religion...

[KarmaTsunami]

I'm going with Dave/Flossie/Ryan here..

I was raised in a Christian house, went to Sunday School/Church until I was old enough to stay at home with my brother, and every now and again I went to Church with my Nana. This woman was proof enough for me that Christianity wasn't a bad thing, she bought out the best in people by treating them as she would her own family. Fair enough she might have called the Muslim family up the road the Paki family...but that's more to do with her upbringing than her beliefs. She popped in for a natter with them like any other family on the road, helped them out like she would anyone else she knew etc. etc... So as far as I'm concerned, if having faith can make someone one of the best people I've ever known, it can't be all bad.

I agree with the whole 'one religion shouldn't have a monopoly on our souls..' angle, I've read about many of them and they all seem to have the golden rule - treat others like you would want to be treated...and i try and stick to this as best i can.

[Guest MKII]

He also says elsewhere that "Do not say you have found a truth - rather say that you have found a truth"

Replace the first "a" with "the".

[Spoonie]

I hate all these hypocritical people who care so much about God' date=' and are willing to invest time and money into a religion that has no SOLID foundation to it's existance... Unless I was off school the day God made a visit.[/quote']

I'm not sure if I've missed something here, but what exactly is hypocritical about these people?

What gives you the right to judge people based on what they believe? I don't have a lot of time for people who hate others who have no bearing on their lives. People are and should be free to believe whatever they wish and practice this as long as their doing so does not infringe on the rights of others.

/x

[Guest tv tanned]

Hello .... Tv Tanned where are you?

I was enjoying some time off to wrap presents ahead of Christmas, and spend quality time with friends who have been away from Aberdeen for a while and with my relations, rather than wasting it on here.

[framheim]

And a lot of people find him very offensive' date=' should he be allowed to offend others for the sake of his liberty? What about their liberty?

Swings and roundabouts...

(imo, people should be allowed to counter his views in public rather than banning his views...)[/quote']

how can you find it offensive? just walk past. it's that simple. keep on walking. he harms absolutely no one. not even people of other religions. and i'm pretty sure anyone could setup there and preach if they wanted to(you probably need a permit fae the council or something but shouldn't be too hard).

harrassing the guy isn't going to solve anything. fair enough if it really bothers you then wait till he's finished then sit down and discuss it with him. as far as he's concerned he's giving up his time to spread peace and goodwill in aberdeen city centre, you might not agree with his methods or christianity but you can't really argue with the message.

he's no different from a busker playing a song you don't like.

[some_kinda_hate]

I'm going with Dave/Flossie/Ryan here..

I was raised in a Christian house' date=' went to Sunday School/Church until I was old enough to stay at home with my brother, and every now and again I went to Church with my Nana. This woman was proof enough for me that Christianity wasn't a bad thing, she bought out the best in people by treating them as she would her own family. Fair enough she might have called the Muslim family up the road the Paki family...but that's more to do with her upbringing than her beliefs. She popped in for a natter with them like any other family on the road, helped them out like she would anyone else she knew etc. etc... So as far as I'm concerned, if having faith can make someone one of the best people I've ever known, it can't be all bad.

I agree with the whole 'one religion shouldn't have a monopoly on our souls..' angle, I've read about many of them and they all seem to have the golden rule - treat others like you would want to be treated...and i try and stick to this as best i can.[/quote']

well said!

[Guest tv tanned]

My missus went to the midnight service in Dyce, I didn't as I'm not religious and saw no point in hypocrisy.

The Minister there basically said that he was against organised religion, that the church had been abusing its powers for too long and that it had to stop.

He did my brother's wedding service, and seems like a nice bloke.

I don't hate people who want to follow a religion, the people I cannot abide are those who believe everyone should follow the same beliefs as them, or who decide that they should be ultra-literal with certain parts of the bible (Leviticus on homosexuality) but then ignore other parts (eating shellfish).

I also cannot stand people who are so unwilling to engage in discussion on the merits or demerits of their faith system.

"Oh, you don't agree with me, let's just leave it at that..."

Are they really so afraid of testing the strength of their beliefs? Who knows, they might convert me...

[Guest tv tanned]

www.skepticsannotatedbible.com

A good website which I would encourage folk to have a look at.

[Paranoid Android]

I agree wiht Wishbone G on Buddhism, although I may have looked into to it even less. Certainly however the thoughts behind it I find very acceptable and would hesitate to put it in the same category as all the others. I have hte most problems with christianity, probably because it's the one I know most about and have been exposed to most. The vast amount of different religions within christianity itself has always confused me .

Also I thought if people are attempting to discuss all hte major religions then Judaism is quite abig one that seems to have been overlooked.

[Cloud]

how can you find it offensive? just walk past. it's that simple. keep on walking. he harms absolutely no one. not even people of other religions. and i'm pretty sure anyone could setup there and preach if they wanted to(you probably need a permit fae the council or something but shouldn't be too hard).

I don't find it offensive' date=' it's amusing that someone goes to all that hassle when the vast majority of people aren't even listening. As long as it's equal for anyone to set up there, I'm cool with it...but here's the question : would you tolerate someone ranting on about fascism there?

harrassing the guy isn't going to solve anything. fair enough if it really bothers you then wait till he's finished then sit down and discuss it with him. as far as he's concerned he's giving up his time to spread peace and goodwill in aberdeen city centre, you might not agree with his methods or christianity but you can't really argue with the message.

he's no different from a busker playing a song you don't like.

Hey, wasn't me that had/has the problem And yeah, he has the right idea, but...in today's "ban everything" climate, I do wonder how long he'll last.

I also cannot stand people who are so unwilling to engage in discussion on the merits or demerits of their faith system.

It's quite amusing how many people refuse to be questioned on their beliefs - regardless if it's based on religion, political stance or otherwise. I personally think intelligence comes from being able to defend your beliefs in an honourable and decent way rather than what you actually believe in, but...

Here's a big question for people : If something you believe in offends someone else, what should you do?

[Guest Jake Wifebeater]

A friend of mine once said that religion is a mental illness' date=' is this true? [/quote']

Was that me, Baldy? Sounds like one of mine.

Any other deep-seated delusional beliefs tend to be met with medication. Seems strange how religious beliefs don't.

[framheim]

I don't find it offensive' date=' it's amusing that someone goes to all that hassle when the vast majority of people aren't even listening. As long as it's equal for anyone to set up there, I'm cool with it...but here's the question : would you tolerate someone ranting on about fascism there?

[/quote']

now i'm sure we've had this argument before. those who encourage the destruction of free speech should be prepared to relinquish their right to it. but that is of course another discussion entirely.

of course you could argue that organised religion is similarly totalitarian but i don't think the gentleman outside markies is seriously threatening anyones liberty or rights.

[Guest tv tanned]

You know, the sad thing is, if Jesus did come back again - and I mean really - then we wouldn't hail him as a saviour.

We'd section him and lock him up with the bloke who thinks he's Napoleon...

[josef k]

I don't think he'd be sectioned with "the bloke who thinks he's Napoleon". He wasn't deemed a nutter, he was deemed a threat.

He would firstly be undermined by allsorts of negative propaganda. And if that didn't work he'd be bumped off...like the last time.

[Ollie]

The control that traditional forms of religion once had is now no longer evident. The process of 'secularization' means that the institutional significance of the church has declined greaty. Many people are still christian but church attendance is in decline and because the world has become a far more rational place, religion today doesnt really mention a god as the all powerful being. Instead greater emphasis is placed on the individual. Its hard for god to exist in a post industrial capitalist world that is dominated by rationality, science and beuaracracy.

The shift to religion as focusing on the self can be seen in various new religions that often take influence from eastern forms such as islam or buddhism. For example yoga, transcendental meditation, reiki...these all focus on 'bettering the self'. Such groups dont require full commitment which allow people to chop and choose between them. There are groups that reject the world and members of such groups, for example ' the moonies', have often been accussed of being brainwashed or vunrable. However research shows that people join out of free will and are attracted by the communal aspect.

To say that religion is a mental illness would be to say that the majority of the planet should be locked up. This is maybe but true but i suspect the statement ' religion is a mental illness' is merely a relfection of the fact that the world is becoming far less religious for the reasons i that said above. Yes new forms of religion exist but those that join are not commited or dont even realise the groups are religious in some way. New religions dont attract enough people as to provide a challenge to the notion that god is dead. And although world is more rational, scientific ect, this does not mean that those who participate in religion are somehow mentally ill. Maybe who ever said this was reffering to islamic fundamentalists....i will not go near that subject.

[Guest tv tanned]

One of my favourite quotes is this African proverb:

"When the whites came to our country, we had the land and they had the Bible, now we have the Bible and they have the land"

[josef k]

You are perfectly right Ollie.J. that there has been a shift towards a religion which focuses on the self. Even, and especially, in the Christian-right.

This has always troubled me, as the root of the word religion simply means 'to bind', as in something which holds us together - a bonding. In this respect music and football can be seen, without contradiction, as religions.

One does not need God to be religious. I myself am an elder in the Church of Scotland who does not believe that God exists. I think that there are far more important issues concerning us besides arguing over the existence, and/or the nature of God.

Albert Camus once wrote that it is because we are alone in the universe that we ought to support one another. And I agree with him. We are at our worst when pursuing our individual agendas. We are a communal species.

[Bass Cadet]

I've kinda come to the conclusion that religion is a bit evil. Think of all the religous wars that have been on the go, some for hundreds of years in some form or another. I reckon stamping out religion would be our best chance of world peace. Which is a bit ironic seeing as most religions try to teach their followers to look out for their fellow man! I'm not religious, and I don't think you need to be to have morals and try to help folk wherever possible - I think it's up to parents to teach their kids right from wrong - no-one needs religion.

[Ollie]

Albert Camus once wrote that it is because we are alone in the universe that we ought to support one another. And I agree with him. We are at our worst when pursuing our individual agendas. We are a communal species.

I agree that we are communal in as far as society exists. As long as humanity exists society will exist. However i do not think that we are communal in the sense that we support one another, there is far too much indifference and inequality for that statement to be true. Emile Durkheim might agree with you but i doubt Marx would.

[Ollie]

I reckon stamping out religion would be our best chance of world peace.

instead of stamping out would it not be better to understand the various forms? Relgion doesnt create indifference, man does.

[Bass Cadet]

instead of stamping out would it not be better to understand the various forms? Relgion doesnt create indifference' date=' man does.[/quote']

Too True, I just thought that humanity had tried the religion thing for thousands of years and it has caused a lot of suffering & pain to a lot of people - a lot of good too mind. I just think that maybe if we tried it another way, it might work out better.

I repeat no-one needs religion to survive, they need love, warmth air & sustinence.

[Larsen B]

I've kinda come to the conclusion that religion is a bit evil. Think of all the religous wars that have been on the go' date=' some for hundreds of years in some form or another. I reckon stamping out religion would be our best chance of world peace. Which is a bit ironic seeing as most religions try to teach their followers to look out for their fellow man! I'm not religious, and I don't think you need to be to have morals and try to help folk wherever possible - I think it's up to parents to teach their kids right from wrong - no-one needs religion.[/quote']

You blame religion for many wars and then suggest that we could solve this problem by "stamping religion out". Well it has actually been the misapplication of religion and the attempts to stamp out other religions which have caused wars. What we need is understanding and respect of other people beliefs.

[trippinoneastereggs]

You know' date=' the sad thing is, if Jesus did come back again - and I mean really - then we wouldn't hail him as a saviour.

We'd section him and lock him up with the bloke who thinks he's Napoleon...[/quote']

There is a hospital in the vatican that houses everyone who is convinced they are Jesus. So he'll be put there.

The Second Coming would not mean good business for the Catholic Church...

[NARC]

Josef K reappears!

But not as the previous Leif Erikson...

[vide infra]

going back to the 'what created the bing bang/must have been god' theory, i believe that the universe is a constantly expanding/contracting ball of fixed energy and at this moment in time the universe is expanding. until it gets to a point where the fixed amount of energy can no longer sustain a universe of that size at which point like yo-yo it will return to the centre and become smaller than a proton then explode creating a new universe. this process is infinite.

I heard the other day froom my mate who's doing A.I and Robotics that some peoples brains are genetically programmed to be susceptible to a belief in god. I want to believe that i have made the choice to believe in science and therefor my scientific views remove all possibility of there being a supreme existance. I have no grudge against organised religion, as a control method its exeptional, in fact sometimes a think that i world without religion would be chaos as some people simply need there to be a god to prevent them from goingg off the rails.