Do you believe in God?

[Dennisch]

Flying Spaghetti Monster alive and loose in Austria!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14135523

An Austrian atheist has won the right to be shown on his driving-licence photo wearing a pasta strainer as "religious headgear".
Niko Alm first applied for the licence three years ago after reading that headgear was allowed in official pictures only for confessional reasons.
Mr Alm said the sieve was a requirement of his religion, pastafarianism.
The Austrian authorities required him to obtain a doctor's certificate that he was "psychologically fit" to drive.
The idea came into Mr Alm's noodle three years ago as a way of making a serious, if ironic, point.
A self-confessed atheist, Mr Alm says he belongs to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a light-hearted faith whose members call themselves pastafarians.

I see your Spaghetti Monster and raise you a Joker.
Joker.

He said living like the Joker was his way of life, and that the governement had to respect that. Because we (the Dutchies) aren't allowed to smile on photo's and can't wear a hat or something, unless it's your way of life, or because of faith.

Oh, no I don't believe in god, allah, buddah, and the rest of the superbest friends.

 

[Villain]

I don't believe in a God or any afterlife/reincarnation. Nor do I find that to be a depressing thought. To me it means that life is precious and not worth wasting. There is a peace in knowing that this is all there will ever be and it's up to me to make the most of my time. 👍

 

[Tic Tach]

Yup.

That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet. (Emily Dickinson)

 

[gogatrs]

Yes.

 

[pjs123456789]

I do. I have been a student of the bible and it has open my eyes to many things. The thing with the bible, somethings you have to accept by faith like creation, the miracles spoken of in the bible. Other things are so evident, that put my belief in word becomes easier. The bible is literal the best book ever written, in it you learn the purpose of living, you learn where the world is heading. There is the knowledge on how to perform in a particular occupation, like engineering, being a lawyer, doctor and so on which is important. But the knowledge of god and the wisdom of dealing with men should be valued above anything else.

 

[Tic Tach]

I have been a student of the bible and it has open my eyes to many things.

Things like this?

The thing with the bible, somethings you have to accept by faith like creation, the miracles spoken of in the bible.

Only lies require faith. The miracles spoken of in the bible are fables uttered and penned by primitive, superstitious desert men. Isn't it interesting how the more science has progressed, the more "miracles" have disappeared?

All the tales of miracles with which the old and new testament are filled, are fit only for imposters to preach and fools to believe. (Thomas Paine)

The bible is literal the best book ever written

It's arguably the worst book ever written. You can find books in any book store that are more helpful on any subject. It recommends slavery, and has been the number one stumbling block in the way of women's emancipation.

When one reads Bibles, one is less surprised at what the deity knows than at what he doesn't know. (Mark Twain)

...in it you learn the purpose of living

Yes, it attempts to convince you that your purpose in life is to grovel, feel shame and guilt, and is generally full of life-destroying gibberish. The Bible tells us to be like God, and then on page after page it describes God as a mass murderer.


The Christian reference to 'God the Father' also poses a problem. Show me a father who wants his children prostrate before him, praying, pleading for mercy, worshiping him, and who then doles out rewards to the chosen submissive ones, and I'll show you a bad father. (Sherwood Goozee)

...you learn where the world is heading.

"Most religions prophecy the end of the world and then consistently work together to ensure that these prophecies come true."






pjs, if you have the courage to defend your assertions, please visit (and register) here. Keep your PJS name so we can all watch your performance. If you don't, I'll accept that as a defeat.

 

[Villain]

pjs, if you have the courage to defend your assertions, please visit (and register) here. Keep your PJS name so we can all watch your performance. If you don't, I'll accept that as a defeat.

That link is brutal. I read the first couple posts in one thread and... Wow. What a fine collection of angry atheists.

PS - Language warning. Even the moderators swear profusely.

 

[Joel]

That link is brutal. I read the first couple posts in one thread and... Wow. What a fine collection of angry atheists.

PS - Language warning. Even the moderators swear profusely.

No kidding, I mean I'm as atheist as the next guy, but...wow. It's just like with the religious. All religious people aren't like the WBC, just as all atheists aren't like the ones on that site.

 

[Tic Tach]

I read the first couple posts in one thread and... Wow. What a fine collection of angry atheists.

Wow, let's hope you don't ever go on jury duty.

 

[Tic Tach]

If that kitchen is too hot, try here then.

 

[Lekkeri]

I don't believe in God or gods or any "higher entities".

 

[Dennisch]

I do. I have been a student of the bible and it has open my eyes to many things. The thing with the bible, somethings you have to accept by faith like creation, the miracles spoken of in the bible. Other things are so evident, that put my belief in word becomes easier. The bible is literal the best book ever written, in it you learn the purpose of living, you learn where the world is heading. There is the knowledge on how to perform in a particular occupation, like engineering, being a lawyer, doctor and so on which is important. But the knowledge of god and the wisdom of dealing with men should be valued above anything else.

You know what happens to you if you come out today and told everyone that a bush burst into flames and started talking to you?

 

[PeterJB]

I believe in God and an afterlife. I am a Christian, though I don't attend Church anymore, mainly because I'm lazy, but I believe most of what religion teaches us.

Many people say that Science contradicts Religion. I for one believe that Science is there to discover how the universe operates the way it does, whereas I believe there is a fine line where religion explains why it operates the way it does and who causes it to operate that way. They are asking and answering different questions.

 

[Dotini]

You know what happens to you if you come out today and told everyone that a bush burst into flames and started talking to you?

Funnily enough, flames can be made to "speak". Electrical engineers and experimentalists have managed to produce flame and plasma audio speakers for their shop radios and even high end audiophile gear.

 

[DK]

Flames do speak...during a meth binge.

 

[Rico_S]

I believe in God and an afterlife. I am a Christian, though I don't attend Church anymore, mainly because I'm lazy, but I believe most of what religion teaches us.

Many people say that Science contradicts Religion. I for one believe that Science is there to discover how the universe operates the way it does, whereas I believe there is a fine line where religion explains why it operates the way it does and who causes it to operate that way. They are asking and answering different questions.

This. 👍 Though I believe in a different religion.

 

[Villain]

Wow, let's hope you don't ever go on jury duty.

I've already been on Jury Duty. Do you have a point you want to argue?

 

[AOS-]

Even if there was it's off-topic..

and no I believe in no God. I could go into details but I'd rather not.

 

[Tesla]

I don't believe in god (which, to my suprise, is an uncommon opinion in my school), however, I do try to act and think by the ideals set by the bible (the commandments being a major example).

 

[Tic Tach]

I've already been on Jury Duty. Do you have a point you want to argue?

No, I don't have a point I want to argue. My point was that you made a hasty judgement. You said this:

I read the first couple posts in one thread and... Wow. What a fine collection of angry atheists.


I'm not sure what you saw, but obviously there is a whole range of different people using that forum, everything from some dumb kid to evolutionary biologists, and given the nature of the topic(s), some heat should be expected. I know one thing that can drive many people crazy is intellectual dishonesty - where a theists wild, baseless assertions are repeatedly debunked & decapitated, over and over and over, yet they just keep coming back like one of those inflatable punching balloons with the same old garbage. Unfortunately the internet permits this sort of dishonesty, whereas they would normally be ushered out of the class and dismissed.

It should be noted that the two forums I mentioned fully permit any & all religious and non-religious points of view. They simply come under the piercing scrutiny of evidence and reason. The same cannot be said for christian forums, where you are immediately banned if you question or show the flaws of their beliefs.

 

[Tesla]

Of course they would do that. What would happen here if someone disliked automobiles in general? (And made that opinion public.)

 

[arora]

. The same cannot be said for christian forums, where you are immediately banned if you question or show the flaws of their beliefs.

Nor can it be said for atheist sites that ban Christians immediately for showing their faith.

 

[Luminis]

Nor can it be said for atheist sites that ban Christians immediately for showing their faith.

I actually can understand both. Most of the time, it's just going to result in a flamewar.

Anyways, I don't believe in a god or higher entity, much less in any kind of church...

 

[Tic Tach]

Nor can it be said for atheist sites that ban Christians immediately for showing their faith.

That simply is not true. The entire point of such forums is to invite theists for discussion & debate. The entire point of religious forums is to prevent questioning, doubt, critical thinking, logic and reason to the supernatural delusion.

 

[DK]

^ True. Religion has been twisted by organisations. Where in the Bible does it say that the police must ignore allegations against priests of child molestation?

What really pisses me off is when fundamentalist Christians cry about "being persecuted" when a law is passed that they don't like, or when creationism is (rightfully) thrown out of curriculums, or when someone goes to jail for beating a gay half to death.

 

[Tic Tach]

What really pisses me off is when fundamentalist Christians cry about "being persecuted" when a law is passed that they don't like, or when creationism is (rightfully) thrown out of curriculums, or when someone goes to jail for beating a gay half to death.

 

[DK]

What's that pie chart of? Where in the world do Christians constitute c.80% of a country's population?

 

[Tic Tach]

The United States of America.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Religions_of_the_United_States.png

I don't believe in god (which, to my suprise, is an uncommon opinion in my school), however, I do try to act and think by the ideals set by the bible

I don't suspect that you do live by the "ideals" set by the bible, for they are horrific.

Rather, I suspect that you are a nice person and have your moral compass pointed in the right direction based on your own natural and learned moral intuitions. The constant claim by the religious to a moral high-ground has you duped into thinking that morality comes from or is dependant upon their product. This simply isn't so.

One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion. (Arthur C. Clarke)

.....(the commandments being a major example).

A major example of what? I don't think you've thought this through.

Here's a start.

 

[DK]

I wonder, Tic Tach...what do you think of Michelle Bachmann?

 

[Tic Tach]

This from Wiki on her:

During a 2003 interview on the KKMS Christian radio program Talk The Walk, Bachmann said that evolution is a theory that has never been proven one way or the other.

This tells me that she is either grossly uneducated, scientifically illiterate, or just dumb as a plank. She, like other numb-skulls like Palin, should know that in science, the word "theory" does not mean the same as it does in "street terms" like a hunch or a guess. The word theory in science simply means "explanation", and the theory of evolution is as robust as the theory of gravity. The only reason some christians don't accept the fact of evolution (which is the explanation for the diversity of life on planet earth) is that it challenges their pre-existing belief in spontaneous creation by their sky daddy. This is why I feel it matters what people believe, especially those in power.