QUOTE (CASSHERNxLYUZE @ Dec 06 2008, 06:48 AM) Here's a question: Why was my last post deleted?
...
How about addressing the claims instead of just attacking those who stated them?
Remember, this is
not the evolution thread. That thread was closed for a reason, and continuing the discussion here won't be appreciated (or tolerated) by the mods. It may stink, but hey, as fellow FTV'ers, we've gotta follow da' rules.
QUOTE I think it's more of "not forcing them" instead of "shunning them and...". Besides, from actual experience, "non-believers" tend to be adamant about not believing in God and not wanting to believe in God. And its not even just claiming not to believe or not wanting to believe, but they also treat the subject with contempt and mockery. Why that's necessary for them, I don't know
Well, we I say "unbeliever" in that context, I don't refer to belief in any form of god, I refer to belief in a particular religion's teachings and beliefs. Don't forget, most religions (not all, I know this) believe that other sects that may still believe in their god, don't believe in that god the correct way, or maybe they don't perform a certain ritual, or perhaps they interpret a certain story in the holy book differently, resulting in "heated debate" about land rights and such. That religion still believes the other sects will be thrust down into the bowels of hell, not just atheists/agnostics.
But realize, in this day and age, it's usually much easier to be religious than it is to be a secularist. I have never met a non-believer who hasn't put a lot of thought into religious matters. Usually, for someone to push it to the extreme and call themselves atheists/agnostic means that they have put much deliberation into it, and very comfortable with their own beliefs, as well as familiar with the beliefs of most other major religions, especially if they were already born into a particular religion. Explain to me why, then, should an atheist/agnostic be perfectly happy with religion when all the world's major holy books state that they should be immediately converted, stoned to death, that they should be considered evil, lawless, immoral heathens, and that they shall burn in hell for all eternity?
QUOTE Personally, I think it's all just some big excuse to justify or cover up any number of things in their lives that Biblical teaching puts in a bad light.
I would have to call that statement very narrow-minded. 99% of the time, atheists haven't decided to become atheists simply because they're "too lazy" or "immoral" to follow the teachings of any particular faith. Remember, belief in god does not bring with it any set of moral codes, that come with religion, and the vast array of different religions means that anyone could find any religion with any set of moral beliefs that fit their agenda (we see that happen all the time throughout history, even today). Often it's a moral value of religion that the atheist/agnostic finds revolting that leads them to leave, not the other way around. Take, for example, the very common religious values of: seeing homosexuality as a vile, unforgivable act because of a few old-testament references; believing that those who don't believe in your particular faith are hell-bound sinners who must either be converted or rejected; mutilating children's genitalia; believing that anything that doesn't support their particular faith is some Devil-derived deception; or that young children incapable of making their own decisions are, all over the world, being forced into their parent's religion, never giving the child a chance for themselves to decide what's right, what's wrong, which belief systems are sane and which are not. There is a whole number of things besides religion's demonization of sex to make them disagree with their belief system.
Of course, not all religions believe in those things I mentioned above, or, at least, don't take the punishments (usually death) to the same extremes as described in the Old Testament. Of course, these religions used to, but nowadays very, very, very few people, only the most extreme religious fanatics, take the Bible to a pure literal interpretation. Not only would they have to stone more than half the world to death (there is quite a wide list of people who need to be killed in the Old Testament), but they themselves would need to be subjected to an incredibly strict moral code which most, if not, all Christians now deem unnecessary or impractical. We see all throughout history an evolution of religion, the exact beliefs or the punishments for not following have adjusted to suit the ethical codes of the day. It just goes to show that, because
everyone cherry-picks what they take as literal or not in the Bible, they're not getting their ethics from the Bible. Rather, they are simply choosing the teachings that they most agree with.
It's important to realize that (in the words of Barack Obama) religion does not have a monopoly on morals. It just goes to show, an atheist doesn't need science to be an atheist.
