OK. In the past 2 days I've had so many people come to me and tell me that I should pray for this and that God will do that and blah.

Well, I am athiest.
I'm a very nice athiest, but I'm athiest.
This seems to make people very angry, lol.

Yes, Christianity id probally the most popular religion on Earth, but not everyone is a bleeding heart Southern Baptist.

I guess all I'm asking in this thread is whether you all think that Religion should be pushed onto people.

I mean, I live a very good life. If someone asks me to bow my head for grace at the table I bow my head out of courtesy. If a preacher is talking to me about God I don't beat him down about how God doesn't exsist. Hell, I will stand there and talk to him about it, hoping to gain knowlage! Nor do I go around sacrificing goats to Bezelbub! I live my life. I feel confident that if there is a heaven and if I did beleive in God, I would be in Heaven when I die. However, all that said, it just doesn't fit into my beleifs.

So Should I be made to say "God Bless America" ? Should I have to attend church? I don't think so.

Also, why should I be made to beleive, and it offends people when I don't, without question and I'm supposed to never question anything. I mean, One reson I don't beleive in a God is that I'd rather keep an open mind. Not a single person on Earth is SURE that there is or isn't a God. Not one. Yes, you may beleive there is, just as I beleive there isn't.

But not a single living person can tell us who is right, so why persecute me for stating my thoughts when you cannot open your mind up enough to even consider another option?

Give me your opinion on this, Cus for years this has bugged the HELL outa me!

___________________
"Oh NO! It seems the world has been infected by a disease called shitty music.
We've had innocculations for some time now but the populace keeps refusing it.
You don't want it? Fine. Give me all the vaccine and a needle and I'll fucking overdose.
It'll be the best day of my life."

Last edited by SpykeChyld on Nov-05-2002 at 19:59

Religion is one of the worst things that has ever happened to human beings

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Alsof Het G*dverdomme Himmel Niks Kost!!!

i think the 'pushing' is what makes Christianity so annoying.

personally, i guess i would associate with it cause most of my fam has, alt my immediate family has never really been all that religious, but yah we celebrate Xmas and all that. i dont have a problem with Jebus, but i dont understand the mentality that everyone needs to be a part of Christianity or those that arent are going to hell and 'bad people'.

first of all, how do people that dont believe in hell go there? 'hell' is only the belief of the practitioners. and if so many other religious practitioners believe something else, how is hell real then? the only reason i dont criticize other religions is simply cause i dont know enough.

i think 'organized religion' as in the major groupings we have today are all flawed. of course, any connected belief in a God is 'organized' in a train of thot, but God is meant to be a way to find meaning in your life. i think its used as a crutch by many, and also over humanized. alt its not that we think of God as human, just that how could we, as humans, comprehend such a thing?

our major religions are creations of the human mind and nothing else. i believe you can be spiritual without having to feel bad about yourself all the time, and follow a bunch or rules set out for you 2000 years ago(if that old). imho|

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'That's like telling a Kodiak bear to stop fcking older men.'

quote:

Originally posted by biznology first of all, how do people that dont believe in hell go there? 'hell' is only the belief of the practitioners. and if so many other religious practitioners believe something else, how is hell real then? the only reason i dont criticize other religions is simply cause i dont know enough.

Thank you Biz! I have said this to people so many times!

I've been told that I'm going to hell. I mean, I don't say shit about other people's beleifs, they should let me have mine. But when I'm told I'm going to Hell, thats when I just stop caring and start pissing off some people! Exactly, how CAN you go to Hell if it's not there!?!?

And if I'm Buddhist, and I'm a good Buddhist, then I'm going to Buddhist Nirvana(exscuse please, I'm not up on my Buddhism) AND I'm going to Christian Hell!?!? HOLY SHIT! So wait...Hell is Taoist Heaven...Toaist Heaven is Satanist Hell...Satanist Hell is Buddhist Heaven...Buddhist Heaven is Christian Hell? Do I have it? ROFL.

___________________
"Oh NO! It seems the world has been infected by a disease called shitty music.
We've had innocculations for some time now but the populace keeps refusing it.
You don't want it? Fine. Give me all the vaccine and a needle and I'll fucking overdose.
It'll be the best day of my life."

The problem with religion is that it SHOULD be a guideline on how to live your life, not the basis of how you live your life. Essentially every religion has the same meaning, "Be a good person". And problems between religion are mostly a deffinition of what is "good".

I too am an atheist, and I live my life the way I see best. I mean, if Im a good person, I should go to any heaven, regardless of religion right? I dont need to hear about how Im going to hell not because I have done something bad, but because I ate a ham sandwich once, or I didnt declare jesus as my lord and savior. If god exists, I garuntee you, it cuts thru all the man-made bullshit of religion.

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[IMG]http://members.shaw.ca/adamwozney/sig.jpg[IMG]
edit sig- image 2 large please resize

Yes. Thank You.

Most think of atheism as some fire dancing Goat rasting shit. If you live a good life then if there is a diety, he will know. If there isn't a diety, then you havn't spent you life bowing in front of some wooden carving.

So far we have agreement all around. I was actually expecting a little more of an argument here!

___________________
"Oh NO! It seems the world has been infected by a disease called shitty music.
We've had innocculations for some time now but the populace keeps refusing it.
You don't want it? Fine. Give me all the vaccine and a needle and I'll fucking overdose.
It'll be the best day of my life."

If you are only a good person for fear of punishment in the afterlife, then you're not really a good person.

Religion is the bane of true thought, for faith and critical-thinking are mutually exclusive. But you don't have to take my word for it, simply observe the types of arguments you get from the religious right - if they had any less reasoning capacity, you wouldn't be able to tell they had a brain.

Okay, just for the sake of a debate I'll take the "other side" even though I too am an atheist. Nay, because I'm an atheist.

I just enjoy being difficult:

quote:

I guess all I'm asking in this thread is whether you all think that Religion should be pushed onto people.

I think it's important that we all believe what we want to believe. God wouldn't have given us free-will if he didn't want us to use it. Try not to think about us Christians as "thought police" who wish to force their world-view upon others, because nothing can be further from the truth. All we try to do when we "push" our thoughts upon others (as you described it) is to get our message out to people, and to spread the good news that Jesus has for every one of us. If you do not wish to give into the joys of Christianity, then it's up to you. No one can force you to believe anything. All we try to do is to do exactly what you're doing now - get our point across!

I'm sorry if some Christians you have met in the past have put you off the religion somewhat, but please be aware that we're not all like that. But you have to realise just how painful it is for us to see someone to turn away from Jesus in the things they do and the things they say. He loves you all a lot, and it hurts him when he has to send people to hell for not accepting him as Lord. We Christians like to think of ourselves as his messengers, spreading his word to anyone willing to listen. We like to think of humanity as one big family united under God, which is why we will try to save as many of our brothers and sisters from Earthly temptations - that serve only to drive us further away from God - as we possibly can.

Is it wrong to try and help someone from falling into the devils hands?

quote:

One reson I don't beleive in a God is that I'd rather keep an open mind. Not a single person on Earth is SURE that there is or isn't a God. Not one. Yes, you may beleive there is, just as I beleive there isn't.

If there's one thing I've learnt in my Earthly travels, SpykeChild, it's that sometimes you've just gotta have a little faith. Sure I can't prove to you that God exists, but that is because you approach God with a closed heart. I wish I could describe the happiness that I receive from my belief in God and Jesus Christ every single day that goes by. I would love for you to experience the world as I see it, but you can't unless you start listening to your heart more! In our society, we're so focused on our minds and our physical bodies, that we often don't stop to listen to what our soul is telling us. Listen to your soul, SpykeChild, and you too can be saved!

Sure God may not exist, but what do you have to lose by believing in him? If you die and you find out that he doesn't exist then you're in the same position that you were before. If, however, you die and you find out he does exist then you'll have all of eternity to think about what a good decision you made! Pretty good deal eh?

quote:

first of all, how do people that dont believe in hell go there?

Just because you can't see it, biznology, it doesn't mean it isn't there.

No matter how hard you try to close your eyes and cover your ears, trying to block God out of you life, he'll keep on existing and he'll keep on loving you! Let me tell you something, biznology: hell is real. If you choose to reject God, then the devil has won and you are doomed to exist forever in his evil presence. God loves you, and doesn't want you to fall into the evil hands of that lying creep! It doesn't matter whether it makes sense to you now, because all this is going on as we speak. People are dying and their souls are being captured by Lucifer himself.

Are you brave enough to let God save you from the devils grasp, biznology? Sure, it can be hard to see how all this could be true at first, but once you open your heart to God, you'll be able to feel everything that I'm talking about now.

THEN try telling me that none of this is real.

quote:

I mean, if Im a good person, I should go to any heaven, regardless of religion right?

Yes but how can you be a good person without having Jesus show you the way, Vanilla?

As much as I would like everyone to be saved and go to heaven, there is only one way to be saved from downstairs: through our Messiah, Jesus Christ. I'm sorry, but all these other messiahs like Buddha and Mohammad are just false prophets sent by the devil to confuse us people. But if you've read the Bible then you'll know all this already, and you won't be tricked by the devils evil lies.

Anyway, as Jesus said "I sense much promise in you all" (hang on.... or was that yoda? ). Regardless, I hope I cleared up the position of my faith, and I just want you all to know that from know on there will be a special place for all of you in my heart.

I will pray for each of you that, one day perhaps, you shall see the light and the glory of what I've been talking about.

God Bless.

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http://eschatonnow.blogspot.com/

quote:

Originally posted by Renegade ... Just because you can't see it, biznology, it doesn't mean it isn't there. No matter how hard you try to close your eyes and cover your ears, trying to block God out of you life, he'll keep on existing and he'll keep on loving you! Let me tell you something, biznology: hell is real. If you choose to reject God, then the devil has won and you are doomed to exist forever in his evil presence. God loves you, and doesn't want you to fall into the evil hands of that lying creep! It doesn't matter whether it makes sense to you now, because all this is going on as we speak. People are dying and their souls are being captured by Lucifer himself. Are you brave enough to let God save you from the devils grasp, biznology? Sure, it can be hard to see how all this could be true at first, but once you open your heart to God, you'll be able to feel everything that I'm talking about now. THEN try telling me that none of this is real. ...

you have exerCISED the demons! haha. i dont follow theological solutions to the problem of evil and the existence of God. im just too damn logical.

just cause i cant see it doesnt mean its not there, but just cause you believe it is doesnt mean it is either! late|

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'That's like telling a Kodiak bear to stop fcking older men.'

There was a time when religion filled the void of ignorance with pisitive messege but that was thousands of years ago. In todays world it's a monopoloy of a minority and the plague of the majority. It's exploited by governments to create division between human beings. It is a weapon of control and for all practical purposes it is very efficient.

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Courageous, untroubled, mocking and violent; that is what Wisdom wants us to be. Wisdom is a woman, and loves only a warrior.
--Friedrich Nietzsche

quote:

Originally posted by Illusion There was a time when religion filled the void of ignorance with pisitive messege but that was thousands of years ago. In todays world it's a monopoloy of a minority and the plague of the majority. It's exploited by governments to create division between human beings. It is a weapon of control and for all practical purposes it is very efficient.

did that division fall when Marx said 'religion...is the opium of the people.'

i dont think thats necessarily true, for the reasons Marx stated, but i think its a relatively interesting observation, if not true today|

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'That's like telling a Kodiak bear to stop fcking older men.'

quote:

Originally posted by biznology did that division fall when Marx said 'religion...is the opium of the people.'

Isn't the exact quote:

"Religion is the opiate of the masses"