Why don't people belive in life everywhere?
Amblessed says "Often man chooses Blinders rather than looking around and seeing the obvious."
Very true, and a shame you can't see the irony of that statement.
Why don't people believe God is aliens?
I'd like to say that people don't believe this because there's no more evidence for it than there is for any other theory. However, the real reason people don't believe it is mostly because it's not what they were brought up with.
Just to name a few...
Jokes and stories
The moral of the story is... don't retell badly understood folk-tales:
"A scorpion was walking along the bank of a river, wondering how to get to the other side. Suddenly, he saw a fox. He asked the fox to take him on his back across the river.
T...
How Could Evolution provide? (50.00%)
Because large components of the development of fingerprints and voices are either developmental or environmental in nature. For fingerprints, a person's genes tell their cells how to divide, but how the specific shapes on the fingers develop is up to c...
Are we really living in the end times?
Well, if a third of the population was dying each year, few people would live past, say, 10. So no, even with the birth rate it's not realistic.
Why do some religions feel the need to "convert" people?
"I didn't say it was right? In any of this have I stated that dorrknocking or offing people was right OR wrong? No I havent."
It looked to me like you were using the mandate of a given religion as justification for why it's okay to doorknock, etc, n...
Why do you believe in God?
How does that work with what you said earlier? Didn't you just say that god determines when someone gets pregnant?
Do Scientologists worship God?(100.00%)
No, though scientology isn't totally incompatible with belief in a christian god. What they believe is... complicated and frankly, insane. In short, the world is (apparrently) populated with 'thetans', sort of ghosts, which effectively possess people, ...
Why do you believe in God?
So basically, we have no free will and god decides everything for us, warmheart? Or just getting pregnant? If someone cheats and gets pregnant, is it not their fault, because god decided it was the right time?
Can we Delete our old questions?
Why would you want to? You're not the only person that gets value from the answers to questions you posted, and it's not as if you have a limited amount of 'space' that they use up.
Are we really living in the end times?
There's only 6 billion people on earth; I'm pretty sure it's not possible for a third of them to die each year without us noticing.
Why do you believe in God?
"Is there a bunch of people floating around in the air just waiting to land in our TV? We can't see them, but by faith when we turn on the TV, people appear. When a radio is turned on, we can't see the people, but by faith we hear them talk."
I pref...
Dog Microchipping and the Devil?(100.00%)
libbie: Yes, that's crazy.
Here's the original quote:
"The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image."
Somehow, this has been co...
Is there actual scientific proof that god does not exist?
torikeene: If you don't have 100% proof that Vishnu doesn't exist, why do you believe He doesn't? On a more ridiculous note, if you don't have 100% proof that there are no teapots orbiting mars, why don't you give that the same credence you do belief i...
Why do some religions feel the need to "convert" people?(100.00%)
"I have to do what is right for me, and doing what I have to do is also doing what I want to do. So lets say my religion (which I want to follow) has the rules that I HAVE to go doorknocking, where does want end and having begin or are they one and the...
Why is "god" so cruel?(0.00%)
If god is omnipotent, how can you blame anything on satan anyway? Surely every evil results as much from god's inaction as it does from 'satan's' malice. Satan can only do anything if god permits it, right?
Why do some religions feel the need to "convert" people?(100.00%)
twigy: Wow, you managed to miss every single point I made.
"Yes, but I'm not going to go doorknocking to tell people about how awesome my favorite movie is.
Well that's you. Its a rule to a lot of religions that you HAVE to talk to people about i...
Why is there no proof that Humans and Dinosaurs co-existed?(100.00%)
"The fossil records do not support the theory of evolution. There are no transitional fossils in between species. From apes to man, Raptor dinosaurs to birds etc... That is why evolution is still a theory not a fact."
Argh. How many times does this ...
Why is "god" so cruel?
"Sickness and disease come from the devil and the devil alone"
Really? So all that business about virii, bacteria, genetic diseases, etc, is... what, precisely?
"if anything there has been many MIRACLES were god has saved and cuerd people!!"
S...
Why do some religions feel the need to "convert" people?(100.00%)
In short: Because no religion survives without believers, and the only way you get believers is by converting people.
"Well say you saw a great movie or book or what have you.
Wouldn't you want to share that info?"
Yes, but I'm not going to go d...
Are we really living in the end times?(0.00%)
Predictions of "end times" are just like people claiming Nostradamus' prophecies have been fulfilled by certain events: If you take any sufficiently vauge prediction, you will be able to find a set of events that appear to match it.
"If you think ab...
Are Christians the leading cause of atheism?(100.00%)
silverwings: You seem to see knowledge as bad somehow. How do you reconcile that with living in a society entirely built on the gradual acquisition of more and better knowledge, improving everyone's lives?
Scientology: cult or religion?
He's one of their 'celebrity spokespeople'. I don't see why his participation makes it a religion though - more likely it just means he's crazy. :)
Also, from what I've heard, they treat their celebrities _very_ differently to their run-of-the-mill ...
Is it wrong to be an Athiest?
It sounds like you're more agnostic than atheist. And no, of course it's not 'wrong'. It's your belief system, no-one else's, and it's important to remember that morals/ethics and religion are separate things - you can be a moral and ethical person wit...
For Christians: How do we share and not force
The short answer (though I'm sure it's not the one you want to hear): You've told them all about it, now leave them to make up their own minds. Constantly badgering them about it is not going to go down well.
For Christians: How do we share and not force(100.00%)
TheDude: Now I can't get the mental image of Agnostic door-knockers out of my head. "Hello. Have you ever considered that there may or may not be a god or gods?"
As far as the original question goes (also not a Christian, but here's my 2c): Any time...
Are Christians the leading cause of atheism?
stopandsmelltheroses: No, it doesn't mean that at all. I'm an atheist, and just because I don't have to worry about some almighty power punishing me if I don't do good, I still believe in a code of ethics and morals, and live by them. Not to mention, t...
How can some people be vegetarians and be for abortion?(100.00%)
The whole "when life starts" thing is a red-herring, and only has meaning in a religious context, with there being some critical point where something gets a "soul" and becomes a human being. In reality, life doesn't 'start' - it's a continuum, from mo...
What do you think of this scripture?
torikeene: So just to be clear: You believe that your god doomed everyone who was born after Jesus but never heard of christianity to eternal damnation based on an accident of birth, simply because they had the misfortune never to hear of your religion?
What do you think of this scripture?
torikeene: So... all these people that never heard of christianity have to be completely sinless in order to not go to hell? And since nobody's sinless, according to christianity, we're back to the majority of the human race being doomed to damnation p...
What do you think of this scripture?
Didn't you just say that all of that is possible without converting to christianity if you're a good person? Isn't that how it works for people who've never heard of christianity, if they're good people (by some definition of the term)?
What do you think of this scripture?
torikeene: Alright, that's fine with me then - I'm happy to simply be a good person, do good things for their own sake, and take my chances.
What do you think of this scripture?
torikeene: Then the same question applies to you: Do you really believe your god doomed every person between AD0 and now who had the misfortune to live somewhere where they never heard of christianity? That the majority of humanity miss out because of ...
What do you think of this scripture?(100.00%)
godzilla: Believe it or no, most people in history have not encountered christianity. Even now it's not universal, but it's been known only to a few western countries for most of its existence. Do you really believe that your god condemned most of the ...
What do you think of this scripture?(100.00%)
I still haven't seen a satisfactory explanation of what happened to the vast majority of people throughout history who were never introduced to christianity, and thus were never 'saved'. Do you really believe in such a capricious god that would doom mo...
Scientology: cult or religion?
Thedude: Considered a religion by who? It has tax exempt status in many countries, meaning those countries' tax departments have been persuaded* to consider it a religion. In Germany, it doesn't have tax exempt status and is definitively considered a c...
What do Christians think of Atheists?
So if I understand you (orion and flossheal) correctly, and anyone who's never heard of christianity is judged on their own merits, but those that have heard of it are judged based only on if they convert or not, couldn't a missionary who brings "the w...
Killer robots are coming, should we be concerned?
Learning systems and 'fuzzy logic' are both very specialised systems, though - they're good at what they do, but that's about it. Nobody, so far as I'm aware, has any idea of how to apply these things to inductive reasoning, which is as best as I under...
Killer robots are coming, should we be concerned?(100.00%)
One thing the futurists predicting imminent robotic doom always leave out is that there's been no significant developments in the sort of AI required to make a system capable of inductive reasoning in, well, ever. There's plenty of research and results...
What do Christians think of Atheists?
orion: What you describe is called "Pascal's Wager". It's a pretty weak idea for several reasons:
- I can't choose to believe in something just because it seems like the rational best choice.
- It's reasonable to suppose any god that demands unquesti...
What do Christians think of Atheists?(100.00%)
"Just because you choose not to believe in heaven or hell doesn't make it so."
I can turn that around - just because you choose to believe in it doesn't make it so. I know which possibility I consider by far the more likely.
What do Christians think of Atheists?(60.00%)
No, because hell doesn't exist.
And even if it did, appeals to atheists based on fear of hell aren't going to work too well, since we don't believe it exists.
What in the Bible has been disproven?
That "answer" doesn't even make any sense. How do you reconicle all the contradictory parts of the bible? Why don't you obey the more draconian parts of the old testament?
And for that matter, how do you know that an english translation of a book t...
What in the Bible has been disproven?
warmheart: Really? What about everything in the bible that contradicts itself? And why aren't you off stoning people for all manner of offenses?
What in the Bible has been disproven?
rnealw: Comments like "Why replace faith in God with the reasoning of man?" certainly give that impression.
In that case, why do you only have a problem with the scientific principle when it conflicts with your religious beliefs? Why should somethin...
Why are people offended when I address God as a woman?
sillygirl006: You still haven't defined what makes the christian god a male, other than that "that's what [he] is". What attributes does he have that makes him male?
Also, as I asked earlier - if your god has a gender, what's his race, and his skin ...
Why are people offended when I address God as a woman?
To those claiming God is a male: Really? What defines the christian god as male? Presumably he doesn't have genitalia, and doesn't need to urinate or have sex.
Let's try another question: What's god's skin color? His race? How tall is he, and what c...
arachnid's Advice page 8
Amblessed says "Often man chooses Blinders rather than looking around and seeing the obvious." Very true, and a shame you can't see the irony of that statement.
I'd like to say that people don't believe this because there's no more evidence for it than there is for any other theory. However, the real reason people don't believe it is mostly because it's not what they were brought up with. Just to name a few...
The moral of the story is... don't retell badly understood folk-tales: "A scorpion was walking along the bank of a river, wondering how to get to the other side. Suddenly, he saw a fox. He asked the fox to take him on his back across the river. T...
Because large components of the development of fingerprints and voices are either developmental or environmental in nature. For fingerprints, a person's genes tell their cells how to divide, but how the specific shapes on the fingers develop is up to c...
Well, if a third of the population was dying each year, few people would live past, say, 10. So no, even with the birth rate it's not realistic.
"I didn't say it was right? In any of this have I stated that dorrknocking or offing people was right OR wrong? No I havent." It looked to me like you were using the mandate of a given religion as justification for why it's okay to doorknock, etc, n...
How does that work with what you said earlier? Didn't you just say that god determines when someone gets pregnant?
No, though scientology isn't totally incompatible with belief in a christian god. What they believe is... complicated and frankly, insane. In short, the world is (apparrently) populated with 'thetans', sort of ghosts, which effectively possess people, ...
So basically, we have no free will and god decides everything for us, warmheart? Or just getting pregnant? If someone cheats and gets pregnant, is it not their fault, because god decided it was the right time?
Why would you want to? You're not the only person that gets value from the answers to questions you posted, and it's not as if you have a limited amount of 'space' that they use up.
There's only 6 billion people on earth; I'm pretty sure it's not possible for a third of them to die each year without us noticing.
"Is there a bunch of people floating around in the air just waiting to land in our TV? We can't see them, but by faith when we turn on the TV, people appear. When a radio is turned on, we can't see the people, but by faith we hear them talk." I pref...
libbie: Yes, that's crazy. Here's the original quote: "The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image." Somehow, this has been co...
Very very well put, semi1900.
torikeene: If you don't have 100% proof that Vishnu doesn't exist, why do you believe He doesn't? On a more ridiculous note, if you don't have 100% proof that there are no teapots orbiting mars, why don't you give that the same credence you do belief i...
"I have to do what is right for me, and doing what I have to do is also doing what I want to do. So lets say my religion (which I want to follow) has the rules that I HAVE to go doorknocking, where does want end and having begin or are they one and the...
If god is omnipotent, how can you blame anything on satan anyway? Surely every evil results as much from god's inaction as it does from 'satan's' malice. Satan can only do anything if god permits it, right?
twigy: Wow, you managed to miss every single point I made. "Yes, but I'm not going to go doorknocking to tell people about how awesome my favorite movie is. Well that's you. Its a rule to a lot of religions that you HAVE to talk to people about i...
"The fossil records do not support the theory of evolution. There are no transitional fossils in between species. From apes to man, Raptor dinosaurs to birds etc... That is why evolution is still a theory not a fact." Argh. How many times does this ...
"Sickness and disease come from the devil and the devil alone" Really? So all that business about virii, bacteria, genetic diseases, etc, is... what, precisely? "if anything there has been many MIRACLES were god has saved and cuerd people!!" S...
In short: Because no religion survives without believers, and the only way you get believers is by converting people. "Well say you saw a great movie or book or what have you. Wouldn't you want to share that info?" Yes, but I'm not going to go d...
Predictions of "end times" are just like people claiming Nostradamus' prophecies have been fulfilled by certain events: If you take any sufficiently vauge prediction, you will be able to find a set of events that appear to match it. "If you think ab...
silverwings: You seem to see knowledge as bad somehow. How do you reconcile that with living in a society entirely built on the gradual acquisition of more and better knowledge, improving everyone's lives?
He's one of their 'celebrity spokespeople'. I don't see why his participation makes it a religion though - more likely it just means he's crazy. :) Also, from what I've heard, they treat their celebrities _very_ differently to their run-of-the-mill ...
It sounds like you're more agnostic than atheist. And no, of course it's not 'wrong'. It's your belief system, no-one else's, and it's important to remember that morals/ethics and religion are separate things - you can be a moral and ethical person wit...
The short answer (though I'm sure it's not the one you want to hear): You've told them all about it, now leave them to make up their own minds. Constantly badgering them about it is not going to go down well.
TheDude: Now I can't get the mental image of Agnostic door-knockers out of my head. "Hello. Have you ever considered that there may or may not be a god or gods?" As far as the original question goes (also not a Christian, but here's my 2c): Any time...
stopandsmelltheroses: No, it doesn't mean that at all. I'm an atheist, and just because I don't have to worry about some almighty power punishing me if I don't do good, I still believe in a code of ethics and morals, and live by them. Not to mention, t...
The whole "when life starts" thing is a red-herring, and only has meaning in a religious context, with there being some critical point where something gets a "soul" and becomes a human being. In reality, life doesn't 'start' - it's a continuum, from mo...
torikeene: So just to be clear: You believe that your god doomed everyone who was born after Jesus but never heard of christianity to eternal damnation based on an accident of birth, simply because they had the misfortune never to hear of your religion?
torikeene: So... all these people that never heard of christianity have to be completely sinless in order to not go to hell? And since nobody's sinless, according to christianity, we're back to the majority of the human race being doomed to damnation p...
Didn't you just say that all of that is possible without converting to christianity if you're a good person? Isn't that how it works for people who've never heard of christianity, if they're good people (by some definition of the term)?
torikeene: Alright, that's fine with me then - I'm happy to simply be a good person, do good things for their own sake, and take my chances.
torikeene: Then the same question applies to you: Do you really believe your god doomed every person between AD0 and now who had the misfortune to live somewhere where they never heard of christianity? That the majority of humanity miss out because of ...
godzilla: Believe it or no, most people in history have not encountered christianity. Even now it's not universal, but it's been known only to a few western countries for most of its existence. Do you really believe that your god condemned most of the ...
I still haven't seen a satisfactory explanation of what happened to the vast majority of people throughout history who were never introduced to christianity, and thus were never 'saved'. Do you really believe in such a capricious god that would doom mo...
Thedude: Considered a religion by who? It has tax exempt status in many countries, meaning those countries' tax departments have been persuaded* to consider it a religion. In Germany, it doesn't have tax exempt status and is definitively considered a c...
So if I understand you (orion and flossheal) correctly, and anyone who's never heard of christianity is judged on their own merits, but those that have heard of it are judged based only on if they convert or not, couldn't a missionary who brings "the w...
Learning systems and 'fuzzy logic' are both very specialised systems, though - they're good at what they do, but that's about it. Nobody, so far as I'm aware, has any idea of how to apply these things to inductive reasoning, which is as best as I under...
One thing the futurists predicting imminent robotic doom always leave out is that there's been no significant developments in the sort of AI required to make a system capable of inductive reasoning in, well, ever. There's plenty of research and results...
orion: What you describe is called "Pascal's Wager". It's a pretty weak idea for several reasons: - I can't choose to believe in something just because it seems like the rational best choice. - It's reasonable to suppose any god that demands unquesti...
"Just because you choose not to believe in heaven or hell doesn't make it so." I can turn that around - just because you choose to believe in it doesn't make it so. I know which possibility I consider by far the more likely.
No, because hell doesn't exist. And even if it did, appeals to atheists based on fear of hell aren't going to work too well, since we don't believe it exists.
What the? Are you capable of answering a straightforward question?
That "answer" doesn't even make any sense. How do you reconicle all the contradictory parts of the bible? Why don't you obey the more draconian parts of the old testament? And for that matter, how do you know that an english translation of a book t...
warmheart: Really? What about everything in the bible that contradicts itself? And why aren't you off stoning people for all manner of offenses?
rnealw: Comments like "Why replace faith in God with the reasoning of man?" certainly give that impression. In that case, why do you only have a problem with the scientific principle when it conflicts with your religious beliefs? Why should somethin...
sillygirl006: You still haven't defined what makes the christian god a male, other than that "that's what [he] is". What attributes does he have that makes him male? Also, as I asked earlier - if your god has a gender, what's his race, and his skin ...
silverwings: If that's so, why do you have a problem with people referring to god using the opposite pronoun?
To those claiming God is a male: Really? What defines the christian god as male? Presumably he doesn't have genitalia, and doesn't need to urinate or have sex. Let's try another question: What's god's skin color? His race? How tall is he, and what c...