29% of Americans say religion ‘out of date’

[ColonelB]

I am Agnostic. My feet loosely planted in the Agnostic grove. I say "loosely" because a stiff wind could send me into the Atheist grove. There is no wind strong enough to blow me back into the grove of the faithful, but I respect their beliefs and wish them well. But there is one thing I have never understood...

Why in the fuck do so many non-believers feel the need to piss all over the beliefs of those who find strength and comfort in religion?

The simple answer is that religion has long done much more than "piss" on those who fail to believe the irrational - like cutting off their body parts and other unspeakable tortures (which, if I were religious, would seem to be proof that those acting in the name of religion are often evil incarnate).

The more nuanced answer is that even the rationalists want comfort and as social animals we find comfort when those around us act in ways that reaffirm our beliefs.

Personally I don't really care what 99.9999% of you believe... until you start taxing me to build your churches (tax breaks for religion are a tax on non-believers), or you start a war in Iraq because you have "visions" that you interpret as commands, or you put up political cutouts to teach children that whatever one party says carries the imprimatur of infallibility.

I do agree however that most arguments with believers is a lot like "pissing into the wind" with similar unpleasant results.

 

[California Girl]

I am Agnostic. My feet loosely planted in the Agnostic grove. I say "loosely" because a stiff wind could send me into the Atheist grove. There is no wind strong enough to blow me back into the grove of the faithful, but I respect their beliefs and wish them well. But there is one thing I have never understood...

Why in the fuck do so many non-believers feel the need to piss all over the beliefs of those who find strength and comfort in religion?

The simple answer is that religion has long done much more than "piss" on those who fail to believe the irrational - like cutting off their body parts and other unspeakable tortures (which, if I were religious, would seem to be proof that those acting in the name of religion are often evil incarnate).

The more nuanced answer is that even the rationalists want comfort and as social animals we find comfort when those around us act in ways that reaffirm our beliefs.

Personally I don't really care what 99.9999% of you believe... until you start taxing me to build your churches (tax breaks for religion are a tax on non-believers), or you start a war in Iraq because you have "visions" that you interpret as commands, or you put up political cutouts to teach children that whatever one party says carries the imprimatur of infallibility.

I do agree however that most arguments with believers is a lot like "pissing into the wind" with similar unpleasant results.

You mean those awful religions that save the government money by their work?

Your posts demonstrate that stupidity is alive and well.

 

[ColonelB]

uh right...

1. Only religious groups perform charity
2. The value contributed by religious groups to the COMMON GOOD exceeds the benefits extracted from government tax breaks.
3. Californian's have all the answers when it comes to what's good for the economy.

NOT.

 

[Bass v 2.0]

Those 29% are seriously disillusioned because of their own unbelief and because they want to pick and chose which beliefs suit their lifestyle instead of just doing God's will and laid out in the Bible.

 

[Mr Natural]

Generally, I find those who follow a faith - any faith - more tolerant than those who do not.

Yup, those 9/11 attackers were certainly a tolerant bunch.

 

[Bass v 2.0]

Generally, I find those who follow a faith - any faith - more tolerant than those who do not.

Yup, those 9/11 attackers were certainly a tolerant bunch.

Those were fanatics, not people of faith, learn the distinction. People of faith are genreally more tolerant.

 

[Mr Natural]

Generally, I find those who follow a faith - any faith - more tolerant than those who do not.

Yup, those 9/11 attackers were certainly a tolerant bunch.

Those were fanatics, not people of faith, learn the distinction. People of faith are genreally more tolerant.

True, not every person of faith is a religious fanatic, but every religious fanatic is a person of faith.

 

[Meister]

Yup, those 9/11 attackers were certainly a tolerant bunch.

Those were fanatics, not people of faith, learn the distinction. People of faith are genreally more tolerant.

True, not every person of faith is a religious fanatic, but every religious fanatic is a person of faith.

The terrorists had a political agenda, and were hiding behind religion to promote it. There is a huge difference.

 

[rdean]

Isn't it funny that conservatives will believe in their mystics without any proof or evidence? They also believe in their political leaders, once again without any proof or evidence. How do liars and nutjobs get such a hold on conservatives? For once, can't they listen to someone who is telling the truth? Someone with facts, evidence or data?

facts, evidence, data - the triple threat to American Conservatism.

 

[Big Fitz]

Isn't it funny that conservatives will believe in their mystics without any proof or evidence? They also believe in their political leaders, once again without any proof or evidence. How do liars and nutjobs get such a hold on conservatives? For once, can't they listen to someone who is telling the truth? Someone with facts, evidence or data?

facts, evidence, data - the triple threat to American Conservatism.

And yet you put your faith in the oracles of computer models and random chance. Who's got the most unlikely faith?

 

[rdean]

Isn't it funny that conservatives will believe in their mystics without any proof or evidence? They also believe in their political leaders, once again without any proof or evidence. How do liars and nutjobs get such a hold on conservatives? For once, can't they listen to someone who is telling the truth? Someone with facts, evidence or data?

facts, evidence, data - the triple threat to American Conservatism.

And yet you put your faith in the oracles of computer models and random chance. Who's got the most unlikely faith?

Soooo, computers are "magic"?

 

[Big Fitz]

Isn't it funny that conservatives will believe in their mystics without any proof or evidence? They also believe in their political leaders, once again without any proof or evidence. How do liars and nutjobs get such a hold on conservatives? For once, can't they listen to someone who is telling the truth? Someone with facts, evidence or data?

facts, evidence, data - the triple threat to American Conservatism.

And yet you put your faith in the oracles of computer models and random chance. Who's got the most unlikely faith?

Soooo, computers are "magic"?

100 years ago, much of our day to day tech would be.
Still, computer models are based off of guesses and beliefs.

GIGO... large and in charge.

BTW, why haven't you ignored me yet? You promised you would.

 

[Smartt33]

Isn't it funny that conservatives will believe in their mystics without any proof or evidence? They also believe in their political leaders, once again without any proof or evidence. How do liars and nutjobs get such a hold on conservatives? For once, can't they listen to someone who is telling the truth? Someone with facts, evidence or data?

facts, evidence, data - the triple threat to American Conservatism .

Let me write it out in a way that is actually truth:

Isn't it funny that "fools" (that is the term used in the Bible for those who say there is no God) will refuse to believe in truth because they refuse to see what God has made very clear? (Romans 1:20) "20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. "

They (the fools) cannot see the evidence that is placed before them because it is easier to hope there is no God. It takes more faith to believe in evolution than to believe in God, but these "fools" rather enjoy blind faith in lies.

Oh, where are those facts and evidence and data that says Believers are wrong? You cannot evenm come close to answering that without the lies you believe through your blind faith.

With that said, I am sincere in saying that faith in God is absolutely the only hope, and I pray you will at least check it out.

 

[Mr Natural]

Those were fanatics, not people of faith, learn the distinction. People of faith are genreally more tolerant.

True, not every person of faith is a religious fanatic, but every religious fanatic is a person of faith.

The terrorists had a political agenda, and were hiding behind religion to promote it. There is a huge difference.

The attacks of 9/11 were a perfect example of the results that come from mixing religion with politics.

 

[Father Time]

I am Agnostic. My feet loosely planted in the Agnostic grove. I say "loosely" because a stiff wind could send me into the Atheist grove. There is no wind strong enough to blow me back into the grove of the faithful, but I respect their beliefs and wish them well. But there is one thing I have never understood...

Why in the fuck do so many non-believers feel the need to piss all over the beliefs of those who find strength and comfort in religion?

I think I can give you an answer but bear in mind it only comes from a conversation with a single anti-theist (he's not hellbent on attacking the faithful but he will talk about it in length if lightly pressed).

Anyway he says it's because of the Christians who insist on pushing their faith into law.

When I told him that not all Christians were into such theocratic garbage he said

"Certainly Christianity isn't alone in these activities. And, more and more, the "good" seem to grow smaller and smaller, or certainly quieter and quieter. If there really are so many "good" ones, as I once believed and other still claim them to exist, where are they? If there is ANYONE who should be putting these horrid taintings of religion to task, it should be THEM. Yet, they are nowhere to be seen or heard from.

...

The "good" exists sporatically. It's either beaten down into silence by the "bad", or it's swallowed up and corrupted as well by the "bad".


Like I said he's not the type to troll Christian sites (at least I think he isn't) but he's definitely the type that would enjoy seeing religion shrink in numbers.

Hope this helps.

 

[Father Time]

True, not every person of faith is a religious fanatic, but every religious fanatic is a person of faith.

The terrorists had a political agenda, and were hiding behind religion to promote it. There is a huge difference.

The attacks of 9/11 were a perfect example of the results that come from mixing religion with politics.

Err not really, they didn't need political clout to pull off those attacks.

 

[Father Time]

I know, I know. The 29% are waiting for Jesus to return to make Christianity 'current'. Once that happens, all the non-believing heretics like yourself will be thrown in HELL for all of ETERNITY!

Jesus. A mythical figure from a primitive Middle Eastern desert people who didn't even speak English. Wore long hair, a beard, sandals and dirty wizards robes. Supposedly believed that a good slave would work at being a "good" slave.

If such a being ever showed up in America, not a single religious leader in this country would give him the time of day. Believe it.

Funny. There's more archeological evidence to prove Jesus' life than that of say Julius Caesar.

Yes and there's all sorts of proof that Harry Houdini existed, strangely none of it proves the man performed miracles.

 

[Father Time]

I am Agnostic. My feet loosely planted in the Agnostic grove. I say "loosely" because a stiff wind could send me into the Atheist grove. There is no wind strong enough to blow me back into the grove of the faithful, but I respect their beliefs and wish them well. But there is one thing I have never understood...

Why in the fuck do so many non-believers feel the need to piss all over the beliefs of those who find strength and comfort in religion?

The simple answer is that religion has long done much more than "piss" on those who fail to believe the irrational - like cutting off their body parts and other unspeakable tortures (which, if I were religious, would seem to be proof that those acting in the name of religion are often evil incarnate).

The more nuanced answer is that even the rationalists want comfort and as social animals we find comfort when those around us act in ways that reaffirm our beliefs.

Personally I don't really care what 99.9999% of you believe... until you start taxing me to build your churches (tax breaks for religion are a tax on non-believers), or you start a war in Iraq because you have "visions" that you interpret as commands, or you put up political cutouts to teach children that whatever one party says carries the imprimatur of infallibility.

I do agree however that most arguments with believers is a lot like "pissing into the wind" with similar unpleasant results.

You mean those awful religions that save the government money by their work?

Your posts demonstrate that stupidity is alive and well.

If you think every religion that gets a tax break does charity work you are a fucking moron.

Case in point: Scientology.

 

[Father Time]

Isn't it funny that conservatives will believe in their mystics without any proof or evidence? They also believe in their political leaders, once again without any proof or evidence. How do liars and nutjobs get such a hold on conservatives? For once, can't they listen to someone who is telling the truth? Someone with facts, evidence or data?

facts, evidence, data - the triple threat to American Conservatism .

Let me write it out in a way that is actually truth:

Isn't it funny that "fools" (that is the term used in the Bible for those who say there is no God) will refuse to believe in truth because they refuse to see what God has made very clear? (Romans 1:20) "20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. "

Until you can prove that the bible is non-fiction it doesn't amount to jack in proving God exists.

They (the fools) cannot see the evidence that is placed before them because it is easier to hope there is no God.

What evidence is there for God?

It takes more faith to believe in evolution than to believe in God, but these "fools" rather enjoy blind faith in lies.

Righttttttttttttt. Hey look these organisms have similar genetics and fossil structure maybe they're related. No that can't be true that requires faith unlike say believing in an all powerful invisible sky daddy that created everything and made humans out of dust.

Oh, where are those facts and evidence and data that says Believers are wrong? You cannot evenm come close to answering that without the lies you believe through your blind faith.

Where's your evidence that believers are right, seems to me you are the ones that need to prove your stories are accurate not the other way around.

With that said, I am sincere in saying that faith in God is absolutely the only hope, and I pray you will at least check it out.

Let's say for the sake of argument there is a single God, how can you be sure it's your God?

 

[Smartt33]

Isn't it funny that conservatives will believe in their mystics without any proof or evidence? They also believe in their political leaders, once again without any proof or evidence. How do liars and nutjobs get such a hold on conservatives? For once, can't they listen to someone who is telling the truth? Someone with facts, evidence or data?

facts, evidence, data - the triple threat to American Conservatism .

Let me write it out in a way that is actually truth:

Isn't it funny that "fools" (that is the term used in the Bible for those who say there is no God) will refuse to believe in truth because they refuse to see what God has made very clear? (Romans 1:20) "20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. "

Until you can prove that the bible is non-fiction it doesn't amount to jack in proving God exists.



What evidence is there for God?





Righttttttttttttt. Hey look these organisms have similar genetics and fossil structure maybe they're related. No that can't be true that requires faith unlike say believing in an all powerful invisible sky daddy that created everything and made humans out of dust.

Oh, where are those facts and evidence and data that says Believers are wrong? You cannot evenm come close to answering that without the lies you believe through your blind faith.

Where's your evidence that believers are right, seems to me you are the ones that need to prove your stories are accurate not the other way around.

With that said, I am sincere in saying that faith in God is absolutely the only hope, and I pray you will at least check it out.

Let's say for the sake of argument there is a single God, how can you be sure it's your God?

If you are happy with your views, I don't intend to try to prove you wrong. I am satisfied with mine, so please at least learn to show some respect when you talk about my views. When you learn and show respect, I might respond.