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Well the atheists have really been ramping up their attacks on destroying Christianity in America. This time it involves a school in Mississippi. The great offense? A teacher offered up a prayer board where students could freely place their prayer requests.
This act of "destroying Christianity" that you accuse atheists of is really nothing more then openly examining the many various claims that Christians have been making for centuries. For most of the last 2,000 years, merely examining theses claims in any sort of an open public way would have exposed a person to torture and death. Now, finally we have the legal freedom to actually consider what Christians have been declaring all of these years to be true. If "destroying Christianity" means debunking it, then yes, the more we examining Christian claims they more those claims tend to fall apart like a cheap sweater.
Christian claims are either valid or they are not. If Christianity cannot withstand open scrutiny, then it will naturally fade and die. A process which currently seems to be well under way.
Christian claims are either valid or they are not. If Christianity cannot withstand open scrutiny, then it will naturally fade and die. A process which currently seems to be well under way.
Yes, indeed, and the process is rapidly accelerating.
I would attribute the rapid acceleration in part to the internet and to the de-institutionalization of religion.
Yes, indeed, and the process is rapidly accelerating.
I would attribute the rapid acceleration in part to the internet and to the de-institutionalization of religion.
I would attribute most of it to the fact that religion has been taken out of schools, where it was, inserted into the brain of every child, every morning, of every day. The Children where taught that God is the boogey man, and will send you to hell if your bad. Adults called it "Accepting God." I call it being taught to "Fear" God. Now they can either accept or reject that theory at a much older age, not being indoctrinated every day.
This act of "destroying Christianity" that you accuse atheists of is really nothing more then openly examining the many various claims that Christians have been making for centuries. For most of the last 2,000 years, merely examining theses claims in any sort of an open public way would have exposed a person to torture and death. Now, finally we have the legal freedom to actually consider what Christians have been declaring all of these years to be true. If "destroying Christianity" means debunking it, then yes, the more we examining Christian claims they more those claims tend to fall apart like a cheap sweater.
Christian claims are either valid or they are not. If Christianity cannot withstand open scrutiny, then it will naturally fade and die. A process which currently seems to be well under way.
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Originally Posted by Mircea
Yes, indeed, and the process is rapidly accelerating.
I would attribute the rapid acceleration in part to the internet and to the de-institutionalization of religion.
The danger with such rapid acceleration is that the least intellectually capable or knowledgeable can be swept out along with the baby in the bath water . . . God. Replacing such a dominant cultural concept as God with "We don't know" may be sufficient for many of you, but it has unknown dangers to psychological stability and social cohesion for the masses.
But prayer is a part of a religion, or many religions, even non christan ones. Schools do not represent religion. Any of them. Or lack of them. Its not an appropriate thing for a school.
I'd rather "we don't know" to "we can't prove it exists, ergo it doesn't exist." Having not thoughts good or bad about religion is fine. Theism is fine. Atheism is fine.
I grew up in a Baptist church. Taught Sunday School. was youth pastor and then realized that for me, it wasn't real. I have 4 children that I raised. They were allowed to think for themselves. One is a devout Christian, one an Atheist, the other two, I don't know. None of my business.
The danger with such rapid acceleration is that the least intellectually capable or knowledgeable can be swept out along with the baby in the bath water . . . God. Replacing such a dominant cultural concept as God with "We don't know" may be sufficient for many of you, but it has unknown dangers to psychological stability and social cohesion for the masses.
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Originally Posted by bulmabriefs144
I'd rather "we don't know" to "we can't prove it exists, ergo it doesn't exist." Having not thoughts good or bad about religion is fine. Theism is fine. Atheism is fine.
But non-proof does not equal disproof.
As to what Bulmabriefs said above: Fully agreed! And, in all my postings in this thread and elsewhere, I have conveyed that I am not set in stone about it but rather ALWAYS open to evidences which can validly merit the altering of my thinking. That's more than I can say or detect of a host of others on the believing side of the population.
As to what MysticPhD said above: I have a confession for you and for everyone else reading here. Even as a present non-theist (one who doesn't actively embrace theism as a truism but is open to valid evidence being presented to change my thinking), I, in fact, talk to and relate with "God" all the time (in my own mind or out loud). Yet, even while I am doing so, I know in the core of my being that I am just talking to a "caricature" of what has been conveyed to me in my life of what such a God entails (I've heard it referred to as "the God meme"). It tends to be the Judeo-Christian God concept. And I know, even while doing this, that I am very likely just talking to myself (or talking to the thin air). I just want something to talk to or to vent at or to question. I know that it is just me talking to myself; I perceive that it is done as a sort of "coping mechanism" if you will or because I want something to be consternate at with life's challenges or to talk out things with. And, of course, nothing EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER responds to me or does anything demonstrative regarding me in any way, shape, or form (well, what did I truly expect?). But I do it anyway. In other words, I guess it works for me as a sort of "coping mechanism" and aids in my "psychological coheision" to have something to direct my thoughts, verbiage, and emotions at (even if, in the end, the actual existence and presence of such a supreme creator being is all imagined). So, if I can use "the God meme" in this way-- even while acknowledging in my mind that it is likely or probable that there is nothing there --why can't the rest of humanity do the same? Why do they INSIST on this absolute certitude (which is their prerogative . . . for their own personal benefit) but then also look to continually try to force-feed it to everyone else and even some aim to work with their compatriots to try to turn our society into the closest approximation of a theocracy that they think they can manage to achieve?
So you said "Replacing such a dominant cultural concept as God with 'We don't know' may be sufficient for many of you, but it has unknown dangers to psychological stability and social cohesion for the masses." Well, I guess it can be said that I myself sometimes use the "God meme" to maintain my personal psychological stability by having a channel to direct my thoughts or varied emotions to in the absence of anything else. It would be most useful if this alleged or purported or actual "God" would actualy respond for once and actually engage usefully with me (if he/she/it is real and actually gives a damn at all about one whom he/she/it took it upon Himself to create in the first place . . . me) but I guess that is expected too much of a loving, benovolent, caring etc. etc. creator. All I'm left to do is to imagine what said alleged creator's responses would actually be . . . if he/she/it were actually real, instead of seeming to be an invention of our own imaginations (i.e., a so-called "cultural meme", as I've seen it referred to). Again, if I myself can make use of the "God meme" in this manner (even while suspecting that it may well be the stuff of the human imagination and don't have certitude about it but I do endulge in it anyway), then why can't they? I've never proposed that the world be force-fed "non-belief" or even an official "We don't know" policy for our nation and society but to just have everyone make up their own minds and don't look to impose it on others . . . especially through our governing bodies and government-sponsored institutions, settings, and venues. They can't find that reasonable proposition acceptable?
The bible is the word of god, and the word of god is crystal clear:
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Matthew 6:5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them.
Jesus says that any christian who pray publicly is an hypocrite.
There are no exceptions, not even for sporting events; not for schools; not for anything.
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Matthew 6:6 But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
Jesus commands you to pray privately in secret to "your Father," whomever that may be (since Jesus never says Yahweh and the Father are one in the same).
To pray publicly is to spit on Jesus and be an hypocrite.
Since the disobedience of publicly praying christians is decidedly willful, we have to ask what their real agenda is.
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Matthew 6:7 When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard.
Here, Jesus is taking a stab at Pagans -- Gentiles, non-Jews.
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Matthew 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
As one already pointed out, praying before sporting events and such is absurd and ridiculous.
Jesus is saying that the Father (Marduk?) is omnipotent and already knows the outcome of the event.
Since the outcome of the event has been predetermined, it's pointless to pray.
So it is for your whole life. Since the outcome is predetermined, there's no point in praying.
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Matthew 6:9 So pray this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, 6:10 may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 6:11 Give us today our daily bread,...
Christians can't even get the "Our Father" prayer right. That is the correct translation (in part).
Since your life is predetermined, might as well have everyone pray the same thing.
Anyway, Jesus condemns public prayer and he condemns those who pray publicly, just as he laughs in the face of those who babble in prayer.
For the Critical Thinker, that, of course, opens the door to all sorts of theological questions.
Yahweh-god had no issues with prayer, but Jesus-god literally slams the door on it.
Why?
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