Poll: ReligiousBeliefs

[past_perfect]

After a life time of thought & experience, I have come to the conclusion that religion is mostly hype and hysteria, intersperced with brief, and intense, moments of lies and deceit. If this makes you angry, then you represent that which I find most objectionable about the myth of religion and religious dogma. If this makes you fell sorry for me, or pity me, then you are totally lost, and incapable of believing that which you profess to believe. If you believe in God and the religious myth, then you must by extension believe absolutely in Harry Potter and the myth of magic. They are philsophically exactly the same. Enjoy the day. I am, and will

Are you trying to tell us that Hogwarth doesn't exist? Heretic!

And welcome to the AH btw.

 

[DeeZire]

After a life time of thought & experience, I have come to the conclusion that religion is mostly hype and hysteria, intersperced with brief, and intense, moments of lies and deceit. If this makes you angry, then you represent that which I find most objectionable about the myth of religion and religious dogma. If this makes you fell sorry for me, or pity me, then you are totally lost, and incapable of believing that which you profess to believe. If you believe in God and the religious myth, then you must by extension believe absolutely in Harry Potter and the myth of magic. They are philsophically exactly the same. Enjoy the day. I am, and will

My sentiments exactly. However, I didn't check the 'agnostic' or 'atheist' box in the poll, because these are both categories, and I don't think you can categorize freedom of thought. Freedom of thought exists outside of any category.

However, if I were to pick a diety to worship, it would be pussy. Is there a word for that?

 

[epiphany65]

After a life time of thought & experience, I have come to the conclusion that religion is mostly hype and hysteria, intersperced with brief, and intense, moments of lies and deceit. If this makes you angry, then you represent that which I find most objectionable about the myth of religion and religious dogma. If this makes you fell sorry for me, or pity me, then you are totally lost, and incapable of believing that which you profess to believe. If you believe in God and the religious myth, then you must by extension believe absolutely in Harry Potter and the myth of magic. They are philsophically exactly the same. Enjoy the day. I am, and will

This reminds me of a saying I once heard: "If someone has delusional thoughts they call him crazy. If a group of people has delusional thoughts they call it a religion."

 

[epiphany65]

My sentiments exactly. However, I didn't check the 'agnostic' or 'atheist' box in the poll, because these are both categories, and I don't think you can categorize freedom of thought. Freedom of thought exists outside of any category.

However, if I were to pick a diety to worship, it would be pussy. Is there a word for that?

It's called Temple of Low Men.

 

[Safe_Bet]

To most, an afterlife means an existence or state where one is conscious, sentient -- where a part of us (the soul or mind) goes after death. The key to it is the "life" part of the word.

I believe an afterlife that you need to "qualify for" is what has created some of the most vile acts ever committed. That's why, I'm not a "most". I might believe in a higher power, but when you die, you are dead, kaput, dust, ashes, ghost farts, nothing.

I admittedly hate organized religions, but rightly so. The best survive on dogma and faith. The worst foster fear, hate and thrive by brainwashing. And yeah, I know what I'm talking about here. You see my parents and siblings were all "convinced' that to save their eternal souls (say fucking halleluiah) they had to denounce my marriage to Amy.

One Sunday they all got up in front of the congregation and disowned me, the person I love and my "abominations" (their ministers description of my two six year old daughters - not mine). Mind you that this isn’t some far out sect that speaks in tongues. This is one of the main protestant religions I’m talking about.

That's the kind, loving embrace you get from organized religion and that's why I say fuck each and every one of them!

 

[Stella_Omega]

I believe an afterlife that you need to "qualify for" is what has created some of the most vile acts ever committed. That's why, I'm not a "most". I might believe in a higher power, but when you die, you are dead, kaput, dust, ashes, ghost farts, nothing.

I admittedly hate organized religions, but rightly so. The best survive on dogma and faith. The worst foster fear, hate and thrive by brainwashing. And yeah, I know what I'm talking about here. You see my parents and siblings were all "convinced' that to save their eternal souls (say fucking halleluiah) they had to denounce my marriage to Amy.

One Sunday they all got up in front of the congregation and disowned me, the person I love and my "abominations" (their ministers description of my two six year old daughters - not mine). Mind you that this isn’t some far out sect that speaks in tongues. This is one of the main protestant religions I’m talking about.

That's the kind, loving embrace you get from organized religion and that's why I say fuck each and every one of them!

You're just a hatemonger. The fact that what you hate is honestly hateful and really does exist has nothing to do with it, it seems.

 

[Safe_Bet]

You're just a hatemonger. The fact that what you hate is honestly hateful and really does exist has nothing to do with it, it seems.

Yeah, guess I am. I wish I believed in hell cuz anyone who can call my two sweet kids "abominations" needs to be fucked with for an eternity.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Yeah, guess I am. I wish I believed in hell cuz anyone who can call my two sweet kids "abominations" needs to be fucked with for an eternity.

It's nothing personal, you know, it's just WJWD.

Right?

 

[shereads]

A distinction needs to be made between agnosticism and atheism.

 

[Varian P]

Atheist dumbfounded by the lengths and heights of human creativity and energy that's gone into religion through all history, across every culture. What a wacky species we are.

 

[Stella_Omega]

A distinction needs to be made between agnosticism and atheism.

That rarely happens in the religious mind.
The Catholic church considers Jesuits to be atheists.

 

[shereads]

That rarely happens in the religious mind.
The Catholic church considers Jesuits to be atheists.

It was easier for Kermit the Frog to be green than it is to be agnostic these days. There is no sin more universally despised than admitting we don't know something.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

It was easier for Kermit the Frog to be green than it is to be agnostic these days. There is no sin more universally despised than admitting we don't know something.

Well said. And, as an apathetic agnostic, I really just can't be bothered to worry about it.

 

[SlickTony]

I believe an afterlife that you need to "qualify for" is what has created some of the most vile acts ever committed. That's why, I'm not a "most". I might believe in a higher power, but when you die, you are dead, kaput, dust, ashes, ghost farts, nothing.

I admittedly hate organized religions, but rightly so. The best survive on dogma and faith. The worst foster fear, hate and thrive by brainwashing. And yeah, I know what I'm talking about here. You see my parents and siblings were all "convinced' that to save their eternal souls (say fucking halleluiah) they had to denounce my marriage to Amy.

One Sunday they all got up in front of the congregation and disowned me, the person I love and my "abominations" (their ministers description of my two six year old daughters - not mine). Mind you that this isn’t some far out sect that speaks in tongues. This is one of the main protestant religions I’m talking about.

That's the kind, loving embrace you get from organized religion and that's why I say fuck each and every one of them!

I doubt that everybody in any organized religion believes that. I can't imagine anybody, for instance, in my church, even among the most rabidly anti-gay, attacking children in that manner. My condolences on the loss of your family.

 

[Liar]

If there is a God, and he can't forgive me for not believing in him, then he's truly a petty bugger. And he shouldn't have given me a free mind in the first place.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

My team is OTHER.

I was a Christian until I read some books that totally destroy Jesus of Nazareth's claim for divinity. It's like someone trying to pass-off a shit pie as pumpkin. The taste and aroma give it up.

But I believe in a God. I suppose, technically speaking, that makes me a Jew...but I'm not giving up bacon and ham and ribs.

 

[rgraham666]

I don't know anything about God, Allah to Zeus, take your pick.

I don't believe anybody else does either.

So I'll stick to being an existential humanist.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

ROB

I know that its possible to experience God.

 

[Equinoxe]

Buddhism, for example, says nothing about there being a God, souls or Heaven.

It depends on what we mean by Buddhism, God, souls, and Heaven. Buddhism is a much more diverse religion than most things Westerners are familiar with (the differences between schools of Buddhism are considerably more vast and substantial than the often hair-splitting differences between Christian denominations, for instance), although less so than "Hinduism" (which is really a catchall term for any religious thought from India that isn't Buddhist, Jain, or Sikh).

If by Buddhism we mean the religion of the Pali Canon (more or less Theravada Buddhism), by God we mean an intelligent eternal being who was the First Cause, by souls we mean the immortal essence of a living being, and by Heaven we mean a place of eternal happiness to which the deceased go: there is no God (it would violate the three marks of existence), souls don't exist (they would also violate the three marks of existence), and there is nothing that could be considered "Heaven" (it would, again, violate the three marks of existence).

If by Buddhism we mean the religion found in other soi-disant Buddhist scriptures, some or all of those answers change. If by God we mean something else, some or all of those answers change. If by soul, by Heaven, etc. etc. etc.—it all depends.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

EQUINOXE

No doubt it appeals to asshats who insist it mean whatever they want....just like the dictionary and the Constitution.

 

[starrkers]

Add me to the "other" category. Tis late, I'll expound in the morning if anyone gives a damn.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

STARRKERS

You Ozzies need to get with the program and change to American time.

And stop encouraging your kids to feed the Petting Zoo to the crocs.