magley64

Also he's the guy who is proposing legislation that will continue helping my sister complete a college education, passed a law giving my mom access to health insurance, and got economic conditions together that have given me the opportunity to purchase a home. I'm not a fan of how eager he is to play world police, but he's not near as bad as his opponent...

interwebz

I suppose in order to actually justify this position we would first have to define what evidence is acceptable? Is the problem of evil acceptable evidence against and omniscient, omnipotent, omni-benevolent creator of the universe? How about evidence regarding the effectiveness of prayer regarding the healing and recovery of individuals who are sick or injured? Is there any evidence that would be accepted regarding the absence of a god? I can tell you the answer, and it is no, because religious beliefs are not based on evidence, they are based on faith. Therefore the only question that can be answered with evidence is the positive one "is there a god" because there is plenty of physical evidence that COULD be provided if it existed. Miraculous conjuring of any number of tangible things, physical manifestations, an untold number of possible evidence that could be provided, but is not. No physical evidence, none.

not necessarily... You can still have Christianity without the old testament. You can remove the creation story, the flood, the talking donkey, and the virgin birth, and what you have left is still a pretty decent philosopher and role model in the traditional teachings of jesus. You can devote your life to be like jesus (seems like a decent dude from what I've read) Love your neighbors, honor your parents, live your life in a way that helps the society around you, and that can be your religion, that can be how you live your life. Yaweh, and all of the miracles can be completely removed from the equation (as jefferson did). Now what you have left is the teachings of an ancient hippie, worship him as a god, and now your christian religion doesn't have anything at all to interfere with science.

It's just a question of how many adherents, and the social acceptance of practices and beliefs as viewed by the larger society.

Why does the NRA back Romney? Obama signed the bill into law to allow guns in national parks, and on subway trains. on the other hand Romney signed a law to permanently ban many semi-automatic firearms. “These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense,” Romney said in 2004. “They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people.”

I am not... I just like him better than the guy who wants to jack my student loan rates and eliminate all of my tax deductions.

secular Ethics is actually based on a social contract. I leave you alone, in return for you leaving me alone, we don't steal from each other, so on and so forth. Actually there is only one hypothesis, there exists somewhere in the universe, an all knowing, all powerful, intelligent sentient being, you call a god...since you can never prove a negative, the other "hypothesis" you suggest is not actually a scientific hypothesis. There is no physical evidence for this being, there is only the assertion of them by certain individuals throughout history. Any question regarding anything that actually exists (made up of matter or energy) can absolutely be tackled by science... A common cop out, and failure of what is known as the burden of proof. A failure demonstrated by the celestial tea pot. As for the assertion that there is or is not a "god" in the universe as a philosophical question comes down to a number of arguments. Arguments from design, arguments from authority, so on and so forth. Cults are the birthplace of the 3 groups I've listed earlier. They start out as cults, someone professes something that cannot be proven, and simply must be taken on "faith". If this idea takes root in the popular imagination, it typically remains a cult until the cult leader dies, or until enough people become adherents to make it a religion. As time passes, the religion gets watered down, and loses adherents until it is abandoned by enough of society to be called mythology. Some never make it out of the cult stage, some hit "religion" status while their leader is still alive, but by and large this is the life cycle of these types of thoughts.

Well of course it isn't a god being rejected, it's the belief in a god that is being rejected. (you can't reject something that doesn't exist) Now as for the second part, I have a loose association with certain societies, and a strong association with other societies. Motorcycling isn't a religion (there is no deity) yet there is a society surrounding the activity and it's various manifestations. Societies within societies based on what your desired terrain would be, the manufacturer of your machine, or the aesthetic/functional design. Nobody honestly classifies it as a religion, regardless of it being a society or a group of societies.

off for today... bummer

*part of the 1%* I'm a hillbilly, just not of the gun-toting variety.

I could see how it might imply that... but not explicitly. But, to ease your mind, I'll refer to it as my own personal "viewpoint regarding religions, mythologies, and cults"...

I let people profess their beliefs to me if they wish, but when I ask for evidence, they can't seem to provide any.

Any viewpoint on religions is a religious viewpoint... I am non-religious...

How about a NWS or NSFW warning, eh?

Agnostic is a logical choice in a society where the majority of people are of a single religious affiliation.

Belittling, and insulting are a little different than murdering... So I wouldn't say "just as bad" Misguided, perhaps overzealous, and hurtful I could agree on. "Just as bad" no

I will not argue, it is beneficial for some. For me, I have no use for it... I have morals and dreams, and aspirations, and character without the need for a deity. For others, it's a torturous existence of self hate and a lack of self esteem because they can never live up to the standards set by bronze age goat herders. Still others use it as an excuse for violence against those that disagree with their views, and justify their violence by passages in their holy books. (mostly the abrahamics)

I have the opposite view. I believe religion does more harm than good.

I dunno, maybe you're right... I'm pretty outspoken about my religious viewpoint, so I would think others without a religion would also be just as outspoken.

I like the bear with the bare arm...

Because you don't realize that IP was joking... he's a member of the NRA, a cynical one, but a Pro-Gun libertarian nonetheless...

I am confident Obama will win, which is why I'm happily voting my conscience, and writing in Ron Paul.

scarf

http://news.yahoo.com/report-us-protestants-lose-majority-status-040220128.html there is hope for this country after all.