* The Scale of the Universe

[Toph]

I've already posted my take on religion Mitch
I refer to post #31.

[Squashed_Fly]

Having watched many of Mr Dawkins lectures, personally I find the guy just as arrogant, as the person who declares God is real and there is no other way (any number of religious nutters...). Whether you close your mind to relgion, or science, you're still being closed minded. I believe in God, but I accept that I may be wrong, or that actually (shock horror!) science & God can co-exist as theories. They are not mutually exclusive. Maybe some aspects are, but not as a whole.

I've yet to find a scientist who can describe the big bang, as anything other than a coincidence. Take a look around at the view from a moutain top on a clear day, or watch any number of BBC docs about the planet, or a disection on a molecular level of a human eye, then ask yourself is it really just a coincidence? How many trillions of things would have had to fall into place at just the right time for all, this to have happened? And why only once? What makes us so special?

There are still millions of things science can't answer or explain. That doesn;t mean those holes should be filled with 'oh, it's just God, but equally if you can believe in the big bang coincidence, surely the idea of a God can't be that much less believable.

And for the recored - he doesn't live in the sky. I've been in the sky - I can verify that! ;D

[redken1]

I accept that many disenfranchised people around the world use religion as a vehicle to further their particular cause, but IMHO inequality and poverty are the real issues that need to be addressed to avert global disorder.

If you look at most of the conflicts around the world, in the main they have many common factors like a below average age of mortality of their citizens and millions live in poverty.

“The number one killer in Afghanistan isn't al Qaeda or the Taliban. Poverty causes more deaths of Afghan civilians annually than all IEDs, suicide attacks and roadside bombs combined.”

I think it is too convenient for the capitalist west to pigeon-hole conflicts in areas such as the Palestinian territories. If you took religion out of the equation, the Palestinians would still be refugees living in poverty.

And you are right Mitch, there are plenty of issues I could raise relating to the Catholic Church. Child abuse cover up to mention one > – save that for another day.

[Swanny]

The number one death will be from radiation because of all the DU bullets and shells. Of course this is killing our soldiers as well as the people of Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan etc

There is no god helping those people.

[Mitch9128]

Ah but God in his Omniscience, created DU weapons, and also knew man would use them.

Indeed the earth is billions of coincidence, that needed to all come together, but it does not follow that because of this, there needed to be an entity that created it all.

How do you explain the age of the earth, and the fact man did not exist until fairly recent times in it's history SF?

[Squashed_Fly]

Funny how we blame God when man does something wrong, yet he's quickly forgotten when we pat ourselves on the back for doing something good...

As for man, Rome wasn't built in a day. Even most devout Christians acknowledge the world wasn't built in 6 literal days...

[Mitch9128]

Some christians believe God is Omniscient, therefore he created all knowledge, knowing what is to happen, and designing it so. He is therefore responsible for all atrocities around the world, and has removed free thinking from man, being responsible for our actions, not us. Feel free to pat him on the back when something good happens, i will attribute that to mans ability to do good without a book to tell him so.

I'm asking about the earth before man, why did God create dinosaurs etc before he tinkered with man, in his own image?

[Kevinb]

Christians - Lion food. Would certainly make a drive around Longleat safari more interesting ;D

[Stuntsunlimited]

Your God murders, approves of rape, condones slavery, asks that men sacrifice their sons to him. Jesus, his supposed son, lies to the masses. His book, is full of blatant contradictions, which any fool can see through.

You condone and approve of these things, yet whine when you are opposed?

Thats good Mitch

I know its an old thread but fascinating none the less, I'm quite into the ole Roman history, Religion, particularly Christianity and I read a lot.. The reason there has been no real historical evidence for Jesus Christ, is because historians have been looking in the wrong time period. The Romans were meticulous with keeping records. During the Jewish Revolt Circa 60AD, Jewish/Romano Historian, Scholar Titus Flavius Josephus saw many crucified people, 3 were his friends. He went to camp and begged Titus Vespasian to save them, they were cut down medical care given and one lived. There is quite a credible evidence, illustrated by historian and scholar Ralph Ellis that the one that lived was infact King Jesus (Izas) of Edessa instigator and leader of the revolt. Strange that the religious Jesus and King Jesus of Edessa share the same name and title and some of the same legend. Anyway the rest is kinda like that scene in Braveheart where all the village folk are talking about how Wallace smite the English with fire from his eyes and fireballs from his arse... Which brings me onto Constantine the Great, he was the Roman Emperor that saw that Christianity was taking hold of the Empire. To remain popular with the plebs he adopted, edited and reinvented the Gnostic Gospels for his own ends - to remain in power and to pacify the plebs. The Romans we're pretty clever, they invented Double Glazing, but of course with great intelligence came great brutality.. The Roman Monarchy was very into in-breading and keeping the family blood pure, sound familiar? Which resulted in most of the Emperors being completely funking insane. Mile long lines of buggery, sexual experiments, Heliogabalus - transvestite, Nero - sex with his mother. One even made a Horse a Senator. If you look deeper in to their culture and social system, many, many parallels can be drawn between then and today.

The point I'm trying to make is history is edited like books, bits added, taken out by people that benefit from it. Its a control system, its about time we grew up shook thee chains off and advanced. The human eye argument is meant to be the atheist killer is probably the number one thing they say... I had some Christian group knock on my door a few years ago, trying to get me to petition about abortions, I simply asked them "so do these little souls go to heaven"? they informed me that they did. so I merely replied "in that case are we not doing them a favour"?

One of my daughters is 9 years old, thinks Gods a stupid idea, yet believes in Santa. The sooner people knock religion and notions of a Devine being watching over us on the head, the better. The idea that Aliens created us to be a slave race and they're the Gods, yeah could be far fetched. But haven't we created artificial life in a test tube? Does that make us Gods?

[Swanny]

Good post I agree


Did you realise that santa is an anagram of satan