Atheism

[Sean L.]

Wait...who's yelling? At who?

[alla]

Originally posted by Space Cadet:
There's no need to snap at Sharklord. He's the one making the most sense.

That may not be the best way to quell this...

Wow, it's amazing how quickly a healthy debate can go bad. I was having fun until everyone started yelling.

Yes, it is. And its caused by something known as a difference of opinion. Religion is something that is a very touchy topic for some people. I really don't mind, yell at me, pay me out because I'm not Christian or whatever. I was leaning that way at school, but personal experience has told me that for all some people say that they follow certain beliefs and that, they are often hypocritical. Just so you know that sentence is not aimed at anyone from here. See my last post to gain a bit more insight

Sean: Nella is a little cut at what Sharky said. Possibly rightly so, but he does have a point. There are little things that have been brought up in this thread that are special to the beliefs of different people. It just depends on which religion you have been brought up with. I have grown up in a country where there is no pressure to take one religion or the other. Sure you get taught about Christianity in primary school, but you can get permission from your parents to not have to do it.

Another thing about growing up here, is that you learn, well most people I know learn to do this, to respect the beliefs of others, whether you follow them or not. I never base my judgement on a person based on what religion they are, but just what sort of person they are in general.

What I find really sad, is that some religions always think that they're better than others. And also, that most religions have a basis in trying to understand and get along with the world that you live in.

Perhaps we should leave such a touchy topic alone.

Alla

[Gryphon]

Sharky:
You'll just have to live with it.

:P And that line does sound offensive, but really, it's the truth. Because there are other cultures and beleifs you have to learn to live with them. Tolerate them, even if you don't agree.

Nella:
No sharky, I'm not going to say how rude you are, nor will I say anything else. If me being a hard headed brat is too much, then you should just say it. Forget it, because no one cares really. Forget it all, just do, because you want to. And with that, I'll drop out of this bored.

No, *huggles*, you don't have to do that. :P Psshh, people can be wrong. Or people can be called wrong, and still beleive they're right. Or none of those situations. Whatever. Don't be hurt 'cuz Sharky challenged something you said.

<span class="ev_code_WHITE">*waves hand* <-- beleives she has the worst and most embarassing newbie post in forum history.</span>

[Sean L.]

Ruffled feathers and raised hackles from this conversation did rise.

But introspection and inspection of thoughts did happen; good overall, I think this topic was.

Now, a natural death it must die...until ressurected, it shall be.

[Gryphon]

There's a name for that literary device, the yoda-speach thing.

I've got more to say, but I've got to wait until I get my brit lit homework back -- I'll be copying and pasting what I've typed already. S'really neat. (I can't before because they check to see how much of student's work is plagarized. If I posted my homework, they'd be really intrigued...).

[Garrett Fitzgerald]

Originally posted by Agent M:
This topic was bound to hurt people's feelings, seeing as most of the people here don't seem to be Christian, including myself, but I'm not atheist either. The thing that bothers me about Christians, and basically all other relgions except maybe Buddhism (and that's only the truly devout Buddhists), think their religion is better than anyone elses.

I'm Catholic.

I believe in God.

I believe He is infinite.

Since He is infinite, there are an infinite number of correct ways to worship Him.

[Dee]

That is possibly the best explantion of religion I have ever heard in my life. Why doesn't everybody believe that? I think I'll start a religion for Garrett. I wonder where I can start printing up brochures... Garrett, you don't mind if I start evangelizing for you, do you?

[Magic Butter]

Topics like this one invariably get out of hand, but are important to discuss or all (Christians, Atheists, Agnostics...) forget to challenge their own point of view and don't evolve, which I believe is the worst one can do. Some have said that religion has been the cause of many violent episodes in History, and that is both true and false. That is the excuse, conflict is always brought on by the same failing of moral values (Not sins, sin's basically a Christian term and has lost meaning) almost every religion condemns, and then use the banner of religion to persuade the masses.

It all reduces to the people, a goodperson will not judge on anything but what the person does and does not on a one by one manner. Because it is very easy to pass judgement on a community on a whole, but it's not as fun when they do it to you. I know, I live in Spain, can anyone say Catholic Kings or the Inquisition? :P

Ahh...I don't know if it was a good idea to post for the first time in a long while in this thread, hehe, but there's my opinion.

[bluesalamanders]

I'm atheist, but I sometimes like to get into these discussions to try and understand why and how people believe. Not as much anymore as I used to, because they do, as Magic Butter says, almost invariably get out of hand, though.

Garrett - it's nice to hear (such as it is) people say things like that.

At my first college, someone had a bumper sticker pinned over their dorm room door that I appreciated: it said "God is too big to fit in one religion."

Blue

[Rowan Conaill Aodh O\'Neal]

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Christians do not want to be forced to be atheists, and atheists do not want to be forced to be Christians.

[Cress]

This could just be me, but I don't think I've ever met an atheist who tried to force their belief on someone. Partially because I think some people are atheist only because they don't know what to believe. That's mostly what I am. Possibly temporary atheist if I ever figure out what I believe.
And I just want to say...how bout if before all of other people's comments we insert "I believe"...cause they're not telling you to believe this, unless they actually say that. They're just saying what they think. It's not a crime to let your opinion be known.

[bluesalamanders]

People who don't know what exactly they believe are generally considered agnostic. It's sort of an in-between term that can mean a lot of different things, whereas atheist has a much more specific meaning.

Blue

[Peter Murray]

I like this comment by Richard Dawkins:
<span class="ev_code_blue">... modern theists might acknowledge that, when it comes to Baal and the Golden Calf, Thor and Wotan, Poseidon and Apollo, Mithras and Ammon Ra, they are actually atheists. We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.</span> (from A Devil's Chaplain, selected essays by Richard Dawkins)

[Small town]

I would say right now that I am Atheist at this time I am trying to find out if I shold go the way I was raised or the way I feel when it comes to religion. I dont think that being Atheist is a bad thing as a matter of fact it can be a good thing for some people. Dont force your religion on somebody else who is of a different faith or doesnt have a faith at all.


~~~~~~~~From Small Town~~~~~

[Moeen]

Originally posted by Space Cadet:
I am a scientist at heart, so 'faith' is difficult, if not impossible, for me.