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Because it's local. All it is is a consensus agreed upon by a group of people and, usually, perpetrated through the threat of violence should one decide to challenge it.
Most religions are based on a pretty smart set of rules designed to keep a society going but, eventually, through the personal greed or just plain madness of religious leaders, it gets perverted into a silly set of rules designed to keep the ignorant poor and the ones in charge rich.
Don't believe me? Ever heard of "the meek shall inherit the earth"? How about, "it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven." Don't even get me started on the Vatican and how every rule every pope has set forward since the invention of popes has been designed to keep the church in rule and gold.
Which, of course, leads us to god. The fact that this world has had and still has so many varying religions, each one with their own version of god and each god claiming that he is the only one and he can only be worshiped in the way that the prophet(s) advocating that religion say proves that he's not there. Think about it; how many times has god claimed to be vengeful against anyone who didn't follow his rules? EVERY TIME AND IN EVERY DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS TEXT!
And god used to be way more of a hands-on type of world manager anyway. He had chosen people that he would stop the day for so that they could win battles (yet, not the war, hmm...) and split the seas for so they could run away from slavery (yet made them wonder in the desert for 40 years because they messed up and looked up to a golden cow for a second. I think they should've pulled over and asked for directions) and destroy cities that offended him and flood the world when he wanted to start over (I love how creationists now like to say that this is how the dinosaurs became extinct when humans couldn't even have breathed the same air that the dinosaurs breathed but I'm digressing) and get chicks pregnant. Hell, he hasn't even sent in a single angel in the past two thousand years. Isn't he tired of being misquoted by everyone who's wrong? If he really loves us and wants us all to come to him then why doesn't he come down and show us which one is the right one?
Finally, I know that religion is wrong because of all the hate and all the death it creates. Hey, if you want to live bowing to some guy in the sky five times a day or all day Sunday, I don't care. If that's what it takes for you to be a law abiding citizen who lets me live my life however I want to (legally) live it, then that's cool. But where does it say in your book that you have to spread your message through war? And, if it does say it, then shouldn't you be questioning that message? Do you really think that a loving god would want you to kill another one of his creations just because their skin, their language and their customs vary from yours? That's not godly, is it?
What's wrong is you are not living a better life if you are religious.
Think about a typical Christian, that person is raised and taught to believe he got sins right from the birth. He will go to hell unless he prays, worship, repent ... pays ... is he saved? Well, no one is -- he is no exception. He may be told he got hopes that he has a chance not going to hell if he keeps doing what he's been told, that makes him feel loved by his heavenly father that forgives him ...
Does that sound like a good life to you? Or does it sound like a messed up life by some controlling human beings?
Hell, he hasn't even sent in a single angel in the past two thousand years. Isn't he tired of being misquoted by everyone who's wrong? If he really loves us and wants us all to come to him then why doesn't he come down and show us which one is the right one?
He has... now if you would just relax and read my posts... and the links I've been providing... then the light bulb will come on.
His angels have been here for 2009 years and counting... influencing us to turn our thoughts to higher spiritual things and many people have done and are doing that.
Here are two higher spiritual things to think about:
Make time for quiet moments as God whispers and the world is loud.
God whispers to our souls and speaks to our hearts.
What's wrong is you are not living a better life if you are religious.
Think about a typical Christian, that person is raised and taught to believe he got sins right from the birth. He will go to hell unless he prays, worship, repent ... pays ... is he saved? Well, no one is -- he is no exception. He may be told he got hopes that he has a chance not going to hell if he keeps doing what he's been told, that makes him feel loved by his heavenly father that forgives him ...
Does that sound like a good life to you? Or does it sound like a messed up life by some controlling human beings?
Sounds like a miserable life led by some controlling human beings.
He has... now if you would just relax and read my posts... and the links I've been providing... then the light bulb will come on.
His angels have been here for 2009 years and counting... influencing us to turn our thoughts to higher spiritual things and many people have done and are doing that.
Here are two higher spiritual things to think about:
Make time for quiet moments as God whispers and the world is loud.
God whispers to our souls and speaks to our hearts.
I guess you didn't get from my post that I've made up my mind.
Sounds like a miserable life led by some controlling human beings.
I'd be kinda tough to sound more miserable than your OP.
You are right...this world is run by religious fanatics that run roughshod over everything and everyone. I personally don't agonize it...but if I thought like you did I would conclude living in society just isn't worth it...and I'd just wander off into the wilderness and remove myself from the world society that is soooooooo horrible due to religious corruption. That is my suggestion...so the troubled can live a contented life. You will never be able to change how the world is...so that's a persons only choice to be contented and be able to shake their angst.
Finally, I know that religion is wrong because of all the hate and all the death it creates. Hey, if you want to live bowing to some guy in the sky five times a day or all day Sunday, I don't care. If that's what it takes for you to be a law abiding citizen who lets me live my life however I want to (legally) live it, then that's cool. But where does it say in your book that you have to spread your message through war? And, if it does say it, then shouldn't you be questioning that message? Do you really think that a loving god would want you to kill another one of his creations just because their skin, their language and their customs vary from yours? That's not godly, is it?
Gads. Another thread started by an angry atheist trying to justify his/her worldview. Making up pseudo theology and presenting it as "fact". Comical IMO. Strawman stuff.
But...airing one's views is a healthy excercise. So I guess it is good.
Because it's local. All it is is a consensus agreed upon by a group of people and, usually, perpetrated through the threat of violence should one decide to challenge it.
Few religions use threats of violence these days. Even in the case of Islam most Muslim countries, from what I recall, do not actually have laws against apostasy. Even those that have the death penalty for apostasy usually don't enforce it.
Even in the more violent era what often mattered, to Muslims or Christians, was public behavior. The laws were based on Christian or Islamic laws so declaring yourself not to be one or other was seen as a threat to the public good. I'm not justifying it, but it was the logic of a fearful people in an unstable age. Still in actual numbers the Spanish Inquisition at most killed 150,000 over three centuries. (This is assuming every person tried by the Inquisition was killed and that is clearly not the case) Horrible, but not exactly the Khmer Rouge or Nazi Germany.
Further many religions have always been pacifistic. The Jains, the Quakers, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatmancomics
Most religions are based on a pretty smart set of rules designed to keep a society going but, eventually, through the personal greed or just plain madness of religious leaders, it gets perverted into a silly set of rules designed to keep the ignorant poor and the ones in charge rich.
To some extent I agree with this. Although the part about intentionally keeping people poor and ignorant might be a tad exaggerated. Still movements, and maybe sometimes religions, do at times seem to enter difficult stages. In some cases they find that when their goal is reached they need new goals to maintain themselves. The new goals may diverge more and more from any kind of reality. Or they go in the opposite direction and simply merge with the existing establishment then lose anything valuable they had to say.
You see one or the other in the history of abolitionism, feminism, labor unions, etc. Jesus himself at least seems to speak of Judaism as having entered a period of rigidity that was no longer useful to the people or to God. Many of the things he said of the Pharisees of his day I think can be applied to clergy of many Christian denominations. Some of them are too prideful, expect more of others than themselves, and lack compassion. I don't think I expect more from others than myself, but I too can be prideful and cold and it bothers me some.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatmancomics
Don't believe me? Ever heard of "the meek shall inherit the earth"? How about, "it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven." Don't even get me started on the Vatican and how every rule every pope has set forward since the invention of popes has been designed to keep the church in rule and gold.
This is a caricatured view of Catholic history that comes close to true of certain eras, but is mostly false.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatmancomics
Which, of course, leads us to god. The fact that this world has had and still has so many varying religions, each one with their own version of god and each god claiming that he is the only one and he can only be worshiped in the way that the prophet(s) advocating that religion say proves that he's not there. Think about it; how many times has god claimed to be vengeful against anyone who didn't follow his rules? EVERY TIME AND IN EVERY DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS TEXT!
Judaism does not expect Gentiles to follow all of the rules. In the Old Testament one of the Persian kings, Darius I think, is deemed as serving God but Darius was never of Judaism in any form. Hindus and Zoroastrians certainly don't expect that. The gods believed in by Taoists and Confucians were largely specific to China and misfortune was more about being out of harmony with the Universe than the wrath of gods. In Christian history Virgil and Cicero were at times honored, despite both being pre-Christian pagans. Catholics recognize some will be ignorant of the laws and therefore in some sense blameless.
Many atheists nowadays repeat and regurgitate the words of their idols: Hitchins and Dawkins.
Such atheists as Hitchins and Dawkins have not invented the atheism, but they were encouraged by many organizations to collect every notion concerning the atheism and to organize it in some related books, to which much propaganda has been done by many agencies and parties.
In the past generation there were some other idols that many atheists did worship like Marks and Sarter in addition to Darwin their big idol.
So now wherever you go, you find the words of such atheists as Hitchins and Dawkins repeated in some way or another by many groups of atheists here and elsewhere.
This is deliberately done in organized way: the purpose is to frustrate God Almighty and Most Gracious.
As God - be glorified - said in the Quran 18: 56
وَيُجَادِلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالْبَاطِلِ لِيُدْحِضُوا بِهِ الْحَقَّ وَاتَّخَذُوا آيَاتِي وَمَا أُنذِرُوا هُزُوًا
The explanation:
(Those who disbelieve do only dispute with falsehood to disprove the truth, and they took – My signs [of revelation] and what they are warned of – as a jest.)
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