(May 11, 2012 at 1:43 pm)RaphielDrake Wrote: I'm an ex-catholic. I can safely say that I'm happier as an Atheist than I ever was as a Catholic and I also feel my mental well-being has very much improved since I removed their shackles of indoctrination. What made me an Atheist is when I read the Bible cover to cover and after about a year of research afterwards I came to the conclusion there was no evidence to back it and even evidence to the contrary.Not really, since you never established the weakness of humanity. You just said you didn't think there was "evidence to back the Bible". I've read all of the Scriptures (RSV-CE, NAB, Douay-Rheims), the books of the Orthodox Bible, many pious apocryphal works as well (the Protoevangelium
I found I could not bring myself to worship the God in that book even if this were not the case as he is almost certainly represented as being an evil, vain, masochistic and arrogant being. I am more morale than that, so are most people and for that matter so are you.
Does this answer your question?
), and I've done a lot of background research (if you like this type of thing, I really recommend the open Yale courses, they're done from a secular perspective) as well and it lead me in quite the opposite direction. I am glad you are feeling happier now, at the least.
(May 11, 2012 at 3:24 pm)Faith No More Wrote: Do you have anything to back this up? If my experiences are indicative of anything, it is that religion has no real bearing on these issues. Another thing to keep in mind is that statistics on these issues can be skewed due to the fact that one group may be more likely to seek help for these problems than another. That means they are more likely to be diagnosed and more likely to be counted.Oh absolutely:
Religion and depression: a review of the literature.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10480747
Religious Affiliation and Suicide Attempt
Religious Involvement, Spirituality, and Medicine: Implications for Clinical Practice
Religion and the five factors of personality: a meta-analytic review
The protective effects of religiosity on maladjustment among maltreated and nonmaltreated children
I also can find you a ton of studies about religion's relationship to mortality rates, charity, delinquency, involved parenting, GPA etc. if you care for it. Either way I'm not sure how some people can try to say that 97.5% of humanity is all "weak".
This post is getting much too long!
Now this doesn't necessarily mean "atheists" here, just "religious" vs. "irreligious". Religion covers very broad ground and many religions (incl Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism) do have atheistic branches.
Mary Immaculate, star of the morning
Chosen before the creation began
Chosen to bring for your bridal adorning
Woe to the serpent and rescue to man.
Sinners, we honor your sinless perfection;
Fallen and weak, for your pity we plead;
Grand us the shield of your sovereign protection,
Measure your aid by the depth of our need.
Bend from your throne at the voice of our crying,
Bend to this earth which your footsteps have trod;
Stretch out your arms to us, living and dying,
Mary Immaculate, Mother of God.
Chosen before the creation began
Chosen to bring for your bridal adorning
Woe to the serpent and rescue to man.
Sinners, we honor your sinless perfection;
Fallen and weak, for your pity we plead;
Grand us the shield of your sovereign protection,
Measure your aid by the depth of our need.
Bend from your throne at the voice of our crying,
Bend to this earth which your footsteps have trod;
Stretch out your arms to us, living and dying,
Mary Immaculate, Mother of God.
