(November 21, 2021 at 7:04 pm)Agnostic1 Wrote: Religion, sadly, will never go away. No matter how much science you put forward, religious followers want to control people with their beliefs. I often wonder how many religious people would pass a lie detector test that they DO, in fact, BELIEVE and that religion isn't just a handy label to put on yourself to have (imagined) moral hierarchy. Every religious person I have ever known is a hypocrite and goes against their own beliefs and they always have some lame excuse or they just throw dirt over the problem. I am so tired of people saying they are going to pray for me when it is ALWAYS said in retaliatory sarcasm. If you're going to REALLY pray FOR me then great! I could use a LOT more money, thank you. I want to live to be 125. I want to have a huge birthday party, every year attended by celebrities, I want my kids to have their every dream and wish come true and I will keep you updated so you can make sure when you 'pray' for me that you don't miss anything.
I feel like religious people have all the rights in this country. They can start churches and don't have to pay taxes. The closest thing we have to an Atheist "church" is the Universal Unitarian church that STILL has sermons based on cult or sect spiritual beliefs. AND, of course, all religions are welcome to attend a UU church. Where is the church of science? Or maybe not a "church" since religious folks have coined that term but maybe a gathering place for atheists? I would go every week if I could find one.
I recently joined a MeetUp for Atheists. I am waiting for them to approve me!
Like others have said, it has to do with emotions. We are all emotional machines. We are survival machines.
Dumping your religion and becoming atheist, agnostic, ignitist or whatever you want to call yourself, is accepting that you are going to die.
(unless you want to believe you still have an undying soul).
I think science is great and acts as a cure for some people at least. A little learning from history, anthropology, other religions, human behavior helps to dump religion.
There are other aspects to religion as well. The jewish flavor of religions are ancient, so there has been a few millennia of tradition. No one can prove that Moses was talking to the jewish god or not, no one can prove he did not split the Nile river in 2, etc.
Science doesn’t give any guarantees that such things are none sense, even though, I think those magical stories are none sense.
Then, you have Pascal’s wager. There is the threat of hell.
A few christians have mentioned hell to me when I had discussions with them.
Quote:I am so tired of people saying they are going to pray for me when it is ALWAYS said in retaliatory sarcasm. If you're going to REALLY pray FOR me then great!
What they mean is that you are going to hell.
They do the same with cancer patients. They know that a person that has cancer is in big trouble.
In your case, you are in big trouble bc you did not join judaism v2.0 or whatever version it is.
Quote:I recently joined a MeetUp for Atheists. I am waiting for them to approve me!
That would be nice. Did you meet anyone?
