No, god-believing societies.

Security for the people is traded for control/power/wealth of those leading the religion.

You boys just won´t miss an opportunity to clash into this topic again!! Extraordinary. :eek:

Are any of you still hoping to change the mind of a another man on this subject??? The never ending, completely useless arguments, using two completely different sets of goggles. One seeing a God. The other searching all over finding absolutely nothing of the kind.

For some reason (genetic, environmental etc) some people believe in God. Some don´t. Thats it.

For the record, I personally pretty much agree with NICKG.

Give the authority to religion or government, I don't see the advantage, it isn't like people in power have any standing record of integrity. But remove religion from society and you remove a check against the power of a government against the people.

Well, then, why not bring back Greek gods and goddesses? How could they (if they were imaginary) be so pervasive, significant and beneficial? Of course, I'm not saying they were actually beneficial, but hopefully you see my point. Religious beliefs don't have to be "true" to impact society. We now have decided that the Greek gods and goddesses were imaginary - it is not a huge leap of logic to draw the same conclusion about current gods and goddesses.

Really? Religion is doing all that, Taz?

Of course not. This endless debate is simply fun. Intellectually stimulating. Some people argue politics, I enjoy religious debates.

Hve you actually met anyone like this? Seriously? I've been a Christian now for, oh, 39 years... I've not met a single person that met this criteria, not a single one. Oh I've seen a few lunatics on TV that might espouse one or two of these views but seriously dude, the way you carry a torch on this? Methinks you doth protest a little much.

I've seen just as many whack-job athiests, perhaps more... ...folks such as yourself that seem to sit aorund fretting endlessly that somewhere, someone, might just believe something that isn't true. SO what? My kids believe in Santa. If they are wrong, where's the harm? Don't bother with the "atrocities perpetrated in the name of religion" arguement. Every day we see the same atrocities in the name of Oil, Land, a pair of Nike shoes, etc... A lunatic only needs to find a vehicle, sometimes it's religion, sometimes it's xyz.

If you're an athiest and you try and "convert" Christians you believe it makes you a logical thinker. Were a Christian, Jew, Hindu to use that same ferver towards you, well they are a zealot. Right? Switch to decaf.

This type of dialog helped me "change my mind" years ago. There are folks susceptible to rational thought. :)

"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. " Carl Sagan

"We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces. " Carl Sagan

These two quotes sum up things pretty well. It is not so much religion that is the problem but the degree of ignorance required to support it.

I guess you have not been to church much lately..:rolleyes:

I'm late to the party.

What's the condensed version?
Someone bring me up to speed.


KT

Jim- all what?

Religion does everything it can to integrate with government; the result: theocracy.

IROC, the Greek/Roman dieties were replaced, but not the role or importance of religion on human society.

i think that really depends on which church you go to...all religions have fanatics...the nascar fans of god so to speak. They are the scary ones....:(

pretty much the same old religious debate..the believers vs the naysayers. The usual mental enema :D

Widebody911, examples?

sjf911, I want scientific proof that human society would be more successful without religion, not Carl Sagan quotes. That's the equivalance of putting your faith in the words of a prophet.

LOL, I don't think our IRB will allow that.