What Religion are you?

[Elvis]

Is nothing more than No True Scottsman in its purest form. How can we say that he is the one interpreting it correctly and not the terrorist?

It's not the same because he's interpreting a book. Where is God to tell Firas that he's 'doing it wrong'?

You're assuming that those religious folk who did good things - could have done so w/o being religious.

However, they will tell you otherwise. How do you know for certain that they weren't inspired to do 'good' by their religious convictions?

Think of John Brown for example.

]The Quran in Sura (Chapter) 2:223 says: Your women are your fields, so go into your fields whichever way you like..

The Quran in Sura 4:11 says: The share of the male shall be twice that of a female .

The Quran in Sura 2:282 says: And let two men from among you bear witness to all such documents [contracts of loans without interest]. But if two men be not available, there should be one man and two women to bear witness so that if one of the women forgets (anything), the other may remind her. - This one is awesome lol.

The Quran in Sura 4:129 says: It is not within your power to be perfectly equitable in your treatment with all your wives, even if you wish to be so; therefore, [in order to satisfy the dictates of Divine Law] do not lean towards one wife so as to leave the other in a state of suspense

The Quran in Sura 4:34 says: 4:34 . . . If you fear highhandedness from your wives, remind them [of the teaching of God], then ignore them when you go to bed, then hit them. If they obey you, you have no right to act against them. God is most high and great.

The Quran in Sura 65:1, 4 says: 65:1 O Prophet, when you [and the believers] divorce women, divorce them for their prescribed waiting—period and count the waiting—period accurately . . . 4 And if you are in doubt about those of your women who have despaired of menstruation, (you should know that) their waiting period is three months, and the same applies to those who have not menstruated as yet. As for pregnant women, their period ends when they have delivered their burden - Pedophilia ftw.

Ill post my favorite violence encouraging quotes later lol.

I can't defend those passages since I haven't read the book. However, I think you could at least attempt to analyze them. Put them in context.

I still think it's horrible, but not as cut-and-dry as your tone implies.

Furthermore, as a standard ALL these religions are going to seem 'WTF-backwards' when juxtaposed to our modern-day sensibilities. At other times - we may marvel at their prophetic blah-blahness.

I said that Firas leaves himself open to pot shots. Saying the Quran is perfect (or any other holy text) is inherently susceptible to the 'gotcha' style response.

Firas ignores the cultural influence on these religions.

I mean, are there any olde religions that speak of sci-fi stuff or robots or the shit that comes out of Scientology?

[Correction]

I like how Neo wants it both ways

However, one could argue that such faiths lend people to extremist acts (as a catalyst, not the sole cause, as we have stated), hence I treated Islam as a mental sickness similar to alcoholism.

The good those people do dont require a religion or god.

So when religious folks do good things, religion gets no credit. But when they do bad things, religion gets all the blame.

[Meat]

I like how Neo wants it both ways





So when religious folks do good things, religion gets no credit. But when they do bad things, religion gets all the blame.

Indeed, didn't morality as we know it today permeate the wold through the 10 commandments?

[quannum]

the poll option i picked is better than all the other options that i didn't pick.

fact.

[Correction]

Indeed, didn't morality as we know it today permeate the wold through the 10 commandments?

Not quite the mark I was trying to hit.

Man feeds the poor through church. Neo Sneers "He didn't need the church to do that, and he's still bad for being religious because it's bad for Science."

Muslim Man murders his Christian neighbor. Neo Sneers "Hah one less religious person in the world. See what religion does to people? It's psychosis!"

The explanations are incompatible with Neo's apparent perception of what the religious amongst us can learn and how they apply it. When they're violent+religious, they're blind to flaws and absorb all of religion's teachings, making them violent anti-science misogynist zealots. When they're philanthropists, they're clearly picking and choosing to ignore the evil bits of their magic book about invisible friends and somehow they're still bad for being somewhat religious. Neo has gone out of his way to dismiss the existence of religious folk with their 'acceptable' interpretation of their teachings, as if they're not really religious.

Typical religious guy: "I'm religious and I taught my children to be good and generous!"

http://i30.tinypic.com/30rr3nl.jpg

Neo: "TOO BAD YOU'RE STILL IN LOVE WITH THINGS THAT DON'T EXIST AND THE BOOKS HAVE PASSAGES THAT IF YOU REALLY BELIEVED IN YOUR RELIGION WOULD MAKE YOU A HORRIBLE PERSON AND YOU HATE SCIENCE BESIDES MODERATE RELIGIOUS FOLKS ARE AS BAD IF NOT WORSE THAN THE EXTREMISTS"

http://i31.tinypic.com/rqxdo0.jpg

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

I can't defend those passages since I haven't read the book. However, I think you could at least attempt to analyze them. Put them in context.

I still think it's horrible, but not as cut-and-dry as your tone implies.

Neo doesn't need context or analyzation to defend his post, this is the intrinsic problem with dogmatic religion - it all comes down to interpretation. The whole of all of earths parts will suffer as a result of as little as one persons literal translation of a religious text.

There is suffering occurring as we speak wether it be mental or physical or social or political due to the words in that religious text among others. It's as cut-and-dry as its believers make it.

That's the core of the argument that's glossed over by believers and sympathizers and even lost by the wayside by atheists and agnostics. The argument of "You can't prove your god exists" vs. "Well you can't prove he doesn't either" is pure redundant semantics, real life human beings are put through intolerable levels of systematic abuse, emotional and otherwise, because of the ideas that spew forth from these books that are believed, repeated, defended, and profited from vigorously.

In the end it doesn't matter if Firas believes the "good parts" or has a better interpretation because for every one of him there are 1,000 weak individuals who will try to mine influence and power from that book to make the world pay for their petty self-pity.

[Sirenia]

I have gone back and forth before but I think I am an atheists.

[Milkster]

I'm probably more of a Gnostic. I don't know what I believe but I do believe that there is something out there that is beyond the comprehension of human understanding. And other days I'm just all w/e.

[Correction]

In the end it doesn't matter if Firas believes the "good parts" or has a better interpretation because for every one of him there are 1,000 weak individuals who will try to mine influence and power from that book to make the world pay for their petty self-pity.

If we're going to ignore the fruitless circle of 'prove it!' 'no YOU prove it!' can we declare a similar moratorium on improbable hyperbole? A thousand corruptors per humble pious being?

[Trinsie]

There was no god before some stupid monkeys made it up.

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

If we're going to ignore the fruitless circle of 'prove it!' 'no YOU prove it!' can we declare a similar moratorium on improbable hyperbole? A thousand corruptors per humble pious being?

Improbable hyperbole? Show me anywhere, anything that shows where for every 1,000 people acting like Mother Theresa or the Dhalai Lama there aren't 10,000 people foaming at the mouth following Rush Limbaughs, Ayatollahs, Usama bin Ladens, Pat Robertsons and so on and so forth. Present or past.

You're trying to tell me that people, religious or not, have a tendency, or to be more honest, the mental capacity to follow the humble and pious over the corrupt and powerful?

What cereal do you eat and what kool-aid do you pour into it because that shit sounds scrum-diddly-umptious. I wish I was half as idealistic about the world as you.

[Correction]

Improbable hyperbole? Show me anywhere, anything that shows where for every 1,000 people acting like Mother Theresa or the Dhalai Lama there aren't 10,000 people foaming at the mouth following Rush Limbaughs, Ayatollahs, Usama bin Ladens, Pat Robertsons and so on and so forth. Present or past.

"You can't prove god exists!" "You can't prove he doesn't!"

"You can't prove there aren't 1000 bin Ladens per 1 Mother Theresa" "You can't prove there are!"

[Vandole]

even though i'm athiest, agnosticism is the smartest choice of any of these lists.

no one can prove shit. period.

*insert some witty comment about pascal's wager.*

this thread is like pissing in a sea of piss. Fun.

[Correction]

When Vandole prays, he prays the MacWheel will become a real item.

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

"You can't prove god exists!" "You can't prove he doesn't!"

"You can't prove there aren't 1000 bin Ladens per 1 Mother Theresa" "You can't prove there are!"

Sure I can:

World War I - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

World War II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Al-Qaeda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crusades - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

South Africa under apartheid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Religious violence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Salem witch trials - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution_(1905)

French Revolution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexander the Great - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Genghis Khan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Khmer Rouge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roman Empire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




Please. I dare you. I fucking double dare you to prove me wrong. Man I have some respect for you Correction on a few issues but motherfuckers need to learn to just lay down. Yeah internet ego counts for a lot but shit man is the embarrassment worth it?

I really don't think I need to go on. For every 1 person who is pious and humble enough to be content with helping people or simply going on with their daily lives there are 1,000 - and ego check here, this may include yourself - that are willing to rise to violence, deception, and hatred over a belief. More-so over the interpretation of a text that makes spiritual and metaphysical promises. I'll even use this weapon of 'improbable hyperbole' to say that this effect is amplified 1000x when it is religious promise compared to moral or political promise.

But please, go on, deny the voice in your head or any reason or logical aptitude and deny that because you've already decided to run your mouth for arguments sake. Cool bro, thanks for the update.

[Neosutra]

even though i'm athiest, agnosticism is the smartest choice of any of these lists.

no one can prove shit. period.

*insert some witty comment about pascal's wager.*

this thread is like pissing in a sea of piss. Fun.

Ignoring Correction's continued ignorance of the dangers of cognitive dissidence that derive from faith based actions, I would say that agnosticism isnt "the best" of the choices. As it isnt equally likely that there is or isnt a god. There is overwhelming evidence that every described god, or any god we have defined is impossible and contradictory in nature. You can then stretch out to say "well my god is undefined", but that is a trivial as saying "I dont know what I believe".

As for Correction's questions about my "wanting to have my cake and eat it too" by labeling all bad from religion as religion's fault, and all good as man's actions, he is partially right, but missing the main point:

We have societal bounds that direct "moral" actions and laws to determine what is legally correct. Positive/Negative actions that a person does w/o religion are influenced by these cultural/legal boundaries. The catalyst for negative actions are typically issues such as education, finances, cheating bitch of a wife, etc. These can be solved via reason and adequately avoided via controls. Religion as a catalyst however, carries with it a "divine" truth, in which negative dogmas cause negative actions that are "above" reason and control.

As for the positive actions, there are 2 down sides to religiously positive actions. One is that people are less likely to do the "right" thing if the reward is not a tangible reward (building riches in heaven doesnt cut it as much as actually getting paid to do something, and history has shown us just how well people follow these tenants...), the second is that their main purpose is to convert/influence the ideas of those they are typically trying to help, and thus religion acts like an infecting agent.

Cocaine has some good sides as well, but I wouldnt suggest giving it to any friends. Would it be fair to tell someone the bad sides of cocaine w/o telling them how awesome it feels? Same with religion. The "high" comes with high price.

[Senoska]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urlTBBKTO68

edit: Fucking lol. I forgot about this. The worst form of pascal's wager:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kq2xbMHcOw

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

Ignoring Correction's continued ignorance of the dangers of cognitive dissidence that derive from faith based actions, I would say that agnosticism isnt "the best" of the choices. As it isnt equally likely that there is or isnt a god. There is overwhelming evidence that every described god, or any god we have defined is impossible and contradictory in nature. You can then stretch out to say "well my god is undefined", but that is a trivial as saying "I dont know what I believe".

Going to have to disagree with you and also show a bit a shock at your post here. Atheist claims of "no" are just as arrogant as theist claims of "yes." Agnostic is the fairest path and a path I define myself as having.

A creative force could be as passive yet as powerful as the ocean, whether it is sentient or not this is science. There always seems to be a way for things to work, a path for nature to follow. I can't, nor can you or anyone else say for sure yes or no. That power is simply not ours.

[Plow]

I hope you realize this guy is making fun of you just as much as he is of crazy religious people.

[Senoska]

I hope you realize this guy is making fun of you just as much as he is of crazy religious people.

Have you watched any of his other videos? No, sorry, lol.