Is the internet the final nail in the coffin for religion? (genesis, lukewarm)
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That of many, picked because the mail in not noted as espousing liberal views.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
fixed it for you. And I agree. A hobby of mine. Have a glass of wine and enjoy the evening.
I'm not sure that rewriting posts to make them agree with you is polite. And the 'sand down your collar' ploy is not a new one. It doesn't matter whether the line is preaching to the infidel or just tweaking the noses of the new atheists - it is all grist to our slowly but finely - grinding atheist mill.
That of many, picked because the mail in not noted as espousing liberal views.
I'm not sure that rewriting posts to make them agree with you is polite. And the 'sand down your collar' ploy is not a new one. It doesn't matter whether the line is preaching to the infidel or just tweaking the noses of the new atheists - it is all grist to our slowly but finely - grinding atheist mill.
From the article:
"People with no religious affiliation now make up the third-largest global group in a new study of the world's faiths - coming after Christians and Muslims but just before Hindus.
The study, based on extensive data for the year 2010, also showed Islam and Hinduism are the faiths most likely to expand in the future while Judaism has the weakest growth prospects.
It showed Christianity is the most evenly spread religion, present in all regions of the world, while Hinduism is the least global with 94 per cent of its population in one country, India."
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You confuse no religious affiliation with atheism. I know many people who have no religious affiliation, but they believe in God. We have many examples on the board.
But who lives in the online world? Some yes, and I feel sorry for them. Given the choice of virtual relationships and virtual reality, I'll take the real thing-the real world as it were.
Who said anything about living in the online world? All one has to do is surf around on the internet and you'll see the atheist viewpoint. Same goes for videos on YouTube or even pro-atheist documentaries on NetFlix. No one says you have to LIVE in virtual reality in order to be influenced by what atheists have to say.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
Perhaps the virtual crowd will embrace atheism, because God is not virtual. Makes sense to me.
Oh, I get it. So ... by your logic, only journalists can be influenced by something published in a newspaper. Only authors can be influenced by something published in a book. Only film producers can be influenced by something shown in a movie or on television. And, of course, only "virtual people" can be influenced by something written or shown on the internet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
However, reality is not found on the internet.
So if I posted to the internet a video showing your house, does that mean your house isn't real? Are YOU real? Maybe I'M not real .... holy f .... where's my therapist!?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
It is all manipulated and staged according to whomever is posting or blogging. A vast sea of opinions when it comes to the matters of what to believe. Ah! If it is on the internet it must be true!
First of all, of course it is all manipulated and staged - it is designed to convince you. Any position argument is going to contain bias. An atheist isn't going to argue FOR Christianity, obviously.
Secondly, you (and many others) seem to think that the internet is some sort of "special" source of information - that somehow what is true of all the other information mediums isn't true for the internet. For instance, there is no such thing as "virtual people" unless you're playing The Sims. I'm a real person as is every other poster on this and every other forum. Do you think you're the only real person on the entire worldwide web? Secondly, just because it's on the internet doesn't make it FALSE, either. That's why your "Ah! If it is on the internet it must be true!" argument (a la sarcasm) doesn't work. This is true of ALL information mediums be it newspapers, magazines, television, documentaries, or lectures.
But I know what you're doing. Since you KNOW that atheism dominates on the internet - and it really does - you're trying to come up with excuses as to why the internet (and ONLY the internet) is an unreliable source of information. Instead of trying to tackle atheism directly, you're trying to discredit the medium. Of course that logic doesn't work, either since it's a bit like saying the Declaration of Independence is untrue because you don't like the kind of paper it was written on.
I have no interest in dragons or unicorns. They have no bearing on my eternal destiny. Should it come to pass that such things exist I will express an interest. And really it seems that atheists are the only ones bringing up the question of whether dragons or unicorns exist. Theists have no interest in those matters.
How do YOU know if dragons and unicorns do or don't have a bearing on your eternal destiny. How much do you actually know about dragons and unicorns? However, Allah certainly could have a bearing on your eternal destiny. So could Ganesh, Kali, Buddha, Krishna, Zeus, Mithra, and any number of African tribal gods, but you don't believe any of them exist, either.
Oh, and atheists bring up things like leprechauns, unicorns, dragons, fairies, etc. because we're trying to show you how Christians and other believers suspend reality ONLY for religion. You don't believe in anything else magical or supernatural. Just gods and divine miracles. Everything else is just hogwash, right? WHY? If you can believe in an all-powerful being that can create entire universes with but a thought, what could possibly be off the table when determining what is real? Besides, if there really IS an all-powerful god, that means he could create unicorns tomorrow, or maybe he already did but just a dozen of them so they're excessively rare. If you believe in something that is all-powerful, then you must believe in literally everything. Otherwise, you're placing limits on what your all-powerful god can do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
Too many people who claim to be rational believe that the universe and life just came out of nothing-all on its own. Poof! Logic and science dictates otherwise cause and effect. And then they close their minds to the alternative, calling it foolishness. Minds are close to the idea of a Prime Mover.
My point taken.
So you think that it's logical to look to magic and the supernatural to explain the universe, then. Yeah, "poof" yourself because you're asking us to believe in a MAGICAL poof instead of a natural poof. Therein lies the BIIIIG difference between what we think and what you think. What OTHER event or phenomenon has been proven to be caused by magic? Yeah ... that's why it is ridiculous to set aside reality for just this one thing (origin of the universe) in order to squeeze your god into our paradigm.
Plus it goes way beyond "Poof!" with you folks. Not only do we have to believe in "Abracadabra!" we also have to believe in talking snakes, burning bushes, virgin births, global floods, god sacrificing his son, original sin, getting saved, heaven and hell, the Bible, parting seas, as that the Hebrew are God's chosen people.
Wait ...
I'm not Hebrew.
Then why in blazes would I want to worship a god who favors someone ELSE'S tribe? <insert hasty rationalization as to why god no longer favors Hebrews in the space below>
Is the internet the final nail in the coffin for religion?
I think that religious belief (especially in the supernatural) will continue to decline, but I don't expect that all aspects of religion itself will die out.
People still largely associate charities, helping the poor and ill, moral teachings and such with religion. Plus, religious art, music, architecture, celebrations and rituals continue to be widely popular all over the world - even if people don't necessarily believe in all the things they're based on.
Make-believe stuff can be fun for people and part of family enjoyment too, as we all know with the Christmas holiday season.
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 12-23-2013 at 09:35 AM..
Debate time? What, please don't tell me you take this forum stuff seriously?
I do to some extent - and so do you. Otherwise, you wouldn't be using this forum to prepare answers for your debates in the "real world."
It's really disingenuous to claim "oh, I'm just here for entertainment" or "I don't take this seriously" yet come here every day and pour out your most precious beliefs onto this forum knowing they're going to be attacked. I simply don't believe it. I DO believe that a lot of people hide behind humor and a cavalier attitude when they're insecure about either themselves or their arguments.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
Giving atheists a bad time is a hobby of mine.
Have you ever thought of switching to a hobby you're actually good at? (just kidding there)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
No one debates here. Argue? Yes. Pretend that anything here changes minds. (I laugh).
You'd be surprised. What I'm fairly certain is that even if I DID manage to change someone's mind, they would NEVER admit it. That doesn't mean I haven't planted a seed, one that might take root and begin to grow. No, I don't expect to zing someone with a brilliant argument and have their entire belief system change *snap* just like that. Yet I do know for a fact that I have changed minds. I've had people tell me so. But it's almost always a long and gradual process, not some aha! moment of epiphany.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
Lighten up and enjoy the fun. It is fun. Right?
Sometimes it is, yes. Sometimes not. What I don't find all that enjoyable is getting a peek inside the primitive worldviews of some posters and knowing that others just like them exist along side of me. Christian dominionists, social Darwinists, anti-gay ranters, young earth creationists, yeah, some views do actually bother me because I see them as a ball and chain around the ankle of progress.
And ... being someone who is disabled and in chronic pain, the social Darwinists REALLY tick me off because they aren't just debating or arguing on a forum. They're letting me know how they're going to vote, and their vote can seriously impact my life. It isn't just some academic debate like the origins of the universe.
You confuse no religious affiliation with atheism. I know many people who have no religious affiliation, but they believe in God. We have many examples on the board.
The only way the internet will kill religion is if the Spiritual is not real.
The spiritual is a real phenomenon, just not in the way you think it is. It is enduring because it plays to the human condition and to human perceptual quirks. No one thing will "kill" it. But the spiritual is subjective and hostile to reason, so anything that is relatively objective and reasonable is going to work against it, by definition.
From the article:
"People with no religious affiliation now make up the third-largest global group in a new study of the world's faiths - coming after Christians and Muslims but just before Hindus.
The study, based on extensive data for the year 2010, also showed Islam and Hinduism are the faiths most likely to expand in the future while Judaism has the weakest growth prospects.
It showed Christianity is the most evenly spread religion, present in all regions of the world, while Hinduism is the least global with 94 per cent of its population in one country, India."
**************************
You confuse no religious affiliation with atheism. I know many people who have no religious affiliation, but they believe in God. We have many examples on the board.
No I don't. You falsely distinguish between the the work we do, which is a small part of the increasing doubt expressed through the internet, and those who call themselves atheist.
A lot more people are becoming irreligious while still believing in God. There are those who prefer to call themselves agnostic rather than atheist. I believe that it is self -deceptive to focus on the numbers of those who call themselves 'atheist' and close the eyes to the increase in irreligion, theist, agnostic or atheist. It may or may not be due to the sort of efforts we are making through the internet, but whatever it is, it is working.
Irrelevant observations about equality of distribution is merely more shutting of the eyes to the increase in doubt, irreligion and atheism. It is all part of the same process.
True, you can look up all the arguments you want against God and then join all the evangelical atheist communities that you want - but only if you want to. You can also go to the millions of religious websites and read extended commentaries on Aquinas's proofs of God, or see videos relating the Sopranos to the Catholic faith.
Fundamentalism? Not really. Maybe from a American-centered view, but the internet, social media, etc. has been a major force behind the spread of Islamic fundamentalism, at least, and probably other religions' extremist sects too.
Spirituality? If you mean AUTHENTIC spirituality, then possibly. The Internet, forums, and social media can be a major source of mental noise in our lives, which can crowd out the small, still voice of God. Personal story: I was constantly distracted praying the rosary last night thinking of what to write on a reply to a thread here. Not that my mind usually wanders when I pray, but it was especially intense.
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Is the internet the final nail in the coffin for religion?
(just kidding there)
