People grow up and stop believing in Santa Claus

[theflyingpig]

The only good thing about religion is its ability to control the minds of fools. Those who are too foolish to think for themselves fall into the trap of religion and are meant to be controlled by those who know better. That is why so many believe in religion. The masses were meant to be ruled by those who are more intelligent. Those are the people who control and distort religion for their own purposes. The fools that follow them are to stupid to realize the truth. This is human society. Everyone knows this.

 

[StageLeft]

The only good thing about religion is its ability to control the minds of fools. Those who are too foolish to think for themselves fall into the trap of religion and are meant to be controlled by those who know better. That is why so many believe in religion. The masses were meant to be ruled by those who are more intelligent. Those are the people who control and distort religion for their own purposes. The fools that follow them are to stupid to realize the truth. This is human society. Everyone knows this.

And yet there are many of faith who would make a joke out of you in any intellectual discussion at all in any topic, literally I'm sure millions of them. Forget the idea that all people of faith are bumbling idiots with no education or ability to critically look at a topic. Until you can appreciate that you are willingly ignorant of them.

Seriously, how old are you? Judging by your pride in your gaming computer, I'm guessing mid to late teens, maybe early twenties.

You've got another 60 to 70 years to keep dealing with living life. Let's see if you have this same opinion half a century from now. Do you believe technology will always be there to comfort you? And that you will always continue to be comforted by technology?

I agree with this. As people go through life their experiences and views will change. It is no great surprise to see young adults eschew anything that is not directly in front of their face and hold everything else to a damning black or white. It has been this way for a long time.

 

[Fear No Evil]

Its amazing how many 'atheists' find faith as they are about to die. I've only met 1 person in my life thats ever pretty much said 'Thats it, there's nothing' when they were on their death bed. I'm sure there is a group of people like that, but I bet its like 1% of the population.. the rest of us say 'Oh god help me/us' when we are about to meet our maker. I'm guessing of the 1% that actually say 'We'll, I'm fucked', 99.99% of them when they get to heaven, if there is one, don't refuse admission.

I consider myself an agnostic.. I really don't believe the Christians/Jews/Muslims/Budhists/etc's interpretation of god is accurate.. but I think there is something of a god out there, even if its just the collective 'energy' of everything that lives.. who the fuck knows.. I don't.. nobody else does.. But if there is some greater power out there, I hope it looks after me in some way..

Honestly, I don't see how religion is much different than how many people seem to worship 'mother earth'.. Its all the same damn thing.. most people believe there's something out there, nobody knows what it is, so they make up shit to explain the unexplainable. I think religions are somewhat backwards, but I don't believe believing in a higher power, being, thing, force, energy, or whatever is.

 

[JSt0rm]

Its amazing how many 'atheists' find faith as they are about to die. I've only met 1 person in my life thats ever pretty much said 'Thats it, there's nothing' when they were on their death bed.

really? So you sit next to all these death beds and can make a statement like that?

Spirituality is hard wired into our evolution, religion is the control of that. A creature self aware of its own death but with no concept of a greater purpose would go insane.

There IS nothing...but go on believing in something. It's natural. A true atheist will not try to influence that natural balance - they are just aware of the reality. Very few people know this.

 

[theflyingpig]

Its amazing how many 'atheists' find faith as they are about to die. I've only met 1 person in my life thats ever pretty much said 'Thats it, there's nothing' when they were on their death bed. I'm sure there is a group of people like that, but I bet its like 1% of the population.. the rest of us say 'Oh god help me/us' when we are about to meet our maker. I'm guessing of the 1% that actually say 'We'll, I'm fucked', 99.99% of them when they get to heaven, if there is one, don't refuse admission.

Oh? An how many atheists death beds have you been at? One? Two? Why not admit the truth that your so-called statistics are just made up nonsense and you don't know what you're talking about. Throughout history there have been many Gods, and many of them are long forgotten. The same will happen with the Christian God. Hopefully, though, humans will have evolved a little and come to realize there is no God, and that all religion is the pursuit of foolishness. In time, it will happen. Everyone knows this.

 

[soccerballtux]

Oh? An how many atheists death beds have you been at? One? Two? Why not admit the truth that your so-called statistics are just made up nonsense and you don't know what you're talking about. Throughout history there have been many Gods, and many of them are long forgotten. The same will happen with the Christian God. Hopefully, though, humans will have evolved a little and come to realize there is no God, and that all religion is the pursuit of foolishness. In time, it will happen. Everyone knows this.

With no God there is no rational basis for morality.
The universe does not care whether Hitler gets to exterminate millions or not. Nor does it care that "humanity" exists, or ceases to exist, for that matter. So "it's for the survival of the species" doesn't count either.

 

[nageov3t]

who cares? it's hard to rationalize faith if you've ever experienced it.

if they find comfort in God and their beliefs don't impact your life (like the vast majority of religious people who *aren't* trying to legislate their beliefs), why do you give a shit what they do on Sunday mornings or with their families around the dinner table?

 

[totalnoob]

With no God there is no rational basis for morality.
The universe does not care whether Hitler gets to exterminate millions or not. Nor does it care that "humanity" exists, or ceases to exist, for that matter. So "it's for the survival of the species" doesn't count either.

Fallacy of Division

The fact that human actions might be irrelevant "to the universe" does not make them irrelevant or inconsequential to us.

 

[Nemesis 1]

Actually science explains a great deal about the natural world while religion describes nothing. Why would you favor a belief system with zero explanatory power over one with tremendous insights into how the world (and universe) actually operates? Science doesn't have all the answers, but the fact that it is incomplete does not justify a leap into irrationality. Imperfect knowledge should not be an excuse to throw up your hands and waste your life blindly worshipping an unknowable being that exists "outside the universe".



EPIC non-sequitur of the year.

Actually scripture tells us much about the world . Your problem is you don't comprend what you read. Just like the Xmas stories about Christ birth . If You read scripture you would Know that the Messiah couldn't have been born on Dec25. Dec 25 is just a date were as the sun after stalling for three days on its southern journey now is moving N. To overcome the darkness of winter nights . Easter is the Time when the Day has resurrected and overcomes the night. But if you like the Wise men following the star story good for you , But those 3 wise men are stars that point to the reversing of the SONs (sun) direction in the heaven. They Align perfectly on the 25 of dec. And point directly at What???? Thats why 12/21/12 is so important to the decievers of the world . The 21st of dec is the longest night of the year and has gained over the light. But on the 25 the direction reverses and the sun truimps in the Spring and in june completely dominates the darkness. Dec 25 is a religious holiday but who's Satan claws should help you out.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Actually scripture tells us much about the world . Your problem is you don't comprend what you read. Just like the Xmas stories about Christ birth . If You read scripture you would Know that the Messiah couldn't have been born on Dec25. Dec 25 is just a date were as the sun after stalling for three days on its southern journey now is moving N. To overcome the darkness of winter nights . Easter is the Time when the Day has resurrected and overcomes the night. But if you like the Wise men following the star story good for you , But those 3 wise men are stars that point to the reversing of the SONs (sun) direction in the heaven. They Align perfectly on the 25 of dec. And point directly at What???? Thats why 12/21/12 is so important to the decievers of the world . The 21st of dec is the longest night of the year and has gained over the light. But on the 25 the direction reverses and the sun truimps in the Spring and in june completely dominates the darkness. Dec 25 is a religious holiday but who's Satan claws should help you out.

Erm, I hate to tell you this, but the reasons the days of modern easter and christmas fall on the days they due is because of the Romans. When you have a large population that already celebrated those days due to the equinoxes and tell them they are now christian what do you think they are going to do. Keep on celebrating them by making them christian holidays.
The rest of your post I couldn't make heads or tails of.

 

[EndGame]

It's considered normal to some day realize that Santa Claus isn't real; so why do people continue to believe in religion? It has the same degree of implausibility as believing in Santa Claus, yet people take the make believe seriously?

And then there's the alternative.......people such as yourself. People whom act and think they are smart and intellectual but actually are quite the oppisite. I'll take the religious whom do so for their own reasons and do not judge others over you and those similar any day.........

 

[roboskier]

With no God there is no rational basis for morality.
The universe does not care whether Hitler gets to exterminate millions or not. Nor does it care that "humanity" exists, or ceases to exist, for that matter. So "it's for the survival of the species" doesn't count either.

Why is it that a god is required to have morals?

 

[Mr. Lennon]

With no God there is no rational basis for morality.
The universe does not care whether Hitler gets to exterminate millions or not. Nor does it care that "humanity" exists, or ceases to exist, for that matter. So "it's for the survival of the species" doesn't count either.

Firstly, I would pull your head out of Ben Stein's ass.

Morality has existed in our species long before the bible was written. Morality is just one of the many traits we as humans have relied on for the survival and reproduction of our species.

 

[MotF Bane]

Actually scripture tells us much about the world . Your problem is you don't comprend what you read. Just like the Xmas stories about Christ birth . If You read scripture you would Know that the Messiah couldn't have been born on Dec25. Dec 25 is just a date were as the sun after stalling for three days on its southern journey now is moving N. To overcome the darkness of winter nights . Easter is the Time when the Day has resurrected and overcomes the night. But if you like the Wise men following the star story good for you , But those 3 wise men are stars that point to the reversing of the SONs (sun) direction in the heaven. They Align perfectly on the 25 of dec. And point directly at What???? Thats why 12/21/12 is so important to the decievers of the world . The 21st of dec is the longest night of the year and has gained over the light. But on the 25 the direction reverses and the sun truimps in the Spring and in june completely dominates the darkness. Dec 25 is a religious holiday but who's Satan claws should help you out.

You fail.

 

[Red Dawn]

You fail.

At least his medication fails.

 

[soccerballtux]

Fallacy of Division

The fact that human actions might be irrelevant "to the universe" does not make them irrelevant or inconsequential to us.

No, it doesn't matter if we care or they are of consequence to or affect us. We die and are forgotten. Also, I did not say that they are irrelevant or that the decisions do not affect us.

 

[soccerballtux]

Firstly, I would pull your head out of Ben Stein's ass.

Morality has existed in our species long before the bible was written. Morality is just one of the many traits we as humans have relied on for the survival and reproduction of our species.

Not talking about whether it exists or not. I'm talking about whether our use of it is consistent with an atheistic world view.

 

[brandonb]

If God can exist forever with no beginning, why not the universe (or a natural process that creates universes)?

Do you see how statements of this kind nullify human reason? Cognition is thrown out the window when you start discussing infinity and things existing "outside" space and time itself. Science makes no claim to knowledge of what existed before the big bang. Religion on the other hand claims they know EXACTLY what happened..They know exactly how the universe was created. and even more --they know what the creator is THINKING..What he wants you to do..how he wants you to act..what he wants you to eat, who he wants you to have sex with, etc, etc. Every assertion based on claims of supernatural knowledge is immediately null.

This conversation always ends up in a discussion about the origin of the universe, and your logic always is presented.

The laws of science, as we know them today, with electrons, protons, quarks, anti matter, etc. It all follows a very simple rule. All the matter in the universe has been there since the dawn of time. It just changes form. To create an atom, you take electrons from one atom, and move it over to another, and the objects changes form. Nothing new is being created, it just transforms.

The big bang which creates all this matter from nothing goes gainst the laws of science as we know them today. To believe in the big bang where matter came from nothing takes just as much faith as does people who believe in God. It's a religion and you guys don't even realize it. The only difference, is that one believe in a supernatural being, the other one believes in "science" with no creator. These faiths are both good and bad for the world in their respective ways.

God to me is space and time. God created our science and our laws. God created our physical laws, but also our spiritual laws. Never has my God told me exactly what I need to do with my life. It's my choice in what I do. Even in the Christian bible it says you have free will.

However, I can look at the laws God created. Without any of the hocus pocus. Our physical laws: Men are supposed to reproduce and have sex with women. The species is setup that way. I don't need a God to tell me that, I can use my brain to figure it out on my own. Religion doesn't need to brainwash me to make me realize that's what I'm supposed to do.

God also gave me spiritual laws: A soul, a conscience. You ever watch the cartoons on Saturday morning where you have a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. That's not God on your shoulders, or the devil. It's your soul telling you what is right or wrong. You just instinctively know... People have certain instincts of right and wrong, and have certain abilities to do things, even though evolution would tell you it's the weakest choice to make, and goes against survival of the fittest. If it was a weak trait, why have we been evolving for billions of years and still have these things intact? I believe those are the laws God gives to you, you just have to see it and acknowledge it.

For me, I am Christian because I believe in a God. I don't take the Bible for face value, I believe God is more than it. I do believe that some men are more intune with God and understand him better than others. Those men that have had visions or describe him are Saints. But can they be wrong? Yes. Are some of the stories in the bible probably wrong? Yes. But it's not about the book. It's about seeing a bigger picture.

I was an athiest until I was 27 years old. I talked to a Priest, a very smart one, and he explained to me what God is. He made me listen to my spiritual side, my soul, and no matter how much my brain was telling me "No no no." My spiritual side felt totally neglected by my athiesm and I knew in my soul that I was wrong. I started listening to it, and now "Get it." It's hard to explain, but the feeling is like going to school and always struggling at a certain subject like Math, you just can't figure out this Algebra, and one day the teacher just comes to you and explains to you, and this light bulb turns on. Then you understand and you feel much better. That's called an epiphany. Thats what happened to me, and I would not trade it in for the dark days of Athiesm once again.

Sorry OP. I know I'm backwards, but I would never give it up.

 

[YoungGun21]

Its amazing how many 'atheists' find faith as they are about to die. I've only met 1 person in my life thats ever pretty much said 'Thats it, there's nothing' when they were on their death bed. I'm sure there is a group of people like that, but I bet its like 1% of the population.. the rest of us say 'Oh god help me/us' when we are about to meet our maker. I'm guessing of the 1% that actually say 'We'll, I'm fucked', 99.99% of them when they get to heaven, if there is one, don't refuse admission.

I consider myself an agnostic.. I really don't believe the Christians/Jews/Muslims/Budhists/etc's interpretation of god is accurate.. but I think there is something of a god out there, even if its just the collective 'energy' of everything that lives.. who the fuck knows.. I don't.. nobody else does.. But if there is some greater power out there, I hope it looks after me in some way..

Honestly, I don't see how religion is much different than how many people seem to worship 'mother earth'.. Its all the same damn thing.. most people believe there's something out there, nobody knows what it is, so they make up shit to explain the unexplainable. I think religions are somewhat backwards, but I don't believe believing in a higher power, being, thing, force, energy, or whatever is.

I thought that if one doesn't believe they automatically go to hell? So tell me, how could they possibly refuse admission to heaven?

This is exactly how backwards religion is. People can't even follow their own book.

 

[Zstream]

Fallacy of Division

The fact that human actions might be irrelevant "to the universe" does not make them irrelevant or inconsequential to us.

So what does constitute as a act of kindness or act of evil?

 

[nageov3t]

I thought that if one doesn't believe they automatically go to hell? So tell me, how could they possibly refuse admission to heaven?

This is exactly how backwards religion is. People can't even follow their own book.

you realize that all religions are different, right?

 

[ProfJohn]

How about "People grow up and stop believing that the government can give you something for free'

 

[Zstream]

who he wants you to have sex with, etc, etc.

Look, I would be glad to debate with you but the last sentence is what most of you "non" believers think. You believe the Church or whomever puts limits are restraints on what you believe is fun.

I could go on a list of things which I bet you are OK with. In fact any rule or regulation brought down by anyone with a religious authority you would rebel against it.

Reason for you doing this? Plain and simple, no one should judge you. No one should put a limit on your "free" spirit. You should not have an obligation to someone else. Anything that might bring you down is an abomination to humanity.

For these people I have little to no respect for :thumbsdown:

 

[fskimospy]

How about "People grow up and stop believing that the government can give you something for free'

Nice troll PJ. Go back to bed.

 

[fskimospy]

Not talking about whether it exists or not. I'm talking about whether our use of it is consistent with an atheistic world view.

Why wouldn't it be? The set of morals that are (generally) accepted by most societies greatly contributes to the functioning of society and are values that in a broad sense make our lives better and easier to live. Maybe you are confusing atheism with nihilism?

Did you ever stop to think that maybe we created our gods as the arbiters and enforcers of these morals instead of the other way around? Seems like they would be an awfully handy tool for that.