Comments on: Atheists Make A Case Against God

Comedienne Julia Sweeney Talks About Giving Up On Religion

[jester188]

How can there be one god... look at time... every culture had god(s)... The Greeks: Aphrodite, Apollo, Areas, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Hades, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Hestia, Poseidon, Zeus... Romans: Saturn, Jupiter, Consus, Ops, Ceres, Pales, Lares, Pomona...

The point is believe what ever you want... history shows so many cultures with so many gods... this is just a modern day mythology...

but at the end of the day... it is what ever makes you feel better...

[dalecknight]

Stephen Prothero of Boston University is ill-informed. Religion didn''t abolish slavery in this country nor was slavery finished with the emancipation proclamation. The early Black Press establishes that. If anything, religion fueled erratic radicals such as the infamous John Brown or the likes of Nat Turner to commit murder. It fueled white supremacists to think that they were superior to blacks and attributed to the many lynchings of mostly black men. Those few black slaves who were literate were given re-written versions of the bible. There was no honesty and God''s alleged Word was edited or partially omitted yet again in history. Christianity is a travesty at best and hypocritical indeed. Besides, fundamentally how could one call themself Christian yet own a slave for his own profit?

[shanev137]

Throughout time, all of the greatest and most heinous atrocites ever perpetrated onto the human race, were all done in the name of Good, God, Government, and the Betterment of mankind.

[pwrslm]

Children are living proof that adults don''''t need a God. Maybe that''''s why so many children get abused in the name of religion.

Posted by shanev137

More atheist hokey. I never cease to be amazed at ignorance. In the case of atheism, its wilfull. So who said that God doesnt exist? These stupid people writting stupid books are one like baseball games with one team, it doesnt really matter that they claim to have won a game that never happened.

I met an old man that told me that just because you never saw an elephant, doesnt mean that an elephant doesnt exist. A million people have written about them, but if you never saw the elephant, you cant be sure they are not lying, or so some would have you believe. So how can we discount a few billion peoples testimony to claim that atheists are right?

If there were no God, there would no be atheists.

[shanev137]

It''s like that line in whatever that song is: "If I want to see God, all I have to do is look in my child''s eyes". Nobody preached to a child and told it how to act when it got here. Nobody said to it, "If you don''t worship me I won''t love you....so you better be good and love me back". Children are living proof that adults don''t need a God. Maybe that''s why so many children get abused in the name of religion.

[aitastudios]

Recently I had a conversation with one of my gay friends that of course had been shunned by the church, at least in his mind. He was raised Catholic. When I asked what did he believe in; he replied, "I believe in the GOOD!" Good or God we are talking the difference between one vowel!! Needless to say I pointed out that he should not say GD any longer but to say Good dammit!!!! Give up on organized religion???Maybe? Give up on spirituality??? Never!!!! I suggest that our money say In Good we Trust. Now who could argue with that or who would that offend?

[aitastudios]

Recently I had a conversation with one of my gay friends that of course had been shunned by the church, at least in his mind. He was raised Catholic. When I asked what did he believe in; he replied, "I believe in the GOOD!" Good or God we are talking the difference between one vowel!! Needless to say I pointed out that he should not say GD any longer but to say Good dammit!!!! Give up on organized religion???Maybe? Give up on spirituality??? Never!!!!

[metalfan666]

Due to the nature of this forum, my entries appear in reverse chronological order, so the first one is from 4:52 AM - will make more sense if you read it in order. Also, see extra info such as Zietgeistmovie.com, Loose Change 2 on google video and do a wikipedia search for The Nicene Creed
___________________________________________
I believe that these are far more profound, likely, just and righteous ideas than those promoted by religions. It has exquisite balance and combines so many of the core ideas of religions/theologies on the big questions in life while arbitrarily rewarding %u201Cvirtue%u2019s%u201D such as compassion, justice, sacrifice, love, honor etc. To me, that is far more divine than any %u2018god%u2019 could be.
A few little questions %u2013 if evolution is wrong and the earth really is 6000 years old according to the bible (well the people that believe it, some believe it can be up to 12000 years old). Then how do you explain antibiotic resistant bacteria. If the power of prayer is profound, and those that pray get cancers and diabetes cures, are we to believe that amputees just aren%u2019t praying hard enough or is it too big a job for god to heal amputees.

[metalfan666]

If you take these ideas and combine them, then in the final moments of life, people would judge their own lives, actions, thoughts etc according to their own set of values, conclude that if they have been %u2018good%u2019 then if there is some afterlife system then they will probably be getting the %u201Cgood/reward bit%u201D, would likely to be relieved/happy/blissful/rested, which would be the last emotions/thought processes they would be thinking and therefore %u2013 as they cannot think again once they are dead %u2013 their final blissful moments would become their %u2018eternity%u2019 as their consciousness is kind of frozen in that lat moment and could thus exist independent of space and time %u2013 a concept amazingly similar to the core idea behind heaven/nirvana. The opposite could also be true that a %u2018bad%u2019 person who, in their dying moments self reflects and judges themselves to be bad based on their own inherent values/morals/ethics/principles (not those forced onto them/preached) is likely to have their last moments/emotions/thoughts to be of a fearful/regretful/crying nature etc, which %u2013 as they can no longer think or experience emotion after they are dead %u2013 would become their own eternity, their consciousness permanently locked in their own personal hell/hades which again would be able to exist outside of time and space.

[metalfan666]

As they self reflect and self judge their own actions upon their own inherent values, they are likely to come to their own realization that if they have been an inherently good or bad person (too use general terms) and thus their dying moments would be their reactions to their own self judgment %u2013 happiness, regret, fear etc.
As thought processes and experience of consciousness are linked to the brain, in this model, no one can ever actually realize that they are dead. Think about that, if your brain is responsible for thought, and your brain dies, then you can not actually perform the thought process that makes you think %u201Cwow, I%u2019m dead%u201D. There is no experience of heat, direction, sound, motion etc. There isn%u2019t even blackness. If you can not think after your brain is dead, then in an interesting time phenomenon, your consciousness would be forever frozen in its last moments/thought processes. This can be thought of being synonymous with the einsteinian relativistic time effects that would occur to an observer in a black hole.
A black hole has gravity that is so massive that not only can light not escape but it distorts time, the closer you get to the centre the longer it takes to get closer still which thus increases exponentially %u2013 creating for that %u201Cobserver%u201D their own eternity existing outside of the experience of time that an %u201Cobserver%u201D outside the black hole would perceive.

[metalfan666]

Alternatively, when we are born, as our brains are still developing we are incapable of storing %u2018memories%u2019 in our brain as the neurological network has not developed sufficiently. Most people I know can remember being born, and indeed have virtually zero recollection of their life before school.
This model also consequently has a heaven/hell (eternal good/bad) punishment structure, where the reward is judged from self reflection or self judgment %u2013 ideas that permeate many theologies.
Most people whether they are religious or not have at least pondered the possibilities of god, no god etc. It is my belief that as someone is dying (whether it be suddenly or from terminal illness or whatever), regardless of their persuasion they are likely to reason inside their head whether something good or bad will happen to them if there is some sort of afterlife. They are more than likely to take a quick overview of their life %u2013 their life flashes before their eyes - , someone who society would perceive as being a %u2018good%u2019 person might think something along the lines of %u201CI didn%u2019t kill any body, I haven%u2019t raped anyone etc%u201D whereas a %u2018bad%u2019 person is likely to think %u201CI killed a family, I raped a young child etc%u201D.

[metalfan666]

Obviously, I also disagree with the complete personal freedom (i.e., people shouldn%u2019t be allowed to kill who ever they want to, unless the person has made an informed decision that they wish to die). This leads to basically the pursuit of some form of universal balance of choice/freedom. Similarly out of the love for my fellow man (/woman) I would not like for them to have to endure unwanted limitations of choice and freedom.
While I believe that eradicating the scourge that is religion would be a monumental leap in this direction and result in a utopian society, it also limits the choice of those who want to be religious. Is that not a greater love for the fellow man than the morals/ethics represented in many organized religions. This idea basically leads to the establishment of ideas such as basic human rights, the equality of man and the freedom to pursue happiness (which sounds rather like the founding ideas of a world superpower who%u2019s DICTATOR is systematically destroying the ideals his country was founded on in an effort to not only create a radical, fundamentalist evangelical Christian state, but hasten Armageddon so we may all be judged and go to heaven.)
Also, if you consider the %u2018no god/no afterlife%u2019 model of what we perceive the universe/reality to be, where peoples personalities and their experience of consciousness are linked to the brain. Thus as the brain dies, so does the consciousness.

[metalfan666]

Before reading my comments know that I am an Australian atheist in my mid 20%u2019s, a university graduate who works in the medical physics profession who was raised in a lower-middle to middle class society %u2013 at least as far as first world values are concerned who went to a public school.
There as nothing that would please/relieve me more than the utter destruction of all religious institutions and their influences worldwide. I think it%u2019s a waste of time listing the countless horrors that virtually all religions continually perpetrate and encourage. However, I find it interesting that my personal view of atheism (which I have come to via my own personal experiences, reading and free thought %u2013 as apposed to the usual way of spreading theologies i.e. believe or suffer eternal torment and torture) combines so many aspects of different theologies that actually make MORE sense WITHOUT godlike figures and also could be considered more righteous than the organized religions.
In my view, if there is no god or afterlife (or pre-life?), then that makes the time in which we inhabit this rock very precious. I know that I don%u2019t like to do things against my will, would not like to be tortured, don%u2019t like to have pain both physical and emotional inflicted upon me. I guess this could be summarized to be the limiting of personal choice/basic human rights. Knowing how it must feel to be in such situations, I find the very thought of limiting the choice of others repugnant.

[twood001]

You say there is no evidence that God exists. When you look at the tars in the sky or a breathtaking view from a mountiantop, there is no denying that something greater than ourselves exits.

I understand that religion (man''s interpretation of God''s will) can leave a bad taste in the mouths of many. Man is fallible and sinful. That is why we must trust in an unmovable unchanging God and not man. Man will lead you astray with his faulty ways. If you are indeed searching for truth, you will find it. Don''t put God in a box.

I personally don''t believe in religion. I believe in God and his word (the bible) as I read and understand it for myself. The 10 commanndements are part of the old covenant with God. Man proved he could not keep even one. The new covenant calls for 2 commandments (which in essence encompasses all).

- Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
- Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul.

I pray that all those who are disheartended by the evil actions of man will not hold them against a loving and pursuing God. When reading the bible, you can''t just take one excerpt by itself. You must read the whole context and get the whole background and situation, not interpret one sentance.

[thenewone3]

newster1...You sound angry. Why are u so mad?
The old testament ''laws'' were made for a reason. Certain sins called for ''death'' because of the nature of that sin. Same applies today with our law system (i.e death penalty) God had a chosen people and He wanted them to live a certain way. If they were in battle and God told them to wipe out the entire town, then thats what they had to do. They didnt argue with God because God knew why that entire town had to be wiped out. Its basically all about faith. Do you trust God or do you trust in man.

[thenewone3]

newster1...why do you call me stupid or looney? I never disprespected anyone on here. This is a discussion and I''m discussing.

shanev137...understanding some deeper things in God first take accepting the simple things. God dont want our money, just our faith. People scoff at God like He''s asking them for millions of dollars. All he wants is our faith in his ultimate act of Love, Him giving us Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Salvation is free. I could try explaining the difference between Gods ''perfect will'' and his ''permissive will'', but before we get to those type of things we must first establish the simple things. I hope I dont sound condescending because I really dont mean to, but when we try to be logical about God it just takes us further away from Him. God defies logic because His ways arent our ways. The bible and the Holy Spirit allows us to understand some things about Him, but other things we will never understand because were mere humans.

[nothappyatall]

Death for Cursing Parents

1) If one curses his father or mother, his lamp will go out at the coming of darkness. (Proverbs 20:20 NAB)

2) All who curse their father or mother must be put to death. They are guilty of a capital offense. (Leviticus 20:9 NLT)

Death for Adultery

If a man commits adultery with another man''s wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10 NLT)

Kill Nonbelievers

They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; and everyone who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:12-13 NAB)

Kill the Entire Town if One Person Worships Another God

(Deuteronomy 13:13-19 NLT)
Because the LORD considers it a holy day, anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death.'' (Exodus 31:12-15 NLT)

[nothappyatall]

And this KRAP is what caused the deaths of untold thousands through the ages, just read this chit, and THIS is love??!!!

Kill People Who Don''t Listen to Priests

Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the judge or of the priest who represents the LORD your God must be put to death. Such evil must be purged from Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:12 NLT)

Kill Witches

You should not let a sorceress live. (Exodus 22:17 NAB)


Kill Homosexuals
"If a man lies with a male as with a women, both of them shall be put to death for their abominable deed; they have forfeited their lives." (Leviticus 20:13 NAB)

Kill Fortunetellers

A man or a woman who acts as a medium or fortuneteller shall be put to death by stoning; they have no one but themselves to blame for their death. (Leviticus 20:27 NAB)

Death for Hitting Dad

Whoever strikes his father or mother shall be put to death. (Exodus 21:15 NAB)

[dsuns]

It does not matter of what you think about God, or heaven or hell... or if you believe or not.. The fact is not what you believe that is the truth but what the Lord Jesus testify 2000+ years ago. Learn of what He teach and you might be enligten... Yes I might be with former criminals that receive the Lord but for sure they are change as Jesus promise.. I always say there is no ice cream in hell.. then why should I want to go there? In heaven I know there is air condition and I won''t be cooked eternally. By the way I know you have TV, cell phone, car etc... each one of those have what we call owner''s manual... how to operate, to fix when its broken... See every invented have an inventor... that inventor made sure have the manual to with it.. guess what you have a creator or an inventor... and HE made sure it goes wityh its owner''s manual called BIBLE.. something wrong with you... your thinking, belief, hope, anything under the sun... go to the owner''s manual and you will see the true answer.. not of what you think... or maybe you have a fake manual created by satan that is why you don''t believe in GOD... cause like satan you want to be GOD.. In the end you''re still going to be in hell.. if you want to feel a glimps of hell, put you hand under fire.. and if you like it then your on your way.. What I don''t understand is if atheist does not believed that there is a GOD... then why are they making there case against HIM, therefore they believe that GOD exist.

[nothappyatall]

"now through one Mans sacrifice (Jesus) all man can now live again."

YEah there''s another real logical fairy tale, so this god knows his son will be tortured and killed to ''save'' people from himself and his BS rules of perfection HE came up with!
So this brutal monster sends his son down here knowing full well he would be tortured and killed just to satisfy himself.

The fact that the bibull is full of violence, blood, death and more, this doesn''t surprise me.

www.evilbible.com .

The act of murder is rampant in the Bible. In much of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, there are laws that command that people be killed for absurd reasons such as working on the Sabbath, being gay, cursing your parents, or not being a virgin on your wedding night. In addition to these crazy and immoral laws, there are plenty of examples of God''s irrationality by his direct killing of many people for reasons that defy any rational explanation such as killing children who make fun of bald people, and the killing of a man who tried to keep the ark of God from falling during transport. There are also countless examples of mass murders commanded by God, including the murder of women, infants, and children.