Religious Debates - come on in y'all!

[St Oz]

Oz you smell, and you don't know what a crescent is, no wonder why you think this is stupid. <3

Or I can't understand your wonderful English...

[Collatica]

And then i ask, why not? What do you have to loose to work as Madre Teresa? Loose time because you do not believe this is important and she did nothing to humanity? Was or is it about Religion as a regime of good and kindness? (well, depends on the religion)

Weigh the work of people like Mother Teresa against the bloodshed caused by religions over the centuries, the corruption and global divides religion has caused and that it still influences today. Is it really worth it? Not everyone views or uses religion in the same way she did, in fact the majority did not and I'll bet still do not.

[Delfos]

nice, i guess the most powerful religions already killed and maybe killing: Catholicism and Islamism.

I think nothing can outrank the millions killed by the Catholic Church :p

[Myroria]

Islam hasn't even killed 50,000 people. The religion really means to be peaceful, but you only hear about the extremists.

And I concur with Colla here. Religion is, overall, does the human race more harm than good.

[Collatica]

That's what I mean. I don't necessarily think the teachings themselves are to blame in religions that promote peace etc.. But they are manipulated to people's agendas and allow extremism to develop. Hence I think we're better off without it.

[Delfos]

So religion can't be target for extremism? Like, under who's authority is it being misunderstood? We had a program in TV about an ex-terrorist affiliated man in Indonesia. He said the scriptures were misunderstood and the men misled to terrorism.

[Collatica]

I thought that was what I pretty much said?

[Saletsia]

Science is not a religion, because with science you need proof for it to be accepted. With religion, you just need to spout out some crap and people believe it because some spirit supposedly said it.

This is actually not true.
In science you can find enough "theories" that are yet not definitely proved but accepted by many "scientists" - because they seem to be a logical explanation for something.

I believe in God because I believe in love: as the Gospel says: "God is love. He who abides in love, abides in God and God abides in him." <-- very simple sentence and kinda makes up the core of my faith. I believe in absolute truth which no man can ever know as a whole since our brain - IMO - is not capable of knowing everything anyways - we have our limits.
Now, you can scientifically explain lust or attraction through hormonal changes in the body, but love? Love as I understand it is much more than lust and pure. You can have lust without love. Love is different and not provable by our current methods- perhaps someday it will be possible, but no one of us knows that.
Then again you can choose to not believe in love because you cannot "prove" it...but hey, I for my part, am happy with the fact I know I believe in love.

[Saletsia]

Without wanting or meaning to offend anyone, or attack their beliefs I'm going to try and get across my view of religion, as a staunch atheist.

Religion is an infantile wish to have a father to protect you from the dangers of life. How can a life be complete when one is hiding behind the protection of an almighty paternal figure? Religion is a thus a sickness resulting from infantile need, a healthy minded adult should not need it. Religion is a universal obsessional neurosis and a security blanket. in the words of Marx, religion is the opium of the people in that it suppresses bad feelings and creates a blissful, carefree feeling. Religion is used to oppress, not liberate.

Hiding behind a paternal figure...

In Christianity we have this belief that we are accountable for our deeds and ought to do what we ca to improve our own lives: we cannot just rely on someone else to do it for us.

As the Filipino phrase goes: Nasa diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa: It is up to God to have mercy and up to man to do something

[Saletsia]

Islam hasn't even killed 50,000 people. The religion really means to be peaceful, but you only hear about the extremists.

And I concur with Colla here. Religion is, overall, does the human race more harm than good.

50 000? Are you nuts? LOL

North-Africa used to be Xtian: they all disappeared somehow...
The Mid-East was partly Xtian/pagan.

Islam has killed so many, no onejust knows exact numbers.

As for Catholicism: yes many have been killed by Catholics under national agendas...so did protestants (it is not known to many people that they killed many of "witches" as well, etc.)

But did catholicism/xtianity start and continue to be a murderous religion? No
Islam's Mohammed - as far as history is concerned - was the very first islamic warrior. <-- he was a pedophile, liar (see haddiths), killer, and thief. That was the man who invented Islam.

If someone can prove to me Jesus was evil, then I will leave Xtianity. But I doubt that would happen....lol

[Saletsia]

Islam hasn't even killed 50,000 people. The religion really means to be peaceful, but you only hear about the extremists.

And I concur with Colla here. Religion is, overall, does the human race more harm than good.

Now let's take the absence of religion:

USSR
communist North-Korea
communist China
Vietnam
Cambodia under Pol Pot

better? I think (seeing the massive populations of these countries) they have killed more during their times compared to what any religion has done.


Religion as an impurified and organized form of faith can be held accountable for evil things because it can be manipulated - and has been far too often - by the powerful to control the others.
But that kinda is what politics is: controlling others' minds and making lies seem true.

[Delfos]

Islam hasn't even killed 50,000 people. The religion really means to be peaceful, but you only hear about the extremists.

And I concur with Colla here. Religion is, overall, does the human race more harm than good.

50 000? Are you nuts? LOL

North-Africa used to be Xtian: they all disappeared somehow...
The Mid-East was partly Xtian/pagan.

Islam has killed so many, no onejust knows exact numbers.

As for Catholicism: yes many have been killed by Catholics under national agendas...so did protestants (it is not known to many people that they killed many of "witches" as well, etc.)

But did catholicism/xtianity start and continue to be a murderous religion? No
Islam's Mohammed - as far as history is concerned - was the very first islamic warrior. <-- he was a pedophile, liar (see haddiths), killer, and thief. That was the man who invented Islam.

If someone can prove to me Jesus was evil, then I will leave Xtianity. But I doubt that would happen....lol

The Church didn't actually run by national agendas, and the Inquisition latest long enough to add millions to the counting. Let's not forget what the Spanish did with the 'devil worshipers' in America, it was the Catholics who said that and the Spanish were under a Catholic b1tch.

[Saletsia]

Islam hasn't even killed 50,000 people. The religion really means to be peaceful, but you only hear about the extremists.

And I concur with Colla here. Religion is, overall, does the human race more harm than good.

50 000? Are you nuts? LOL

North-Africa used to be Xtian: they all disappeared somehow...
The Mid-East was partly Xtian/pagan.

Islam has killed so many, no onejust knows exact numbers.

As for Catholicism: yes many have been killed by Catholics under national agendas...so did protestants (it is not known to many people that they killed many of "witches" as well, etc.)

But did catholicism/xtianity start and continue to be a murderous religion? No
Islam's Mohammed - as far as history is concerned - was the very first islamic warrior. <-- he was a pedophile, liar (see haddiths), killer, and thief. That was the man who invented Islam.

If someone can prove to me Jesus was evil, then I will leave Xtianity. But I doubt that would happen....lol

The Church didn't actually run by national agendas, and the Inquisition latest long enough to add millions to the counting. Let's not forget what the Spanish did with the 'devil worshipers' in America, it was the Catholics who said that and the Spanish were under a Catholic b1tch.

The Spanish Inquisition, Conquista, German Inquisition were all run by lords - not Rome.
Have you ever heard of the Roman inquisitioners who visited Germany and were shocked when they saw they actually burned so many people? It was also evident that such practice was used to liquidate political opponents - not really in the name of the Church. Have you also heard of the "satanic children" saved by Bishops from the Vatican? The Romans were at that time more advanced than the rest of the continent...
I'd accept your claim against Catholicism if the Pope had ordered and enforced such actions.

The Church -as you call it - did not have really great influence on the emperors and lords.

[Delfos]

Well you can put it that way, but not with Inquisition, it was universal, not German or Spanish, every nation that wanted to please the pope had Inquisition, and it was done for 'the church'. Isn't it the same as it's being done now with Islamic Extremism? And the reason we don't kill for 'the church' anymore is because of the secular revolutions. Bush says he does things because God wants him to do...it's not exactly the church, but...Islamic Middle East is late for secular revolutions, if there will ever be. But look what we are discussing :p deaths!!!

Insert other religious topics of discussion...
Or maybe 'Neil!' could spare some words saying if he's enlighten already lol, he was the one who made this topic.

[Saletsia]

Actually the Roman Inquisition was one designed to excommunicate heretics not execute them.
The "Hexenhammer" itself was not written by a Pope but by a monk who loved the idea of hunting witches: the inquisition in the "holy" Roman Empire of the German nation ought to be similar to that of Rome but became something of its own without any direct orders from Rome itself: each city had its own council lead by the lords...if you had issues with them, you surely would be burned as a "witch".