It has come into my concern that religon is terrible - no offence. My family are all muslims and believe in religon - I am the only one that doesnt. This is going to corrilate with Brainwashing/Cults (i.e. Illuminati). Keep in mind that I am only 16 and feel free to correct me if I am wrong. If your the type that already is mad at this thread, Be open minded and do not get defensive the bad way. We are all human and have opinions, Its not like I'm killing someone because of this. So this all starts when we are put on this earth and by the time we are able to comprehend a language and learn something religon is put into our heads. NONE OF US have any evidence that there is a god, we read a manmade book that could have been re-written many times yet we believe it. We are told to follow this book and that if you dont sin you'll be sent to a "hell" where you will burn, cry, yell, bleed - but god loves you. I dont believe its bad to read it and believe it, I'm talking about those who change there way of LIFE, start ARGUMENTS AND WAR, MURDER you name it. Take a deep breathe and clear your mind and please tell me if this is bogus. Religon has convinced people that IF you want to go to a nice place after death and live a good life you have to follow 10 commandments and if you dont you will suffer. You have to wear clothing to cover your body - Why would "God" give you a body in the first place. You must marry your own race. Woman cant drive. Sex until after marriage. No swearing yet these words were created after these religous books were written. These are just from the top of my head. So why, Why would people do this to us? Control and keep you intact. It makes all us distant our selves since we dont look for our similarites. In the media it is used to bag muslims atm and sooner or later it'll carry on. Indian religon is going to get it soon, take my word on that. If you listen to the stories written in these religous books it almost sounds crazy. It's like only back then that god would come down and do these magic powers of making say a snake or lamb randomly appear (Quaran). Or that these random occurs happened because of Gods Power. It's hard for me to collect my thoughts and write it all down - I'll be writing all my thoughts personally at one point and post it around. But in the mean time, who catches what I am saying? Who agrees, disagrees, etc?
Welcome to the forum. Aye, this is a common gateway to atheism and a valid one. And I also like how you, compared to many others who are just out to provoke, included the "If your the type that already is mad at this thread, Be open minded and do not get defensive the bad way. We are all human and have opinions" part. The only thing I disagree with here is the media thing. I don't think the media knows what it's doing in these cases. The only media that can grow large is sensationalist ones with news based on stereotypes. Thus, the media isn't out to keep us in check, it's a by product. Religion hardly aspires to be controlling, it just happens as a by product of the other features of religion.
So lets take a deep breath and ask some questions of my own. Do you wish to murder and rape and steal etc? If a loving God exists, would he wish you to do these things without impunity?
Do you know anything about Biblican archaeology? Do youself a favor if you are interested in the truth. Much of the stories you read in the Bible are actual events from actual people. For example, the Philistines are not recorded in history anywhere but the Bible. However, Biblical Archaeologists read the Biblical accounts and estimated where they should have been and went digging and found them.
I want to start with saying 'thank you' for just offering YOUR own opinion as it affect YOU. Many have a hard time with that concept but i have greater faith in the new generations than the old timers. Thank you!!!! way to go (thanks for the honest representations and compassionate observance of the equality) reading and applying the lessons of compassionate awareness and personal responsibility is the 'good' of theological literature but fighting over the beliefs is not good. Being responsible for you and your actions are what YOU are showing us within YOUR post and it is what i like best of any theology. ie.... i like quran for that very reason, even as i dont follow the rituals either. the 10 commandments are the basics (well the 6 are the real ones (mark 10;19)) but them other requisites you pointed out are how religions impose 'their' rules. Heck in exodus 21, anyone can sell their daughters or own a hebrew for 6 years. Or how about christians claiming jesus is the christ, but still awaiting 'the messiah (christ)" to finish the job. Kind of like lying just to be a christian. to be a part of a culturally accepted system of adherances. ie... if all women dont drive, then each are equally following the same. Or if all go to church and tithe 10% of their income, all are vested... Or if all believe israel is to be taken by force, then all can lie cheat and steal to make it so. i catch what you are saying and appreciate the honor and capability of being fair towards equality and observations YOU have made, from YOUR point of view. that to me is being responsible, all by itself. cudos and welcome to the forum. you give me hope in the new (the days of truth)
LOL, murder and rape have nothing to do with a god. These things are just morals/laws/rules, that human kind has developed to allow numbers of people to work with each other with a minimum of problems. What people call morals are just methods to prevent conflict within society and to address those that seek to cause such conflict.
So, tell me, what part of the five pillars of Islam are wrong? Cause war? Are evil? What else to people fight about? Criminality? Piracy? Rape? Murder? Ideology? Land? Resources? Political Power? To resist enslavement or to subjugate others? To protect family? Home? Freedom? To oppress others in order to enrich themselves? People have in inate ability to rationalize their sin. As Swenson states, this line of thought is indeed a line that leads to atheism - but it is no cure for what ails men. Indeed, it it turns into is the castigation of others for failings you share and do nothing to address. Take a look at atheism: http://www.atheists.org/religion Agh, according to atheists, religion causes everything - no referrences to any of teh actual motivations of strife and inequality needed. However: http://www.atheists.org/military Atheists want it to be known that they will bravely follow us religious people into the wars we start and they bear no responsibility for? Blaming others for human problems is not solution to human error - it is a cop out and an excuse. You are on the right track with one thing though, you KNOW what right is. You see the needless strife and discord, and you obviously are passionate about ending such stupidity. That is a good thing. Please use that goodness in a constructive way that addresses and solves rather than just blames. That is what good people do, and you are one of them.
Sounds like you are going down the same road I went down before realizing that religion was bogus. Keep asking questions, do not allow fear of an imagined eternal punishment prevent you from doing so. Religion makes very little sense and the verses so vague that they do not provide meaningful answers in the modern world. Do good for goodness sake, not for the false promise of a divine reward.
Just make sure you don;t run around in total santimony castigating others and lying about other people's faith as if it fixes anything. That to would be wrong.
your history knowledge is questionable as well...Philistines were often mentioned in Egyptian sources...
If a loving God exists, why would he allow birth defects and natural disasters? Another counter-point: If God is against murder and rape why did he command the Israelites to kill everyone in Jericho save for the virginal girls?
No one doubts the historical validity of the bible. It is a wonderful accounting of SOME of the actions of people long dead, and it lists their beliefs, factual and otherwise. The fact that some events actually happened does NOT give credence to the religious myths, superstitions and beliefs of primitive, violent middle east tribes of savages.
