Honest opinions about religion

Author: Bones

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@Athias
Do you mean to say that you respect all religions? I can't imagine that you actually believe in lightning-bolt-throwing sky man. 
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@zedvictor4
If you don't know then you you don't know.

But I'm certain that you do know.

So I'm content with that certainty.
I do know. But ultimately, if you're satisfied with your measures that'd be fine. But why would a theist accept your measures, much less concern themselves with your criticism in their refusal to accept them, especially when the basis of said measures are just as "fantastical"?
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@Bones
Do you mean to say that you respect all religions?
I mean to say I acknowledge the existence of all gods. I do not respect every religion--particularly Luciferianism and its derivatives.

I can't imagine that you actually believe in lightning-bolt-throwing sky man. 
How else does one explain thunder?
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@Athias
Equal fantasy for sure.

And lightning recently killed a ten year old boy out playing football......Sinful little bastard.



Nighty Night Mr A.


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@Bones
It's very frustrating when people assume that the polytheistic gods are simply nothing more than natural element that they represent or control. There's way more to Thor as a god than just the fact that he "makes lightning bolts". There are whole rolls, concepts and animistic associations. It's much much deeper than Thor makes thunderbolts up in the sky so he's the thunder God.
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@Bones
Honest opinions about religion

Religion is for those that count themselves to be religious. Which I am not.
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@Bones
What are theists's honest opinion on atheists, vice versa?
- We don't see it that way in my tradition. Non-religious can be said to be among:
Those who deny the temporal & the spiritual & the moral, the sophists (sofstai)
Those who confirm the temporal but deny the spiritual & the moral, the naturists (tabi'i)
Those who deny the temporal but confirm the spiritual & the moral, the esoterists (hashishi)
Those who confirm the temporal deny the spiritual but confirm the moral, the temporalists (dahri)
Those who confirm the temporal & the spiritual but deny the moral, the deists (ilahi)
Those who confirm the temporal & the spiritual & the moral, the sabians (sabia)

- Atheism is not disbelieve in God, it's rather belief in Nature. Denying God is as a matter of course denying the moral, rational & spiritual belief system contingent on God, in favor of another belief system contingent on Nature.

7 days later

FLRW
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Prayer dosen't work. There were probably a billion prayers world wide that people would be found alive in the Surfside collapse. Not one person was found alive.
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@FLRW
I don't think the purpose of prayer, is as a wish granting lamp?
Athias
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@Lemming
I don't think the purpose of prayer, is as a wish granting lamp?
Well stated. Prayer is a form of meditation; it's not a magic wish.

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@Lemming
@Athias
I think people who pray have in the fact that their God will hear their prays and grant them whatever they want. Otherwise, what is the point of saying "forgive us our sins", if no one is listening?
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I think people who pray have in the fact that their God will hear their prays and grant them whatever they want. Otherwise, what is the point of saying "forgive us our sins", if no one is listening?
Non-sequitur. No one stated that "no one is listening." The suggestion here was that a prayer =/= magic wish.  FLRW asserted based on his assumption of "a billion prayers worldwide" for those who died in the Surfside condominium, that event was an exemplar of prayers "not working."

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@Bones
I'm an atheist, but losing faith because a prayer is not answered, seems shallow to me.
Seems a shallow way to view God and religion.
Still, let me pretend to be a theist for a moment, and I might answer your question of prayer's purpose this way.
Hope I don't seem condescending or snooty, it's just my view of religion.

. . .

If an individual prays for their sins to be forgiven, and another prays for that individuals sins 'not to be forgiven. . .
You think you'll trap God in a paradox?

There's a lot of self importance, pettiness, in the idea, that anything you pray for, 'ought be granted.
With how old this universe seems to be, and the importance religious individuals lay upon the 'after, upon the 'immortality of souls. . .

Prayer, 'is a way of being connected with God,
Of finding strength 'through him, and that connection,
Of being 'aware of reality and what is, by meditation upon it,
Of being aware of 'more, than this material world,
In our thoughts of a situation, viewing it from angles, we might find peace, or a view which escaped us before prayer,
Of spiritual discipline, and knowledge of higher value,
It's calming effect, in our connection,
In celebration,
In acknowledgement,
In that it provides support, in difficult times, as a babe might cry, in hopes of their worries and concerns being allieved, though they know not the world, or the parent's plan.
Of hope,
Of affirmation, that our 'own plans might be in Gods plan, or that by grace, by support, by 'faith in him, that we succeed.
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@Lemming
That is a great post Lemming, very thoughtful and wise. Most people in this world are simply too stupid and short sighted to understand something like prayer, and even less effective prayer. There's an equation to the moving of energy in our favor, not just any dummy can have access to such things. Outside of that, Karma plays a huge and dynamic role in what takes place on earth, and prayer will not always be sufficient in circumventing that reality. 

7 days later

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@Stephen
@Bones


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Bones, 

YOUR QUOTE RELATING TO ZEUS:  "Do you mean to say that you respect all religions? I can't imagine that you actually believe in lightning-bolt-throwing sky man. "

Excuse me!  Zeus exists as Biblically vouchsafed within the scriptures!  Whereas the irony is, that if you believe in Jesus, then you have to believe in Zeus as well! 2+2=4. Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.“ (Proverbs 30:5)

When making a decision for me to which God to follow within the primitive Bronze and Iron Age, it was deduced between Zeus and Jesus.  Zeus looked a lot stronger in appearance and was the King of All Gods, even over the Hebrew serial killer Jesus. On the other hand, Jesus looked like a wussy, and weak, because what God allows themselves to be killed and hung upon a cross?!  WTF!

THE POWERFUL AND MANLY LOOKING ZEUS: 


Nonetheless, I picked the wussy looking Jesus, even though He hung around with 12 men, because His words within the scriptures promised that there will be NO WOMEN in heaven, of which this pleased me to no end because we had to put up with these Sisters of Eve while upon earth, enough! Therefore, heaven bound men only finally get a reprieve from the 2nd class women as rightfully described within the Bible, praise!   "It is better to live alone in the desert than with a crabby, complaining wife." (Proverbs 21:19) 

.

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@Athias
Prayer is hard on the knees.

Contemplation is best done from a comfortable perspective.

And the repetition of sounds can can be therapeutic.

And I always think that the E in therapeutic is surplus to requirements.




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@Bones
Sometimes religion can be useful, often it's long-term downsides outweigh its upsides. It is a system often abused by manipulators to harm the masses, often used to make riches and avoid taxes, often used for a whole bunch of bad shit.

Theists as individual are rarely as harmful by virtue of being religious - though it has incited lot's of despicable stuff: take the crusades, genocides, slavery, racism, sexism, homophobia, etc, etc.. It also often hampers individuals from sound internal logic. 

Not all the time or even most of the time, but enough. 
Athias
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@zedvictor4
Prayer is hard on the knees.
One needs not pray on one's knees.

Contemplation is best done from a comfortable perspective.
Contemplation can be done from any perspective with discipline and focus. Your local Shaolin monk should have informed you of at least that much.

And the repetition of sounds can can be therapeutic.
As can one's connection with God.

And I always think that the E in therapeutic is surplus to requirements.
Maybe that's the reason you're an atheist. You focused on the surplus of "E's" while neglecting the supplementary "A's" "M's" and "N's."
Deb-8-a-bull
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I feel like ummmmmm.   They're  a gang. 
The religious lot.

Its like being lined up on the side of a road one atheist and dozens of Christians.
And someone is going to get pushed infront of a bus.   ( the atheist for sure. ) 

Its like.
Well it's like you guys are in a gang. 

Now if we keep in mind,  1.8 billion Christians NEVER seeing  " eye to eye " with 1.8 billion Muslims. 

The Worlds population ain't  eight  billion.
It's 
1.8 billion Muslims  PLUS  2 bill Christians  PLUS a billion atheists PLUS another couple of billion  miscellaneous.

Oh anddddddd, the fact that.  it is only commen sense that a god thing doesn't exist. Makes religion silly. 

Somtimes i think people dont really believe in a god thing and the theists are playing a BIG joke on the atheist.
One day they are all going to say. 

Ha Ha You stupid atheist .  You guys actually believed that we believed in a god thing. 
You atheists actually  believed that people belive the bible book thing was from god and shlt.


Good game.
Good game. 


 
Stephen
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@BrotherDThomas
[Zeus] was the King of All Gods, even over the Hebrew serial killer Jesus. On the other hand, Jesus looked like a wussy, and weak, because what God allows themselves to be killed and hung upon a cross?!  WTF!

"WTF" indeed? 


Nonetheless, I picked the wussy looking Jesus, even though He hung around with 12 men, because His words within the scriptures promised that there will be NO WOMEN in heaven, of which this pleased me to no end because we had to put up with these Sisters of Eve while upon earth, enough!

Steady on , Brother. I love women....



Therefore, heaven bound men only finally get a reprieve from the 2nd class women as rightfully described within the Bible, praise!   "It is better to live alone in the desert than with a crabby, complaining wife." (Proverbs 21:19) 

.........although that does make a reasonably  point.

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@Athias
Nice response.


Sadly Shaolin Monks are a tad thin on the ground around here. Though I'm pretty good at  contemplation. And after all the first Shaolin Monk was the first Shaolin Monk, so he must have been self taught.
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@Deb-8-a-bull
I love your sporadic interjections.
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@zedvictor4
I do keep up with reading alllllllll the posts but.   Two days haven't passed . 
Oh and You are in my top 3 posters here.  I haven't seen you post something  that i don't agree with. 
But whatever. 

Anyway it's a CHALLENGE. 
Word for the weekend. Sporadic.  
Sporadic.  

Use it three times this weekend with different  people. ( if they mention that you used the word sporadic   
YOU FAIL.
And 
Try use the word (  SPORADIC  )  wrongly.  Like . 
His shoes looked very sporadic.   

Good day. 
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@Deb-8-a-bull
Done.


Stephen
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@Deb-8-a-bull
->@zedvictor4
I do keep up with reading alllllllll the posts but.   Two days haven't passed . 
Oh and You are in my top 3 posters here.  I haven't seen you post something  that i don't agree with. 


 I am sure that there is an  "ist" or and " ism" for someone to find there, Deb.

136 days later

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@Bones
What are theists's honest opinion on atheists, vice versa?
When you peel back the veneer, there is no real justification for the worldview that makes sense.  (I.e., the logical consistency is missing)
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@PGA2.0
You need to clarify that statement.

Because as it stands, it could be contradictory.

To be honest,  logical consistency is missing.
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@Bones
"What are theist's honest opinion on atheists, vice versa?"

The right wings of politics and religions will not think highly of atheists, who are generally more left wing.

I have a hard time seeing theists ands honest opinion as a true statement.

How honest is a person who believes in the supernatural and cannot bad mouth his god?

Note that Job 2;3 has Yahweh admitting to Satan moving him to do evil.

Christians, even with that, will not attribute any sin to Yahweh.

Christians are moral cowards and have an immoral double moral standard where they forgive god for things that they would condemn a person for.

A double moral standard, or hypocrisy. Your judgement.

Regards
DL


Stephen
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@GnosticChristianBishop

Christians are moral cowards and have an immoral double moral standard where they forgive god for things that they would condemn a person for.

That goes along with my own findings and experience. Not to mention their bible ignorance.




Stephen
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@Tradesecret
I think that they are human. They come in a range of types. They are mostly born into whatever they believe or don’t believe. Typically they have not thought through their ideas- same as theists. 

They are basically trying to live a good life- whatever that means. They want to be left alone. And to live peaceably with one another. 

But then there are those who have learnt a little bit more about their beliefs or non beliefs. These people are more dangerous because more knowledge gives them more confidence to try and upset the applecart. However mostly because more knowledge is not better knowledge this tends to end up doing more harm than the less informed. 

Then there are those who have better knowledge. These are wise people. They are not militant in their approach but ironically open to learning.  And whether they are theist or atheist - they make the effort of growing with others. 

We should either aspire to the latter. Or stay in the first group. Unfortunately many people lice in the second group and never escape. Some do thankfully. But not all. 

Personally I like all people. Admittedly some better than others. I find it easier to dislike those in the second group. 

 You are suggesting above that there are good and bad religions. And are you saying then that your own chosen religion - Christianity - is a good religion and outweighs all other religions for truth and justice and should be the only religion for all of mankind?