You are welcome. Good luck to you

my nine year asked me a couple of weeks ago, how do we know theres a god, i said we dont people just have faith, he thought about this then said, well if theres no god or heaven what happens, i said i dont know jack thats the big question, what do you think happens, he said and remember hes only 9 maybe theres nothing mum maybe we just return to the earth or maybe we a reborn..its the age old question that can never ever truly be answered wether your a scientist or relgious person you either believe ir dont

funny how kids can put things in a proper perspective isn't it.

yep totally hun

its a loaded topic thats for sure. I figured I needed some time off so i'm going travelling for the next year. I'm will hopefully be leaving in August if things go well. I need to get away from Science and gods and everything else. The pubs in England and the rest of the world are calling I guess! hehehehe

The bible is just plain wrong. The bible IS unscientific.

It is ignorant of astronomy. It says that the stars are there to provide signs for man. The writers of a the bible thought the sky was a dome, on which the stars, like little lights, are only a few miles up, and will "fall to earth like figs shaken from a tree" at the end of the world.

It is ignorant of geology. It speaks of a flat earth drawn like a circle on the face of the waters, (although other places it speaks of a square surface) supported on pillars and a foundation, above which is a firmament, the dome of the sky.

It is ignorant about biology, claiming there are winged animals with six legs, unicorns, giants, and it says rabbits chew their cud.

It is ignorant of linguistics. It says that all languages were created at the Tower of Babel, after men tried to construct a tower to reach heaven. It's all ignorant mythology, and nothing more.

From the value of pi to the great flood to the tower of Babel.

From rabbits chewing cud to 6 legged winged animals, from unicorns to giants... Jonah and the whale to 3 men living in a furnace, from Moses making a stick turn into a snake that was larger than the snake made from a stick by Pharoah's priests and eating it... (I say it is just as hard to make a small snake from a stick as a large one...)

Why should anyone believe any of that stuff?

I guess that if believing in the stories of Mother Goose were a condition for salvation, then people would believe in Mother Goose.

I do know there is a God. I can not prove there is a God. But I know because I feel God in my heart.

Belushi, glad you could make it man! You seem to have some pretty interesting things to say. Lets here it!

Is there something wrong with people holding contrary opinions and doubts??

Should they be supressed?

By theocratic torture and imprisonment?
Burning at the stake maybe?

Or should the religious majority just ostracize and humiliate the doubters? Not shop at their stores, not vote for them, not help them in times of need?

I am an athiest. I dont believe there is a god of anything, and I believe that the bible, the qu'ran and the torah (all three from the same root) are all complete fairytales to be used when and as people see fit to enforce some archaic rule over another person or peoples.

Everywhere Christians have taken over your country. You are told "It's a Christian Nation", even though the first 6 presidents weren't christians, and the constitution doesn't mention god at all.

George Bush said that atheists were not patriotic and should not be considered citizens. Even Bill Clinton said that freedom of religion does not include freedom from religion.

You had religious mottos put on your paper money after 1953, and the phrase "under God" added to your pledge of allegiance in 1954 (under McCarthyism).

You have Christian prayers and the 10 commandments being forced in your secular schools. You see dozens of religious channels on TV, 24 hours per day.

There are over 360,000 churches in the US, but that isn't enough... they're trying to take over the schools too.

They don't have to pay taxes like every one else, therefore are subsidized by the rest of you. They take in billions of dollars a year, and the world gets no better because of it.

If a man stands up and says he's a christian, he gets applauded. If he stands up and says he's an atheist, he gets only scorn.

The majority of criminals in the US jails are christians, 0.1% are athiest.

Yours is a nation for everyone. Christians and non-christians alike. Christians should not have more rights that other people, nor should they be preferred by the government, or get special treatment.

But they do.

wow man, like I said you have some intersting things to say. Granted I'm from Canada so religion isn't as extreme here. don't you get at least a little bit spooked by the whole thing? Maybe I'm starting to fall prey to the biggest boogie man story ever but I don't know. I'm on the fence I guess.

Im from the UK and the majority of posters here are from the US, so that is why I used the US as an example.

Im not spooked in anyway at all.

Thats like saying "Aren't you worried about going to hell?"

No. Are you not worried about getting struck by a lightning bolt from the mothership of the Go a'uld?

You cannot fear what you do not believe exists.

Just so you know I am a Christian And I do have to pay income tax.
And prayer and the ten commandments are not forced in our schools

okay so here's question then. what do you call the feeling you get when your travelling the world and you see or experience something that gives you that feeling? Religious people tend to call it god but what do you call it. When i'm at work and i'm standing at the top of a mountain at sunrise and the sun is coming up with not a soul in sight it just makes me feel......... well, I don't know. do you just call it feeling alive? I've seen so many things that the rest of the world will never see. Its so strange man, I don't know what to call it but its something! maybe I will just call it the mystery! I still worry about frying in some kind of hell for night like tonight when I've been into the spirits sort of speak. I do like to have a couple beers now and again!

I was fortunate to not to be raised in a religious family. My parents said that when I am old enough I shall have the freedom to choose my religion if I want to.

Today I am still non-religious and use religion for entertainment purposes meaning for my fantasy writings.

I believe that if you have a strong conscience and believe in faith without having to represent a religios organization is sufficient enough. Believe you will go to a better place when you die because you simply believe you will!

positive thinking = positive energy = positive results

A great motivation documentary that you may want to watch one day is called "The Secret". Supposingly it is ancient technics of the laws of attraction.

I find it compelling and it helps me bypass religious dogmatic belief systems that are misinterpetted most of the time.

This doesn't mean to tell you don't get involved in religion if that is what your heart and mind desires, but just keep a open mind that there are many possibilities of how we all started or what will happen to us.

Many of the greatest minds in the world remained agnostic or even atheist! Look at the list on my profile when you scroll to the bottom.

I hope you will find inner peace regardless and thank you for contributing to science. I know scientist will unravel many more mysteries in the future.

John

I feel joy and happiness that I was there at that time, in that place to experience it.

It is a chemical reaction to things I find pleasurable.

For example, some people find the idea of getting into a metal cage, have it lowered 30 feet into the sea with a 20 foot white pointer shark that weighs about 2500lbs rather intimidating (downright f'kin stoopid, some say) but I find it exhilarating, humbling and very educational

The difference is in the chemistry we all have.



because it is a "now" thing. You are in the "now" enjoying the rush of chemicals that stimulate your mind and brain.



Likewise. I have spent times in my life when I thought dying would be preferable.
But through it all, I kept on with the thought, that this would make one helluva story to tell some cute thing, whilst propping up a bar on a beach one day!



But why? If you die tomorrow, then you will regret nothing. You will become a pile of ash or food for the worms or fish (depending on your wishes)
.. and if there is a hell, and I am wrong, then its too bloody late to do anything about it.
So, what the hell!!

As they say in Scuba Klingon ... "Today is a good day to dive"

... and Im too good to be shark food!

man, I'll hit the cages with you anytime!

Me too. I got kicked out of Sunday school for asking too many questions.



Im relatively close to that.
I believe that you "should do as you would be done by"
I also believe that you make your own luck.
It is sometimes called manifestation. Im very good at manifesting.



I actually used to be agnostic. I was prepared to be swayed.
Then I read the bible as an adult. then the Qu'ran then realised the similarities were so close that they had to be made up by men.

Too many contradictions to be the word of a divine being.

You know its funny, I was just thinking about what you were saying about being in the cages, well, I wonder how you would feel outside the cage. The reason I say that is I've bumped into more than my share of bears in middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. its funny because I was sure praying to a god I didn't really believe in to save my ass while I was running like crazy!

I actually used to be agnostic. I was prepared to be swayed.
Too many contradictions to be the word of a divine being.


This sound exactly like where I am at now as a person and the reason I posted!

Voluntarily getting in the water with a great white, without a cage, would still have to be with a few limitations.

I would need to be on the bottom or against a wall.
I would need a load of air to wait them out.
... and when I surfaced, I would need a change of underwear.

But what I wouldnt need is any form of religious icon, deity or other article to pray with, on or against.

Unless it was a statue of buddha I could use to beat the shark senseless with!

I'd only use buddha, because he DID actually exist and he isnt a god