Prayer...Does It Change Anything Except One's Mind? (Mormon, ghost, bible)
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So, my belief that GOD is a metaphor for the human mind is no better than a four year old who believes that a big fat man gives him presents? Okay...
Anyhow, considering how many great men and women, or, better yet, THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ON EARTH also believe in something higher than materialism, consumption, and the Atheistic way of mindlessly accepting reality as presented by a handful of scientist and never seeking an Existentialst view of any inner power (as does Gnosticism with the Pneuma or Mahayana Buddhism with it's Buddha Nature) than I will be happy to call myself a "deluded, irrational crackpot" any day
Be a slave to my heart by following an "irrational" faith, or be a slave to reason? Recieve inspiration from Scripture and communion with GOD...or ponder Polynomials and seek communion with a cubicle?
Which is better: A theist with an imaginary friend, or an Atheistic Emo kid with no friends?
No, I will take my "deluded, Santa Claus for adults" over masturbation to a photo of Charles Darwin while listening to Fall Out Boy and cutting myself any day.
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The Heart has it's reasons which REASON will never understand
-Blaise Pascal
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Heaven and Hell are with us all, and all the Gods are with us all
-Joseph Campbell
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By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.
-Thomas Merton
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I don't care! Religion is for loosers! I don't believe in gawd...I believe in cutting my wrists because those dumb parents of mine grounded me for stealing my little sisters pants and I can't decide if Fall Out Boy or My Chemical Romance will be playing when I finally kill myself but either way, it will be better than being with your stupid gawd, cause he's stupid and he doesn't exist and I think it's stupid that people believe in him just like they think a boy like me shouldn't wear make-up!
So, my belief that GOD is a metaphor for the human mind is no better than a four year old who believes that a big fat man gives him presents? Okay...
You finally are cottoning on eh?
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Anyhow, considering how many great men and women, or, better yet, THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ON EARTH also believe in something higher than materialism, consumption,
So you are claiming a majority? Well I am guessing that in China and Africa alone 2.7Bn folk, the majority of them are irreligious sop your point is moot.
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and the Atheistic way of mindlessly accepting reality as presented by a handful of scientist
A handful? Oh you thinking of Einstein, Darwin and those guys? Keep up to date and realize that these were part of science and not the definers of science
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and never seeking an Existentialst view of any inner power (as does Gnosticism with the Pneuma or Mahayana Buddhism with it's Buddha Nature) than I will be happy to call myself a "deluded, irrational crackpot" any day
Be a slave to my heart by following an "irrational" faith, or be a slave to reason? Recieve inspiration from Scripture and communion with GOD...or ponder Polynomials and seek communion with a cubicle?
Which is better: A theist with an imaginary friend, or an Atheistic Emo kid with no friends?
People with imaginary friends usually do not have real friends in real life.
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No, I will take my "deluded, Santa Claus for adults" over masturbation to a photo of Charles Darwin while listening to Fall Out Boy and cutting myself any day.
Its you theists who get woodies over other people not atheists, we do not venerate dead or living people. When are you going to get that through your thick head?
So you are claiming a majority? Well I am guessing that in China and Africa alone 2.7Bn folk, the majority of them are irreligious sop your point is moot.
China is a Atheistic fundamentalist regime so no one can get a real grip on the numbers there, but let's see what the SCIENTIFIC SURVEYS on religion say:
In Europe, according to the Eurobaromater poll, the most Atheistic country in Europe is the Czech Republic, with A WHOOPING 30% not believing in GOD, a spirit, life force etc...this means that 70% (or, as I said, a majority) do indeed believe in some kind of Higher Power: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/a..._report_en.pdf
As for Africa, let's see what the Association of Religious Data Archives has to say...
So you don't even make one percent in any African country. Gee...one would expect an Atheist to put more stock in EVIDENCE to back a claim.
And, just for giggles, let's look at China, which, as an Atheist regime, we cannot rely on a poll to be honest (I am honest though: An Islamic Regime, like Iran, wouldn't give reliable numbers either)
They are:
34.7% Agnostic, 7.60% Atheist...so even in a country that ENCOURAGES ATHEISM, Atheist and Agnostics still make up less then half the population, IF polls from a communist country can be trusted. The Association of Religion Data Archives | National Profiles
The evidence is clear...despite the Atheist Dogma that there are so many of you out there you are indeed a minority.
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A handful? Oh you thinking of Einstein, Darwin and those guys? Keep up to date and realize that these were part of science and not the definers of science
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People with imaginary friends usually do not have real friends in real life.
So...all those people in churches are not friends with ANYONE ELSE IN THE BUILDING?
It's the Atheists who also whine that they feel "isolated" and what not, not the believers. Christ, I have even met up with other Gnostics, and there are hardly any of us walking around.
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Its you theists who get woodies over other people not atheists, we do not venerate dead or living people. When are you going to get that through your thick head?
Then please explain all those "Dear Leader" pics Dawkins has of himself on his website...can we say "Guru"... and look at this video by Dawkins, btw...what is it called?:
Now.... Darwin is dead...so, is it just me, OR DOES THIS LOOK LIKE VENERATIONG!
You know, it's funny how the Atheistic fundamentalists, always demanding "EVIDENCE" are the last ones to post any links to sources that prove their post with...ohh...EVIDENCE!
Please, do keep this up, as I am having more fun with you Athiestic Fundies than Ted Haggard had after it started raining men.
[quote=victorianpunk;11226192]China is a Atheistic fundamentalist regime so no one can get a real grip on the numbers there, but let's see what the SCIENTIFIC SURVEYS on religion say:
In Europe, according to the Eurobaromater poll, the most Atheistic country in Europe is the Czech Republic, with A WHOOPING 30% not believing in GOD, a spirit, life force etc...this means that 70% (or, as I said, a majority) do indeed believe in some kind of Higher Power: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/a..._report_en.pdf
As for Africa, let's see what the Association of Religious Data Archives has to say...
So you don't even make one percent in any African country. Gee...one would expect an Atheist to put more stock in EVIDENCE to back a claim.
And, just for giggles, let's look at China, which, as an Atheist regime, we cannot rely on a poll to be honest (I am honest though: An Islamic Regime, like Iran, wouldn't give reliable numbers either)
They are:
34.7% Agnostic, 7.60% Atheist...so even in a country that ENCOURAGES ATHEISM, Atheist and Agnostics still make up less then half the population, IF polls from a communist country can be trusted. The Association of Religion Data Archives | National Profiles
The evidence is clear...despite the Atheist Dogma that there are so many of you out there you are indeed a minority.
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A handful? Oh you thinking of Einstein, Darwin and those guys? Keep up to date and realize that these were part of science and not the definers of science
So...all those people in churches are not friends with ANYONE ELSE IN THE BUILDING?
It's the Atheists who also whine that they feel "isolated" and what not, not the believers. Christ, I have even met up with other Gnostics, and there are hardly any of us walking around.
Then please explain all those "Dear Leader" pics Dawkins has of himself on his website...can we say "Guru"... and look at this video by Dawkins, btw...what is it called?:
Now.... Darwin is dead...so, is it just me, OR DOES THIS LOOK LIKE VENERATIONG!
You know, it's funny how the Atheistic fundamentalists, always demanding "EVIDENCE" are the last ones to post any links to sources that prove their post with...ohh...EVIDENCE!
Please, do keep this up, as I am having more fun with you Athiestic Fundies than Ted Haggard had after it started raining men.
Epic fail wrt to Africa. The majority are into forefather worship. Even the one proclaiming to be xian, mix their traditional beliefs with their new found faith.The biggest black church in SA is the ZCC and they boast numbers of only 2-6M of a population of 47M. Non blacks make up less than 20% but this figure is far lower in central/northern Africa.
As or evidence, debating you is merely to pass the time,. I have plenty of "evidence" but you fail to see that atheists in Africa are not like how you like to paint them with a broad brush in the USA.
You have thrown up and shot down many strawmen that do not apply specifically to me, yet you keep trying to associate me with Dawkins, Hitchens et al. I really do not need their opinions to shoot down your beliefs, I am quite capable of doing it all on my own.
Oh and we do not have folk here in the streets handing out chick tracts or even folk doing door to door evangelizing.
The town I stay in has 18 churches of a seating capacity ranging from 75 to 300, take that as a mean of 200 x 18 = 3600 and we are population in excess of 50,000. These churches are not even full on sundays so by the town stats I stay in, less than 2000 folk regularly attend church, most are irreligious and church for the majority is for weddings and funerals, tradition you know. In the cities, churches are shutting down and the percentages are likely less than country towns. Oh and the black folk have even less churches than the whites so methinks your stats are presumptuous as are they for the rest of the world.
Hell, the shops do not even make an effort with decorations over xmas like they used to do 20 years ago. Most do not even bother at all. Thank gawd we do not hear xmas carols in stores or even on the radio anymore. Real nice to live in a secular country.
Epic fail wrt to Africa. The majority are into forefather worship. Even the one proclaiming to be xian, mix their traditional beliefs with their new found faith.The biggest black church in SA is the ZCC and they boast numbers of only 2-6M of a population of 47M. Non blacks make up less than 20% but this figure is far lower in central/northern Africa.
WHEN DID I MENTION CHRISTIANITY??!!! I said BELIEVER!!! as in non-Atheists! As I keep saying, there is no true religion. But, if you are saying religion in Africa well guess what? THERE ARE VERY, VERY FEW ATHEISTS/AGNOSTICS THERE.
Really, I DON'T WANT to see Africa become more Christian because that would mean missionaries and, judging from their history, they suck.
You seem to have a reading comprehension problem. I am pro-faith, ANY FAITH, and was talking about there not being many Atheists on the planet, which there aren't compared to believers in ANY RELIGION.
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As or evidence, debating you is merely to pass the time,. I have plenty of "evidence" but you fail to see that atheists in Africa are not like how you like to paint them with a broad brush in the USA.
If you believe in the "supernatural" and have some kind of religious belief or practice, you are not an Atheist. Simple as that. Hence, majority...OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of people in Afirca are not Atheists, as the links I provided prove.
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You have thrown up and shot down many strawmen that do not apply specifically to me, yet you keep trying to associate me with Dawkins, Hitchens et al. I really do not need their opinions to shoot down your beliefs, I am quite capable of doing it all on my own.
And you keep trying to associate me with Nicene Christianity, when, clearly, I do not share their religion...you are an Atheists, and so is Dawkins and Hitchens, hence, you are associated with them.
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Oh and we do not have folk here in the streets handing out chick tracts or even folk doing door to door evangelizing.
Sounds like my kind of place. I once had some Jehova's witness come to my friends house, well...he tok his shirt off, blasted some heavy metal and drew an upside down cross on his head and opened the door saying "what?"
I then took off my shirt, walked up to him and said "honey...let's go back to bed!" I looked as gay as can be, which was the point (not that I have anything against gay people) and the fundies just had this shocked looked and ran away.
Evangelists can be fun when you learn how to mess with their heads.
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The town I stay in has 18 churches of a seating capacity ranging from 75 to 300, take that as a mean of 200 x 18 = 3600 and we are population in excess of 50,000. These churches are not even full on sundays so by the town stats I stay in, less than 2000 folk regularly attend church, most are irreligious and church for the majority is for weddings and funerals, tradition you know. In the cities, churches are shutting down and the percentages are likely less than country towns. Oh and the black folk have even less churches than the whites so methinks your stats are presumptuous as are they for the rest of the world.
BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!
Listen, there are few Christian churches in India, and that's cool, because they practice Hinduism, which is beautiful religion, and I hope they stay Hindu. Same with Taosim in China and Taiwan and Buddhism in Taiwan. All roads lead to Rome...and all faiths lead to the Ultimate Truth.
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Hell, the shops do not even make an effort with decorations over xmas like they used to do 20 years ago. Most do not even bother at all. Thank gawd we do not hear xmas carols in stores or even on the radio anymore. Real nice to live in a secular country.
I, as a Gnostic Christian, ABSOLUTELY DISPISE CHRISTMAS I HATE IT! I love Christ, even though he may be a fictional character, BUT EVERY TIME I SEE ONE OF THOSE TACKY NATIVITY SCENES, I JUST WANT TO SMASH THE BABY JESUS TO BITS WITH A BASEBALL BAT!
As soon as I get the money I'm going to start spending Christmas in Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan or some other Buddhist country, because Gnosticism and Buddhism are as much in common as hamsters and gerbils, and I can get away from the tackiness of that pagan holiday stolen by the Nicene Christians and turned into the worst holiday on Earth.
I place you in the same camp as xians as your roots are xian in most of your posts. If you are pro faith, then that infers a culture that theoretically practices the sacrifices of virgins to an idol god is also cool?
Of course Africa will reflect an xian bias wrt to a poll of the indigenous folk, Africa after all was settled by missionaries much like your USA pilgrims. Having discussed beliefs with blacks I work with, their views as to religiosity is NOT xian even though that is what they say (BTW I am not racist but we are still demographically in evolution, we are referred to as whites and they are referred to as blacks, even amongst politicians - all official forms of government still ask you to state your race)
But back to the topic, if god is merely a construct of your own mind/human condition, who do you pray to? Yourself?
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you are indeed a minority. 
Darwin is dead...so, is it just me, OR DOES THIS LOOK LIKE VENERATIONG! 
I HATE IT! I love Christ, even though he may be a fictional character, BUT EVERY TIME I SEE ONE OF THOSE TACKY NATIVITY SCENES, I JUST WANT TO SMASH THE BABY JESUS TO BITS WITH A BASEBALL BAT!
