Organized Religion

[VooDooXII]

I always question the basis of people's faiths, because I want to know why they believe what they believe. I'm Agnostic...I don't follow any religion, but I'm still skeptical about the existence of a higher being. I'd like to learn why people follow certain faiths, but I CANNOT STAND when people start telling me that I'd be better off this way or that.

I don't like that Atheists and Agnostics are accused of not having any morals. I don't feel as if something should dictate exactly the way I should live my life. I am confident enough that I can distinguish right from wrong. I understand that people take comfort with the knowledge that there is a higher power that they can always confide in. That is all them though. Some Atheists are aggressive about this stuff...and I don't like that either. They criticize people for following a faith. I feel like people can believe what they believe...and leave others to themselves. If someone else is curious, then they can learn.

I don't know...I went all over the place with this, but that's what I have to say about religion.

By the way Maniac, good quotes.

[Jaimecbr900]

This subject has sparked great heated debates in the past. This time will probably be no different.

The hardest part to convince anyone about any religious belief is that recipient getting their head around the fact that FAITH is something that sometimes can not be defined by tangible things. Scientists rely on fully tangible proof to support their theories. Problem is that even Scientists can't support all their theories with tangible proof either. Therefore, this debate always makes a full circle back to it's origin; FAITH.

There are tons of documentation and scientific proof that in the eye of the beholder proves their view(s) or discredits his opposition. Once again, it is up to US to interpret that "proof" as believeable or fallable in OUR eyes and OUR minds. The "Big Bang" makes sense, until you dive a little further and find that even science has discredited it as it is has been "taught" for hundreds of years. Heck, even carbon dating has now been found to be inaccurate and therefore would totally change certain data that relied upon that to prove or discredit certain theories.

So what do you have? You have a great divide. On one side you have belief and on the other you have lack thereof. Each side holding fast to their own, yet it always comes back full circle to the same idea; FAITH. Just like we have FAITH on the sun rising and falling every day. Just like we have FAITH on our children to do well. Just like we have FAITH that our partners don't cheat on us. Just like we have FAITH that the driver stopped at the red light WON'T dart out in front of us. Everyone has FAITH in something at some point in their life or another. Why would it be so hard to understand that some of that FAITH could be focused on the belief that there is a higher power and there is a higher purpose to life? It is no different than anyone having FAITH that the driver of that car stopped at the light, whom you don't know from Adam, is NOT going to dart out in front of you. Do you jam on the brakes every time you see a car at an intersection? Do you live your whole life scared to drive through that intersection? Do you always believe and conduct yourself as if EVERYONE is in fact out to do you harm? Well then, why can't people have some of that same FAITH that it takes all of us not to be basket cases everyday be directed to the belief that a higher power does in fact exist? Faith is faith folks. You can have faith on something or you can have faith on nothing. It is still FAITH. So if you can have it on NOTHING, why can't we have it on SOMETHING?

Anyway, I know Brian was eluding to something else so I'll let the debate go back in that direction.

I just feel that all of these subjects.....God or no God?.....Bible accurate or not?.....organized religion or atheisim?......all of them revert back to the same exact point; FAITH. You either have FAITH on God or you don't. If you do, you stand on one sideline, while the others stand on the other.....all the while LIFE is being played out in the middle of the field in front of both. The question really is: When the "game" is over, which sideline is going to win?

[Hulud]

This subject has sparked great heated debates in the past. This time will probably be no different.

The hardest part to convince anyone about any religious belief is that recipient getting their head around the fact that FAITH is something that sometimes can not be defined by tangible things. Scientists rely on fully tangible proof to support their theories. Problem is that even Scientists can't support all their theories with tangible proof either. Therefore, this debate always makes a full circle back to it's origin; FAITH.

There are tons of documentation and scientific proof that in the eye of the beholder proves their view(s) or discredits his opposition. Once again, it is up to US to interpret that "proof" as believeable or fallable in OUR eyes and OUR minds. The "Big Bang" makes sense, until you dive a little further and find that even science has discredited it as it is has been "taught" for hundreds of years. Heck, even carbon dating has now been found to be inaccurate and therefore would totally change certain data that relied upon that to prove or discredit certain theories.

So what do you have? You have a great divide. On one side you have belief and on the other you have lack thereof. Each side holding fast to their own, yet it always comes back full circle to the same idea; FAITH. Just like we have FAITH on the sun rising and falling every day. Just like we have FAITH on our children to do well. Just like we have FAITH that our partners don't cheat on us. Just like we have FAITH that the driver stopped at the red light WON'T dart out in front of us. Everyone has FAITH in something at some point in their life or another. Why would it be so hard to understand that some of that FAITH could be focused on the belief that there is a higher power and there is a higher purpose to life? It is no different than anyone having FAITH that the driver of that car stopped at the light, whom you don't know from Adam, is NOT going to dart out in front of you. Do you jam on the brakes every time you see a car at an intersection? Do you live your whole life scared to drive through that intersection? Do you always believe and conduct yourself as if EVERYONE is in fact out to do you harm? Well then, why can't people have some of that same FAITH that it takes all of us not to be basket cases everyday be directed to the belief that a higher power does in fact exist? Faith is faith folks. You can have faith on something or you can have faith on nothing. It is still FAITH. So if you can have it on NOTHING, why can't we have it on SOMETHING?

Anyway, I know Brian was eluding to something else so I'll let the debate go back in that direction.

I just feel that all of these subjects.....God or no God?.....Bible accurate or not?.....organized religion or atheisim?......all of them revert back to the same exact point; FAITH. You either have FAITH on God or you don't. If you do, you stand on one sideline, while the others stand on the other.....all the while LIFE is being played out in the middle of the field in front of both. The question really is: When the "game" is over, which sideline is going to win?

well put jaime, but i dont really see the correlation between the examples and faith. i mean why do we have faith that the person is gonna stop at the light? because we were all brought up seeing others stop at red lights.

why do we have faith that the sun will rise tomorrow? because it did today and the day before.

but when i had put my faith in the christian god, it wasnt there. so now i turn outward looking for something (if there is anything at all).

oh, i hope you dont consider me atheist, cause im not. i just dont believe in a christian god. but i also cannot say there is no god. so i consider myself agnostic, until i see something otherwise.


but yes, back on to my main topic: organized religion and their translations.

[The12lber]

This subject has sparked great heated debates in the past. This time will probably be no different.

The hardest part to convince anyone about any religious belief is that recipient getting their head around the fact that FAITH is something that sometimes can not be defined by tangible things. Scientists rely on fully tangible proof to support their theories. Problem is that even Scientists can't support all their theories with tangible proof either. Therefore, this debate always makes a full circle back to it's origin; FAITH.

There are tons of documentation and scientific proof that in the eye of the beholder proves their view(s) or discredits his opposition. Once again, it is up to US to interpret that "proof" as believeable or fallable in OUR eyes and OUR minds. The "Big Bang" makes sense, until you dive a little further and find that even science has discredited it as it is has been "taught" for hundreds of years. Heck, even carbon dating has now been found to be inaccurate and therefore would totally change certain data that relied upon that to prove or discredit certain theories.

So what do you have? You have a great divide. On one side you have belief and on the other you have lack thereof. Each side holding fast to their own, yet it always comes back full circle to the same idea; FAITH. Just like we have FAITH on the sun rising and falling every day. Just like we have FAITH on our children to do well. Just like we have FAITH that our partners don't cheat on us. Just like we have FAITH that the driver stopped at the red light WON'T dart out in front of us. Everyone has FAITH in something at some point in their life or another. Why would it be so hard to understand that some of that FAITH could be focused on the belief that there is a higher power and there is a higher purpose to life? It is no different than anyone having FAITH that the driver of that car stopped at the light, whom you don't know from Adam, is NOT going to dart out in front of you. Do you jam on the brakes every time you see a car at an intersection? Do you live your whole life scared to drive through that intersection? Do you always believe and conduct yourself as if EVERYONE is in fact out to do you harm? Well then, why can't people have some of that same FAITH that it takes all of us not to be basket cases everyday be directed to the belief that a higher power does in fact exist? Faith is faith folks. You can have faith on something or you can have faith on nothing. It is still FAITH. So if you can have it on NOTHING, why can't we have it on SOMETHING?

Anyway, I know Brian was eluding to something else so I'll let the debate go back in that direction.

I just feel that all of these subjects.....God or no God?.....Bible accurate or not?.....organized religion or atheisim?......all of them revert back to the same exact point; FAITH. You either have FAITH on God or you don't. If you do, you stand on one sideline, while the others stand on the other.....all the while LIFE is being played out in the middle of the field in front of both. The question really is: When the "game" is over, which sideline is going to win?

Contemporary physics doesn't even go back hundreds of years, let alone the "Big Bang" theory. Most of what you said regarding the incomplete nature of science being an incomplete answer is a half truth or a lie. The notion additionally that science is about faith is also complete rubbish. Science is opposite of faith.

Epic fail.

Please organize your ideas better. Looking at that wall of disorganized text gives me a headache.

Also, I find it amusing that "faith" to a Westerner almost always means faith in some a solitary creator who fits the general Abrahamic conceptualization of god almost perfectly.

If you are dumb enough to think that supernatural forces are the only explanation for the existence of the universe, why not assume that the creator was the Hindu pantheon of gods? Or the Titans? Perhaps the cosmic design committee?

[tko]

Contemporary physics doesn't even go back hundreds of years, let alone the "Big Bang" theory. Most of what you said regarding the incomplete nature of science being an incomplete answer is a half truth or a lie. The notion additionally that science is about faith is also complete rubbish. Science is opposite of faith.

Epic fail.

Please organize your ideas better. Looking at that wall of disorganized text gives me a headache.

Also, I find it amusing that "faith" to a Westerner almost always means faith in some a solitary creator who fits the general Abrahamic conceptualization of god almost perfectly.

If you are dumb enough to think that supernatural forces are the only explanation for the existence of the universe, why not assume that the creator was the Hindu pantheon of gods? Or the Titans? Perhaps the cosmic design committee?

damn