1. God exist, dude. We just went down to Crenshaw blvd. and bought an oz. of weed. He said he is sorry for letting little Jimmy blow up on a land mine in Bosnia, but he was totaly wasted.

BX at 12:09AM on Apr 6th 2008

2. ? - Who Needs Absurd ‘Beliefs’ - ?
Reflections of an Octogenarian.

Religiosity? – Throughout life, I’ve never regarded this subject as deserving of any serious thought - - -
However, with quietus in the offing, the excessive religious coverage in the media inevitably agitates the neurons.
Of late, these irritants have provoked a thorough reappraisal - - - & has utterly confirmed natural intuition!

Logical conclusions after a lifetime of listening (inadvertently) to the delusive portents of various ‘Faiths’.

A simple story. No need for the meandrine moonshine of ‘erudite intelligentsia’.
Just take yourself back in time & examine unvarnished facts.

Please acknowledge that the primitive mind was bound to generate quite naturally, mythological imagery of an Elysian nature.
Also, one must accept that the relative ignorance of early Humanity, coupled with understandable fears of the unknown, provided those individuals seeking power over their fellows (a natural human trait) with the conditions to set up as
Medicine-Men - Witch-Doctors - Sorcerers - Soothsayers - et al, all claiming to have insights & contact with a ‘power’ - of sorts. So began the blight of Shamanism - - - leading on to airy-fairy religions.

As time unveils the past, these facts have not yet been fully appreciated; the ensuing rash of religiosity has not been branded for what it really is - - - An early conceive - of ignorance & apprehension - - -
Perpetuated thro millennia by IMPOSTORS - Preying on credulous naivety.

The natural process of evolution, via many devious pious paths, has now landed us with the present crop of
Archbishops - Ayatollahs - Rabbis - Popes - Imams - JWs - & a host of other hypocritical sect leaders, incessantly brainwashing the largely unthinking masses with their ridiculous & childish ‘Holy Beliefs’. The Billy Grahams of the world, gifted with gab & showmanship, use their ‘bewitching powers’ to prey on the gullibility of the artless. Yes indeed, in modern form, the Witch-Doctors are still at it! - - - Mountebanks All!

With it’s initiation as above, religiosity can’t be recognised by any sane person to have the gravitas necessary for any authentic ‘Belief’. Seeking reality is anathema to the pious ones. They critically comment on facts of life that are painstakenly unearthed by the practical hard-working talents of seekers of truth. Knowledge of physics & biology would never have advanced if left to the ‘Holiest of Holy Men’ men. Sun would still be orbiting Earth. The dim past is their’s, with mystical rites that are still prevalent, complete with modern trappings. They are an absurdity! Their endeavours to exalt religiosity by the erection of ever more imposing ‘Places of Worship’ merely highlights – Monumentally – the benighted phases of Man’s past. - - -
Hell’s Bells! - - - What a shambles!

Weighing up the World-wide situation, a substantial proportion of Humanity are unable to let go of their forebears’ primitive ‘belief’ in a Creator that demands a daily dose of supplication. A person’s specific ‘belief’ is dictated by that part of the globe from where they originated; a simple inheritance of the parents’ unreal ancestral teachings, largely unquestioned! No need to be a ‘Religious Scholar’ (what a fatuous preoccupation) to comprehend why all of this utter humbug survives.

Persistent indoctrination over millennia leave the susceptible with feelings of unease when they attempt to ditch the ingrained silly ‘beliefs’ inherited from similarly programmed forebears. Most take an apathetic route & run with the various childish theosophical myths passed down through the generations via pious, shallow-thinking naivety - preferring illusion to reality - fantasy to truth.

It has always been decreed that our only way forward is in the utilizisation of everyday experience & research - ie
pure evidential communal common-sense. The need to consult Biblical, Qur’anic, or any other ancient crap-laden fairy tales in order to pursue a decent & considerate existence beggars belief. As with everything, ethics evolve naturally. Man-made ‘Gods’ & ‘Prophets’ are clearly surplus to requirements!

The facts listed above are beyond dispute – Theism? / Divinity? – Absolute Man-made hokum! Any thinking person realises that the Universe is truly an awesome Quantum / Astronomical creation. As part of that creation, our attempts at it’s full understanding seem futile. Whether probing the Atom or ‘Heavenly’ Space, we’re contemplating Infinities. Fouling up our minds with a rag-bag of archaic religiose twaddle does nothing to help enlighten our ignorance!

Anyone taking this farcical subject seriously has to be absolutely pickled in traditional folklore and/or in a sad mental state. Using it’s bogus validity for an easy living and/or monetary gain, it’s impostrous practitioners must have no real conscience at all. Far too much reverence is devoted to the abstract of religiosity. Vast volumes of impotent bombastic rhetoric has been generated by self-righteous con-men who use their dominant & deceitful acumen to sublimely charm others to wander in an unreal ‘Spiritual Wonderland’ that is totally unworthy of any honest contemplation!

A rational response to the ‘standard’ questions posed by Alpha & similar organisations - - -


What is the point of life?

Need there be a ‘point’. Nature instructs all of life to reproduce; to what end, we just don’t know & it’s almost 100% certain that we never will. We can speculate, but are infinitely short of the necessary knowledge to form a valid judgement!

Certainly, life’s purpose cannot be identified by any ancient decrepit ‘Belief’!

Nature, red in tooth & claw, is pitilessly indifferent to an individual’s quality of life; the fittest for any environment prospers. Individual quality of life is a lottery. We have arrived & must make the best of it. Self-deceivers pray for Ethereal help; none is discernable - - - Quite definitely a DIY job!

We live, utilising facts that the experience of life plus research, provides!

The paralogism of religious charlatans can’t match the knowledge we now possess, scant though it be. Mystical Theosophy is drivel of the first order.

What happens when we die?

Starkly, when the brain ceases to function, that ‘being’ ceases to ‘be’.
The motivation driving that unique combination of elements is no more!
A ‘Spiritual Future’ ????? - - - Pure self-indulgent fantasy!
The chemo-electrical activity of the brain – the mind – is naturally prone to generate any illusive mirage.
If that imagery is not backed up by factual proof, it remains a fantasy.
To give any credence to life after death, one must be round the bend, if not well up the straight!

Natural cognition (common sense), affirms life’s future as solely dependent on reproduction!

Is forgiveness possible?

With almost limitless mutations possible, the evolutionary process can be expected to produce individuals with characteristics of an exceedingly complex gradation, in a myriad of aspects – eg - - -

Brilliant to Thick – Jovial to Morose – Benign to Sadistic – Hetero to Homo – ad inf.

Religions provide a very accessible dump for the perceived guilt generated by the various indiscretions to which all humans must, in some respect, be victim. The evolution of life cannot be fault-free. We learn as we live.
Forgiveness from on high is a concept that is, quite evidently, ludicrous in the extreme!

Do not kid thyself – No one is immaculate!

Those gifted with conscience & a degree of ‘normalcy’ just have to live with the unfortunates & scallywags; amongst
the latter - the ‘Con Men’ - enjoying a very comfortable living with their pretentious ‘Divine’ prognostications!

Further thoughts

With the barbarous & brutal acts of differing factions, the mutiplicity of silly ‘Beliefs’ has always been a handicap that
humanity can well do without. - - - Common sense must prevail!
As the sponge-like mind of an infant readily absorbs info, authentic or fallacious, in teaching the necessary basics of life, the follies of illogical & delusory religions should be emphasized - - - Strongly!
Offspring should be brought up from birth unprimed with needless pestilential ‘beliefs’ - - - Glaringly Obvious!

Preachers pontificate on a subject so ‘Holey’, it is artlessly transparent. Visualise it’s benighted origins & it’s quite obvious that the early human mind was bound to generate mythological imagery of an Elysian nature & from there, receptive, fanciful & predacious minds took over. ‘Beliefs’ were surely born of ignorance & fear of the unknown! With this realisation, why can’t we all recognise simple basic facts & treat all ‘faiths’ of today as ever they really were - - -
Dogmatic preservation of irrational early thought.

In this more enlightened age - Pure Phantasmic Godswallop!

The Rt Rev Fred Flintstone & his contemporaries should have dug themselves out of the Stone-age long long ago!

The Past is unveiled thro time.
We should Benefit from it - not Perpetuate it! - - - - - A m e n

Bill Davison at 3:43PM on Jul 19th 2008

3. http://evolutionfacts.blogspot.com

prffsrx at 9:34AM on Dec 3rd 2007

4. ATHEISTS ARE IMAGINARY

Atheists and Skeptics invent unintelligent scenarios for the origins of the universe and manufacture make-believe "gods" (created in their own image) that submit to their own will and self-centered desires only to accuse their idol of great evil then have the nerve of accuse Christians of serving the very same "god" that atheists have imagined! (i.e. Their so-called "flying spaghetti monster")

All human misconceptions about God are based on: an attempt to approach Him on ones own terms, conform Him into a being filled with human vices; reduce Him into an impersonal force easily manipulated by human will; or elevating the created order equivocal with the transcendent creator as if all physical substance of the universe is eternal.

Instead of seeking to know the one and only God who created this Earth, only to discover that it (the Earth) has been affected by humanity’s own evil, atheists seek to condemn Him in order to justify their lifestyle of defiance. The atheists are only right in this sense: the god that atheists have invented in their own minds does not exist and is a mere reflection of their own evil heart. The Atheist’s god was manufactured to justify their personal rebellion against the Holy God, who will by nature hold them accountable for their crimes against Him. The Atheist’s god DOES NOT exist. The One and only Holy Creator subsist necessarily.

In reality, ATHEISTS DO NOT EXIST. They are just people who don't want to believe that which they know must exist despite the scientific evidence of a fine-tuned universe. They are the epitome of superstitious as they have great faith in chemical chance and mutational luck. The atheists' universe is ultimately an arguement for self-creation and therefore is illogical. By arrogantly rejecting and avoiding that uncaused transcendent intelligent God whom they already know subsists, they have unwittingly labeled themselves an ignoramus (agnostic).

http://atheistsareimaginary.blogspot.com/

prffsrx at 9:39AM on Dec 3rd 2007

5. There is a God. Wat is man made is the institutions, like the Catholic Church, which is a multi-billion corp. My God ain't short of cash, mister...

Thumper101st at 10:12AM on Dec 3rd 2007

6. prffsrx: Can you only cut and paste?

'Atheism is a grim philosophy' LOLOLOL

Not believing in any deities is not a 'philosophy'

And, it is life-affirming, not grim, to believe that this life is all we have, therefore we must make the most of it.

There's no phony pie-in-the-sky and no frightening hell-fire damnation place.

I think (just my opinion) that delusion is grim.

Linda at 9:55AM on Dec 3rd 2007

7. Calling Atheism a "philosophy" shows just how little the blogger knows about the subject. Ridiculous.

Ken at 10:05AM on Dec 3rd 2007

8. "If you study science deep enough and long enough it will force you to believe in God." British scientist Lord Kelvin

Greg at 10:05AM on Dec 3rd 2007

9. "modern science has over the past century produced remarkable discoveries that affirm and support the argument for God's existence."
You don't have a rational mind, therefore you only can support what religeous writing have been [brain washed] instilled in your brain. you could never understand modern science.

DR. GEORGE OREMLAND at 10:15AM on Dec 3rd 2007

10. In reality, ATHEISTS DO NOT EXIST. They are just people who don't want to believe that which they know must exist despite the scientific evidence of a fine-tuned universe.

---------------------

atheist: one who believes that there is no deity

deity: the rank or essential nature of a god
: one exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful


prffsrx, i would ask you to not present yourself so foolishly, but i'm guessing it's not possible for you.... let me guess, you had a lobotomy and now you can't engage a very critical part of your brain for critical thought...

people can't just make up their own definition of something to make their point irrefutable, it's called using a circular definition.

Richelle at 10:39AM on Dec 3rd 2007

11. I was at the debate, Dennett was clearly out-presented and he conceded to that. The interesting thing on Philosophy is that Dennett is, of course a very accomplished Philosopher who basically equates believing in God like believing in the Easter Bunny. Well, his heros, Aristotle and specifically Plato were very pro-"God". So are they idiots who believe in easter bunnies too? Is everything they wrote reduced to nonsense simply because they welcomed and believed the notion of God?

Brittany at 10:35AM on Dec 3rd 2007

12. "You don't have a rational mind, therefore you only can support what religeous writing have been [brain washed] instilled in your brain. you could never understand modern science."


Dr. George: eloquently put. IMO, it is the brainwashing, or indoctrination of young children that perpetuates the myth of religious beliefs.

I was given the choice as a child to find my own way w/r god. Morals are easily taught without religion. But it seems that most christians, at least on this blog, cannot grasp that concept.

So indoctrination continues.

Linda at 10:25AM on Dec 3rd 2007

13. in the end we will all get the chance to see who was right. as i said earlier,science answer no question to the problem of evil or for that matter good. science does not help you deal with lonliness,depression,substance abuse,anger,hostility,as is shown on this blog, it has no answer for behavior issues. yets its our behavior as people that gets us in trouble.

i had a friend who dies yesterday of cancer. i am damn glad there was no atheist around to tell the family bill's life was one cosmological accident and his life had no meaning past here. yes whatever you want to call atheism it is GRIM.

brian at 10:28AM on Dec 3rd 2007

14. god is a man-made way to keep fear at bay; to explain the unexplainable, and to control the masses. we will never ever prove the existance of GOD as a man-form; nor should we wish to. Any God we could define would be worthless to us. I think that we are creating God even as we speak....the computers we build to be omniscient, or to do our work for us... and we ARE god; given my definition of the word; which is; all existence is god if anything is.......

dorothy at 10:40AM on Dec 3rd 2007

15. I've watched most of the debate, and I didn't find Mr. D'Souza's presentation terribly convincing. He tended to gloss over many inconvenient issues. For example, in responding to a question, he stated that religion gets blamed for conflicts that are really about land or politics, and his primary example was the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Of course, back in the 1940's when Israel was created by fiat, there was a competing proposal to create a Jewish homeland in South America. But the reason Israel was created where it is - the reason why *that* land is being fought over - is entirely religious. According to Jewish tradition and theology, God *gave* them that land (regardless of the wishes or rights of the people who occupied it - thousands of years ago or now) and so, there they are.

The violent response to this has been horrifying and devastating, and involves reprehensible targeting of civilians. But one other thing that response was: predictable.

Ray Ingles at 10:38AM on Dec 3rd 2007