God in Your Bloodstream

i can't agree that people who commit crimes think they are safe from punishment from God wouldn't commit them anyway. there are plenty of atheists doing the exact same things. although, i always wondered if the mafia thought that way.

 

Re: It's all about hope, belief and love

"would people be unlawful if they didn't believe in God? probably (not?) am i reading this correctly?

 

Oh, I see, one mans God is another mans fantasy.

 

I didn't say "ONLY people who think they have a Get Out Of Hell Free card commit crimes." I was just saying it was an incentive:

Christian: If I rob a bank, I'll go to jail. However, Jesus forgives me so I'm going to Heaven anyway, so what's a little jail time?
Atheist 1: If I rob a bank, I'll go to jail. I don't want to go to jail so I won't rob a bank.
Atheist 2: If I rob a bank, I'll go to jail. But I don't care, so I'll rob a bank.

 

If someone is committing a crime, they are obsessing about #1 - rationalizing about #1.

They don't give a damn about others, God, anything else - period.

 

right. but here's my take on it: Christian #1: if i rob a bank, God will reject me for not believing in his word.
Christian #2: if i rob a bank, even though i tell people i believe, i really don't. otherwise, i wouldn't rob a bank.

 

All of this sounds necessary for a happy and healthful life, but I would suggest it's entirely possible without the 'faith' part. There's no religious 'exclusive' on hope, love and introspection, or on any other human emotion, both good and bad.

I see 'that little voice inside of us' as our own thoughts, not as words from a divine being, or as a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. Agreed, we don't always listen to our innermost thoughts, for many reasons, but I disagree about ascribing them to god(s).

 

I'm a bit more of a generalist, I don't really think in terms of which God.

I'm only using that term because that's the label most of us are affixing to the process of belief in another reality which we can't perceive or prove.

___________

That Asian girl is really, really troubling.

 

I'd say it's more a matter of personal growth and maturity than evolution. Humans aren't necessarily born 'good', so evolution of the species wouldn't really apply. Some people just don't care about others, regardless of their beliefs or lack thereof, and some people never mature to the point where relationships or society are vital to them. I'd say part of 'doing the right thing' is taught by our parents and friends, and part of it is learned by experience. There's no divine intervention required to become a thinking, moral person.

 

Great. Lets just call that "human nature" And we have to be taught to do the right things. Great. Now we are getting somewhere.

 

Anybody read this book? Reaction?
Reaction to having read the book, not the teaser.

Society without God
What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment
Phil Zuckerman

“Silver†Winner of the 2008 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year
Award, Religion Category

Before he began his recent travels, it seemed to Phil Zuckerman as if
humans all over the globe were “getting religionâ€â€”praising deities,
performing holy rites, and soberly defending the world from sin. But
most residents of Denmark and Sweden, he found, don’t worship any
god at all, don’t pray, and don’t give much credence to religious dogma
of any kind. Instead of being bastions of sin and corruption, however,
as the Christian Right has suggested a godless society would be, these
countries are filled with residents who score at the very top of the
happiness index and enjoy their healthy societies, which boast some of
the lowest rates of violent crime in the world (along with some of the
lowest levels of corruption), excellent educational systems, strong
economies, well-supported arts, free health care, egalitarian social
policies, outstanding bike paths, and great beer.

Zuckerman formally interviewed nearly 150 Danes and Swedes of all
ages and educational backgrounds over the course of fourteen months.
He was particularly interested in the worldviews of people who live
their lives without religious orientation. How do they think about and
cope with death? Are they worried about an afterlife? What he found is
that nearly all of his interviewees live their lives without much fear of
the Grim Reaper or worries about the hereafter. This led him to wonder
how and why it is that certain societies are non-religious in a world that
seems to be marked by increasing religiosity. Drawing on prominent
sociological theories and his own extensive research, Zuckerman
ventures some interesting answers.

This fascinating approach directly counters the claims of outspoken,
conservative American Christians who argue that a society without God
would be hell on earth. It is crucial, Zuckerman believes, for Americans
to know that “society without God is not only possible, but it can be
quite civil and pleasant.â€

 

I know a number of happy, religious Scandinavian-Americans.

An observation not meant to be disagreeable with the above article.

In regards to American Christians, I go back to Billy Graham remarking he thought only 25% of churchgoers are the real deal. I will bypass the topic of which of them goes to Heaven and focus on the here-and-now - if 75% of churchgoers are not really practicing, then they are not happy because they are half-hearted about following Jesus' teachings, if at all. It's like couch potatoes are not fit, debtheads are not wealthy, etc, etc.

 

You see? We CAN agree on some things!

 

All gods have never been proved anything more than fantasy... there are lots of folks that have stuff that was written by men to say one thing or another... but thus far, nothing has been proved more than fantasy.

Is there or has there ever been factual evidence of the creator...



That doesn't mean I don't think there is one... I just don't think she is anything like what we have in the books...

 

Since I already don;t believe theere is a god, my life wouldn't change at all.

 

Since I no longer have to worry about if someone else is "right with God"... I can just accept them the way they are, be nice because I like being nice, and help others because they need help.

I think evolution does have something to do with caring for others. Humans are woefully helpless, as infants and as individuals, in a harsh environment. Hunting, building shelter, and feeding those that can feed themselves (babies, children, pregnant moms, and the elderly or sick), all works better within a group. Groups work better when there is some sort of helpful behavior.

"We're all in this together" works much better for me than "God hates your lifestyle."

 

This part of group behavior is described by a branch of mathematics called Game Theory. Game Theory shows why cooperation works out better overall, even if selfishness may maximize the gains of some individuals. As a group we have evolved towards cooperation, as it benefits us as a species.

Tom

 

If there was no God, hmmmm, in the absence of transcendent values, all one was left with is the power of will. Knowing the fickleness and the weakness of the human will, it's want of material gain and the savagery it will use to gain it, I'll stick with my transcendent values, thank you. If you'd like to explore the realm of existence without God, study the French Revolution.

 

Does your evolution theory explain why some mainland Chinese, constrained by the government to one child, reportedly drown their first child if it is female because to help them survive they need boys to help on the farm and they want their family name to live on?