Atheism.

[Zeezeebaba]

I was just wondering how many other like minded folks are on this forum? I'm an atheist and a fairly strong minded one at that.In my perceived ideal world the illogical following of man made religions would have been banished to the history books. The likelihood of that happening in my lifetime is almost zero but I feel in some countries at least common sense and logic are starting to win through.

I still find it incredible that some fairly intellectual people actually believe in it and to a certain extent worrying. I detest the fact the business of religion is utilised still as a form of social control and value. Obviously something as entrenched as religion having been passed on to successive indoctrinated generations will take an age to dissipate.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Zeezeebaba

[Grundy]

I'm a Scientologist, I chill with Tom Cruise every other Sunday.

 

 

I really can't see this thread lasting long

[Lexx]

Whilst I do class myself as an atheist, I'm quite happy for people to believe in whatever faith they like.

Doesn't matter how militant you are, you can't stop someone believing in something.

There's a huge difference between someone who believes in a God and someone who is indoctrinated into a faith.

[Zeezeebaba]

I'm happy enough for people to believe what they like,however it's never for the common good if governments, schools and other institutions still waft it about giving the illusion of legitimacy. I disagree entirely with an attempt to separate belief in a god and indoctrination at a base level. If there was no concept of God who would believe in one.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Zeezeebaba

[coldel]

Is wanting to stop someone believing in something an indoctrination in itself though?

 

I am with Lexx on this. I mean, you only have to look on this forum, there are people that genuinely believe that the zed roadsters are good looking cars...but people won't try and convert them to think otherwise

[WhackyWill]

I get the Jehovah Witnesses around my house every weekend. Trying to convert me.

 

Then discovered one of them has a 240Z so he now spends his

 

time discussing Zeditis..suppose that is a Religion... :thumbs:

[glrnet]

Made a rod for your own back there Will!!

 

 

Sent from my Zed using Nangkang tyres front, RE040's rear

[Zeezeebaba]

To be fair this thread is in response to a survey I recently saw which stated half of UK citizens now think religion causes more harm than good. Maybe that should have been my title

[Rock_Steady]

i wonder how long it will take before this get locked

[Zeezeebaba]

In all seriousness though I deal in logic and common sense backed up by known fact.Its not for me to disprove something that doesn't exist it's for those who believe to prove it does lol. Which of course they can't.

[Zeezeebaba]

Why would it get locked?

[coldel]

To be fair this thread is in response to a survey I recently saw which stated half of UK citizens now think religion causes more harm than good. Maybe that should have been my title

 

What was the sample definition was it nationally representative? How many of the sample followed a religion?

[WhackyWill]

Made a rod for your own back there Will!!

 

 

Sent from my Zed using Nangkang tyres front, RE040's rear

 

We get them all around here, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Born again Christians,

 

all on a mission to convert our little Close, Sunday mornings they come in droves..!!

[Zeezeebaba]

I will find out,I just thought it was interesting.For the record I was brought up in a Catholic household lol.

[glrnet]

i wonder how long it will take before this get locked

If it's discussed sensibly then it won't get locked, if it descends into a "beliefs" slanging match it probably will. Simple.

 

 

Sent from my Zed using Nangkang tyres front, RE040's rear

[sipar69]

I would go further and describe myself as an antitheist. I respect the right of other people to believe what they want, but personally I can't stand religion - particularly those which subjugate women. Dawkins for Prime Minister!

[Zeezeebaba]

The last thing I ever want to do is offend people.When the jehovas come knocking at mine I chat to them in length,the stock answers of faith and belief and silly things like the evolution of species etc

[Grundy]

To be fair this thread is in response to a survey I recently saw which stated half of UK citizens now think religion causes more harm than good. Maybe that should have been my title

I'm happily in that half.

 

For the spirit of this thread, I wont say what I think about religion out of respect for other members, but I believe religion causes more harm than good.

 

The day we have no religions is the day we achieve world peace.

[coldel]

Its always worth knowing what the sample is as that totally dictates results, more-so than the question. You often get the media throwing about 'stats' like this based on market research but the people drawing the conclusions or indeed setting the question know not how to frame the question to ensure a fair test or how to interpret the results correctly. Dangerous as it makes people then pass that info on as gospel and so on and so forth.

[sipar69]

Made a rod for your own back there Will!!

 

 

Sent from my Zed using Nangkang tyres front, RE040's rear

 

We get them all around here, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Born again Christians,

 

all on a mission to convert our little Close, Sunday mornings they come in droves..!!

 

Get one of these mate - we got one last year - not had a single cold caller since.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-Cold-Calling-Door-Sticker/dp/B008ACETRU/ref=sr_1_1/277-4102850-6080650?ie=UTF8&qid=1415695435&sr=8-1&keywords=no+cold+callers

[Zeezeebaba]

Ironically it was Dawkins book the God Delusion that really started me off.The survey was a fb post by the Dawkins page I subscribed to.

[coldel]

To be fair this thread is in response to a survey I recently saw which stated half of UK citizens now think religion causes more harm than good. Maybe that should have been my title

I'm happily in that half.

 

For the spirit of this thread, I wont say what I think about religion out of respect for other members, but I believe religion causes more harm than good.

 

The day we have no religions is the day we achieve world peace.

 

I would have to disagree on that, the idea that religion causes ALL global conflict is just plainly not true. Yes this poll I am sure was put up as a result of the IS situation to gauge what people think (and I wonder if it was put at the end of a report on the conflict at the moment already biasing the results, but you see what I mean). There will always be idealogical differences as well as religious ones between nations - religion has been the basis of conflict in the past, but there have been plenty of other reasons also. Did religion cause the Falklands war?

 

In fact I am pretty sure I saw somewhere that religion has historically been the motivating factor in something like 5% of all wars ever recorded.

Edited November 11, 2014 by coldel

[Zeezeebaba]

To be fair Coldel the drastic drop in Churchgoers is a fair indicator that people in general are abandoning full on worship practices.However as you say stats can be totally biased.

[Zeezeebaba]

Religion does not cause all global conflicts far from it. The cause of conflict can be varied and I would say in most cases that religion is used by those as a control mechanism whether they believe or not.

[WhackyWill]

They have just turned a large Church near me into a block of flats

 

and another in Muswell Hill Broadway into a very big pub, well at least they

 

had a sense of humor and called the pub "The Church"