Yes, you don't believe in religion but you are OK with people who do, that makes you even more hard for me to understand if i'm honest.
Seems to me that the last hundered years all the wars have pretty much been fought for anything but religion and they have been the most destructive ones. WW1, WW2, Korean War, Vietnam, Invasion of Afghanistan (Russain one). Infact just off the top of my head i cant think of many wars that have been fought over religion in a loOong time, so i just dont get your point at all unless off course you are refering to the war on terror which is not a war by any definition.
Isn't that like saying "you don't like a willy up the bum, but understand gay people and i can't understand that"?
Just saying, can't people accept and understand other people and their ways, without believing/doing it themselves?
I think, what i've always believed, Sharma has hit the discussion where it matters. Let people believe, don't be an a-hole towards other peoples beliefs and in all basis, do what you do and let others do so too without any judgement.
its not like picking on someone for having black skin, which is totally different. because they do not have a choice to be born that way, therfore i believe its morally wrong to mock that.
So you carry on letting people believe in things that don't exist and letting them make decisions that affect themselves and others based on those beliefs... and I will from time to time stand up and object ok?
One thing I do have to say, which quite a bit of a grey area, is having world leaders making decisions for their countries based on religious beliefs.
It's a somewhat worrying situation that Bush is a born again christian for a few reasons, mainly because when you're in a position of power like that, I don't think it'd bode well if you attacked a country and said "God told me to" which iirc was the initial excuse he gave for Iraq?
If that's what you're on about Mojo.
Also common sense hardly applies to beliefs generally although it can affect judgement on a situation due to your style of thinking but I think human nature would react in quite a similar manner regardless of whether you're an atheist or not.
I'm not saying religious people shouldn't be given power in governmental situations, rather decisions shouldn't be allowed to be clouded by their beliefs.
Can you imagine the state of the US if the south had won the civil war? Slavery/white america/gays getting persecuted. It's a realistic situation mainly because of Christian Fundamentalists.
I highly doubt if you said you were gay to your average christian, they'd react by screaming you're going to burn in bloody hell with brimstone!
Stop basing your views on fundamentalist opinion, as I said, they're a small sect of fuckwits which take the bible to a literal extent where as to my knowledge, your average christian follows it as a guideline for a good life and passage into heaven, at least they can die in a peaceful manner - are you familiar with the saying 'thoughts of dying atheist' ?
It's commonly seen that when Atheists do come up to death, they begin bargaining with god irrespective of their life long belief of science - which is ironic in a sense.
I am and have always been a straight up atheist myself, but i'm prepared to be proven wrong - Einstein himself, yes, the epitome of science in the modern world was religious and yet he produced the most simple and yet powerful equation we know today.
Einstein was looking for God at work - although he never saw this, he was religious to his dying day.
So blatently if you think religious people are idiots, then you'd be calling the greatest mind the human race has ever seen an idiot.
I wouldn't call them idiots, deluded yes and yes I believe Einstein if he did believe in god to be deluded, but he wouldn't be the first great mind to have a touch of madness built in and this would not detract from his achievements.
My views are not based on fundamentalist opinion they are based simply on my inability and unwillingness to support and condone the constant perpetuation of what I can only describe as a lie, that largest most socially accepted lie know to man, a lie that it so socially accepted that it is supported and defended by people who don't actually believe in it, nothing more nothing less. I treat it no differently than fairies, dragons, Santa the easter bunny and the insane who think they can fly, talk to animals, walk on water, but of course if I said that educated adults who believed in one of the above were deluded no one would defend them to any where near the degree that they would defend religion.
We can argue that toss about whether religion is good, bad, ugly all day long but none of that will change the simple fact that it is completely untrue and I cannot condone, defend or support a lie of such magnitude just because it may be argued that it some cases and for some people its a good lie...when all is said and done it's a lie.
So you have definative evidence that there is no God?
Also why does it matter to you if someone does believe in a God? Surely its their right to believe if they wish to so long as it does not directly interfere with your life.
Dont start harping on about extremeists or fundamentalists. Thats a different arguement.
The people you are directing your views upon are the normal people who simply derive comfort from their religion.
If they aint bothering you then leave them alone.
Really dont understand what it is you are standing up and objecting too.
The irony of the situation is this:
The atheists bash religion for blindly accepting what they've read in a book.
Funnily enough this is the case with most atheists have done the exact same thing - They read a book about science they got from school/library/book store and have blindly accepted that this is the truth despite the fact that a lot of these people rarely understand the concepts behind it.
Suprisingly enough a lot of scientists these days are religious and are searching for the answer to these questions and are ready to be proven wrong provided they come across something which outright disproves their beliefs and yet at the same time also search for a reason to believe.
The atheists that state that their PoV is outright correct and religious people are lunies are incredibly hypocritical.
You can only ever have a debate when you understand both sides of the coin and it's quite blatent that a lot of people don't - which is a shame really because a debate over science vs religion without the outright "You're fucking nuts" attitude produces some incredibly interesting philosophical conversations and I love debating it.
I would have loved to take a more active role in this thread but it seems at large that a few just can't seem to let go of their views that religious people are idiots.
No, its more like saying crazy people think they can fly and you still let them jump from windows, why would you let them and say its OK because it's what they believe?
So you carry on letting people believe in things that don't exist and letting them make decisions that affect themselves and others based on those beliefs... and I will from time to time stand up and object ok?
Maybe I was referring to religions war on reason and common sense.
About your answer tris-, would you call a vegetarian stupid, or someone who exercises? How about someone playing games? It's their choice, as you said, and as such, should you be called an idiot for the things you choose to do?
yes if i thought it was stupid.
i would call someone doing a university degree in fashion an idiot, for example.
Mojo.......
While your on this crusade for what you feel is true are you gonna go round your local Primary school and tell all the kids that there is no Santa? The tooth fairy is a myth perpetuated buy vile parents and guardians set upon undermineing the rightious and superiour truth cultists like yourself?
If you dont believe in religion then its fine. So what? If it dont affect you then leave people alone. Essentially you are arguing over something that must ultimately mean nothing to you.
Only reason I can find for your inability to allow others their freedom to choose their faith is because you are sitting in your darkend room spitting phlem at the monitor because people DONT believe what YOU believe.
i would say you are completely intitled to tell people they are stupid, they can say fuck you or what they want - opinions are opinions. however i dont think people can be religious without being "fundamentalists" (in one way or another) but i do believe people can have beliefs (which i determine is different from being religious)
yay! i have a big bum!
Well not really what i was asking, as such, but fair enough.
But i think you also do realise, that people will, in such a case(when only thing "non stupid" is your way), think of you as an a-hole* or (enter word), and in all general way to look at things, it's quite true?
My way or the..you're an idiot way, just 'cause you don't like some activity?
Or do you see it as completely ok and nice?
I'm just asking, 'cause i don't mind people knowingly doing that, and knowing what they are doing. A-hole by choice if you will. That's FINE. I dislike people who are a-holes and think it's "normal" or a nice thing, or in some cases, a favor to other people.
Also, i would like to know how you feel if someone thinks something you do is moronic, idiotic, stupid, etc(add appropriate comments)?
*I use the term a-hole as a figurative word. Not saying you are particularly an a-hole, but also saying you're not very nice.
i dont care if someone thinks im an arse hole or if somehting i do is stupid. i dont really care what anyone thinks who isnt a close friend or family member. too much these days does everyone give a shit what others think, people need to get a girp and realise it isnt the end of the world.
i see it as completley ok to say what ever the fuck i want about anything i say something about.
People shouldn't think that much about what others think, it's true and i agree. Too much emphasis is put on it already. Look like this, do like this, it's not really right. But as you are KNOWINGLY judging others, can i ask, do you think it's helping or harming the situation that you're actively judging others and their decicions, on the whole matter of, people should think less about what others think?
If that makes any sense.