Religion To Disappear By 2041

[Meriweather]

My guess is even if religion is all man made up, you believe the benefits outweigh the negatives.

You guess wrong. I, too, believe the truth is the better way. I know you have no belief, but I am telling you, God exists. I cannot ignore that truth any more than I can ignore what is directly in front of me. Some people have a choice of whether to believe or not to believe, but I'm not one of them.

I understand what you are saying about people of Jewish Scripture, Christian Scripture, Muslim Scripture, and Mormon beliefs. I'm simply saying it is a mistake to conclude errors in Holy books add up to no God. Errors in holy books merely add up to errors in human thinking about God.

From my own experience, I can only testify to three things about God:

1) He cares deeply.
2) His love is beyond imagining.
3) He honors free will.

I cannot testify that He created heaven and earth, that He sent Jesus to redeem the world, and multitude of other things that I do believe through faith. It is my belief in Christ, not my own personal knowledge, that gives me the unbreakable trust that God also forgives sins. I cannot testify to God's forgiveness of sins.

Unlike some others here, the Catholic faith has done me a world of good, mostly because I understood what we learn as children needs quite a bit of relearning when we become adults. We forget that when we are children, we think as children, act as children. Especially when it comes to religion and theology, once we are adults we need to put away what is taught to children and learn as adults.

Anyway, since truth does matter to you, I just wanted you to know God Is.

 

[Dhara]

What do you think God is meriweather? Super Being with human qualities?

 

[sealybobo]

My guess is even if religion is all man made up, you believe the benefits outweigh the negatives.

You guess wrong. I, too, believe the truth is the better way. I know you have no belief, but I am telling you, God exists. I cannot ignore that truth any more than I can ignore what is directly in front of me. Some people have a choice of whether to believe or not to believe, but I'm not one of them.

I understand what you are saying about people of Jewish Scripture, Christian Scripture, Muslim Scripture, and Mormon beliefs. I'm simply saying it is a mistake to conclude errors in Holy books add up to no God. Errors in holy books merely add up to errors in human thinking about God.

From my own experience, I can only testify to three things about God:

1) He cares deeply.
2) His love is beyond imagining.
3) He honors free will.

I cannot testify that He created heaven and earth, that He sent Jesus to redeem the world, and multitude of other things that I do believe through faith. It is my belief in Christ, not my own personal knowledge, that gives me the unbreakable trust that God also forgives sins. I cannot testify to God's forgiveness of sins.

Unlike some others here, the Catholic faith has done me a world of good, mostly because I understood what we learn as children needs quite a bit of relearning when we become adults. We forget that when we are children, we think as children, act as children. Especially when it comes to religion and theology, once we are adults we need to put away what is taught to children and learn as adults.

Anyway, since truth does matter to you, I just wanted you to know God Is.

And I'm glad you agree not believing there is a God doesn't really matter. Maybe your religion says God told them it matters but I don't think that even matters to you. Deep down you must realize your religion is man made up. Or you believe all the other religions are made up but not yours? Do you understand why I can't differentiate between your religion and the 999 others that came before or after?

Anyways, it's cool you believe a God exists. Everything else you believe because a religion told you a story.

It's called wishful thinking

 

[Meriweather]

What do you think God is meriweather? Super Being with human qualities?

I have a different picture of God than one of a Super Being. Super, to my mind, calls up images of Super Heroes, Super Bowl, Super Conductor, etc. I don't think of God as a super anything. Shyness, gentleness, and love usually don't appear in the super column. Are these three human qualities? Or are they qualities that humans sometimes possess?

 

[Dhara]

What do you think God is meriweather? Super Being with human qualities?

I have a different picture of God than one of a Super Being. Super, to my mind, calls up images of Super Heroes, Super Bowl, Super Conductor, etc. I don't think of God as a super anything. Shyness, gentleness, and love usually don't appear in the super column. Are these three human qualities? Or are they qualities that humans sometimes possess?

We can talk about qualities of enlightenment, which you might personify as eternal. God believers tend to be eternalists, and they confuse Buddhism as some kind of nihilism, which it isn't.

 

[Meriweather]

And I'm glad you agree not believing there is a God doesn't really matter. Maybe your religion says God told them it matters but I don't think that even matters to you. Deep down you must realize your religion is man made up. Or you believe all the other religions are made up but not yours? Do you understand why I can't differentiate between your religion and the 999 others that came before or after?

Anyways, it's cool you believe a God exists. Everything else you believe because a religion told you a story.

It's called wishful thinking

You must have me mixed up with someone else. I cannot find anywhere that I said not believing there is a God doesn't really matter. If this did not matter to me, I certainly would not waste time posting to you or discussing these things with my atheist husband.

No. True basic religion--belief in God--is not made up by man, but affirmed by man. And yes, man does take some very basic truths and begins embroidering. Sometimes this results in something good; often it results in distraction.

I do not know all religions. The ones I have a rudimentary knowledge of contains some very wise and helpful information--and also some distractions I mention. Anything that is studied in great depth have distinguishing attributes. For example, many myths and fairy tales have similarities. Some will read them and claim they are all the same. But these stories, like religion, have many distinguishing characteristics.

No, I don't believe everything else because religion told me a story. What it comes down to is putting religious teachings into play into my own life and see if they actually work. I treat religious teachings like an experiment in a science lab. That's the best way to confirm truth.

It's called reality.

 

[Meriweather]

We can talk about qualities of enlightenment, which you might personify as eternal. God believers tend to be eternalists, and they confuse Buddhism as some kind of nihilism, which it isn't.

No, I don't confuse Buddhism with nihilism, any more than I personify eternal.

 

[Leweman]

And I'm glad you agree not believing there is a God doesn't really matter. Maybe your religion says God told them it matters but I don't think that even matters to you. Deep down you must realize your religion is man made up. Or you believe all the other religions are made up but not yours? Do you understand why I can't differentiate between your religion and the 999 others that came before or after?

Anyways, it's cool you believe a God exists. Everything else you believe because a religion told you a story.

It's called wishful thinking

You must have me mixed up with someone else. I cannot find anywhere that I said not believing there is a God doesn't really matter. If this did not matter to me, I certainly would not waste time posting to you or discussing these things with my atheist husband.

No. True basic religion--belief in God--is not made up by man, but affirmed by man. And yes, man does take some very basic truths and begins embroidering. Sometimes this results in something good; often it results in distraction.

I do not know all religions. The ones I have a rudimentary knowledge of contains some very wise and helpful information--and also some distractions I mention. Anything that is studied in great depth have distinguishing attributes. For example, many myths and fairy tales have similarities. Some will read them and claim they are all the same. But these stories, like religion, have many distinguishing characteristics.

No, I don't believe everything else because religion told me a story. What it comes down to is putting religious teachings into play into my own life and see if they actually work. I treat religious teachings like an experiment in a science lab. That's the best way to confirm truth.

It's called reality.

Science is only accurate until it proves itself inaccurate. Quit acting like science is infallible. It has thousands of years of history of proving itself wrong. That won't change today.

 

[sealybobo]

And I'm glad you agree not believing there is a God doesn't really matter. Maybe your religion says God told them it matters but I don't think that even matters to you. Deep down you must realize your religion is man made up. Or you believe all the other religions are made up but not yours? Do you understand why I can't differentiate between your religion and the 999 others that came before or after?

Anyways, it's cool you believe a God exists. Everything else you believe because a religion told you a story.

It's called wishful thinking

You must have me mixed up with someone else. I cannot find anywhere that I said not believing there is a God doesn't really matter. If this did not matter to me, I certainly would not waste time posting to you or discussing these things with my atheist husband.

No. True basic religion--belief in God--is not made up by man, but affirmed by man. And yes, man does take some very basic truths and begins embroidering. Sometimes this results in something good; often it results in distraction.

I do not know all religions. The ones I have a rudimentary knowledge of contains some very wise and helpful information--and also some distractions I mention. Anything that is studied in great depth have distinguishing attributes. For example, many myths and fairy tales have similarities. Some will read them and claim they are all the same. But these stories, like religion, have many distinguishing characteristics.

No, I don't believe everything else because religion told me a story. What it comes down to is putting religious teachings into play into my own life and see if they actually work. I treat religious teachings like an experiment in a science lab. That's the best way to confirm truth.

It's called reality.

Imagine you know a serial killer is going to kill your loveone. You would frantically call them and race to them in your car to warn them. You would be a nervous wreck until you knew they were out of danger.

So you can't really believe believing matters or you could have never married an atheist. You must cherry pick otherwise you'd be warning him every minute to repent. And no man could take tat for a lifetime but what's a lifetime of hell compared to eternity

 

[Meriweather]

Science is only accurate until it proves itself inaccurate. Quit acting like science is infallible. It has thousands of years of history of proving itself wrong. That won't change today.

Ah, but that is why we test for accuracy, whether it be in science, math, or proverbs.

 

[Meriweather]

Imagine you know a serial killer is going to kill your loveone. You would frantically call them and race to them in your car to warn them. You would be a nervous wreck until you knew they were out of danger.

So you can't really believe believing matters or you could have never married an atheist. You must cherry pick otherwise you'd be warning him every minute to repent. And no man could take tat for a lifetime but what's a lifetime of hell compared to eternity

First of all, I trust in God's love. Second, we can also consider 1 Corinthians 7:14--

For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife....

Apparently I was so "frantic" I married the man.

 

[zaangalewa]

But we do worry about the sanity of our society. Can you imagine over in the middle east there is an atheist and he tells his closest friends he thinks religion is made up, harmful to their society and completely made up and everyone he tells thinks he's the devil and is going to hell and they want to chop his head off?

And excuse me, but here is another example of what bullshit your reply is. You say you don't care what others think or what they do? I call BULLSHIT on that one. For example, I voted for Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Gore, Kerry & Obama. What do they all have in common? They all claim to be Christian. Why do they brag so loudly about being a Christian? Because you fucking Christians won't even consider voting for someone who doesn't share your delusion. You'd rather vote for a pot smoking philanderer than an atheist. So don't tell me you don't think about what others do or think because you most certainly do.

Americans Would Rather Vote For A Philandering, Pot-Smoking President Than An Atheist One

Americans Would Rather Vote For A Philandering, Pot-Smoking President Than An Atheist One

So the day you drop your bad attitude about us, we'll drop our bad attitude about you. I wouldn't care that you believe in God if you didn't care so much I don't. Don't you get that? I wouldn't chop a Muslims head off because they believe in God but they would cut mine off for now. And you say we will burn in hell for all eternity, which is much worse than just chopping off my head. So your God is sicker than Allah!

The difference is that politicians can and do effect us. Your beliefs however, I could care less about. Unless you are someone who's opinions and beliefs have some financial or health effect upon me, I really could care less concerning what disturbs you or makes you happy. Now, were you to consider contributing a few bucks each month toward my financial well being, then I will listen to your wild-ass opinions.

Ok, then lets go with your well being. Gordy Howe got sick. The only thing that could save him was stem cell but back when Bush was president you bible thumpers made it illegal. Fast forward to earlier this year or late last year Gordy got sick and had to fly down to Mexi/Cali to get the treatment. I hope you have Gordy Howe money if you get sick like he did other wise you are going to suffer and die, all because some religious nuts controlled our president for 8 years. He was kissing their ass because they got him elected and that negatively affected a lot of Americans. How many suffered and/or died because of assholes in religion?

Hockey legend Gordie Howe's stem cell treatment is stirring controversy because the company behind the treatments didn't initially reveal some of the stem cells came from an aborted fetus.

Gordie Howe's stem cell source stirs concern

Right On!!! The Iraq war was one of Bush and God's fiascos. Bush said he prayed for weeks before he invaded. Iraq

Nearly all big christian churches - an exception was as far as I know only the anglican state church - warned Bush not to use the wrong doctrine "preemptive strike" and to attack the Iraq. I heard not even the bishop of his own church - later he left this church - was able to speak with him any longer, so this bishop - a Methodist if I remember well - sent even messages in TV to Bush. But G.W. Bush did not like to hear. To nearly no Christian in the whole world. Whoever made the decision to invade the Iraq had for sure not the authority of the christian churches to do so. In 2006 the Pope of the holy catholic church gave up the title "Patriarch of the West", so we are not any longer church of the West.

and Saddam Hussein had never done anything to harm the U S.....Saddam's mistake was trying to assassinate George H. W. Bush in Qatar, circa 1993.

This letter to Bill Clinton proves the Republicans never got over it. The 4500 young dead Americans died in vain.

December 18, 1998

The Honorable William J. Clinton
President of the United States
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President,

We are writing you because we are convinced that current American policy toward Iraq is not succeeding, and that we may soon face a threat in the Middle East more serious than any we have known since the end of the Cold War. In your upcoming State of the Union Address, you have an opportunity to chart a clear and determined course for meeting this threat. We urge you to seize that opportunity, and to enunciate a new strategy that would secure the interests of the U.S. and our friends and allies around the world. That strategy should aim, above all, at the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime from power. We stand ready to offer our full support in this difficult but necessary endeavor. The policy of containment of Saddam Hussein has been steadily eroding over the past several months. As recent events have demonstrated, we
can no longer depend on our partners in the Gulf War coalition to continue to uphold the sanctions or to punish Saddam when he blocks or evades UN inspections. Our ability to ensure that Saddam Hussein is not producing weapons of mass destruction, therefore, has substantially diminished. Even if full inspections were eventually to resume, which now seems highly unlikely, experience has shown that it is difficult if not impossible to monitor Iraq's chemical and biological weapons production. The lengthy period during which the inspectors will have been unable to enter many Iraqi facilities has made it even less likely
that they will be able to uncover all of Saddam's secrets. As a result, in the not-too-distant future we will be unable to determine with any reasonable level of confidence whether Iraq does or does not possess such weapons. Such uncertainty will, by itself, have a seriously destabilizing effect on the entire Middle East. It hardly needs to be added that if Saddam does acquire the capability to deliver weapons of mass destruction, as he is almost certain to do if we continue along the present course, the safety of American troops in the region, of our friends and allies like Israel and the moderate Arab states, and a significant portion of the world's supply of oil will all be put at hazard. As you have rightly declared, Mr. President,
the security of the world in the first part of the 21st century will be determined largely by how we handle this threat. Given the magnitude of the threat, the current policy, which depends for its success upon the steadfastness of our coalition partners and upon the cooperation of Saddam Hussein, is dangerously inadequate.
The only acceptable strategy is one that eliminates the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction. In the near term, this means a willingness to undertake military action as diplomacy is clearly failing. In the long term, it means removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power. That now needs to become the aim of American foreign policy.
We urge you to articulate this aim, and to turn your Administration's attention to implementing a strategy for removing Saddam's regime from power. This will require a full complement of diplomatic, political and military efforts. Although we are fully aware of the dangers and difficulties in implementing this policy, we believe the dangers of failing to do so are far greater. We believe the U.S. has the authority under existing UN resolutions to take the necessary steps, including military steps, to protect our vital interests in the Gulf. In any case, American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity
in the UN Security Council. We urge you to act decisively. If you act now to end the threat of weapons of mass destruction against the U.S. or its allies, you will be acting in the most fundamental national security interests of the country. If we accept a course of weakness and drift, we put our interests and our future at risk.

Sincerely,

Elliott Abrams Richard L. Armitag William J. Bennett
Jeffrey Bergner John Bolton Paula Dobriansky
Francis Fukuyama Robert Kagan Zalmay Khalilzad
William Kristol Richard Perle Peter W.Rodman
Donald Rumsfeld William Schneider, Jr. Vin Weber
Paul Wolfowitz R. James Woolsey Robert B. Zoellick

zaangalewa,

You are bat shit crazy. Spare me your gobblety gook. I means NOTHING to me.

God allows us to not believe he exists.

Not in your case. You don't search ways to god - you try to destroy ways to god. But even if you would search for god this means not for you that there's a guarantee to find him. We have to offer nothing if we should like to convince someone to believe in god. This is indeed a completly free process. Your way is your way and not the way of anyone else.

I tried, and tried, and tried and tried again, for 45 years. Sorry, no God exists. I used to believe I had a personal relationship with God but then realized I was talking to myself.

Religion is and has always been a thing for the preachers.

Hmm. ... The american preachers are for sure not a model for Germany. They sound frenetic and loud in our ears. Religions has for us a lot to do with calmness. We say: "Strength lies in calmness".

It's how they make a living. Good Thing.....most of them would starve to death if they had to work for a living.

Whoa ... to waste your time here and to speak nonsense about people you don't know is "to work for a living"? And you would starve to death if you would not do so?

 

[zaangalewa]

Ok, then lets go with your well being. Gordy Howe got sick. The only thing that could save him was stem cell but back when Bush was president you bible thumpers made it illegal. Fast forward to earlier this year or late last year Gordy got sick and had to fly down to Mexi/Cali to get the treatment. I hope you have Gordy Howe money if you get sick like he did other wise you are going to suffer and die, all because some religious nuts controlled our president for 8 years. He was kissing their ass because they got him elected and that negatively affected a lot of Americans. How many suffered and/or died because of assholes in religion?

Hockey legend Gordie Howe's stem cell treatment is stirring controversy because the company behind the treatments didn't initially reveal some of the stem cells came from an aborted fetus.

Gordie Howe's stem cell source stirs concern

Right On!!! The Iraq war was one of Bush and God's fiascos. Bush said he prayed for weeks before he invaded. Iraq

Nearly all big christian churches - an exception was as far as I know only the anglican state church - warned Bush not to use the wrong doctrine "preemptive strike" and to attack the Iraq. I heard not even the bishop of his own church - later he left this church - was able to speak with him any longer, so this bishop - a Methodist if I remember well - sent even messages in TV to Bush. But G.W. Bush did not like to hear. To nearly no Christian in the whole world. Whoever made the decision to invade the Iraq had for sure not the authority of the christian churches to do so. In 2006 the Pope of the holy catholic church gave up the title "Patriarch of the West", so we are not any longer church of the West.

and Saddam Hussein had never done anything to harm the U S.....Saddam's mistake was trying to assassinate George H. W. Bush in Qatar, circa 1993.

This letter to Bill Clinton proves the Republicans never got over it. The 4500 young dead Americans died in vain.

December 18, 1998

The Honorable William J. Clinton
President of the United States
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President,

We are writing you because we are convinced that current American policy toward Iraq is not succeeding, and that we may soon face a threat in the Middle East more serious than any we have known since the end of the Cold War. In your upcoming State of the Union Address, you have an opportunity to chart a clear and determined course for meeting this threat. We urge you to seize that opportunity, and to enunciate a new strategy that would secure the interests of the U.S. and our friends and allies around the world. That strategy should aim, above all, at the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime from power. We stand ready to offer our full support in this difficult but necessary endeavor. The policy of containment of Saddam Hussein has been steadily eroding over the past several months. As recent events have demonstrated, we
can no longer depend on our partners in the Gulf War coalition to continue to uphold the sanctions or to punish Saddam when he blocks or evades UN inspections. Our ability to ensure that Saddam Hussein is not producing weapons of mass destruction, therefore, has substantially diminished. Even if full inspections were eventually to resume, which now seems highly unlikely, experience has shown that it is difficult if not impossible to monitor Iraq's chemical and biological weapons production. The lengthy period during which the inspectors will have been unable to enter many Iraqi facilities has made it even less likely
that they will be able to uncover all of Saddam's secrets. As a result, in the not-too-distant future we will be unable to determine with any reasonable level of confidence whether Iraq does or does not possess such weapons. Such uncertainty will, by itself, have a seriously destabilizing effect on the entire Middle East. It hardly needs to be added that if Saddam does acquire the capability to deliver weapons of mass destruction, as he is almost certain to do if we continue along the present course, the safety of American troops in the region, of our friends and allies like Israel and the moderate Arab states, and a significant portion of the world's supply of oil will all be put at hazard. As you have rightly declared, Mr. President,
the security of the world in the first part of the 21st century will be determined largely by how we handle this threat. Given the magnitude of the threat, the current policy, which depends for its success upon the steadfastness of our coalition partners and upon the cooperation of Saddam Hussein, is dangerously inadequate.
The only acceptable strategy is one that eliminates the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction. In the near term, this means a willingness to undertake military action as diplomacy is clearly failing. In the long term, it means removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power. That now needs to become the aim of American foreign policy.
We urge you to articulate this aim, and to turn your Administration's attention to implementing a strategy for removing Saddam's regime from power. This will require a full complement of diplomatic, political and military efforts. Although we are fully aware of the dangers and difficulties in implementing this policy, we believe the dangers of failing to do so are far greater. We believe the U.S. has the authority under existing UN resolutions to take the necessary steps, including military steps, to protect our vital interests in the Gulf. In any case, American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity
in the UN Security Council. We urge you to act decisively. If you act now to end the threat of weapons of mass destruction against the U.S. or its allies, you will be acting in the most fundamental national security interests of the country. If we accept a course of weakness and drift, we put our interests and our future at risk.

Sincerely,

Elliott Abrams Richard L. Armitag William J. Bennett
Jeffrey Bergner John Bolton Paula Dobriansky
Francis Fukuyama Robert Kagan Zalmay Khalilzad
William Kristol Richard Perle Peter W.Rodman
Donald Rumsfeld William Schneider, Jr. Vin Weber
Paul Wolfowitz R. James Woolsey Robert B. Zoellick

It was the Christian church who re-elected Bush in 2004.

As far as I remember G.W. Bush decided to be a so called "Born again Christian" and as far as I know "Born again Chistians" are not members of any christian church. The people of the USA legitimized his politics in 2004. He was president of the USA - not a representative of a christian church.

Without their support he wouldn't have been elected in 2000 or 2004.

We don't know today what would had been instead. History knows not experiments. From my point of view the american people decided in 2004 to say "the politics of G.W. Bush is okay". I was dissapointed about this decision, also because this meant the relations between the USA and Germany were not as important any longer as they were before Bush was president of the USA. The good old time was over. Forever. But this had for me absolutelly nothing to do with the christian religion.

 

[Campbell]

Of course. If Christianity were all bad it wouldn't exist. It makes you feel good to have a lord in your corner but a lie is a lie no matter how good it makes you feel and no matter how many people believe it.

I thought, since you don't believe, we were going to leave God out of it? I was thinking more along the lines of learning to forgive, the realization that we, too, are forgiven. Or, perhaps truly loving others to the extent we would like to be loved. Did any of that make a difference in your life?

Your post does have me mulling over the question of why I (or anyone) would want God in my (their) corner. I'm afraid if God were in my corner, He would be bored to tears.

There are lots of lovely things written in the karan and book of Mormons too. Let's use the Mormons as an example. Sure I see that religion has its positives. It wouldn't still exist if it didn't make people feel better about themselves. That doesn't mean the book of Mormon is real

My guess is even if religion is all man made up, you believe the benefits outweigh the negatives.

I believe the truth is the better way. God isn't necessary to making someone feel better about themselves. Take Prince for example. He was a jehova. Maybe the truth would have done him more good. You're a drug addict. You're going to die. Clearly God didn't lead him down the right path.

And if it weren't for religions, it wouldn't matter if you believed in God or not. I see why you people believe. I disagree with your hypothesis but that's OK, right? Not if you believe religions. They say not buying into their cults will send you to hell.

No offense to a God if he exists but he has never visited Mohammad Joseph Smith Moses or Mary.

Joseph Smith was a convicted con man. Correction: Not Book of Mormon.....Book of Joseph Smith!!

 

[sealybobo]

Of course. If Christianity were all bad it wouldn't exist. It makes you feel good to have a lord in your corner but a lie is a lie no matter how good it makes you feel and no matter how many people believe it.

I thought, since you don't believe, we were going to leave God out of it? I was thinking more along the lines of learning to forgive, the realization that we, too, are forgiven. Or, perhaps truly loving others to the extent we would like to be loved. Did any of that make a difference in your life?

Your post does have me mulling over the question of why I (or anyone) would want God in my (their) corner. I'm afraid if God were in my corner, He would be bored to tears.

There are lots of lovely things written in the karan and book of Mormons too. Let's use the Mormons as an example. Sure I see that religion has its positives. It wouldn't still exist if it didn't make people feel better about themselves. That doesn't mean the book of Mormon is real

My guess is even if religion is all man made up, you believe the benefits outweigh the negatives.

I believe the truth is the better way. God isn't necessary to making someone feel better about themselves. Take Prince for example. He was a jehova. Maybe the truth would have done him more good. You're a drug addict. You're going to die. Clearly God didn't lead him down the right path.

And if it weren't for religions, it wouldn't matter if you believed in God or not. I see why you people believe. I disagree with your hypothesis but that's OK, right? Not if you believe religions. They say not buying into their cults will send you to hell.

No offense to a God if he exists but he has never visited Mohammad Joseph Smith Moses or Mary.

Joseph Smith was a convicted con man. Correction: Not Book of Mormon.....Book of Joseph Smith!!

Moses might not have been convicted but a con man he was. Same with Peter Paul and Mary. Same with Joseph Smith. Same with the first Catholic Pope and Mohammad and David Koresh. Is that surprising to you?

 

[zaangalewa]

Of course. If Christianity were all bad it wouldn't exist. It makes you feel good to have a lord in your corner but a lie is a lie no matter how good it makes you feel and no matter how many people believe it.

I thought, since you don't believe, we were going to leave God out of it? I was thinking more along the lines of learning to forgive, the realization that we, too, are forgiven. Or, perhaps truly loving others to the extent we would like to be loved. Did any of that make a difference in your life?

Your post does have me mulling over the question of why I (or anyone) would want God in my (their) corner. I'm afraid if God were in my corner, He would be bored to tears.

There are lots of lovely things written in the karan and book of Mormons too. Let's use the Mormons as an example. Sure I see that religion has its positives. It wouldn't still exist if it didn't make people feel better about themselves. That doesn't mean the book of Mormon is real

My guess is even if religion is all man made up, you believe the benefits outweigh the negatives.

I believe the truth is the better way. God isn't necessary to making someone feel better about themselves. Take Prince for example. He was a jehova. Maybe the truth would have done him more good. You're a drug addict. You're going to die. Clearly God didn't lead him down the right path.

And if it weren't for religions, it wouldn't matter if you believed in God or not. I see why you people believe. I disagree with your hypothesis but that's OK, right? Not if you believe religions. They say not buying into their cults will send you to hell.

No offense to a God if he exists but he has never visited Mohammad Joseph Smith Moses or Mary.

Joseph Smith was a convicted con man. Correction: Not Book of Mormon.....Book of Joseph Smith!!

Moses might not have been convicted but a con man he was. Same with Peter Paul and Mary. Same with Joseph Smith. Same with the first Catholic Pope and Mohammad and David Koresh. Is that surprising to you?

What about L. Ron Hubard? What do think about the idea to give the german Luftwaffe the order to bomb down everything what as to do with scientology in the USA and the rest of the world?

 

[BreezeWood]

His main thesis stems from the phenomenon of religion declining as personal wealth increases. He cites the reason as people having less of a need for supernatural beliefs when the tangible, natural world is providing for their needs. He says the majority of the world will come to view religion as completely irrelevant by 2041.

... and the fact that “Atheists are heavily concentrated in economically developed countries”


no, the " tangible, natural world " is not providing "their needs" those needs are being provided by what natural religion would prohibit - greed.

the religion of Antiquity by that same digression reverted from prophetic to errant self fulfilling prophasies exacerbated by self rewarding surrogates, the scriptural desert religions.

the atheist is not a renewal of humanity but it's final digression.

.

 

[HUGGY]

His main thesis stems from the phenomenon of religion declining as personal wealth increases. He cites the reason as people having less of a need for supernatural beliefs when the tangible, natural world is providing for their needs. He says the majority of the world will come to view religion as completely irrelevant by 2041.

... and the fact that “Atheists are heavily concentrated in economically developed countries”


no, the " tangible, natural world " is not providing "their needs" those needs are being provided by what natural religion would prohibit - greed.

the religion of Antiquity by that same digression reverted from prophetic to errant self fulfilling prophasies exacerbated by self rewarding surrogates, the scriptural desert religions.

the atheist is not a renewal of humanity but it's final digression.

.

Nonsense. Atheists are concentrated in economically developed countries as are the best centers for higher learning and the highest achievements in science. These countries also have the biggest libraries with the best access to most of human knowledge. Third world countries have low education populations requiring their populations must travel to the more advanced countries to acquire an educational opportunity. In most cases those once educated rarely go back to live in squalor and ignorance.

These warnings of the coming of end times are better applied to the ignorance and fearful existences of those places under the thumb of religion.

 

[Militants]

Finn people does not care about religion all ready. Very dumb for us others.

 

[Campbell]

I've already said that!