How could anybody believe in God

Why should he be modded?

Dang, its not cool to bash on religion. There are people who believe in it, try not to even think about that stuff. Look, life is what you make it. Life sucks right now because your not making it better for yourself, with respect to others of course.

My philosophy is," Whatever happens, happens, and if it did happen, it happened for a reason." That's what I believe. Look man, you don't have to believe to succeed. You just got to believe in what you think is the right thing to do, and live with it. Life is good, and it is short, so make it seem fun.

@thegerg: Not childish just truth. Guy thinks he will change ppls minds about religion? Nope, so why offend them?

@thegerg: lol, I call a spade when I see it.

Not really. Everything we know of aside from the human psyche is of physical nature and can be rationally and very convincingly be explained in terms of physical phenomena and theories. A physical and tangible phenomenon is simply explained with physical means.The human mind and everything that comes with it has no physical explanation because it is not of a physical nature to being with. I can agree that thinking, reason, memory, perception of physical pleasure and pain are all the work of chemistry. But I can never agree that creativity, emotions and arts are of physical nature. Why do we love? Why do we feel sad for the death of someone we care about? Why do we regret something that long passed? What is love, sadness, regret to begin with? Show me love, give me sadness, take away regret from me.

Its just irrational.

I don't need to mod anyone if i can just give verbal warning to step back. We don't want to be the type of people who you feel you have to be concerned about when voicing your opinions.

Everyone has every right to voice their opinion. In saying that, respect to the topics I mentioned earlier should always be present when discussing these topics. If the person refuses to heed the advice given, it can then be escalated but I don't see why I or any other mod should mute peoples voices.

@thegerg: lmao now you're just trying too hard to be cool. GTFO

Because some of the ToU require that. So I'd imagine if you aren't willing to enforce that....mod isn't for you. Note: in general...not talking about you specifically. But for instance if someone made racist comments...they would and should be modded. Though that is their voice.

People need to learn how to ignore people

@mystic_knight: That's cool. Funny how every day there's another topic here on hating religion lol.

The monarchical, traditional god as some sort of 'commander' who sits on a throne, judging, and reading everyone's thoughts doesn't make much sense to me.

But flipping it around to "we're all alone on this little rock, and the universe doesn't really give a damn about me" misses the point, as that kind of thinking suggests that we're all somehow separate from it all.

I see where you are coming from and in theory you are correct i should take the same action. But when it comes to religion not as definitive as issues such as race. Don't get me wrong I will take appropriate action if its required, but in this case the users I called out did a mild infraction where its worth just noting to them to take it easy. I believe people will work better and respect everyone when you approach them and discuss them in a civil manner. If you silence their voices they will just be more rebellious. :) Anyway i find it interesting to see people's opinions on the topic. Everyone just needs to be more respectful while doing so.

Well emotion/feelings are a result of biochemical interactions, but yes the question is why do they trigger that feeling. But most likely it can all be explained by reactions with in the brain

perhaps organized religion should stop being so easy to hate

Are the emotions the result.....or do they create the interactions?

Conventional neuroscience suggests that they are a result of the chemical reactions. For example, when someone takes MDMA, the massive release of dopamine triggers intense feelings of joy.

From a purely philosophical point of view, the concepts described above are difficult to pinpoint because we try and separate the feelings from the feeler (if that makes any sense).

I think we're taking a different approach to the word result. I don't mean we don't describe the emotion resulting from the chemical reaction.....I mean more or less we have a feeling that releases the chemical. Otherwise we wouldn't be so selective about love for instance.

There are examples of users on this site (ghoklebutter for instance) changing their beliefs quite drastically after being exposed to the community and discussions and debates regarding religion. It is very ignorant to think that everyone is set in their way of thinking and there is never any fluidity in what they choose to believe. People are learning new things all the time, and have to modify their ideas about life and the universe accordingly.

The only way we can reach understanding of other people's positions and ideas is by talking to them about them. Trying to stifle communication just makes the whole situation worse.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Best thing I heard in a while rofl. If OTs debates and discussions are capable of changing your belief system then I got news for you, you never truly had one. An actual belief system is much more complex than that, and anything attempting to influence or change it should be of a great intellectual and spiritual scale.

He has no answer to the questions posed, and the defense fields come up. Can't answer the questions...can't have productive dialogue, and instantly switch to "stop talking about my beliefs unless they are positive" mode. Nothing I said is moddable, but some people in here can't stand to have other viewpoints presented that call their own into question.

It's simultaneously stimulating the release of chemicals, while at the same time providing a regulatory feedback loop. So to answer your question, it's both, but it's happening simultaneously.

Thread is vague, what if you believe in god or gods and are not chirstian, jweish, or islamic? That htorws this thread out the window, shows it targeting a specific group, and makes the other groups seem like they are the lesser.

Ask him yourself.

Opening people's minds to different ways of thinking can only inspire them to learn more about them. That's the point of discussion. An increase of knowledge increases understanding, which invariably increases tolerance and accepting of the position of the other person as valid (which doesn't necessarily require agreeing with it).

LMAO, QFT

Because he holds beliefs and ideas that make @Braun_Roid_Rage uncomfortable.

@Jakandsigz: Its not like they're lesser people or anything, they're just not influential in politics or in the social order.

I'm not arguing with you about this, I fully agree with you. But I'm talking about the claim that OT can have such a profound influence.

Yeah they are. A lot of them. I know you don't think the Jews Cut in population is an influence on control. There are 4 religions 5 including Hindu, that have a larger cultural impact than them. Some even up near Islamic influence.

not only this, but far too many people get into 'debates' and only have them and the other person they are talking to on their mind. You aren't in a vacuum here, or anywhere online. There is an audience listening in, and perhaps even chiming in once in a while. You may not change the other person your talking to's mind, but someone on the sideline may change their mind, or at least give deeper thought into their views because of witnessing said conversation. I've seen it happen first hand far too many times to count.

I've had countless debates with people who I know will never change their view on, it's like talking to a wall....but I may keep going because there are others present, listening in.

haha nah bud, just would rather not discuss my beliefs online with an atheist. Nothing is gained either way, so it's pointless. Get it?

I'm talking about politics and social norms. What's Hindu influence on world politics or on social norms? Religions other than the Abrahamic ones are mostly passive ones that focus on the spiritual well-being of their adherents. Not that there is anything wrong with it, I'm just saying.

It wasn't OT, it was the people here he talked to opening doors to new ideas which he pursued of his own volition. You'll have to ask him for more details. You seem to like misrepresenting what I say and twisting it to mean something it doesn't. I never said OT religious debates are the sole reason why somebody would convert.

Nice one example. It seems more to me like you don't know and are assuming none else has any influence whatsoever so unless you can somehow show me your reason for this assumption it would be like talking to a wall. Otherwise you jumped for no logical reason and assumed something based on lack of knowledge.

That seems extremely closed minded. If you don't learn about someone else's position, then how can you have any sort of understanding of why they think the way they do? Or do you lack the skill of empathy and trying to see yourself in positions different from your own?

Abrahamic religions' adherents make 55% of worlds population and they spread, namely Christianity and Islam like no other religion ever. The U.S, the world's superpower, is greatly influenced by Christianity. The entire Middle East, one of the most strategic and resources-rich regions of the world, is Islamic. Do you know how much influence the Vatican and the Pop have? Can you imagine the number of people they can influence with a single preach? The same goes to Islamic nations and Muslims. If Al-Mufti in KSA made a fatwa (religious ruling), do you know how much it changes things in the region and for people all around the world? Do you know how big of a role Israel has in the Middle East, a region which is clearly the stage of today's most important and crucial conflicts. Do you know how much power the AIPAC has in the U.S?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Now I'd like to hear from you about the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism on world's affairs.

Easy now. You were at least inferring that, or at least that's how I got it.

Considering there are over a billion Hindus and at least 350 million Buddhists, I'd say their influence on world affairs has been quite substantial (the Dalai Lama and Gandhi much?). Especially considering those religions dominate Mainland, Southeast and East Asia by a significant margin. Abrahamic religions only hold significant sway over the Americas, Europe (not accounting for the stark increase in secularism) the Middle East and Africa.

smh?

Hinduism and Buddhism have a significant number of adherents granted, but the nature and teachings of those religions are of a non-influential political and social nature. They're passive religions that try and foster the well-being of the individual. They're only confined in Southeast Asia for the most part. They never managed to spread beyond that.

I'm not saying this in an attempt to undermine those religions or discredit them, I'm just trying to state reality, at least as I see it.

Speaking of people who need to learn about religious teachings and history, you are a prime example of this.

Both Buddhism and Hinduism have had very storied histories throughout Asia (you write it off as if it doesn't matter, despite holding more than half the total world's population, almost 3 billion of which are Hindu and Buddhist (the Chinese government suppresses religion, but most Chinese people have had Buddhist influence at some point in their lives, and Chinese history has been define by it).

And the well-being of the individual? Wow, you know dick all about either of them. Buddhism especially is the complete opposite of that doctrinally. It imposes an absolute sense of selflessness in it's teachings.

Both Buddhism and Hinduism have seen strong followings in the West over the past 50-70 years, and many prominent teachers have moved to the West to teach new adherents.

You make such glaring assumptions it's just sad.

The statement you've made about Buddhism and Hinduism fostering a sense of the well-being of the individual are entirely false. The philosophy is actually the opposite, and in figuring out that the individual doesn't actually exist at all in our conventional ways of thinking about ourselves.

Both schools of thought foster absolute selflessness, both in practice and in reality. They also have a growing following in the West, though the whole idea of 'following' something starts to dissolve the more you learn about Zen and Buddhist thought.

Well, even the rest of Buddhism and the Buddha himself was said to have taught that clinging to teachings and the desire to become enlightened are the hardest hurdles to overcome on the path to enlightenment. Zen is just a very highly distilled version of the rest of the various sects that focuses entirely on, what could be considered "forcing" (not a correct term, but what it pretty much boils down to) enlightenment to come about, rather than the long process of reading sutras, practicing meditation in a monastic setting and collecting alms.

Oh, no doubt. I would disagree that Zen focuses on 'forcing' anything though. Trying to force anything implies that there's someone forcing something.

Haha, yeah, that is why I tried to clarify. Though, beating someone over the head with a stick to foster enlightenment might seem to an outsider as "force".

@mjf249: there are aliens, there are ghosts, and there is a God. He made the universe, and we all live in it. Thats how i see it. What does he do in the universe? i dont reeally know, but he did make us, he is God.

I think that's why it's important to continue to travel onward and find out our origins, and the best way to do that is to continue to explore our galaxy and, in the future, other parts of the universe.

A Christian god might seem silly to any logical person, but the way we typically define "god" leaves that open to a lot of possibilities...it doesn't have to be associated with any religion.

The main point here being: There probably isn't a god; it doesn't really make any sense, it isn't logical, and literally falls into the "magic and fantasy" category...but even still, we just don't know for sure. So we should keep exploring the universe around us as time goes on to find answers.

And as for why a lot of people, even very intelligent, bright people in all other facets of their life, choose to believe in Christianity (or any other organized religion)...despite there being a lot of evidence against it...well, honestly, it probably helps them deal with life, and the fear of death. It's a very normal defense mechanism. I know that sounds awful, but faith in general, whether you like it or not...it's extremely important to the function of the planet. I wonder how many people would give up and want to stop living if there were ever a way to "prove" that a god doesn't exist. Would we really want that?

It's hard to say.

Which makes no sense considering God is an omnipotent being. I get it, you're trying to get your religion/faith to be more acceptable and in line with modern day science.

But why would God even need to use evolution in the first place? He's all powerful so he has the ability to create everything as is at a single moment. Then we have humans which are supposed to be his greatest creation of all, and we're also supposed to take after God in many ways. So what does he do? He uses 'guided' evolution to build his greatest creation, although he used a process that's left us with a myriad of vestigial appendages, redundant and most likely useless stores of DNA, and many biological systems which are inferior to other analogous systems found on life through out Earth.

God doesn't need to use evolution as a guide. If he did, it only means he's a bit sloppy and apparently didn't care about his most beloved creation.