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I'd like to see that study! I actually read of a double blind study where they proved that prayer had significant influence on healing those with illnesses.</p>
<p>As you can see, I'm christian. I'm not up in your face about it, but I certainly don't roll over when other people are attacking it. I'm pro-life, pro-god, think the government doesn't have a job in stopping gays from a civil union, and also am a scholastic (believe that religion and science can be reconciled). I also believe that morality can exist without religion (like in Aristotle's nichomachean ethics), but that it is more clearly defined within the context of religion.</p>
<p>And the remarkable thing about God is that God can't be proven.</p>
<p>Oh, and evolution and Christianity aren't necessarily at odds. I spoke to this very well respected christian minister who believed in evolution because in the bible the word translated "day" doesn't necessarily mean 24 hours, but can mean a indefinite span of time. Thus, God could have been the force behind the big bang (what scientists don't know yet), and let nature (which he created) take its course.
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<p>I think it's hard to reconcile science and religion because science would be hard pressed to explain all the miracles in the bible. That of course if you believe in ANY miracles at all.</p>
<p>Oh and I don't mean to attack you, I am a biologist myself and I used to think that evolution was the mechanism God brings up life on earth.</p>
<p>Difference between God and religion bro. God can't be proven. As in any God(for some reason, everyone thinks this applies to only their God). Why do you not believe in the Sun God? Or the Great Bumba? Or Vishnu? Somehow, you are Atheist to them..</p>
<p>"WOW. Then what the hell are you doing. Look man, I agree with you on pretty much everything you said. If you don't believe Jesus was the son of god, what is the point? Why not just be someone who believes in a greater power that is not a Christian?"</p>
<p>Well that would be because I believe there was a man named Jesus Christ a long time ago who had some truly remarkable ideas. A religion is an ongoing process, and I'm still "learning."</p>
<p>No...Budda had some really great ideas and yet you aren't a Buddhist. If you don't believe Jesus was the son of god, you aren't a Christian. That's the fundamental basis of Christianity.</p>
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I just have one question to all of you: Why are you a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, etc? If the answer is born into it, did you ever study any other religion with the possibility of it being right? If not, why not? If so, do you not see complete contradicitons and arrogance in thinking that your one religion is right out of thousands of religions in this world?
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<p>I studied the bible a little bit and I found the bible has the strongest evidences and cross references compared to other religions' sacred books.
There are minor contradictions in the bible like some numbers doesn't match up (I don't remember exactly the verses, but like in some book some verses would say 50,000 people while in different book it would say 5,000. things like that) </p>
<p>about arrogance, I don't think it's arrogance because it's what you believe in. This is like atheist (no offence) who says that my view of the world is the correct one and all other people who believe in God are idiots. Would you call that arrogance?</p>
<p>Lol no. I changed God to god so that it would make you happy from your previous post.</p>
<p>Why do I not believe in a Sun God or what ever else you posted? Because I don't. Just my belief. And apparently from what we've seen it is extremely hard to label someone's religion and describe it. So why do you try to persuade those with different beliefs than yours? Do you not think that we've thought about it...somewhat?</p>
<p>So you studied the bible a little bit. GREAT. That only furthers my point that you haven't studied any other religions, and the only reason you "believe" what you believe is because you were raised as one. </p>
<p>Let's compare arrogance: "I think my one religion that I was raised in(yet have not studied other religions) is the one true religion" compared to "After looking at many religions(and not just the one I was raised to be), and seeing complete contradictions in the all of the religions with one another, it is illogical to assume that ONE is the right religion."</p>
<p>I don't know man, if you really think my way of thinking is more arrogant, then I don't know what to say.</p>
<p>I'm not saying your way of thinking is more arrogant (though I think you are talking to another person). I have studied multiple religions, namely Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. I have also read slightly into smaller religions (I just can't bring myself to consider Hinuism). Huey, everyone on here has their own beliefs, it's just how it is. You fail to realize what people are thinking about when it comes to religion. Who cares if things make sense. Quantum physics and Eintsein's laws of relativity contradict each other. But people believe (and use) them. It's not about this life(well to be argued), it's about something bigger, and that somethign bigger is different for everyone. </p>
<p>If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you believe in? Just in general. People, religion, hell pop cans, what are your thoughts?</p>
<p>Why? Well I think it's childish. I don't believe in some being that can take form. I just believe in something that created the universe. That something happens to be God with a capital G. How else to I explain this?</p>
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So you studied the bible a little bit. GREAT. That only furthers my point that you haven't studied any other religions, and the only reason you "believe" what you believe is because you were raised as one.</p>
<p>Let's compare arrogance: "I think my one religion that I was raised in(yet have not studied other religions) is the one true religion" compared to "After looking at many religions(and not just the one I was raised to be), and seeing complete contradictions in the all of the religions with one another, it is illogical to assume that ONE is the right religion."</p>
<p>I don't know man, if you really think my way of thinking is more arrogant, then I don't know what to say.
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<p>true, I haven't studied other religion intensively (Why should I waste time on those stuff anyway? Even I didn't study Christianity that much). I studied Islam a little because I grew up in a "muslim" country and I know buddhist a little bit because my family used to practice buddhism. But does it matter? Religion is all about your personal relationship with God anyway. </p>
<p>And why are you so surprised when you're trying to compare all the religions and see contradictions among them? of course they should contradict. They are DIFFERENT religion. Muslim don't eat pork, Christian does. Muslim believes that fundamentally humans are good, Christian believes that humans are fundamentally corrupted. There has to be contradictions otherwise they all become the same religion.</p>
<p>What do I believe? I believe that religion is false? Why. Many reasons, some of it I've posted. Two big things: They all contradict each other(so obviously only one can be completely true), and they can't be proven. Saying something can't be proven and then calling it true doesn't make it true. </p>
<p>I don't know it all about this world. I don't deny that there could be a god, 7 gods, 30 gods, a freaking spider that runs the world, that we are all in some kids imagination. I don't know. How could you say it's not about this life? This is the only life WE KNOW exists. Everything else is complete speculation and therefore not worth ruining people's lives(or providing false hope). I'm not a fan of lying to people just to comfor them, something that religion provides quite well. </p>
<p>Science and religion are not one in the same. Religion is supposed to be true and the word of god(yeah I got it, you don't think it is, but you are the minority). That's a dangerous argument and way of mind that leads to pointless killings and mental torture(From so large such as the Crusades to everytime a gay child kills themselves after hearing how evil they were). If you believe something without evidence, you are being a fool. Nowhere else in life is this seen with such conviction and demeanor(unless of course, you see a crazy person that really believes they are a fireman).</p>
<p>I’m an “atheist” (or whatever one wants to call it), in that I don’t believe in God, because I find no compelling reason to do so. I chose to believe in people—their ability to do both great and terrible things—independent of outside forces. </p>
<p>That said, I also strongly believe in everyone’s right to believe what THEY want (as long as they don’t try to impose their beliefs on others). Religion serves many different purposes in many different ways in many different people’s lives, and I think trying to force someone to defend something that is about FAITH as much (or, often, far more so) than reason is just as closed minded as trying to shove a specific religion down somebody’s throat. Basically, I think hard-core anti-religion atheists are almost always as closed minded as the raging right wing ultra conservative Christians. </p>
<p>HueyFreeman, why are you so intent on shooting down the religious? Why do you take so much offence at other people’s personal beliefs? PS. You should try reading some Nietzsche. Whose to say that science isn’t operating on bases just as unfounded as religion ;)</p>
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Lol. That's what you throw at me. Miracles? Come on it should be pretty obvious that I don't believe in miracles. If you want to list some though I'm always up for hearing some.
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<p>Look, I'm not looking for trouble here. I said I believe in miracles. So what? are you trying to say to my belief is stupid because you don't believe miracles and I do? </p>
<p>I am not trying to convert you to christianity or anything. As I said above, religion is personal. If you don't believe in miracles... fine but don't bring anything else to the table man.</p>
<p>So close Pearlygate. You fail to see that your argument works for me. If this God that you believe in exists, he truly is an ass. He gives us unlimited choices in religion(many of which send the non believers to hell). So God was like Christians, you guys and pork are fine, but Muslims, you eat it and it's evil. Don't drink alcohol either that is evil. By your definition, God is a complete jerk.</p>
<p>Why would you believe in something when millions of others STRONGLY believe in another infallable religion that is not yours? Why is it that both you and the Muslim have the right religion in your eyes...think about this and slowly you realize things..</p>
<p>Weskid, there is a difference between forcing ideas down someone's throat and trying a discussion. I don't care who believes what, I really don't. But everyone always gets ****y when I question their faith and ask them why. I'm not here to convert anyone I really want an honest discussion.</p>
<p>Why are you so offended pearlygate? I ask you why you believe in miracles and you come at me telling me to basically shut up. It's really simple. Something as important as religion should be able to be discussed with both sides being forced to give reasons other than "I just do".</p>
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Something as important as religion should be able to be discussed with both sides being forced to give reasons other than "I just do".
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<p>This is where I take issue with you. Religion, is, in my mind, often entirly a matter of faith...trying to bring logic into it often defeats the point. Religion is about belief, sometimes irrational belief. God is unprovable, but so is God's non-existance. My belief that there is NO God, that there is a logical explination for every unexplained phenomina in the world, is really just as irrational as someone's belief in God. What's wrong with that?</p>