IS GOD A DELUSION? The Debate That Never Was

[DogOnPorch]

That's it in a nutshell. We crave answers and so gods were invented (and reinvented and reinvented) to fill in the gaps. Those that spoke on behalf of the gods wielded power...and power was good.

Despite incredible levels of scientific ignorance the average person now has better, evidence and observation based answers. That's why religiosity is in decline. The number of people who claim to be atheist/agnostic or have 'no belief' are continuously rising; but, the reduction in commitment among believers is even more impressive. Less than 20% of Americans attend church services and a large amount of the belief that people claim to have has eroded down to essentially deism.

Traditional religion is like the VCR blinking '12:00'. It met a need for quite some time, but we now have something better and those that still use one are fewer and older.

Edit: Forgot to include my link - "Clearly, a disconnect between what Americans say and what they actually do has created a sense of a resilient church culture when, in fact, it may not exist." http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html

The rejection of 'spirituality' is indeed growing, but not always where it will do the most good. They still burn witches in many places...or blow-up market places in the name of God...etc. As well, the rejection of science as seen in this thread is another countering issue. The Naked Ape isn't comfortable NOT being #1 on the runway.

[Mighty AC]

I think there's more to it than you guys are willing to acknowledge. People, most of us, seek a sense of oneness, have a sense of a deeper connection with the world than just thru their senses analysed by logic. Many people will have this sense with nature or music or love or what have you. Spirituality, the deeper part of religion addresses this, or tries to anyway. And many people are open to this without having to deny science or somebody else's beliefs. The problem is when the religions that arise from this spirituality try to move beyond it to being a political or power system, or a pacifier for people who can't handle the unknown and unstateable and then try to lay that on everybody else. But the materialist crowd does the same at times, by denying this deeper connection. Because it is like Coyote walking out over the cliff. Can be scary.

For the most part, emotional and spiritual feelings can be explained by science. I sometimes get tingles listening to music or taking in an amazing view; but, this happens without a god delusion. IMO, religion is really just a psychological coping mechanism. That's why religiosity is high in socially/politically/economically unstable nations and low in less vulnerable nations.

"There's no situation where you have a really highly religious nation that's highly successful socially."

"Belief in God and participation in religious services have been on the decline in recent decades in most First World nations but have remained high in developing countries."

On the US: "We have 50 to 60 million people without health insurance; we have the highest child poverty rates of the industrialized democratic world; the greatest gap between rich and poor of the industrialized democratic world; we have increasing inequality and, voilà, we also have a strongly religious society … that can't be accidental."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/03/05/f-religion-economic-growth.html?cmp=rss

[Sleipnir]

One of my favs...Charnia. Neither plant nor animal. Extinct since the Ediacaran period...slightly Pre-Cambrian on the time scale chart.

A brief basic research on the Charnia looks to be part of the animal lineage as it would be unlikely for it to photosynthesize on the ocean floor.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Sleipnir

[DogOnPorch]

A brief basic research on the Charnia looks to be part of the animal lineage as it would be unlikely for it to photosynthesize on the ocean floor.

We are a distant relative. It's an example of what is called a fractal life form. Sir David Attenborough is also a fan since he grew-up near Charnwood forest which has Pre-Cambrian deposits.

[Mighty AC]

This great clip from The West Wing is a perfect fit for the cherry picking discussion that took place in this thread.

This is why the Bible should not be used to discriminate. By all means, hate away internally or in your own home; just don't try to institutionalize it or teach it to others.

I used to think cotton-poly blends were an instrument of Satan, but I never once lashed out at those donning cost effective and resilient fabrics. I kept my hate to myself. My friends and I used to tell ourselves that we loved the wearer, we just could not, in good conscience, tolerate the ACT of getting dressed.

Then one day a seed of doubt was planted. I was at the gym and I looked in on an advanced yoga class. This was a risky move because we all know that yoga is an evil imposter religion disguised as stretching. Jesus would not tolerate the downward facing dog, or that other core strengthening routine named after the guy that sentenced him to death. Anyway, as I was peeking in I realized that in the right situation the 87% nylon and 13% lycra that Lululemon puts into their Luon fabric can be a work of art.

The realization that I was free to ignore the parts of the Bible that just don't apply anymore was like an awakening. I was free to show contempt for slavery and treat women as equals. I could even choose to use positive reinforcement behaviour shaping techniques on my children instead of the, tried and true, public stoning.

Unfortunately, I now have to find new ways to justify hating, Jews, Gingers and Jared from Subway.

[DogOnPorch]

bump

[gullyfourmyle]

This thread is a re-run of the God Thing thread from 2008. Even DogOnPorch is still here saying the same stuff as last time. Or more of what he didn't say then. Back then we came to the conclusion there is no God as has been popularly believed for centuries because it isn't physically possible for there to be one according to our known physics, chemistry and observations. More so now than was possible in 2008. The soul as we know it turns out to be two or three cells deep in the brain. When that light goes out, so do you. No afterlife - that has been proven right here on planet earth. It doesn't need to be pondered any more. Dementia and Alzheimers do not interfere with the self or soul as we also know because even after being submerged for a long time by these afflictions, the self can on occasion re-emerge. But once those particular cells are gone, so are you.

[freekundli]

God is a concept by which we measure our pain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yUSGvm4BXA

Video no longer available.

[Guest]

Video no longer available.

It's a John Lennon song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ5PQppudHc

[freekundli]

It's a John Lennon song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ5PQppudHc

Thanks for link.

[Benz]

In all video games, when we set a god mode, we can't die or feel pain. So John Lennon is not a gamer.

[DogOnPorch]

In all video games, when we set a god mode, we can't die or feel pain. So John Lennon is not a gamer.

He was the Walrus, but then became John.

[Guest]

Didn't Glass Onion tell us Paul was the Walrus?