Painful Delusions.

[Ace Otana]

See? Silly beliefs do harm. Physicly as well as mentally.
It's people like that (who are in the many) that destroys any faith I have in humanity's intelligence.

"Mankind's intelligence runs hand in hand with it's stupidity".

[The Grand Nudger]

I don't know if it's a sad waste of time to pray, take Islam..one can be certain no one is being stoned to death during the call to prayer.

[BethK]

Rhythm, you've got a point there. At least while praying, they're not actively harming or killing nonparticipants in whatever silly religion they've got.

On the basis of the whole thing, it would seem that these very poor people could do more to help themselves with the 30 hours per week it takes them to walk to church and back than walking to Church. What if they used that time and energy to produce crops, build a water purification plant(with the money that the "church" could be using to actually HELP these poor people if they applied it? They could use keeping the women's feet in usable condition rather than them walking in high heels until their feet bled. This seems as cruel as foot binding, except that this is done to the poor who NEED the use of their feet and all of their bodies to get their survival needs. At least Chinese foot binding was mostly an artifact of the wealthy. I know that injury to the feet or ankles was a major cause of the American pioneers being killed 150 years ago - they couldn't provide themselves with food, water, clothing, and shelter, nor could they escape attacks from wild animals. But, Christianity is a death cult anyway. These women can go down in their history as "pious" because somebody died of blood poisoning from the injuries to their feet endured because they had to get to church. Or, somebody is a martyr because they died in an animal attack when their bloody feet wouldn't allow them to run away effectively.

I too have to question this whole idea of worshiping a deity who demands such "mortification of the flesh", or self-injury. It would seem that even with belief in creator deities that take active part in the day-to-day lives of their creation, that these deities have created what they have, and destroying their creation would be an affront to the creator - not somehow pleasing to them. A deity that would give a person things, then demand that they destroy them in the name of worshiping such deity is certainly off-balance. To destroy a gift that a gracious host has given you, or in fact to even refuse a gift from such a gracious host would be considered bad manners by such a destructive guest. Why is it acceptable, permissible, and encouraged to do this to a deity you claim to be worshiping? Such a deity would seem at best mentally unstable, and not worthy of worship.

Where can God find a qualified psychiatrist? LOL

[DeistPaladin]

See? Silly beliefs do harm. Physicly as well as mentally.
It's people like that (who are in the many) that destroys any faith I have in humanity's intelligence.

"Mankind's intelligence runs hand in hand with it's stupidity".

One of the central concepts of deism is that God exalted humans as rational animals and that the "Gift of Reason" will prevail (see the last sentence of The Age of Reason).

The stupidity I have witnessed in the last decade is what has given me pause and made me consider that maybe the atheists are right, we were lucky to get this far.

I haven't lost faith in reason yet. Can't say what's possible with another decade like the last one.

[The Magic Pudding]

A bunch of woman put their best clothes and heels on and say they're going off to church.
They come back next day looking bedraggled and worse for wear.
I think I'd discreetly shine a UV light on their wrists, just to be sure.

[Ace Otana]

One of the central concepts of deism is that God exalted humans as rational animals and that the "Gift of Reason" will prevail (see the last sentence of The Age of Reason).

The stupidity I have witnessed in the last decade is what has given me pause and made me consider that maybe the atheists are right, we were lucky to get this far.

I had a little talk with a deist and he explained his beliefs pretty well.

He said to me: "God gave us the gift of reason and also a choice that follows it. We either use this reason to create the technology that will send us to the moon and stars and become as gods, or we use this gift of reason to create the technology to destroy ourselves in a rush of hate. Ultimately, sending ourselves to oblivion. And that it is our choice alone which path we take, do we use reason to become more than we are or destroy ourselves with it?."

Quite an interesting view. I do agree that we do have the choice, to become more or not at all. People like those who are poor in Africa that would harm themselves by walking miles to a church, he said, demonstrates the choice in how we use our gift of reason.

What do you think?

[DeistPaladin]

I had a little talk with a deist and he explained his beliefs pretty well.

He said to me: "God gave us the gift of reason and also a choice that follows it. We either use this reason to create the technology that will send us to the moon and stars and become as gods, or we use this gift of reason to create the technology to destroy ourselves in a rush of hate. Ultimately, sending ourselves to oblivion. And that it is our choice alone which path we take, do we use reason to become more than we are or destroy ourselves with it?."

Quite an interesting view. I do agree that we do have the choice, to become more or not at all. People like those who are poor in Africa that would harm themselves by walking miles to a church, he said, demonstrates the choice in how we use our gift of reason.

What do you think?

I pretty much came up with a similar answer.

God gave us the Gift of Reason. Some people can't get the box open.

I just love the irony that atheists reinforce my belief by demonstrating the rational behavior that I expect while other believers in God give me doubts with their craziness.

[The Grand Nudger]

I don't even know where to begin when it comes to religion in africa...especially as opposed to what they could be doing with all that time and effort.

As a side note, one of the many popular superstitions in certain african nations, is that sex with a virgin will cure you of aids, chew on that. (also, eating liberal amounts of garlic..double whammy, cure aids and ward off vampires)

and before someone pops in and asks what this has to do with religion: It is the very acceptance of the proposition of god and the supernatural which directly leads one to exactly these sorts of delusions. END...OF.

[Epimethean]

Well now, buddy, eating garlic daily DOES have health benefits-and it probably wards off more than vampires, so it might be the ultimate safe sex cure.

[The Grand Nudger]

In case you missed what I'm referring to

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...arlic.html