haunted

I'm sort of an agnostic freethinker at my core, and being so I think a lot about why it is we exist, so naturally, religion is an interesting topic I like to speculate on. I grew up and still live in a small, conservative, southern town where 95% of the people are southern baptist (the mean kind of Christians). I was born to atheist parents who did not pass biases onto me for either side. I tasted atheism, Christianity- I was "saved" and terrified of Satan as well as God), and it wasn't until this year, actually, when I turned 21, that I was able to mature enough to push Christianity aside and believe what I thought was right through personal experience and observation. I'm a born-again-atheist I guess, though I don't cast aside the possibility of a grand creator.

If I can be bold, it's completely apparent to me that none of the Gods of any religion have ever, or will ever exist. Zeus does not exist, Allah does not exist, and God does not exist in the way most people believe. The crippling flaws and contradictions of Christianity are undeniable to me. I can name a hundred people who are vastly more intelligent than me and still buy into this nonsense.. Is it that bad to just accept that we can't know everything?

Think where we would be in science if religion never existed, if ignorance towards the unknown was taught and accepted amongst the masses. Is it too late? Has religion spread like a plague amongst humans to the point of no return? 91% of American adults believe in God, apparently, so I guess I have my answer. Thankfully, science is free to be practiced and is mostly ebmraced nowadays. As it continues to develop we will begin understanding more and more of the universe's mysteries, and hopefully unravel the ties of religion. Along the way, surely we'll find there is even more to the universe than we thought, even today with the ideas of multiple dimensions and whatnot. We'll witness some strange events, things never-before heard of, which might produce a whole new concept of God and religion all over again. Ahh man, that's interesting stuff, too bad I'm only gonna be here another 60-70 years

brig

I feel the same. But, I can also appreciate that some need to feel that there is reason for life and all that happens within it. It gives them comfort, hope and guidance. It's unfortunate that a lot don't realise that you do not need religion for these things.

The An-Jel

A lot of people are in denial of the obvious on here. I am. Haunted it's just a matter of time whether we can know everything it's all a matter of application. Now in our lifetimes we might not know everything but your kids and kids and kids might know everything. Isn't that worth breeding for? They hence you might know peace.

__________________
"And let there be Light!" said the Blind man.

Life is simple, people make it complicated - Basilisk

Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti - Royal Gibraltar Regiment

stillcrazy

Is it that bad to just accept that we can't know everything?

That's what drives my wife crazy about me!!!!!
I want/need/have to know the Truth/answers..!!!!!!
It is a obsession or whatever,,,.....
I think it is because of my years of brainwashing, as the fear of the hell thing haunts me, even though I have researched the hell/god concept and know intellectually it is just a bunch of lies and BS!!!!!!!!!

jaej

Brainwashing is right.

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debdodd

I would have to disagree with your statement that "science is free to be practiced". Science has been forced to accept religious parameters in their research. Look at stem cell research, cloning, the list goes on but you see where I'm going .... as long as science does nothing to insult the religious faction then it's allowed to carry on.

Religion acts as a checks and balance for science .... during WWII in Germany we had our infamous doctors and scientist that used humans for their scientific research. They came up with cutting edge findings with their "studies" on humans .... had there been no religious uproar in the after math do you believe that their studies would have been condoned?

While I am not religious I do feel that religion serves a purpose in certain instances. For some who have no ability to control themselves .... religion does it for them .... gives them a moral code to live by, in some it instills fear for them to behave in a moral way, others it gives them a sense of purpose. Not all can embrace that you are born, you live, you die and that is all there is to it. Life is challenging and at times difficult, can you imagine those who are weak of spirit, if they had no God to pray to during tough times? If there was a sudden verifiable announcement to the world GOD IS DEAD THERE IS NO HEREAFTER how many people would loose hope, become suicidal, become rapist, thieves and murderers? This thought process and acceptance has to be gradual otherwise I believe we would live in a world of chaos and tyrants. We are not evolved enough for it to be otherwise. I don't know what the statistics are but there has to be an increase in the ratio of agnostics/atheist to the religious in today's society. There was a time when agnostics and atheist would have been either converted or killed. This social evolution is just going slower than what some of you would like. I let those who believe in God ... have their faith and don't see the necessity of trying to enlighten them. It will happen in it's own time. The more educated people become the less religion will be embraced.

__________________
"Ubi dubium ibi libertas."

"We are all lone souls. It pays to know humility, lest the delusion of control, of mastery, overwhelms. And indeed, we seem a species prone to that delusion, again and ever again ....."

haunted

Agreed. And point taken about science not being totally free to practice. Obviously much of science is going to defy what Christians believe and, as with stem cells, parts of science are thusly hindered by religion. But there are plenty of fields in science out there free to be studied, including crazy theories about strings and the origin of the universe. It's wonderful how free people are to practice science and think in their own, anti-religious way. It could be a lot better, obviously, since religion plagues much of the world, but be glad we didn't fall into a totalitarian Christian world where agnostics were burned and scientists killed for blasphemy, similar to how the world was centuries ago. This brings me back to the quote I began with, because it's becomming obvious to people that Christianity and religion are flawed as science matures, and it's only a matter of time until a great scientific revolution takes place.

__________________
Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.
-Andre Gide

debdodd

You're right it's only a matter on time ..... but that time can be thousands of years my friend and as far as I know none of us have that long to wait. I try and deal with the here and now .... religion is here, I am here ... they don't have to agree, just co-exist. Time will prove us right or wrong but in the end we will more than likely be dead before the answer is found so I'd rather be productive in society rather than finding out who's right and who's wrong. It's the great debate that has no answer now. Not knowing is fine for me. I don't have to "know" certain things to "believe" certain things. Let the religious have their illusions/delusions and I'll have mine.

__________________
"Ubi dubium ibi libertas."

"We are all lone souls. It pays to know humility, lest the delusion of control, of mastery, overwhelms. And indeed, we seem a species prone to that delusion, again and ever again ....."

haunted

I didn't mean to imply that I thought a revolution was around the corner. When I talk about people, I mean civilization as a whole, and civilization is still stuck in the God stage. Once we advance enough humans will come up with new ideas for explaning the world around us, not just believe an imagined being as the answer to all questions. I think we've come a long way with the discovery of natural selection. The day might not be so far away when the majority of people accept the logical truths within science, then religion will begin to crumble.

__________________
Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.
-Andre Gide

debdodd

No don't get me wrong .... I didn't think you were embracing that line of thought .... I just think it would better if we just let them have their illusions. Who do they hurt? I don't try and give people around me my beliefs it is an effort in futility. They will come to the truth at their own pace. They will see reality or get it "proven" eventually. Can you imagine a hard core believer dying and then find themselves in the ether world going WTF!!! Where are the virgins, the harps .... damn it .... I did all that for nothing ... who gets the last chuckle out of it ..... well, it doesn't matter dead is dead. I read on another thread where fewer and fewer are going to church ... so it's only a matter of time ....

__________________
"Ubi dubium ibi libertas."

"We are all lone souls. It pays to know humility, lest the delusion of control, of mastery, overwhelms. And indeed, we seem a species prone to that delusion, again and ever again ....."