The Faith & Religion mega Thread

Originally Posted by jsbjsb001 ...and no "creator" can spend human money - so it's clearly a money making exercise when these christen "missions" are charging $$$ for books, "gifts", etc. That's still a business, and at least where I live, tax free too. But of course, that's only because it's a "religious organization" - too bad if you're not a "religious" enterprise... Hows "god" going to spend $$$, and more to the point: why on earth would he/it even need money ??

good points... definitely no beliefs there.

Reality stays the same, as we change it!

That's still a business, and at least where I live, tax free too. But of course, that's only because it's a "religious organization" - too bad if you're not a "religious" enterprise...

Another grin moment as I think of how the NRA is a tax exempt organization also. But no one notices. Or cares.
If I was younger. I'd look into starting my own tax free enterprise.

World is turning into cold moral place , or it is just more noticeable. Not sure on which yet.
I figure it is like the rats in the box experiment.

More rats in a small box. More strife. Common sense I guess. Kangaroo desert rats and field mice don't suffer from this kind of stress. Rattlesnakes, Roadrunners, Hawks, and Owls are their stress points.

Seem to survive just fine without capitalism or religious distractions. No ripping out of mice hearts on temple steps to appease the gods. By other mice, that is.

Originally Posted by jamison20000e {...}You're free to believe whatever you want, until someone else is free to drop a bomb on you (or whatever, hope not) but when you die we can only talk to you: by paying some schmuck, some money, for lying to us!

Maybe but this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_...ts_in_foxholes
still will apply so it is not decided yet.

Originally Posted by jsbjsb001 ...and no "creator" can spend human money - so it's clearly a money making exercise when these christen "missions" are charging $$$ for books, "gifts", etc. That's still a business, and at least where I live, tax free too. But of course, that's only because it's a "religious organization" - too bad if you're not a "religious" enterprise... Hows "god" going to spend $$$, and more to the point: why on earth would he/it even need money ??

"In the Bullshit Department, a businessman can't hold a candle to a clergyman. 'Cause I gotta tell you the truth, folks. When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims: Religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told.

"Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man - living in the sky - who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!

"But He loves you.

"He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullshit story. Holy Shit!"
- George Carlin

The world is taught to need a foxhole, pretty messed up huh...

beliefs prove why we don't need foxholes,,, may as well get a rabbit's foot, chop it off and keep it in your pocket‽

My grandmother was 93 when she passed away and told me she was scared, I blame religion! I told her how many people she taught and loved her.

Religions not all to blame again we make this sh!t up as we go...

accept evolution!

You religious type can claim Evolution exist because that's god's* plan and just slow us down for a while but like sacrificing virgins we'll get past it...

Originally Posted by Okie "In the Bullshit Department, a businessman can't hold a candle to a clergyman. 'Cause I gotta tell you the truth, folks. When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims: Religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. "Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man - living in the sky - who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time! "But He loves you. "He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullshit story. Holy Shit!" - George Carlin

But if you would pay attention you would notice i posted George Carlin quote aswell. I am writing about truth not bible version of God|Devil. I am writing about Creator of humanity (whoever) it might be. If we look at wikia and comics we notice there exist multiple beings that are classified as Deity. One of them is Creator of Earth and humanity. This is what i am trying to tell. We should aim to discover and help if need. There exist personal experiences that cannot be overposted. Curiousity is key.

Also the only so far believable description theories about Creator is 3 known options that fit reality:
#) When it comes to God|Satan wikia says they have Mother|Father figure(s) so they not fit description of actual Deity..
*) Gaia : she sacrificied herself in past and fits being allcaring(mother figure), (ok this does not fit description of Deity but fits Creator description)allpowerfull(in terms of being able to affect everyone), allknowing(knows everywthing that happens on earth) so unless Gaia theory is hijacked story about some other deity then it makes sense, this planet is even called Earth
*) energy we call Love or similar life force: cause Love is everywhere and fits description of allknowing allpowerful allcaring force
*) One Above All : Comics about Celestials make sense and they manipulate energies, including Love

Originally Posted by jamison20000e {...}accept evolution!{...}

Spiritual evolution that gives experience exist. No problem. But who put it there and why is different question..was it because Adam and Eve were kicked out of Garden of Eden?

@Jamison20000e: Would it surprise you to know that most Christians have no problem at all with evolution? It's just that those who do seem to have one can't shut up about it.

evolution is an undeniable fact, and anyone that does deny evolution is willfully ignorant just to support their own absurd religious myths

Seems the quote about Y2K I posted in another thread is relevant here too...

Particularly this part of that same quote:

Y2K was also exploited by some fundamentalist and charismatic Christian leaders throughout the Western world, particularly in North America and Australia.[54] Their promotion of the perceived risks of Y2K was combined with end times thinking and apocalyptic prophecies in an attempt to influence followers.[54] The New York Times reported in late 1999, "The Rev. Jerry Falwell suggested that Y2K would be the confirmation of Christian prophecy — God's instrument to shake this nation, to humble this nation. The Y2K crisis might incite a worldwide revival that would lead to the rapture of the church. Along with many survivalists, Mr. Falwell advised stocking up on food and guns".[55] Adherents in these movements were encouraged to engage in food hoarding, take lessons in self-sufficiency, and the more extreme elements planned for a total collapse of modern society. The Chicago Tribune reported that some large fundamentalist churches, motivated by Y2K, were the sites for flea market-like sales of paraphernalia designed to help people survive a social order crisis ranging from gold coins to wood-burning stoves.[56] Betsy Hart, writing for the Deseret News reported that a lot of the more extreme evangelicals used Y2K to promote a political agenda in which downfall of the government was a desired outcome in order to usher in Christ's reign. She also noted that, "the cold truth is that preaching chaos is profitable and calm doesn't sell many tapes or books"[57] These types of fears and conspiracies were described dramatically by New Zealand-based Christian prophetic author and preacher Barry Smith in his publication, "I Spy with my Little Eye", where he dedicated a whole chapter to Y2K.[58] Some expected, at times through so-called prophecies, that Y2K would be the beginning of a worldwide Christian revival.[59] It became clear in the aftermath that leaders of these fringe groups had cleverly used fears of apocalyptic outcomes to manipulate followers into dramatic scenes of mass repentance or renewed commitment to their groups, additional giving of funds and more overt commitment to their respective organizations or churches. The Baltimore Sun noted this in their article, "Apocalypse Now — Y2K spurs fears", where they reported the increased call for repentance in the populace in order to avoid God's wrath.[60] Christian leader, Col Stringer, in his commentary has published, "Fear-creating writers sold over 45 million books citing every conceivable catastrophe from civil war, planes dropping from the sky to the end of the civilised world as we know it. Reputable preachers were advocating food storage and a "head for the caves" mentality. No banks failed, no planes crashed, no wars or civil war started. And yet not one of these prophets of doom has ever apologised for their scare-mongering tactics."[59] Some prominent North American Christian ministries and leaders generated huge personal and corporate profits through sales of Y2K preparation kits, generators, survival guides, published prophecies and a wide range of other associated merchandise. Christian journalist, Rob Boston, has documented this[54] in his article "False Prophets, Real Profits — Religious Right Leaders' Wild Predictions of Y2K Disaster Didn't Come True, But They Made Money Anyway".

Show me the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!

Doesn't surprise me to hear that christians don't want to get the AIDS virus, as it evolves or the flu for that matter or enjoy the evolution of Technology. What does surprise me is like rabbits they don't mind gnawing off their own foot so to speak? As multiplying babies in religions evolve themselves out of that picture...

you can't expect kids being lied to, to grownup stupid forever‽

Or, we may as well keep sacrificing victims in mass shootings, wars and holocausts? Because that's what fairy tales get.

Originally Posted by Okie evolution is an undeniable fact, and anyone that does deny evolution is willfully ignorant just to support their own absurd religious myths

No it is not undeniable fact, it is theory. And here is how it sounds backwards:

creation is an undeniable fact, and anyone that does deny creation is willfully ignorant just to support their own absurd scientific theories.

What is reality is what is in that video. We do not know yet. However there are signs and clues about creation. Even scientists who won prizes and achievements agreed to it.

Also it is funny that some quote comedians. They are entertainers. They tell what audience wants to hear. And when it comes to George Carlin he also said he was|is Sun worshipper not just religion is BS also nice POV about 10 commandments. And what about other comedians like Bill Hicks religion view? Am i only one who notice most posts in this thread use cherry-pick method? That is not how truth operates. There is only one ultimate reality truth that cannot be cherry picked. Either there is or there is not deities. None in this thread actually prooved anything in either direction. Which is exactly the point why we should seek truth ourselves aka think and act outside our comfort zone and box like in this video about success in life. If we really want truth we must ignore BIAS.

Since The Scientific Method not only celebrates but demands challenge in that a theory that has never had a single challenge is considered "untested" and deserving of extreme caution, it also celebrates a sliding scale of confidence where anything is "up for grabs" ranging from minor refinement (like Evolution, so far) through major overhaul (nature of the Cosmos) to absolute denial (like Phlogiston) if it can be objectively substantiated to have weathered conflict.

This implies that early on when the method was new and means for testing was extremely limited many theories came and went until some solid baseline was reached. The baseline gathered enough impetus that the Middle Ages, the many centuries of mysticism, superstition and religion, finally began to give way to the aptly named "Age of Reason". Among the results of The Age of Reason gaining on superstition was an awareness that educated citizens make better citizens (especially in terms of human progress) which was finally possible due to the invention of the printing press. This of course led to Renaissance and Revolution, where totalitarian governments were progressively replaced by Democracy of one form and degree or another, the rejection of not only slavery but the concept of humans as property. Along with that came the notion of responsibility and self realization since it became obvious to most that it wasn't God that started or stopped such things as Atilla's Horde or The Black Plague but technology.

Incidentally it is interesting that evil spirits, demons and the like seem invented to mitigate God's blame when life was described as "short and brutish" so it was less difficult to explain "bad things happening to good people" in the face of an all powerful Creator who loves us. Then it can become just a test, just God's will but "for our own inconceivable good".

From this baseline, which has counterparts in Mathematics called "axioms" or "self-evident truths" like "A is A" or "Black is dark (absence of light)" there can arise philosophical questions and processes like "Redctio Ad Absurdum" which is why although there is a difference between objective evidence and posing questions with all too obvious answers, it can be seen both have validity, albeit at different levels of confidence. This is why comedians are often chosen for quotations because reducing to absurdity is also a tenet of Comedy. In fact it is a hallmark of Satire and Parody.

Faith is static. Science is progress. It amazes (and upsets) me that we still have many in positions of political power who decide Law on the basis of what they assume pleases God instead of what the nation and it's citizens require for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Isn't 200 plus years enough to get that straight? Apparently not.

Originally Posted by Arcane No it is not undeniable fact, it is theory. And here is how it sounds backwards:

are you really that ignorant as to what the definition of "Scientific Theory" is???

"A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can be repeatedly tested and verified in accordance with the scientific method, using accepted protocols of observation, measurement, and evaluation of results. Where possible, theories are tested under controlled conditions in an experiment"

and every museum of natural history in the world has mountains of evidence backing it up, the same with every human walking this earth, the DNA in every cell of their body is evidence of where they came from

there is absolutely no evidence of god and the bible story of creation is a myth that belongs in the dustbin of history, it is bunk, and if you advocate that myth then you are a hindrance to proper education and human progress

Originally Posted by Okie and every museum of natural history in the world has mountains of evidence backing it <Evolution> up, the same with every human walking this earth, the DNA in every cell of their body is evidence of where they came from there is absolutely no evidence of god and the bible story of creation is a myth that belongs in the dustbin of history, it is bunk, and if you advocate that myth then you are a hindrance to proper education and human progress

I suppose since it is impossible to know and probably ever know what if anything existed before the Big Bang, that it is valid to speculate that God created Evolution so His/Her/It's "seed" would grow, but it still would be just that...speculation and not fit for fostering any important decisions.

Originally Posted by Okie are you really that ignorant as to what the definition of "Scientific Theory" is???{...}

I am aware what is scientific theory but it is still theory! And if creation is fake why ancient structures and crystal skulls etc. exist? Why evolution has stopped? Human beings are still not evolved enough to fit for life on this specific planet and technology. Cause it is joke. There is no such thing as human evolution without deities or alien intervention..magic is probably real aswell.

Originally Posted by enorbet I suppose since it is impossible to know and probably ever know what if anything existed before the Big Bang, that it is valid to speculate that God created Evolution so His/Her/It's "seed" would grow, but it still would be just that...speculation and not fit for fostering any important decisions.

While that might be mission impossible but it is possible to (dis)proove aka know what happened 2019 years ago aka if Jesus existed or not and if was crucified for being important figure or not. Since Jesus|Mohammad is part of holy books and their existance can be explored and studied that is all we need to figure out.

Originally Posted by jamison20000e {...}Hitler wants you to believe!{...}

Hitler has nice quotes..especially about Jews at page 8. It is possible bible was rewritten by Jews for their own selfish interests?