I appreciate all that. Don't get the wrong idea simply because i mouth off a bit on an internet forum. It does frustrate me immensely as a topic of debate and i'm sorry if i came across badly in your view, but your insistence that you feel you constantly have to justify your belief to me, without me once addressing you directly, is curious and particularly unfortunate..... ....sorry.
ORDER emerges from CHAOS. Everything we see is proof of that.... But yes, as a social device i accept your point.
Atheist/Agnostic Although to be honest i couldn't really CARE LESS. Believe what you want to believe, just don't force it on the other person. And that goes for atheism as much as anything else. As a preference, i prefer people who have a faith than have a religion. The whole concept of believing in a series of ideals because someone in a man-given position says so riles me a little. But as a whole, religion affects my life as much as, say, Scuba-diving. I have an opinion, but i don't know and don't really care.
I'd be tempted to ban the response 'bless you' and replace it with 'gesundheit'. Oh I can't wait to be in power.
I suppose i'm a pretty staunch atheist. I just take so few positives from the concept of organised religion. Believer, or non believer, it should be possible for individuals to construct their own system of values and beliefs without adherence to some archaic text. I do respect anyone’s right to believe but I resent the religious institutions which seem to serve as a means of mind control and manipulation, and who operate a system of cultural indoctrination that promotes bigotry, intolerance and sectarianism. It frustrates me when, as a consequence, people feel no need to rationalise or justify their beliefs. Even in a secular society such as our own I still think religion is afforded more reverence and respect than it rightfully deserves. A firmly held belief is of no greater value just because it is said to be religious. On the subject of weddings i've just returned from an Anglo-Turkish boat wedding on the Bosphorus. FUN
Exactly, man made institutions in order to pitch themselves against each other for the sake of power. Organised religion has a lot to answer for.
well you shouldn't be bored of it - like it or not, other people's religious beliefs affect and shape the word we live in so you'd do well to pay attention.
like i said - the 10 commandments are pretty universal in terms of morality and i find churches sentimental from my childhood. everyone has their personal reasons.
I tend to agree with Gavin as far as organised religion is concerned. Taps into the herd like mentality of people to bond societies together with a shared cultural heritage. Not necessarily a bad thing but can be because religious thinking is based on faith instead of reason . Every religion has blood on its hands in some way, from pagan sacrifices to burnings at the stake.
Some of the early commandments are pretty useless. Religion stopping me from going to the supermarket on Sunday evening, and telling me how many gods I should have. And I'll misuse his name however I see fit.
I can see the good religion gives. Acting as a comfort...a guide etc I can see the appeal of 'having a faith' anyway
Emma dear, that has to be the finest example of misplaced condescension you have directed towards me yet - with the greatest of respect. When i said i'm 'bored' its because i've been paying SO MUCH bloody attention that i'm sick of the extent to which religious beliefs 'affect and shape the world we live in'.
I do agree with Beverley with not having to JUSTIFY your beliefs & Indie about not FORCING your beliefs on other people... I am Catholic...I don't honestly know if I'd be one without being born into it, I'd like to think I'd have similar beliefs but who knows...I don't agree with everything OBVIOUSLY *being gay* that the Catholic Church stands for...My faith *I've never called it that before* I suppose has gotten me through many bad times...Only people who know me really well know that I attend mass often as I can & go into the chapel every now & again to pray & to think... I don't really like telling people who don't have to know cos they'd think...why do you go there when they're anti-gay?...I can't explain it & I guess another reason why I never really tell people is because for me its a private thing, no-one really needs to know I don't really think its right to say anyone's religion/beliefs are wrong as who are we to know that they aren't right...Well apart from the EXTREMISTS
I think it's nice that you can take what support you want from it and leave the parts that are less er... evolved. I wish there were some kind of real alternative for atheists, to provide community and support. Oh, I forgot, there is the Church of Moop of course.
I can't remember who did the study into it, but it was called 'pick 'n' mix' religion. People tend today to pick the bits they like, and bits they don't. I will go and check later who it was. I should have it upstairs.
That sound interesting and kind of sensible, I mean I don't see anything wrong with good moral fibre and all that jazz, but I don't want to be told what I can say and can't and when I can shop and silly things like that. What if I don't want fish on a Friday or whatever? Most of it bears no relevance to modern life.
That is more or less what the study found. That people today want more freedom. But it added that a majority still have a belief in something spiritual. Just that it shouldn't be as intruding on day to day life. I will check it later though. Its been a year since i studied it.
I tried humanism, but all they seem to do is slag off religions, which is all well and good, but it's what I hate most about religions - causing division.
I don't think so. That's like asking if there is any football club that doesn't. It's the point of belonging to something and not to something else. It's also in men's nature to do this, it's tribal in origin. It's human nature I spose.
