People who dismiss religion

[Moonhog]

I'm an atheist and I have been for many years now. I couldn't believe in god anymore because I realized I never actually truly believed in him, and couldn't deny any longer that the bible was full of hypocritical and tyrannic nonsense. Anytime I listened to a Christian argue I just saw someone who seemed almost brainwashed and comfortable in the little shell they had created for themselves.

But hypothetically, say the bible was written under the guidance of a holy spirit, thousands of years ago. What's the chance that what was written in the book hasn't been changed?

It's well known that priests used to tell the people what was written in the bible because barely anyone could read. They often used the fear of god to make people act and behave how they saw fit. I guess anyone with a brain would think to alter what was written and use this to their advantage?

For example, in Leviticus 20:13, the bible says "God demands the death of homosexuals"

Does he really? Or is this an early sign of the origins of homophobia?

Basically what I'm trying to say is just because the bible seems to be full of shit, doesn't mean god isn't real, and we could all have a nice hot bed waiting for us in the afterlife.

So how about it guys are we all going to hell?

[Alpha-Critik]

1. I am not a towel.

2. To answer your question...

He are most likely all going to whatever Christians believe to be hell, yes. Probably just from being on Newgrounds, that is. =/

[Xarnor]

At 6/29/09 04:46 PM, Moonhog wrote: So how about it guys are we all going to hell?

According to Christians and the Bible, anyone who doesn't "get saved" by asking Jesus to forgive them for their sins and all that, will go to hell. Those who are saved go to heaven.

According to atheists, there is no hell or heaven, nor is there a God, so no one goes to hell, but then no one goes to heaven either.

[newnerdproductionsTM]

Yeah, but it was still written by man.

[RWT]

I hate when the Athiest v. Religion debate (from either side) goes back and forth between Christians and Athiests... there's more to religion than Christianity. Not all religions focus on a strict code of how to live that involves hate X and embrace Y and don't wear Z on a Saturday, so don't portray religion that way. A oneness with god is stressed in virtually every mainstream religion- Christianity alienates it so.

[HecticCircleCrap]

Christians are retarded, We're all going to hell, all 7 billion of us,but not the hell we think about, and I like to sleep.

To sum it all up, it's all a cult.

[Xarnor]

At 6/29/09 04:46 PM, Moonhog wrote: What's the chance that what was written in the book hasn't been changed?

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew or something like that, so if you want the %100 original Bible, you have to learn Hebrew or whatever the language is.

I'm pretty sure that the closest thing to the original in English is the King James version.

[Proottalfain]

If God does exist and inspired the writing of the Bible, he wouldn't let people alter the text from it.

[a-guy-with-no-life]

Well, if the Bible was written under guidance of the Holy Spirit and wasn't changed by man, we're all screwed. In this scenario, God is an asshole.

If it was changed, or there is a God who has nothing to do with it, then I predict a good many religion junkies are going to be punished (Assuming there is punishment) and the Atheists and Agnostics will end up being less likely to do so. My reasoning: If they're a good person, it's to be a good person, not for God or Heaven. They also don't have religion to hate people with. To them different is weird (If that), not blasphemy. So considering that a good portion of the community falls in the second group, NG might end up doing better than other groups.

Imagine how funny it would be laughing at those religion junkies as they get screwed over while sitting around playing video games in the Afterlife.

It'd be swell!

[SeaBoundRhino]

Of course it was changed you silly billy :3

Pre-reformation, the Church's main goal was to keep people in the religion, thus making money. The catholic belief was pretty screwed up back then. You can almost be guaranteed that the Church decided that, in order to get more people, why not bend what the bible says? For instance, masturbation was thought to be wrong by the public, the church said God thinks masturbation is wrong and everyone's happy. Now-a-days, there is lots of proof that the sin of Onan was not 'wasting his seed' but the breaking of levirates law (Google it). Then there would be the matter of Geocentrism. What better way to make people feel special than to say that they are at the centre of the universe? Of course, the clergymen wouldn't have cared. If you look at the documented things they were doing, then screwing up their religion to get some money makes a lot of sense. The Church openly broke its own rules (Read Martin Luther's 95 theses), like the sale of indulgences, the requirement of 'good works' to get into heaven (This required you to pay the church) and absenteeism.

Finally, 'Sodomy', named after the town of Sodom which was said to be doing 'evil things'. But, here's the thing, the only sins ever listed in the bible that Sodom was said to be doing (Based on my research) was adultery, not helping the needy and constant lies, not homosexuality (or rather, non-vaginal intercourse) and bestiality. So, why did they name these two things after the town, even though the town mightn't have been doing them? To keep the public feeling like their views were correct. So, after the documented lies and messed up parts of the church (Like simony, nepotism, pluralism etc), would it seem odd that, to get money, the clergy would change the Bible? I don't think so.

As for the 'contradictions', a philosopher (I can't remember his name) once thought that every thing in the bible had two parts. A literal part, and a part that's open to interpretation. He wrote books clearing stating what he thought the interpretive part is and they make perfect sense. He managed to clear out most contradictions, and give a much, much deeper meaning to the bible.

*Yawn* I'm tired now. Sorry if it's a little screwed up, but I just vomited my thought onto the computer.

[l0vemetal]

Yes, we are all going to hell no matter what. Even the 18-month-old that somehow got into the NyQuil and drank it all, then fell asleep. He killed himself and consequently didn't / couldn't repent, so he's going to hell too. And don't give me that "he was just a baby!" bullshit, it's clearly stated in the bible that if you die a sinner and haven't been saved, you're going to hell.

Would you want to worship a god that sends babies to hell?

[1Tyla1]

Fuck religion, find your own signs!

[lVlad]

At 6/29/09 05:14 PM, a-guy-with-no-life wrote: Well, if the Bible was written under guidance of the Holy Spirit and wasn't changed by man, we're all screwed. In this scenario, God is an asshole.

Assuming God existed, how would he be an asshole for being angry that humans turned on him in the beginning. Afterall, he created humans with free will. Also, it seems unselfish if christianity were true, to give your son which is really you at the same time to die for peoples sins.

[CosmicDebris]

Well... it doesn't actually say kill "homosexuals" as such, I believe it says "he, who sleeps with a man as with a woman" or something to that effect. Sadly, at the time being, this meant rape.

Also I think you mean Discriminate, not Dismiss.

[AapoJoki]

At 6/29/09 05:47 PM, lVlad wrote: Assuming God existed, how would he be an asshole for being angry that humans turned on him in the beginning. Afterall, he created humans with free will.

"Son, you're grown up now, and you can freely make your own decisions. But if you make the wrong decisions, I will become angry and punish you eternally!"

Some free will! This kind of control-freakish behavior is EXACTLY what I call being an asshole. In my opinion, it's simply none of God's BUSINESS whether we want to praise him or not.

[EmperorCharlemagne]

I find most of these grasps at understanding Christianity rudimentary at best.

People have been misquoting Scriptures for as long as there has been Scripture to quote, and saying "God demands the death of homosexuals" shows you have about as much knowledge finding the meaning of passages in the Bible as a caterpillar has knowledge of advanced calculus.

Also, saying things like "If you don't ask Jesus for forgiveness he won't save you" shows another high lack of understanding of both the concept of forgiveness and even the stories of the Bible. Jesus already forgave US, looking at the Bible stories. Do you really think an omniscient and almighty god would confine himself to saving people from eternal nothingness in such a limited avenue? That, theologically speaking, is total horse shit, and those who think that way lack common sense.

Yes, authorities in organized religions have been contemptible in the past. But so were the governments, armies, guilds, and nearly every other human institution. Should we stop believing in the the ideals of the American Republic because the government screwed us over for 8 years (and in truth, much longer)? That's childish.

Also, yeah, you should follow what is right to your own heart, religion or no. Because that's how we were made, and to live any other way is unnatural. But just don't act like an arrogant prick towards someone who chose to follow one set of moral guidelines or theological/philosophical principles, ie organized Christianity (I am Roman Catholic, myself) or any other religion.

[I-RULE-OVER-ALL]

That's why I'm a Cristian Gnostic, I believe the old testament isn't really gods work, and that the things that are true, (the new testament) must be read spiritually, not literal. Also the current bible and the church doesn't represent Jesus's True teachings, a lot of them where banned because they threatened the political power of the church.

What Jesus Truly thought was of reaching the "kingdom of within" or called in gnosticism "Logos" it is similar to Buddhism, but different names for stuff, and a little easier to understand.

I used to be conflicted, I was religious, but a lot of thing didn't make sense, such as differences between the old and new testaments, and some stuff that happened in the old testament, and it rejected proven science, like the big bang, and evolution.

Gnosticism allows for science, most of the teachings need to do with the soul, and reaching logos, not literal things, one belief is that the material world is irrelevant, the body is just a vessel for your soul, and that sex is sacred because it is the doorway for rebirth and part of the rebirth cycle(yes there is reincarnation) and hell is earth the physical realm, not a pit of fire, only a few evil souls are locked up, not in a pit of fire, they just can't be reborn and drag the Earth-human race down again.

Use your mind to look past the truth, do so until you find the truth, when you find the truth you'll be disturbed, then you'll be amazed.

I live in a religious area, I know how brainwashed some people can be, I try to help them but in the end they choose.

[I-RULE-OVER-ALL]

At 6/29/09 07:05 PM, I-RULE-OVER-ALL wrote:
Use your mind to look past the mist of misinterpretation, and ego, to find the truth, Keep searching until you find the truth, when you find the truth you'll be disturbed, then you'll be amazed.

I mistyped the my saying.

[onescarydude]

I'm a wiccan, so personally I believe we end up in the summerlands, or get reincarnated-All retribution is given within life according to my beliefs.

[yurgenburgen]

At 6/29/09 06:23 PM, EmperorCharlemagne wrote: saying "God demands the death of homosexuals" shows you have about as much knowledge finding the meaning of passages in the Bible as a caterpillar has knowledge of advanced calculus.

Read his post. He was saying that while Christians say that the bible is the word of god, for all they know a lot of the stuff that is in the bible could easily have been added in by priests and other members of religious authority at various points. Especially in the days when most people were illiterate and actually required other, slightly more intelligent people to read the bible to them.

He wasn't saying that all Christians believe that gays are going to burn in hell, he was pointing out how likely it is that the content of the bible was altered and manipulated by humans to fit the beliefs of whoever had some authority at the time.

Yes, authorities in organized religions have been contemptible in the past.

They still are.

[zero-gravity]

Keep in mind the bible was made for the laymen and simpletons since before the 20th century, a lot of people were very uneducated and needed complex theological teachings to be broken down into simple rules and laws. Also keep in mind that the bible cannot be taken literally (partly for the former reason). Also keep in mind the psychological factors for the reasons of the existence of religion. Also keep in mind the culture at the time certain passages of the bible were written, etc.

In my opinion it doesn't matter, you want to believe in a semi-self contradicting book, go ahead.

[Viridis]

Religion is for pussies.

Why believe in anything? That's just effort. If anything people should believe in reality. Or even better. Believe in YOURSELF. YOU are more important than some almighty power.

If a God is willing to prevent evil; but not able, then he is not omnipotent.
If he is able but not willing, then he must be malevolent.
If he is neither able nor willing, then why call him a God?
Why else do bad things happen to good people?

[EmperorCharlemagne]

At 6/29/09 07:18 PM, yurgenburgen wrote:

At 6/29/09 06:23 PM, EmperorCharlemagne wrote:

Yes, authorities in organized religions have been contemptible in the past.

They still are.

No more than any other institution.

To say we are as 'bad off' as we were even 100 years ago is folly though. Things have been getting better/changing.

[nsc007]

At 6/29/09 04:54 PM, Xarnor wrote:

At 6/29/09 04:46 PM, Moonhog wrote: What's the chance that what was written in the book hasn't been changed?

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew or something like that, so if you want the %100 original Bible, you have to learn Hebrew or whatever the language is.

I'm pretty sure that the closest thing to the original in English is the King James version.

Actually, the Jewish bible was originally written in Hebrew, the Christian bible was originally written in Latin, and the King James version was already too warped to be used reliably to reference the original.

[lVlad]

At 6/29/09 06:02 PM, AapoJoki wrote:

At 6/29/09 05:47 PM, lVlad wrote: Assuming God existed, how would he be an asshole for being angry that humans turned on him in the beginning. Afterall, he created humans with free will.

"Son, you're grown up now, and you can freely make your own decisions. But if you make the wrong decisions, I will become angry and punish you eternally!"

Some free will! This kind of control-freakish behavior is EXACTLY what I call being an asshole. In my opinion, it's simply none of God's BUSINESS whether we want to praise him or not.

He did that to establish order. Also, you act like someone who would hypothetically go to hell is a good person. We will all go to hell. Thats why god gave us jesus (in christianity). Also he rewards eternally. You do realize that if he allowed us to do what we want without consequences he would be no good judge at all. The only reason why are world is screwed up is because of humanitys stupidity which god allows because forced love is rape and god is just.