[Offers] What religion are you?

[Deportivo Seagull]

I did read somewhere, that if intelligent life had existed on other planets long before humans came about here, then the galaxy should have been colonised by now.

Only if they come up with a form of travel significantly greater than light speed. Wormholes or some such.

Beetlejuice is, in terms of the cosmos, just around the corner and it’s about 725 light years away ....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

I never said that.

You may not but a very significant number of fellow believers do ....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[piersa]

I'm not sure which one of the 3,800 gods to pray to. It's such a mine field.

 

[beorhthelm]

I'm not sure which one of the 3,800 gods to pray to. It's such a mine field.

number 42.

 

[Igzilla]

The universe has an incredible order. Very specific rules that allows it to exist like it does... the laws of physics, chemistry and biology - life itself - are all apparently fine-tuned to allow for its, and our, existence. Even in an infinite universe, could such order occur without some kind of conscious influence? If you repeat something infinitely, if an outcome is impossible, it will remain impossible an infinite amount of times.

The rules of the universe are very specific, and universally useful, to the point that every physical law, every chemical element, has some kind of usefulness to allow for our existence... and when you also take into account the "miracle" of biology, or life itself, the chance of it happening the way it has - a perfectly designed universe to allow for our existence - a life that can flourish anywhere, and evolve to overcome any kind of hurdle... it seems that atheism requires as much faith, if not more, than theism.

So to answer your question, without the vast laws of the universe there would be no order, just pure chaos, where everything and nothing happens all at once. Perhaps the universe can only exist if there is a conscious entity to observe its order, laws and time. And maybe it did not come from nothing - maybe it always existed. As human beings, it easy to get obsessed over the concept of "beginning" and "end" - but in a timeless realm, it doesn't make sense for something to have "come from nothing", if it has always been.

Well of course the laws of the Universe seem very specific for life, because we are here. If they weren't conducive for life, we wouldn't be here. Our existence is no proof of a creator. In the multiverse hypothesis, there are an infinite number of universe's with an infinite range of laws of physics, ergo we just happen to be in one of the infinite universe's capable of sustaining life.

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

I’m an atheist.

However, unlike Richard Dawkins I’m not going to shit my pants if someone wants to believe in a God. He is a fundamentalist atheist and an arse.

The thing that always gets me when a Christian finds out that I don’t believe in God is that I have somehow offend them. I always thought it was a slur on God’s name (understandable) but I feel it’s more of a case that I might be right and they might be wrong. If that is the case then their main basis for life has just been severely damaged. The thought of being wrong is unacceptable and so they must convince me otherwise. If I admit that then they are clearly right and all is well in the world.

Being in a religion gives meaning to life, which is fine with me. It makes someone significant, a place in the cosmos. Me, I know I am of no consequence to the universe, I’m totally insignificant.
I understand this, I have no issue with this, i’ll try to life as morally correct as possible and try and get through it without being an ********.

For the record at my local rowing club there is a member who is a retired C of E vicar. A lovely man and the world is a better place for him being on it. Is it because he is a man of the cloth? Possibly but I suspect he would still be salt of the earth even if he was an atheist.

Generally the world is split into to halves. Those that try a live life as a decent human being or as an ********. In my experience religion or the lack of it has no bearing on which category you fall into. You are either an ******** or you are not.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[DJ NOBO]

Used to be in aN extreme Christian (effectively ) cult.
That Didn’t work out too well.
I don’t believe in God anymore.
I do miss having faith.
Don’t miss the daily brainwashing too much though.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I’m a Christian and Mrs Crodo is Catholic.

Does that mean you don't class Catholics as Christians?

Good point, well made

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I’m an atheist.

However, unlike Richard Dawkins I’m not going to shit my pants if someone wants to believe in a God. He is a fundamentalist atheist and an arse.

The thing that always gets me when a Christian finds out that I don’t believe in God is that I have somehow offend them. I always thought it was a slur on God’s name (understandable) but I feel it’s more of a case that I might be right and they might be wrong. If that is the case then their main basis for life has just been severely damaged. The thought of being wrong is unacceptable and so they must convince me otherwise. If I admit that then they are clearly right and all is well in the world.

Being in a religion gives meaning to life, which is fine with me. It makes someone significant, a place in the cosmos. Me, I know I am of no consequence to the universe, I’m totally insignificant.
I understand this, I have no issue with this, i’ll try to life as morally correct as possible and try and get through it without being an ********.

For the record at my local rowing club there is a member who is a retired C of E vicar. A lovely man and the world is a better place for him being on it. Is it because he is a man of the cloth? Possibly but I suspect he would still be salt of the earth even if he was an atheist.

Generally the world is split into to halves. Those that try a live life as a decent human being or as an ********. In my experience religion or the lack of it has no bearing on which category you fall into. You are either an ******** or you are not.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

This.

As I posted twice previously, Tony Benn, an athiest, and someone I did not like for reasons previously explained, made mincemeat of Dawkins on the radio when Dawkins was fulminating about christianity and Christians and Christmas by pointing out that Christmas is a lovely festival that celebrates giving and kindness and all the other great human virtues, with traditions and ritual that bring people, peoples and families together. He's right.

I have also embraced Danny Baker's dictum that Christmas can't start too soon, and the earlier yout put the deccies up and crack open a bottle of port the better.

We athiests really know how to enjoy life when we put our minds to it.

Anyway, this is a bit odd as a Crodo fishing wind up. Is the fellow losing his religion and shopping round for something new, pray?

 

[piersa]

number 42.

Thank you Mr Adams

 

[Eeyore]

Much of religious identity is so clearly a false cloak for cultural identity. The term 'Christian country' is an insult to faith. Christianity is a faith, a belief in Christ, born of a virgin, crucified and risen again. Unless you believe that you are no more a Christian than an atheist is.

The 2011 census had 59% of the population as Christian and 11% attending church. It doesn't add up. (I'm not convinced of the 11% either).

Politicians use the phrase to whip up the admiration of the Anglo-Saxon population. Very few of whom are Christians and, if so, should be horrified at its adaption. I've even seen 'Britain First' use it. What does that tell us ?

So it's like a playground out there. My God is better than your God. Or, better phrased, my cultural identity is superior to yours.

You cannot get rid of religion. It would destroy cultural identity. That's why people are so precious about their kids being in any other creative project than a nativity play.

Pursue your own truth. Faith is personal. And good luck. You'll need to get rid of decades of indoctrination first. And you may be a bit angry before enlightenment arrives.

 

[spence]

Non practicing christian

 

[dangull]

Well of course the laws of the Universe seem very specific for life, because we are here. If they weren't conducive for life, we wouldn't be here. Our existence is no proof of a creator. In the multiverse hypothesis, there are an infinite number of universe's with an infinite range of laws of physics, ergo we just happen to be in one of the infinite universe's capable of sustaining life.

There is no evidence for the multiverse theory. Its just something that someone has thought up to explain the fantastic odds that life can exist in the Universe.
Pretty much the same as having a religious faith.

 

[Surrey_Albion]

Technically, you're preaching your beliefs through your last post.

You just can't see the hypocrisy

Oh dear.... Are you trying to suggest athiesm is a religion/belief? If so i dont think you understand being atheist you dont have a beleif or religion so nothing to push onto others, athiest arent a cult if they were there would be a written beleif system and we would call it a religion.
What next from you , "gravity is only a theory" or " you cant prove there isnt a god"

 

[Eeyore]

Non practicing christian

How does a Christian practice ?

Are there teaching/coaching events ?

Forgive my flippancy, but a Christian is one who has faith in Christ and the gospels. There is no practice involved. It's black and white. You either believe or you don't.

 

[drew]

I find it very puzzling that people in the 21st Century (and for that matter the one before) can be very well educated but cling to the believe that there is some unseen force that has conscionable influence on their lives and that by submitting to that force in prayer can somehow change that influence to their benefit. And to cap it all, at the end they will drift off to some fantastic place for all eternity.

I understand the collective emotional support that people get from being part of a religious community but that doesn't mean that god is real!!!

 

[Igzilla]

There is no evidence for the multiverse theory. Its just something that someone has thought up to explain the fantastic odds that life can exist in the Universe.

That's why I called it a hypothesis. A theory is a description of a physical phenomenon proved by experiment and can also make predictions of phenomena not yet observed, but ultimately verifiable, such as the Theory of Relativity. A hypothesis is a precursor to it, but in the case for the multiverse, it's one direction of travel that current physics and cosmology is still investigating. To dismiss it as 'something someone made up' is fairly ignorant.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

I’m a Christian and Mrs Crodo is Catholic.

So does that mean you can use half of a condom?

 

[nickjhs]

Wow what a great result. Finally reason seems to be winning over superstition. Shame other parts of the world are not following suite.

 

[Gabbafella]

Religion is nothing but superstition and mythical nonsense. A magical zombie carpenter, a talking snake, some snide slag who gets pregnant with some other guys kid and tricks her fella into thinking it's the work of God, Noah was over 500yrs old (that's normal?!), Some invisible, imaginary old bloke can part and entire Sea with a blow of his nostrils.......whoever wrote this tripe must've smoked some serious burning bush that day.