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Religion set to go extinct

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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12811197
Mar 23 2011 6:45AM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
Keep digging that hole. Tide comes in, tide comes out, no miscommunication.
Mar 25 2011 2:06PM
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JamesR
Posts: 3396 - Karma: -12
I love these conjectures that get thrown around when people have been so brainwashed they try to prove the stories in the bible "scientifically".  It's mythology people.

...or the guy who wrote that article just trolled the hell out of me
Mar 25 2011 2:07PM
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ImNotARacist
Posts: 5136 - Karma: -1,030
religion or belief in God?
Mar 25 2011 2:08PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
Haha, ya scientists think they have everything figured out.

Faith is believing bull shit because you are afraid, science is admitting you don't know and may never know, but always searching.

Religion = fear
Science = courage
Mar 25 2011 2:16PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
Science = admitting that we are small and insignificant, yet we seek out more information constantly

Christianity = we are all God's special children, so that's that, everything has and will happen for a reason
Mar 25 2011 2:19PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
luckily I can use science and math to take your statement and derive mine.


Science = admitting that we are insignificant = courage

Christianity = fear + lack of information = we are all gods children + ignorance = fear

lack of information = ignorance

so again,
Science = courage
Christianity = fear
Mar 25 2011 2:30PM
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henrytargett
Posts: 903 - Karma: 35
The people arguing against religion seem to be focused on how the *Christian* bible is not historically or scientifically accurate. First off, the Bible is not meant to be literally interpreted (No, Jonah did not ACTUALLY live in a whale for three days). But I don't even care about that... because the Bible is irrelevant. It only represents one part of one religion.

So... putting the bible aside... how does science and historical fact contradict with religion? Why is it wrong to believe in a God? Does science explain everything? No. And I can say with confidence that it never will.

Science will never explain every mystery of the universe.

Since I know this, I can accept the fact that there are things out there that I will never understand. And therefore there is nothing illogical or ignorant about believing in a higher power.

Not to mention that a connection with a higher power (for example: praying to God) is helpful. Even I am just praying to nothing, it is still good to reflect and find out how to improve your life, and you can do this through prayer. You can do this without prayer too. It is just a personal choice.

Bottom line(s): Science only disproves BIBLE not religion. Science does not explain everything. There is nothing wrong with believing in higher power. The aspect of reflection and self improvement that is focused on in many religions is a good thing.


Mar 25 2011 2:47PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
If you want to talk to yourself for personal development no one is stopping you. But don't say that you know science can't decode the mysteries of the universe. It can, does, and will. The problem is the human brain, we can barley comprehend our own existence. After all we are just smart mammals.

The singularity is near...
Mar 25 2011 3:01PM
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k-rob
Posts: 14217 - Karma: 2,891
imaginary friends are stupid.
Mar 25 2011 3:04PM
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Mr.Turtle
Posts: 3690 - Karma: 96
but what does religion prove?
Mar 25 2011 3:05PM
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PeteyG
Posts: 2946 - Karma: 49
faith is not believing bullshit because you are afraid. faith: complete trust or confidence in someone or something

You put your trust in dawkins and i put my faith in God and use the mysteries of science to reinforce my belief that there has to be a supernatural power causing this.

Mar 25 2011 3:15PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
Why is it always Dawkins, like he is the go-to guy? A lot of people have realized the falsehood of gods and religions on their own - before and after his theses.
Mar 25 2011 3:42PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
You are an idiot.
Mar 25 2011 3:44PM
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Jibbidy
Posts: 787 - Karma: 19
There's proof of Dawkins looking at dated skeletons of primitive human beings. Religions for dipshits who blatanty ignore FACTS an PROOF.
Mar 25 2011 3:49PM
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CharlieSheen
Posts: 173 - Karma: 10
without sufficient evidence.
Mar 25 2011 5:08PM
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
Theres a difference between trust and truth. I trust the scientists and textbooks because I can experimentally prove everything. Furthermore, if new evidence or experiments show some new result, the system allows changes to better explain the world.

Belief, by common definition, does not need to rely on any hard truths. I could firmly believe that cheese is a minor deity that deserves bloody sacrifices every time a wheel is first cut, and my beliefs wouldnt be 'wrong'. They're my beliefs, so truth is whatever I say it is.




Mar 25 2011 5:16PM
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.jesus.
Posts: 2288 - Karma: 22
cosmic jewish zombies
Mar 25 2011 5:26PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
Well, see, that's science and observation for you in a nutshell.

We can SEE the group of people who make up a religion, hence we can say "Ho-hum, ho-hum, indeed it seems to be real."
Mar 25 2011 5:32PM
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CharlieSheen
Posts: 173 - Karma: 10
You can never prove that something doesn't exist; this doesn't mean that its not illogical to believe in a higher power (or anything else).
You don't believe in an infinite number of things that science will never be able to disprove the existence of.




It just seems silly to me that people chose to believe in the judeo/christian god, or any other gods from any other religion, given the fuckload of evidence that points to all organized religion being complete bullshit (at least in terms of the claims that are made being true).
Mar 25 2011 8:07PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
Drew, 

I have spent quite a bit of time reading the tales of Drew in PH.  Huge props for how you've turned things around, and huge respect from me for what it's worth.  Unfortunately. sometimes your world has to cave in on top of you before you can see your way out.  I've been there too and I'm glad you came out a better person. 
Mar 25 2011 8:12PM
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baethoven
Posts: 4953 - Karma: 332
Click for larger image
Mar 26 2011 1:26AM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
I agree.

Click for larger image
Mar 26 2011 4:22AM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
I'm all for one having their own beliefs but what pisses me off is when people try to impose their ideas on others. This goes for atheists too. Big fucking deal if somebody doesn't think the same as you. Of course the same can be said for other religions as well.
Mar 26 2011 4:34AM
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CharlieSheen
Posts: 173 - Karma: 10
its a pretty big deal when some peoples ideas are slowing the progress of humanity.
Mar 26 2011 2:45PM
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Jibbidy
Posts: 787 - Karma: 19
THIS THREAD IS SO GODDAMN POINTLESS BECAUSE IT'S THE INTERNET. STOP NOW.
Mar 26 2011 3:43PM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
now my phone background
Mar 26 2011 4:25PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
Love from Unca Doland
Mar 26 2011 4:28PM
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vincepru
Posts: 5474 - Karma: 17
well put! simple and to the point
Mar 26 2011 5:51PM
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Bukkakeskitrip
Posts: 5677 - Karma: 95
twin towers would still be gone.
Mar 26 2011 9:27PM
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PeteyG
Posts: 2946 - Karma: 49
I just copied that definition from wikipedia so take it up with them, not me
Mar 27 2011 1:11PM
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PeteyG
Posts: 2946 - Karma: 49
You had a lot of good things to say in there, I can tell youve put a lot of thought into this.

I would like to just ask you about the last paragraph. Alot of people say science disproves the bible then never go into details. Do you have any examples we could discuss?
Mar 27 2011 1:14PM
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
pretty much the entire old testament. The earth is not 5,ooo years old( carbon dating)


Jonahs did not live in a whale for a few weeks(common sense)

dont remember enough from sunday school to continue.
Mar 27 2011 2:03PM
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Wis_Skier_23
Posts: 2263 - Karma: 245
yessir you are correct
Mar 27 2011 2:45PM
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
We can start with the entire Old Testament, but we can also start with smaller snafu's, like how there is little evidence for a great flood, or people coming back to life...
Mar 27 2011 3:07PM
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
sooo many creation stories, and mythological stories from around the world involve a great flood. And look at what happened to japan and indonesia recently.


There could have been a "great flood", not to the extent of biblical proportions though.



however, the whole dead rising thing does present a significant issue.
Mar 27 2011 3:13PM
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vailsux.com
Posts: 1769 - Karma: 440
This is quite the phenomena. There are a couple fungi that can technically kill somebody and then they come back to life in a few hours. In Haiti witchdoctors use poisonous powders to do pretty much the same thing in an attempt to make zombies. There could really be something behind bringing people back to life if you look past the literal perception.

This may just be me, but does anyone else look at events in religious texts and think about it in a purely natural way. Such as the birth of Jesus. If Mary was able to reproduce asexually then what could have made that possible? Could somebody really survive in the belly of a whale? Did Noah use meteorology to predict a catastrophic flood and was it really the scale reported in the bible? Did Moses actually part the red sea or did he find a shallow crossing? Those were all from the bible, but what kind of knowledge can we obtain from religious texts and traditions around the world.
Mar 27 2011 3:39PM
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PeteyG
Posts: 2946 - Karma: 49
have you ever read the epic of gilgamesh? It was a story written around 2500 B.C., and The Epic of Gilgamesh is the fist written, and the epic describes how Gilgamesh took two of each
animal plus his family into an ark to avoid a world wide flood sent by the angry gods.
Keep in mind the bible wasnt canonized until the council of chalcedon in 450 A.D.
Mar 27 2011 5:02PM
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Chilly.
Posts: 930 - Karma: 24
Why did you even make this thread? Obviously the only thing that could come from it was lots of stupid arguing and hate. You're just encouraging people to defend religion so other people will call them out. Good job Ginko.
Mar 27 2011 5:49PM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
^^^relax this thread is not even that bad. actually some nice points. just because a few guys step over the line its not a shitshow or "that thread" again
Mar 27 2011 7:24PM
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
discussion and arguing does not equal hate.

The stupid/ignorant/hateful posts tend to be short and not quoted by anyone. This has actually gone fairly smoothly
Mar 28 2011 2:49AM
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Bukkakeskitrip
Posts: 5677 - Karma: 95
why have you been quoted then?
Mar 28 2011 4:10AM
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CharlieSheen
Posts: 173 - Karma: 10
Surely this is just evidence of the people who wrote the bible lacking in imagination and stealing other people's myths.
Mar 28 2011 11:21AM
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H8CH
Posts: 2709 - Karma: 218

I've sailed the entire red sea - from Suez to the Straits of Yemen and the gulf of aden.... 

There's no shallow parts! In fact - it's very very deep in places....  

So he did neither.... because it's made up.

ok ok im out....

Mar 28 2011 11:49AM
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PeteyG
Posts: 2946 - Karma: 49
haha, except that the flood account in the bible was written at a completely different time and place, with absolutely zero knowledge of the epic of gilgamesh. it would be like you and I who have no connection to each other writing about the tsunami. you could be writing it in 5 years, me writing it now. needless to say, it was an event in history with two separate accounts of it that had no influence on each other
Mar 28 2011 12:25PM
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iLLbiLLy
Posts: 2865 - Karma: 2,631
I'll answer a few of these.

what do you mean by "life of vitrue"? what standards are you applying? where do they come from?

-Obviously doing what you know is right. Not doing what some outdated book tells you to do, but instead imagine yourself in the position of others. To be cliche, treat other as you would like to be treated.

what is the cause of suffering in this world? who (if anyone) or what (if anything) is responsible?

-Unproportional resources, wealth, and labor. We have the ability to feed and give everyone on this earth shelter(as long as population doesn't continue at its current rate). The main problem is 90% of the worlds wealth(aka 'means of production') is bottlenecked in less than 1% of the population.

what is the purpose of human life? how do you set out to do what you think you're supposed to do?

-Live, experience life. It scares the shit out of people to think about how infinitesimally small we are in the entire scheme of things. But chances are when you die that's the end. Better enjoy it while you can.


My main problem with religion is its outdated and relies to heavily on traditions and superstition. I hate more than anything to hear stuff like "pray for japan". The only thing praying helps is for people to feel better about yourself.
Mar 28 2011 12:56PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
My threads for 2021.  It would be interesting to find out how some of those who have posted in here have changed and how different their beliefs would be 10 years from now.  NB4 dumbass 2012 comment. 
Mar 28 2011 1:52PM
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JamesR
Posts: 3396 - Karma: -12
The religious will get more religious, those on the fence will become less religious, and those without religion will find it even more laughable
Mar 28 2011 2:54PM
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MNS
Posts: 5386 - Karma: 3,241
Theres no point in arguing with religious people.

To an atheist, a religious person seems so utterly retarded and stupid that its almost a lost cause to try and have an intelligent conversation with them. Its also an unfair argument because if religious people don't have an explanation for something they always can just say:

-You have to have faith
-God did it
-its a miracle
-It says so in the bible

BTW: Oxygen is extremely abundant in space, same with water.
Mar 28 2011 4:18PM
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MNS
Posts: 5386 - Karma: 3,241
How in the world did they fit two types of every creature on one boat?

I don't think a single boat to this day has been large enough o pull that off.
Mar 28 2011 4:21PM
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