Glad to hear that Bret, nowt worse than an atheatic fence sitter
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Iâve been an atheist all my life and feel Iâm better off without any religion.
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I donât think âforceâ is correct Annie, how do you spread the word if youâre not allowed to approach people. Think of all the missionaries who travelled to the four corners of the earth spreading the word of God, what religion would those people have adopted if there were no missionaries. The void would have been filled with something.
In the western world now, we donât think we need anything to believe in except climate change and the internet. Science seems to be the alter that most people worship these days because it can be backed up with statistics and proof (even if that proof has been manufactured) whereas God cannot be proven, he comes from within, and is similar to a 3D picture. Some people just canât see it no matter how hard they try. God doesnât pay the bills or has a page on facebook, therefore he canât be real can he?
You donât know what youâve got until itâs not there anymore and has been taken over by a stronger and more aggressive religion. There will always been religion, but whoâs religion?
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I am Agnostic, and if there is a âCreator/ Godâ, humans have it all wrong. The possible âexistence of a creatorâ is used by humans to manipulate / control the masses. Science gives us the only realistic suggestion of the possible existence of a âCreatorâ, especially with the âconvenientâ evolution of life and the earth to accommodate newer and more advanced life forms, suggests the possibility âIntelligent Designâ.
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One can spread the word, so far as one does not use political / social pressure / work to pass laws / restrictions on society that âForcesâ their lifestyles / beliefs upon others, âforceâ is the correct term. Science is the only true reality available to man, science is dictated by proof/ facts, religion is dictated by faith, that is why there is no many religious concepts, and so many sects to each concept, man conforms religion to himself, science tells you what and why things are happening in the physical world based on research/ facts!!!
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Then should anyone be allowed, there is no proof of the existence of such a being. The only so called âproofâ comes from the writings of humanâs, which as we know, are very subjective and prejudiced. There is an everlasting line down through history of those claiming to be âGod /a God/ a son of Godâ, are/were they all right to some extent!!!
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I think children (everybody) should be allowed to choose their own path in life, so long as they obey the laws (no killing / stealing/ hurting of others) of man and respects the rights of others to do likewise.
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I have met many good religious people, and most were no where near the type you describe, but quite a few were, but your remark is generally unfair.
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What youâre speaking of is the mental/ emotional attributes of religion, if one believes strong enough their condition/ situation can/ does improve (the mind is a powerful tool),that is good, but in reality what is meant to be will be. The issue I see, is so many get caught up in the indoctrination of the belief this âall powerful beingâ is going to save them, and while things may/ do get better at times, many times it does not, what was meant to be always happens.
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Youâre speaking of âblind faithâ, so any one theory is as legit as the next, which believers of a creator have done throughout history. We do not conform to religion, we conform religion to us, thus so many belief concepts with so many different sects, thus religion is basically, self-serving.
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I have thought about this a great deal and IMO religion is about instilling the human spirit with confidence and self respect to be able to cope with life and get on with others as best they can. Some people just donât get it and are carried away with trying to prove the abstract. Of course religions are abused by those in power, but they are basically there to provide counselling, psychological services, community and a moral compass, seeing the bigger picture by realising that things are outside our control, but that we can still control how we react to it by reflection, meditation, focus and inner peace. These days everything has changed but at the same time nothing has changed. Every single religion has all these elements IMO.
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Many non-believers control their actions by the very means you have spoken of, the bottom line, religion is but a tool, sometimes used for good, sometimes for evil, but the in reality of it is itâs the evil / good in humans that determines how they use it.
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That is merely the commonsense of respect and self preservation.
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Interesting discussion here. There are all kinds of people in this worldâŠ
kind, cruel, mean, happy, innocent, vindictive, caring, compassionateâŠ
with minds of our own to determine what path we take towards others.
That being said, I truly believe in my God. What I have a hard time with is the
negative traits of man. We can all improve, if only we see the need and truly want to. God leaves it up to us; he never said he made man, or woman, perfect, only human.
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Ahhh, but how does one determine right from wrong, what validates death and destruction. Is the soldier exonerated because he is forced to kill / destroy by his government, a choice not of his doings? The lines start get fuzzy! As humans we tend to simply! 1968 Blood Sweat & Tears- And when I die:
âswear there ainât no heaven, but I pray there ainât Hellâ
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Hereâs another thought I just had.
If there is no God, when you are dead, then, you are nothing?
How do you account for the sense of a loved one being near you after they have passed?
How do you account for the guardian angels looking out for us?
How do you think the spirit guide is watching out for you daily?
No belief in God, then there is nothingâŠno spirit left, no soul here, where does that sense of anotherâs energy come from?
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That would be scary if it was real ⊠OMG, it was!
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Human fallibility is at the centre of all religions. I think the whole point is that we accept human nature is flawed so we will never be perfect, but that beyond our nature if you strip everything away there is perfection. It just seems that every religion has a different route to discovering that awesome place and it appears to be a bit hit and miss so quite a few people seem to find themselves on the outside with their nose pressed to the glass unable to get to the feelgood place. Perhaps itâs the words that confuddle many people. That link between language and cognition.
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There was that social media post from his press team that showed him in a Pontiffâs costume around the time of the conclave
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Religion has been around far too long to be dismissed by some amateur philosopher.
Even Albert Einstein recognised a higher being or powerâŠ
Iâm with Albert on this one.
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