Thread: The Purpose of Religion

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

Oh my god hahahaha That is pretty much the most entertaining post I have ever read.

Sig'd! (Part of it anyway, it's a little large to put the whole thing in there.)

Where is the biting response I hoped for?

Originally Posted by Carôusoul

Where is the biting response I hoped for?

Response to that guy? Carou, he's retarded. Having a laugh at his expense is a better use of my time.

Originally Posted by Seismosaur

He who denies evolution obviously hasn't seen the history of religion:

Polytyheistic, super strict -> Polytheistic, leanient -> monotheistic, strict -> monotheistic, leanient

Guess what the next phase is.

I'd say that theism and atheism are separated by a mirror. After lenient monotheism you get lenient atheism (weak/agnostic), then strict atheism until... ignosticism!

Originally Posted by Korittke

I'd say that theism and atheism are separated by a mirror. After lenient monotheism you get lenient atheism (weak/agnostic), then strict atheism until... ignosticism!

I think you get explosion of divergent worldviews until consensus reality becomes untenable and then...TIMEWAVE!

Hopefully we get the time when the word atheist isn't necessary--it's the same as a-santaclausist and a-toothfairyist. Something that goes without saying in all intelligent people.

Originally Posted by Moonbeam

Hopefully we get the time when the word atheist isn't necessary--it's the same as a-santaclausist and a-toothfairyist. Something that goes without saying in all intelligent people.

That would be nice. I don't think it will happen any time soon... there are too many unknowns out there in the universe.

Originally Posted by Moonbeam

Hopefully we get the time when the word atheist isn't necessary--it's the same as a-santaclausist and a-toothfairyist. Something that goes without saying in all intelligent people.

I think everybody is in the "I don't know" category when it comes to the Tooth Fairy. Nobody can prove that the Tooth Fairy exists, and nobody can prove that the Tooth Fairy does not exist. That means we just can't know one way or the other, and having any belief on it other than admission of ignorance is narrow minded. It is only a theory that parents put money under their kids' pillows when their kids lose teeth. The witnesses who claim that's what happens are not credible, and video tape is bullshit science.

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

Everybody knows that there are always exceptions. You are one of the exceptions. Just because one person (i.e. you) is religious for other reasons really doesn't prove anything wrong. It is apparent that you are clearly not a man of science, because if you were, this would not need explaining.

Out of curiosity, why does religion exist for you? Please post something coherent - I am genuinely interested.

Welcome to philosophy, where religion/non-sequitur and science/logic all play nicely with each other.

I beleive the purpose of faith is hope, which is something we all need. Unfortionately most hope is false these days. I'd certainly like to think I'm going to heaven but I just don't.

Oh yeah, and to control people, thus mainstream religions were born.

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

I think everybody is in the "I don't know" category when it comes to the Tooth Fairy. Nobody can prove that the Tooth Fairy exists, and nobody can prove that the Tooth Fairy does not exist. That means we just can't know one way or the other, and having any belief on it other than admission of ignorance is narrow minded. It is only a theory that parents put money under their kids' pillows when their kids lose teeth. The witnesses who claim that's what happens are not credible, and video tape is bullshit science.

Amazing.

Originally Posted by Xaqaria

Honestly, I feel no strong desire to respond to any question you may have. You have proven yourself extremely bigoted, narrow minded, offensive, intolerant, and shamelessly ignorant in many threads and I do not feel compelled to explain myself to a person such as you, nor carry on any sort of conversation with you at all. Out of all of the bigoted atheists on this forum, you are one that I have never seen contributing anything new, beyond insults, to conversations regarding religion. I'm posting this so you know there is a specific reason why I ignore everything you say from this point on. Feel free to apply whatever smug, "I knew it. I'm right and you are wrong." statement to a response, with plenty of your misinformed egotistical insults tacked on for good measure; I won't be paying any attention to you anyway.

He got you mes, he GOHT you!

Originally Posted by Seismosaur

He got you mes, he GOHT you!

Dodging qualifies as getting? How?

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

Dodging qualifies as getting? How?

I was mocking Xaqaria....

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

Nobody can prove that the Tooth Fairy exists, and nobody can prove that the Tooth Fairy does not exist.

Actually, it is possible to disprove the Tooth Fairy beyond reasonable doubt - the existence of the Tooth Fairy would mean that it would enter a child's bedroom and remove teeth/deposit money under certain conditions. By simulating these conditions many times and observing the results, a valid conclusion could be reached.

Unfortunately, the existence of a generic god is untestable, as the god is supposed to be all-powerful and his existence would make all scientific conclusions obsolete.

To me, god is a sort of unique case in logic - kind of like when you put infinity into some mathematical equations. Things tend to break down and become unintelligible. The only rational position on the matter is that of uncertainty, and no valid conclusions on the matter will likely ever be reached. It's really no use even thinking about it, because it's simply a pointless exercise - we won't get anywhere.

Originally Posted by thegnome54

It's really no use even thinking about it, because it's simply a pointless exercise - we won't get anywhere.

That may or be true intellectually, but practically, religion and all its practice is used for so many bad purposes that it must be argued against--it's that or surrender to superstition and irrationality and being governed by people who use religion for their own purposes. Besides, so many of the details of religion can be scientifically disproven, just not that final death blow to god or FSM or IPU, so it's still worthwhile.

The Tooth Fairy could refuse on principle to appear when being monitored, you know. That doesn't prove that she doesn't exist.