I grew up with Catholic grandparents who lived with me, and semi-Catholic parents. I went to Church more-or-less every Sunday until I was thirteen, and I haven't been since.
Poll: A Question To Atheists
- Thread starter Shock and Awe
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My family is technically Christian, i know i was baptised as a baby, but thats all that happened really.
If they ever did mention it when i was young i don't remember it. We go to family weddings and funerals and so on, but i definitely got the impression it was essentially for tradition and to see the wider family only.
what did cement my views on the subject was having it forced on me at primary school.
I distinctly remember one day being taught about greek mythology stories and being told they were just stories, followed by the next day being taught about christian stories in a religious lesson and being told it wasn't a story, it was truth.
My brain went *bing* and i thought, how come they're teaching one set of unlikely stories as truth, and another equally unlikely set as fiction?
The difference in teaching was really jarring. for anything else, the teachers would happily sit down and try to explain things, religion was just set down as 'the truth, so don't question it'
It's just led from there really. I've seen no evidence at all for any gods, i've never seen any reason why there needs to be gods either
If they ever did mention it when i was young i don't remember it. We go to family weddings and funerals and so on, but i definitely got the impression it was essentially for tradition and to see the wider family only.
what did cement my views on the subject was having it forced on me at primary school.
I distinctly remember one day being taught about greek mythology stories and being told they were just stories, followed by the next day being taught about christian stories in a religious lesson and being told it wasn't a story, it was truth.
My brain went *bing* and i thought, how come they're teaching one set of unlikely stories as truth, and another equally unlikely set as fiction?
The difference in teaching was really jarring. for anything else, the teachers would happily sit down and try to explain things, religion was just set down as 'the truth, so don't question it'
It's just led from there really. I've seen no evidence at all for any gods, i've never seen any reason why there needs to be gods either
yeah ok believe that if you want! ( but what you said there kinda proves my point in a way)Abedeus said:
SO, saying god doesnt exist because of those reasons is "stupid"
but if said people survived and people were to thank god ( which i know some people would ) that proves he does exist?
you cant thank someone for all the good and just neglect all the bad things
ok al change what i mean for you:
i dont believe in a god or want to believe in a god because if he does exist hes a prick!
and if you forget the things that happened to me
what about the people in africa who die from starvation and diseases "god" had to have made those viruses etc etc (just like he made the 2 dicks that killed my friends) so yeah "GOD" can fuck off for all i care
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nope still havnt been struck by lightning
I went to a religious school, so i was religious for a while, but after a chat with an atheist freind i realised that there was some truly bonkers stuff going on. I gave organised Religion a second chance but finally renounced my christianity as a protest.
Plus i'm commiting sloth pretty much 24/7 so i could either spend every day running back and forth to the church, or just live my life. Got a religious Zealot friend and he never stopped trying to convert me back
Plus i'm commiting sloth pretty much 24/7 so i could either spend every day running back and forth to the church, or just live my life. Got a religious Zealot friend and he never stopped trying to convert me back
1. the whole "war on terrorism" we are fighting now is a result from "religious extremists"space_oddity said:
2. the whole isreal vs palestine has "religion" as the main cause of the war
3. WWII hitler hated jews which is a religion as far as im aware he killed alot and the allies werent chuffed resulting in WWII
4. the 100 year war
5. every war the romans had since they believed that they were chosen by a god to be the sole race in the known world
infact i change my statement: all wars i can think of have religion as one of the main reasons
It doesn't prove he exists. Maybe it would "prove" that he might've helped them. I mean, if they "thank the God", it means they must've been praying. Placebo effect at least.dallan262 said:
God doesn't "create" viruses. God doesn't spread them. Again, human error - usually people get AIDS from casual sex with strangers or at least, if one person in the couple does that and the other is unaware of it.
Also, if God created that place the way it is, it's not his fault people moved there. Their ancestors chose to stay in one place, instead of migrating and finding better areas to live. Again, human error, for which the future generations have to pay.
...And do you really think some omnipotent creature like God would care enough about you to smite you? He did those things in the Old Testament, he was way too bored with all the peaceful people living and so on. Now he's being entertained by ongoing wars.
That's like with Hollywood/pop stars - they pretend to care about the poor, give money to chairties... but they live better than most of the people in the world.
See, this is why I'm glad to live in Poland - one of the first Catholic countries in the world (5th or 6th one), yet almost nobody cares about converting people and so on.Eatspeeple said:
But calling yourself a Christian and not trying to peacefully defend your faith is like rooting for a team and never going to see the actual game.
1. The attacks on the WTC on 9/11 where indeed caused by religious fundamentalists, and without the feeling of the terrorists that they executed God's will they probably would never have done this. The reasons for Al-qaida's anti-Americanism is far more complicated though.dallan262 said:
2. No, the main cause of the war is the fact that Palestinians weren't so happy with the Israelians starting a new country on their land.
3. Hitler didn't hate Jews because of their religion but because he saw them as some kind of inferior race. He also hated black people, homosexuals and the mentally handicapped. The holocaust wasn't even the reason the allies went to war with him. Brittain and France declared war on Germany because Hitler invaded Poland and they felt threathend.
4. The 100 year war was a war between two royal houses for the French throne, not a religious war.
5. Of course the Romans made up religious excuses why they were invading everywhere, but that was hardly the reason they did. They where looking for power, more land and rescources.
Religion almost never is the reason for a war, it certainly is a good tool to gain support for your cause and to justify your deeds though.
My mother is Catholic and father is prodestant... neither were in anyway that bothered about what i followed. Although they were suprised when i said i don't believe in god... or rather don't see a reason to worship one if there is one...
My dad has only ever told me that he believes in humanity and that in the end mankind will find its own way... - thats pretty much my believe aswell.
I study history and im not going into talking about whether or not there is proof that god exsists. Instead all im going to say is... There have been around 80 billion human beings (more or less...) throughout all of this earths history and each and every one of them, im sure, has called for gods help at some point... and had no response or atleast i have not witnessed any...
Now believe in god as much as you want, I just have more hope and belief in humanity itself...
My dad has only ever told me that he believes in humanity and that in the end mankind will find its own way... - thats pretty much my believe aswell.
I study history and im not going into talking about whether or not there is proof that god exsists. Instead all im going to say is... There have been around 80 billion human beings (more or less...) throughout all of this earths history and each and every one of them, im sure, has called for gods help at some point... and had no response or atleast i have not witnessed any...
Now believe in god as much as you want, I just have more hope and belief in humanity itself...
Hmmm. Well, my mother is a complete atheist. My dad is a Methodist, and very firmly believes there's a god. Up until I was around 13, he made me go to church with him (I live with him 'cause my parents are divorced), but then realised that I do not believe in Christianity at ALL, so stopped forcing me to go.
As for me... well, like I said, I disagree with Christianity's teachings. I thought about it on a quiet evening a while back, and couldn't believe how much outraged me. I don't believe in any sort of religion or worship whatsoever. But sometimes, if I'm feeling really low, I find myself praying (not in the "Dear God" sense, just a "I need some help here, please" sense), though I don't really know who to. I don't pray when I'm happy, only when I feel like I've got nowhere else to go. I don't know about an afterlife as such, I like to hope there is, but to be honest I can't see it.
As for me... well, like I said, I disagree with Christianity's teachings. I thought about it on a quiet evening a while back, and couldn't believe how much outraged me. I don't believe in any sort of religion or worship whatsoever. But sometimes, if I'm feeling really low, I find myself praying (not in the "Dear God" sense, just a "I need some help here, please" sense), though I don't really know who to. I don't pray when I'm happy, only when I feel like I've got nowhere else to go. I don't know about an afterlife as such, I like to hope there is, but to be honest I can't see it.
My mom was catholic but only in the sense that she liked praying to the saints. My dad and sister and I are atheists, and three of my brothers are protestant, but we never discuss religion. It just isn't important to my family who believes in what.
I dunno really, my mum made me go to church on Sundays, a church group thing on Wednesdays, my school was a Church of England one... I never did buy any of it though (or care about it for that matter, I was more interested in plush toys and sweeties), and my parents didn't push it on me (my mum became an Atheist about the same time as I did).
1. There is a no such thing as a war on terrorism. The American governments eagerness to declare war on everything it doesnt like (War on Drugs etc) doesnt legitimise its actions. The Sept. 11 bombing of the World Trade Center was religiously motivated, unless you believe the 'Inside Job' theories. The Iraq War didnt have anything to do with religion, it was to secure neclear weapons in the middle east, and now its about establishing a stable government and eliminating Al Queda.dallan262 said:
2. I agree, the Israel/Palestine conflict is one of the few religously motivated 'wars', although its more of an insurgency on the palestinians part.
3. WW2 started because Hitler invaded Czecholslovakia. Nazi Germany was an atheist state that was denounced by the Pope in (1941? forget the date) and had no religous motivation, its goal was Lebensraum, the conquest of land for the betterment of Germany. Jews, gays, blacks, gypsies, the disabled and the elderly are among the minorities that were murdered in concentration camps, their own hospital beds, crematoriums etc, during and after 1943, four years after the war started. The 'Final Solution' only came into effect when it became clear Germany was losing the war.
4. The 100 years war was a war over the French throne, it had absolutely nothing to do with religion.
5. From the appointment of Julius Caesar as dictator in 42 BC to the offical adoption of christianity as its state religion in 380 AD, "The imperial government, and the Romans in general, tended to be very tolerant towards most religions and cults, so long as they did not cause trouble." "every war the romans had" were wars of conquest, wars to gain land, slaves, and resources. The notion that they somehow felt they were a people chosen by god or gods is completely groundless, i can only conclude you imagined it out of thin air.
My family's not religious at all and neither am I. I don't really see the point in it. It's just all about control and restricting the best parts of life. (with the exception of murder of course. But, then again, the bible says to do that to gays, children who speak without spoken to, and people who work on the sabbath.)
But it's weird because the second I say something that Christians or really any other religion would consider blasphemy, they freak out and tell me not to say that, but they turn around and will yell out "God fucking damn it!!!" when they stub their toe or something.
But it's weird because the second I say something that Christians or really any other religion would consider blasphemy, they freak out and tell me not to say that, but they turn around and will yell out "God fucking damn it!!!" when they stub their toe or something.