"Extinction Threat to Religions" Hope for the World yet?

crackerboy said:

Amongst all the threads about religion it is Christianity and the Bible that gets attacked the most. Even when the discussion has nothing to do with Christianity just religion as a whole, it is Christianity that always and I mean always gets singled out.

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This is because it's harder to point out flaws in spiritual teachings that are based on more modern knowledge of the world than Christianity is, and because most atheists only know the standard anti-christian rebuttals from whatever FAQ page they gleaned their extensive wisdom from.

I hate double posting - please see my unrelated post below:

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I'd like to point out that the article in the OP and the article that Padawanbater posted are from the same study, and that the author of the OP's article is obviously very anti-religion. Padawanbater's article is far more accurate.

The data is actually showing that people are becoming less likely to identify themselves with a major religion, not that people are becoming less religious. This is a good thing. It shows that people are actually learning about their spirituality on their own, rather than being spoon-fed by a power hungry corporate structure.

Religion and spirituality aren't going to go extinct - it's only a pathological few who are either unwilling or unable to access the spiritual faculties present in the human body, and it's incredibly unlikely that there will be a time when there is no one around trying to exploit this in others to gain political and social power.

mindphuk said:

Crackerboy apparently has trouble with parsing sentences in English. Mentioning that you hate religion then his response made it sound like I said that you didn't hate xianity.

He then selectively picked phrases from my post to respond to while completely ignoring the main point of my argument.
Of course by now I don't expect much else from him anymore... dodge, deflect then insult, never putting together a logically consistent rebuttal.

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Yeah I picked out the parts of your response that made me laugh. You are the only one throwing insults around. I simply pointed out the fact that you either did not watch the video or are not observant enough to notice that the very first point that he made was the very point that you denied that he ever made. But instead of acknowledging your mistake you come out with the personal attacks. It is quite funny.

It seems to me that atheists are among the most zealous of religious zealots.

Uncultivated said:

It seems to me that atheists are among the most zealous of religious zealots.

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Nothing for nothing here but the same could be said for many a christian, catholic, muslim or any other religion.

crackerboy said:

Yeah I picked out the parts of your response that made me laugh. You are the only one throwing insults around. I simply pointed out the fact that you either did not watch the video or are not observant enough to notice that the very first point that he made was the very point that you denied that he ever made. But instead of acknowledging your mistake you come out with the personal attacks. It is quite funny.

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Your response was a non-sequitur. I pointed it out. I also answered the question you and the video asked about why it appears that xianity is attacked over other religions. The fact that you ignored the answer does not meant that I did not watch the video, which BTW, explicitly says is not for the atheist but for the believer, i.e. he's preaching to the converted. Of course you would agree with him in spite of the logical mistakes that I also pointed out and which you conveniently ignored.

Every insult you believe I have made against you is a true reflection of your posts. You misuse and misunderstand basic logical syllogisms in the English language as evidenced by your non-sequitur. You claim I said something I didn't say. Everyone here can see that. You are the only one that doesn't appear to get it.

mindphuk said:

Frontal lobotomies have saved some people but it isn't something I would suggest everyone try...

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Frontal Lobotomies dont go to your door step.. lmfaoand the people who go to your door steps bearing gifts (lmfao bible book) dont require to cut you open one bit.. :]

mindphuk said:

Your response was a non-sequitur. I pointed it out. I also answered the question you and the video asked about why it appears that xianity is attacked over other religions. The fact that you ignored the answer does not meant that I did not watch the video, which BTW, explicitly says is not for the atheist but for the believer, i.e. he's preaching to the converted. Of course you would agree with him in spite of the logical mistakes that I also pointed out and which you conveniently ignored.

Every insult you believe I have made against you is a true reflection of your posts. You misuse and misunderstand basic logical syllogisms in the English language as evidenced by your non-sequitur. You claim I said something I didn't say. Everyone here can see that. You are the only one that doesn't appear to get it.

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BTW for those that dont know, "non-sequitur" is latin for "It does not follow"

FriendlyGuy said:

Frontal Lobotomies dont go to your door step.. lmfaoand the people who go to your door steps bearing gifts (lmfao bible book) dont require to cut you open one bit.. :]

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Organized religion may help some people, just like FL, but just because it may help SOME people doesn't mean it's what's best for ALL people.

The harm it causes FAR SURPASSES any amount of temporary good it might bring to someone.

So some people might get off drugs and turn their life around, that's great, but there are still millions of innocent people suffering and dying every year as a direct result of organized religion.

Padawanbater2 said:

Organized religion may help some people, just like FL, but just because it may help SOME people doesn't mean it's what's best for ALL people.

The harm it causes FAR SURPASSES any amount of temporary good it might bring to someone.

So some people might get off drugs and turn their life around, that's great, but there are still millions of innocent people suffering and dying every year as a direct result of organized religion.

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Totally agree!!

Padawanbater2 said:

Organized religion may help some people, just like FL, but just because it may help SOME people doesn't mean it's what's best for ALL people.

The harm it causes FAR SURPASSES any amount of temporary good it might bring to someone.

So some people might get off drugs and turn their life around, that's great, but there are still millions of innocent people suffering and dying every year as a direct result of organized religion.

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Exactly but those who cause the deaths are the ones who feel the NEED to EXPRESS their religion, I was just thinking if everyone kept it to themselves it would all be best, for example lmfao I just saw an episode on "South Park" with the Mormans, go and watch that, Stans dad goes over to the Mormans house to bitch at em for telling his son the Morman story and they just figured since at their hometown everyone believed in it they figured it was ok to talk about it but they forgot South Park had different views so they apologized and were REALLY polite, next thing you know Stans dad just gave them the RESPECT and listened..If people were just RATIONAL like that when it comes to religion im SURE there would be no reason for violence. the POINT Sounds about right doesnt it?

Whenever people put faith into claims that can't be substantiated by science, violence happens. Nobody is willing to admit they don't have all the answers except, ironically, the atheists.

The idea of death is too much for some people, that's something the church is good at, instilling FEAR into people..

Padawanbater2 said:

Whenever people put faith into claims that can't be substantiated by science, violence happens.

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The fuck are you smoking? I implore you to show one example of this corellation.

karri0n said:

The fuck are you smoking? I implore you to show one example of this corellation.

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Organized religion, faith healing, etc. Not to mention the countless other shady shit that happens that's just as bad, I just wouldn't classify it as violent..

If people believe GOD told them something, do you really think it would matter what anybody else says? Even if those people are doing something society says is wrong, their god says it's right, so society be damned.

I think at its core Christianity has the right idea for peace and tolerance, i do not feel man has used it responsibly. There have been far to many men who do incredibly stupid things in the name of Christianity.

But regardless...You worship your sky monster ill worship mine. Now lets go smoke a bowl!

Padawanbater2 said:

Organized religion, faith healing, etc. Not to mention the countless other shady shit that happens that's just as bad, I just wouldn't classify it as violent..

If people believe GOD told them something, do you really think it would matter what anybody else says? Even if those people are doing something society says is wrong, their god says it's right, so society be damned.

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You said any time people put faith into claims that can't be scientifiically substantiated, violence is the result. Organized religion and faith healing aren't violence.

Show me the roving bands of cryptozoologists, paranormal investigators, and ufo fanatics perpetrating acts of violence in the street.

violence is committed in the name of religion almost exclusively when politics and religion become intertwined. It's only when religion and spirituality are exploited that violence is the result.

To pu it in the terms of this forum, stating that religion is a cause of violence is the same as saying marijuana is the cause of the violence and murders perpetrated by the drug cartels. Saying that "faith in claims unsubstantiated by sceince" are the cause of violence is nothing short of a lie.

Our opinions are as diverse as our membership. What is guaranteed we all have a limited understanding of our environment and our purpose in it. Our senses give us only a dim view of reality. Considering none of us knows shit about shit, maybe we should just keep and open mind and treat each other with love and respect.

We may loose religion but we can continue to seek the truth and the light in the face of ignorance and darkness.

We may loose religion but I can still seek our inspiration in what I hear and see and read, in the natural world and interpersonal relationships.

We may loose religion but I can still develop convictions.

We may loose religion but I can still offer my experiences and understanding to someone in need.

We may loose religion but we will never loose our ability to seek knowledge of the self.

I don't want to come across as a moron, but this post makes me go...

WOO! YAY-AH!

More needs to be invested in bringing about the age of logic and worldwide humanism.

ONLY THEN can we all be at peace and progress together.

Religion has held us back WAY too long.

Peace

they say you become what you hate.

intolerance goes both ways.

only halfmonkeys need religion, they are too afraid not to have that pacifier and someone telling them what they need and should do.
unless you step in to give them something else and better for them. (and unless they are fucking with you personally)
why bother?

Just out of curiosity to anyone who applauds the gist of the OP's article. Why does the extinction of religion absolutely signify a positive thing? I mean is there really any proof that a society that has no religion successful in the long run? What makes you think that a society without religion would be beneficial in the long run? Does the fact that modern society (and the focus of the article) has only been in existence for a brief fraction of humanities past bear any weight to your conclusion?

Many arguments against organized religion bring up the issue that it has caused wars in the past yet I personally think it's naive to think religion was the only cause of these wars; politics, money and resources are more often the culprit than any and I'd dare say wars and the like will still be problems in a worlds without religion.

On a related note does anyone here view religion in an social evolutionary sense? The way I see it religion has served to form communities of people on scales that might not otherwise have been possible. I also can see that people in general have a need to belong in some fashion and religion also would have played an important role in this sense.