Religion – Here are 10 myths and 10 truths.
Interesting article it was enlightening. I don't know why people think you can't be a good moral person if you don't believe in God. Many wars are started in the name of God and I haven't heard of any wars starting in the name of science.
2sidestoeverything, I will tell you why there is a conflict between atheism and morality, and it is quite simple: God is the God of morals, not men. Men cannot determine what is right or what is wrong w/o divine instruction. Haven't you heard the old cliche', the path to hell is paved w/good intentions? Determining right or wrong cannot be left up to human-beings because morals are then degraded and reduced to nothing more than a point of view, per individual, and I am certain you can foresee the danger in this. Take Hitler, do you think that he thought what he did was wrong? With children, they don't know right from wrong, but the enlightenment is passed down from their parents, from their parents. We, the human race are like children to God. We have to be taught. And lastly, whatever men know to be morally righteous is spiritually given to them from God. And even then one must consult w/God for reassurrance. Read the bible. Get to know God; God is the God of righteousness.
Rational people can decide right and wrong for themselves, teebig. We have been able to come up with a pretty good system of government, which relies heavily on rules created by men. (I know, some will say it's based on biblical tenets, but the fact remains that our government was created by men, not God.)
Jesus was a man. The Bible, in fact, was written by men, not God, though some will argue that God was speaking through them. Many psychotics argue the same thing.
Your comment states that the ultimate moral authority is God--but how do we know God, other than through faith, as opposed to reason? And how to account for the conflicting interpretations of God's teachings? (If you say that some interpret God's word incorrectly, then what's the difference in consequence of following God's morals, which can be wrongly interpreted, and following a code of ethics developed by mortals, which could be based on incorrect assumptions? At least with man's rules, we get to think for ourselves.)
Jesus is no ordinary man, He is God incarnated. What right or authority do I have to say this? Because Jesus's birth was foretold in the Old Testament, thousands of years prior to His birth: born of a virgin, in Bethlehem, and His name being interpreted as, Jehovah with us. And all His life He fulfilled every tittle of the prophecy of: The Messiah. The salvation of all humanity utterly depends on this truth. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden we have been awaiting His coming. All of humanity longed for His coming during B.C. times. Even Satan knew of the prophecy and was patiently waiting for the day, to devour Him.
Also, some "rational" people think they don't need God, but when push comes to shove, whose name do they call? And why?
I would say I am a rational person, and I need God, everyday! Some psychotic people are believers, and some are atheists too! I profess that scriptures were inspired by God, and I assure you, I am not psychotic.
As Christians, you dont have to worry about or deal with problems. Poverty-stricken? Illiterate? Ill health? Abusive relationship? Secular thought would seek education, job training, a healthier lifestyle and divorce to overcome these problems. True Christians® know better. They shouldn't be ashamed of their plight at all. They should be proud to be disenfranchised. After all, the meek, the poor, the hungry and the persecuted are blessed (Matthew 5:3-6). They will be rewarded in Heaven for their suffering on Earth. Become a Christian and you will no longer feel compelled to cope or deal with your mortal problems.
Let your unsaved friends know they needn't be good people to become Christians. Faith teaches that we all come up short-we all sin. By accepting Jesus all our sins are forgiven - both our sins of the past and the ones we will inevitably commit in the future! Even those committing the most evil acts will still go to Heaven so long as they are saved.
Amen Albert! Well spoken.
But if, as you say, the meek, the poor, the hungry, and the persecuted are blessed, and you are persecuting athiests, does that not mean that athiests are blessed? On morals, your ultimate moral authority is your God. I am my own moral authority.
To quote the article 'We are all athiests, I just believe in one less god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours'
This is why there are thousands of misinterpretations of the bible. If you know God, and filled with the Spirit of God, then you can accurately interpret the Word of God. Persecution in itself won't win you favor with God, but persecution for His sake will. Jesus even says that if someone gives a cup of water to the thirsty for the cause of God, that person will not go unrewarded. But being persecuted in itself honors no reward.
As Christians, you dont have to worry about or deal with problems. Poverty-stricken? Illiterate? Ill health? Abusive relationship? Secular thought would seek education, job training, a healthier lifestyle and divorce to overcome these problems. True Christians® know better.
This is a laughable comment, either you are joking or you are truely out of touch with reality.
Your saying people dont learn by their mistakes but only from Gods intervention. Keep in mind God didn't write the bible MAN did.
Also keep in mind that, God is the divine inspiration which used faithful and God fearing men to write the Holy Scriptures. You must keep in mind that human beings are devices created by God. We were designed to learn, either by our mistakes, or by the mistakes of others, or by the Word of God, but the point is, we must learn! God is the Teacher. And furthermore, no matter how much we as people learn, we will never know all of what God knows. But even so, there is one thing we must learn and never forget, God knows everything! He is our Creator, our Father, He loves us more than our mothers or fathers on earth, He is all-knowing, so why don't we trust Him? We are not equal with Him, so why do we disobey Him when obviously Father knows best?
Yet why do you reject Islam as being wrong when Muhammad claimed that Allah spoke to him? As citing the article, when you understand why you reject other religions, you'll understand why I reject yours.
Have you ever heard of a witness? In the Old and New Testaments, a man's testimony is invalid unless someone else can corroborate the first man's story. Muhammad is only one man, with no witness. Unless he is God Himself, he needs one. The Koran, was it written by only Muhammad? The bible was written by dozens of authors, over a span of two thousand years, but they all speak as if written by one man. Because they were all inspired by the same source, God Himself!
Hitler believed in god. The reason Jews were scapegoated was due to the inherent anti-Semitism found in Christianity. There were innumerable pogroms against Jews by Christians throughout European history.
I am an atheist/agnostic and am very moral and do not see the bible as the basis for morality except for people who are inherently good. The righteous can kill the unrighteous, slavery is fine so long as the bible's rules are followed. When poor quality people read the bible they can find all sorts of texts supporting their views and actions, like the Ku Klux Klan and Christians burning heretics at the stake.
The problem with religious people is that by definition believing in god and following a belief system is good, unless it isn't your god or belief system, that is.
{{Many wars are started in the name of God and I haven't heard of any wars starting in the name of science.}}
Well said! = ]
PaganGoddess,
Check out the other half of the title to Darwin's "Origin of Species". You'll then discover why Hitler (and others who adopted that fatal scientific theory) tried to take over the world.
Then you'll see that science has indeed caused wars.
On the contrary, religion does start wars. But Christianity isn't religion; it is relationship, that is knowing God. God isn't pleased when men try to worship apart from the the truth he has revealed (the Bible) or suppress other's in religious dogma. Love for God cannot be demanded; it must be offered. This is the nature of true love.
Religion is man's effort to get to God; Christianity is God's way of reaching down into his fallen, war-filled creation.
As he was neither Liberal, Progressive, Socialistic, Communistic, Jewish, nor Gay, Hitler was also NOT an atheist. There are any number of references to both God and Christ in Mein Kampf, Hitler stated that he considered himself to be a Catholic and the Nazis celebrated Christmas.
Wars have existed long before Science was anything. Also, Hitler's motivation was 'Ayran supremacy' and anti-semitism, not Darwin.
"You'll then discover why Hitler (and others who adopted that fatal scientific theory) tried to take over the world. Then you'll see that science has indeed caused wars."
On the contrary, Charles Darwin always resisted the bastardization of the scientific theory of Evolution into the pseudo-social science of Social Darwinism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin#Social
What you have in the Nazis are politicians (NOT scientists), who manipulate and distort scientific theories to promote their nationalistic propaganda. Therefore, Darwin did not start WW2, nor can he be blamed for Nazi ideology.
On the other hand, Hitler was born and raised a Christian. He viewed Jesus as an instrument in the destruction of the Jews. Nazis celebrated Christmas, and references to Christianity permeate Hitler's writings.
My thanks to Ybdogsct, the Truth regarding Hitler's Theism:
Adolf Hitler was brought up in his family's religion by his Roman Catholic parents, but as a school boy he began to reject the Church and Catholicism. After he had left home, he never attended Mass or received the Sacraments.
In later life, Hitler's religious beliefs present a discrepant picture: In public statements, he frequently spoke positively about the Christian heritage of German culture and belief in Christ. Hitler's private statements, reported by his intimates, are more mixed, showing Hitler as a religious but also anti-Christian man. However, in contrast to other Nazi leaders, Hitler did not adhere to esoteric ideas, occultism, or neo-paganism, and ridiculed such beliefs in his book Mein Kampf. Rather, Hitler advocated a "Positive Christianity", a belief system purged from what he objected to in traditional Christianity, and reinvented Jesus as a fighter against the Jews.
You definitely don't have to believe in ANY god to find the evolutionary and common human values in the ten commandments.
Hmm. Whether you believe in God or not, the Ten Commandments was given from God. How could you believe in the value of the Ten Commandments and not believe in God? God is the Ten Commandments, and more! God is His Word, like, a man who is a man of His word. How can you take the good that someone gives you and not give them credit for it?
The Ten Commandments were given by God according to the Bible, which was a book written by men.
The Golden Rule, from which the Ten Commandments can be derived, existed prior to the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest sources of the Bible. Who is to say that man didn't develop them by himself?
Again, I can ask you, who is to say this "Golden Rule" existed prior to the Dead Sea Scrolls? And who is to say that the Dead Sea Scrolls are just a copy of what was hewned out of Mount Sinai? If you thoroughly read the scriptures, the Ten Commandments were first written by the finger of God, on stone, hewn from Mount Sinai. The Dead Sea scrolls is only a copy of that. If you question the bible, why not question everything, including the Golden Rule?
I agree. Why not question everything? Only by doing that can people learn. (And, one can only believe that the Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God if one already believes the Bible.)
I'm not in favor of each individual determining his own code of ethics, but I do have faith in mankind being able to come up with just and true moral tenets without having to rely solely on faith.
From the Udana-Varga 5:18: "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." Though this Indian Buddhist text dates from the 4th century B.C., (as opposed to 1st and 2nd c. B.C. for the Dead Sea Scrolls), it is likely to have been followed for centuries prior, before written, just as the Ten Commandments were likely to have been followed before they were written by man.
I believe that the fact that so many of the world's religions, many older than Christianity, include a version of this Golden Rule is a testament to man's ability to arrive at its own just ethical values.
Is it so hard to believe that humans learning to exist with each other and forming societies during the early years of civilization would be able to come up with such a reasonable and benevolent rule as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"?
Let me ask you this: if there is a God (and there is :-) ), wouldn't it be prudent to listen to Him, obey Him, and trust Him? Sure men have some God-given abilities and talents, but wouldn't men go much further w/God than w/o Him? Men have limits, God is almighty; men die, God is eternal; men are condemned to die an eternal death, God is the Savior of man. However, God has given men not only talent, but a choice, to obey Him or not. Learn of God and see what it is like to be eternally blessed. Don't let anyone deter you, even other Christians ironically. Not everyone is what they say they are. You must see and experience it yourself.
Teebig, all you have done so far is make unsupported assertions. You try to pass off your thoroughtly subjective position as an objective truth, while conviently ignoring the fact that what you claim as truth for your religion can be claimed as truth by a thousand others. Your arguments are ALL circular arguments and are therefore totally unreasonable
And why not--surely they were not so blind as to not be able to recognize the advantage of working together to solve problems. For example 5 or 10 people could more efficiently hunt for food if they worked together as a team, rather than work against each other, then once such cooperative ties were established, the development of operational rules for treating each other cannot have been far behind. It doesn't seem so far-fetched to me.
Christianity is older than time itself; Christ Himself is older than time itself. Adam was a Christian. Judaism is a form of Christianity, even though not every Jew is a "Jew for Jesus", every Jew does know of The Messiah. Some choose not to believe He is Jesus. There is no religion older than Christianity. All other false religions and false gods are mere counterfeits of holiness. And no one ever said man cannot come up with His own religion. The world is polluted with them. Any good thing, or seemingly good thing that comes from these religions, were copied from Judaism or Christianity. Anything else written that contradicts the Christian bible, will not stand under any scrutiny.
Any code of ethics we dare to come up with will undoubtedly and always be incomplete. Like scientists always coming up with new discoveries, so will these man-made religions, adding new amendments, filled w/contradictions, aiming for, but never achieving, what God has already instituted.
There is no Jew who is a "Jew for Jesus." Jews for Jesus inherently negates Judaism, a central tenet of which is that the Messiah has not yet come. Though I do support Jesus' teachings--as a good friend of mine always says, Jesus was a bad-a$$ egalitarian." And I can get behind that. And to call all other religions "false" and "mere conterfeits of holiness," amd that "the world is polluted with them," seems a bit judgmental--again, where did Christianity spring from? As I'm sure you know, Jesus was Jewish, and the Christian religion was started by his followers, not him.
I don't understand your statement that there is no religion older than Christianity. Historically, there are several. And many would argue that Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism--after all, where did the Ten Commandments originally appear?
And please explain how Adam was a Christian.
Make no mistake, Christianity was started by Jesus. Judaism is not defined by a tenet stating the Messiah hasn't come. Sorry, that's not true. The Messiah is Christ Jesus. Before there was Judaism, there was Christ. Before there was a Jew, there was Christ. Don't you understand, we believe Jesus Christ is God, and God is eternal. Our faith is wrapped up into Jesus Christ Himself, who is eternal. There's a lot to know. First off, Jesus Christ was more than a man, He was also the Arch-angel, Michael. In Genesis, God referred to Himself as, we. We being the Father (Jehovah), the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. I can see how confusing all of this seems, but technically, Adam was a Christian; He had dealings with Christ. It's not about the people of the religion as it is the object of our faith, being the eternal Jesus Christ. And there is a whole lot more but it may be too much for your understanding right now. It's a long way from atheism to Christanity.
Not a member? Sign-up today!
Ciera Marie
Hmac
PaganGodess
Bondi
spectrum
Newenglander
zaphod
cantfoolme
Amazing1
berbles
Goppy
Daylight
CriticalTheorist
Ousama
bcellboy
monkeysuncle
wesley1alberto
ochs
tehranchik
Qukatt
geographer47
TheMightyFred
Eagle Eye
_kam0_
Beau7890
Neophile
2sidestoeverything
tomboy501
Fedquip
msaleem
215)
A moral upstanding ethical athiest.Good joke.I mean why?The problem with athiests is that they exude a deadness.A dryness of the bones.
Howdt, I'm an atheist or actually an ardent agnostic because I really don't know whether god exists or not. In truth, all religious people are agnostics because they don't know either, they merely believe deeply. I am very moral and have a very firm foundation for it. I would love to know just what you mean by "exude a deadness. a dryness of the bones." Care to clarify this?