A conversation with a friend.

[Alternatehistory95]

I had a friend tell me that she admires how I have a Great sense of curiosity and how I question things.

Honestly I've always prized my love of critical thinking, reasoning, and questioning. This is why religion and I don't align: Religion (at least Christianity and Islam) teaches you to believe without questioning, even in the face of no evidence or opposing evidence.

I really appreciated that.

[onlinebiker]

Don't just teach your children to read. Teach them to question what they read.... Teach them to question everything.

George Carlin

[outtathereligioncloset]

OLB, though I agree with you in theory, please teach them the difference between questioning everything and "talking back." It's a line that Grandchildperson does NOT recognize. EVERYTHING'S an argument.

[Belacqua]

Religion (at least Christianity and Islam) teaches you to believe without questioning, even in the face of no evidence or opposing evidence.

There are two assertions here which I think we can question.

First, is it true that Christians are all taught to believe without questioning? Among Christian literature, questioning and doubting is seen as an essential part of faith. How one deals with doubt -- how one grapples with the inevitable weakness of faith -- is an important part of one's thought processes. Of course, there are always unthinking people in any large scale movement, but that doesn't mean that non-thinking is encouraged. 

Second, is it true that Christians see no evidence for their beliefs? While you may have a different set of rules for what constitutes good evidence, this doesn't mean that, in their terms, they see none.

[ignoramus]

^ correct. Not all "personal" evidence needs to be of a scientific nature...

(Whateverist will be so proud of me! )

[brewer]

I'm not sure it takes a great mind to question religion.

[EgoDeath]

I believe it's this sense of curiosity that leads most of us away from religion by, ironically, leading us to learn more about it. The closer I got to really understanding Christianity, the less I wanted to be associated with it. It's been said many times before, in different variations, that there's no better way to become an atheist than by reading the Bible. It must be something that is either naturally in you or it isn't. It's always surprising to me when people just accept certain things without question. How is everyone not fascinated by the fact that we're on a spinning sphere-like object in space, hurdling around a huge fiery ball of gas? To me, that should be astounding to everyone, but too many people's reactions to that fact are just, "Yeah, so?"

I presume many religious people are not all that curious. It's an itch they simply don't feel the need to scratch.

[Mr.Obvious]

My friend called me a cunt.
I called him one in return.
We proceeded to have a beer.

[Peebothuhlu]

At work.

My friend called me a cunt.
I called him one in return.
We proceeded to have a beer.

Pretty much sums up most days at work between m'self and colleagues.

With the liberal sprinkling of other, fine Australian vernaculars such as 'F@ck' in all its guises. 'Bludger'. '@sshole'. 'W@nker'. The list does go on.