Okay so Rape is okay but Abortion is a no no...

Started by thegayhare, March 11, 2009, 01:01:52 PM

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TheDXM

Quote from: techmaster-glitch on March 15, 2009, 03:21:57 PM
...Then what is someone who believes in something but isn't tied to any organized religion called?

Deism usually fits the bill.

Baal Hadad

#91
Quote from: techmaster-glitch on March 15, 2009, 03:21:57 PM
Huh. Different definition. I thought that one was for an "on-the-fence" or "don't care" aetheist.

...Then what is someone who believes in something but isn't tied to any organized religion called?

A lunatic.

What?  You said what is someone like that "called"--you didn't say what someone like that IS.  :P

Seriously, though, I'd say "spiritual" for that.  As far as atheism/agnosticism not necessarily meaning believing in nothing, I'd put forth Buddhism for consideration.  Buddhism teaches that nothing lasts forever, and that includes the gods, so they're not worthy of worship.  It's called a religion, but basically it teaches moderation and rightness in order to extinguish your desires and by extension your suffering--rather than teaching about any divinity.

EDIT: I don't know if I'd define Deism that way--Deism is when you believe in a God, but you believe that God was creator and only that, not interfering with His creation in any way, therefore prayer (at least prayers of request, if not thanks) is useless, as is believing "God is on my side," or "God will protect me," or "God will do anything that requires more involvement than just having created everything."

Lysander

From my experience people who believe in something or some sort of higher being but aren't a part of organized religion title themselves "nondenominational." This is interesting to me as nondenominational has become a denomination of its own with many of them that go to a church and study some sort of scripture while refusing to say they're a part of a specific religion.

As for reasons to believe in some sort of deity, some people do so because they don't feel fulfilled unless they do believe, some people don't actually believe but say they do to have a way to supposedly justify their highly unethical/illegal actions, some people are too afraid to not believe because they think if there's no god there's no afterlife which is frightening for them. I've heard a variety of other reasons people believe in a god or gods. As for me, I believe in God simply because it's impossible for me not to believe in God. And believe me, I've had many people attempt to prove to me that He does not exist.  :januscat
TytajLucheek

Alondro

Before anyone can convince me there is no God whatsoever, they must first be able to explain what 96% of the universe is composed of.

Simply saying 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' doesn't cut it... as no one knows what those two things actually are.  And when you can't explain the vast majority of energy in the universe, you have alot of explaining to do!  Not to mention several other quantum oddities that don't exactly fit in any leading theories, but are demonstrated to be very real.

Neither do I think that any religion has the whole truth.  All have been corrupted by greedy leaders twisting the words to fit what will benefit them most.
Three's a crowd:  One lordly leonine of the Leyjon, one cruel and cunning cubi goddess, and one utterly doomed human stuck between them.

http://www.furfire.org/art/yapcharli2.gif

Baal Hadad

Quote from: Alondro on March 15, 2009, 07:27:16 PM
Before anyone can convince me there is no God whatsoever, they must first be able to explain what 96% of the universe is composed of.

Simply saying 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' doesn't cut it... as no one knows what those two things actually are.  And when you can't explain the vast majority of energy in the universe, you have alot of explaining to do!  Not to mention several other quantum oddities that don't exactly fit in any leading theories, but are demonstrated to be very real.

Neither do I think that any religion has the whole truth.  All have been corrupted by greedy leaders twisting the words to fit what will benefit them most.

Another reason I'm a panist.  There are no greedy leaders and anyway it can't be corrupted by twisting words.

It is true that we don't know everything about the universe, but to me it makes just as little sense to believe in God because of that as to disbelieve in God because of that.  "I don't know" only proves that we're finite and that we don't know everything--it proves nothing more or less than that.

Teroniss

Hmm, well for the idea fo an athiest believing in something after death is rare, since there aren't many ideas that don't seem hypocritical of the athiesm idea. Personally, I go with the rare thought brought about by physics, in that everything contains energy, and energy cannot be destoryed, only transferred. In that thought, I believe when a person dies, there energy is transferred back into the universe to be used for another purpose; be it to make new life, or as much as to power the locomotion of a random object.

As for my poster, the idea behind me posting it coems from the last line. If God is neither willing nor able, why do we call him God? In that idea, even if an entity we call god exists, he is not an all powerful diety, and therefore, in my thoughts, no god.

Forgive me my thoughts if I am offending anyone btw >.>

Vidar

Quote from: Alondro on March 15, 2009, 07:27:16 PM
Before anyone can convince me there is no God whatsoever, they must first be able to explain what 96% of the universe is composed of.

Simply saying 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' doesn't cut it... as no one knows what those two things actually are.  And when you can't explain the vast majority of energy in the universe, you have alot of explaining to do!  Not to mention several other quantum oddities that don't exactly fit in any leading theories, but are demonstrated to be very real.

Neither do I think that any religion has the whole truth.  All have been corrupted by greedy leaders twisting the words to fit what will benefit them most.

Science doesn't explain everything yet, but in my opinion a gap in our knowledge doesn't justify a belief in a god. It just means that we don't yet know.
\^.^/ \O.O/ \¬.¬/ \O.^/ \o.o/ \-.-/' \O.o/ \0.0/ \>.</

Tapewolf

Quote from: Vidar on March 16, 2009, 04:57:35 AM
Science doesn't explain everything yet, but in my opinion a gap in our knowledge doesn't justify a belief in a god. It just means that we don't yet know.

That one is a particularly tricky chestnut, as the belief that 96% of the universe is missing may be flawed in and of itself.

J.P. Morris, Chief Engineer DMFA Radio Project * IT-HE * D-T-E


Brunhidden

or of course, the fact that we now knot that what was conventionally thought of 'solid matter' is over 99.99999999999999% empty space, its impossible for any two items to actually touch, and we barely have a clue what gravity really is other then the stuff that makes things drop
Some will fall in love with life,
and drink it from a fountain;
that is pouring like an avalanche,
coming down the mountain.