Thread: Religion

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

To what extent do you follow religion.

In other words, are you educated and able to think for yourself or are you a fucking retard?

What does your first sentence have to do with the second?

Originally Posted by ALBOB

What does your first sentence have to do with the second?

I read it as "if you are religious you are retarded"

Originally Posted by 200+

I read it as "if you are religious you are retarded"

Yeah, that's the way I read it too. I'm looking for a clarification, just to make sure.

My grandmother is very religious and it's because of the era she grew up in, so I can't hold it against her or people in her generation for being religious. After all, for generations and generations, religion was passed down not as a reference but as a tell all/end all way to live your life.

If the birth lottery placed you in Iran, you're going to be Muslim. If the birth lottery placed you in Israel, you're going to be a Jew. If the birth lottery placed you in a Catholic Boston, you're going to be Catholic.

Well, it's 2010 and the times have changed. Westernized countries allow people to think for themselves without being forced into thinking something based off of who your parents are, where you were born/where you live, etc.

It might not be in my lifetime, but within the next hundred years, Religion will be extinct. It's early uses, to educate and keep people moral and in line are no longer needed. It's become something that it never intended to become.

So yes, you heard me right, if you're 30 or under and have given your life to religion, you're an idiot who isn't able to think for yourself. If you're in the 31-60 range, it's a gray area, where the world was ever changing - being religious, believing in a higher power, etc. is acceptable based on the era you grew up in, but ignoring scientific fact and believing wholeheartedly in all that is religion is unacceptable. If you're older, you grew up in a time period where everything that you believe in is based solely on your parents, friends, and families beliefs, in which case, being a jesus freak is acceptable.

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

My grandmother is very religious and it's because of the era she grew up in, so I can't hold it against her or people in her generation for being religious. After all, for generations and generations, religion was passed down not as a reference but as a tell all/end all way to live your life.

If the birth lottery placed you in Iran, you're going to be Muslim. If the birth lottery placed you in Israel, you're going to be a Jew. If the birth lottery placed you in a Catholic Boston, you're going to be Catholic.

Well, it's 2010 and the times have changed. Westernized countries allow people to think for themselves without being forced into thinking something based off of who your parents are, where you were born/where you live, etc.

It might not be in my lifetime, but within the next hundred years, Religion will be extinct. It's early uses, to educate and keep people moral and in line are no longer needed. It's become something that it never intended to become.

So yes, you heard me right, if you're 30 or under and have given your life to religion, you're an idiot who isn't able to think for yourself. If you're in the 31-60 range, it's a gray area, where the world was ever changing - being religious, believing in a higher power, etc. is acceptable based on the era you grew up in, but ignoring scientific fact and believing wholeheartedly in all that is religion is unacceptable. If you're older, you grew up in a time period where everything that you believe in is based solely on your parents, friends, and families beliefs, in which case, being a jesus freak is acceptable.

Civilizations have risen and fallen again and again, but religion keeps on going. I caught a pretty damn cool edition of Scientific American not long ago where they have pinpointed the god center of the brain. Most of us have genetic predisposition towards believing in a higher power. This area of the brain seems to serve just that purpose alone. Just like a math center for calculus nerds, or a writing center for story telling geniuses, we have are predisposed. The brighter way of looking at it is it gave human's one hell of an edge in the survival game at one time.


But, just like all of our other colorful attributes that causes mass scale suffering, it's time to let that part of ourselves go. In Alabama, I couldn't play a slot machine or buy beer because of some other person's hodgepodge of ancient neural circuitry getting in the way. Some towel head is willing to walk into a bus and murder hundreds of people because of it. People will let powerful men rape, murder, steal, and molest all because they fear to doubt their religion.

In this day and age if you follow a religion and believe that crap they serve up every sunday morning than you are an idiot. plain and simple.

I understand old people who have grown up with that shit shoved down their mouths and are now so close to kicking it that the belief that they will be going to heaven eases their fear of death. But any one under 60 who is not mentally retarded should see it for what it is, bullshit, lies, and the biggest scam of all time.

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

My grandmother is very religious and it's because of the era she grew up in, so I can't hold it against her or people in her generation for being religious. After all, for generations and generations, religion was passed down not as a reference but as a tell all/end all way to live your life.

If the birth lottery placed you in Iran, you're going to be Muslim. If the birth lottery placed you in Israel, you're going to be a Jew. If the birth lottery placed you in a Catholic Boston, you're going to be Catholic.

Well, it's 2010 and the times have changed. Westernized countries allow people to think for themselves without being forced into thinking something based off of who your parents are, where you were born/where you live, etc.

It might not be in my lifetime, but within the next hundred years, Religion will be extinct. It's early uses, to educate and keep people moral and in line are no longer needed. It's become something that it never intended to become.

So yes, you heard me right, if you're 30 or under and have given your life to religion, you're an idiot who isn't able to think for yourself. If you're in the 31-60 range, it's a gray area, where the world was ever changing - being religious, believing in a higher power, etc. is acceptable based on the era you grew up in, but ignoring scientific fact and believing wholeheartedly in all that is religion is unacceptable. If you're older, you grew up in a time period where everything that you believe in is based solely on your parents, friends, and families beliefs, in which case, being a jesus freak is acceptable.

Well I've been blessed to not have been born in any of those hellholes you mention; I grew up Catholic in CT... but I have to say, I am 100% with you.

It's good in that it helps develop a moral compass, and undoubtedly some people NEED it, but I see it as a crutch.

Just my $.02.

+1

YouTube Video

I could care less what religion someone is as long as they are not hurting you, me, or someone else. I think, it's funny how many people are anti this or anti that when it's not doing anything to hurt them.

Originally Posted by vortrit

I could care less what religion someone is as long as they are not hurting you, me, or someone else. I think, it's funny how many people are anti this or anti that when it's not doing anything to hurt them.

True. But religion hurts a lot of people, and as a human being, I have a problem with that.

Originally Posted by SYN

True. But religion hurts a lot of people, and as a human being, I have a problem with that.

I said as long as they are not hurting you, me, or someone else.

My parents made me go to church all the time when I was a kid and I hated it. However, I'm an adult now and can do what I want. I get sick of these people crying about how their parents made them go to church, etc., and they are anti-religion. Get over it.

If someone wants to spend all their money and time pouring it into their religion it's their own fault they can't find anything better to do. I just don't see how (in most cases) it's hurting me or you.

Originally Posted by vortrit

I said as long as they are not hurting you, me, or someone else.

My parents made me go to church all the time when I was a kid and I hated it. However, I'm an adult now and can do what I want. I get sick of these people crying about how their parents made them go to church, etc., and they are anti-religion. Get over it.

If someone wants to spend all their money and time pouring it into their religion it's their own fault they can't find anything better to do. I just don't see how (in most cases) it's hurting me or you.

I'm glad I was never made to go to church. I have family that is religious but it's something that was never pressured on me.

Originally Posted by KelJu

Civilizations have risen and fallen again and again, but religion keeps on going. I caught a pretty damn cool edition of Scientific American not long ago where they have pinpointed the god center of the brain. Most of us have genetic predisposition towards believing in a higher power. This area of the brain seems to serve just that purpose alone. Just like a math center for calculus nerds, or a writing center for story telling geniuses, we have are predisposed. The brighter way of looking at it is it gave human's one hell of an edge in the survival game at one time.


But, just like all of our other colorful attributes that causes mass scale suffering, it's time to let that part of ourselves go. In Alabama, I couldn't play a slot machine or buy beer because of some other person's hodgepodge of ancient neural circuitry getting in the way. Some towel head is willing to walk into a bus and murder hundreds of people because of it. People will let powerful men rape, murder, steal, and molest all because they fear to doubt their religion.

I'm really interested in this Scientific American because I don't believe it.

All along the reason we believed in a higher power is because we had no explanations for what the fuck was going on around us.

- A Volcano would erupt and there was no way to explain it.
- Rain would fall on your head and you had no idea what the fuck was going on.
- There were seasons, for a while it's scorching, and it gradually gets colder until.. shit.. you're using unexplainable shit to keep warm.

The list goes on and on. It makes sense why we believed all of this must have come from a higher power.

It should be viewed as growth. As learning. As beginning to understand the unknown.

It makes zero sense to me, as it does you, why an obedient person (well, for the most part) like yourself wouldn't be allowed to play a game or drink beer.

It makes zero sense to me how someone could misinterpret the message passed down from religions so wrong. There was this crazy lady protesting outside the busiest part of campus today screaming that fornicating is the devil - even this disgrace of a human makes no sense to me; it's as if she felt a stab wound to her heart with every male pelvic thrust inside of an unmarried woman.

It makes zero sense to me how the Catholic church can't do the logical, rational thing and understand that withholding sex is inhuman and results in insanity; we're actually lucky these people only anally reamed underaged sphincter, in hindsight. I watched an Intervention of this boy who told his parents that Father _________ raped him and the parents didn't want to cause an uproar or harm at the church so they took a financial settlement to withhold any charges. The boy took it as a slap in the face and eventually drank himself retarded and became an addict. There is no amount of money that I could be paid to not A. oust them in the community, take them to court, etc. or more importantly, B. go into the church and beat the fuck out of that old creepy insane bastard. How can these people not see the problem!? You're choosing religion over your own son and ended up ruining his life in the process - you're terrible parents, and terrible people. Not even terrible, just irrational and dumb.

Originally Posted by MyK 3.0

In this day and age if you follow a religion and believe that crap they serve up every sunday morning than you are an idiot. plain and simple.

I understand old people who have grown up with that shit shoved down their mouths and are now so close to kicking it that the belief that they will be going to heaven eases their fear of death. But any one under 60 who is not mentally retarded should see it for what it is, bullshit, lies, and the biggest scam of all time.

The notion of heaven and hell, or anything really, other than the fact that you'll be a dead carcass is ignorant.

This:

72 black-eyed virgins: Muslim debate on the rewards of martyrs - Likud of Holland

The Hamas movement educates the children in its schools, beginning in kindergarten, to believe that a martyr is given virgins in Paradise. Jack Kelley of USA Today visited Hamas schools in Gaza City, where he saw an 11-year-old boy speak to his class:
"I will make my body a bomb that will blast the flesh of Zionists, the sons of pigs and monkeys... I will tear their bodies into little pieces and will cause them more pain than they will ever know."
His classmates shouted in response, "Allah Akhbar," and his teacher shouted, "May the virgins give you pleasure." A 16-year-old Hamas youth leader in a Gaza refugee camp told Kelley, "Most boys can't stop thinking about the virgins."(19)

Along with the media, Palestinian Muslim clerics also help instill this belief. In an interview with the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram Al-Arabi, Palestinian Authority Mufti Sheikh 'Ikrima Sabri was asked what he felt when he prayed for the soul of a martyr. He answered:
"I feel that the martyr is lucky, because angels bring him to his wedding in Paradise... I spoke with one young man, who told me: 'I want to marry the black-eyed women in Paradise.' The next day, he died a martyr's death. I am certain that his mother was filled with joy over his heavenly wedding. Such a son is worthy of such a mother.'"

The suicide attackers who carried out the September 11 attacks also believed that 'the black-eyed' were one of the rewards awaiting them in Paradise. The letter of instructions found in Nawwaf Al-Hamzi's car mentioned 'the black-eyed' twice: "...Don't show signs of uneasiness and tension; be joyful and happy, set your mind at ease, and be confident and rest assured that you are carrying out an action that Allah likes and that pleases Him. Therefore, a day will come, Allah willing, that you will spend with 'the black-eyed' in Paradise... Know that the gardens [i.e. Paradise] have been decorated for you with the most beautiful ornaments and that 'the black-eyed' will call to you: 'Come, faithful of Allah," after having donned their finest garments."

In a review of the Egyptian press in the London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, the veteran Egyptian journalist Hasanain Kurum explained that Sheikh Tantawi knowingly gave a vague answer to the question, so as to avoid a scandal like the one created a few years previously by the late author and journalist Muhammad Galal Al-Kushk. Al-Kushk wrote,
"The men in Paradise have sexual relations not only with the women [who come from this world] and with 'the black-eyed,' but also with the serving boys." According to Kurum, Al-Kushk also stated, "In Paradise, a believer's penis is eternally erect."

Can you imagine how fucking stupid these people are?

Originally Posted by SYN

I'm glad I was never made to go to church. I have family that is religious but it's something that was never pressured on me.

Well, it was not that bad just going to church casually. I do feel sorry for kids who's parents push religion on them 27/7/365. If that were the case I might have a different opinion about it.

Originally Posted by Du

Well I've been blessed to not have been born in any of those hellholes you mention; I grew up Catholic in CT... but I have to say, I am 100% with you.

It's good in that it helps develop a moral compass, and undoubtedly some people NEED it, but I see it as a crutch.

Just my $.02.

I grew up a Catholic in MA, and I'm 100% with me.

Exactly. I got a lot out of it at one point in time, but I'm glad it didn't define who I was. My Dad was kind of an outcast for a couple years after getting divorced, even though other relationships within the family were far worse, simply because he was divorced. It's okay to hate eachother, never sleep with eachother, sleep with other people, etc. because you're not divorced. How could one's logic be so flawed?

God, love 'em

I go to church sometimes.I believe there is a god.I pin gear in my ass time to time.I'm no religious freak but I do believe.

What do you believe?

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

To what extent do you follow religion.

I am not religious. I do (out of curiosity) "follow" religious texts and their interpretations, such as the Old & New Testament, Quran, Talmud, Torah, etc.

IMO, these religions are man-made, and they borrow and outright steal from one another.

Christianity lifted stuff from the Egyptian religions, Zoroastrianism, and other elements.

In other words, are you educated and able to think for yourself or are you a fucking retard?

IMO (since you've asked), religions limit critical thinking and cause many people to do harmful things. We only need to look at history.

Christianity:

The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your Master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree...

Yea, makes perfect sense.



(Borrowed from somewhere...)

So now having faith, or believing in a higher power constitutes idiocy?

Without getting into a religious debate which ironically enough has to be the pinnacle of stupidity (I'm surprised you missed that when you made the thread), I will state that I am a believer. What I believe is sort of a moot point since the thread is addressing religion as a whole. I don't remember ever pressing my belief system on you, or beginning a thread insulting agnostic/atheistic beliefs or the intelligence of the people with that mindset. I am a very strong believer in being able to do what you want, when you want, and without having people all over you, as long as you aren't hurting anyone else.

That said, I graduated honor graduate from the US Air Traffic Control school. That particular school has a 75% academic washout rate, and I graduated at the top of the class. When (and this is a serious question) was the last time you even participated in something academically that had a 75% washout...let alone finish first in the class?

I no longer follow that career by the way, but it was still a nice accomplishment.

I have a good job, wonderful children, a hot girlfriend, nice cars, harleys and overall a good life. I like to think that I have received these things as blessings, but however you believe I got them, it certainly wasn't through stupidity.

So...TLDR? Your opinion (or anyones who mindlessly bashes someone for their faith) falls somewhere short of the bag boys at the local supermarket on my care-meter.

Grow up, and leave people to their own beliefs.

Originally Posted by jmorrison

So now having faith, or believing in a higher power constitutes idiocy?

Of course. If you don't believe other peoples beliefs or non-beliefs you are an idiot. Don't you know that?

That is sarcasm, by the way.

I used to as a kid until i came to the age of reason.


Question for you guys who don't.

Do you find yourself having a more skeptic view on things ?


If one thing religion has taught me is to question everything no matter what and form my own opinion uninfected by outside views.

To soxmuscle I do not follow a religion. But I don't believe following a religion makes you a retard either. It is in the same context that because blacks populate the jail system to the largest extent, then all blacks must be criminals.

Hate the person, not the beliefs. There are many well balanced, educated hard working religious people. People who will contribute more to our society than you or I.

Originally Posted by Big Smoothy

IMO (since you've asked), religions limit critical thinking and cause many people to do harmful things. We only need to look at history.

This is the biggest load of crock. There are many great scientist, who followed religion and were able to think outside of the religious context. People limit there critical thinking... not religion.

Might as well blame the gun for the murder, not the person for using it.

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

I'm really interested in this Scientific American because I don't believe it.

My Science Journals are DRM encrypted by audible, so I have no way to share them with you. I quick search did pull up these.

God In The Brain: Tumor Surgery Points Way to Brain's Religious Center - ABC News
Brain's 'God Spot' Hard to Pin Down

Interesting stuff. When electricity was introduced to the "God Center", spiritual believers all reported having an intense spiritual experience. I believe this is true, because I have caused myself to have intense spiritual experience, but I had to eat heroic doses of mushrooms to get there.

I think for myself, but with religion, I see that many are unable and at times I'll try to gain some interest for them to branch out and not be treated like cattle.


Like, having to amend to this and that, aka "Simon Says" and then you have to die to get heaven. Pity, most don't see that a vast majority of what these sorts are talking about and truly their intentions are creators of "hell" on earth. So, naturally they want you to die and think there is a better place.

nuff sed

Originally Posted by IainDaniel

This is the biggest load of crock. There are many great scientist, who followed religion and were able to think outside of the religious context. People limit there critical thinking... not religion.

Might as well blame the gun for the murder, not the person for using it.

I see your point, Iain.

But religion can - and has - and does - limit critical thinking, yes, because individuals and groups allowed it to.

Wars, persecutions, etc.

It was in the "name" of a god.....