09-09-2008, 07:12 PM
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...7743189197
Its a long video but if people would take the time to watch it it may open a few eyes. Organized religions are about power, control, and often $$$. If you want to individually express your spirituality and faith in something in your own private way, that's great, it probably will fill a void and may inspire you to a better life. If people with similar feelings get together as a community to worship or whatever, that's fine too, but its not for everybody and doesn't put you up on a higher level than say, atheists, or any other religion. Faith is personal, trying to argue with or convert others is not virtuous.
I think true atheists are more open than most people think, they basically do not believe in something for which there is no proof. They are not the same as satan worshippers, etc. not that I have anything against that either, I don't believe in god and thus I don't believe in satan either, personally. Atheists believe that humans can be innately moral without religious affiliation.
I actually think if you are moral because you just THINK IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO BE, is more commendable than doing it because you think it will get you into heaven or get you a zillion pretty virgins when you die, or what have you.
I was raised catholic- had to go to the classes until high school, did the whole baptism/confession/communion/comfirmation thing and by the time I was 10 or 11 it sickened me. My strongest feelings about god at that time was anger- that if he existed, he certainly didn't give a damn about all the suffering. And the whole afterlife promise does not make everything gravy in my eyes.
When you die your body rots and is absorbed by the earth. Does anything else survive, a soul? I'd LOVE to believe that, I don't want to just end and go black when I die, but I personally can't create some crazy scheme with no proof just to make myself feel better.
Oh, and I'm pretty "conservative" so I guess that makes me somewhat of a paradox in many eyes.
Its a long video but if people would take the time to watch it it may open a few eyes. Organized religions are about power, control, and often $$$. If you want to individually express your spirituality and faith in something in your own private way, that's great, it probably will fill a void and may inspire you to a better life. If people with similar feelings get together as a community to worship or whatever, that's fine too, but its not for everybody and doesn't put you up on a higher level than say, atheists, or any other religion. Faith is personal, trying to argue with or convert others is not virtuous.
I think true atheists are more open than most people think, they basically do not believe in something for which there is no proof. They are not the same as satan worshippers, etc. not that I have anything against that either, I don't believe in god and thus I don't believe in satan either, personally. Atheists believe that humans can be innately moral without religious affiliation.
I actually think if you are moral because you just THINK IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO BE, is more commendable than doing it because you think it will get you into heaven or get you a zillion pretty virgins when you die, or what have you.
I was raised catholic- had to go to the classes until high school, did the whole baptism/confession/communion/comfirmation thing and by the time I was 10 or 11 it sickened me. My strongest feelings about god at that time was anger- that if he existed, he certainly didn't give a damn about all the suffering. And the whole afterlife promise does not make everything gravy in my eyes.
When you die your body rots and is absorbed by the earth. Does anything else survive, a soul? I'd LOVE to believe that, I don't want to just end and go black when I die, but I personally can't create some crazy scheme with no proof just to make myself feel better.
Oh, and I'm pretty "conservative" so I guess that makes me somewhat of a paradox in many eyes.
Humans are not rational beings, they are rationalizing
Practice safe sex, do it in a Volvo ___________ "Shut up", he explained.