Religion is...

[KittenKoder]

So, dilloduck, could you find someone qualified to be "controversial" with me? Because I'm still waiting. I've been answering your questions so far but didn't know you would scurry away at the sight of one of mine!

pAr, look at the thousands of pagan and heathen religions, more then 50% are matriarchal where women hold most of the power. Again, you give atheists a bad name or are another loony tunes just like the christian fanatics.

 

[pAr]

pAr, look at the thousands of pagan and heathen religions, more then 50% are matriarchal where women hold most of the power. Again, you give atheists a bad name or are another loony tunes just like the christian fanatics.

Perhaps you have missed my last reply to you so I will reiterate.

I am indeed criticising the three Abrahamic religions as I do not know much about the other ones. Maybe you could name those matriarchal religions you speak of, and I would be happy to learn about them and change my point of view if what you say is true. Please, enlighten me.

And, again, could you tell me how and/or why I am giving atheists a bad name as you claim. You have said that twice already but you have not backed it up with an argument. Maybe I have missed it. Please, let me know how you came to such a strange conclusion. I'll be waiting for your reply patiently. Thank you.

 

[dilloduck]

So only the religions that have what you consider to be unfair "rules" agaisnt women piss you off ?

Absolutely. Do you know any religion which grants women equal rights?

not right off the bat

 

[pAr]

not right off the bat

Ok, thanks. I can be pissed off by (any) religion then. That's good!

 

[dilloduck]

not right off the bat

Ok, thanks. I can be pissed off by (any) religion then. That's good!

far be it from me to take away your anger---hang onto that shit.

 

[pAr]

far be it from me to take away your anger---hang onto that shit.

Darling, I am not angry, I am just using your own vocabulary as a form of respect.

When I say religion is a load of bollocks, it rather makes me smile (see the OP).

 

[ABikerSailor]

pAr, look at the thousands of pagan and heathen religions, more then 50% are matriarchal where women hold most of the power. Again, you give atheists a bad name or are another loony tunes just like the christian fanatics.

Perhaps you have missed my last reply to you so I will reiterate.

I am indeed criticising the three Abrahamic religions as I do not know much about the other ones. Maybe you could name those matriarchal religions you speak of, and I would be happy to learn about them and change my point of view if what you say is true. Please, enlighten me.

And, again, could you tell me how and/or why I am giving atheists a bad name as you claim. You have said that twice already but you have not backed it up with an argument. Maybe I have missed it. Please, let me know how you came to such a strange conclusion. I'll be waiting for your reply patiently. Thank you.

Actually, there are a few.......

Most of them are tribal religions, where they are generally also based on a matriarchal society.

Incidentally, one of the religion/cultures that followed equality? The Thracian warriors. Not only did they allow polygamy for the men (if you could feed 'em, you could marry 'em), but they ALSO allowed the women to have the same status as men (yeah.....chicks with more than one husband).

Their religion incidentally was based on being "in betweeners", which means that they operated mostly in the space between the spiritual realm and reality.

Check it out.....it's true.

 

[KittenKoder]

pAr, look at the thousands of pagan and heathen religions, more then 50% are matriarchal where women hold most of the power. Again, you give atheists a bad name or are another loony tunes just like the christian fanatics.

Perhaps you have missed my last reply to you so I will reiterate.

I am indeed criticising the three Abrahamic religions as I do not know much about the other ones. Maybe you could name those matriarchal religions you speak of, and I would be happy to learn about them and change my point of view if what you say is true. Please, enlighten me.

And, again, could you tell me how and/or why I am giving atheists a bad name as you claim. You have said that twice already but you have not backed it up with an argument. Maybe I have missed it. Please, let me know how you came to such a strange conclusion. I'll be waiting for your reply patiently. Thank you.

Actually, there are a few.......

Most of them are tribal religions, where they are generally also based on a matriarchal society.

Incidentally, one of the religion/cultures that followed equality? The Thracian warriors. Not only did they allow polygamy for the men (if you could feed 'em, you could marry 'em), but they ALSO allowed the women to have the same status as men (yeah.....chicks with more than one husband).

Their religion incidentally was based on being "in betweeners", which means that they operated mostly in the space between the spiritual realm and reality.

Check it out.....it's true.

That's one of the many I myself have not read about, sounds cool and maybe even I'll check it out.

As for others, one that surprises people is the Norse, though their culture is naturally male dominant their women were the religious leaders since they wound up living longer. Since most of the elders were often women, they became the religious sages and leaders, and were sometimes feared more than the strongest of warriors.

Almost all the ancient Wiccan based religions were matriarchal or at least equal between the two, even the neo-wiccan are oddly. I have heard of others but I didn't study EVERY single religion that existed (just don't have that much time on my hands).

 

[tigerbob]

So only the religions that have what you consider to be unfair "rules" agaisnt women piss you off ?

Absolutely. Do you know any religion which grants women equal rights?

not right off the bat

...said the duck, 5 weeks later

 

[Valerie]

That's a great observation. The world's fastest growing 'religion' is not Christianity or Islam, it is apathy. But people like to have reasons for what they think (they look dumb otherwise) so they retrofit something (often something politically correct) to give themselves a position to defend (and usually a pious, holier than thou position).

(How many times can you use brackets in a sentence?)[/QUOTE]

No limit to the use of brackets as long as they are used correctly.

Apathy is an easy religion to follow. Don't have to do anything.

Why is it that religion is always being attacked? Attacking religion has become a popular sport.

Some people who can't find anything that they are really for or support often find comfort in tearing down something else. The erroneous practices of some religions has caused some problems but the more dedicated followers of religious recommendation have done a tremendous amount of good.

I agree.

Our time is distinguished by wonderful achievements in the fields of scientific understanding and the technical application of those insights. Who would not be cheered by this? But let us not forget that knowledge and skills alone cannot lead humanity to a happy and dignified life. Humanity has every reason to place the proclaimers of high moral standards and values above the discoverers of objective truth. What humanity owes to personalities like Buddha, Moses, and Jesus ranks for me higher than all the achievements of the enquiring and constructive mind.

What these blessed men have given us we must guard and try to keep alive with all our strength if humanity is not to lose its dignity, the security of its existence, and its joy in living.

- Albert Einstein

 

[KittenKoder]

That's a great observation. The world's fastest growing 'religion' is not Christianity or Islam, it is apathy. But people like to have reasons for what they think (they look dumb otherwise) so they retrofit something (often something politically correct) to give themselves a position to defend (and usually a pious, holier than thou position).

(How many times can you use brackets in a sentence?)[/QUOTE]

No limit to the use of brackets as long as they are used correctly.

Apathy is an easy religion to follow. Don't have to do anything.

Why is it that religion is always being attacked? Attacking religion has become a popular sport.

Some people who can't find anything that they are really for or support often find comfort in tearing down something else. The erroneous practices of some religions has caused some problems but the more dedicated followers of religious recommendation have done a tremendous amount of good.

I agree.

Our time is distinguished by wonderful achievements in the fields of scientific understanding and the technical application of those insights. Who would not be cheered by this? But let us not forget that knowledge and skills alone cannot lead humanity to a happy and dignified life. Humanity has every reason to place the proclaimers of high moral standards and values above the discoverers of objective truth. What humanity owes to personalities like Buddha, Moses, and Jesus ranks for me higher than all the achievements of the enquiring and constructive mind.

What these blessed men have given us we must guard and try to keep alive with all our strength if humanity is not to lose its dignity, the security of its existence, and its joy in living.

- Albert Einstein

I love how Einstein could include all religions without being all lovey dovey PC. Why is that so hard today?

 

[steelart]

Marx said religion is the opiate of the masses... I take issue. Opiates are central nervous system depressants. They calm, ease pain and create a feeling of euphoria. I would say that religion is the methamphetamine of the masses. The most hate-filled, intolerant, and violent people in the world are those who are convinced that their invisible friend is better than anyone else's invisible friend. Whether christian fundmentalist, muslim extremist, or whatever mythology they adhere to, all those folks are cut from the same cloth. If you question people closely about their god, and listen carefully to the reply, what they are essentially doing is juxtaposing their own image on some mythical figure out in the cosmos somewhere. Invariably, their god has the same bigotries and prejudices they have. It's usually a male figure, (unless you're a new-age granola-muncher, in which case you'll hear some natter about a goddess) who closely resembles the believer culturally, socially, politically and ethnically. I'm amazed when I see the most frequently displayed image of Jesus. That guy looks like an effiminate Irishman. I guess Southern Baptists can't handle worshipping someone who actually resembles a Palestinian Jew.
Religion is for people who cannot accept responsibility and accountability for their own life. They need to believe that there is an all-powerful being "out there somewhere" micro-managing their lives. That way they can blame all their inadequacies and fuck-ups on the great cosmic muffin.

 

[tigerbob]

Marx said religion is the opiate of the masses... I take issue. Opiates are central nervous system depressants. They calm, ease pain and create a feeling of euphoria. I would say that religion is the methamphetamine of the masses. The most hate-filled, intolerant, and violent people in the world are those who are convinced that their invisible friend is better than anyone else's invisible friend. Whether christian fundmentalist, muslim extremist, or whatever mythology they adhere to, all those folks are cut from the same cloth. If you question people closely about their god, and listen carefully to the reply, what they are essentially doing is juxtaposing their own image on some mythical figure out in the cosmos somewhere. Invariably, their god has the same bigotries and prejudices they have. It's usually a male figure, (unless you're a new-age granola-muncher, in which case you'll hear some natter about a goddess) who closely resembles the believer culturally, socially, politically and ethnically. I'm amazed when I see the most frequently displayed image of Jesus. That guy looks like an effiminate Irishman. I guess Southern Baptists can't handle worshipping someone who actually resembles a Palestinian Jew.
Religion is for people who cannot accept responsibility and accountability for their own life. They need to believe that there is an all-powerful being "out there somewhere" micro-managing their lives. That way they can blame all their inadequacies and fuck-ups on the great cosmic muffin.

Did you intend to make such a sweeping generalization or did it just slip out?

Not everyone who believes in a supreme being (in any of the forms this might take) is naturally one of the "most hate-filled, intolerant, and violent people in the world". And for a lot of people religion does calm, ease pain and produce a feeling of well-being (you said euphoria which may be true in some cases).

If you happened to meet a fundamentalist earlier today who said something mean to you I'm sorry to hear it, but don't think that everyone who believes in a God of some form or other is equally dogmatic. Doesn't that make you as intolerant as those you are railing against?

BTW, I can't speak for other religions but in my experience of Christianity, where at the end of you life you are judged on what kind of life you have lived, religion is ultimately all about being held accountable for your actions.

 

[BrianH]

My take on religion (for what it's worth).

Religion is man-made, FAITH is not. So as far as "religion" is concerned, it's understandable that there would be problems, considering the Bible mentions nothing of one "right" religion.

As far as atheists and agnostics go, here's how I see it.

Atheist---beleives that when you die, you rot in a box in the dirt and nothing happens.

Christian--- belives that you die and either spend an eternity in Hell or an eternity in Heaven based on how you live your life.

Now, if Atheists are right, and there is no God, then it really won't matter. Christians will die and rot in a box along with everyone else and not much will happen.

Now, if Christians are right, and there is a God, all of the Atheists are screwed and spend an eternity in Hell, "where there will be wailing and knashing of teeth." (As opposed to rotting in a box)

It doesn't take a rocket-scientists to figure out which place you'd rather go. So, IMO, why not believe? If you're wrong, then you'll just rot in box. If your right, then the end result is SOOO much better.

 

[Anguille]

My take on religion (for what it's worth).

Religion is man-made, FAITH is not. So as far as "religion" is concerned, it's understandable that there would be problems, considering the Bible mentions nothing of one "right" religion.

As far as atheists and agnostics go, here's how I see it.

Atheist---beleives that when you die, you rot in a box in the dirt and nothing happens.

Christian--- belives that you die and either spend an eternity in Hell or an eternity in Heaven based on how you live your life.

Now, if Atheists are right, and there is no God, then it really won't matter. Christians will die and rot in a box along with everyone else and not much will happen.

Now, if Christians are right, and there is a God, all of the Atheists are screwed and spend an eternity in Hell, "where there will be wailing and knashing of teeth." (As opposed to rotting in a box)

It doesn't take a rocket-scientists to figure out which place you'd rather go. So, IMO, why not believe? If you're wrong, then you'll just rot in box. If your right, then the end result is SOOO much better.

I've heard that dumbass argument before. If you bet on there being a heaven and hell, and if religion is man made, you still have no idea what you are supposed to do to get into heaven. All you have is some man made set of requirements for getting there.

If you waste your life tied to religion out of superstition, you will rot in a box having wasted much of your life that could have been spent pursuing truth.

 

[BrianH]

My take on religion (for what it's worth).

Religion is man-made, FAITH is not. So as far as "religion" is concerned, it's understandable that there would be problems, considering the Bible mentions nothing of one "right" religion.

As far as atheists and agnostics go, here's how I see it.

Atheist---beleives that when you die, you rot in a box in the dirt and nothing happens.

Christian--- belives that you die and either spend an eternity in Hell or an eternity in Heaven based on how you live your life.

Now, if Atheists are right, and there is no God, then it really won't matter. Christians will die and rot in a box along with everyone else and not much will happen.

Now, if Christians are right, and there is a God, all of the Atheists are screwed and spend an eternity in Hell, "where there will be wailing and knashing of teeth." (As opposed to rotting in a box)

It doesn't take a rocket-scientists to figure out which place you'd rather go. So, IMO, why not believe? If you're wrong, then you'll just rot in box. If your right, then the end result is SOOO much better.

I've heard that dumbass argument before. If you bet on there being a heaven and hell, and if religion is man made, you still have no idea what you are supposed to do to get into heaven. All you have is some man made set of requirements for getting there.

If you waste your life tied to religion out of superstition, you will rot in a box having wasted much of your life that could have been spent pursuing truth.

What a stupid ass response based on stupid ass definitions of your words. Your choice of the word "waste" is as retarded as you are, considering that "waste" is an opinion. You may feel it's being wasted, while I do not.

As far as your apparent opinion of Christians, you seem to lump them all together in one basket as if all of them are standing up and recieving Christ from Benny Hinn. You act as if you know the absolute "truth." You obviously don't follow Socrates philosophy. According you Socrates, you're an ignorant bastard. A wise man is one who doesn't pretend to know everything about everything, but is satisfied with NOT knowing, or pretending to know, the truth.

Regardless of what a man really has to do to get into Heaven, it's worth a try, because I'd rather spend an eternity in paradise than "wasting" my time searching for "truth." Not to mention dying and rotting in a box, and/or spending eterntiy in Hell. And if I'm wrong, big deal, I'll rot in a box with the rest of you.

All Christians don't sit around and listed to Tammy Faye Baker
But I'm sure you knew the "truth" about that already.

 

[Anguille]

My take on religion (for what it's worth).

Religion is man-made, FAITH is not. So as far as "religion" is concerned, it's understandable that there would be problems, considering the Bible mentions nothing of one "right" religion.

As far as atheists and agnostics go, here's how I see it.

Atheist---beleives that when you die, you rot in a box in the dirt and nothing happens.

Christian--- belives that you die and either spend an eternity in Hell or an eternity in Heaven based on how you live your life.

Now, if Atheists are right, and there is no God, then it really won't matter. Christians will die and rot in a box along with everyone else and not much will happen.

Now, if Christians are right, and there is a God, all of the Atheists are screwed and spend an eternity in Hell, "where there will be wailing and knashing of teeth." (As opposed to rotting in a box)

It doesn't take a rocket-scientists to figure out which place you'd rather go. So, IMO, why not believe? If you're wrong, then you'll just rot in box. If your right, then the end result is SOOO much better.

I've heard that dumbass argument before. If you bet on there being a heaven and hell, and if religion is man made, you still have no idea what you are supposed to do to get into heaven. All you have is some man made set of requirements for getting there.

If you waste your life tied to religion out of superstition, you will rot in a box having wasted much of your life that could have been spent pursuing truth.

What a stupid ass response based on stupid ass definitions of your words. Your choice of the word "waste" is as retarded as you are, considering that "waste" is an opinion. You may feel it's being wasted, while I do not.

As far as your apparent opinion of Christians, you seem to lump them all together in one basket as if all of them are standing up and recieving Christ from Benny Hinn. You act as if you know the absolute "truth." You obviously don't follow Socrates philosophy. According you Socrates, you're an ignorant bastard. A wise man is one who doesn't pretend to know everything about everything, but is satisfied with NOT knowing, or pretending to know, the truth.

Regardless of what a man really has to do to get into Heaven, it's worth a try, because I'd rather spend an eternity in paradise than "wasting" my time searching for "truth." Not to mention dying and rotting in a box, and/or spending eterntiy in Hell. And if I'm wrong, big deal, I'll rot in a box with the rest of you.

All Christians don't sit around and listed to Tammy Faye Baker
But I'm sure you knew the "truth" about that already.

another

 

[steelart]

I believe the bible says, "study to show thyself approved, rightly dividing the word of truth". Really - I didn't make this shit up. There are four words from the Hebrew, Greek, and Araimaic that are all translated as "hell". First is "Hades" - a place, not of torment, but just where dead folks go. It is a place of infinate sadness. Then there's "Sheol" - sorta like Hades, but reserved primarily for Jews. Next you have "Tartarosa" - a sort of segregated afterworld, reserved only for the heroic. Last, and the favorite of fundamentalist idiots is "Gehenna". Gehenna was an actual place - a garbage dump outside Jerusalem, where trash, bodily waste, dead animals, and the bodies of those deemed unfit to be buried in hallow ground were cast. It was set afire and burned constantly. When I was a child growing up in Augusta GA, we had a city dump much like Gehenna, minus the bodies of the unholy - as far as I know. One could see the glow of the fires on the horizon at night. Hence, the fire that never dies and the worm that never sleeps. All of these terms are translated as a single word - "Hell". Hell is a Germanic word that simply means "underground". Germanic folk used to refer to the cellars they dug, in which to store root vegetables as "hell". The sad point is that most people who identify themselves as Christian have never even read the Bible, much lest studied it academically. Instead, they accept the bullshit, mythology, and right-wing propaganda, peppered liberally with the name of a Palestinean Jew who wouldn't piss on them if they were in flames. I guess ignorance is bliss.

 

[Valerie]

My take on religion (for what it's worth).

Religion is man-made, FAITH is not. So as far as "religion" is concerned, it's understandable that there would be problems, considering the Bible mentions nothing of one "right" religion.

As far as atheists and agnostics go, here's how I see it.

Atheist---believes that when you die, you rot in a box in the dirt and nothing happens.

Christian--- believes that you die and either spend an eternity in Hell or an eternity in Heaven based on how you live your life.

Now, if Atheists are right, and there is no God, then it really won't matter. Christians will die and rot in a box along with everyone else and not much will happen.

Now, if Christians are right, and there is a God, all of the Atheists are screwed and spend an eternity in Hell, "where there will be wailing and knashing of teeth." (As opposed to rotting in a box)

It doesn't take a rocket-scientists to figure out which place you'd rather go. So, IMO, why not believe? If you're wrong, then you'll just rot in box. If your right, then the end result is SOOO much better.

That's a very rational take, Brian. I like it.

I've heard that dumbass argument before. If you bet on there being a heaven and hell, and if religion is man made, you still have no idea what you are supposed to do to get into heaven. All you have is some man made set of requirements for getting there.

If you waste your life tied to religion out of superstition, you will rot in a box having wasted much of your life that could have been spent pursuing truth.

Brian said it was his take on religion, not an argument.

It seems you haven't got a clue about pursuing truth as it relates to religion.

 

[BrianH]

As Valerie put it, my post regarded the aspect of religion, just as yours did, and I gave you "my take." For the most part, I agreed with you that religion in itself is kind of retarded, full of man-made principles, rituals, and rules; which is why I distinctly separated Religion and Faith. For example: The Bible does not say you must be Babtized to go to Heaven....however, many religions believe that you must.

On the other side, I believe myself to be an educated man smart enough not to get into an "argument" about religion. Firstly because I couldn't give a crap what you or anyone else believe, and second, because it makes about as much sense as arguing the orgins of the universe, or the real meanings of Edgar Allen Poes writings.

Steelart, you're right. Many Christians claim to be so without ever having read any part of the Bible, except for the 10 Commandments they learned in Sunday school. But don't lump all Christians together and claim that they're all ignorant uneducated hillbilly's who believe a mythology and don't read the Bible, or study it Academically. I know that Christmas began as a Pagan Holiday, as well as Halloween, which began the Celtic season of Harvest, and was adapted into the Christian church to add appeal to the new "religion."

The point is, religion is man-made, but is God? Was God and/or Zeus a product of the Neanderthals? Perhapse a word to descripe lighting?? Hence evolving into the Greek God who hurled lighting bolts down upon the earth? No one knows...and to pretend that you do would be uneducated and irrational at best. But as far as I'm concerned, I'd rather spend an eternity in paradise than spend a year rotting in a box and/or an eternity in Hell.

As far as searching for truth Anguille and Steelart, if you're both right, and all we do is rot in a box when we die, what will searching for (and possibly finding) "truth" get you? Will it get your casket stacked on top of mine because you knew more "truth" ? Will it get you a little certificate to put in your casket that said you know the "truth"? I know!! Maybe they can write on your tombstone that, "This guy was smart, and if he had lived longer, he'd have been smarter" The fact is, spending your life searching for "truth" will not get you anything more than anyone else....because you'll be dead and rotting in a box remember?