World Religions - Atheism Discussion Thread

[If_I_Loved_you]

[Garden guy]

Christianity..Judaism..Mormon..aren't they all cults?

[If_I_Loved_you]

Christianity..Judaism..Mormon..aren't they all cults?

Nope

[ronchamblin]

There will come a time in the far future, if the majority of mankind, through evolution and education, gains in intellect and awareness of the world about them, when anyone who preaches or proselytizes their belief in some kind of a personal all powerful god, especially of the kind supposedly revealed to mankind via one of the individuals who emerged from a wilderness or desert, when that preacher will be considered to be suspect, if not partially insane, for his or her behavior, just as we consider those today who seriously admit their genuine belief in, and conduct their daily lives based on, witches, warlocks, zombies, and vampires.   

[ben says]

Christianity..Judaism..Mormon..aren't they all cults?

Yes

There will come a time in the far future, if the majority of mankind, through evolution and education, gains in intellect and awareness of the world about them, when anyone who preaches or proselytizes their belief in some kind of a personal all powerful god, especially of the kind supposedly revealed to mankind via one of the individuals who emerged from a wilderness or desert, when that preacher will be considered to be suspect, if not partially insane, for his or her behavior, just as we consider those today who seriously admit their genuine belief in, and conduct their daily lives based on, witches, warlocks, zombies, and vampires.   

Double yes!

[If_I_Loved_you]

Christianity..Judaism..Mormon..aren't they all cults?

Yes

There will come a time in the far future, if the majority of mankind, through evolution and education, gains in intellect and awareness of the world about them, when anyone who preaches or proselytizes their belief in some kind of a personal all powerful god, especially of the kind supposedly revealed to mankind via one of the individuals who emerged from a wilderness or desert, when that preacher will be considered to be suspect, if not partially insane, for his or her behavior, just as we consider those today who seriously admit their genuine belief in, and conduct their daily lives based on, witches, warlocks, zombies, and vampires.   

Double yes!

I feel sorry for all of you Non-Believers, but all you have to do is ask God for Forgiveness and he will Welcome you into the kingdom of Heaven. Amen 

[PeeJayEss]

I feel sorry for all of you Non-Believers, but all you have to do is ask God for Forgiveness and he will Welcome you into the kingdom of Heaven. Amen 

Thank you for following the example of Jesus Christ!

[Cheshire Cat]

I think the title of this thread should be "The Zombie Thread".  It keeps dying and resurrecting itself much to my chagrin. Guess it needs to be buried deeper.  lol

[Cheshire Cat]

I know it is Stephen.  Which was what I meant by the "Zombie" analogy. This particular one seems to have devolved into a few snipes now and then which to me is akin to having my brain's eaten away at. lol The other threads seem to have kept some degree of conversational value.

[ronchamblin]

I think the title of this thread should be "The Zombie Thread".  It keeps dying and resurrecting itself much to my chagrin. Guess it needs to be buried deeper.  lol

This is a regular feature on MJ, Diane.  We have conversations (not just threads) that have been going on for more than seven years

Overall, I suspect the conversation about belief and religion is a good one, as it just might move more people to think for themselves... critically about what is offered by churches, religions, television, and politicians.  Read the beginning of the below article... the link following.  Some of it is about me and other atheists, and about some of you.

Title: Does it Matter that Athiests are smarter than believers?  Author: Rob Brooks, Evolutionary Biologist


News just in, guaranteed to stir smug nods from non-believers and incite irritation among the devout: intelligence correlates negatively with religious belief. You may have seen similar - or contradictory -- reports in the past. That's because scores of studies have asked if religiosity is associated with intelligence. But a just-published meta-analysis in Personality and Social Psychology Review considered the evidence from 63 different studies. Overall, the meta analysis establishes the existence of a "reliable negative relation between intelligence and religiosity".

University of Rochester psychologists Miron Zuckerman and Jordan Silberman, together with Judtih A. Hall from Boston's Northeastern University, gathered 80 years of published studies that estimate correlations between religious belief or behavior (like attendance at religious services) and intelligence. By intelligence, they mean analytic intelligence, also known as the g-factor, which captures the "ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from experience." Only 2 of the 63 studies found statistically significant positive correlations between religiosity and intelligence, whereas 35 showed significant negative correlations.

Intelligence linked more tightly to religious belief than religious behavior. While some studies showed that smarter children were less likely to believe, the pattern was weakest among school-age subjects. The links grow stronger in adulthood and remained strong at older ages. Intelligence at one age also predicted religiosity some years later -- an additional indication that intelligence shapes religiosity.

Here, then, is one of those thorny issues, guaranteed to stir circular discussion. It confirms what many atheists and agnostics have always felt -- that the mere flexing of one's intellectual fibres, particularly when accompanied by the scientific method, leads a great many smart people from the path of religious belief.

And yet the finding, and the very act of me writing this column, drips with confrontational implications. Does the fact that non-believers are, on average, more intelligent than believers also imply that the religious are all low-g? Or that believers are inferior?

Of course not. The ranges overlap, and many very smart people are, or profess outwardly to be, believers. And I'm sure most people know some rather dull atheists or agnostics, too.

Remaining Article:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rob-brooks/atheists-smarter-than-believers_b_3751796.html

[ronchamblin]

Thanks Stephen. I read the article earlier.

But, just for your info, and I think it's true, my goal is not, nor has it ever been, to be wealthy.  I've come to realize that what is desirable and good in life is not tied to one's wealth, although one's resources can influence one's relative comfort and stress level.  I cannot allow myself to waste energy and time to gain wealth, although I must exert whatever is necessary to survive while in business. 

As you've no doubt determined, the good things in life are free, and simplicity, as much as possible and when appropriate, is to be sought in all things. 

The filthy, obscenely rich?  The one percent?  These political and corporate thugs and thieves in America tenaciously hold to power, and apparently are happy only if they have millions..... billions of dollars.  Let them have the billions.  The problem is that these leeches on our society, during the process of gaining and maintaining those millions and billions, destroy the economy for the average fellow.... the workers..... the middle class.  This is not acceptable.  I expect that, before too much longer, if the inequality continues to increase, as the jobs continue to disappear for the middle class, there will be a reckoning.         

[ronchamblin]

Don't know of Elon Musk.  And I think, in spite of what some say, Einstein was very close to being, if not, an atheist.

[ronchamblin]

Egypt: Islamists Hit Coptic Christian Churches, Torch Franciscan School

CAIRO — After torching a Franciscan school, Islamists paraded three nuns on the streets like "prisoners of war" before a Muslim woman offered them refuge. Two other women working at the school were sexually harassed and abused as they fought their way through a mob.

In the four days since security forces cleared two sit-in camps by supporters of Egypt's ousted president, Islamists have attacked dozens of Coptic churches along with homes and businesses owned by the Christian minority. The campaign of intimidation appears to be a warning to Christians outside Cairo to stand down from political activism.

Christians have long suffered from discrimination and violence in Muslim majority Egypt, where they make up 10 percent of the population of 90 million. Attacks increased after the Islamists rose to power in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that drove Hosni Mubarak from power, emboldening extremists. But Christians have come further under fire since President Mohammed Morsi was ousted on July 3, sparking a wave of Islamist anger led by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

Nearly 40 churches have been looted and torched, while 23 others have been attacked and heavily damaged since Wednesday, when chaos erupted after Egypt's military-backed interim administration moved in to clear two camps packed with protesters calling for Morsi's reinstatement, killing scores of protesters and sparking deadly clashes nationwide.

One of the world's oldest Christian communities has generally kept a low-profile, but has become more politically active since Mubarak was ousted and Christians sought to ensure fair treatment in the aftermath.

Many Morsi supporters say Christians played a disproportionately large role in the days of mass rallies, with millions demanding that he step down ahead of the coup.

Despite the violence, Egypt's Coptic Christian church renewed its commitment to the new political order Friday, saying in a statement that it stood by the army and the police in their fight against "the armed violent groups and black terrorism."

While the Christians of Egypt have endured attacks by extremists, they have drawn closer to moderate Muslims in some places, in a rare show of solidarity.

Hundreds from both communities thronged two monasteries in the province of Bani Suef south of Cairo to thwart what they had expected to be imminent attacks on Saturday, local activist Girgis Waheeb said. Activists reported similar examples elsewhere in regions south of Cairo, but not enough to provide effective protection of churches and monasteries........

Full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/17/christians-in-egypt_n_3773991.html

Too much suffering and killing.  What a waste of human decency and life.  Beliefs in religions are older than civilization.  When will more people cease to believe in revealed religious systems which not only have no evidence to support them, but systems which ultimately cause more harm and suffering than good?     

Religion anyone?  It depends on where you live, but the major cost these days seems to be only a little suffering and a few deaths occasionally... and maybe a little time and money.

[JayBird]

Personally I think the horrible events in Egypt are actually motivated by the politically overzealous whom are using "religion" as a cover. But as long as there is human life, there will always be some form of spiritual connection. It's purely human nature to explain the unexplainable and sometimes only religion can do that, until science disproves or corroborates, also we all need hope at some point and religion fills that void for most.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Personally I think the horrible events in Egypt are actually motivated by the politically overzealous whom are using "religion" as a cover. But as long as there is human life, there will always be some form of spiritual connection. It's purely human nature to explain the unexplainable and sometimes only religion can do that, until science disproves or corroborates, also we all need hope at some point and religion fills that void for most.

+1000