I don't remember a member named "the illuminati". Hah! You just ratted yourself out.

I don't hate belief in a gawd. That would be as dumb as hating a belief in fairies, elves or unicorns. Nor do I hate the religions. It's hard to hate a list of rules. I also do not hate the believers either for their belief nor for their particular flavor of belief. What I do hate, is having it shoved in my face. Billboards, crosses, street preaching, attempts at legislating religious beliefs... And, the hate-mongers. The poison preachers who prey on the weak minded/weak willed. The buffoons who preach gawds retribution in natural events. The sad, pathetic, greedy mother fuckers who sucker the foolish with promises of wealth through "the glory of gawed" (only after receiving a non-refundable donation).

In short, I hate the snake oil salesmen, not the snake oil or the customers.

(October 28, 2016 at 9:58 pm)Chad32 Wrote:  Yet somehow we expect an omnipotent god to be incorruptible, somehow.

i agree on everything else, but yeah i would expect the idea of god to be incorruptible. it is technically a fairy tale after all.

(October 28, 2016 at 10:01 pm)Losty Wrote: Umm...I don't hate either. I think the believe in God can be damaging especially if indoctrinated in a particularly negative way. But I also think it can be healthy if done in a positive way. Believing in a higher power makes some people happier healthier people. Same with religion, some aspects of organized religion are really great and some are really terrible. Some organizations are overall really good and some are overall really harmful.

I don't believe in god. I don't know of any religious organization I'd be willing to be a member of. But I don't care what other people believe or join.

thats what i like to hear. taoism is a good way to live that has nothing to do with a god so you might find some nice insight there. buddhism and confusionism too. even the bible, kaballah, and quaran have alot of positive ideas that can be extracted.

 i suggest nobody be born into a religion, rather read up on religion after they are smart enough to decipher good and evil.

(October 28, 2016 at 10:14 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: My belief is that irrelevant of happiness or detriment,  we ought to strive to find the truth and follow it.  That said,  if someone doesn't do a test and get's a zero for no answers,  that is worse then a person who does the test and get's a lot of answers right but some answers wrong. 

I see religions as attempts to answer questions to who we are as humans.  I feel people with no religion have settled for no enlightened answer out there. I respect the idea that people with answer wrong answers mixed with right answers in a form of false religions more then people saying there are no answers out there.

That said,  I think we humans are at loss over time,  if we don't find out inner truth and purpose, and believe in it, and act according to it.

I was happier without religion, but there is no escaping the reasoning that has led me back to it,  and I am however more fulfilled and feel I have greater purpose and stronger foundation with religion.

wow, this is actually profound. i must admit, i dont see a lot of theists with good arguments. i like your analogy as well.

there is definitely no beating that feeling of wonder. i dont think our excess imagination and belief is a misstep in evolution but rather a step forward. we trained our brains to accomplish so much, but we have ignored an important aspect that makes humans so amazing.

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”

― Daniel J. Boorstin

(October 29, 2016 at 12:47 am)goombah111 Wrote: [...] so you might find some nice insight there. buddhism and confusionism too.

This has got to be my favorite typo/misspelling of the year. Classic!

(October 29, 2016 at 1:24 am)Jörmungandr Wrote:  
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”

― Daniel J. Boorstin

agreed, people who claim to know piss me off. both sides have these people but theists definitely take the cake with their blind faith.

(October 29, 2016 at 2:01 am)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(October 29, 2016 at 12:47 am)goombah111 Wrote: [...]  so you might find some nice insight there. buddhism and confusionism too.

This has got to be my favorite typo/misspelling of the year. Classic!

haha i never knew how it was spelled. still dont. punny

(October 30, 2016 at 12:22 am)goombah111 Wrote:

(October 29, 2016 at 2:01 am)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: This has got to be my favorite typo/misspelling of the year. Classic!

haha i never knew how it was spelled. still dont. punny

Confucianism will get you the apple here. I appreciate the laugh all the same, bud.

(October 28, 2016 at 8:09 pm)goombah111 Wrote: or both?

i see people say "religion ruins everything" so that would point to the organizations and scriptures

i also see people say "youre dumb if you believe in god"

so, what do people hate? or at least, what do people have the most issue with?

I just enjoy hating.  Best not to poke around and let the air out on that for me.

(October 28, 2016 at 10:01 pm)Losty Wrote: Umm...I don't hate either. I think the belief in God can be damaging especially if indoctrinated in a particularly negative way. But I also think it can be healthy if done in a positive way. Believing in a higher power makes some people happier healthier people. Same with religion, some aspects of organized religion are really great and some are really terrible. Some organizations are overall really good and some are overall really harmful.

I don't believe in god. I don't know of any religious organization I'd be willing to be a member of. But I don't care what other people believe or join.

What do you mean you don't care , anyway ? That you wouldn't try to outlaw religion or that you are actually nonplussed by the fact that so many people believe false things about the world and get their moralities from ancient death cults ?

Strictly speaking, both are immoral positions to hold, IMO, but one more defensible than the other. If I had the power I would destroy most of organized religion and not think twice about it, starting with the Catholic Church with its crimes against humanity(can't describe them otherwise).

(October 28, 2016 at 9:48 pm)goombah111 Wrote:

---

(October 28, 2016 at 9:37 pm)Homeless Nutter Wrote: Stupidity. It always comes with any religious territory. Religion needs stupid people in order to survive, which is why it actively promotes ignorance and false models of reality. Maybe if religions and/or gods stopped choosing the most demented of morons as their spokesmen - people would have fewer problems with the whole thing. Of course - that's not going to happen, because smart people know, that religions are bullsh*t and that there is no reason to believe in any gods.

---

at least your honest.

I'm also right.

(October 28, 2016 at 9:48 pm)goombah111 Wrote: unfortunately the most clever people are evil.

Are they? Do you have any evidence to back this bold assertion? Or is it just that intellectually impaired people instinctively fear those, who are smarter? It's an illusion, created from insecurity and lack of self-worth, and fed by media, like Hollywood movies, which nearly always portray villains as smart people, and heroes as dip-sh*t jocks.

If I recall correctly, pretty much everything of note, that humanity achieved, involved clever people, from the invention of a wheel, to the cure for polio and GMO crops, that saved billions of people in the 3rd World from starvation. Most of us wouldn't be here if it wasn't for clever people, who provided medicine, technology and all sorts of other conveniences, which even dumb people can now enjoy and use to create more dumb people.

It's just that simple people, insecure, self-centered and ungrateful, can't bear to be in debt to smarter ones - they'd rather invent magical sky-daddies, at whom they can direct their thanks. And they'll happily follow an obvious fraud, demagogue and/or a sleaze-bag, as long as he talks and acts like a bumbling fool.

(October 28, 2016 at 9:48 pm)goombah111 Wrote: i think religion is 99%-100% a sham to control people and now that it isnt needed anymore it is being weeded out like rap music.

Of course it is, except that stupid people gave all sorts of powers to churches over the millenia and now it's pretty difficult to "weed them out".

And for the record - there's nothing wrong with rap music, at least in concept. Many rappers are morons and so are their fans, true - but at least they don't get tax-exempt status, or a say in running governments.

(October 28, 2016 at 9:48 pm)goombah111 Wrote:  people are well controlled enough as it is, and what better way to reinforce that control than to add another distraction of separation.

we've always had whites vs blacks and religion vs religion. now we got gays vs straights, transvestites vs, everyone, and not only religion vs religion, but religion vs non-religion.

LOL... We ALWAYS had religion vs "non-religion". Religions are based on bullsh*t and therefore have to be very aggressive against competing world-views, especially those, which are based in reality.

(October 28, 2016 at 9:48 pm)goombah111 Wrote: a shame really. how can we hope for peace when we cant even calm our tits about these issues?

How can we have world peace, when most of humanity appears to believe, that the best part of life comes after you're dead? And that there are invisible wizards, who demand blind, unquestionable obedience, regardless of circumstances?

(October 28, 2016 at 9:48 pm)goombah111 Wrote: ultimately, god is just a symbol until proven otherwise. a powerful symbol at that. and as with all symbols, they can be used for good, or for evil.

God is a symbol, but it's obviously designed to suit simple and ignorant minds. Which is why it's heavily restricted in terms of its potential use "for good". You can't use gods to solve technical, or scientific problems. You can't use it to cure disease, or feed the starving. The symbol of god is usually used to massage people's egos, confirm their preconceived notions and indulge their basic instincts. That's neither good, nor bad, per se - just convenient for those, who want to feel like they know everything, without putting much effort. 

And at the end of the day - god is always a lie, even if used with good intentions. And when that lie is inevitably unmasked, it usually makes any situation worse.