Atheists are more interested in Religion than most Religious People - General

[QUOTE=CatFodder;32527258]Many atheists, including myself, were once religious and so have a good knowledge of how religion works.[/QUOTE] Being "religious" doesn't mean you actually understood it. I would say most religious people would admit they didn't truly understand their beliefs until they were at least into their 20s.

[QUOTE=sgman91;32527846]Being "religious" doesn't mean you actually understood it. I would say most religious people would admit they didn't truly understand their beliefs until they were at least into their 20s.[/QUOTE] I personally think that people should be irreligious until they are old enough to make their own decisions about their faith, but I can understand that this is impractical, bordering on impossible. Parents will always want to pass on their opinions to their kids.

[QUOTE=AK'z;32526703]It's interesting how Hinduism and Buddhism have next to no arguements. That's because most of the things they have to say apply to modern science (the world being uncreated) as well as society. There ethics are more in terms of [I]how[/I] you live your life and how you think.[/QUOTE] Hinduism is (in theory, not so sure about in practice) a really nice religion because their teachings aren't intended to be rigid and absolute. And I'm sure much less of it is taken literally. I have a lot of time for hinduism. As for Buddhism, I also have a lot of time for it because it's so individualistic. While there are a lot of very strict teachings (however these teachings are in theory not to be forced upon you: you have no absolute obligation to follow the eightfold path), it's all about SELF-enlightenment; not conformity to some bullshit dogma. Obviously there's no doubt a huge amount of dogmatic hindus and buddhists but at least its roots are a lot nicer than any abrahamic religion. Of all religions I've read on, Taoism is by far the most close to home, in my opinion. It's very much parallel to buddhism but with a very satisfying nihilistic touch. I'd definitely recommend reading Tao Te Ching if you care for eastern religion - look for the J H McDonald translation because all of the other ones I've seen are incredibly awkward to read.

[QUOTE=deaded38;32526394]I do, actually. I may not be the Christian in which you atheists think all of them are, but I am still a Christian. You may be wondering, "How is this guy a Christian?". The answer is simple. Now, I may not have read the Bible. But I do know that the Bible has many quotes from people in history. These people claim they saw Jesus come back to life and many other things. I believe in history more than I do science because history is more accurate than some scientific answers we have today. So, I do believe that I have at least some things to say in a beliefs discussion.[/QUOTE] That's adorable but wrong in every way possible. The Bible (If you're assuming that the quotes are real and not folklore) is a collection of quotes from ancient people's who thought the Earth was flat. It has been translated multiple times, in and out of dead languages, at the request of different rulers like Kings and people claiming to be prophets and religious leaders, and there are even MULTIPLE VERSIONS because of disputes between religious leaders who wanted their own version of God to be the real one. If you're so naive to ignore the fact that there have been countless errors in translation and manipulations of the original texts by patriarchs and religious leaders that bent the stories to their will in an attempt to secure power and trust within their people's, you have no place in a discussion about religion. [editline]28th September 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Kinglah Crab;32527750]there's a reason i post it in threads with a bunch of circlejerking facepuncher atheist nerds, you know[/QUOTE] Is it because you're incapable of forming a cohesive thought or argument so you resort to calling people nerds and making the same post over and over pretending that you're above everyone else?

No most religious people spend at least 2 hours a week in church. The most an atheist will do is make a quick joke on the internet about religion. Basically you see an atheist on the internet say how they don;t like religion and you assume thats all they do all day.

The issue with this is, you're not necessarily an Atheist to begin with. As a child, I was Catholic, until I began questioning the actions of the Catholic church and the teachings. Which lead to me to research further into religions. My knowledge of multiple religions and their principles is the reason I am an Atheist. Furthermore, knowledge is a desirable commodity. If more religious people researched religion, I think you'd find there'd be more Atheists as a result.

The Bible has more evidence then any other ancient document. (History of the Gallic Wars, Herodotus' History, Josephus' History, and even Shakespeare's plays) All of these are used as fairly authoritative on their individual subjects even though the historical, archeological, and documentary proof is laughable in comparison with the Bible.

[QUOTE=sgman91;32528074]The Bible has more evidence then any other ancient document. (History of the Gallic Wars, Herodotus' History, Josephus' History, and even Shakespeare's plays)[/QUOTE] No it doesn't whenever a historical event is told that happened in the bible it has either only been told years later in reference to the bible or something so general that it doesn't really count. There is nothing on the flood or the jews freeing themselves from the egyptians.

[QUOTE=Kopimi;32527957]That's adorable but wrong in every way possible. The Bible (If you're assuming that the quotes are real and not folklore) is a collection of quotes from ancient people's who thought the Earth was flat. It has been translated multiple times, in and out of dead languages, at the request of different rulers like Kings and people claiming to be prophets and religious leaders, and there are even MULTIPLE VERSIONS because of disputes between religious leaders who wanted their own version of God to be the real one. If you're so naive to ignore the fact that there have been countless errors in translation and manipulations of the original texts by patriarchs and religious leaders that bent the stories to their will in an attempt to secure power and trust within their people's, you have no place in a discussion about religion.[/QUOTE] No. See, you completely ignored where I was going with those lines of text I have been posting. I clearly said somewhere else that I am not a Chrisitian that follows the Bible to heart. If somethings are scientificly proven, then I will go with it. I think that some things in the Bible weren't correct. As stated though, you don't have to believe everything in the Bible to be a Christian. If I did, however, I would be a Christian extremist. Which I am clearly not.

[QUOTE=deaded38;32528621]No. See, you completely ignored where I was going with those lines of text I have been posting. I clearly said somewhere else that I am not a Chrisitian that follows the Bible to heart. If somethings are scientificly proven, then I will go with it. I think that some things in the Bible weren't correct. As stated though, you don't have to believe everything in the Bible to be a Christian. If I did, however, I would be a Christian extremist. Which I am clearly not.[/QUOTE] AKA your a Christian with good intelligence. [editline]28th September 2011[/editline] I can respect that, very much so.

[QUOTE=J!NX;32528638]AKA your a Christian with good intelligence. [editline]28th September 2011[/editline] don't worry, I respect you.[/QUOTE] I like to consider myself that, yes. I don't like Christian extremists about as much as I don't like Atheist extremists. To me, it all comes down to what you believe in, not who's right or wrong.

I believe in God and all that shit, but honestly, I DON'T understand every single aspect of the whole religion junk. But that's the very reason why I keep my beliefs to myself and not let it affect how I treat other people. I may not fully understand why I believe what I believe but I fail to see how that is anyone's concern but my own. I have stances on certain things that may contradict what the majority of people with belief in a deity believe as well as things that contradict the bible, but I really don't see why that matters. All in all, I believe that religion and belief in a higher being should ultimately be a personal decision and a personal dedication, not to be forced onto those who have no interest or to be forced onto a society where religion is the cause of so many problems. Religion has no place within government and state but needs to remain in the mind of the individual unless ANOTHER individual asks for more information. I understand the atheist point of view and why there is so much hatred towards people of belief, but hatred comes from both sides. It's all ignorance, bigotry, and arguments about religion as a whole and whether or not it has a place in society. Atheists will always argue that it does not have a place while some religious people will argue that it does. Personally, I believe it does not. But anyway, as a person of "faith" or whatever the hell you want to call it, I have no interest in sharing what I believe with anyone who doesn't ask for it. It's not how I want to be known. It's my personal life and choice and it should remain that way. I refuse to debate about my beliefs and whether they are right or wrong with anyone because it doesn't matter. Whether it's right or wrong, it's MY choice. Not anyone else's. Religious people who take it upon themselves to alert the world why they are right and everyone else is wrong (as well as atheists who do the same) really grind on my nerves as I'm sure they do the same for others who wish to remain relatively neutral. If one is going to debate about it, at least have the sense and civility to do so and to see the other side as well.

2 women grinding together....sounds hot

I don't believe in a god or gods, and I don't know shit about religion. And I never will, you know why? I DON'T GIVE A FUCK.

[QUOTE=deaded38;32528621]No. See, you completely ignored where I was going with those lines of text I have been posting. I clearly said somewhere else that I am not a Chrisitian that follows the Bible to heart. If somethings are scientificly proven, then I will go with it. I think that some things in the Bible weren't correct. As stated though, you don't have to believe everything in the Bible to be a Christian. If I did, however, I would be a Christian extremist. Which I am clearly not.[/QUOTE] But even the bible states that all believers in the Christian God must examine themselves to see if their faith is genuine: "Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith." -2 Corinthians 13:5 And then says that you shouldn't listen to human wisdom: "I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God." -1 Corinthians 2:5 And then tells the believers to cast out "the devils: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues" -Mark 16:7 Mind telling me how this book is a legitimate one to follow, let alone using it as "proof" of God?

[QUOTE=Megafanx13;32528832]But even the bible states that all believers in the Christian God must examine themselves to see if their faith is genuine: "Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith." -2 Corinthians 13:5 And then says that you shouldn't listen to human wisdom: "I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God." -1 Corinthians 2:5 And then tells the believers to cast out "the devils: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues" -Mark 16:7 Mind telling me how this book is a legitimate one to follow, let alone using it as "proof" of God?[/QUOTE] Said it before, but I will say it again. I believe in history more than I do in science. I also don't see what the point of the quotes were. If you're trying to convert me to your almighty Atheism, it isn't working. I believe in God because it's what I believe. As said before though, if I don't believe everything in the Bible, that doesn't not make me a Christian.

Personally I find religion interesting; the use of an idea to bring so many together under a banner, in this case the concept of a higher power, like gods or spirits, powering the mechanics (or in some cases BEING the mechanics) of the universe. The stories told in the holy texts and suchlike are quite interesting, like the tale of the jealous man who murdered his brother and was henceforth cursed (Cain), or the tale of the one proud spirit who did not kneel before the first human (Iblis). Though I do not actually believe such tales to be true, I still find them interesting to read about and learn the particulars of what they truly mean. I'm still open to the CONCEPT of there being some kind of entities of power somewhere in reality, but I doubt that there was ever an Allah or an Elohim or a Yahweh, and even if there was they were probably some sort of non-terrestrial intelligence that was mistaken for an omnipotent creator, something I highly-doubt ever existed anyways.

[QUOTE=AK'z;32523344]I have found overall, that atheists are spending time reading about religion to prepare an arguement against a cause that doesn't quite concern them. It's fascinating. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8QOJUw_XaQ[/media] Now this video is hilarious, and Thunderfoot is more awesome than the two Westboro extremists but it confuses me... Opinions?[/QUOTE] So she constantly interrupts the person asking questions to say they're lying and full of shit, and it gets really loud and annoying? Shit, does she work for FOX?

[QUOTE=deaded38;32529111]Said it before, but I will say it again. I believe in history more than I do in science. I also don't see what the point of the quotes were. If you're trying to convert me to your almighty Atheism, it isn't working. I believe in God because it's what I believe. As said before though, if I don't believe everything in the Bible, that doesn't not make me a Christian.[/QUOTE] You are aware that constantly saying "it is because it is" is not an argument, right? All you've said so far has amounted to "it's true because it's in the Bible". Even ignoring this, you're going down the route of "I don't believe everything in the Bible", and if that's the case why would you even identify as Christian if you don't believe in it wholeheartedly? I'm saying you need to go Atheist or anything, but if you don't believe in the Bible, you're not really Christian, just a Christian-leaning Deist. Hell, I just posted a quote about how the Bible says you need to affirm that your faith is genuine, and you're telling me you don't believe that but [B]you do believe[/B] all the "other stuff"?

[QUOTE=Pascall;32528733]I believe in God and all that shit, but honestly, I DON'T understand every single aspect of the whole religion junk. But that's the very reason why I keep my beliefs to myself and not let it affect how I treat other people. I may not fully understand why I believe what I believe but I fail to see how that is anyone's concern but my own. I have stances on certain things that may contradict what the majority of people with belief in a deity believe as well as things that contradict the bible, but I really don't see why that matters. All in all, I believe that religion and belief in a higher being should ultimately be a personal decision and a personal dedication, not to be forced onto those who have no interest or to be forced onto a society where religion is the cause of so many problems. Religion has no place within government and state but needs to remain in the mind of the individual unless ANOTHER individual asks for more information. I understand the atheist point of view and why there is so much hatred towards people of belief, but hatred comes from both sides. It's all ignorance, bigotry, and arguments about religion as a whole and whether or not it has a place in society. Atheists will always argue that it does not have a place while some religious people will argue that it does. Personally, I believe it does not. But anyway, as a person of "faith" or whatever the hell you want to call it, I have no interest in sharing what I believe with anyone who doesn't ask for it. It's not how I want to be known. It's my personal life and choice and it should remain that way. I refuse to debate about my beliefs and whether they are right or wrong with anyone because it doesn't matter. Whether it's right or wrong, it's MY choice. Not anyone else's. Religious people who take it upon themselves to alert the world why they are right and everyone else is wrong (as well as atheists who do the same) really grind on my nerves as I'm sure they do the same for others who wish to remain relatively neutral. If one is going to debate about it, at least have the sense and civility to do so and to see the other side as well.[/QUOTE] Well religion isn't just a personal thing because as you can see it's affecting our governments, our kids schools, and causing division and hate between people and therefore is something that needs to be discussed and debated. God either exists or he doesn't, there's no third option to that question- there is no grey area. To know the answer to that we have to look at the evidence and use logic and reason to make a conclusion. If someone is accused of murder and there's zero evidence that they're guilty, you'd say they're innocent until proven guilty, correct? You'd probably agree that they shouldn't be considered a murderer because there's no evidence. Let's compare this issue to a court room. Think of religion as the prosecutor and science as the defense attorney. Religion says "well he's guilty just because he is". Science provides proof that the suspect was 500 miles away at the time of the murder and had no relations with the victim or a motive for the crime. Religion ignores all this evidence and stands firm on their beliefs that he's guilty just because he is. Sound ridiculous? That's because it is ridiculous, and it's the same logic behind religious belief: "God exists because he does, the evidence doesn't matter, and I won't change my mind." - with this mentality I'm sure you can see why atheists sometimes get frustrated debating with religious people.

[QUOTE=Noble;32529735]Sound ridiculous? That's because it is ridiculous, and it's the same logic behind religious belief: "God exists because he does, the evidence doesn't matter, and I won't change my mind." - with this mentality I'm sure you can see why atheists sometimes get frustrated debating with religious people.[/QUOTE] You can't dispute the fact that it's irrational.

[QUOTE=deaded38;32528621]No. See, you completely ignored where I was going with those lines of text I have been posting. I clearly said somewhere else that I am not a Chrisitian that follows the Bible to heart. If somethings are scientificly proven, then I will go with it. I think that some things in the Bible weren't correct. As stated though, you don't have to believe everything in the Bible to be a Christian. If I did, however, I would be a Christian extremist. Which I am clearly not.[/QUOTE] The issue I took with your post was the fact that you claim you believe history of science, which, sorry, is just a completely stupid thing to say. The problem with your post and your method of thinking is that you assume that all the history in the Bible is true, and since you prefer history (under the assumption the history is fact) over science. The bible is full of historical inaccuracies yet you're picking and choosing which parts of the Bible's proposed history fits your own beliefs and then saying that you believe in history more than science, even though the "history" you're talking about has been changed constantly at the whim of those in power and is no longer reliable, not to mention scientifically impossible in many cases.

[QUOTE]cause that doesn't quite concern them.[/QUOTE] Religious people control corporations and governments and dictate policy and behavior therein and thereof, that's pretty fucking concern-filled, methinks.

[QUOTE=deaded38;32529111]Said it before, but I will say it again. I believe in history more than I do in science. I also don't see what the point of the quotes were. If you're trying to convert me to your almighty Atheism, it isn't working. I believe in God because it's what I believe. As said before though, if I don't believe everything in the Bible, that doesn't not make me a Christian.[/QUOTE] You are literally one of the most nonsensical and dodgy debaters I've seen on the topic of religion. You've yet to address any of anyone's concerns, you just keep saying that you believe in history over religion, which would be reasonable except that your understanding of history is based on an ancient, unreliable book translated through dead languages and modified by monarchs throughout history, yet you use it as if its an absolute factual account of history. The understanding of history by parties that were not directly involved in the events in question all comes down to word of mouth. You only know history based on the accounts of other people, and if the Bible is your best example of these people's testimonies then you're more than misinformed. Science, however, provides a solid set of laws that can be used to test the truth of claims, especially historical ones.

[QUOTE=27X;32529828]Religious people control corporations and governments and dictate policy and behavior therein and thereof, that's pretty fucking concern-filled, methinks.[/QUOTE] It permeates many parts of our society.

[QUOTE=Noble;32529735]Well religion isn't just a personal thing because as you can see it's affecting our governments, our kids schools, and causing division and hate between people and therefore is something that needs to be discussed and debated. God either exists or he doesn't, there's no third option to that question- there is no grey area. To know the answer to that we have to look at the evidence and use logic and reason to make a conclusion. [/QUOTE] I know it's not just a personal thing. But what I'm saying is, it SHOULD be. Religion should be held and kept within the individual or a congregation of like-minded individuals with an interest in such things. It has no place in our modern society otherwise.

[url]http://pewforum.org/other-beliefs-and-practices/u-s-religious-knowledge-survey.aspx[/url] They generally know more.

I consider myself an informed Christian, yes, make a crack at it for hurr, but in all honesty, those who do not read the scripture should not and shall not say they are a member of the Christian church.

i love how every atheist thinks every christian ever is a stern amish guy from the middle ages. religion is not that bad. I think atheists have a problem with christianity, as they fucking rush to it, but leave judaism alone. why is that? atheists also seem to forget the fact that religion is based on hope. THERE IS NO PROOF. that is the fucking point. you have to be willing to believe in a religion that makes sense to you spiritually. personally, im christian because I think there has to be a god and that the bible sets good guidelines for living your life. some is a little iffy but nevertheless, I am a god-fearing christian.

[QUOTE=Ladowerf;32532951]atheists also seem to forget the fact that religion is based on hope. THERE IS NO PROOF. that is the fucking point. you have to be willing to believe in a religion that makes sense to you spiritually. personally, im christian because I think there has to be a god and that the bible sets good guidelines for living your life. some is a little iffy but nevertheless, I am a god-fearing christian.[/QUOTE] Why would you believe something with no evidence behind it? Do you believe Lord of the Rings to be a book you can base religion on?