Two questions; 1) Do you believe the theory of evolution by natural selection? If 'yes', smoke a celebratory wisdom joint. If 'no', proceed to next question. 2) Why do you disbelieve the theory of evolution by natural selection?
omg guys, you lot have nothing but opinions. None of you have any form of empirical evidence, and if you did, its just opinion man.
I think religious zealotry is stupid too, I think it's backwards that some people have this fixed idea that what they believe is right and every other way of looking at life is wrong. But then again, you can't stop people believing in what they believe, it's faith, they don't care that there's no empirical evidence for their particular religion. For example, enforcing of Sharia is horrible, but you can't stop it. Telling them that what they believe is wrong, while they and all of their ancestors probably practiced Islam, you're just gonna piss them off more. I think of religion as mainly a way to make order out of chaos, to comfort people in saying there is but one right answer to the many questions of life. Imagine every person on the planet having his own theory to life. No religions, just ideas. Chaotic. And that's all that religion is, an idea that many people find comforting or morally right, so much so that they join other people in following the same idea, until you get a mass movement of people and it's called a religion. Just accept that you have no idea where we came from and where we're heading to and go on with your life. Just think of all the people who invested their time in solving the eternal question "Why are we here?". Has anyone ever offered conclusive evidence that certain gods exist? Has anyone offered evidence that they don't? No. So just invest your time in the here and now and try making the world a nicer place, instead of trying to come up with a conclusive answer while thousands of people much smarter than us couldn't. It's a waste. of. time.
You should be inclined to believe in it because it is a theory. A theory " is an explanation or model based on observation, experimentation, and reasoning, especially one that has been tested and confirmed as a general principle helping to explain and predict natural phenomena." I never said that you sacrifice, chant, or dance when you pray. I said that it was a suggestion to make your prayers for me more effective.
Nevermind the fact that, in science, theory means something completely different than it does in everyday vernacular. In the latter, it is synonymous with "guess" or "hunch," but in the former it means "a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, inferences, and tested hypotheses." So theories aren't guesses people, they're ideas which are fleshed out through empirical observance. EDIT: and of course my stoned mind didn't process the fact that you said pretty much what I was wanted to say
This could easily be one of the dumbest fucking threads I have ever read on GC. Your post is full of generalizations and the same intolerance brought upon by certain religions you featured. People push religion on kids as they push anything else on their children, like their favorite sports teams or their food choices. It could be argued these preferences could also be harmful to the development of their kids. Luckily, I don't live in a country like the religiously intolerant hellhole you described, instead, we leave parenting up to discretion. You are a fucking idiot for allotting a three day jail sentence, which is random as fuck, to parents who pass down their religious beliefs upon their children. Religion is an idea, whether right or wrong. The inhibition of ideas is the destruction of freedom of speech as well as thought. The loss of ideas good or bad is extremely detrimental to society. By prohibiting ideas it prevents the creation of innovative ideas as well as the cultivation of ideas brought on by scrutiny. Your post showed your narrow knowledge in regards to religion. Go watch another cheesy documentary about atheism or read half an article, it will expand your extremely futile argument.
Watch the name calling buddy, take a toke and chill out. I see where you're coming from and the point you're making, but I also kind of see where the OP is coming from too. Christianity (Seventh-Day Adventist) played a big part in my life when I was younger, so that's the only religion I have any real say in. The teachings they had, and the opinions they pushed on me were ruinous to my quality of life. It led me to freaking out the first time I was set loose to my sexual desires, because all I had heard about our mortality was what I picked up in a private school. Now, I don't know too much about other religions, but I do know that Christianity was squandering my life and draining my potency with its ambiguous, contradictory, and questionable information. I believe strongly in the personal pursuit of spirituality, but as an introvert, I have no interest or desire to be engorged by an overtly pro-social organization.
I took a toke and I'll stick to the name calling. You had a bad childhood because of Religion, that's unfortunate and I truly sympathize with you, but it wasn't religion that ruined it, it was corruption. You don't ban baseball because its corrupt, you get rid of the corrupt players. It's not religion that's the problem. People have used vehicles of power since the dawn of man, haven't you ever heard of politics? Its not the vehicle that's the problem its the power hungry corrupt individuals who use them. Don't be pissed at the Mormon faith for your childhood, get pissed at the corrupt officials who oppressed you.