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If Religion was gone.
What do you think a world of atheist looks like?
Significant reduction in wars. Won't eliminate them as countries will still fight over land, water, oil, but the stupidity of war based on religion will be eliminated.
Society will be more tolerant, without the 'judgment and intolerance' followers of religions are taught from a very early age.
The sciences will advance as the nonsense of a 6000 year old earth or forbidding some types of research will not exist. Fairly tales will not be taught as science, or an 'alternative theory' though there is no possibility the theory holds any creditability.
rifleman: The LDSers in my neighborhood are more active than any others. I live two blocks from an LDS church.
John Buettner: I for one don't need for you to feel sorry for me. I'm much happier as an unbeliever than I was before. Yes, the world and Universe is a wondrous place, but supernatural intervention is not necessary as far as I am concerned. It just gets in the way.
I appreciate your comments, jorgy, and I hope they are true. I think, tho', that scripture encourages Christians to "take it to the streets" so to speak, and spread the good word.
At least that's the answer I consistently get when I ask the pushy ones "why".
Am I wrong?
The least annoying religions are, to me, the ones who do keep it to themsleves. I'm waiting to see a Buddhist come down my driveway, or even a Scientologist. A Japanese Shinto priest? Even the LDS'rs seem kinda quiescent, but maybe it's just where I live.
But the Christians? Stand back momma!
"Take it to the streets?"
Yes.
Shove it down someones throat?
No.
Go up to someones door at their home?
I can't think of any Scripture that tells us to do that.
If anyone does that, they just might be doing it wrong.
And yes, like all groups, even the Christians have people who are lacking in common sense.
If you ever run across a few doctors who are idiots, I hope you don't stay away from all doctors.
Yep. My 97 year old father, who never accepted nor practiced religion in his entire life, is nonetheless afraid of death. Who isn't really? Who happily accepts that their self-conscious person will end, go black and disappear one afternoon, alone in the nursing home?
So, he asked me recently if there might be a God. And some sort of heavenly salvation.
I sat down, took his hand and had a lengthy discussion about the true value of his life, what he'd experienced, the good he'd done and the children he'd raised so well. I talked of the fun he'd had being married to my mother, and the times he and I had enjoyed out in the wilderness (he'd pretty much taught me everything I knew, and created my confidence out there).
I said this was his legacy. I said I'd be talking about these things at the celebration of his life. I assured him others would miss him and would have wanted to have known him better when they learned, though me, more about his life. That he could be justifiably proud of his life.
I then told him that nothing could go on forever. I said it's possible that he might wake up as the conscious person in another body, but wouldn't know about his past. I then said that the Christian promise of eternal grace and heavenly acceptance was an illogical and unsustainable myth, designed to recruit as many as possible, to advance Christianity's sphere of influence and wealth, and that, in fact they did their congregation a great dis-service by proffering such myths.
It was better, I suggested, to go to your inevitable end happy and knowing that you had made a positive and life-long difference in the lives of those you leave behind.
He seemed much happier and at peace with that. He'd simply not thought it all through, nor had anyone ever spent any time discussing it with him. I know it had been bothering him, and that others in his nursing home had been pestering him with thoughts of "salvation". Also, their presentation was entirely based on the statement that "he'd obviously sinned in his life, and should seek Christ's forgiveness before it's too late!!".
Of course, true to their calling, they had also suggested he might want to donate some of his estate to their Church. (in exchange for Holy Acceptance, I wonder?) They'd even asked him, in a roundabout way, "what he was worth..." Unfortunately for them, his mind is still sharp as a tack. This only made him mad.
Why was that inquiry not a surprise to me?
So, essentially, you're completely right, eskercurve: fear. It's the primal emotion and driver behind all religion. Sadly.
Fear is not always a bad thing. Fear is often the very thing that makes us think twice, before we jump. And tell your father, he cannot buy his way into heaven. Why don't you let your father read the account of former atheist Howard Storm. At least he will of heard from both sides. After all, Howard Storm thought the Christian Gospel was an Illogical, and unsustainable myth, just like you. And yet, this former atheist is now a devout minister, and follower of Jesus Christ. How did that happen?
... tell your father, he cannot buy his way into heaven.
Re-read what I posted, Tom. He didn't try to buy his way in. It was the panting chanting evangelist crowd within the nursery home who approached dad with their ideas and Oh BTW, a suggestion that he might "donate". He didn't buy into it.
Why don't you let your father read the account of former atheist Howard Storm. At least he will of heard from both sides. After all, Howard Storm thought the Christian Gospel was an Illogical, and unsustainable myth, just like you. And yet, this former atheist is now a devout minister, and follower of Jesus Christ. How did that happen?
That accouint is a sham, an illusion, a wishful thinking delusional episode. No-one has ever come back from being truly dead. This has been well covered on another thread; go look it up. Not having a pulse for 5 minutes, and then reviving means you weren't actually dead, and your brain cells sorta shut down and require far less oxygen, but then quickly respond to a revival of the heart.
This has been proven time and again, especially with people who have fallen into cold water and been underwater for 20 - 30 minutes. They simply were NOT really ever dead, but whatever delusion floats your boat.
Which is The Titanic, as I recall...
(You really should stop believing everything you read or hear. Otherwise you'll have room full of late-night TV specials!)
Why don't you let your father read the account of former atheist Howard Storm.
Mental illness can strike anyone, even atheists. Doesn't make it anything more than mental illness.
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