologist on the planet think it's 3) BTW.

Perhaps this has something of interest here:
CCARE Research and Experiments on Compassion I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmE1L3mX_84#)
(I have not watched it, but it's Stanford and appears bang on topic)

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 04, 2012, 04:36:12 am
Are you suggesting humans will eat babies in another few beeelion years?  Is that the next step in the evolutionary process?

It was a previous step:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism)

And it seems we currently still do:
http://www.americancannibalsociety.com/ (http://www.americancannibalsociety.com/)
No need to wait, join the society today!  ;D

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: free_electron on June 04, 2012, 05:10:17 am
If evolution is a science, I want proof.  The standard of proof that will satisfy me is "preponderance of evidence" from the fossil record that compassion is win for humans.  I look forward to your discussion on the feelings of trilobites, mollusk and extremophiles from rock impressions.
Don't be daft. You cant reason with dead matter...
Take a look at pachyderms. They've been around for longer than humans. They care for their young , even if. Ot their own. They grieve for their dead and even show a form of respect for the bones of their ancestors...

Can't deny that is compassion..
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 04, 2012, 06:40:21 am
Are you suggesting humans will eat babies in another few beeelion years?  Is that the next step in the evolutionary process?

If you are trying to be funny like iamwhoiam, don't forget to follow these steps:

STEP 1: Compliment your opponent A LOT with words such as 'greatest', 'amazing', 'kind', etc...
Quote from: iamwhoiam & remember to string them together for greater fx
"Bless you, you're an amazing person, and a very caring loving guy - it shows :)"

STEP 2: Tell them what you will do to them...
Quote from: iamwhoiam
[Dave is] a good guy, I love and care for you,...

Quote from: iamwhoiam
You are great people, and I love you all.


STEP 3: If you are losing, go rambling on about god (or bash satan) as if you are onto something.
Quote from: iamwhoiam
Find the AMAZING power of God on your side, and CRUSH SATAN!!!!! I am serious.

Quote from: iamwhoiam
Experience the peace of God, and you'll NEVER doubt him again, I promise this.

And remember. Trolling is fun. ;D


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 04, 2012, 07:59:13 am
And it seems we currently still do:
http://www.americancannibalsociety.com/ (http://www.americancannibalsociety.com/)
No need to wait, join the society today!  ;D
interesting! if "vampires" are allowed, i'll teach them how to eat pussies.

Quote
If you are trying to be funny like iamwhoiam
no offense to Pete. but what i believe Placid meant is... "Learn Hypnosis". but sadly i believe, hypnosis will mostly work with... pussies! bwahahaha :D

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on June 04, 2012, 08:03:21 am
i guess you are not in position to argue with me since you prefer to pick localized event, biased view and lack of knowledge about islamic law, and most importantly i can feel you provoke flamewar/troll/hatred.
Regarding our (mine and your) positions in this arguments, lets the audience judge by themself, not  by you nor me.

See & read again your own post for yourself, isn't that above statement sounds so arrogant & cocky ?

Other example of your cockiness, that you claimed yourself as an "expert" in woman that they hate to see "penis", c'mon, this is getting "better" !  ;D


(you are american/english native right?). and yes, because its seldom to see such thing and its known to be painful the first time its penetrates (rumour among them, yes married women told our virgin women. cant hold that up)... i heard different things about women in your (i guess you are from western) country.
You don't any slightest idea where I came or originated from, yes, sounds like you thought I was a westerner (maybe caucasian too) that is living comfortably in highly developed country, spending my spare lazy time googling craps about Islam, and brainlessly use them against you right ?

Again, you're terribly wrong.

Well Mech, not sure, but I pretty confident I can even beat you in reading Al-Qur'an like the one in Islam Qur'an reading competition, yes, I can read out loud your Holy book even with native Arabic's accent"s" (plural). Yet, I am "not" a Muslim nor a convert from Islam. ;)

"Ayo lah Cik Shafri, saya ini suka makan nasi lemak + banyak sambal belacan yang pedas, dan minum teh tarik buat sarapan" ;)

PS : This above sentence means "C'mon Mr. Shafri (calling Mech's name respectfully in Malaysian's dialect), that I love to eat & drink <very specific native Malaysian's food> for breakfast" , I don't think you can get this kind of sentence using computer translation.


you heard stories about other "stronghold" countries, but you dont know whats really going on inside, how we perceive values, how we tried hard to maintain morality and avoid social corruption. and you prefer to define it in your own term.

I've been in Middle East and spent my life quite sometimes at that region, and also I've been "inside" part of the city like Riyadh that is forbidden for non muslim to enter. ;)

Just fyi, about our argument on Islam's view on "Self Restraint", just a simple & easy example, at big cities in Saudi Arabia, in this part of the world that is so called the best Islam stronghold on earth, even an old lady, I mention "old" like > 50 years, if they're "dressed properly accoding to Islam's law" but walking or roaming alone in public, that poor grandma might be "easily" gang raped at anytime, and its a fact, just ask your nearest "Pak Haji" (senior Muslim) at your own "Kampung" (village) if you don't believe me. Talking about "maintaining morality" in Islam world eh ?  ;D

Regarding the reference or proof for this fact, there are tons of it out there, just search for your self will ya ? ;)



Again, back to beginning that you mentioned that I am not at the same league to argue with you right ? Ok, this is my humble & simple last question, and I don't see if its worth my energy anymore to argue, discuss ask you, since its proven you just can not cope even with my simple arguments err... I mean questions.


are you talking about women exposing the hair? if yes then. exposing the hair for "muslim" women is a sin in islam (fyi islamic law will not apply to non-muslim women). i'm 100% sure of that because thats what written in the book. when did i insult Allah?
You're a Malaysian and Malaysia is a country that implemented and complies "fully" with Syariah (Islam rules), am I right ?

Picture below from the coronation of the Malaysian King which just happened recently in April 2012, this picture shows he was kissing that small yellow book.


Please guess, what is that book ? Why the King was kissing it ?

(http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/04/11/malay_coronation_apAP12041108127_620x350.jpg)
Source : http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57412631-10391698/malaysian-coronation-steeped-in-tradition/ (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57412631-10391698/malaysian-coronation-steeped-in-tradition/)

Quote : "The ceremony included veneration of the Koran and kissing the royal long dagger."

Ready ? ...

Why your very own queen was showing her hair in this grand formal event ?

I guess you must be planning to "dethrone" your own King aren't you ? C'mon, at least do some public protest by demonstration,  since His wife strongly insulted and violated the Holy book's law in such grand public event.

Anyway, you said you're not responding anymore, realistically I'm not expecting either, cause its simply way too heavy to answer such simple question from a Muslim, pity you.

The only reasonable answer is only this -> Malaysian is only adapting "part of" Syariah law which fit in the society/culture, and thrown away any parts that are not suitable...aka......arhhmmm... just don't feel comfortable using this word .... "hypocrite". ;)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 04, 2012, 08:12:12 am
right brav, i cannot answer you (and i'm "laplergic" right now) so i cant read all your posts. its better for you to see for yourself to believe it. your are "amazing" and "god loves you" you! bwahahahaa :D

Quote
You're a Malaysian and Malaysia is a country that implemented and complies "fully" with Syariah (Islam rules), am I right ?
only this one.... BONK, EKKK! WRONG!  we've been modernized and we like to eat pussies bwahahaha :D (not in the right mind)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on June 04, 2012, 08:24:50 am
only this one.... BONK, EKKK! WRONG!  we've been modernized and we like to eat pussies bwahahaha :D (not in the right mind)

No, infact your mind is fully normal and nothing wrong, cause Allah knows His followers so well, hence, He promised and keep busy "emphasizing" the 72 virgins in heaven instead of other subjects or matters.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 04, 2012, 08:29:07 am
Quote
Ayo lah Cik Shafri, saya ini suka makan nasi lemak + banyak sambal belacan yang pedas, dan minum teh tarik buat sarapan"
no it means... let fuck! (in hypnoctic way) bwahahahha :D
Quote
the 72 virgins in heaven
look around! its virgins everywhere! come and get them! hypnosis is proven to be correct! bwahahaha.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 04, 2012, 11:36:44 am
Speaking of virgins, I trust that everyone has heard of hymenorrhaphy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenorrhaphy) (= hymen: a membrane which partially closes the opening of the vagina + rhaphy: seaming, from the verb rhapto: to seam), or hymenoplasty (hymen + platho: to mould, to give a shape), which is the surgical restoration of the hymen.

Now, are the 72 promised virgins the original or a repaired/refurbished product? :P


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: BravoV on June 04, 2012, 11:53:44 am
look around! its virgins everywhere! come and get them! hypnosis is proven to be correct! bwahahaha.

When the day you faced Allah, really wish He granted you the heaven's door entry key, and just suggesting you to ask those poor virgins to close their eyes or blindfolded, otherwise they will be very disgusted seeing the scene where you're  bare naked with that "thing" whipping around  ;D, I know, even they deserved that (according to you), at least at wear a pant when you're in warming up session, will ya ?  :D


Psst......yep, this is a sublime message by the devil using internet thru Dave's forum to hypnotize and lure you against Islam .... ha..ha...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 04, 2012, 11:58:49 am
Quote from: Dave
3) God has nothing to do with it, and it's all evolution. Much of this stuff is quite new research and hasn't been going on that long in the scheme or things. It naturally needs more time to get more evidence for.

Practically every evolutionary biologist on the planet think it's 3) BTW.
Perhaps this has something of interest here: video
i watched the video. i will say. wonderful job! to all of them including dalai lama. cannot be faulted! but now...

when you say compassion is something to do with or influenced by god, then that is wrong. compassion is "our property", same as animal do have some level of "compassion". same as other property such anger, lust, joyful, satisfied etc. that is "creatures/human property" not (or separated from) god. and some (if not all) are called "god's image".

now people may misunderstood what is meant by "image". its like what we've taught in school. an "image is coming from an object" like shadow or reflection from mirror. when object goes left, the image goes left too, they are connected and influenced, that is "image" what we understood. what's meant by God's "image" is like this... God "copy" some/slight of his property (behaviour) and make that into the design of a human (or creature). god has love, so we have (slight) love, god has pride, so do we, god can get angry, so we can etc etc its just the magnitude of what God can do is far greater than ours (love, destruction, anger etc). its like saying... we build a robot with arms. and that "robot arms" is our "image" because we also have arms. but when we raise our arm, the robot arm will not because its not affected to (unless if we design it to be). and our arm, is alot! more usefull (greater) than robot arms.

so of course if you try to relate all those properties to "God's influence" you wouldnt find anything. there's no God's influence to such non-trivial matters such as cells or properties (anger, compassion etc). Al-Quran...

"I will not change your fate, unless you change it yourself" - God

so we are "independent finished products", left here to do our own things, no influence from up there (with some special exception, usually through metaphysic, such as through idea or thought or dream). we are equipped with "choice and intelligence" that is not the same level as other animal has, that make us special. its not like... we have compassion, animal also do, so we are animal! no. we need to look at "quality" not just "quantity alone".

now. from the economist guy (if i understand him correctly), people with "voluntary" will for donation/charity will get more "warmglow" reward rather than someone who are forced to. "guide/motivation" is needed for this "nonvoluntary" people. thats one of the point of "holybook". God encourage/motivate us to do it (what should be done) "voluntarily", thats the true from inner self and that what make us to heaven. someone who are forced, but doing so (rightful thing), they are in lower rank. and some who disobey, lowest rank etc. donation/charity is encouraged in islam. zakah is enforced (with some lower value applied to affordable person) to help economy of the poor. and we get more "warmglow" if we do the right thing (of what we believe is right) if its done voluntarily... coincidence? or nitpicking?

and what you feel is right is not necessarily an "absolute right", there should be a guide for it. law, holybook, so called "human right" law, etc etc. and only one law that is said from God... (holybook), the rest are "human-made" or "human-idea/instinct/meditation/dream" laws and that can be influenced by evil/bias/misthought etc.

Quote
Now, are the 72 promised virgins the original or a repaired/refurbished product?
refurbished or not, what do you care? if you can refurbish something to perfection down to atomic level, can one distinguish? Matrix... our perception is just electrical impulses. if someone inject you the feeling of orgasm while you sitting on the chair, do you want to say... its a painful feeling? "feeling" is just a word, our perception is crude.. what matters is what understanding/knowledge/information that is collected/gathered/concluded in our brain/soul.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 04, 2012, 04:14:26 pm
If evolution is a science, I want proof.
The standard of proof that will satisfy me is "preponderance of evidence" from the fossil record that compassion is win for humans.  I look forward to your discussion on the feelings of trilobites, mollusk and extremophiles from rock impressions.
3) God has nothing to do with it, and it's all evolution. Much of this stuff is quite new research and hasn't been going on that long in the scheme or things. It naturally needs more time to get more evidence for.

Dave.

Well, until evolutionary biologist actually have that evidence, it is the highest height of human hubris to rule out God.  There is no reason to believe this scientific evidence is forth coming.

I'm not a scientist, but I'm pretty sure I know how science works: you show your evidence then I believe.  The other way around requires faith (in evolutionary biologist) which, as has been beaten to death in this thread, has no place in science.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 04, 2012, 04:52:41 pm
Quote
if someone inject you the feeling of orgasm while you sitting on the chair, do you want to say... its a painful feeling?

It certainly looks painful: (http://cache.io9.com/assets/images/8/2011/01/xlarge_total_recall.jpg)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 04, 2012, 04:54:48 pm
We can rule out god from *evolution*, because that's a proven theory.

As for compassion (or hate, or the appendix, or ingrown toenails, or *whatever*), evolution is a perfectly good explanation, even if the precise path by which it has come about is not known or proven.

The supernatural hasn't been ruled out, more that it simply isn't being considered in the first place because better explanations are available, and it's not something that can be tested anyway. You can make up an infinite amount of untestable supernatural explanations, and they're all as useless (and unlikely) as each other.

It's just 'god of the gaps' again, and if that's your bag, knock yourself out - that 'god' is getting smaller and less relevant every day.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 04, 2012, 06:09:02 pm
I'm not a scientist, but I'm pretty sure I know how science works: you show your evidence then I believe.  The other way around requires faith (in evolutionary biologist) which, as has been beaten to death in this thread, has no place in science.

You don't know how science work. Look at your previous post.

Your understanding of "in his image" is flawed.  How can God be simultaneously be white and black.  Brown and red.  Having nordic and african features all at ones.


The other way around requires faith (in evolutionary biologist) which, as has been beaten to death in this thread, has no place in science.
Not correct. Forget about evolutionary biologists, the other way around requires faith in your eyes.


[T]hey'd be peaceful in the knowledge that Christians are misguided.
When I was 6-7 year old at the age which I realized religion was make-believe, you would think I had some grudge against Christians.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 04, 2012, 06:21:36 pm
When I was 6-7 year old at the age which I realized religion was make-believe, you would think I had some grudge against Christians.
I was by that age too, when I realised that what Christianity called Holy Communion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharist) was actually a symbolic act of anthropophagy: Eating of human flesh and drinking of human blood; the very definition of cannibalism.

How blind the people can be...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 04, 2012, 06:53:44 pm
Those with child-like faith, un-scarred by life and our accumulated "wisdom" as we get older, those who accept opinion but are not defined by it... they live the simplest, happiest life in the love of God, as no earthly knowledge has led them away from God, into the destructive maze of distraction and opinion of others.


When I was 6-7 year old at the age which I realized religion was make-believe, you would think I had some grudge against Christians.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 04, 2012, 07:32:48 pm
We can rule out god from *evolution*, because that's a proven theory.
true! see my reply to dave. god has nothing to do with this at all. dave's link about "compassion" is not touching or mentioning anything about god at all. just us. i would loved to see who are those scientists who concluded the "unlikeliness" of the existence of god, based on science, not basing on banana skin.

Quote
this is aint from holybook. but from a "surgeon" (we are burgers), a true (great) scientist...

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.

Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking

As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.

Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation and is but a reflection of human frailty

I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed

If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.

God may be subtle, but he isn't plain mean.

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.

Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal

The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax.

The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.

The only real valuable thing is intuition

The only source of knowledge is experience

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination

The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.

We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us.

When the solution is simple, God is answering

He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed

source... (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/albert_einstein.html)

savvy?!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 04, 2012, 07:44:53 pm
As for compassion (or hate, or the appendix, or ingrown toenails, or *whatever*), evolution is a perfectly good explanation, even if the precise path by which it has come about is not known or proven.

LOL! You can accept this for a hard science like biology but you can't accept that faith in God is reasonably placed.  Methinks you are going weebly-woobly on your arguments.

Quote
The supernatural hasn't been ruled out, more that it simply isn't being considered in the first place because better explanations are available, and it's not something that can be tested anyway. You can make up an infinite amount of untestable supernatural explanations, and they're all as useless (and unlikely) as each other.

It's just 'god of the gaps' again, and if that's your bag, knock yourself out - that 'god' is getting smaller and less relevant every day.

Like I said the more humans get to know about their natural world the less they will need faith in God (but only asymptotically).  It is very doubtful that the [various?] theories of evolution has significantly advanced knowledge to the point God can be outright ruled out.  For one, it will be at least another beeeelion years before any experimental result by evolutionary biologist would bear definitive data.  Then its got to be peer reviewed...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 04, 2012, 07:56:08 pm
I'm not a scientist, but I'm pretty sure I know how science works: you show your evidence then I believe.  The other way around requires faith (in evolutionary biologist) which, as has been beaten to death in this thread, has no place in science.

You don't know how science work. Look at your previous post.

Your understanding of "in his image" is flawed.  How can God be simultaneously be white and black.  Brown and red.  Having nordic and african features all at ones.

A scientist make a claim -> Said scientist offers proof -> It is verified -> Now we can believe the claim.  Where am I wrong?


Quote
The other way around requires faith (in evolutionary biologist) which, as has been beaten to death in this thread, has no place in science.
Not correct. Forget about evolutionary biologists, the other way around requires faith in your eyes.

Life tip: Anytime you are ask to believe without proof or proof you don't understand, you are being asked to have faith.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 04, 2012, 09:26:43 pm
PeteInTexas, proofs is all around you. Look and link them together.

Take for instance, watch a show on natives or tribal people. Without outside influences, they too have a religion of their own.

Here is my tip to you: Never seek answer from supporter or opponent. Answer will always be bias untrustful.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 04, 2012, 10:00:40 pm

LOL! You can accept this for a hard science like biology but you can't accept that faith in God is reasonably placed.  Methinks you are going weebly-woobly on your arguments.


"Thing we have evidence for" is considerably more reasonable than "some invisible magic dude did it". Especially when all you're talking about is a minor specific case of a already established larger theory.

It's like challenging gravity because you haven't personally seen every object in the universe dropped out of a window. i.e. frankly a bit silly.

It is very doubtful that the [various?] theories of evolution has significantly advanced knowledge to the point God can be outright ruled out.  For one, it will be at least another beeeelion years before any experimental result by evolutionary biologist would bear definitive data.  Then its got to be peer reviewed...

No one is trying to disprove god! It has been said *many* times already that you can't prove a negative! All science is interested in, is what it *can* prove.

Honestly, no-one wants to take your imaginary friend away, relax!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 04, 2012, 10:23:08 pm
Like I said the more humans get to know about their natural world the less they will need faith in God (but only asymptotically).  It is very doubtful that the [various?] theories of evolution has significantly advanced knowledge to the point God can be outright ruled out.  For one, it will be at least another beeeelion years before any experimental result by evolutionary biologist would bear definitive data.  Then its got to be peer reviewed...

I'm sorry Pete, but the only thing any god could possibly had a hand in evolution is to start the whole process. There is no evidence of any hand of god intervening, none.
If you seriously doubt that evolution is not a fact and there is not enough convincing evidence for it, then you are just stubbornly ignorant and blinded by your faith.
Go read the texts that have been provided for starters and educate yourself, please.

For an educated adult to seriously doubt that evolution is fact is just downright embarrassing, really  :-[

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 04, 2012, 10:26:55 pm
this thread is the biggest semantics errors i have ever encountered. and the irony part is, the odd of making corrections to it is next to impossible.
edit: wiki... irony = something with many irons.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on June 04, 2012, 11:14:40 pm
God is getting A GIGANTIC amount of press from this marvellous discussion. If you genuinely do not believe in him, then I have to tell you that your fight has back-fired - you're provoking people to consider God MORE!

Fight? Who is fighting. I am quite happy for people to consider god and if they have more than a couple of brain cells in the light of the evidence they will conclude the existence god is extremely unlikely.

Isn't this the fourth post where you have tried to claim the number of posts and views of this thread is somehow justification for the existence of god? Each time the image of a drowning man grasping at a floating straw comes to mind.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 04, 2012, 11:22:17 pm
I am quite happy for people to consider god and if they have more than a couple of brain cells in the light of the evidence they will conclude the existence god is extremely unlikely.

That is the only logical conclusion one can come to.
But like I've said, if anyone wants to believe in a god, then I have no problem with it at all, and I do not find that at all loony.
The loony part comes in when you start sprouting the ideas of the organised religions (which are of course much less likely again than a pure theistic god view) and quoting their holy books.

Quote
Each time the image of a drowning man grasping at a floating straw comes to mind.

*snort*
That pretty much sums up the religions.
It's the ultimate losing bet.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 04, 2012, 11:42:24 pm
If you are right and every believer is wrong, then you'd just leave it at "I don't believe in God", instead of attempting to justify your view by adding "weight" with attempting, not very well at all, to insult us? This is something I observe in almost EVERY SINGLE "Atheist vs Christian" debate on YouTube - the Atheist can't help themselves but hurl abuse

few atheist deliberately insult to be mean, or hurl abuse. We just feel compelled to point out how obviously batshit crazy a lot of the religious views are.
Now, you could say I just made an insult there, but it's simply stating the truth, as seen by someone who is grounded in logic and reason. Some do it more tactfully than others  ;D
As we atheists always like to say, replace the word "god" with something else and claim the exact same things, and you are instantly relegated into the loony bin by society. But use that magic word god, and it's all ok? What's up with that?

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 04, 2012, 11:58:53 pm
To say someone is stupid, a few cells short or diluded, on the other hand, is plain ignorance...

Some of the smartest people I know are religious. They are not stupid, just deluded.
And somewhat strangely (or tellingly in fact), religion is the only thing they are deluded about, without exception.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on June 05, 2012, 12:06:15 am
This is something I observe in almost EVERY SINGLE "Atheist vs Christian" debate on YouTube - the Atheist can't help themselves but hurl abuse - it's as if they almost are compelled to insult God

How can an atheist insult something which doesn't exist?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 05, 2012, 12:22:09 am
Insults, just like beauty, are in the eye of the beholder. I will say something that I believe but do not mean as an insult.

iamwhoiam is doing exactly as I predicted. He is a troll who's existence here is to promote his religion and has just declared his success by stating that all this thread does for him is continue a vehicle for him to repeat his BS.

Dave and I like the argument and the amusement it gives us to see the crazy rantings of a misguided person who doesn't know what discussion is let alone proper argument. But that is not the only reason to post here.

The problem that Dave, others, and I have is the fight against the 95% of the world who blindly believe something like a sheeple. Yes I use the term specifically because what do priests, ministers, etc call their followers?..... their "flock", bahhhh bahhhh bahhhh. We have put up enough with the constant bombardment of ridiculous pious assholes who think that their form of ignorance is better than the Lutherans, or the Jews, or Islam, or Vegans...... and all the others polluting our lives and the world with their form of racism, hate, and woowoo crap that does nothing to advance the world. We listen to this crap like we are trapped in the movie "The Invasion of The Body Snatchers" fearing that anytime we might open our our mouths to actually speak reason some mind controlled zombie will screech and point us out to his other fellow zombies to be killed or assimilated or shunned.

So the 5% of the sane world is faced with trying to fight for our rights to be and exist without fear and molestation every second and it is like trying to stop the Amazon river from flowing with a tiny sponge. So if we say nothing the theist religious zombies keep coming and coming and coming without stop. Maybe a few of us vocal atheists can try and counteract the rhetoric, but is like pissing in the wind. Greed, stupidity and ignorance are too useful to those in power to let reason get in the way of keeping the hordes of zombies flowing out of the wombs of other zombies.

So keeping this thread open is not a testament to your stupid, childish and dangerous beliefs, it is probably Dave's way of showing you that he is not afraid of the truth and will not shut something down just because some fear monging zombies try to say that this thread is to their benefit.

Cut off that piece of that child's penis because someone said it is bad in a book written thousands of years ago and probably miscopied hundreds of times. Cut off that guys head because he said something wrong. Stone that woman to death for showing a piece of skin. Burn for eternity because your mother was a crack whore and threw you in the trash the day you were born and you didn't get baptized. Hateful archaic texts meant to keep the sheeple from not putting money on the donation plate on Sunday should not be the way the world is run. Writing your opinion in a book should not bring a death contract upon you from the head of a country.

Sorry if I am putting intentions or words in your mouth Dave, but I think we are on the same page.


Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: digsys on June 05, 2012, 12:37:39 am
Quote
  .... is the fight against the 95% of the world who blindly believe something like a sheeple...
Couldn't have said it any better.
The scary part is the US presidential elections (pre) going on right now.
Some of the fanatic religous comments being made by some of the contenders .... EEEEEK
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 05, 2012, 12:41:45 am
us Christians don't evangelise over nothing! If he wasn't real, how empty, meaningless and boring would it be

And there everyone, in a nutshell, is what makes the religious believe.
Unfortunately, simply believing, or having faith in something, does not make it true.
And the more that society and our scientific knowledge marches on, the more foolish such belief seems.
The evidence has spoken, and your god almost certainly does not exist.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 05, 2012, 12:43:34 am
It's not about me - you may insult me all you wish. Deny God if you desire to, but aiming the insults at me is silly, because I care for you, and words can never hurt me or change me, as I have said many times over, and doubtless will again, LOL!

Like you said, nothing will change you. I have accepted that. You are closed to anything that is even absolute proof that something you now believe, is wrong. I get it! You cannot be convinced of anything that you believe now is wrong. Nothing, ever, for eternity......

SO now by your own admission you are here to promote your beliefs and not discuss anything, just to troll, as I predicted and you denied so many posts ago. So not only do you have a closed mind, you also believe it is right to promote your beliefs by lying? So which of your lies you expect you chosen audience to believe?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 05, 2012, 12:59:34 am
Sorry if I am putting intentions or words in your mouth Dave, but I think we are on the same page.

Not at all, you are spot on, except for the 5% part I suspect. I think the world on a whole is becoming much more secular and non-believing than people think. But yes, it's an uphill slog.
Here in Australia at least, the figure is around the 50% mark of people who either don't believe (30+%), or simply call themselves "spiritual". BTW, I call those "spiritual" people a win, because they are usually ones who see through the organised religious, and can smell the BS. But they still like the airy fairy notion of their being "something" (usually not a god), so as an atheist I consider them genuinely harmless.
Of the remaining half who consider themselves religious in some way, over 40% don't actively practice it in any way. Practically agnostic, in my view. Almost all of these 40% I expect to eventually come across to admitting agnosticism as society marches on.

And I think those stats are confirmed by my own observations, even living right in the heart of the "bible belt" here in Sydney. I suspect they are actually rather conservatively biased toward the religious.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 05, 2012, 01:15:00 am
[...]
2 Thessalonians 2:
[...]
Please, my dear EEVBlog fellow, stop quoting what others have said or written.

Though I can only speak for myself, I believe that everyone over here would rather prefer you to be telling us what YOUR viewpoints are and WHY (just as I did with the 72 promised virgins (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg117635/#msg117635), the Holy Communion (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg117751/#msg117751) and the Circumcision (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg115322/#msg115322), for example), than rehashing what some ancient heavily doctored epistles some ancient murderers have written to some ancient exiled minorities.

Explaining myself:

- Ancient heavily doctored epistles: All the Councils of Christian bishops and Holy Synods were actually dogfights between the heads of the Christian Church, while trying to revise the "Holy Scriptures" in a way that they do not disagree with the official dogma, and to establish the Christianity holly books by choosing which of them were acceptable to be preached and which were not. If you have heard of the Biblical apocrypha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_apocrypha), they were the rejected books that should not be revealed to the public because their contents were not aligned to the Dogma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogma) or because they contained information that should be concealed. An example of concealed information is everything about the Essenes and the extra-biblical life of Jesus (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112252/#msg112252) that the Dead Sea Scrolls revealed.

- Ancient exiled minorities: The Corinthians, Thessalonians, Ephesians, etc. that the Apostles were addressing to were NOT the native citizens of these Hellenic cities but the Jewish minorities living there, after they had fled Judea (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116749/#msg116749) (since the third century BCE) and settled at the Mediterranean nations that gave them shelter. For example, when Paul the Apostle was given a podium in Pnyx, Athens, to speak to the Athenian Hellenes, they all laughed at him when he begun telling them about the promised life after death his new religion was preaching; and he did never attempt to address the Hellenes again, after that unfortunate incident...

- Ancient murderers: A brutal murderer, under the command of the ruthless Pharisees, was Saul of Tarsus, aka Paul the Apostle. Saul was a fanatic member of the Pharisees and a brutal murderer who was protected not only by the Pharisees but by the Romans as well, since the Pharisees were using him to hunt down and murder their (Jewish) opponents, and protected this valuable asset they had by paying generously the Romans to protect him. Not to mention that there are numerous respectable scholars who have associated Saul to the burning of Rome. In a few words, Saul never ceased to be the (more than willing) hired knife of the Pharisees, who used him later to spread the new religion through the Jewish diaspora.

That newly-found religion should be called Paulism or Saulism instead of Christianity, since more than half of its scriptures are attributed to Saul, whose masters never ceased to be the ruthless and manipulating Pharisees.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 05, 2012, 01:17:36 am
We'll just have to agree that you think I am closed minded, whilst you're obviously closed minded yourself, to the existence of God

Rubbish.
Athiests like myself and lightages have looked at the evidence (and lack of it on the flip side), and have used logic and reason to come to the conclusion that god almost certainly does not exist, especially so the one that you subscribe to.
I do not want to put words into Lightages mouth, but I'm pretty sure, like most atheists, if you presented sufficient real evidence then we would change our mind and believe too. That is the absolute opposite to close mindedness.

Now answer this question please. Yes or no only. Do you think there is a chance that you could be wrong and god does no actually exist?

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 05, 2012, 01:26:15 am
In the second decade of the 21st century, with unparalleled access to information and technology, issues such as evolution, power of prayer and miracles should have been settled by now just as facts about gravity, the solar system and a "round earth" are pretty much accepted.

They are settled.
But as with everything, unfortunately there will always be people who will never admit they were wrong, or want to cling on to the hope that it's still true. And I can understand that, it must be a powerful feeling to overcome.
I don't think I can have any more respect for someone, than those who were deeply bogged down in religious dogma, and then used reason and evidence to figure out that they were wrong, and then come out and admit it. A true pinnacle of human reason and advancement of society.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 05, 2012, 01:44:05 am
If there was any chance that God didn't exist, that would cause God to be a liar, and since he cannot lie, being the author of truth, NO.

Well, looky here at this logic.  :o
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on June 05, 2012, 01:47:46 am
Dave, when we meet in heaven, with all hope, I'll hug ya and say "SEE! told you so!" :-)

How many arguments can be won with promises of evidence after you are dead?

The 'theory' of religions can't be disproved and that is by design. Religions are the product of natural selection like everything else.

Any religion which said god will do X tomorrow would loose believers when X didn't happen. That is why religions only claim their god will do something vague or at some undefined future time and especially after death by which time your belief is irrelevant to the survival of the religion.

iawhoiam is here preaching to anyone who will listen because that is what his religion has taught or induces him to do. That is also by design. A religion which doesn't seek to create new believers will not survive.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 05, 2012, 01:49:26 am
If there was any chance that God didn't exist, that would cause God to be a liar, and since he cannot lie, being the author of truth, NO.

Well, looky here at this logic.  :o

I am an atheist, he is alogical.

Maybe I can try to be clever:
He is circumspect in that he is circumnavigating the circumstance in which he find himself encircled. Nah, not even clever, just lame......
----------------------------------------------

Dave, you are correct, I am 100% sure that you and I are on the same page.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 05, 2012, 01:53:16 am
Tired and tiring, nice combo.

God loves you like heroin loves a junky.

I guess I am edging on being offensive, but I believe the addiction is the same....
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on June 05, 2012, 01:57:46 am
If there was any chance that God didn't exist, that would cause God to be a liar, and since he cannot lie, being the author of truth, NO.

Suppose God lied, when he told you "I cannot lie"?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on June 05, 2012, 02:02:05 am
If there was any chance that God didn't exist, that would cause God to be a liar, and since he cannot lie, being the author of truth, NO. I take this on faith, as blind as you may think it, but that faith has substantial evidence - the evidence is our existence, and if I even needed more, there is PLENTY all around you - you're just robbed off it, as your earthly wisdom would have you blinded to everything around you which shouts "I AM HERE". You cannot know ultimate truth, as you have no yardstick against which to make such assumptions. Note: I am not saying you are a bad person, I am saying without God, you cannot comprehend what truth really means - it just is not possible, as you have no absolutes by which to measure anything.

Your volt meter says 1v for 1v today, but you only know this BECAUSE of past experience - because today is the same as yesterday, BUT you can have no guarantees that it will remain so and why our world is constant and predictable, because you reject God, and so your belief system is wholly based upon past experience and that of others, but that is as foolish a notion so as to say that, because it rained today, it will rain tomorrow - you have no guarantee of it, but because it may have rained for three years, you don't question it (man, that would be a bummer - three years of rain!).

God is constant, never changing, and he never goes back upon his word. So, we know God made us promises, and because he cannot lie, we KNOW that he will never leave us, and we know that we are based on a solid foundation of truth, ergo all worldly things... physics, natural laws, are constants, and we can rely on this, as God is a God of peace, stability, love... not the author of confusion and uncertainty - Satan.

Sorry, you asked me a simple question, but the truth is that truth is something unknowable without God, and so, I am happy I know what I know, and that his statutes remain for all time. He cannot lie, and what would it benefit him to do so? Lies are of man, because of pride, and our unwillingness to appear weak or fallible, and so we lie - the very fault in us that proves WE ARE weak and fallible, ironically, but God is not, which is why I take what he says at face value, and so should we all. I need not argue "evidence", as you already have it all, but are blind to it.

You really need to take some philosophy classes, because you are totally out of your depth here. I am not a philosopher by any means, but even I can tell your words are random gibberish. Please, if you want to preach, at least get your pastor or church elders to put you on the right track.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 05, 2012, 02:05:04 am
If there was any chance that God didn't exist, that would cause God to be a liar, ...

Let's replace God with unicorn and we have:
If there was any chance that unicorn didn't exist, that would cause unicorn to be a liar[.]

Damn, you unicorn. Why did you lied to me! :'(
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 05, 2012, 02:10:13 am
You really need to take some philosophy classes, because you are totally out of your depth here. I am not a philosopher by any means, but even I can tell your words are random gibberish.

Yep, I'm convinced he's just an automated response bot, and a poorly programmed one at that. 1970's AI technology at best.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Hugoneus on June 05, 2012, 03:25:35 am
Dave,

I am afraid you are being trolled. In my humble opinion, it is best to let this one go. You cannot defeat irrationality with rationality. The unreasonable are immune to reason.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 05, 2012, 03:26:54 am
Well I watched the forst part of that video, and it was 40 minutes of nonsense woowoo circular argument. Another waste of time. Always the same arguments, the same waving around of hands and assumptions of facts not in evidence. I wonder how many of the videos I have posted iamwhoiam has watched? Oh yes, it doesn't matter because he has stated that nothing will change his mind, never, for eternity.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 05, 2012, 03:31:32 am
Dave,

I am afraid you are being trolled. In my humble opinion, it is best to let this one go. You cannot defeat irrationality with rationality. The unreasonable are immune to reason.

Dave and I both are fully aware of this rather un-inventive and transparent troll. It matters not. The more he carries on the worse his position looks. He is digging his own grave so to speak. I have had some great debates with some real good arguers on this subject, but alas they were being "the devil's advocate". They actually were atheists trying to argue the other side as an exercise.

Anybody who keeps spouting the same shit over and over and actually brings no answers to questions posed to him is an obvious troll pushing our buttons. Fortunately he is helping our case with his ruminations.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 05, 2012, 03:48:33 am
Dave should close this thread and pin it up. Victor has already been decided.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 05, 2012, 04:00:17 am
PeteInTexas, proofs is all around you. Look and link them together.

Is it really that easy...
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 05, 2012, 04:06:11 am

LOL! You can accept this for a hard science like biology but you can't accept that faith in God is reasonably placed.  Methinks you are going weebly-woobly on your arguments.


"Thing we have evidence for" is considerably more reasonable than "some invisible magic dude did it". Especially when all you're talking about is a minor specific case of a already established larger theory.

Reasonable if "air of reality" is good enough for rigorous scientific work.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 05, 2012, 04:11:08 am
Like I said the more humans get to know about their natural world the less they will need faith in God (but only asymptotically).  It is very doubtful that the [various?] theories of evolution has significantly advanced knowledge to the point God can be outright ruled out.  For one, it will be at least another beeeelion years before any experimental result by evolutionary biologist would bear definitive data.  Then its got to be peer reviewed...

I'm sorry Pete, but the only thing any god could possibly had a hand in evolution is to start the whole process.

I can take this as concession.  You hear that everybody, Dave thinks its possible and that's good enough for me.

Quote
There is no evidence of any hand of god intervening, none.

If there is room for reasonable doubt in the scientific evidence, then there is room for faith in God.  This all I'm saying.  BTW, this is probably why your smart buddies are religious.  They are humble enough to recognize the limitations of scientific understanding.  They are not deluded.  They appreciate the smallness of their "knowledge" in the grand scheme of things.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on June 05, 2012, 04:49:17 am

LOL! You can accept this for a hard science like biology but you can't accept that faith in God is reasonably placed.  Methinks you are going weebly-woobly on your arguments.


"Thing we have evidence for" is considerably more reasonable than "some invisible magic dude did it". Especially when all you're talking about is a minor specific case of a already established larger theory.

Reasonable if "air of reality" is good enough for rigorous scientific work.

A theory with only "air of reality" is good enough and can be extremely valuable especially in the absence of any useful alternate theory. When it comes to making decisions requiring a prediction of what will happen in the future a theory with just a whiff of reality is better than nothing.

If you understood science you would know there are no proven theories only theories which have yet to be dis-proven.

God and evolution are theories which have yet to be dis-proven. Evolution has been well tested and we can have some confidence using it to predict the future. God theory has barely been tested, and the theory being what happens in the future depends on what God feels like with the lack of any evidence that we can influence what God feels like means it can never be tested. A 'whatever God feels like' theory is completely useless for predicting the future so it is not worth testing, it isn't worth considering.

I have no idea why people (who bother to think about it) believe in God(s) or even if they do why they care. Do they really think they can influence what God(s) will do, do they really think they are 'investing' for an afterlife? Perhaps some just like having their http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaginary_friend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaginary_friend)s.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Wartex on June 05, 2012, 04:54:29 am
@ Kremmen

We are not that far apart on many things.  Religions are not imune to the effects of human nature and large organization.
The only rules/guidance I need and attempt to follow is in the book.

Regards, robrenz

The West Wing- Bible Lesson (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1-ip47WYWc#)
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 05, 2012, 05:40:33 am
If there is room for reasonable doubt in the scientific evidence, then there is room for faith in God.

Any scientist will accept the evidence and go where it takes him. If there is evidence that God exists and it is the best explanation then it is accepted as the current working theory. If there is evidence that something else is at play and has more evidence, then that becomes the best working theory.

Now if someone hands you a book that says something exists and there is no other evidence to point to the existence of the thing championed in the book, then it is only a book. For anyone to constantly need to disprove things, anything that can be imagined, is a waste of time. Nobody will ask you to disprove flying pigs. Why ask anyone else to disprove your flying pig?

If someone gives me compelling evidence that God exists or a supreme being exists other than to just say "look around", then I will of course as a scientist go with the best working theory. Give me hand waving and legends about how people saw things 2000 years ago with their limited knowledge and I will have to pass on that as being pure myth and woowoo.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 05, 2012, 06:07:30 am
I am afraid you are being trolled.

I'm very aware of that, and it's rather humorous to watch trolls play.

Iamwhoiam has destroyed any credibility he has on this forum, everyone will now just see him as a complete nutter.
I won't be engaging him further, the novelty has worn off for me personally. I suggest others now do the same.
Those who want to continue to debate religion, by all means do so, and that's why I like to keep the thread open. Better to have one thread to trap it all than have it sporadically appear on the forum, as it will inevitably do on any forum.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 05, 2012, 07:48:53 am
Reasonable if "air of reality" is good enough for rigorous scientific work.

You keep using that phrase. I've no idea what you mean by it, other than you still think there is some level of uncertainty involved.

Let me give you some idea of the kind of "uncertainty" scientists allow. Where possible a successful experiment needs to be weighed up against the odds that it happened at random. This is done with rigorous statistic analysis of the results, and the chances of the results being incorrect are calculated using the standard deviation, or sigma value.

The level of 'certainty' required before scientists accept a result as being correct is typically around 5-sigma. That means they've ruled out an incorrect result down to odds of 1 in almost 2 million.

Even half a percent chance that something is wrong would be far too much for science to consider it 'true'. Science needs a lot more certainty than that.

So when you say science just has an "air of reality", do you mean it is "99.99994% likely"? That leaves 0.00006% for "some other reason", which would I suppose include the supernatural - though it includes *all* possible supernatural causes, as well as any other natural cause, so the odds on your particular god have to be considerably lower...

Is that what you mean?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 05, 2012, 11:48:29 am
Dave,
I am afraid you are being trolled. In my humble opinion, it is best to let this one go. You cannot defeat irrationality with rationality. The unreasonable are immune to reason.
you got it backward at your first statement. but the later are true

Quote
Well I watched the forst part of that video, and it was 40 minutes of nonsense woowoo circular argument. Another waste of time
thats why i look at the person who post it. if its worthy, then its worthy my internet bandwidth.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: PeteInTexas on June 05, 2012, 08:31:04 pm
I'm sorry Pete, but the only thing any god could possibly had a hand in evolution is to start the whole process.

Some data, FWIW: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/05/americans-believe-in-creationism_n_1571127.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/05/americans-believe-in-creationism_n_1571127.html)

(http://i.huffpost.com/gen/633346/thumbs/s-AMERICANS-CREATIONISM-large.jpg)

(http://i.huffpost.com/gen/633351/thumbs/r-EVOLUTION-CREATIONISM-large448.jpg?8)

Apparently attitudes and beliefs have not shifted much in the last few years as it has not in the last few pages of this thread.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 05, 2012, 09:00:28 pm
Not sure what that proves, other than just how much insanity religion has to answer for. It's not like the number of people who believe something makes any difference as to whether it's true or not.

What's even more damning about it, is that not only are there a lot of people who don't accept evolution, a great number actually think everything happened within the last 10,000 years. Wow. Just, wow. That's an impressive level of denial considering just how much we know about the history of the world and the cosmos in general.

Of course you missed a graph:

(http://i.huffpost.com/gen/633295/thumbs/s-EVOLUTION-EDUCATION-large640.jpg?4)

So there's hope! An education gives people knowledge, and the ability to think things through, and look what happens when they do... If only there wasn't so much indoctrination and social pressure to 'believe' in such utter nonsense, the numbers would be a lot better.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on June 05, 2012, 09:12:18 pm
This is really strong evidence that God did not create humans. If people were truly designed by an intelligent creator, how do we explain such a great weakness in their critical thinking skills?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 05, 2012, 09:27:54 pm
I find the idea that humans were 'created' less than 10,000 years ago particularly laughable. The town where I live has had settlements on it for at least 12,000 years. The residents must have been quite surprised at the sudden appearance of people.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 05, 2012, 11:56:56 pm
Thanks Dave, appreciate your kindness. Love you man :)
Again, your views don't phase me; God has made people think... even you.

IamwhoIam, you are just polluting this thread with the same repetitive message, please take it somewhere else.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 06, 2012, 12:46:56 am
"We are honest. Honestly!"
--The Priesthood
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Hugoneus on June 06, 2012, 01:13:00 am
iamwhoiam,

How would the non-existence of god manifest itself in the real world? I am not suggesting whether god exists or not, I am simply asking how a universe without god would look like?

It is not sufficient to say "look around you, evidence for god is everywhere". When I look around I see beautiful, elegant and painstakingly discovered scientific explanations for how things are. So, what evidence (hypothetically) would you need to change your mind about god's existence?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: IanB on June 06, 2012, 01:30:14 am
I've not ONCE said anything aggressive or vindictive

Oh? How about this ugly piece of bigotry?

Do you not see how wonderful we are? If you think you are but a plant - an organism formed from coincidental collision and formation of biological organisms, then why do we consider respect, understanding and love SO important, if we are but a heap of cells? Morality is an illusion to you, if you believe we are without God, as your morality is based on nothing but your relativity to another, who's morality is also relative to another, up and up the family tree... abstracted as far back as to be totally unprovable, due to the "billions of years" theories, convenient eh!

If you consider yourself to be primordial soup, I am entitled to come and strike you down, as a lumberjack fells a tree, and noone has ANY say so in whether what I did was right or wrong, as morality is a concept that we've all learned from one another, but since not one of us is lord over all of us, not one of us may be the source of truth, ergo your morality is different to mine, since we ALL have differing opinions and ideas - not one of us has the right to definitively COMMAND that his interpretation is overall morality, and so I may kill anyone I wish, as they are a disposable heap of vegetation, and not one single person may object - my morality is my own perception, and yours is yours, and I may live according to my understanding of truth, not yours.

Without truth we are nothing- without God, no truth can be.

You deny the possibility that there can be knowledge of right and wrong, an understanding of compassion, present in humans. You write off the whole of humanity as without value, without worth, and yet somehow you consider that is not insulting? You think that is any different from the way slaves and black people and minorities have been treated by others throughout history? As less than human, without worth? And yet you think you are kind and loving?

Have you ever considered the possibility that lying and stealing and killing is wrong because it is wrong? That we know it's wrong because it is part of being human?

You think you are "witnessing", yet you present an ugly face that can only make people turn away from you in disgust.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 06, 2012, 01:35:43 am
We are honest. Honestly!
--Religious books authors

What one cannot refute, one will insult. You feel threatened, but why? (rhetorical question).

Sigh.. Yet another personal attack instead of a rational argument...

I cannot really understand why the people who are unable to carry out a rational debate seem to prefer the ad hominem reasoning (the tactic of attacking the messenger) instead of using any form of reasonable argumentation or rational reasoning; or even showing a bit of creativity by using some other logical fallacy that does not insult the other party so blatantly (with the exception, of course, of the ad-nauseum repetition fallacy)...

My fellow people, please try to understand that respect can only be earned; it cannot be donated, given, purchased or acquired.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on June 06, 2012, 01:53:49 am
he isn't "angry" because you don't believe, but loving arms await, the day he finds you, of that I am sure :)


A common feature of all Gods. Full of threats of fire and brimstone for disbelievers but boundless forgiveness for any who choose to believe. By design of course because Gods only exist in the mind of believers and a successful God will never under any circumstances turn down the offer of an extra mind to exist in.

Direct your anger to God - not man. All truth lays in God.

How can we direct anything to something which doesn't exist?
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 06, 2012, 02:06:37 am
In what world could what I said EVER be seen as "a personal attack"? Sorry, but that's just plain ridiculous!

Direct your anger to God - not man. All truth lays in God.

Whenever your answer or your argument is directed to the messenger instead of the message, you are performing the ad hominem reasoning logical fallacy.

For example, by telling me to direct my anger to god you are presuming that I am angry: Once more, your argument is directed to my person and not to my message; and this is the definition of the ad-hominem logical fallacy.

The second part of your argument ("All truth lays in God") is a textbook example of the ad-nauseum repetition logical fallacy, since it is repeated to the point of making one sick.

By the way, I am not angry at all! I am just frustrated by the power of dogmatism...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on June 06, 2012, 02:28:00 am
Here's an idea: I am not the source of your answers, but I can suggest that you join a Christian forum or Google+ hangout, and discuss it with them

Where you you will get a dose of Argumentum ad Populum.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 06, 2012, 03:37:57 am
Okay, I mis-understood that as anger (I must be forgiven for that - lots of it here, strangely).
I am not offended! Actually, I cannot be offended because I have chosen not to, for practical reasons: I cannot afford it!

Quote
Here's an idea: I am not the source of your answers, but I can suggest that you join a Christian forum or Google+ hangout, and discuss it with them, as you obviously don't like my answers (sorry mate).
Please, do never underestimate yourself. I realise you have been told that you were born sick with an undetectable illness, called The Original Sin, that only they can cure; and that you are unimportant; that you are nothing... Well, is it so difficult for you to deduce that whoever told you such monstrosities does not want you to be thinking nor to be taking actions on your own, in order for them to be in total control of you?

It is not true that I do not like your answers, as you wrote, because these "answers" are not yours, actually! You have just adapted and circulating these two thousand years old dogmatic positions because, somehow, you let them convince you that they are true. Even if, somewhere deep inside of you, you know perfectly well that they are not.

As for me (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116749/#msg116749), I was raised an Orthodox Christian; but I became fully recovered from this mental condition, by just using critical thinking (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking). I have absolutely no intention of returning back to that mental prison, again. If you try and succeed to break free, you will never feel the need to return back to bondage again.

Quote
God is truth, and until you see that in your heart, this confusion will see no end. That's the truth, as God cannot lie, and I believe him - you don't. I can't help any further.
Actually, truth is anything verifiable, which is something that god is not. Even their own dogma admits that god cannot be seen or verified! Do not confuse feelings with reality; after all, all the deceiving techniques have the common denominator of targeting the sentimental world of the victims and not their reasoning.

Please, take a minute to ask yourself why almost all the deceptions are always targeting the sentiment (the belief system) instead of the reason.


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 06, 2012, 03:58:16 am
To all responding to the troll:

Please remember who you are arguing with, a troll. By his own admission he will not be swayed by any evidence, argument or proof. His sole intent here is to spread "the word" and each opportunity you give him the more he gets to repeat his insanity. Arguing with him/her is a futile exercise and just goes against the wishes of Dave that he goes away with his woowoo crap.

I am happy to discuss anything with anyone who actually wants to have a discourse. Anyone who repeats the same old tired shit over and over gain and doesn't even respond to direct questions is a waste of time, and is a waste of Dave's resources.

This is Dave's dominion, please respect his wishes and stop provoking his response. I wanted to play more but in deference to Dave's wishes I am not going to respond to anything the troll says anymore.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 06, 2012, 04:35:01 am
ok  :)

Why justify yourself to me; a stranger? Such need is not recipcrocated. Your thoughts are of a fool, I can't force you.

Me, justifying myself to you?
My thoughts are of a fool?

Have you not learned yet to respect your interlocutors, by not attacking them, using ad-hominem fallacies?

Please, stop exposing yourself...
This attitude of yours will never help you in the real world; and, I am afraid that, this will the only world you will ever have the opportunity to really live in...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 06, 2012, 06:55:25 am
Please remember who you are arguing with, a troll. By his own admission he will not be swayed by any evidence, argument or proof. His sole intent here is to spread "the word" and each opportunity you give him the more he gets to repeat his insanity. Arguing with him/her is a futile exercise and just goes against the wishes of Dave that he goes away with his woowoo crap.

Yes, and that is the issue here.
IMO IamwhoIam is adding nothing at all intelligent to this thread and does not engage in conversation or proper debate. It's just spewing forth nonsensical garbage, almost like a response bot. In doing so I think he has ruined it for everyone.
Since I can't ban people from threads, and he won't seem to go away, my choices are:
1) Close the thread, so no one can discuss any more.
2) Or ban him completely from the forum.

I don't like either option, but feel I must do one...

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Lightages on June 06, 2012, 07:24:43 am
IMHO, don't ban him. He is mainly responding to those who are feeding the troll. If you ban him, then you might also consider me as being a candidate for helping perpetuate the noise.

His other posts outside of this messy thread are within normal and constructive interaction.....

If I have a vote, I say give it some time and another chance.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: A Hellene on June 06, 2012, 07:38:52 am
Dave, I agree wth Les.

On a second thought, is not, locking/closing/removing/deleting the thread, exactly what has iamwhoiam repeatedly asked for?
Repeatedly, as in: #1 (lock) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg111417/#msg111417), #2 (lock) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112232/#msg112232), #3 (close) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112266/#msg112266), #4 (remove/lock) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112867/#msg112867), #5 (lock) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116094/#msg116094), #6 (close) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg117178/#msg117178), #7 (lock/delete) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg117914/#msg117914) and #8 (close) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg117944/#msg117944), if I have not missed any other similar request...


-George
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 06, 2012, 08:02:47 am
Dave, I agree wth Les.

On a second thought, is not, locking/closing/removing/deleting the thread, exactly what has iamwhoiam repeatedly asked for?
Repeatedly, as in: #1 (lock) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg111417/#msg111417), #2 (lock) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112232/#msg112232), #3 (close) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112266/#msg112266), #4 (remove/lock) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg112867/#msg112867), #5 (lock) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg116094/#msg116094), #6 (close) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg117178/#msg117178), #7 (lock/delete) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg117914/#msg117914) and #8 (close) (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/ot-the-religion-thead/msg117944/#msg117944), if I have not missed any other similar request...

Of course he'd love that, so that he can show it as proof that I supposedly can't handle opposing talk on religion.

Dave.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Mechatrommer on June 06, 2012, 08:43:05 am
Since I can't ban people from threads, and he won't seem to go away, my choices are:
1) Close the thread, so no one can discuss any more.
2) Or ban him completely from the forum.
I don't like either option, but feel I must do one...
Dave.
3)warn him to stop the troll. if he refuse, then ban (but we'll miss good scientific info from him later on)
4)dont feed the troll at all and discuss with someone else worthy
by doing (4) i believe this thread will die in peace by the law of "natural selection" ;)
since this thread will deduce to 1 to many combat. but that the one is with his "supershield" and "supertroll"... invinsible!
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: _Sin on June 06, 2012, 08:53:05 am
I suggest doing nothing at all, and just ignoring him. He's not adding anything, no point in responding. He's pretty much become a self parody.

Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: MrPlacid on June 06, 2012, 09:01:49 am
Of course he'd love that, so that he can show it as proof that I supposedly can't handle opposing talk on religion.
Dave.

Naahh... I think he wanted to end the humiliation.

Dave, you can always lock and pin it to the front like a head on a stick. It could be used as a warning to any God fearing men that a similar fate awaits them if they try throwing around their holy books.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: Rufus on June 06, 2012, 12:00:20 pm
To all responding to the troll:

He is not a troll.

He is religious.

He tries to convert anyone who will listen to his religion.

That is how religion works.

In some ways we a lucky to have a 'live' example to observe and the 'wasted resources' are trivial.

I agree he is getting annoying in the same way a kid in the back of a car who asked 'are we there yet' every minute for the last hour is annoying. As long as it stays in this thread I can live with it.

I saw a shoutbox comment that no good will come of this thread. If this thread makes people think (and I think is does) then in my book good is coming out of it.
Title: Re: OT: The religion thead...
Post by: EEVblog on June 06, 2012, 12:10:44 pm
Ok, sorry, but I've had too many people contact and say they want the religion thread closed, as it just continually pollutes the Unread Posts list.
Fair enough, it's now closed.
It was fun while it lasted.

Dave.