I don't know for sure if I have a religion.
To have one means that a person has defined for himself what exactly religion means.
I don't like the idea of churches. For me it is like watching an older man in a dress, singing to a wall, drinking wine and constantly reminding me that I am a sinner and need to pray for forgivness, because god forgives everything.
Well that is not my idea of religion.
I see religious people who are overdoing this. They are real nutjobs who live by the bible.
A book written by the hand of other people who claim they have a connection to god.
I recently found a video on youtube called "I'm a God warrior" which clearly shows how far people go in the name of god.
you saw that? Pretty intense, hah? She scares the crap out of her children.
But still, I believe that it is wrong of us atheists (I use that word because I don't have a better one for a "non-believer") to judge people, who have faith based on these nutcases.
Religion is something really personal. It is a different form of love and appreciation.
And I think it would be wrong of me to judge people on who they love.
Be it christians, muslims, hindus or other religions.
Summed up to one word I'd say it's all about respect.
I respect them for having a religion and I wish them to respect me for not having one.
uh, yes... I guess I'm done for today. Sorry, no "I love you, Joe" today and no silly goofy jokes. I promise my next blog is gonna be all about "my god" TheJoeFrom1993 again.
Bye for now and keep on being nice to the people around you.
Nic
PS:
5 comments:
We shouldn't judge religious people? What about them? They're allowed to haunt and kill millions of "non-believers" in the name of their sick "god" and we shouldn't JUDGE them? Are you kiddin me?
To anon:
No, don't judge religious people...
judge the ones that misuse religion for doing the things you described.
I am all with you on that subject...
religious fanatics are the scum of the earth.
Nic-
First, the word you are looking for is "agnostic". Atheists, by definition, believe that there is no god. Agnostics hold the position that they do not know, and that there is no way to know. I am an agnostic.
Everyone has faith. We do not have the time to logically deduce and enumerate all possible actions to make grounded, sound decisions all the time. So we have to "believe" other people at some point or another. Thus, I believe that the methodology of science (simple, few axioms that are building blocks, using objective, logical reasons to match observation) is a good place to put my "faith". I only have faith in the _method_ of science. I believe it to be correct. So by association, I can believe equally in the results of applying scientific methodology (new discoveries). For example, Mathematicians don't start a complex math proof by showing that 2+2 = 4. They use the results of previous work, and have confidence, because it used the same _logic_ to reach its goals.
As you mentioned, religion was created by man. And there are clear evolutionary reasons why man would create religion. Certainly, as a species, we have grown from religion probably quicker than without it. Religion has been a cultural and economic catalyst throughout history. However, it's now 2008. We've had ~8000 years of civilization. We have brilliant scientific discoveries and reasoning. We do not need religion to tell us why rubbing two sticks creates fire, or why you shouldn't eat shellfish (leviticus). Now (as with many things in evolution), we are facing the other blade of that sword. Religion is holding us back, causing us to make irrational decisions as the first commenter stated (killing in the name of god). Religion is also not a good source for morality/ethics. I firmly believe that as a species we can deduce (or evolve) the principal ethics/morals that the bible espouses. Killing each other is bad for everyone; stealing from each other is bad from everyone... I think these are universal, and certainly not unique to religion. With regards to Christianity, there are plenty of terrible moral lessons to be "learned" from the bible- have you read the story of the levite... brutal, disgusting, and certainly immoral.
It's important for me to emphasize that being agnostic is a humble belief. Believing in a static religion that has no logical sound reasoning, and then trying to pass it as fact (divinely inspired) to others is arrogant. I observe that religion is personal, and I respect everyone's right to hold their own opinions (as long as they aren't hurting anyone)... but I cannot respect irrational, illogical beliefs. Thus, I cannot respect Christian, Muslim, et al beliefs, because I think their reasoning is illogical and so obviously man-made. I respect their right to believe it, but not the belief itself. People that believe things in the face of contrary evidence are insane (by definition), and just because humans are highly susceptible to conformity (thanks again evolution), doesn't make things any more or less factual... it's all about methodology.
I will stop there for now, but am always eager to talk about religion :-) Sorry for the long response.
thank you, Steve. I always like to learn new words... so I'm not atheist, I'm agnostic.
Planetx_123 calls religion "man made" That can be, but there is a remarkable thing about religion: it is rather universal. So even people who had never contact with each other have something like a divine being. So it seems to be somehow programmed in the human species (Just as the capacity to fall in love). I'm afraid the human race is much more programmed that we like to know or like to accept.
Jac
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