Surprisingly to many, atheism is the fastest growing "religion" in many many countries, including the US.
But because it's effectively a "lack of belief", by it's very nature it's a very laissez-faire position and hence doesn't have the political momentum like the religions do.I don't consider very positively the people who just "don't care", whether they are among the officially believers or among the atheists. "Active atheism", or the glorification of science seems to me too much to just another religion.
If atheism is the fastest growing religion, sorry but I can't still see those great benefits, in the world's trend. Do you think death of religions will solve so many problems? The major religions bring a message of love between people. I don't think this is a bad thing, it shouldn't hurt you so muh (apart from those using religion for their interests). Even if this is based on reasons you consider silly or wrong.
The first universities came from religious institutions: not all the religious people has been so bad that wanted to obscure science.
The major religions bring a message of love between people.
The major religions bring a message of love between people.
That is quite possibly the greatest red herring in the history of the world.
Dave.
And if science has shown us one thing, it's how incorrect "the world of god" (a.k.a the bible, a.k.a *insert any other holy book) actually is, and what a joke anyone is who actually tries to interpret it and take it literally.
The religious emperor has no clothes.
If I was brain washed at that point, I guess I won't be here discussing, I was just shouting "Satan" to all of you!
... I have no problem with people believing in a god (i.e. a theist), as long as you are willing to admit that you have absolutely no proof for it..
Yes, getting rid of religion would solve many of the worlds problems, I have no doubt, if it's actually possible. If you don't think that, then you have not studied history and.or you have blinkers on.
Well, I have solid reasons not to think so: human kind has demonstrated it is able to start a war for the most strange and unrational reasons, also not involving religion. Better, someone was so clever to make people fight for him using those reasons.
Examples? What Hitler did before and during the WWII ("Hebrew" was just a race term), the tens of millions people killed in the USSR, ... and how about the current military missions in Libya? The dirty oil interests covered by a clean international sentence...
I hope it's clear that for me it's impossible to proof the presence of God. Even the reasoning of going back to the origin of all (up to the Big Bang... and before) doesn't proof anything. One could however call "God" what you call chance (what is the physical law behind the random happening of Big Bang?). All I want to say is there is no prior incompatibility between reason and belief ("heart"). As a parallel, I think all of you have been in love. That's not a rational condition, if you think of it, but you do (of course, it has its evolutional origins), and it's one of the most beautiful things in the world.
Atheism may not be a religion but it's still a philosophical position: an atheist can't prove their is no god, just because by the absence of proof that god does exist.
Some people treat science as a religion, they fall in love with a theory and will defend it whatever the costs, even if the balance of evidence is against them - this is bad science. Scientists may be able to prove that religious texts such as the bible are wrong but as soon as they use this as proof that god doesn't exist they've crossed the line.
There are many scientific theories which are short on proof, the big bang being one of them. I can't see how anyone can say they're 100% certain the universe started with the big bang.
It just seems like the most likely theory given the evidence. On the face of it, saying everything spontaneously appeared from nothing is not much better than saying it was made by god. It's only when you look at the evidence that the big bang makes more sense.
Science should be secular and keep away from proving the existence of god or otherwise.
Maybe religion is just a cultural thing (yes, I live in the country of Rome), but I don't think that lack of belief is a guarantee of one acting fairly. As being a religious has not prevented people from do horrible things. As a note, today the campain is against the Catholic church. As for the data I know, there is no proof pedophilia has been more frequent among priests than among common people.
There are many scientific theories which are short on proof, the big bang being one of them. I can't see how anyone can say they're 100% certain the universe started with the big bang. It just seems like the most likely theory given the evidence. On the face of it, saying everything spontaneously appeared from nothing is not much better than saying it was made by god. It's only when you look at the evidence that the big bang makes more sense.
Alright, stop right there. That is NOT what theory means. Theories are things that have been proved.
... I have no problem with people believing in a god (i.e. a theist), as long as you are willing to admit that you have absolutely no proof for it..
I have no problem with people believing in science either ...
x := matter;
approachScientist();
repeat
answer := askScientistWhatItIsMadeOf(x);
x := answer
until scientistHasNoIdea == true;
i think you only have iterate the loop 5 or 6 times before you have to start believing in things that noone can prove exists
Don't misunderstand me, I want to believe you; I want to rest my mind on the soft cushion religion promises.
i've been skipping this thread but for just few hours and it turn to pages. i'm shocked but not surprised religion is discussed offtopic from math.
there are four books of holy "zabur", "torah", "bible" and "qoran" (dont know whats called for the 1st book in english). all was originally written by God.
my ancestors told me and i believe it.
a circuit board will not just pop up out of nowhere, somebody must created it, the same to plant from seed, information processing start from living thing etc etc, a challege is to find a matter popped out of nowhere (no creator).
if you dont believe god (or rule) you better kill yourself, or if you wanna have fun living on earth. rape rob kill anybody else just for fun and kill yourself later, because you believe once you dead it will be a black dot full stop of it. amin.
every matter has a beginning or the maker. a circuit board will not just pop up out of nowhere, somebody must created it, the same to plant from seed, information processing start from living thing etc etc, a challege is to find a matter popped out of nowhere (no creator).
i mean whats the point of living if you dont believe in god=afterlife? and what do you care about moral if in the end you will be nothing? if i dont believe in god, what i did in the past and future will be nothing!
my ancestors only told 4 holy books, they are all are, not more not less. you can think of like 1st to 4th edition where each edition is added/ammended in content to cope with human intelligent, comprehensibility and culture during the time. the 4th is the last one we need, nothing more. more than that is nothing but our objection to what god told us, since we think we are too clever. destruction of human kind and armageddon is ahead of us. the only question is when.