Atheism and Theism

[rulefan]

How often is that Clive and does he answer

Is 'he' really male?

 

[Tashyboy]

Is 'he' really male?

I think in this case yes as Clive mentioned God not the golfing goddess.
Or it could be the first non binary God.

 

[Bazz]

I'm Sikh, non practicing so no turban and I've got a sensational skin fade.

One of the main parts is doing stuff for other people when there's nothing in it for you. If we all lived like that wouldn't it be better for all?

 

[cliveb]

Back in prehistory, people didn't understand why the world behaved as it did. The easiest explanation was to attribute it to some kind of divine being or beings. This is the origin of faith.

A while later, people with a desire for power created organisations for people of faith and appointed themselves arbiters of what beliefs were acceptable. This is the origin of religions, and in hindsight was probably a bad move.

Once the scientific process was developed, over the last few centuries we've been able to explain more and more of those things about the world that used not to make sense. We've now got to the point where there's precious little need for faith as an explanation of pretty much anything. And if there's no need for faith, I can't see any point in religions.

The only faith I maintain is the belief that if I keep at it, my golf game might improve.

 

[Grizzly]

But religion imo is the biggest causes of conflict and deaths through the history of mankind and most of it based on a fairytale of various books

I think that is the crux of the issue for me - I don't object to people believing what they want to believe providing they are as tolerant of others wishes and beliefs as they want others to be of theirs. Thats too hard for many people, sadly - because I would go further and point out that a lot of those conflicts are between groups of people who purport to believe in the same deity, and are over minor issues in HOW that deity should be worshipped. Which, when you think about it, is a pretty sad hill to die on.

 

[Orikoru]

This is interesting and the terminology that surrounds beliefs or lack of them, was and sometimes still is, a source of confusion to me!

Some terms do get misused, but to put it simply, atheism is simply a position based on belief and not on knowledge. It simply says “I don’t believe in a god”. It does not say “I know there is no god”.

Agnosticism and Gnosticism cover the knowledge aspect of things. An agnostic says “I don’t/can’t know” whereas a gnostic says “I do know” (and therefore has a burden of proof).

To confuse things even more, you can be agnostic or gnostic and also atheist or theist!

So for me, I’m an agnostic atheist. I do not believe in a god, but I don’t KNOW there is no god (because I can’t possibly disprove the claim).

Clear as mud maybe!

Yeah, I get what you're saying. And such is why I don't really label myself, I think if it were a spectrum I'd sit somewhere between atheist and agnostic. None of us will ever know for sure, until the day we die, when we suddenly know everything and nothing at the same time.

 

[CliveW]

How often is that Clive and does he answer

Very often, and very seldom!

 

[Fade and Die]

Religion? Pfft…utter man made nonsense.

The big 3 are all the same anyway and Religion has sent many a man to hell.

Best avoided.

 

[Don Barzini]

Back in prehistory, people didn't understand why the world behaved as it did. The easiest explanation was to attribute it to some kind of divine being or beings. This is the origin of faith.

A while later, people with a desire for power created organisations for people of faith and appointed themselves arbiters of what beliefs were acceptable. This is the origin of religions, and in hindsight was probably a bad move.

Once the scientific process was developed, over the last few centuries we've been able to explain more and more of those things about the world that used not to make sense. We've now got to the point where there's precious little need for faith as an explanation of pretty much anything. And if there's no need for faith, I can't see any point in religions.

The only faith I maintain is the belief that if I keep at it, my golf game might improve.

Spot on. As Christopher Hitchens said: “Religion was our first attempt at science. And because it was our first attempt, it is also our worst attempt.”

 

[Deleted member 36742]

Best for the forum to adopt the old pub philosophy of not allowing discussions on politics or religion.

 

[Captainron]

I’m not a fan of religion at all. The various schisms/interpretations within it have caused more conflict, suffering and death than anything else ever.

I can see why some people feel the need to believe in something but I am 100% not into that.

 

[D-S]

I always like the line - “religious debates are like people arguing about who has the best imaginary friend”.

 

[Captainron]

This is not a be all and end all as it only looks at Christianity in the UK but this is the biggest religion here.

I had a brief look over it and it does make some interesting points but bear in mind this is a few years old.

Faith Survey | Christianity in the UK

Faith Survey - Christianity in the UK - Trends, Forecasts, Denominations.

faithsurvey.co.uk

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Bought up in a (not heavy) Methodist household, Sunday school till I was 12 , church scouts, church youth club. It’s fair to say my early background revolved around the church.

Then I rebelled, found other things to fill my time, got married, joined the local church ( mostly so the kids could go to the very good local C of E infants school. Was a sideman , crèche helper, property committee etc

Did the Alpha Course, opened myself to God and felt nothing, been there done that, moved on.

Was very ill, nobody from the church called or checked or phoned.

Some observations and opinions

Religion was invented to keep the peasants under control, the power resting with the educated priests.

This continued until 400 years ago.

When good people come together, with a common cause, good things happen, it is powerful.

The Bible contents were decided at a committee meeting in 325 AD , not much divine help going on there then.

I love Cathedrals, the architecture is incredible and they are places of incredible peace and calm

Will I get judged when I die?
Don’t care, as far as I’m concerned, it ends there

The 10 commandments are a very good code for living a civil life, more to do with controlling the masses.

I’m having a non religious funeral with Blue Oyster Cult playing Don’t Fear (The Reaper) as the good bye tune

This is the Rev Fragger after a couple of huge whiskies

 

[Sid Rixon IV]

Best for the forum to adopt the old pub philosophy of not allowing discussions on politics or religion.

No-one is attacking anyone on this thread for their beliefs. People are simply explaining theirs and expressing their personal opinions whilst accepting, or maybe unaccepting, those of others.
God forbid (no pun intended), that ever becomes something to fear, as it is in many parts of the world.

 

[Sid Rixon IV]

I love Cathedrals, the architecture is incredible and they are places of incredible peace and calm

Will I get judged when I die?
Don’t care, as far as I’m concerned, it ends there

The 10 commandments are a very good code for living a civil life, more to do with controlling the masses.

I’m having a non religious funeral with Blue Oyster Cult playing Don’t Fear (The Reaper) as the good bye tune

 

[Sid Rixon IV]

PhilTheFragger
1 Absolutely
2 Absolutely
3 In "The History of the World" (Mel Brooks), God gave Moses 15 commandments, but he dropped a tablet on the way down.
4 Best funeral I ever attended was a Humanist celebration. It was beautiful and laughter filled. Everyone should be
remembered that way
5 Worst funerals attended in recent years were miserable, ritual, religious dirges.

 

[Voyager EMH]

A book of rules and instructions
A code of conduct
Special places around the towns and countryside to gather and participate
Recognised experts to give guidance and instruction
Clothing that can make you stand out as a practitioner
Venerated people from the past

My religion, as described above, that fits with many other descriptions of religion.
Do not scoff or ridicule. That is not allowed. It is sacred to me.

What is religion?
Anything that anyone says is their religion?

 

[Don Barzini]

A book of rules and instructions
A code of conduct
Special places around the towns and countryside to gather and participate
Recognised experts to give guidance and instruction
Clothing that can make you stand out as a practitioner
Venerated people from the past

My religion.
Do not scoff or ridicule. That is not allowed. It is sacred to me.

“Religion’s greatest trick wasn’t making some people believe there was an all powerful God. It was convincing everyone else they couldn’t ridicule the idea.”

 

[KenL]

I am not religious but I think it's a bit of a myth that religion is the predominant cause of conflict.
It is often invoked to support a cause but so can anything else be.
If religion did not exist I don't think war and conflict would cease or diminish.
Putins aggression is not religious nor was Hitlers WW1 had no religious element to it.

Hitlers aggression was not religious. Shocked by this!

Going back hundreds of years, war was generally about gaining territories.
Recent conflicts and atrocities have been more about differences involving religion.