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Had man strictly followed and believed the bible for the past 2000 years, we would, for example:
-still believe the sun revolves around the flat earth.(Imagine what a lack of technology there would be)
-would treat epileptics with an exorcism. (Imagine how primitive our medical care would be)
-continue to discriminate against handicapped, women, and people of other races.
-practice slavery. ( Our world would be a sad place for many people!)
Great examples, but still, we've got people who believe:
* Hurricane Katrina was a punishment from God.
* 9/11 was a punishment from God.
* HIV/AIDS is a punishment from God.
We've come a long way, but we've got a long way to go.
I technically agree with you in that government and religion should be kept separate in order to retain freedom of religion... however, and this is a big however, the US is different from many other countries in the sense that it was founded and developed with a belief in god. Many of those who have a belief in god also believe that such a religion also offers good moral character for people as well. Strong morals and good character develops people to become good, hard work citizens and be kind to those in need and unable to provide for themselves. In this sense, you can say our country became successful and powerful based on the strong moral strengths and solid work ethic of its people. Whether or not these personal strengths were a result of themselves believing in God is controversial, however, many people feel that it is a reason.
You can't just look at religion as a bunch of nuts who believe in some inanimate, non-material fairy tale. Religion is more importantly a way of life, and Christianity has a way of developing people in a way that benefits everyone. (I'm not trying to propagandize this, lol, just pointing out the fact that every religion out there teaches a different way of moral development, some in a good way, some not so good).
So to sum everything up, atheism is not necessarily a bad thing. However, neither is religion.
I agree with you that religion inspires some people to do good things, and in that respect, I'm not against religion. I would just hope that religious people can also see the benefit of having non-religious people as their fellow citizens. I think it's a good thing to have a minority (atheists) respectfully questioning and challenging the majority (believers of God).
Had man strictly followed and believed the bible for the past 2000 years, we would, for example:
-still believe the sun revolves around the flat earth.(Imagine what a lack of technology there would be)
-would treat epileptics with an exorcism. (Imagine how primitive our medical care would be)
-continue to discriminate against handicapped, women, and people of other races.
-practice slavery. ( Our world would be a sad place for many people!)
Again, I am not so much sticking up for the religious beliefs themselves per se, I am more sticking up for the way religion helps develop people to become strong willed and posses good moral values.
I myself am not the most religous person, however I was raised Christian. Most Christians I know are also very hard working and honest individuals. I can't always say the same with most atheists I know.
Personally, i'm quite surprised that Michael Newdow hasn't gotten the George Tiller treatment. Last I heard, his house is now a fortified bunker. Why does he fear dying? In his eyes, its only 6 feet of dirt to be worried about, right?
Or is it? I believe that deep down Atheists question eternity and do wonder if they're really wrong by not believing in God. The definition of eternity in and of itself should be enough to make one wonder.
Location: The Chatterdome in La La Land, CaliFUNia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ryanst530
Go figure the atheist threat starter votes "Much Better"...
Atheists do nothing other than stir the pot. They are dividing this country socially and causing religious people to become defensive about their own religion. I have nothing personally against people who are athiest, however, the activist types that go around proposing laws to ban religious ornaments from being displayed drive me nutzoid.
Had man strictly followed and believed the bible for the past 2000 years, we would, for example:
-still believe the sun revolves around the flat earth.(Imagine what a lack of technology there would be)
In all fairness. It was mostly religious people that actually discovered that this was not the case. Also, there is strong evidence that many ancient Greeks actually did not believe the earth was flat either.
-would treat epileptics with an exorcism. (Imagine how primitive our medical care would be)
-continue to discriminate against handicapped, women, and people of other races.
Yeah, because the secular eugenics movement NEVER EVER believed that the handicapped and people of other races were inferior.
-practice slavery. ( Our world would be a sad place for many people!)
Didn't the avowedly atheist USSR and other Communist government widely use slave labor? Also, weren't many prominent Nazis atheists (Bormann comes to mind)? Now, taking into account that most of them were in fact Christians (both practicing and non-practicing) plus a few Muslims and neopagans, but there were certainly atheists on board.
Go figure the atheist threat starter votes "Much Better"...
Atheists do nothing other than stir the pot. They are dividing this country socially and causing religious people to become defensive about their own religion. I have nothing personally against people who are athiest, however, the activist types that go around proposing laws to ban religious ornaments from being displayed drive me nutzoid.
Awwww, we don't want a theocracy and have the same right of expression.
Funny, now that xians are being reigned in, the "others" are being demonized.
No one's asking you to remove anything from your personal space.
Guess what, it's our government and country, too.
Live with it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ryanst530
Again, I am not so much sticking up for the religious beliefs themselves per se, I am more sticking up for the way religion helps develop people to become strong willed and posses good moral values.
I myself am not the most religous person, however I was raised Christian. Most Christians I know are also very hard working and honest individuals. I can't always say the same with most atheists I know.
Atheists/agnostics, Islamist practitioners, Buddhists, Jain, Hindu, etc. don't possess "good moral values"?
We don't need someone to tell us about moral lives, we live them without having someone/something tell us what we need to believe.
Are you saying that without being xian, you'd be out there stealing, killing, raping, etc? That says more about xian morals than anything else.
How many atheist wars have been started? How many religious, including the current middle east war?
Xians kill doctors. Ever hear about the Westboro Baptists?
Your comments reek of religious bigotry, arrogance and contempt.
I find the opposite true. If someone makes sure you know they're xian, hold on to your purse strings.
Religion is a personal thing, keep it to yourself, out of my laws and out of my government.
Last edited by chielgirl; 02-01-2010 at 10:48 PM..
Or is it? I believe that deep down Atheists question eternity and do wonder if they're really wrong by not believing in God. The definition of eternity in and of itself should be enough to make one wonder.
Absolutely not.
I do not believe in an Abramhamic god any more than I believe in Zeus or Bramha or Surtr. I also do not believe in an afterlife because I see no evidence of it. You might argue, "But we don't know for sure" and I would rely that of course we don't know for sure, but just because we do not know for sure doesn't mean that it does exist or even could exist. I believe that being dead is a lot like being before you were born. Do you remember any of that? No. Well, there is your answer.
Atheists are against, don't support, and don't start religious wars. Atheists have no doctrine that teaches them bigotry. They use logic and reason as their guide as well as respect for fellow man.
WOW! You want to read what you wrote again. In fact read it a few times. They are the ultimate bigots and respect no one or anything unless they believe like them. They are so in fear of people that beleve in God they attack any representation.
I technically agree with you in that government and religion should be kept separate in order to retain freedom of religion... however, and this is a big however, the US is different from many other countries in the sense that it was founded and developed with a belief in god.
The United States Constitution does not mention religion except to guarantee everyone's freedom of religion. It makes no mention of Christianity, Jesus, God or any gods. So I beg to differ.
People were more religious in 1787 than in 2010, but that does not have anything to do with our system of government. If, tomorrow, 75% of Americans were persuaded to believe in the Great Pumpkin, that would have no effect on our form of government.
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