Exploring Religion

[Necrodrone]

Christianity turns me off for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason is because christians hardly ever practice what they preach. Example: If I were to provoke a christian by say slapping him across the face, the good christian should turn the other cheek, yet if you slapped george bush(who claims to be christian) accross the face I'm sure there would be serious consequences. In fact as an atheist, and perhaps a satanist I beleive I act with more christian morality than most of them today.

I don't understand how christians can believe that god has an ultimate plan. If god uses people, and every event is meant to happen in a specific way, than there must be a a specific sequence of events that must happen leading up to the rapture. So why do christians think they can prey to change the outcome of the future? If god has every event planned up until the rapture, nothing you do can possibly change those events. Preying would therefore be futile.

Another thing that bothers me is that christians try to twist things around to make it seem like god had a hand in things. If a christian were to slide on an icy road but not crash, he/she could say that god was watching over them. Now, if the car slid into another car and damaged both cars but left the passangers uninjured he/she could say that god gave them saftey. If the car crash occurred and all the passengers were injured but none died, he/she could claim that god spared their lives. Finally, if the car crash killed someone, one could claim that god was taking them home. This is just one example of how people can make it seem like god did something, when in reality it was a combination of free will and the laws of physics. It's the same effect when people can fool themselves into thinking that the day is going slower or faster, when in reality 1 hr = 60 minutes, 1 minute = 60 secounds just like any other day.

I've always wondered why relatively smart people fail to realise the flaws in their ways of thinking and forever cling to christianity. I beleive I know why this is. A lot of children(including me) were raised to be christian. They were taken to church every day from as far back as they can remember. If you think about it, most churches seem to make use of brainwash tactics. You go to the same place every week on the same day to sing the same songs which drill concepts into your subconscious. When people do this enough they become set in their ways and are unable to see other people's ideas and theories. This is why when you try to debate with people who have been christian for many years of their lives, they tend to rattle off bible verses instead of using their own intellect. This is why I have given up trying to argue with my parents about god, because I know that they've become christian drones and are unable to answer me in a rational manner, using their minds and not the word of god.

The big bang seems even more ridiculus than creation to me. Evolution is the main beleif in science today as an alternative to believing in god. Evolutionists today beleive that matter spontaneously came into existence and that matter exploded into the universe. They also beleive that the first cell was created somehow by lightning hitting water. I'm pretty sure that this is damn near impossible, although the evolutionists always cover up their bs with "millions and billions of years" Even if a cell was somehow created it would die immediatly unless it was a unicellular organism. All this is to assume that the cell theory(cells can only be created from other cells) is false.

Lets talk about buddism, this is a lie that I almost fell into. The philosophy behind it sounds so flawless and tranquil at first glance. Buddism was basically invented by budda, when he sat under a tree and meditated for three days. After his meditation he determined that one must deny all worldly things and follow the 8-fold path to nirvana(becoming one with the universe), getting reincarnated after every unsuccessful life. Buddists seem a lot more serious about their beliefs than christians are, I'm sorry thats just the size of it, when have you ever seen a christian pour gasoline on themselves and light themselves on fire in the name of god? Or even take an oath of silence for that matter? Anyway, reincarnation is flawed. Lets say that all life was wiped out on the planet. Where would all the souls of the living things go? They would have no body to be carnated into. If you think about it, the entire population of all life on earth would have to stay constant in order for reincarnation to work properly.

Satanism seems like a wise path with a few exceptions of course. As christianity is the right hand path, standing for conservation, satanism is the left hand path, standing for indulgence. One thing should be mentioned for those who aren't familiar with satanism. It has nothing to do with satan from a christian perspective, but many ignorant people believe that from watching too many bad horror movies. Satanism is named for it's defiance of all religion, christianity in particular because of it's dominance. It is about gaining knowledge for yourself(instead of from the bible) and if someone provokes you, seek vengence(instead of turning the other cheek) The only thing that I don't like about satanism is that it makes a great many claims about magic. If someone were to actually prove to me that magic exists, than sure, I'll believe it but these claims seem too radical.

Perhaps none of these are the answers we need. Perhaps we should all wash our hands of these man-made illusions and seek happiness without being divided by religion. There would be less war and less pain and suffering in our world. Perhaps "heaven" is seicing to exist entirely. Maybe we create out own realities from our own minds and relality is different for every person. Maybe we were genitically engineered by extraterrestrials who use the pyrimids of giza as a tracking device, aligned with oriens belt in order to return someday. Perhaps aliens are the sorce of all christian mythology.

So I know it's a lot but you don't have to respond to the whole thing at once. I just can't sleep right now so I needed something to do.

 

[seebs]

I think careless generalizations are always risky.

The LaVeyan religion, I believe, summarizes my objections to its practice by its name. The name was chosen to be confusing to people who would assume it has something to do with the Christian notion of "Satan". Underneath it all... It's just being annoying, with a cool logo and a book to "justify" it.

I don't think your objections to reincarnation provide us with much trouble, honestly....

As to your objections to Christianity, it comes across like someone talking about how badly everyone drives. That's fine; maybe they drive really badly. But until you're driving well, it's not entirely fair to complain. I tend to share many of these concerns and criticisms, but I've found that, ultimately, they can be resolved. At least, to my satisfaction.

 

[Archbishop 10-K]

Example: If I were to provoke a christian by say slapping him across the face, the good christian should turn the other cheek, yet if you slapped george bush(who claims to be christian) accross the face I'm sure there would be serious consequences.

I do believe turning the other cheek is a hyperbole, and doesn't rule out the need for self-defense. However, if you slapped the Pope, he probably WOULD turn the other cheek.

I don't understand how christians can believe that god has an ultimate plan. If god uses people, and every event is meant to happen in a specific way, than there must be a a specific sequence of events that must happen leading up to the rapture.

I don't believe in the Rapture. In fact, until the 1800's, no one did. And regardless of whether I do or not, I don't believe I can make things happen quicker or slower.

Another thing that bothers me is that christians try to twist things around to make it seem like god had a hand in things.

That's a first. I usually just say it happened, unless there's plausible evidence for a miracle.

I've always wondered why relatively smart people fail to realise the flaws in their ways of thinking and forever cling to christianity.

What happens when you convert to Christianity from atheism? And what if that person is an intellectual, with a working knowledge of science, the schools of philosophy, world religions, and history?

The big bang seems even more ridiculus than creation to me.

I was under the impression that the mainstream scientific community believes in the Big Bang theory.

Evolution is the main beleif in science today as an alternative to believing in god.

What if you're like me, an evolutionist who still believes in all of the teachings of the Catholic Church? I don't see how evolution is an "alternative" to believing in God.

Evolutionists today beleive that matter spontaneously came into existence and that matter exploded into the universe.

I wasn't aware that evolution also involved astronomy. However, nothing can cause itself into existence. Matter cannot be created nor destroyed (except for a force such as, say, God.) But otherwise, that matter creates itself is both a scientific and a philosophical no-no.

Buddists seem a lot more serious about their beliefs than christians are, I'm sorry thats just the size of it, when have you ever seen a christian pour gasoline on themselves and light themselves on fire in the name of god? Or even take an oath of silence for that matter?

Sure. You forgot about monks and nuns. Many monks take vows of silence, along with the usual three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Some of the more radical Christians literally crucify themselves as an act of faith. Others practice corporal mortification, like whipping themselves and wearing hairshirts or cilces. More painless acts of faith would be pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes, or some place of religious significance. I personally practice fasting.

It is about gaining knowledge for yourself(instead of from the bible)

What about the Satanic Bible?

Perhaps we should all wash our hands of these man-made illusions and seek happiness without being divided by religion.

Already been done. In the Soviet Union, you had to swear to atheism to be a member of the Communist Party (to do anything, basically.) A lot more people died under Stalin than under "religion." Look where the Soviet Union is now.

 

[TrueQ]

It would seem to me that atheists are just as fanatic as most religious folk. They'll swear up and down about logic and reason, saying how those are the only ways to live your life. But at the truth of it, they don't have anything more to go on than most religions, have any of them died yet? Can they even remember enough about being dead to tell us about it?

Also, the only way kids get education under the age of ten is brainwashing, sunday school, regular school, TV, and so on, so forth. If you can name me one institution that isn't trying to brainwash kids into believing what they do I'll be floored.

 

[Archbishop 10-K]

Also, the only way kids get education under the age of ten is brainwashing, sunday school, regular school, TV, and so on, so forth. If you can name me one institution that isn't trying to brainwash kids into believing what they do I'll be floored.

Very true, very good insight.

I could argue that my public school education has brainwashed me into anti-Catholicism. My history classes have always paints the Catholic Church as the bad guy (Crusades, Inquisition, Galileo, power-hungry popes, the usual stuff), even though when I do my own research, the Church has also been the good guy plenty of times. I could argue that my science classes have drilled an atheistic worldview into my mind (man science teachers I've had were atheists.) But hey, I can figure stuff out on my own.