There is no god

[1KielsonDrive]

Especially if you believe in the forgiveness of sins.


That's a great endorsement of religion.


And how many of those people believe in a sadistic god that burns people who "sin"?


It certainly does work with some people. Some people are even constrained from masturbating, having sex, eating pork, shaking hands, showing their hair in public, showing anger, or accepting scientific discoveries.


Medications have already helped people with hallucinations which some religionists still think is demon possession. Most religions practiced today have at least a couple beliefs which are throwbacks to the dark ages or earlier. Magical thinking can cause wreckless behavior.

Excellent post. Nice critique of each comment. Got me thinking. [[Engage my brain and then my mouth).

[Gistok]

Faith is a neurological disorder.

<snip>

Religion is irrational.

.... thanks for reminding me why I miss the good ole days of the Albigensian Crusades...

[1KielsonDrive]

.... thanks for reminding me why I miss the good ole days of the Albigensian Crusades...

Huh? Am I supposed to look that one up?

[Locke09]

Especially if you believe in the forgiveness of sins.


That's a great endorsement of religion.


And how many of those people believe in a sadistic god that burns people who "sin"?


It certainly does work with some people. Some people are even constrained from masturbating, having sex, eating pork, shaking hands, showing their hair in public, showing anger, or accepting scientific discoveries.


Medications have already helped people with hallucinations which some religionists still think is demon possession. Most religions practiced today have at least a couple beliefs which are throwbacks to the dark ages or earlier. Magical thinking can cause wreckless behavior.

This is what I was responding to:

AY: If you live in a nation with laws ---and most people do---then how would some threat that might occur after you're dead be a bigger constraint on behavior than the laws that would punish you in this life and that relatively quickly? I haven't noticed any nation trusting to their god[[s) to take care of justice for them.

Your first statement about people believing in forgiveness of sins [[and I suppose therefore believing they can act as they please and get forgiveness later) does in fact highlight a problem with the practice of religion, not the teachings of religion. I don't know of a religion that actuall says, "go ahead and sin, all will be forgiven". That some interpret it that way is their fault. It is debated even among theologians if thatwas ever the intent even of Christianity. Most religions acknowledge that we are imperfect, but instructs people to "strive for perfection."

Your second statement about endorsement of religion: my comment about suicide bombers wasn't intended as an endorsement of anything. Nothing in the way I phrased it could be construed as such. It was intended to show why some people would be more concerned with what they perceived as the conditions that would gain them a good afterlife than they would be with the laws governing their nation. Not saying it's right, just that it is what motivates some. You asked how, I told you how.

Many things religion constrained people from in the past were good for where man was socially and technologically at that time [[e.g. being forbidden to eat pork, at least trying to ensure that children were born into a stable environment, etc.) Many have no use today and that people insist in holding on to them and cannot separate things that are needed for a certain time from things that are needed for all times is the problem. I don't really know of any religion that forbids scientific discovery. Men don't like change and religion is only one of the tools they use to try and stave it off.

That religions need to evaluate the beliefs they hold is not disputed, at least not by me. I am only responding to the thought that the world would be better off with no religion and no belief in God. I truly believe you would have even more problems than you would if you simply challenged religions to dispense with some of the more archaiac beliefs and practices.

Oh, and I'm also responding to the thought that there is something wrong with the human body. I have all of my third molars and they are all in good shape. Only one person in my very large family has had third molars removed. No big deal. It's still a remarkable body. Mine is anyway. So maybe I'm prejudiced.

[rb336]

Quote: "deaths from birth asphyxia world wide [[another problem from another design flaw),"

You just cherry pick to make points, and fail to look at the larger picture. Weather kills a lot of people too. Is the earth and it's sometimes inhospitable temperatures a bad design as well? You could go on and on with that type of cherry-picking. I'm not a doctor, but regarding the human body, I believe you could trace a lot of your alleged design flaws back to the operator.

We abuse the hell out of them, they heal themselves and last about 90 years, show me any other invention that parallels it. Life itself is a miracle we live with every day and take for granted, although some can only find fault.

no, they last around 40-50 years in a natural state. less for women, for whom childbirth was a leading cause of death for most of the history [[and prehistory) of humanity. with the advent of modern medicine, waste management, etc, we now live 20-30 years longer. not because of "god" but because of *gasp* science

[1KielsonDrive]

Quote: "deaths from birth asphyxia world wide [[another problem from another design flaw),"

You just cherry pick to make points, and fail to look at the larger picture. Weather kills a lot of people too. Is the earth and it's sometimes inhospitable temperatures a bad design as well? You could go on and on with that type of cherry-picking. I'm not a doctor, but regarding the human body, I believe you could trace a lot of your alleged design flaws back to the operator.

We abuse the hell out of them, they heal themselves and last about 90 years, show me any other invention that parallels it. Life itself is a miracle we live with every day and take for granted, although some can only find fault.

There's that word miracle again. One of the most abused words in the english language. A word designed almost exclusivley for religious leaders and followers. And of course, for teevee and sports.

[maxx]

Locke: It's still a remarkable body. Mine is anyway. So maybe I'm prejudiced.

Maxx: If you're male, you'll want to watch for problems with your prostate, which for some unfathomable reason, encircles the urethra. When it swells, males are in trouble. Also why do dogs' bodies produce vitamin C, while humans can't? Sounds like some bias towards dogs .lol

Not-so intelligent design.
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/jury-rigged.html