2007-08-19, 00:56 | Link #41 | |
Jag äter idioter
Graphic Designer
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------------------------ I was Christian until about 6 or so months ago when I just lost the complete purpose of it and felt like it was just another way to control someone, but I came to the conclusion that no one really knows or not if there is anything. And the way I see it, you can't prove or disprove it, so I'm (according to Wikipedia) an Agnostic Theist...or would that be an Apathetic Agnostic? This is why I just call myself an agnostic and leave it at that.
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2007-08-19, 01:19 | Link #43 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Mostly I find there's simply no evidence for a sky-god (or any other god) especially after 50 years of some extensive study of a variety of religions and philosophical study, so I'm probably closer to the Richard Dawkins viewpoint (ref: The God Delusion). Existentialism aside (everything I know being filtered through terrible sensory input and mapped onto suspicious world models in my head), the scientific Method is still the cleanest way to deal with Reality.
On the other hand, I find that animism/pantheism (or more specifically, Shinto) is a colorful metaphor for the world -- I always feel more connected after visiting a shrine so I'm probably getting rewarded by the hypothalmus or some related brain structure. Practically speaking for myself, Zen Buddhism at its sparest is a useful philosophy to intrepret and get through life with. The more doctrine or "crap" you layer on the direct 'mystical' experience, the less likely people are to encounter it. So ... basically I'm an atheist who finds the non-oppressive components of certain beliefs useful and comforting. I'd certainly hate it if the shrines and temples in Japan and other locales went abandoned.
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Last edited by Vexx; 2007-08-19 at 01:29. |
2007-08-19, 02:01 | Link #47 | |
Gregory House
IT Support
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And your friend can't determine a thing about your future, nor can any religious person. What happens after you die is up to your own belief, and there's the gist of it. No religion has actually the true answer. If you say that you're not going to hell even if you're not a Christian, it holds as much value as your friend's words. You may even believe hell is actually a pretty place and Satan a nice guy, and it would still hold the same value as any other religious statement.
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2007-08-19, 02:29 | Link #48 | |
hiatus almost permanent
Join Date: Apr 2007
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Um, I don't know how I'm going to put this, but as for my religion, well, here's a quote from Stephen Hawking that sums it up quite nicely:
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2007-08-19, 03:02 | Link #50 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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You can find asshats in any belief system as well as good people.
I have a pet theory (poorly validated) that younger religions tend to have more severe extremism at the fringe because they're just insecure about being newer. (look at Christianity and Judaism in their younger expansionist days) ... but some people have used religion to justify horrible violence as far back as you want to go. Defanging and cloistering the wingnuts is tough when moderate people are.. well... moderate.
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2007-08-19, 04:05 | Link #53 |
Lost in my dreams...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 37
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I tend to dislike religion in general, because a lot of the times it is just another barrier that tends to cause cracks between people. I am perfectly fine with people who believe in god or any other form of deities, just so long as they are not trying to force their views on others or use their religion as a base of justification for their acts. (Can anyone say crusades ?). Yep, i have a problem with extremes
As such, i am an atheist through and through. I do not believe in supernatural and prefer a rational and scientific approach to things. That said, i think people can believe in anything they want to, as long as it is not having a negative influence on anything else
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2007-08-19, 04:19 | Link #55 | |
Kira_Naruto, the ecchi
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: http://www.exciting-tits.com/
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Greets from Malaysia. Agreed with Vexx. In every religion, there's bound to be some bastards that are so vocal in their action, its revolting.
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2007-08-19, 05:46 | Link #57 |
We want chicken tonight
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Melbourne - Australia
Age: 33
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All right Sides, the Hindu is here. Yeah i'm Hindu but just want to put this forth. What are you if you occasionally doubt your religion but in the end you stick by it for ( i don't know why).
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2007-08-19, 06:19 | Link #58 | ||
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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^ It would make you merely human. It is nothing to be ashamed or puzzled about.
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2007-08-19, 06:42 | Link #60 |
Mew Member
IT Support
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Age: 39
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Seems like there is a high ratio of Atheists/Agnostics. I wonder if this is a high concentration these days in most areas? Not to be direct, I find a lot of Atheists within our group - anime otaku.
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not a debate, philosophy, religion |
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