Sorry Born Agains.... Hawking says there is no heaven.

[jeffrey]

I went to a Catholic School and I've never felt more oppressed in my life. My religion teacher used to literally be a coke-whore who "found god" while getting mugged at gunpoint. Here's a list of things I remember:

- She told me I was going to hell because I saw the Da Vinci Code
- Told me that unless our government accepted religion, our country would fall
- told me that the most important influence on my who I vote for should be based on how someone feels about abortion
- got me suspended multiple times because during our debates she would throw personal attacks at me (she ended up having to deal with the diocese)
- Repetitively called me a waste of a human because I wouldn't get involved with religious activities in school
- Called my parents and told them she was afraid I was going to "live a life of sin"

Religion is a fucking waste of time, effort, and restricts both moral and intellectual development.

 

[lincolndsp]

I went to a Catholic School and I've never felt more oppressed in my life. My religion teacher used to literally be a coke-whore who "found god" while getting mugged at gunpoint. Here's a list of things I remember:

- She told me I was going to hell because I saw the Da Vinci Code
- Told me that unless our government accepted religion, our country would fall
- told me that the most important influence on my who I vote for should be based on how someone feels about abortion
- got me suspended multiple times because during our debates she would throw personal attacks at me (she ended up having to deal with the diocese)
- Repetitively called me a waste of a human because I wouldn't get involved with religious activities in school
- Called my parents and told them she was afraid I was going to "live a life of sin"

Religion is a fucking waste of time, effort, and restricts both moral and intellectual development.

:ak:her :bootyshake:

 

[zmoney12]

 

[Moxie]

Fuck that, I am in no way grateful for religion. I hate them all equally, I think they crush creativity, innovation, free speech, and free thinking.

Do you count buddhism, taoism, and pantheism as religions?

More and more scientific studies are coming out showing that meditation is beneficial. How prominent do think meditation would be on the planet without religion and/or spirituality?

 

[cardine]

Each side had its dark ideas. Atheists just have a hard time excepting that. Plus they never point out the bright side of selfless people that live by the golden rule.

The golden rule has nothing to do with god. The golden rule is a direct result of evolution.

Game theory very definitely shows that reciprocating kindness leads to an evolutionary advantage over any other approach towards morality. Religion didn't come up with this shit, it's been hard-wired into our brains over the past 100,000 years.

 

[dchuk]

Do you count buddhism, taoism, and pantheism as religions?

More and more scientific studies are coming out showing that meditation is beneficial. How prominent do think meditation would be on the planet without religion and/or spirituality?

Yes, I do. I think there's a place in the world for allegories/myths/fairytales, but I don't think anyone should be allowed to live their entire life asserting their validity.

Meditation is a great thing, I do it myself. I also practice yoga frequently. But I don't do it because Jesus or Buddha or Confucius wants me to, I do it because no one can IM me when I'm doing a downward dog and it fixes my fucked up back.

 

[lukep]

Do you count buddhism, taoism, and pantheism as religions?

I don't know jack about pantheism, (It's greek to me) but I've studied Taoism at university and I lived in Bangkok among Buddhists and kind of consider myself one to this day.

Buddhists and Taoists DO NOT consider themselves religious, nor do they (usually) believe in a god or anything more superstitious than a fart.

The Buddha himself said "When I die, don't look for me again; I ain't coming back!" He actively tried hard to dissuade all forms of superstition 2,500 years ago, no matter how awesome the ppl then thought enlightenment was.

Only some of the hicks who live out in the sticks throughout southern Asia retain any superstition. In the big cities like BKK, there are no religious folk; just modern city dwellers who don't go to their Wats (temples) except for marriages and funerals... Wats are kept like museums the rest of the time by "Monks" who are doing the job more out of public service than religion. (The custom of giving them free food helps draw them to service.)

Out in the country the superstitious few have learned that if they make a big deal out of their old superstitions they can draw tourists to them to spend money near their homes. -That display they make a big deal out of is the main thing that makes them look superstitious; After getting to know one or two I don't really believe that the majority of them are superstitious at all, despite what they say on their tourist literature.

When I tried to explain to Thais how American Christians really do go to church on Sundays and actually believe in a god in heaven above, they all say the same thing:

"You mean just the children, right? Surely no adults can believe such a thing..."

Basically all Theists are an absolute laughingstock over there. Belief in fairies like Christ and Tinkerbell are both inconceivable to such a society, and if they didn't know that there are so many christians in the world, a lone christian there would easily wind up in an insane asylum.

More and more scientific studies are coming out showing that meditation is beneficial. How prominent do think meditation would be on the planet without religion and/or spirituality?

WTF Does meditation have to do with religion?? I've never seen the two put together in a sentence before your post here... Meditation is nothing but clearing the brain and talking to your body on a psychosomatic level...

Of course meditation is beneficial! It was invented by Chinese Doctors for the use of healing the sick and has been in constant use in hospitals over there for thousands of years!

In Asia, meditation is something they teach in primary school. Kind of like we went to Gym class, they all had a meditation class, usually at the start of their school day, and it's pretty much the reason why Asians are considered so smart... They learn to Discipline their minds well.

What fucktard linked meditation together with religion?

 

[Moxie]

Meditation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[REIMktg]

I went to a Catholic School and I've never felt more oppressed in my life. My religion teacher used to literally be a coke-whore who "found god" while getting mugged at gunpoint. Here's a list of things I remember:

- She told me I was going to hell because I saw the Da Vinci Code
- Told me that unless our government accepted religion, our country would fall
- told me that the most important influence on my who I vote for should be based on how someone feels about abortion
- got me suspended multiple times because during our debates she would throw personal attacks at me (she ended up having to deal with the diocese)
- Repetitively called me a waste of a human because I wouldn't get involved with religious activities in school
- Called my parents and told them she was afraid I was going to "live a life of sin"

Religion is a fucking waste of time, effort, and restricts both moral and intellectual development.

So your religion teacher was an idiot. Where is the "logic" in that?

How does religion restrict moral and intellectual development? Not religion of the past where you can quote isolated events. Or even the isolated nuts like your teacher. The religion of today is based on reason, logic, and facts.

Read the bible. It does not discourage the investigation of the world around us. In fact it advocates a vision of the world as orderly and "designed". Something "designed" is worth examining.

Think. Science And Religion

 

[dchuk]

The religion of today is based on reason, logic, and facts.

You're just...wrong.

 

[guysmy]

This looks like good advice... balls are sacred apparently.

If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals, then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity.

Now what if she succeeds and crushes your balls? You are now an outcast!

No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord.

 

[dchuk]

[all the religious folks in this thread]

 

[-God-]

No it's not "God". Oxford dictionary. Go.

Oxymoron: a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g. faith unfaithful kept him falsely true).

So I'm right... Not sure why you needed me to look that up for you but if it helps in your education I'm happy to help.

 

[lukep]

How does religion restrict moral and intellectual development? Not religion of the past where you can quote isolated events. Or even the isolated nuts like your teacher. The religion of today is based on reason, logic, and facts.

Well at least we agree that the Religion of the past is immoral and anti-intellectual... But honestly, minus all the outdated, over-harsh events in the bible like guysmy quoted above, the rest of it is still very contradictory, even things that Jesus directly said or supposedly did.

Contradictory teachings = restricting moral and intellectual development.

Read the bible.

I read it. And I returned it to the bookstore soon afterwards. :bootyshake:

Seriously, do you think in a thread full of atheists you're going to make points holding up that shoddy piece of ancient swiss cheese as a source? I bet between us we know about 1,000 different problems with the 'good book' and will be happy to quote some like guysmy did. Heck, just hop over to youtube and you'll find a thousand films on the problems and inconsistencies in the bible, so please save us some time and check there first if you feel the need to call any of us out on it.

It does not discourage the investigation of the world around us. In fact it advocates a vision of the world as orderly and "designed".

Don't you even believe in Evolution? If so this vision is clearly flawed and won't help your point much.

If not then I think I'll stop talking now...

 

[kingfish]

Lol this thread has devolved into athiests argueing with athiests and the religious people not caring what they say going about their lives and getting things done.

The best revenge is living well, while everyone else bickers amongst themselves I suppose.

 

[nickster]

The best revenge is living well, while everyone else bickers amongst themselves I suppose.

The pope would know about living well

 

[Dresden14]

maybe his athiest views on God put him in his retard wheel chair?

 

[JakeStratham]

maybe his athiest views on God put him in his retard wheel chair?

I cannot figure out why you have red rep. You sound like a decent guy. lol

 

[jeffrey]

I cannot figure out why you have red rep. You sound like a decent guy. lol

He posted the boob icon with no tits.

 

[poisonsembrace]

I recently finished reading [ame="http://www.amazon.com/God-Science-Coming-Circle-ebook/dp/B004OYT95A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS&s=digital-text&qid=1306018870&sr=8-2"]God & Science - Coming Full Circle?[/ame]

It raises some good points about science proving the existence of God (God like to us as humans) and how hardcore athiests are really just like the a modern day church from the crusades amongst many other things.

It's a good read and isn't as ridiculous as it sounds.