the science is in: god is the answer.
research shows kids raised with spirituality are happier and healthier in the vulnerable teen years.
why arent we all signing up?.
@Jonathan Drake - fair question in response. I would prefer our imaginary alcoholic drinks himself silly than harms you or your family.
However, not everyone with personal belief in God are theists, neither are they necessarily susceptible to charismatic preachers. I'm sure you knew this.
I hope atheism doesn't start to eat itself.
the science is in: god is the answer.
research shows kids raised with spirituality are happier and healthier in the vulnerable teen years.
why arent we all signing up?.
Even if Solid Proof were provided that God Existed.....I would never join a religion - good point, I agree with you there. I think I'm confusing religion with personal belief - it's late in the day and I've had a few pints
the science is in: god is the answer.
research shows kids raised with spirituality are happier and healthier in the vulnerable teen years.
why arent we all signing up?.
@Outlaw - 'proof' doesn't sit well with me here, but I agree with you that belief in God can sometimes keep teenagers 'on the straight and narrow'.
Cofty and JonathanDrake: extreme scenario - a hopeless alcoholic with a huge self-destruct button starts to have some kind of personal faith in God, and his over-endulgence in alcohol starts to decrease. Would you tell him to his face there is no god?
the science is in: god is the answer.
research shows kids raised with spirituality are happier and healthier in the vulnerable teen years.
why arent we all signing up?.
the science is in: god is the answer.
research shows kids raised with spirituality are happier and healthier in the vulnerable teen years.
why arent we all signing up?.
Interesting question in the OP, Outlaw - 'why aren't we all signing up?'
In some respects, religions do have a good moral framework to offer teenagers/vulnerable people.
The only thing that seems to be definite is that teenagers are impressionable and vulnerable, and benefit from sound advice. Why can't sensible atheists or agnostics offer this advice?
Perhaps the reason why we aren't all signing up is because we have all survived the teenage phase, and can see religion for what it truly is.
why didn't jesus ever write anything?
why are there no letters to jesus?
no painting of jesus from that time?
Why didn't Jesus ever write anything? - because he was too busy making wooden tables, chairs and pipe racks ...
there seem to be many prerequisites for life as we know it.. to name a few: order, function, compatibility, availability, sustainability, intelligence, consciousness, intuition and so on.. focusing on only one, namely order.. what are the chances of order arising spontaneously, by chance, with no creator/designer?.
i have often pondered this and recently came across a mathematical summary of the big picture:.
if every particle in the known physical universe (10^80 particles), participated in one trillion interactions (10^12 interactions) per second, for the entire 30 billion years of the universe's existence (10^18 seconds), then we would by now have covered only 10^110 permutations.. if you had only 100 components in a container, what are the chances that a blindfolded person could lay them out in order on a table?.
'The mathematical probability of spontaneous order' may be extremely small but that doesn't mean that order didn't happen spontaneously.
The mathematical probability of live arising spontaneously must be likewise tiny, but it only had to happen once.
after leaving the dub religion behind, i read everything that i could get my hands on, be it about other religions, beliefs, gods, occult, evolution - you name it - i read it.
i did this to 'catch up' and to educate myself, so that when i can to a decision it would be an intellectual / educational one.
not just because some book or person told me to believe it.. i have over time and with reading aids come to totally believe and accept evolution.
what is the wackiest...strangest....most unusual jw teaching or practice?
For me, sparrowdown hits the nail on the head. The resurrection of dead serial killers, rapists, child abusers, terrorists, etc. who died in ignorance of JW-ism compared to the upcoming destruction of hundreds of millions of innocent children whose parents rejected JW-ism has to be the craziest belief.
Although, this belief is up against some pretty stiff competition - blood transfusions are evil; masturbation is a sin ...
Another wacky belief: 'you can't stand still in the truth, brothers.' This means that a repentant paedophile or murderer is more favourable in God's eyes than a baptised witness that has dropped his hours in field service.
it just seems to me religion in general primarily makes truly bad people worse, not genuinly good people better; and in many cases has even made good people do bad things in the name of their religion.
just curious, a personal poll if you will.
what are you guys' current views on religion as a whole?
There are some aspects of religion that I absolutely detest. Other aspects, such as fidelity in marriage, good manners, clean speech, politeness, etc., I admire. However, I know that religion doesn't have a monopoly on these good aspects.
The one thing that pisses me off most about religion is the feebleness of Western governments to involve themselves with monitoring religions. This has got to change.
It must never be ok for a religious person to act in an unacceptable manner and then say: "it's my religion, innit!"
