Religion

[DannyF1966]

I prefer to focus more on the teaching of supporting the poor, weak and sick, removing the mite from own eye before removing the plank from my brother's (hyperbole there again), letting him who is without sin cast the first stone, loving my neighbour, loving my enemy etc.

I'm pretty sure kids can learn what's morally right and wrong from watching Disney movies and reading fairy tales as well.

[RasputinDude]

I really regret coming onto this thread now.

Because it has been scientifically disproved and shown to be riddled with errors?

No, largely because I understand a number of things - 1 being the difference between a poetic literature form and 2 being a pretty good understanding of the theory of evolution. A person can believe in God and still be a scientist - there are plenty of them at CERN and my own church has a professor of biology and couple of other life-science PhDs in it.

Why? How do you know your interpretation is correct and theirs is wrong?

I am happy to consider that I may be wrong.
I may be wrong on my interpretation - Jesus may have meant "go and kill everyone that doesn't believer me" - but I don't think so.
I may wrong on the entire existence of God - I used to be an atheist - but I don't think so.
And so what if I am? If I am completely wrong, I have made a bit of a fool of myself. So what? Why does it bother you so much?

Why do you need Jesus's teachings for these values? If you are going to pick and choose which bits of the bible you follow then why use any of it? You can determine your own values without this book.

I suppose that I don't need Jesus' teachings for the values - and I don't particularly use the bible as a daily life-guide book. I suppose that I use read it as a sort of "this is what you should aspire to as a father, husband, person, neighbour, member of the human race" etc. I certainly don't pray before deciding which toothbrush to buy or whatever. I have met many fine people who have similar values to me that are atheists, agnostics, muslims, jews, christians, whatever. I have also met many idiots and unpleasant people from the same.

I don't threaten my children with hell or the devil - in fact, I'd be surprised if they knew what they were - and I don't push my views onto other people - so, what's the problem?

I think that's the last that I will post on here. This is one of those circular arguments that never gets resolved. Personally, I don't see a problem with the way that I live and nor do I see a big divide between a faith in God and scientific rigour. Other people do - neither of us is going to change our opinion based on a discussion on an internet forum.

[turbowoowoo]

In the olden days pre google and tinternet and Spurs matches there wasn't very much to occupy oneself so, loaded up on LSD these people decided to write books made up on acid induced visions.

Its bonkers then and it is now

[MyUserName]

I suppose that I don't need Jesus' teachings for the values - and I don't particularly use the bible as a daily life-guide book.

This seems to be the case for most Christians. If you are unable to care for other people without religion it is not Jesus that you lack, it's empathy.

[ZARDOZ]

Some of the worst/nastiest/petty/bigoted people I have met over the years have tended to have one thing in common, they have pretty much all professed to be Christians. You get the odd one with good intentions.

I believe that people get into it for manly two reasons: childhood indoctrination OR looking for answers after some sort of traumatic life event.

Thankfully it's dieing out in the developed world.

[Gibbon]

In the UK, we don't allow hate speech against race, gender, sexuality. I don't see religion being that different

Religion is different, it's an idea and worse, it's an untestable hypothesis which is scientifically valueless. It holds people prisoner to the fear of supernatural beings; the paternal anthromorphic nature of the Abrahamic divinity replicates the safety of childhood and the perverse logic that there's always someone ready to reward or punish you.

As Epicurus says the role of science is to allow us to reject the Gods and live a happy life free from superstition and the irrational fear of death.

If religion kept itself to the home and places of collective worship I would have no real truck with it. When it enters the political world then it is rightfully mocked for the empty stullifying philosophy that it is. It is no accident that human development in the western world progressed from medieval to modern once the shackles of superstition were loosened.

[GlenW]

Who he?

[GlenW]

Who he?

And more to the point, where is this and why am I here?

[scooterscot]

Surprising to see so many believe million year old dinosaur skeletons were put there in the ground for us to find 2000 years ago.

[NotAllThere]

Surprising to see so many believe million year old dinosaur skeletons were put there in the ground for us to find 2000 years ago.

What about billion year old galaxies just observable now? Or background radiation - man, those photons are old.