God gave me a job

[Decae]

I hope you realize Muslims and Christians share the same God. And perhaps you all misunderstood the purpose of this thread. It isnt trying to convert anyone. Its trying to find anyone who is already christian, and everyone else for that matter and tell them Gods word. Whoever listens listens, the rest dont, I cant change that as of now.

Just for your info, they do not share Gods. Read the Bible and the Koran, and you will see the number of contradictions within. The texts describe differing morals, therefore the deities must differ as well.

On another note, please realize that any religious discussion over the internet will ALWAYS end in flaming. You could give one pointer or one challenge, but stating that you are proof of God is proof to no one but you. Planting seeds in people's minds is how you spread Christianity. You can't do it yourself, only God can truly be proof to people. Once He speaks to people like He speaks to me and you, then they may be convinced.

Never force it on people, though. EVER. Not saying you are, just a FYI thing.

 

[Fuelbi]

Charmander no offense, but to me you sound like one of those crazy Internet men who think they've talked to god to put it bluntly

As for trying to do God's work, in all honesty, I really won't bother. If I see some poor dude on the street, I won't give him money because some guy I seriously doubt exists told me so. I'll do it because I want to be a nice guy on my own terms.

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Charmander no offense, but to me you sound like one of those crazy Internet men who think they've talked to god to put it bluntly

As for trying to do God's work, in all honesty, I really won't bother. If I see some poor dude on the street, I won't give him money because some guy I seriously doubt exists told me so. I'll do it because I want to be a nice guy on my own terms.

Some would argue that you're simply subconsciously doing the right thing, while others say that's just out of the kindness of people's hearts and nothing to do with God's will or your wanting to do his will. But the arguments would be endless anyways.

But as Charmander stated and others have mentioned, he's not forcing his beliefs on anyone. He's just giving praise to Him out in public.

 

[Charmander]

Charmander no offense, but to me you sound like one of those crazy Internet men who think they've talked to god to put it bluntly

As for trying to do God's work, in all honesty, I really won't bother. If I see some poor dude on the street, I won't give him money because some guy I seriously doubt exists told me so. I'll do it because I want to be a nice guy on my own terms.

Well, Im not that surprised to be honest, skeptics will be skeptics.

And not ALL of my morals are the same as Gods. I do things because Im nice. I just listen to god as well.

 

[Fuelbi]

Well charmander, you honestly can't be surprise I'm actually quite skeptic. I mean everyday there's some dude who says he's talked and seen god and stuff. I mean there's even this guy who claims he's the second coming of Jesus and makes anybody who actually believes in him to tatoo 666 on their bodies which makes no sense IMO. And there are many other people who claim the same thing and nothing ever ends up happening as well

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Well charmander, you honestly can't be surprise I'm actually quite skeptic.

Well, Im not that surprised to be honest, skeptics will be skeptics.

*Comprehension fail*

Also, Charmander's post is quite legit.

 

[SuSa]

Right and wrong don't exist. Right is whatever the majority deems it to be at the time.

See: Slavery, and why it took so long to abolish.
See: Why killing in self defense doesn't usually net you life in prison/death penalty.

Now that we're past right and wrong. I will ask you a question:

What makes God more likely to exist than Anubis, Ra, Zeus, Hermes, Athena, and the countless number of gods that pre-date your god's existence?

What do you think of this information?

 

[Smooth Criminal]

Just for your info, they do not share Gods. Read the Bible and the Koran, and you will see the number of contradictions within. The texts describe differing morals, therefore the deities must differ as well.

Semantics.

The means are different, sure, but the ends are pretty much the shame.

Smooth Criminal

 

[Dragoon Fighter]

Right and wrong don't exist. Right is whatever the majority deems it to be at the time.

While I will agree with you that morals are a very grey area, and agreement to a certain set of behaviors for everyone's benefit is a good thing. It is also very inserting to note while there is drastic variations of right and wrong in many cultures, there are some similar patterns tough out history. For example Murder with no reason is generally considered wrong and immoral in many cultures (Though there are some exceptions, given how diverse humanity is there has to be). However, I think most of us can agree that treating people more nicely, encouraging good behavior, and doing simple things like agreeing not to stab or steal for each other, is something that will benefit us and increase the joy of living on this planet. God, or no God.

 

[SuSa]

That doesn't make it right or wrong. (Also note, how that is still the majority you listed. Never a minority)

In some cases (Crusades) killing for no real reason was acceptable.

 

[Dragoon Fighter]

That doesn't make it right or wrong. (Also note, how that is still the majority you listed. Never a minority)

That is correct, it IS the majority that normally dictates morals (There are exceptions), however agreeing to help others and go by a certain set of rules is over all beneficial to us as a society. A society which has "Right" and "Wrong" (Depending on how exactly it is defined in that culture.) is able to be more stable socially and with its economics (economics indirectly as it is born from social structure.) It helps us be organized, allowing us to function as a team and that enables us dramatically increased power and leverage then us as a single unit. It increases survivability and social comfort (Us humans being the social creatures that we are, for the most part). So morality with a beneficial and intelligent set of rules that are moral make for a great building block of any strong culture.

In some cases (Crusades) killing for no real reason was acceptable.

There was a reason although not a moral one (By moral I mean todays moral standards).

 

[PB&J]

it pains me to read the last two pages..like charmander said ' we arent trying to covert you" just giving praise to the most high god

if you dont want to believe it,dont believe it

God believes in you though

seems a like any amount of words wont change anything right now..ill talk to u guys later..see some of you at the next big tourny or something

 

[Palpi]

People fail to acknowledge that many atheists really wish there was a god, and there were sufficient evidence to logically believe in that god. Why would someone opt for a mortal life over eternity? I am not saying I am this exact person, but I accept everyone's religious views as the same, no better, no worse. I will either find out which religion ( if any ) is right when I die, or I won't find out, because I won't have the functioning brain to do so.

I personally think that if there is anything resembling an eternal "after-life" when we die, it isn't of something we understand on this planet or understand from any religion.

What does god gain from us worshiping him? (crap, he doesn't believe in me, though I love him so much I have to send him to hell for eternal ****ation) If I am a nice person, and I acknowledge mistakes (or in a religious sense...sins) that I have made in my past, isn't that enough? (Presbyterian says it is) If Christianity deems to be correct, many teachings were used as merely a fear tactic for the greedy and corrupt. (which exist in the church today)

 

[Melomaniacal]

I have a question.

When you talk to god, does he tell you "I am the Christian God," or is it simply a voice that is giving you advice and predicting the future?

What does god gain from us worshiping him? (crap, he doesn't believe in me, though I love him so much I have to send him to hell for eternal ****ation) If I am a nice person, and I acknowledge mistakes (or in a religious sense...sins) that I have made in my past, isn't that enough? (Presbyterian says it is) If Christianity deems to be correct, many teachings were used as merely a fear tactic for the greedy and corrupt. (which exist in the church today)

Questions like this don't matter because if people believe in the Christian god, they accept that god is as described in the bible. They believe that the bible is the word of god, and if the bible says that god wants to be worshiped, that's just the way it is. If the bible says something must be one way, you cannot question it because it is the word of god.

 

[Nø Ca$h]

satan spoke to me through fountain of dreams. i had 2 witnesses.. it was at palpi's house too..

 

[SuSa]

That is correct, it IS the majority that normally dictates morals (There are exceptions), however agreeing to help others and go by a certain set of rules is over all beneficial to us as a society. A society which has "Right" and "Wrong" (Depending on how exactly it is defined in that culture.) is able to be more stable socially and with its economics (economics indirectly as it is born from social structure.) It helps us be organized, allowing us to function as a team and that enables us dramatically increased power and leverage then us as a single unit. It increases survivability and social comfort (Us humans being the social creatures that we are, for the most part). So morality with a beneficial and intelligent set of rules that are moral make for a great building block of any strong culture.


There was a reason although not a moral one (By moral I mean todays moral standards).

False. Being "beneficial to society" is detrimental to society.

Please look into:
Bottleneck

The more humans we keep around, the shorter time we can all exist.

Once again, it's just that society sees it as "wrong" to make sacrifice for our species to last longer as a whole.

 

[john!]

Right and wrong don't exist. Right is whatever the majority deems it to be at the time.

See: Slavery, and why it took so long to abolish.
See: Why killing in self defense doesn't usually net you life in prison/death penalty.

probably

Now that we're past right and wrong. I will ask you a question:

What makes God more likely to exist than Anubis, Ra, Zeus, Hermes, Athena, and the countless number of gods that pre-date your god's existence?

What do you think of this information?

no. the ones you listed could be different cultural perceptions of the same divinity. it baffles me* when people think those deities disprove God somehow. wouldn't the fact that different cultures across time and space all have gods be evidence FOR God? not necessarily the Christian God, but that's beside the point.

*actually it doesn't, they probably heard it from their favorite anti-religious source of choice and took it blindly as fact.

 

[Zook]

False. Being "beneficial to society" is detrimental to society.

Please look into:
Bottleneck

I was going to write a blog about this, but decided I was too lazy.

Don't have kids.

 

[Melomaniacal]

no. the ones you listed could be different cultural perceptions of the same divinity. it baffles me when people think those deities disprove God somehow. wouldn't the fact that different cultures across time and space all have gods be evidence FOR God? not necessarily the Christian God, but that's beside the point.

Depends on how you look at it.
At the least, it shows us that as a race that fears death, we need to invent gods to explain the unexplainable and give us comfort. Why else would there be so many gods that have so many different qualities? Surely that's just evidence that we invent gods to fit what we need at a point in time, and eventually that/those god/s become obsolete so we invent new ones.

Or, at most, it cannot be used as evidence for any one specific god. Maybe it means that there is some kind of deity, but not any specific god. I ask you, how is it possible to know the nature of a being in a realm of existence that is inaccessible to our own? How many gods are there? Is it a collective intelligence? Does it still exist? Does it care about us? These are all questions that cannot be answered simply because you are dealing with the idea of a separate, inaccessible realm. Any attempt to qualify such a being is only arguing from the impossible or the unknowable. So as the god gets more specific qualities, it becomes easier to disprove, and as the god becomes more vague (the "God works in mysterious ways" cop-out), it loses relevance. Basically my point is that I think it's irrational to claim to understand the nature of a god.

(I know you said "not necessarily the Christian god," I'm just kind of rambling)

 

[GwJ]

People fail to acknowledge that many atheists really wish there was a god, and there were sufficient evidence to logically believe in that god. Why would someone opt for a mortal life over eternity? I am not saying I am this exact person, but I accept everyone's religious views as the same, no better, no worse. I will either find out which religion ( if any ) is right when I die, or I won't find out, because I won't have the functioning brain to do so.

I personally think that if there is anything resembling an eternal "after-life" when we die, it isn't of something we understand on this planet or understand from any religion.

What does god gain from us worshiping him? (crap, he doesn't believe in me, though I love him so much I have to send him to hell for eternal ****ation) If I am a nice person, and I acknowledge mistakes (or in a religious sense...sins) that I have made in my past, isn't that enough? (Presbyterian says it is) If Christianity deems to be correct, many teachings were used as merely a fear tactic for the greedy and corrupt. (which exist in the church today)

You just described me in the beginning.

 

[Martyr]

Faith isn't something you can preach or teach, people have to discover it and/or make the conscious decision to want to believe. While I'm a devout Christian I see a lot of good and it does kind of warm my heart to see something like this posted, but at the same time some of what was worded can easily conduct a lot of tension and hostility. For one you made it seem as if you weren't trying to force your faith or belief in God on people, but you also give the contradictory statement that "I am proof that he exists." The statement itself seems slightly narcissistic, slightly confident in your belief (which is a good thing), but in context also comes off as you are literally justifying your life as so much more valuable than the other millions of believers now and before your time. And by all means this could be so, but to many you may literally be painting yourself as Jesus reborn, which many Christians would actually hold to be one of the biggest blasphemies.

I would just be careful how you state certain things and maybe approach your "job" from a different standpoint. There's very little merit in preaching teachings and the word of God to either atheists or skeptics, but there is almost endless possibilities when it comes to trying to better the world and not just in the name of God but as just a good person. Raising money for charities, helping others, random acts of kindness, maybe even just helping some old lady cross the street. Don't make it come off as the world is totally ****ed and we need to drop an atomic bomb of kindness to save it. Depending on if you believe or not, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and pretty much set in motion the chaos and the deterioration of our moral values and ethics long before our conception. So think of this as janitor duty after a huge party. Although I suppose it sounds less glorious than a mission from God....

 

[Theftz22]

This thread is seriously scary.

People who think god talks to them and listen to his word need to be put in asylum. This is what causes suicide bombing, the killing of abortion doctors, etc. Anyone who listens to an "external" voice in their head is schizophrenic and needs to be treated as such (or they might just have been brainwashed from early childhood, but if they claim to listen to voices in their head they must be treated either way).

 

[vVv Rapture]

This thread is seriously scary.

People who think god talks to them and listen to his word need to be put in asylum. This is what causes suicide bombing, the killing of abortion doctors, etc. Anyone who listens to an "external" voice in their head is schizophrenic and needs to be treated as such (or they might just have been brainwashed from early childhood, but if they claim to listen to voices in their head they must be treated either way).

I really wouldn't go that far...that's a bit harsh.

The brain works in odd ways. Sometimes it's just you talking to yourself but thinking it's some sort of voice (wish I could pull up an article about it).

Either way, let people believe in what they want to believe in. If the OP wants to go do whatever it is he wants to do, let him do it. It seems good, though completely impossible. But it's a truly righteous thing to attempt.

Then again, I already have a job, so I can't help. Target employee for the semi-win.

 

[SuSa]

What bothers me more is that people think the concepts of "good and evil" and "right and wrong" actually exist.

9/11

The pilots who crashed into the World Trade Center are hero's for their people. What they did was defined as good and right for their people.
Good and evil. Right and wrong.
They are mere opinions of the majority.



I see giving birth as an evil. You are dooming a child to one day, inevitably, die. You are dooming something you hold so precious, so dear, so close to your heart....

To one day die.​

One can argue life is worth dying for, in an odd sense.

But is having never lived a life that bad of a thing? What do you do before you are brought into this world? Where are you? Where is your "soul"? Surely it's in a better place than one where you will inevitably suffer the evils of the world, of it's people, and then one day - die.

 

[Martyr]

What bothers me more is that people think the concepts of "good and evil" and "right and wrong" actually exist.

9/11

The pilots who crashed into the World Trade Center are hero's for their people. What they did was defined as good and right for their people.

Good and evil. Right and wrong.

They are mere opinions of the majority.

The concept of "good and evil" spans from matters of perspective, not direct action. It doesn't take someone of religious belief to really comprehend if they are doing something right or wrong. For all we know the people responsible for 9/11 may have felt they were heroes and in the right, not necessarily for killing people, but for the message they were sending by doing so. The idea of a man or a group of men taking action into their own hands is something that has been publicized and credited for as long as the human race can remember. It's inspired superheroes, icons, fables, myths, etc. They felt what they did was right for their country and their people, the same way we have harmed other people for our country and our people. Some view it as wrong, others view it as right, but there's no black and white when it comes to people dying period. 9/11 is always the case for Americans to make an example, no one ever really throws out when we nuked the hell out of Japan to the point where they STILL have radiation poisoning there on some credible level.

This thread is seriously scary.

People who think god talks to them and listen to his word need to be put in asylum. This is what causes suicide bombing, the killing of abortion doctors, etc. Anyone who listens to an "external" voice in their head is schizophrenic and needs to be treated as such (or they might just have been brainwashed from early childhood, but if they claim to listen to voices in their head they must be treated either way).

It's faith not being brainwashed. If you were taught religion in school everyday instead of science, you'd believe religion was fact, and science was fiction. If you're going to be closed minded and subject people of faith as simply crazy, you're not really an atheist, just somewhat of an ignorant tool, void of co-existing with others peacefully so long as you can enjoy your own life. Someone who believes isn't any more capable of rash action as someone who doesn't believe and doesn't believe in any repercussions for their actions anyway. Don't chalk up terrorism, genocide, and cults as the result of religion.

 

[SuSa]

void of co-existing with others peacefully so long as you can enjoy your own life

And what makes you think it's wrong to ignore others for myself?

It isn't.

 

[Martyr]

And what makes you think it's wrong to ignore others for myself?

It isn't.

Personally I don't see anything wrong with ignoring others, subjecting them to ridicule and saying they belong in a padded cell for choosing to live their lives a certain way... yea, THAT I see as wrong.

I treat that type of hostility the same way as I'm sure anyone on here would treat a newcomer to this forum that said "You guys need to get a life, this game sucks, blah blah blah". You defend it because it's something you're not ashamed of and that you naturally have a love for. I treat people like a decent human being religious or not and I'm not afraid to call anyone out on it who has a problem acting civilized. Sorry if they get mad, or they get offended, but I'd be the same way in person if they went to an event and talked to me also.

 

[SuSa]

What if my goal is to make you feel so bad - as that you kill yourself? What if I deem one less individual in this world as being better for humanity in the long run? After all that is one less person using our resources. Which means humanity can live just that fraction of a moment longer.

It's always a matter of personal opinions, and the majority is always right. You again stated it:

"I'm sure anyone on here would treat a newcomer to this forum"

That's because here, we are the majority. Therefore we deem ourselves "right".

 

[Charmander]

What does god gain from us worshiping him? (crap, he doesn't believe in me, though I love him so much I have to send him to hell for eternal ****ation) If I am a nice person, and I acknowledge mistakes (or in a religious sense...sins) that I have made in my past, isn't that enough? (Presbyterian says it is) If Christianity deems to be correct, many teachings were used as merely a fear tactic for the greedy and corrupt. (which exist in the church today)

Well, according to what god told me, that Presbytarian view is correct. As long as you regret your sins they will be forgiven

I have a question.

When you talk to god, does he tell you "I am the Christian God," or is it simply a voice that is giving you advice and predicting the future?



Questions like this don't matter because if people believe in the Christian god, they accept that god is as described in the bible. They believe that the bible is the word of god, and if the bible says that god wants to be worshiped, that's just the way it is. If the bible says something must be one way, you cannot question it because it is the word of god.

well he has said teachings that were said straight from the bible, but these were from the old testament, meaning he could be the jewish or muslim god. I never took that into consideration now, thank you for bringing it up ^^

 

[Fuelbi]

So I supose the repentment thing is a free pass to me doing whatever the hell I want?

 

[Martyr]

What if my goal is to make you feel so bad - as that you kill yourself? What if I deem one less individual in this world as being better for humanity in the long run? After all that is one less person using our resources. Which means humanity can live just that fraction of a moment longer.

It's always a matter of personal opinions, and the majority is always right. You again stated it:


That's because here, we are the majority. Therefore we deem ourselves "right".

I don't think it's the fact that we deem ourselves "right" majority or not, it's more like blatantly protecting what we love.

 

[Melomaniacal]

well he has said teachings that were said straight from the bible, but these were from the old testament, meaning he could be the jewish or muslim god. I never took that into consideration now, thank you for bringing it up ^^

Do you mean that the voice quoted directly from the bible, or that the voice said things that are covered in the bible?

@SuSa:
I think you should look into different theories on morality. You may be interested in mirror-neurons and how they relate to morals as well. Basically, there are neurons that fire in the brain when observing certain actions that allow humans to feel empathy. Those who have mirror-neurons that do not function properly are psychopaths; they have a mental disorder. Perhaps this is a case for true morality, and explains why we feel that murder is "wrong." So while you may have a point in saying something like "mass murder is actually good because we are overpopulating," you need to also understand that no human with a normally-functioning brain views this as morally "good." I hope that makes sense.

Also moral relativism which explains that there may not be global moral absolutes, but cultural moral absolutes, basically.

Of course, there are many different theories for morality, but I think my main point is that morals do exist. Whether or not they are constructed by us is almost irrelevant. How and why certain morals exist is more of a debate.

 

[Theftz22]

It's faith not being brainwashed. If you were taught religion in school everyday instead of science, you'd believe religion was fact, and science was fiction. If you're going to be closed minded and subject people of faith as simply crazy, you're not really an atheist, just somewhat of an ignorant tool, void of co-existing with others peacefully so long as you can enjoy your own life. Someone who believes isn't any more capable of rash action as someone who doesn't believe and doesn't believe in any repercussions for their actions anyway. Don't chalk up terrorism, genocide, and cults as the result of religion.

I don't want to start a debate on the validity of religion.

I said "anyone who listens to an "external" voice in their head is schizophrenic and should be treated as such". I never characterized all religious people as crazy, just the ones who think god talks to them and they should listen. If you believe this, there is a direct line of logic straight into such acts as terrorism, genocide, dangerous cults, etc.

Charmander Logic: God talks to me; I know this because he is god and I have heard him talk personally to me, he has given me advice and purpose, etc; god is all knowing and good therefore I should listen to what he says; god tells me to save the world from evil; I must spread god's message and save the world.

Terrorist Logic: God talks to me; I know this because he is god and I have heard him talk personally to me, he has given me advice and purpose, etc; god is all knowing and good therefore I should listen to what he says; god tells me that the non-believers (of my specific faith mind you) are the root of all evil; I must kill the non-believers.

problem?

 

[Martyr]

Do you mean that the voice quoted directly from the bible, or that the voice said things that are covered in the bible?

@SuSa:
I think you should look into different theories on morality. You may be interested in mirror-neurons and how they relate to morals as well. Basically, there are neurons that fire in the brain when observing certain actions that allow humans to feel empathy. Those who have mirror-neurons that do not function properly are psychopaths; they have a mental disorder. Perhaps this is a case for true morality.
Also moral relativism which explains that there may not be global moral absolutes, but cultural moral absolutes, basically.

Of course, there are many different theories for morality, but I think my main point is that morals do exist. Whether or not they are constructed by us is almost irrelevant. How and why certain morals exist is more of a debate.

Winna, winna, chicken dinna.

 

[Martyr]

I don't want to start a debate on the validity of religion.

I said "anyone who listens to an "external" voice in their head is schizophrenic and should be treated as such". I never characterized all religious people as crazy, just the ones who think god talks to them and they should listen. If you believe this, there is a direct line of logic straight into such acts as terrorism, genocide, dangerous cults, etc.

Charmander Logic: God talks to me; I know this because he is god and I have heard him talk personally to me, he has given me advice and purpose, etc; god is all knowing and good therefore I should listen to what he says; god tells me to save the world from evil; I must spread god's message and save the world.

Terrorist Logic: God talks to me; I know this because he is god and I have heard him talk personally to me, he has given me advice and purpose, etc; god is all knowing and good therefore I should listen to what he says; god tells me that the non-believers (of my specific faith mind you) are the root of all evil; I must kill the non-believers.

problem?

Like I said he had good intentions with the post, he did come on a little strong and forceful though. No argument there. I actually am going to stop the little debate sessions though because it's not fair and I didn't even realize I was doing it. I don't want to take away from his thread and have just a bunch of back and forth spam on contrasting ideas and not the original post itself.

Side note: fail double post on my part.

 

[Indigo Jeans]

Well apparently in this day and age it's considered "cool" to be an athiest. Especially the really douchebaggy kind of atheist that loves to malign religion at every possible instance. Or at least try and send as many theists into a downward spiral of questioning of the self. Which might explain SuSa's current posts.

I laugh inwardly whenever an athiest attempts to stereotype all thiests, especially those in the Christian sect, as blind zealots.

Anyhow, Charmander, this isn't the 15th century. You don't have to go around telling people God spoke to you. Especially not on the internet. If you want to be taken seriously, speak about your experience at your church/whatever. Otherwise the majority of the replies you get will be cynical pokes at your sanity.

also i think it's really dumb that there are so many offshoots of christianity each claiming to be right. which is why i can't take it seriously when i see a post on the internet where some guy is saying god told him presbytarianism was the way to go

 

[Melomaniacal]

Or at least try and send as many theists into a downward spiral of questioning of the self.

I wouldn't call it a "downward" spiral. There's nothing wrong with question your beliefs, and honestly I think it's something everyone should do. By being close-minded and never truly thinking about your beliefs you can block yourself off from experiencing things that may make you a happier person. As an atheist who loves to have these discussions, I have no intention of making someone miserable in losing their faith. My only intention is to get people to really consider why they believe in what they believe and if they truly need that faith. It can end up strengthening their faith, or they can lose their faith and still be a happy person.

 

[Indigo Jeans]

Well of course questioning various aspects of your life is a positive thing; I myself do it regularly. But it's not the actual "questioning", it's the methods the other party uses to achieve it. I should've worded that better.

I myself am a Christian Catholic. I'm not very religious (go ahead, call me a hypocrite. I'll give anyone that bit of self-satisfaction), but sometimes I'll wear a little cross around my neck. However, compare me to the stereotype the majority of athiests love to believe in (slight irony? I think so). Do I seem anything like them? And yet, on the few times I do wear that cross, you can imagine the grief I get.

Now, I'll compare you with, er, other athiests/agnostics/whatever. You're the kind of athiest/agnostic/whatever I don't mind, and even enjoy. You keep an open mind, refrain from stooping to snickering remarks, and go about your arguements and discussions in an orderly way. However, the majority of athiests/agnostics/whatevers I have dealt with love to make snide remarks at the most insignificant slip up, or initiate discussion with "lol all christians are schizophrenic pedophiles".

Regrettably, however, most athiests/agnostics/whatevers of the type I described thrive and are found in great abundance all over the internet.

 

[Palpi]

I used to be a very close minded Atheist, and I just didn't want to hear anything about religion etc, but when I really sat down and thought about life in general, the mysteries and other phenomena can't be proven by an atheist or a catholic or a muslim or anyone. This is why I opt to say "I will find out when I die"

Ironically, I have never been more interested in religion than I am now. Not the why's and how do you believe (because that is not my place to judge), just how it began, the connection between different religions and other beliefs.

 

[_Keno_]

It's faith not being brainwashed.

As far as I am concerned, telling a child that an almighty being will send him to hell for all eternity if he doesnt do x, y, and z is brainwashing. Telling a child that a deity exists as if were undisputed fact is brainwashing.

I personally didnt even know there were such people as atheists until 7th grade. I thought it was common factual knowledge that a deity existed and that anyone would go to hell and suffer for all eternity if they didnt do x, y, and z, or if they did a, b, and c. I was never given the option to choose to believe in it, because I didnt know I was believing in it. I thought it was fact.

If you were taught religion in school everyday instead of science, you'd believe religion was fact, and science was fiction.

yes, that is also brainwashing.

Don't chalk up terrorism, genocide, and cults as the result of religion.

Except most of the time it is religion related...