What are you? Religious, Atheist, Undecide, or Other

[QUOTE="chopperdave447"] 1. you should not need a religion to get into "heaven" or whatever you call it. all you should need to do is be a good personEd_Cetera

All religioin does is take human opinions; it systematises them and "elevates" them in the realm of divine inspiration.

Even if there is a higher power, we have a huge part in the definition of "godd" in any religion.

[QUOTE="Ed_Cetera"][QUOTE="chopperdave447"] 1. you should not need a religion to get into "heaven" or whatever you call it. all you should need to do is be a good personTeenaged

All religioin does is take human opinions; it systematises them and "elevates" them in the realm of divine inspiration.

Even if there is a higher power, we have a huge part in the definition of "godd" in any religion.

[QUOTE="Teenaged"]

[QUOTE="Ed_Cetera"] And what provides the universal standard for being 'good", if not religion? alexside1

All religioin does is take human opinions; it systematises them and "elevates" them in the realm of divine inspiration.

Even if there is a higher power, we have a huge part in the definition of "godd" in any religion.

he asked what provides with a universal standard for being "good".

Since I believe that religion is structured around already existant human perception, any standard for being "good" would be one made up by humans themselves. Not something exterior.

Not of course that the possibility of an exterior factor doesnt exist, but we ourselves as a species had a great role in the formation of those standards.

[QUOTE="alexside1"][QUOTE="Teenaged"]Religion provides nothing 100% original.

All religioin does is take human opinions; it systematises them and "elevates" them in the realm of divine inspiration.

Even if there is a higher power, we have a huge part in the definition of "godd" in any religion.

Teenaged

he asked what provides with a universal standard for being "good".

Since I believe that religion is structured around already existant human perception, any standard for being "good" would be one made up by humans themselves. Not something exterior.

Not of course that the possibility of an exterior factor doesnt exist, but we ourselves as a species had a great role in the formation of those standards.

i don't believe in any religions, but i have a feeling there's some higher power, but not necessarily 'god'...just something. my family is muslim though and i still follow the rules, because i've been following those rules my whole life and it wouldn't feel right to just stop following them.

[QUOTE="Teenaged"]

[QUOTE="alexside1"] I'm not sure that's the question that he is asking. alexside1

he asked what provides with a universal standard for being "good".

Since I believe that religion is structured around already existant human perception, any standard for being "good" would be one made up by humans themselves. Not something exterior.

Not of course that the possibility of an exterior factor doesnt exist, but we ourselves as a species had a great role in the formation of those standards.

Of course one could misunderstand my use of the verbs "make up"/"create", so I'll clarify.

Even though those verbs do imply arbitrarity, I do not think that that arbitrarity is without limits. Our perception of good and evil stem from the world around us, so our "fabricated" standards although may vary they are still within the scope of the same "spectrum".

EDIT: /IMO

Typical of Gamespot that 54% of users are atheist. :lol:

I'm atheist towards any God that humans have ever concieved. As far as higher powers, well there could be advanced alien species out there that to us would be considered God-like, but as for omnipotent, omniscient, all powerful Gods as described by humanity, heck no. Just the idea that bronze age goat herders unraveled the mysteries of the universe via revelation is mind-boggling.

I mean would you trust bronze age medicine to save your life? How would bronze age Ideas work for providing the power needed to run a city? Or what bronze morality should we apply to a modern, non-homogeneous culture? None of it really applies today at all. Bronze age cosmology is a joke, those people had no clue how big the universe was and how unimportant this planet is.

Typical of Gamespot that 54% of users are atheist. :lol:

iginlawasup

[QUOTE="iginlawasup"]

Typical of Gamespot that 54% of users are atheist. :lol:

ScorpionBeeBee

[QUOTE="iginlawasup"]

Typical of Gamespot that 54% of users are atheist. :lol:

ScorpionBeeBee

I don't believe that says anything what the future will be like. People will still be killing, children will still be starving and worse. How can anyone say many younger people being Aitheist now bodes well for the future is beyond me.

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"][QUOTE="iginlawasup"]

Typical of Gamespot that 54% of users are atheist. :lol:

KHAndAnime

Heh I remember my high school days. I was a self-proclaimed "hardcore fundamentalist christian," even though I did accept evolution so +1 for my old self. I remember me and my friends always hating on gay people, saying they deserved to die because they were an abomination to the Lord. Funny thing was after I enlisted in the army I actually met some gay people for the first time and I couldn't bring myself to hate them anymore. It was like ok, this guy is gay should I want to kill him now or something? It all felt so silly, and I just accepted them as people.

Then I got out of the army and went to college down here in So Cal. It is pretty cliche but yes I had some great professors that really opened my eyes up to the world and how and why things are the way they are. I remember the mental agony I went through when I finally built enough courage inside to tell myself that I didn't believe in Jesus anymore as a man-God. That was a very difficult hurdle to jump for someone who was raised on classic fire and brimstone pentecostalism.

[QUOTE="iginlawasup"]

Typical of Gamespot that 54% of users are atheist. :lol:

ScorpionBeeBee

And that's when the world will fail. Nobody will have any tradition! Nobody will have any life or any soul! Nobody will have a point in life. What are you saying it's a good sign? Nobody will have any Morales. People will be doing things that are totally immoral. Nobody will hold the door for the old lady down the street! They won't care about her feelings because apparently nobody has a soul anymore! Who cares about the what the bible says! Believe in your own vision of a God who has some moral and tradition. It's about time? So now when your an old man, you will be could be shoved down the stairs, because nobody will have a conscious anymore! This is why the some countries like the USA don't have any tradition anymore!

[QUOTE="KHAndAnime"][QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"] Yes that is a good sign. Many younger people here on GS, so that bodes well for the future. Bronze age myths are going the way of the dodo, and all I can say is that it is about time! ScorpionBeeBee

I remember me and my friends always hating on gay people, saying they deserved to die because they were an abomination to the Lord.

Ok, so every Christian now hates Gays?

other

I beleive in something probably only I beleive and I´m kind of undecided because I change my thoughts about this "religion" a lot, to sum up in a simple way what I beleive is that the universe is a living creature, that living creature could be a "god" or just something like an animal and that there is a god but he doesn´t have unlimited powers like most religions think but sometimes I think he just doesn´t care about humanity anymore

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"][QUOTE="iginlawasup"]

Typical of Gamespot that 54% of users are atheist. :lol:

stepnkev

I don't believe that says anything what the future will be like. People will still be killing, children will still be starving and worse. How can anyone say many younger people being Aitheist now bodes well for the future is beyond me.

We don't fear the unknown in other races as much anymore, walls are being brought down and the value of a life has gone up considerably. Would you want to live in a more savage era with primitive medicines and none of the comforts of today? As religiosity goes down many of the mental barriers we erect to divide us from other groups atrophy and eventually go away. So yeah, less reliance on gods and more reliance on eachother for our well being is a great thing for our species.

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"]

[QUOTE="KHAndAnime"] Atheism is certainly going up, especially among the youngsters, but it depends where you live. In high school, of kids I've talked to (and have figured out their religion), I'd say about 80% of them are atheist. iginlawasup

I remember me and my friends always hating on gay people, saying they deserved to die because they were an abomination to the Lord.

Ok, so every Christian now hates Gays?

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"][QUOTE="iginlawasup"]

Typical of Gamespot that 54% of users are atheist. :lol:

KHAndAnime

"Atheist / Agnostic / non-religious "

Atheism != Agnostic / non-religious

As far as higher powers, well there could be advanced alien species out there that to us would be considered God-like

ScorpionBeeBee

Do these aliens tell you right from wrong? Do these aliens give you morals and tradition? Do they give you emotions? Who created them then if they are "Gods"?

[QUOTE="iginlawasup"]

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"]

I remember me and my friends always hating on gay people, saying they deserved to die because they were an abomination to the Lord.

Ed_Cetera

Ok, so every Christian now hates Gays?

Who created them then if they are "Gods"?iginlawasup

[QUOTE="iginlawasup"]

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"]

I remember me and my friends always hating on gay people, saying they deserved to die because they were an abomination to the Lord.

Ed_Cetera

Ok, so every Christian now hates Gays?

Yes that is true but I consider myself Christian but I do not think being Gay is a sin.

They have this saying "love the sinner hate the sinalexside1

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"][QUOTE="iginlawasup"]

Typical of Gamespot that 54% of users are atheist. :lol:

iginlawasup

And that's when the world will fail. Nobody will have any tradition! Nobody will have any life or any soul! Nobody will have a point in life. What are you saying it's a good sign? Nobody will have any Morales. People will be doing things that are totally immoral. Nobody will hold the door for the old lady down the street! They won't care about her feelings because apparently nobody has a soul anymore! Who cares about the what the bible says! Believe in your own vision of a God who has some moral and tradition. It's about time? So now when your an old man, you will be could be shoved down the stairs, because nobody will have a conscious anymore! This is why the some countries like the USA don't have any tradition anymore!

[QUOTE="alexside1"]They have this saying "love the sinner hate the sinEd_Cetera

Nobody will hold the door for the old lady down the street!iginlawasup

[QUOTE="iginlawasup"]Nobody will hold the door for the old lady down the street!Ed_Cetera

As an agnostic/undecided/confused/headache-d person I have held the door and offered my seat quite a lot of times. :P

[QUOTE="stepnkev"]

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"] Yes that is a good sign. Many younger people here on GS, so that bodes well for the future. Bronze age myths are going the way of the dodo, and all I can say is that it is about time! ScorpionBeeBee

I don't believe that says anything what the future will be like. People will still be killing, children will still be starving and worse. How can anyone say many younger people being Aitheist now bodes well for the future is beyond me.

We don't fear the unknown in other races as much anymore, walls are being brought down and the value of a life has gone up considerably. Would you want to live in a more savage era with primitive medicines and none of the comforts of today? As religiosity goes down many of the mental barriers we erect to divide us from other groups atrophy and eventually go away. So yeah, less reliance on gods and more reliance on eachother for our well being is a great thing for our species.

Have you seen what goes on out there these days?

Sure - many more people are treating homosexuals with fairness and like any other human being. Races are being treated fairly now as well. These are the goods things for which I am all for and I am still religious. Imagine that.

However, look on the news and you will see an entirely different picture. How many murders are being committed? How many crimes are being done? Violence is becoming more and more prevalent in society. How can you say the world is getting better? I am now over 40 years old and I can confirm the world has become worse over time. I remember growing up with my friends not being afraid to go out alone on Halloween night. Now the children still go out but there are many parents on the street as well. Our children need protection now because there are many out there who do no care about life. This is happening more and more now.

As an agnostic/undecided/confused/headache-d person I have held the door and offered my seat quite a lot of times. Teenaged

[QUOTE="Ed_Cetera"][QUOTE="iginlawasup"]Nobody will hold the door for the old lady down the street!Teenaged

As an agnostic/undecided/confused/headache-d person I have held the door and offered my seat quite a lot of times. :P

I'm Christian and I do that as well. :P

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"]

[QUOTE="stepnkev"]

I don't believe that says anything what the future will be like. People will still be killing, children will still be starving and worse. How can anyone say many younger people being Aitheist now bodes well for the future is beyond me.

stepnkev

We don't fear the unknown in other races as much anymore, walls are being brought down and the value of a life has gone up considerably. Would you want to live in a more savage era with primitive medicines and none of the comforts of today? As religiosity goes down many of the mental barriers we erect to divide us from other groups atrophy and eventually go away. So yeah, less reliance on gods and more reliance on eachother for our well being is a great thing for our species.

Have you seen what goes on out there these days?

Sure - many more people are treating homosexuals with fairness and like any other human being. Races are being treated fairly now as well. These are the goods things for which I am all for and I am still religious. Imagine that.

However, look on the news and you will see an entirely different picture. How many murders are being committed? How many crimes are being done? Violence is becoming more and more prevalent in society. How can you say the world is getting better? I am now over 40 years old and I can confirm the world has become worse over time. I remember growing up with my friends not being afraid to go out alone on Halloween night. Now the children still go out but there are many parents on the street as well. Our children need protection now because there are many out there who do no care about life. This is happening more and more now.

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"]

[QUOTE="stepnkev"]

I don't believe that says anything what the future will be like. People will still be killing, children will still be starving and worse. How can anyone say many younger people being Aitheist now bodes well for the future is beyond me.

stepnkev

We don't fear the unknown in other races as much anymore, walls are being brought down and the value of a life has gone up considerably. Would you want to live in a more savage era with primitive medicines and none of the comforts of today? As religiosity goes down many of the mental barriers we erect to divide us from other groups atrophy and eventually go away. So yeah, less reliance on gods and more reliance on eachother for our well being is a great thing for our species.

Have you seen what goes on out there these days?

Sure - many more people are treating homosexuals with fairness and like any other human being. Races are being treated fairly now as well. These are the goods things for which I am all for and I am still religious. Imagine that.

However, look on the news and you will see an entirely different picture. How many murders are being committed? How many crimes are being done? Violence is becoming more and more prevalent in society. How can you say the world is getting better? I am now over 40 years old and I can confirm the world has become worse over time. I remember growing up with my friends not being afraid to go out alone on Halloween night. Now the children still go out but there are many parents on the street as well. Our children need protection now because there are many out there who do no care about life. This is happening more and more now.

The news of course will cover negative news most of all. I thought thats common knowledge. There is no shortage of good in the world. Its just that people care to be "exposed" to the bad events in order to be alerted. To some that works moderately and other are overwhelmed. But that doesnt mean that the "evil" in the world is overwhelming good.

[QUOTE="Teenaged"]

[QUOTE="Ed_Cetera"] Somehow, my atheism is not stopping me from holding doors for the elderly. I must not be fanatical enough. stepnkev

As an agnostic/undecided/confused/headache-d person I have held the door and offered my seat quite a lot of times. :P

I'm Christian and I do that as well. :P

[QUOTE="stepnkev"]

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"] Well its like this. Despite what many people say, the world as a whole is getting better, as far as inter-human relationships. The average value of a human life is orders of magnitude higher than it was say during the dark ages, and even more so than bronze age times and before. Things you could get away with 3000 years ago would be looked upon with abject horror now in industrialized societies. No I'm not saying that war, disease, famines and other assorted maladies do not exist, but with the real advances in communication people around the world are coming to the conclusion that we are all one species from the same planet.

We don't fear the unknown in other races as much anymore, walls are being brought down and the value of a life has gone up considerably. Would you want to live in a more savage era with primitive medicines and none of the comforts of today? As religiosity goes down many of the mental barriers we erect to divide us from other groups atrophy and eventually go away. So yeah, less reliance on gods and more reliance on eachother for our well being is a great thing for our species.

Ed_Cetera

Have you seen what goes on out there these days?

Sure - many more people are treating homosexuals with fairness and like any other human being. Races are being treated fairly now as well. These are the goods things for which I am all for and I am still religious. Imagine that.

However, look on the news and you will see an entirely different picture. How many murders are being committed? How many crimes are being done? Violence is becoming more and more prevalent in society. How can you say the world is getting better? I am now over 40 years old and I can confirm the world has become worse over time. I remember growing up with my friends not being afraid to go out alone on Halloween night. Now the children still go out but there are many parents on the street as well. Our children need protection now because there are many out there who do no care about life. This is happening more and more now.

It's happening more. I'm not that old. We still had TV, Radio, mail, etc.

[QUOTE="stepnkev"]

[QUOTE="Teenaged"]True.

As an agnostic/undecided/confused/headache-d person I have held the door and offered my seat quite a lot of times. :P

Teenaged

I'm Christian and I do that as well. :P

Just joking with ya. I agree. Not having religion doesn't mean your a bad person. :) Anyone can hold the door open or give their seat up for someone.

"Other"

I don't care, I don't give a **** about anything religious and I don't spend my time thinking about it.

[QUOTE="Ed_Cetera"][QUOTE="stepnkev"]

Have you seen what goes on out there these days?

Sure - many more people are treating homosexuals with fairness and like any other human being. Races are being treated fairly now as well. These are the goods things for which I am all for and I am still religious. Imagine that.

However, look on the news and you will see an entirely different picture. How many murders are being committed? How many crimes are being done? Violence is becoming more and more prevalent in society. How can you say the world is getting better? I am now over 40 years old and I can confirm the world has become worse over time. I remember growing up with my friends not being afraid to go out alone on Halloween night. Now the children still go out but there are many parents on the street as well. Our children need protection now because there are many out there who do no care about life. This is happening more and more now.

stepnkev

It's happening more. I'm not that old. We still had TV, Radio, mail, etc.

I remember watching the news when I was 10 (not that I intended to) and it was majorly different than what it is now.

The media also use bad news for the shock value. For some reason, a person would rather watch news that show all the evil in the world than news that show both good news and bad news equally. The media have realised that. They want the viewers ratings to go up, and thus they give the people what they want. More coverage on attrocities, overdramatisation (epic music in the background, anchor man script sounding like Galadriel in the intro of LotR etc) etc.

[QUOTE="rawsavon"][QUOTE="Ed_Cetera"]I understand that. We just disagree on homosexuality being a sin.Ed_Cetera

I understand that. We just disagree on homosexuality being a sin.Ed_Cetera

we ALL have sinful lifestyles...each one of us -If I am married and have lustful thoughts = sin, etc....sin, sin, sin all day...that is all we dorawsavon

[QUOTE="ScorpionBeeBee"]

[QUOTE="stepnkev"]

I don't believe that says anything what the future will be like. People will still be killing, children will still be starving and worse. How can anyone say many younger people being Aitheist now bodes well for the future is beyond me.

stepnkev

We don't fear the unknown in other races as much anymore, walls are being brought down and the value of a life has gone up considerably. Would you want to live in a more savage era with primitive medicines and none of the comforts of today? As religiosity goes down many of the mental barriers we erect to divide us from other groups atrophy and eventually go away. So yeah, less reliance on gods and more reliance on eachother for our well being is a great thing for our species.

Have you seen what goes on out there these days?

Sure - many more people are treating homosexuals with fairness and like any other human being. Races are being treated fairly now as well. These are the goods things for which I am all for and I am still religious. Imagine that.

However, look on the news and you will see an entirely different picture. How many murders are being committed? How many crimes are being done? Violence is becoming more and more prevalent in society. How can you say the world is getting better? I am now over 40 years old and I can confirm the world has become worse over time. I remember growing up with my friends not being afraid to go out alone on Halloween night. Now the children still go out but there are many parents on the street as well. Our children need protection now because there are many out there who do no care about life. This is happening more and more now.

I've found out I can't really put any label on myself by definition, so "Other"

[QUOTE="rawsavon"]we ALL have sinful lifestyles...each one of us -If I am married and have lustful thoughts = sin, etc....sin, sin, sin all day...that is all we doTeenaged

[QUOTE="rawsavon"]we ALL have sinful lifestyles...each one of us -If I am married and have lustful thoughts = sin, etc....sin, sin, sin all day...that is all we doTeenaged

[QUOTE="Teenaged"]

[QUOTE="rawsavon"]we ALL have sinful lifestyles...each one of us -If I am married and have lustful thoughts = sin, etc....sin, sin, sin all day...that is all we doalexside1

I dont agree with the view of the Original Sin. That we are all born sinners. I find that view to be just a dogma stemming from a pessimistic view about humanity.

[QUOTE="Ed_Cetera"][QUOTE="rawsavon"] That is fine...you just can't assume that all Christians have a ill will toward gay people...they are just people, same as me My best friend when I was a teacher was gay...it is not like most Christians sit around and talk about people's sinsrawsavon

Isn't the word "Sin" and the meaning just a religious ideology? I'm Atheist and I know the difference between right and wrong and apart from that it comes down to sociecty to say what is considered right and wrong.

[QUOTE="Teenaged"]

[QUOTE="rawsavon"]we ALL have sinful lifestyles...each one of us -If I am married and have lustful thoughts = sin, etc....sin, sin, sin all day...that is all we dorawsavon

I personally when I sit down and try to figure out how such a perception could be born, I cant help but think that its yet another dogma stemming from a pessimistic view about humanity.