converting back unto theism - yes it's true.

[chatpilot]

tackattack wrote: "Religion does not exlcude rational thought, it's simply a different belief and should be respected as much a belief in science and psychology and abiogenesis is."

I tend to disagree, religions idea of rationalistic thought is akin to junk or pseudoscience it's is invalid and unprovable from an empirical and objective point of view. Where do the three religions of the book get their information from? The supposed revelations of people long gone and for the most part anonymous and unknown. In my view divine inspirations or revelation is not a valid source of information because it is subject to so many factors that can detract from its authenticity. Not to mention how those same revelations become oral traditions that tend to lose their original state through the passage of time between when they were first spoken and later written down.

tackattack Wrote: "People suppose religion = delusion = harmful to society."

I wholeheartedly agree with EVF on this one. At least it is my opinion that in the realms of scientific learning and some other disciplines religious beliefs have set us back a few hundred years or so. Basing themselves on their gods idea of morals and divine authority they have stunted the growth of knowledge in the name of religion. Everything that goes against their gods ideals as set forth in their scriptures is immoral or of the devil etc. etc. Not all of Christianity thinks this way of course, but in my view when they were forced to think this way it was an impediment to learning and growth.

Finally, as far as converting back to theism goes at least in my case I find that an utter impossibility. Nothing short of God or Jesus himself speaking to me and appearing to me as he supposedly did to his disciples after his resurrection will make me accept Christianity or any religious beliefs system for that matter. I feel that with all the knowledge I have gained as an atheist I could never go back to "serving god" or bowing down to fictitious characters whose own character if we were to take some of the tales of the bible as fact remain in question. The biblical god in my view is nothing more than a bully and an intolerable tyrant, that is if he existed at all.