Religion is not ridiculous. Humans have a natural tendency to want something to believe. It's a common reasoning behind why we even have religion in the first place. It's also part of why Obama did so well.
Humans are very good at wanting ridiculous things. Sometimes that's a good thing, in the case of religion it isn't. But just because we want something a lot does not mean that it's any more true. Or reasonable, for that matter.
And all monotheistic religions really only say is that God is omnipotent; assuming that this means he will do something about every little bump and scrape could actually be considered selfish. Again, nothing saying he's going to jump in and break physics to fix every little mistake we make like some over-protective parent.
Considering that he
made the laws of physics, yes, that is exactly what I would expect of him, especially if he really is that caring father figure the proponents of these religions would have us believe. No, wait, let me rephrase that: I would expect him to make the laws of physics more hospitable to life in the first place.
But that does not matter, the responsibility falls on his head either way. If you have the power to help and prevent a serious harm you are morally obliged to; and that's not just my idea, for example not providing first aid is a crime, at least where I live. God lets people die in droves every day. Personally I hope there really is nobody up there. I hate being a dwarf in somebody else's DF game.
Saying that God making animals denies evolution doesn't make any sense; It's like saying that since in DF, you pressed the "create new world now" button, Toady didn't design the human town. God, if he does exist, could be described as the programmer of the universe.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/designNo, Toady did not design that human town.
Anyway, I already told you, that was written by a man - Moses, I believe, who was born and raised in Egypt, where he could have no knowledge of how things began.
And yet he felt perfectly justified in writing about just that. And it's not just that, the Bible can't even get the small things right. It claims Tigris and Euphrates flow from a common source and that bats are a kind of bird. Really, if these people couldn't even get basic geography right in their single most important book, how can you belive
anything they have to say? Especially things concerning the nature and purpose of the universe?
Besides, can you see someone trying to explain evolution to someone from 3000 BC? That would have seemed far more ridiculous to people from that time than religion would to you.
The fact that individuals are born similar yet slightly different from their parents is perfectly obvious, and I do believe even in Moses' time people were already breeding livestock. Evolution, in its principle, is really very simple. Unlike, say, quantum physics. Or hell, even plain old hundred years old relativity. I still have trouble wrapping my mind around that.
"minor details" . . . You failed big time on that one. It made me briefly think that you might have been being sarcastic (in the entirety of your post). No. Not remotely what I meant. And you should be able to see that. I meant things like their rules concerning morals. Look, it's even right there in my last post. "Those are more like moral discussions than anything else."
Well since these morals are supposed to be given by the elephant, I think ignoring the elephant and squabbling about the morals is, well, just that.
If you are an atheist, why do you care what other people believe? Well?
I don't care what my immediate family and friends believe, let alone anonymous strangers on the internet. If you mean why I'm participating in this discussion, the answer is because I find it entertaining.
Find for me something that PROVES religion is wrong, and then you can say that those who believe in a religion are wrong. Until then, shut up.
Find for me something that PROVES invisible pink unicorns don't exist, and then you can say that those who believe in them are wrong. Until then, shut up.
Oh, and the thing about an invisible pink unicorn: If it is invisible, it has no color. Therefore that specific thing does not exist. On top of that, it is possible to move through that spot and no detectable respiratory byproducts can be detected (it doesn't even make a sound).
Well gosh darnit, you figured it out, Sherlock! Good job, have a cookie!
Nah, seriously. That's the whole bloody
point.
I will explain at length, then. The invisible unicorn is undetectable and unknowable, just like God. But just like those who believe in God, those who believe in it claim to know its properties (ie the color pink). Get it?
I daresay it isn't alright to never move out of your mother's basement either or laugh at the guy who wears elbow AND knee pads while biking or mock the guy who checks his apartment for hidden cameras. Actually, that was one of the better analogies I've heard. It's ridiculous in ways, but IS there a hidden camera monitoring your behavior right now? Respect the opinions even if they aren't yours.
That's not a very good analogy. Hidden cameras are known to exist, perfectly plausible, and their presence is a falsifiable hypothesis. The existence of God, on the other hand, isn't.
Don't start another reason to have a thread locked. Having lengthy and pointless religious threads on a forum is one thing, but having locked ones is just embarrassing. Your posting manner reeks of aggressiveness I don't want to have to sit here and try to balance things (slight OCD).
I don't mean to be aggressive, only direct and to the point.
Remember most religious texts (or at least all the ones I consider remotely valid) might of well have been written by Martians due to the extreme changes over time. Few were ever even originally recorded in anything resembling modern Western languages. God only knows (pun intended) what exactly was meant.
I wasn't referring to holy books, I was referring to the doctrines of contemporary religions. I find it quite noteworthy that in the past gods were a lot more badass and assholy. God's bodycount in the Old Testament is quite impressive (several hundred thousand at least).
Woot, textwall!