Jd, that was excellent...now if I can just remember that quote next time I'm confronted with the religion issue...

tailgater - I was just saying that the sheer existence of many religions means nothing as to whether or not there truly is a God. In no way was I pushing my philosophy that there is no higher power, simply stating my dissent to the argument. I wasn't trying to disprove the existence of God either, tarheel is right, it's not possible to "prove" either way.

Glad to see the vehement statements though, and I’m sure you’re logically superior... Try reading the statements next time for what they are and not what you choose to read into them.

One thing I will concede, the universe is a profound mystery. I doubt science or religion will ever explain it. The one advantage some religions have is that they do acknowledge mystery. Maybe the Christians are right, maybe the Hindus are. I just wish there was less posing, sneering, self-righteousness and hypocrisy between the sects and yes, between believers and non-believers.

CW, I didn't "choose" to read anything into your words. I simply offered a response.
All too often we see single, myopic trends and manipulate the results to support a personal belief.
To suggest that with improved technology there is an equivalent drop in religion would be a subtle hint that religious folks are somehow less intelligent.
I'm not saying that you're calling us stupid, but the inference is there.
A closer look at such trends, however, would also reveal that as technology increases, so does the divorce rate. Are we then to believe that intelligence refutes love?
Don't take this as a slam, I just think it's silly to use single data points to state a case which is totally unrelated.
On a side note, what do you say to someone after they sneeze?

tailgater - thought you were simply replying to the most recent post, but it seems like your replying to my previous posts.

I do not believe that "technology" is the single result in the movement away from religion. I think that the increased understanding of our surroundings, continued intellectual development, general problems within organized religion and increased acceptance of non-religious persons have had huge contributions to the continued decrease in religious following. I don't associate religious beliefs with intelligence, most of the intelligent people I know are religious, so it's impossible for me to make that step. Like I said, I'm an atheist, and I'm not going to type 5 pages to prove why I'm an atheist, and I don't want you to either.

When someone sneezes I say, "You're so damn good lookin."

Funny how you chose "continued intellectual development" as one of the points to make your case. You obviously feel a connection between IQ and faith.


And just for the record, you obviously have never seen me sneeze...

It strikes me that there's actually a mix of TWO things being discussed here, although when he first raised the topic, I think JR was asking about our views on the existance of a supreme diety ... and to my mind, that's a different thing than the practice of organized religion.

An old joke I heard first while growing up in Utah concerned a fellow who had died and was being given a tour of Heaven by St. Peter ... as they passed a large building with no windows and a single unmarked door the fellow asked, "what's this building for?" ... St Pete answers in a whisper "Ssshhhhh ... that's the Mormons in there ... they think they're the only ones up here" In recent years, I heard that same joke
with Baptists substituted for Mormons in the punchline ...

Whether one of those or any other, I think it's quite illustrative of the whole problem ... the practitioners of pretty much any particular faith have a strong tendency to look down on those whose views are different as being "wrong" and consequently, inferior.

To borrow and adapt something that was mentioned in one or two of the responses above, if a Supreme Diety (whether named God or anything else) does not exist, the entire discussion is pointless and NONE of these or any other thoughts matter whatsoever ... BUT ... if God exists, it seems extremely likely to my way of thinking that He/She is quite likely to be a non-partisan in terms of the many individual religions and is most likely sitting on high with a glass of divine nectar in one hand, a divine cigar in the other and a smile of great amusement as He/She watches all of us "ants" in the "ant-farm" debating over such miniscule and inconsequential issues ...

I'm willing to bet the farm that if there's to be a day of judgement, we're gonna be judged on how we interacted with one another 24/7 and not by which particular building we worshipped in on Saturday or Sunday or even whether ... and if the here and now is all there is, it'll be a far more pleasureable here and now to interact well with one another than to not do so ...

Let's have a cigar

Amen on the Cigar!!!

Charlie

Steve, your post brings up a good point.
Of all the discussion in this thread, little has been made of WHICH god exists. Only WHETHER one exists or not.
The focus has not been on "religion" per se, but merely on "Faith".
I know that my God will not care what you preach so much as what you practice.
I know that is one thousand times easier to NOT believe in a Supreme Entity because of the lack of emperical proof.
I also know that my beliefs are rooted in my upbringing. Were I to be born in another part of the world, or even in a different part of the country, my religious learnigs would be vastly different. But I'd like to think that I'd still be the same sonuvabitch.
Now I'm gonna take you up on your suggestion and light this cigar.

Steve, you are a god! Whoops!!!

jreddoch

great question. excellent discussions.

i look forward to your next great question for us to argue and debate.

Yep, this one has legs and has remained suprisingly civil throughout.

There's a God and it's not me. As long as I remeber that I'm ok.

It's Steve!! Didn't you see Todog's post?? All hail Steve!!

Praises be unto SteveSicus Maximus!

LOL ... Sickus Maximus, eh? ... guess I can tell what MY reputation is

I was trying to play on your user name.

Yeah Steve-o, but Mike (my hubby) is known as Gascious Maximus around here...which title would you prefer?

And shouldn't God be known as HE...not He/She. I realize what city you are most familiar with, but the Holy Bible that I'm acquainted with refers to God as Father........

This has been an enlightening thread...thanks JR...I'm gonna start a thread titled, "Things that make you go, hmmm..."

hey, JR, I was laughing when I said that ... no offense taken ...

and e-Chick ... you're right, I'll stick with the name JR tagged me with ... oh, btw ... looking forward to your initial post on that new thread ... hmmmmmmmmm