this is a statement i came up with for one of my classes..."religion is the acception of death, it gives people the willpower to endure. it brings change through the direction of consciousness" i agree with you spliff....i KNOW that religion was created for a purpose....but i dont want to believe it ...cause in reality...everyone dies alone ...and that is a very scary fact that over 99% of the population including myself can not accept....and of course there are people smarter than i am....religons that were created from journeys, i dont know so much about ...can you give me an example...and also keep in mind that it could be created to show a grandeur allusion of the mobility of consciousness to persuade someone to act a certain way...making it just like all other religions, for control...sorry about the rampling

__________________
IMPORTANT: I do not condone, under any circumstance, any illegal activities. But, i do condone all things natural... oh ya! i steal all my pictures too

I've met plenty of Atheists who are pretty fucking ignorant.

It's not religion's fault that a lot of people misinterpret the messages or apply outdated ones to this day and age. There are also a lot of religious teachings that tell people to leave others alone who aren't of the faith. For God's sake, Gautama Buddha even said do not listen to him unless what he says matches up to your own common sense.

I fear the day when CLOSEMINDED people attempt to abolish religion altogether. They'll learn very quickly that it gives some warmth where there is only cold, and hope when there is only strife.

Understand what you're asking, and then speak.

__________________
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. -Gautama Buddha

Ignorant people get warmth from fairy tales when they lack understanding. Ignorance is bliss.

__________________

Good point.

Yes there are atheists who are religiously atheist, which I find rediculous.
I am not talking about abolishing relgion. I would however like to see the day when religion doesn't affect the decision making of the worlds most powerful people.

Also, how can you understand if you don't ask?

__________________

an atheist, by the act of denying that which he can neither prove nor disprove, must have taken a leap of faith similar to that taken by those who embrace religious doctrine. in this sense, atheism is really no more rational than religious fervor. the only difference between the two is what leads up to that final decision. of course there are those who chose the path of non-belief just to be contrary, just as there are those who adopt a religion merely fit in with the majority.

when a man's entire world view is warped by the dogma of the church, all of his decisions will be shaded by that faith. you cannot separate a man's most deep seated beliefs from his every day actions. there will always be an element of religious elitism in politics until our leaders are able to divorce themselves from the fantasy world of religion and embrace a more rational outlook.

__________________
When her work is done, she forgets it. That is why it lasts forever.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

isn't that the point of organized religion, to maintain the status quo? the very nature of religion precludes change. the word of god must be unchanging or god will be proved to have been mistaken and gods cannot make mistakes. any change in dogma takes decades because those changes must be cloaked in layer upon layer of misdirection or the faithful may catch on that their sacred texts are nothing more than the words of man.

don't be too concerned. only the powerful could ever even attempt to tear down what has taken centuries to erect and religion is far too useful a tool to be discarded without something equally insidious to take its place.

false hope and the illusion of comfort, these are the greatest tools ever developed to enslave the minds of men. while the masses toil, hoping to attain some otherworldly paradise, the powerful reap the rewards of their labor and laugh heartily at the gullibility of their unwitting slaves. while their children go cold and hungry, the faithful tithe willingly and warm themselves in the camaraderie of poverty and despair. such are the gifts of the god myth and its attendants.

__________________
When her work is done, she forgets it. That is why it lasts forever.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

It doesn't matter how deap seated a man's bullshit is. It's still bullshit.
I believe there should be less tolerance for peoples bullshit.

Rational and logical thinking is the way forward in my mind.

__________________

oops, please excuse my ridiculous spelling...

__________________

reason is a process and is complicated by the vagaries of the human mind. what some see as logic, others consider blasphemy. unluckily, we live in a world where fantasy holds sway.

one of my many faults is my tendency to correct others' spelling mistakes when i quote them. if i believed in reincarnation i would tend to think i was an english teacher in a past life.

__________________
When her work is done, she forgets it. That is why it lasts forever.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

Well of course we should. Its people's right to believe in what they choose. Not our right to judge either.

I think we should be as tolerant as we possibly can be of others. No if's or but's about it.
PEACE!!!!!!!!!