What do you think of this quote

[Que-Ever]

Hey hey, when was the last religious debate we had? Weren't we trying to go a month without one?

 

[SamuraiKenji]

I am an atheist


**** RELIGION!

KILL IT WITH FIRE

 

[kineaesth]

Hey hey, when was the last religious debate we had? Weren't we trying to go a month without one?

This is why everyone here weighs over 400 kilos. Because they say they're going to go 2 hours without eating an entire cake.

But they never can.

 

[Adabiviak]

If I'm not mistaken, you have to believe, not just walk the walk, so I'm not sure if his 'plan' would work. I also find it funny (and a little telling that he may be a believer) that a number Judeo-Christians seem to think that without god in one's life, people are incapable of living just lives.

 

[Sulkdodds]

As a logical justification for believing in God, obviously it's ridiculous. If it's a wry put-down of the concept (it would be terrifying if there was a God) I suppose it's interesting.

More on that story later.

I heard you started another ridiculous hl2.net religion debate that will eventually turn into flames and then be locked by... Sulkdodds.

If I was a betting fellow, I'd say Sulkdodds. Yup.

Shall we set a time limit on this? Say...until Sunday turns to Monday in your time zone? After all, this thread could theoretically speaking go on forever without my locking it.

 

[Krynn72]

I am an atheist


**** RELIGION!

KILL IT WITH FIRE

Shut the hell up. Dont post useless shit like this.

 

[MJ12]

SamuraiKenji, I am sorry, but you are clearly one of those people that decides to be an Atheist out of a sort of "trend" rather than because it is actually what you have thought about and decided to believe in. :|

 

[highlander]

I'm an atheist. Religion doesn't bother me, as long as someone doesn't force it onto me, I'm fine.

 

[Krynn72]

Im an atheist. Religion doesn't bother me, as long as people dont force it onto others. Which is why I dont like 90% of all religions.

 

[Raziaar]

I am an atheist


**** RELIGION!

KILL IT WITH FIRE

The people who have this mindset are just as worse if not worse than most of the people they despise.

It's very hypocritical to berate a religion for the violence and troubles it has caused over the centuries and then want to kill its followers who are mostly nonviolent citizens.

 

[kineaesth]

Shall we set a time limit on this? Say...until Sunday turns to Monday in your time zone? After all, this thread could theoretically speaking go on forever without my locking it.

No, because so far this is reasonably behaved. I'd probably maybe bet that if/when this thread does devolve, you'll be there to transition it into thread afterlife.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Im an atheist. Religion doesn't bother me, as long as people dont force it onto others. Which is why I dont like 90% of all religions.

This. Ban religious schools and make it so I don't have to pay taxes to fund the church of england (might I remind you that the UK majority is athiest, and so the church is a minority, not majority) and I will be fine.

 

[Jintor]

I'm X amount sure SamuraiKenji was just posting to be a dick (where x is an integer between 90 and 100, find X)

 

[Monique]

I'm agnostic nowadays.

I think a big reason why I didn't become an atheist was because whenever I said that to my religious friends, they would assume I hated religion and the concept of God. It made friendships awkward, and caused a lot of fights. Plus, to say I don't believe and never will can be extreme. Things could change. Maybe in 9 years, when I'm 30, I'll suddenly decide I'm Christian. Doubtful, but weirder things have happened.

Truth be told, it'd be great if there were a God. I just haven't found a religion that convinces me there's one (or two or three). Churches puzzle me, because you'd think a God wouldn't be egotistical or need people to pray to him/her. You'd think being God would just be enough. At the same time, I don't want to completely write it out. I just have, say, a 99% doubt that one exists.

 

[Raziaar]

I'm X amount sure SamuraiKenji was just posting to be a dick (where x is an integer between 90 and 100, find X)

Yeah, but I hear these comments all the time from people. Banding all religious people together and killing them. Some less sincere than others in their zealousness.

 

[kineaesth]

I'm X amount sure SamuraiKenji was just posting to be a dick (where x is an integer between 90 and 100, find X)

X is *infinity symbol*

 

[Shamrock]

The way I look at the quote is basically he's saying he'd rather be happy believing in a God all his life, and not having it exist, than live his life believing in nothing, thus possibly making him miserable throughout his life, and then having it exist all along.

Of course, that's just the way I look at it.

Likewise.

 

[Bad^Hat]

And my belief of the afterlife is simple: Our mortal form ceases to exist, our spirit/soul/life, whatever you want to call it, which is pure and therefore a part of God, returns and continues to exist eternally. Trying to think further than that is impossible.

But why settle for a spiritual afterlife? Why not a physical one? Just come back as a tentacle with an eye and a set of lips, going around looking for huge lumps of chocolate to f*ck.

I always wondered. Who is really right? Didn't all of the early civilizations think they were right?

weren't they unfortunate that Jesus or any other 'modern' religious figure wasn't born yet?

I mean, what if the Egyptians had it right. DOH.

You know, the rule that it's a blasphemy to believe any other religion is kind of the most telling of man's involvement. I mean, why believe in a petty god? You kind of have to wonder what the acceptable parameters are for it as well, beyond certain religions being founded at certain points in history, what about how much they've changed? Modern christianity is a shadow of it's former self, there've been so many changes made to it over the years. Mightn't god consider the modern, cutting edge christian to be worshiping some "other" god, bereft of the morals he so fervently tried to ingrain into our culture?

Of course, noone even considers this, because religion is so often just a status symbol, a badge. It's a free pass in life to never have to dig deep inside yourself and find your own morals, to never have to consider the futility of your actions, because now you know all the answers. Or at least you've fooled yourself into thinking so. There's so much self-trickery that goes into it, so much convincing yourself to ignore reason (well, for some people) that you really have to wonder if humans are actually capable of belief on the level that an almighty being would expect of his subjects. I mean if that's the case, then regardless of what's actually up there, we're all screwed anyway right?

 

[kineaesth]

But why settle for a spiritual afterlife? Why not a physical one? Just come back as a tentacle with an eye and a set of lips, going around looking for huge lumps of chocolate to f*ck.


You know, the rule that it's a blasphemy to believe any other religion is kind of the most telling of man's involvement. I mean, why believe in a petty god? You kind of have to wonder what the acceptable parameters are for it as well, beyond certain religions being founded at certain points in history, what about how much they've changed? Modern christianity is a shadow of it's former self, there've been so many changes made to it over the years. Mightn't god consider the modern, cutting edge christian to be worshiping some "other" god, bereft of the morals he so fervently tried to ingrain into our culture?

Of course, noone even considers this, because religion is so often just a status symbol, a badge. It's a free pass in life to never have to dig deep inside yourself and consider your own morals, to never have to consider the futility of your actions, because now you know all the answers. Or at least you've fooled yourself into thinking so. There's so much self-trickery that goes into it, so much convincing yourself to ignore reason (well, for some people) that you really have to wonder if humans are actually capable of belief on the level that an almighty being would expect of his subjects. I mean if that's the case, then regardless of what's actually up there, we're all screwed anyway right?

tl;dr version - God's pissed, we're all f*cked.

 

[Krynn72]

I just have, say, a 99% doubt that one exists.

You're more like an Agnostic Atheist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic_atheism

 

[Druckles]

Weren't we on a no religion threads fast?

 

[Dinkleberry]

Weren't we on a no religion threads fast?

 

[Dinkleberry]

The way I look at the quote is basically he's saying he'd rather be happy believing in a God all his life, and not having it exist, than live his life believing in nothing, thus possibly making him miserable throughout his life, and then having it exist all along.

Of course, that's just the way I look at it.

Again, yeah I think you're right on this.

I don't think it is an argument for someone to switch to a belief in a god, but props to them if they already do.

If it was said by an atheist, it's quite a nice, accepting attitude to have towards other's beliefs?

 

[ríomhaire]

I like the quote in my sig more.

 

[Iron Kat]

I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.

The way I look at the quote is basically he's saying he'd rather be happy believing in a God all his life, and not having it exist, than live his life believing in nothing, thus possibly making him miserable throughout his life, and then having it exist all along.

I actually completely agree with this.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I think it's ridiculous.

 

[Raziaar]

I think your arms are too long!

Maybe not though...

 

[Mirage]

Camus won the Nobel Prize for Literature. But, I suppose not every comment of his can be golden.

 

[Slug Advisor]

So he would rather believe in God and be inevitably disappointed when he discovers there isn't one than assume there's not a deity and be in for a pleasant posthumous surprise? (assuming, of course, that said deity doesn't pack all atheists into Hell)

 

[Bad^Hat]

Now that I read the quote properly, it's actually kind of silly...

I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't

"Find out" how, exactly?

Unless he's implying that the only other possibility is some kind of godless afterlife, but I somehow doubt it.

 

[Slug Advisor]

Unless he's implying that the only other possibility is some kind of godless afterlife, but I somehow doubt it.

Well, I sort of assumed this in my post.

 

[Dinkleberry]

Now that I read the quote properly, it's actually kind of silly...


"Find out" how, exactly?

Unless he's implying that the only other possibility is some kind of godless afterlife, but I somehow doubt it.

That's a good point. Perhaps he said it as a joke, or a light-hearted throwaway comment. Almost like something from a Larry David stand-up routine.

Spoiler

I've never seen a Larry David stand-up routine

 

[Mr Stabby]

If there was a God I'd rather believe in it. Since there isn't a God I'm fine with not believing in it.