[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by theifprowess: i believe in myself i do not believe there ever was a god nor will there ever be a god. can god die? according to religion no he cant. but according to science all thing have an expected life time. there is no VIRGIN mary just some women if any that didnt want daddy to know she was messin with one of the sheep herders. science has proven that people can not have an emaculate conception.

Aaaah.....but God transcends the laws of physical science. After all, He created this world and everything in it, including the laws of "science" that these creations conform to. Therefore, He is above the laws of science.

religion i feel is what brings disorder and chaos to this world. its seperates people on beliefs and biases. people do not have faith in themselves. they put faith and belief above themselves. does a man catch a football and bring it into the endzone because god helped him or willed him? no. he has his own individual talents he fails to see himself.

So you believe that - if there were NO religion or belief in a higher being or power - then there would be no chaos or disorder? That, if left to his own devices, man would instinctively get along with his neighbor and they would both automatically work for the betterment of each other?

AFA the football player, where does his talent derive from? He can control and improve SOME aspects of his talent - but not all. There are many talented quarterbacks in the game, but few have ever had the natural talent and savvy of Joe Montana. I don't think any other QB can match Joe's record for last-drive comeback wins.
In the NBA, we now have Kobe Bryant and Shaq. There are many players who have worked as hard - if not harder - to hone their abilities, but Shaq and Kobe are literally heads above the rest of the league in pure physical talent. Again, where does that exceptional physical skill come from? They are born with it. Therefore, it is reasonable for them to give credit to their Creator for their physical gifts.

and if it werent for religion most if not all wars in the world would have never happened or occured.

Please be wary of broad generalizations.

World War I - Started by the assassination of a French diplomat/ambassodor. (I think he was French anyway - but may be wrong).

World War II - Started by Hitler's obssession to return Germany to the status of a World Power. The "religious genocide" of the Jews didn't occur until Germany had already invaded Poland, Austria, and other surrounding countries. It was the most heinous aspect of WWII, but not the cause of it.

Korea and Vietnam - Started by communist gov'ts that controlled the northern part of those countries in an attempt to overthrow their democratic counterparts in the southern section.

American Civil War - began when Confederate soldiers finally fired upon northern ships that had been sent by Abraham Lincoln to prevent southern states from seceding from the union (which they had a Constitutional right to do, BTW....that's right, Lincoln actually violated the Constitution by preventing the South from seceding). The slavery issue wasn't even brought up until close to the wars end when support in the North was beginning to wane.

it takes a few intelligent people to show the rest of the "dumb" world that they are wrong.

I appreciate your effort, but so far, you have failed to convince me of my ignorance.

do you think if there was a god he would have willed man to be as destructive as he is?

An excellent point. You are absolutely correct. God gave Man free will and it is Man's will (not God's) that has caused so much destruction.

a person who doesnt believe in god has a better sense of what is right and what is wrong. they arent as hell bent and destructive and someone who does believe in god.

Sorry, thiefprowess, but this is a completely erroneous statement. It has been scientifically proven that serial killers have no moral concept of right and wrong. They feel NO REMORSE whatsoever for the pain and suffering they inflict on their victims and thier families. They see nothing wrong with their actions, because they are adhering to their own, personal code of conduct.

You apparantly have a strong dislike for religious beliefs and people of faith. Very well...that is your choice and I respect that.

All I ask is that you treat my views with the same respect.

one last thing to note.did you pick your religion or did your parents bring you into it ? if so say if you were catholic, would your parents get upset if you converted to jewdism or buddist? why or why not?

That's a fair question. I WAS raised in a Christian home (Baptist to be specific). I've attended Baptist, Methodist, and Pentacostal churches in my search for faith.

I would never convert to the Jewish or Buddhist faith because I disagree with some important core beliefs. I have conducted my own search for God and He has revealed Himself to me in a convincing manner. Therefore, there is no reason for me to consider a different theology.

Yes, my parents would be greatly saddened if I DID choose to convert to a non-Christian religion. That is because they believe, like I do, that God is our Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ is His son - who died on the cross so that MY sins might be forgiven. By converting to another religion, I would be rejecting that Holy Gift. They wouldn't stop me from doing it, but they would be upset by my choice.