|
|
Post by dylandog6 on Sept 15, 2004 18:06:01 GMT -5
Want to know how I became atheist?
easy.
I just read (quite carefully, though, till I REALLY understood the book)
Richard Dawkin's "The Blind WatchMaker"
It's about how evolution factually and actually happened.
If people would just use their Brains a bit more
carefully (instead of just using their feelings, like theists), then it might be easier to diminish the power of ignorance, and religion.
But then some people might say: Where would we go for comfort and meaning in life, without religion?
I think that's why religion is going to be with us for a long long time, despite overwhelming proof of it being just hogwash!
But let's just think about something for a moment: have any of you ever thought about how absolutely ABSURD the "Christ Dying on the Cross" Myth really is? Let's think a moment about that:
We have this God. He's omnipotent, he can do and/or undo whatever he likes, even destroy the universe.
And he's got ONLY ONE SON. And what does he do with that only son? lets him die an atrocious death, with horrible suffering, without interventing to help him or save him! ! What kind of a Dad is that? and for whom does He let him die? for US?? for us and our world, that little insignificant little microscopic speck of dust in his infinite (created) universe!! Does that make any sense to you?
It doesn't make any sense to me! Actually, it just makes me marvel at the way we are: We really think that we're Big Shots and super important, don't we? Just think! God Almighty let his ONLY son die and suffer for US! wow how important special incredibly precious we all are...huh huh...this stuff sounds just like in the middle ages, when men thought the whole universe centered around our planet, centered around OURSELVES.
Cheers
Dylan
|
|
|
|
Post by Superhappyjen on Sept 16, 2004 0:44:27 GMT -5
Very little about religion makes any sense to me, but I've rarely heard Christianity described in such a cool way. I always thought the dying-for-our-sins story was to guilt us into worshiping Jesus but it turns out it's there to tell us how AWESOME we are.  er....typos |
|
|
|
Post by dylandog6 on Sept 17, 2004 14:15:45 GMT -5
Well...If such a Being (actually the only being that really counts, the first and everlasting Being that even existed before Time etc etc) actually went to such trouble with his FAMILY (His son) to save US, doesn't that make us as important as he is? Consequently: doesn't that make us Godlike too? And so, if we are Godlike, that doesn't make us very humble ! Thus, according to religion, we really have a very very high, and exaggerated opinion of ourselves. Anyway, thanx for reading and answering my post  Dylan |
|
|
|
Post by vertigo on Sept 17, 2004 18:59:09 GMT -5
You have got it all wrong. Christianity says that Adam and Eve made such a big screw up that an innocent death was required to absolve it. And what was their mistake? They disobeyed. Disobey and people die. You think that makes people have an exagerrated opinion of themselves? I think it scares the shit out of people. What will happen to me if I disobey?
|
|
|
|
Post by dylandog6 on Sept 17, 2004 22:49:44 GMT -5
Actually, if I have been created by an Almighty God IN HIS OWN IMAGE, I must be SIMILAR to God, since I'm made in his own image, right? And since I also have the power to decide for myself, to decide what I want to do (decide whether I want to eat the apple or not, whether I want to know the truth about everything and anything, regardless of the right or wrong it might entail...then I also have the one power that any God must have in order to be a God: the power and the freedom to choose, and the ability to be CONSCIOUS (hence Godlike) about my choices. Actually, the freedom to choose whether to eat the apple or not, makes us even more divine, and this fact should NOT make us feel guilty, since it's what separates us from animals. An animal would not have any choice, and would act on instinct. We are CONSCIOUS about right and wrong, hence Godlike. That's not gonna make me feel humble, It's gonna make me feel IMPORTANT! And: If Jesus died for our sins, and then FORGAVE us for them, in the end, what we're really hoping for here, is to become as important and as similar to God as possible. Is that acting HUMBLY? hmmm....you still have to convince me about that one! Dylan |
|
|
|
Post by Mistwalker on Mar 1, 2005 1:13:39 GMT -5
God made man imperfect, fallable to sin, and he knew they would sin. He made satan, whom he knew would betray him, he allowed satan to lure the imperfect humans he made into sin. Then there's a huge gap between then and christ. Does everyone between then and christ go to hell? The question is left unanswered.
So god sends himself in the form of a human to earth to die and come back to heaven to make up for the sinful nature of humans that he created. He caused the problem, and he had to go to earth and die, or create a son to go to earth and die and come back to heaven to make the sin go away?
Righty ho...
|
|
|
|
Post by william on Mar 28, 2005 4:30:13 GMT -5
the Bible says that Gods word is 'Foolishness to the unredemed" so I guess you have shown it to be true.
|
|
SSS
Seasoned Citizen
Love Boat Captain
Posts: 119
|
Post by SSS on Mar 28, 2005 22:48:15 GMT -5
the Bible says that Gods word is 'Foolishness to the unredemed" so I guess you have shown it to be true. SSS's word says that "the authors of the bible said that to cover God's ass" |
|
|
|
Post by vertigo on Mar 29, 2005 14:34:52 GMT -5
In 'The Emperor's New Clothes', arrange these people in order of foolishness:
1: The boy who saw through the lies.
2: The adults who knew but lied to themselves.
3: The emperor himself
Atheists are like the little boy, Christians in this case are like the adults, God is like the emperor's clothes. I suppose the Pope is like the emperor, being the biggest fool of all...
PS. BTW you will find the same 'foolishness to the unredeemed' line in many cults. Why do you suppose that is?
|
|
|
|
Post by william on Mar 29, 2005 15:42:12 GMT -5
In 'The Emperor's New Clothes', arrange these people in order of foolishness: 1: The boy who saw through the lies. 2: The adults who knew but lied to themselves. 3: The emperor himself Atheists are like the little boy, Christians in this case are like the adults, God is like the emperor's clothes. I suppose the Pope is like the emperor, being the biggest fool of all... PS. BTW you will find the same 'foolishness to the unredeemed' line in many cults. Why do you suppose that is? And from our perspective the Christians would be the boy the atheists the people and Richard Dawkins the emperer! I would not dissagree with those "cults on the statement over all, I would probably dissagree on who the redeemed are. I realise it doesnt really prove anything, I was only trying to jump into the fray. |
|
|
|
Post by landlady on Jul 9, 2005 22:24:03 GMT -5
my next read will definately be "the blind watchmaker"..soon!
|
|
|
|
Post by solidsquid on Jul 10, 2005 16:20:16 GMT -5
Another book that I haven't gotten around to reading yet. I'm in the middle of Pennock's The Tower of Babel...I have to read it in between reading texts for my classes so that means I only get to read a bit at a time.
|
|
|
|
Post by landlady on Jul 11, 2005 9:00:58 GMT -5
love the analogy of the emperors new clothes!
|
|
