~25% of Americans do Not Believe in God

[JimBowie1958]

Why would a god punish anything? If there is a single intelligence that created all of reality, I certainly don't think I can understand the reasoning of such a being. I also would not want to assume human morality would apply to such a being.

I have seen and heard many people claim that those who do not believe as they do, with regards to religion, will be punished after death. Even the quoted post from Ninja007 indicates that those who do not believe will be punished; "if your [sic] wrong youll [sic] be in eternal pain." If one is wrong about there being a god (or perhaps even what god wants from people) they will suffer eternal pain.

If there is a god, I don't see any reason (other than peace of mind) to assume that being is altruistic or merciful or cares about any of the things humanity cares about. I think such a being would likely be so different from us in intellect, in the way it views the universe and reality, that we would be incapable of understanding its desires and motivations (if it even has such things in our terms).

It would be nice if there is a god that grants rewards for a life lived well by modern, Western standards of morality. I don't see why it is any more likely than a god that delights in tormenting every soul after death, or a god that doesn't pay any attention whatsoever to the life of an individual human, or any other possibility.

God has designed the Universe, life and mankind for specific purposes and to oppose those purposes is evil and we actually punish ourselves by making ourselves unfit for Gods purpose, which locks us out of Heaven and into a dark, horrid place where there is similar folk weeping and grinding their teeth.

 

[Kondor3]

Shame.

-Geaux
------------

After signing an executive order earlier this month that seeks to relax restrictions on the political activities of tax-exempt churches, President Trump said the order was an important affirmation of the American identity. “We’re a nation of believers,” he said. Trump is right in one sense — 69 percent of Americans say a belief in God is an important part of being American — but he’s wrong demographically: Atheists constitute a culturally significant part of American society.

We’re not sure how significant, though. The number of atheists in the U.S. is still a matter of considerable debate. Recent surveys have found that only about one in 10 Americans report that they do not believe in God, and only about 3 percent identify as atheist. But a new study suggests that the true number of atheists could be much larger, perhaps even 10 times larger than previously estimated.

Way More Americans May Be Atheists Than We Thought

Unfortunately for you, 75% of Americans DO believe in God.

We win.

You lose.

Too bad.

So sad.

Was there anything else?

 

[Old Rocks]

LOL What is the difference between that kind of nonsense and the Happy Hunting Ground? Or desecrating your enemies body after death so they enter the after life crippled? LOL

 

[Old Rocks]

Shame.

-Geaux
------------

After signing an executive order earlier this month that seeks to relax restrictions on the political activities of tax-exempt churches, President Trump said the order was an important affirmation of the American identity. “We’re a nation of believers,” he said. Trump is right in one sense — 69 percent of Americans say a belief in God is an important part of being American — but he’s wrong demographically: Atheists constitute a culturally significant part of American society.

We’re not sure how significant, though. The number of atheists in the U.S. is still a matter of considerable debate. Recent surveys have found that only about one in 10 Americans report that they do not believe in God, and only about 3 percent identify as atheist. But a new study suggests that the true number of atheists could be much larger, perhaps even 10 times larger than previously estimated.

Way More Americans May Be Atheists Than We Thought

Unfortunately for you, 75% of Americans DO believe in God.

We win.

You lose.

Too bad.

So sad.

Was there anything else?

You win what?

 

[Bob Blaylock]

The left considers science the final say on everything, so if they refer to Jenner as a woman it only follows that they think that science is also on their side.

And that is why I call it 'splitting hairs'. What is the point of arguing if the left 'really' thinks that one can be something one is not based on science or not when that will be the rhetorical tool they use eventually regardless?

As I said before, when those on the left wrong speak of “science”, they seldom mean by that word what sane people understand that word to mean.

 

[Kondor3]

Shame.

-Geaux
------------

After signing an executive order earlier this month that seeks to relax restrictions on the political activities of tax-exempt churches, President Trump said the order was an important affirmation of the American identity. “We’re a nation of believers,” he said. Trump is right in one sense — 69 percent of Americans say a belief in God is an important part of being American — but he’s wrong demographically: Atheists constitute a culturally significant part of American society.

We’re not sure how significant, though. The number of atheists in the U.S. is still a matter of considerable debate. Recent surveys have found that only about one in 10 Americans report that they do not believe in God, and only about 3 percent identify as atheist. But a new study suggests that the true number of atheists could be much larger, perhaps even 10 times larger than previously estimated.

Way More Americans May Be Atheists Than We Thought

Unfortunately for you, 75% of Americans DO believe in God.

We win.

You lose.

Too bad.

So sad.

Was there anything else?

You win what?

A country that continues to acknowledge the existence of a God and ignores the protests of those who do not believe?

 

[ninja007]

lol- read that again. If im wrong, ill be ok, if your wrong youll be in eternal pain.

What if you are wrong about what god(s) is and wants from you? You won't be any more OK than atheists.

Why would God punish sincere effort that was honestly flawed?

Why would a god punish anything? If there is a single intelligence that created all of reality, I certainly don't think I can understand the reasoning of such a being. I also would not want to assume human morality would apply to such a being.

I have seen and heard many people claim that those who do not believe as they do, with regards to religion, will be punished after death. Even the quoted post from Ninja007 indicates that those who do not believe will be punished; "if your [sic] wrong youll [sic] be in eternal pain." If one is wrong about there being a god (or perhaps even what god wants from people) they will suffer eternal pain.

If there is a god, I don't see any reason (other than peace of mind) to assume that being is altruistic or merciful or cares about any of the things humanity cares about. I think such a being would likely be so different from us in intellect, in the way it views the universe and reality, that we would be incapable of understanding its desires and motivations (if it even has such things in our terms).

It would be nice if there is a god that grants rewards for a life lived well by modern, Western standards of morality. I don't see why it is any more likely than a god that delights in tormenting every soul after death, or a god that doesn't pay any attention whatsoever to the life of an individual human, or any other possibility.

Isaiah 55:8-9New International Version (NIV)
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

[Montrovant]

Splitting hairs, is it? You may be willing to simply accept someone's broad brush claims that the US political left believe science says that Bruce/Caitlin Jenner is a woman. When it is directed to me, I am not.

Not accepting silly generalities seems a poor measure of stupidity.

The left considers science the final say on everything, so if they refer to Jenner as a woman it only follows that they think that science is also on their side.

And that is why I call it 'splitting hairs'. What is the point of arguing if the left 'really' thinks that one can be something one is not based on science or not when that will be the rhetorical tool they use eventually regardless?

To me this is also silly broad-brush generalization. It is also basing an argument on an assumption about what other people are going to do at some point in the future.

This all also depends on what is being discussed by the term science; are we talking about just the hard sciences, or does psychology count?

Then there is the question of whether a person can have a psychological gender different from their biological sex.

I don't look at "the left" as some sort of monolithic group without variation in belief any more than I look at "the right" that way.

 

[Montrovant]

Why would a god punish anything? If there is a single intelligence that created all of reality, I certainly don't think I can understand the reasoning of such a being. I also would not want to assume human morality would apply to such a being.

I have seen and heard many people claim that those who do not believe as they do, with regards to religion, will be punished after death. Even the quoted post from Ninja007 indicates that those who do not believe will be punished; "if your [sic] wrong youll [sic] be in eternal pain." If one is wrong about there being a god (or perhaps even what god wants from people) they will suffer eternal pain.

If there is a god, I don't see any reason (other than peace of mind) to assume that being is altruistic or merciful or cares about any of the things humanity cares about. I think such a being would likely be so different from us in intellect, in the way it views the universe and reality, that we would be incapable of understanding its desires and motivations (if it even has such things in our terms).

It would be nice if there is a god that grants rewards for a life lived well by modern, Western standards of morality. I don't see why it is any more likely than a god that delights in tormenting every soul after death, or a god that doesn't pay any attention whatsoever to the life of an individual human, or any other possibility.

God has designed the Universe, life and mankind for specific purposes and to oppose those purposes is evil and we actually punish ourselves by making ourselves unfit for Gods purpose, which locks us out of Heaven and into a dark, horrid place where there is similar folk weeping and grinding their teeth.

That is your belief. There are plenty of others. I see no particular reason to consider one such belief more valid than another.

 

[JimBowie1958]

Then there is the question of whether a person can have a psychological gender different from their biological sex.

'Psychological gender' is a horse shit concept as one's psychological state is not dependent on Reality but the emotions of the perceivee.

We might as well debate how many angels can dance on the head of a pin for all that is worth.

 

[JimBowie1958]

That is your belief. There are plenty of others. I see no particular reason to consider one such belief more valid than another.

So the fact that there are other opinions makes all opinions equivalent?

And how much time and effort have you spent looking for said reasons?

The 'Market Place of Ideas' would suggest that billions of other people have found these reasons, so perhaps you should take a remedial course of some kind?

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Shame.

-Geaux
------------

After signing an executive order earlier this month that seeks to relax restrictions on the political activities of tax-exempt churches, President Trump said the order was an important affirmation of the American identity. “We’re a nation of believers,” he said. Trump is right in one sense — 69 percent of Americans say a belief in God is an important part of being American — but he’s wrong demographically: Atheists constitute a culturally significant part of American society.

We’re not sure how significant, though. The number of atheists in the U.S. is still a matter of considerable debate. Recent surveys have found that only about one in 10 Americans report that they do not believe in God, and only about 3 percent identify as atheist. But a new study suggests that the true number of atheists could be much larger, perhaps even 10 times larger than previously estimated.

Way More Americans May Be Atheists Than We Thought

Is the shame that 25% of Americans may not believe in god, or that 15% of Americans may be too afraid of being stigmatized to admit their lack of belief?

My question as well.

I suspect the number of non believers is high than that but many don't want some rude froot loop suddenly going full on nutter and start lecturing them.


Sent from my iPad using USMessageBoard.com

 

[Luddly Neddite]

8 Reasons Jesus Wants You to Witness
Telling others about Christ has many purposes.

Permit me to give you, briefly, 8 reasons God desires all believers to share their faith.

First, as you witness, you bring glory to God. Jesus says in John 15:8, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

Second, the love of Christ compels us to share our faith. In Paul’s words, “The love of Christ constrains us.” If you have experienced the love of the Lord Jesus, you will also want to introduce him to others.

Third, sharing your faith is a direct command from Jesus Christ. He says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And, “You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.”

Fourth, people without Christ are lost. Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The Word of God declares emphatically, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

» How You Can Introduce Others to Christ

How convenient that an imaginary creature "tells" people to harass and preach to others.

Believe what you want but leave people alone. You have your special little club houses and you have special privilege. Keep your lunacy to yourselves, keep it out opt govt, out of schools and off my front porch.

MYOB


Sent from my iPad using USMessageBoard.com

 

[Montrovant]

That is your belief. There are plenty of others. I see no particular reason to consider one such belief more valid than another.

So the fact that there are other opinions makes all opinions equivalent?

And how much time and effort have you spent looking for said reasons?

The 'Market Place of Ideas' would suggest that billions of other people have found these reasons, so perhaps you should take a remedial course of some kind?

I didn't say that the fact there are more opinions makes them all equivalent. I do not see more evidence for one set of religious or spiritual beliefs than another. There are exceptions, but with the major religions, one appears just as likely (or unlikely) to be true as another.

 

[Geaux4it]

8 Reasons Jesus Wants You to Witness
Telling others about Christ has many purposes.

Permit me to give you, briefly, 8 reasons God desires all believers to share their faith.

First, as you witness, you bring glory to God. Jesus says in John 15:8, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

Second, the love of Christ compels us to share our faith. In Paul’s words, “The love of Christ constrains us.” If you have experienced the love of the Lord Jesus, you will also want to introduce him to others.

Third, sharing your faith is a direct command from Jesus Christ. He says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And, “You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.”

Fourth, people without Christ are lost. Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The Word of God declares emphatically, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

» How You Can Introduce Others to Christ

How convenient that an imaginary creature "tells" people to harass and preach to others.

Believe what you want but leave people alone. You have your special little club houses and you have special privilege. Keep your lunacy to yourselves, keep it out opt govt, out of schools and off my front porch.

MYOB


Sent from my iPad using USMessageBoard.com

My guess ladynuttie you'll join this list. However, you lack the 'famous' status

-Geaux
======

Caesar Borgia: "While I lived, I provided for everything but death; now I must die, and am unprepared to die."

Thomas Hobbs political philosopher "I say again, if I had the whole world at my disposal, I would give it to live one day. I am about to take a leap into the dark."

Thomas Payne the leading atheistic writer in American colonies: "Stay with me, for God's sake; I cannot bear to be left alone , O Lord, help me! O God, what have I done to suffer so much? What will become of me hereafter? "I would give worlds if I had them, that The Age of Reason had never been published. 0 Lord, help me! Christ, help me! …No, don't leave; stay with me! Send even a child to stay with me; for I am on the edge of Hell here alone. If ever the Devil had an agent, I have been that one."

Sir Thomas Scott, Chancellor of England "Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty."

Voltaire famous anti-christian atheist: "I am abandoned by God and man; I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months' life." (He said this to Dr. Fochin, who told him it could not be done.) "Then I shall die and go to hell!" (His nurse said: "For all the money in Europe I wouldn’t want to see another unbeliever die! All night long he cried for forgiveness."

Robert Ingersoll: "O God, if there be a God, save my soul, if I have a soul!" (Some say it was this way: "Oh God, if there be a God, save my soul if I have a soul, from hell, if there be a hell!"

David Hume, atheist philosopher famous for his philosophy of empiricism and skepticism of religion, he cried loud on his death bed "I am in flames!" It is said his "desperation was a horrible scene".

Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor, and who, like Adolf Hitler, brought death to millions to satisfy his greedy, power-mad, selfish ambitions for world conquest: "I die before my time, and my body will be given back to the earth. Such is the fate of him who has been called the great Napoleon. What an abyss between my deep misery and the eternal kingdom of Christ!”

Sir Francis Newport, the head of an English Atheist club to those gathered around his deathbed: "You need not tell me there is no God for I know there is one, and that I am in His presence! You need not tell me there is no hell. I feel myself already slipping. Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever! Oh, that fire! Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell! …Oh, that I could lie for a thousand years upon the fire that is never quenched, to purchase the favor of God and be united to Him again. But it is a fruitless wish. Millions and millions of years will bring me no nearer the end of my torments than one poor hour. Oh, eternity, eternity forever and forever!, Oh, the insufferable pangs of Hell!”

Famous Atheists Last Words Before Dying - Religion - Nigeria

 

[JimBowie1958]

I didn't say that the fact there are more opinions makes them all equivalent. I do not see more evidence for one set of religious or spiritual beliefs than another. There are exceptions, but with the major religions, one appears just as likely (or unlikely) to be true as another.

But the concept of a Creator is not exclusive to one religion, so there is no real controversy or competing ideas regarding a Creator until you drill down into the weeds.

There is a Creator and this is why the ancient Greek philosophers who gave us philosophy and formal logic used reason to come to a belief in a Creator.

Are you familiar with those reasons?

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I didn't say that the fact there are more opinions makes them all equivalent. I do not see more evidence for one set of religious or spiritual beliefs than another. There are exceptions, but with the major religions, one appears just as likely (or unlikely) to be true as another.

But the concept of a Creator is not exclusive to one religion, so there is no real controversy or competing ideas regarding a Creator until you drill down into the weeds.

There is a Creator and this is why the ancient Greek philosophers who gave us philosophy and formal logic used reason to come to a belief in a Creator.

Are you familiar with those reasons?

True that superstitions and legends abound in all cultures. The beliefs of christianity were taken from older religions, copied almost verbatim. Not to mention that christianity is vicious and evil.

I'll say it again - you are more than welcome to believe whatever you need to believe. All I've ever asked is for the thumpers to keep it in their churches. That's where it belongs and the FACT is, no matter how much christians get, they keep demanding more.

 

[Montrovant]

I didn't say that the fact there are more opinions makes them all equivalent. I do not see more evidence for one set of religious or spiritual beliefs than another. There are exceptions, but with the major religions, one appears just as likely (or unlikely) to be true as another.

But the concept of a Creator is not exclusive to one religion, so there is no real controversy or competing ideas regarding a Creator until you drill down into the weeds.

There is a Creator and this is why the ancient Greek philosophers who gave us philosophy and formal logic used reason to come to a belief in a Creator.

Are you familiar with those reasons?

Familiar with the reasoning of ancient Greek philosophers who believed in a creator? No. Of all the reasoning I have seen regarding why there is or must be a creator, however, I have yet to find one compelling enough to convince me.

 

[JimBowie1958]

Familiar with the reasoning of ancient Greek philosophers who believed in a creator? No. Of all the reasoning I have seen regarding why there is or must be a creator, however, I have yet to find one compelling enough to convince me.

But if you have not yet even looked into the history of the debate, how can you plausibly consider yourself to be well read on the issue?

 

[Montrovant]

Familiar with the reasoning of ancient Greek philosophers who believed in a creator? No. Of all the reasoning I have seen regarding why there is or must be a creator, however, I have yet to find one compelling enough to convince me.

But if you have not yet even looked into the history of the debate, how can you plausibly consider yourself to be well read on the issue?

Who said I consider myself well read in ancient religious belief or philosophy? If you think the ancient Greeks had some sort of reasoning about why there must be a creator that would be compelling enough to convince me, I'm perfectly willing to read it.

Perhaps that would be best discussed in a different thread or PMs, however, as we are once again ranging far afield from the original theme of this thread, as well as not being anywhere near current events.